Skyscrapers. Navy Pier. Pizza.Wind. All of these elements make up the place that inspired Gotham City and a fictional Italian beef shop turned fine-dining restaurant: Chicago. Summers in the city are unpredictable and mostly hot, but the one thing that remains consistent during all seasons is the food culture.
Mr. Beef in River North is credited for The Beef in FX’s The Bear, and Italian beef on a soft roll, preferably dipped, was recognized in the show as a Chicago staple. Similar to some of the show’s morally gray characters, the city’s food has many layers. Once you peel back the Italian beef wrapper and take a walk around the River North neighborhood, Portillo’s and Lou Malnati’s are almost guaranteed to find you first. This week, the beloved restaurant chains announced the combination of two Chicago favorites: pizza and hot dogs. The new item is being called the “Crosstown Collab” and labeled the most Chicago thing ever. As a Chicagoan, I agree.
What is on the Chicago Dog Deep Dish?
The Frankenstein-esque item was dropped on National Hot Dog Day, and Chicago natives seemed to be split on the new pizza and are trying to figure out if this is even real. In true Chicago fashion, the pizza is deep dish, but instead of being topped with tomato sauce, it is sprinkled with sliced hot dogs, pickle relish, cheese, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, chopped dill pickle spears, celery salt, and has sesame seeds baked into the crust. To pull together the authentic Chicago-style hot dog, the pizza is drizzled with yellow mustard. No ketchup allowed, of course.
How can I get a slice of the Chicago Dog Deep Dish?
Similar to warm weather in Chicago, this new item is only available for a limited time and won’t last forever, so it’s best to enjoy it now. Customers can pop into any of Lou Malnati’s 21 dine-in locations in the city or have a pie delivered to their homes through Lou Malnati’s website. Shoppers have the option to get their pizza ‘just right’, ‘well done’, ‘gooey’, or ‘half-baked’ for $17.65.
How has the internet reacted to the Chicago Dog Deep Dish?
Hot dogs and deep dish pizza separately could sound like an unforgettable dinner, but putting the two together might be intimidating. Commenters across Instagram and TikTok expressed excitement to try out the dish, while others held some reservations.
For the most part, Chicagoans seemed the most enthusiastic to get their hands on it. TikTok creator Phil is a food and lifestyle content creator who specializes in giving Chicago-based food recommendations to his followers. He reviewed the pizza and personally liked the spin on two Chicago classics.
If you happen to be in the Chicago area, this could be the highlight of your summer in addition to The Bear being renewed for another season.