Bites Nearby: Zachary's Chicago Pizza in San Ramon

Zachary's Chicago Pizza isn't where you'd go to impress people with your dining manners. Its deep dish (stuffed) pizzas are ooey, gooey and messy, but definitely delicious. 

I wasn't familiar with a Chicago-style pizza prior to visiting Zachary's. After receiving my pizzas I can definitely understand why they are referred to as "pies." They have to be a good two to three inches tall. 

Chicago style means that there is a layer of pie crust followed by the ingredients in the pizza that are covered in another thin layer of crust and topped with a thick tomato-chunk sauce. Such a pizza really is a sight to behold. 

On a recent visit I tried Zachary's Special, which included sausage, green pepper, onion and mushroom. I was impressed with the filling ingredients. There were substantial pieces of mushroom in this pie plus tons of cheese. The tomato chunk sauce on top of the pizza is tangy and thick so it wasn't dripping off the slices. A small costs $19.50 and serves two or three people fairly large pieces.

I also had the Barbeque Chicken pizza. This was a tasty deep dish with plenty of chicken breast pieces plus sweet red onion and cilantro. It came with the tangy tomato sauce and barbecue sauce, as well. It was a great tasting pie and looked stunning with its swirls of barbecue sauce on the top. This pie costs $24.55 and serves three or four people. 

Zachary's has many pizza options, including a low-fat stuffed pizza that comes with baked chicken, spinach and lowfat mozarella on a wheat crust. There is a stuffed version in which you choose your ingredients, anything from anchovies to zucchini. The stuffed pizzas come in small, medium and large, the large being 14 inches. A large cheese stuffed pizza goes for $21 plus $2.25 per extra topping. 

You also can get a thin-crust pizza, which is more in line with the pizzas we are used to on the West Coast, from small to extra large (16 inches). A plain cheese pizza ranges from $10 to $18.75.

There are gluten-free options at Zachary's, which also sells half-baked pizzas to take home and finish cooking. It serves thin pizza by the slice from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Whichever pizza you choose, you need to allow extra time, especially for the stuffed pizzas. They take 30-40 minutes to bake at the restaurant.   

Zachary's salad choices include a Caesar, spring, spinach and garden, half serving for $3.95 or full serving for $6.95. Each salad comes with breadsticks. 

Patio seating is available and the place is hopping on the weekends so you may want to make a reservation. On weekends, Zachary's asks you to order by phone ahead of time so that your pies will be ready fairly soon after you are seated.   

Zachary's Chicago Pizza, 3110 Crow Canyon Place, San Ramon. 925-244-1222. Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. (takeout until 9:30 p.m.);
Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. (takeout until 10 p.m.).