The Right Slice: A Local's Guide to Pizza

Pizza is a mystery. Its origin remains uncertain. There's much debate as to what ingredients and culture create the best pizza. Thin crust, thick crust, stuffed and wood fired. Barbecued chicken, pineapple, pesto or giardiniera. An infinite amount of possibilities come together to satisfy unique cravings. 

For all tastes, there's a pizza available locally. In the La Grange community, several vendors provide unique but interesting takes on the pie that shares fame in both Italy and Chicago. Here are some of the highlights:

Di Nico's Pizza, 42 S. La Grange Road, sports a bold slogan claiming the world's largest slice—and they may be right. Five dollars buys a frozen-pizza-sized whopping handful of their handmade soft doughy thicker crust layered generously with cheese, and if you like, pepperoni or sausage, with a crispy edge crust. It's so big the staff has to cut it in half to fit it in a meal-sized to-go box. It comes with a drink, too. Good deal, good taste.

Aurelio's  Pizza, 11 West Calendar Avenue, offers a 10 inch pizza for $10 with melted mozzarella and cheddar cheeses that somehow avoids being too greasy. The thin crust has crispy golden edges that seem to flake off after each bite and the subtle salty flavor mingles fluidly with the sweetness of the sauce. Aurelio's has been sticking to the family's recipe and style since 1959 that their patrons claim to be the best. 

Lucca's Pizzeria, 108 W. Burlington Avenue, offers a light and crisp thin crust layered with an array of toppings on their Neapolitan-style pizzas (typically made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese adhereing to strict rules proposed by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana from Naples, Italy). Its arugula and prosciutto thin crust pizza, which is a little pricier at $19, comes covered with San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, baby arugula, prosciutto, mozzarella and aged parmesan cheeses. The arugula's peppery taste compliments the slightly salty prosciutto. However the arugula was mushy as it was buried under a layer of cheese.

Bella Bacino's, 36 S. La Grange Road, offers a wood-fired sausage and mushroom pizza with a crunchy crust and doughier inside. The crust was a touch thicker than the other pizzas and covered in a well seasoned sauce. Fourteen dollars buys a mildly spicy Italian sausage and earthy mushroom covered pie. Take the time to order because explanations may be needed between their thin crust, wood-fired, and neapolitian style pizzas.