Where to Celebrate National Pizza Month in October

Home Run Inn

Home Run Inn focuses on supporting those in need, feeding more than 100,000 people during October National Pizza Month.

A portion of proceeds from frozen pizza and restaurant sales will be donated to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), supporting the distribution of food to children and families in underdeveloped countries. Home Run Inn employees will also donate their time to pack meals at FMSC in October, feeding 87,000 individuals. In addition, Home Run Inn will donate pizzas to Northern Illinois Food Bank, feeding over 20,000 people to support local communities.

“The Home Run Inn family remains dedicated to giving back to those in need and National Pizza Month is an important time to uphold our core family values,” says Gina Bolger, Senior Vice President of Branding and third-generation family member of Home Run Inn.

“The Home Run Inn team has perfected the art serving in the restaurant and out, by so generously giving back to their communities. They have taken that expertise and passion and joined forces with Feed My Starving Children becoming champions for those we serve in underdeveloped communities around the world,” says Marilyn Maurella, Major Gifts Manager for Feed My Starving Children. “Over the years, Home Run Inn has allowed us to feed the spirits of their employees during their annual team packing session, producing hundreds of thousands of meals together and has funded over 300,000 additional meals. Feed My Starving Children is so grateful for the partnership with Home Run Inn and we look forward to reaching even more kids together!”

“Thanks, Home Run Inn, for donating pizzas to the Food Bank,” says Jennifer Clark, Marketing Communications Manager for the Food Bank. “With the current disruptions in the food supply chain, donations like these help us ensure that families throughout Northern Illinois have the food they need to thrive."

PB&J

PB&J offers Neapolitan pizza and draft beer, as well as favorite jams from their state-of-the-art jukebox powered by TouchTunes. Diners can order specialty pizzas such as the Elote Pizza, Burrata & Balsamic Pizza, and the Loaded Baked Potato featuring Ricotta Bechamel, Sliced Potatoes, Bacon, American Cheese, and Chives. PB&J’s fantastic Happy Hour takes place Tuesday - Thursday from 3-6pm with half price pizzas and select specialty cocktails. 

Wood

Nestled in Northalsted, diners can chose specialty flatbreads from Chef Devin Kreller at the six-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Wood. Such as The Hot Italian Flatbread featuring smoked san marzano sauce, parmesan, house hot italian sausage, ricotta, giardiniera, pickled fresno peppers, castelvetrano olives. Diners can also order the Mushroom & Onion Flatbread featuring creamy mornay sauce, caramelized onions, glazed mushrooms, baby arugula, and grand cru alpine cheese.

The Dearborn

Leaning into the “tavern” in their name, Executive Chef Aaron Cuschieri offers a new assortment of Chicago tavern-style pizzas with toppings, including a brunch pizza on weekends. Diners can chose from pizzas such as Prosciutto & Fried Egg featuring truffle bianca sauce, saba, arugula, fontina cheese, and chili flakes. Other options include the Volpi Pepperoni & Fresh Mozzarella featuring classic house made Pomodoro sauce, Midwest pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan cheese.

Nonnina

Broaden horizons on National Pizza Month with Nonnina’s Leek & Mushroom pizza. Triangle cut and made to be folded, each slice is topped with Leek Confit, Wild Mushrooms, Black Truffle, Tomini and a little fiori di latte to bring all the flavors home. Classics like Nonnina’s Margherita — Local Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomato and Torn Basil — and their Four Cheese pizza with Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Parmesan, Pistachio, Honey and a dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil are on the menu, too, so there’s something the whole family will enjoy. Order now through Toast, Caviar, DoorDash, Uber Eats or GrubHub by visiting www.nonninachicago.com. 

Petterino’s

The Chicago restaurant has returned just in time for Broadway season, with the kitchen now headed by Executive Chef Ozzy Amelotti. Petterino’s serves three styles of Pizzetta’s for National Pizza month. Order a water because the Trenton New Jersey Style boasts Imported Mozzarella de Buffala from Campania, Cherry Tomato, Pomodoro and Chili Flake for some spice between bites. Petterino’s Prosciutto pizzetta is crisped and topped with Asiago, Besciamella, Truffle Oil and Micro Basil, which may seem small, but packs a punch with each bite. The Artichoke and Arugula pie is covered in Rose Sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano.  

Recess

The pizza at Recess comes with a name — Bob’s Pizza. Eight different styles of pizza adorn the menu at Recess. Bob’s Sausage features the best Italian Sausage in Chicago tucked together with a Tomato Sauce, House Blended Cheese, Thyme and Pickled Onions. While on the topic of pickles, Bob’s Pickle pie comes with Mortadella, Garlic Cream,  Dill Pickles and Fresh Herbs. Be like Popeye and order the Spinach Pesto and Stracciatella for Prosciutto, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Baby Arugula and lovely Lemon — and it can be made completely vegetarian by request. 

Table at Crate

Skip the traffic to Detroit and head to Oakbrook instead for Chef Bill Kim’s Mini Detroit Style Pizza. The pie comes in a classic Detroit brick topped with Cheese, Tomato Sauce and Asian Giardiniera. 

FireLake

Experience farm-to-table dining in Downtown Chicago at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar. The American grill concept, offers a menu featuring the Midwest meat, freshwater fish and produce. To celebrate national pizza month on a lighter note, diners can chose from Executive Chef Leonard Ventura’s Margherita Flatbread made with heirloom tomato, mozzarella di bufala and basil, the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread featuring barbecue rotisserie chicken, green onion and jack cheese or a Fennel Sausage Flatbread with aged mozzarella, roasted garlic, spicy tomato sauce.

Finger Licking Foodie Tours

Finger Licking Foodie Tours offering a deep-dish tour allows guests to partake in not one, not two, but THREE slices, all in one trip. Forget the normal wait time while the pies bake and instead, get seated immediately with VIP service and pizza delivered fresh out of the oven in only 10 minutes (as opposed to the average 45). The tour comes complete with a virtual guide that shares fascinating information on each restaurant visited. Plus, guests can take leftovers home which is the best part.

The Self-Guided Deep Dish Pizza Tour features stops at:

• Gino’s East on Superior Street with its fabled graffiti-clad walls and celebrity clientele
• Lou Malnati’s on Wells Street, famous for its butter crust crowned with lean sausage that covers the entire circumference of the pizza
• Pizzeria Uno on Ohio Street, which claims to be the originator

The tour is $65 per person and includes a slice of half-cheese, half-sausage at each location (vegetarian options available upon request). Tours are available to book on the half hour from 11am - 6pm daily.