EJ's Pizzeria Worth Going Off the Beaten Path

EJ’s Pizzeria opened in February in an off-the-beaten-path part of Skokie, but the casual spot has already attracted a solid following by offering a menu of good food that caters to a variety of dietary restrictions.

The spot at 9149 Gross Point Rd. in Skokie is both Kosher and vegetarian. It’s also vegan friendly with cheese-free pizza and an extensive salad bar with items that include hearts of palm, broccolini, sliced cherry tomatoes and mandarin orange slices.

Located next door to Rosenblum's World of Judaica, the pizzeria seems to draw most of its customers from the local Jewish community. But the food is good and affordable enough to be worth a visit by anyone.

The counter service restaurant had a large crowd when we visited around 1 p.m. Sunday, mostly populated by families and senior citizens. The service was friendly and fast. A server patiently explained the different salad options to a woman in front of us.

When I ordered two slices of vegetable pizza, the server made sure that I got it from the pie I wanted. He pointed out that one just had peppers and onions while another was also topped with mushrooms and broccolini.

The pies and salad components are nicely displayed so you can get a clear view of the good-looking food when picking out your order.

Most of the tables near the counter were taken, so we grabbed space in the dining room, which is decorated with pictures of customers and features a flat-screen TV tuned to sports. Our food came out quickly and was quite good.

I got two slices of vegetable pizza and my boyfriend got two slices with strips of fried eggplant (both $3.50 a slice or $19.99 for a whole pie). The mixed vegetable pizza was very generous with the toppings and the vegetables were lightly cooked so they still had plenty of flavor. The sauce was sweet, but not too sugary; the crust was fresh and crispy; and the cheese had the perfect hot fresh out the oven taste. The eggplant was tender and flavorful and the breading didn’t add any extra grease. Both were made a little better by spicing them up with some of the crushed red pepper set on the table.

We also shared an order of garlic knots (99 cents), doughy balls brushed with garlic and olive oil that made for a nice side. Adding in a Snapple iced tea ($2) and a bottle of root beer ($1.70), we walked away happy and full for about $20.

Deep-dish pies are king in the Chicago area, which has often left me questing for good non-chain thin crust pizza by the slice. EJ’s is the best I’ve found on the North Shore so far, and I’ll be heading back there the next time I get a craving.