So I'm a Chicagoan who transplanted in Oak Creek in 2012. I knew a couple of other Chicagoans who told me the place here that made the pizza CLOSEST to a Chicago pie, albeit more on the thin to hand-tossed crust side of things, was...get this...DeRango's!! 😂
I was astonished by the incorrect comparison. Over the last decade, I resigned myself to the fact that nothing up here would EVER come close to Chicago's Big 3: Lou's, Gino's East, and Giordano's. On a side note, I finally found a good tasting pizza at Trattoria di Carlo - then they shut down!
Then a couple of years ago, I hear that a Lou's is opening a location on 27th! I could NOT believe it! I told my BFF all about my favorite pie, "The Lou," and she and I are excited to order it...FINALLY! It was...different. I used to order from Lou's in Lincolnwood, IL, and IYKYK - the tomatoes were big slices mixed in, and not the cutesy Romas all over the top. They had SPINACH, not an oniony "spinach mix" - it was just bad.
Fast forward to last summer, and we get a location in Oak Creek. Thank God.
Here's my advice for ordering a good Malnati's pizza: Build Deep Dish Create Your Own! Don't get more than three toppings, or it overpowers the pizza foundation. ALWAYS GET BUTTERCRUST - it ain't Lou's if it ain't Buttercrust! Cheddar cheese should be 1/3 toppings...trust me! And unless you absolutely cannot, pick it up. This is why I can't give 5-stars on this app...the menu is already pricey, which they can do, 'cause they know they're good. A couple of nights ago, however, I ordered a personal (that's a TINY 6") with my 3 toppings + $1.69 for Buttercrust, and the TOTAL I paid to DD for that, with $7.89 in CREDITS, WITH DashPass, then $5.50 for tip (he brought a 6" box 2 miles)...that TOTAL was $25.25!
It WAS freaking delicious, but I wouldn't expect less.
TL; DR: Not as good as the original, BEST in this area, extremely expensive for what you get, so know that - especially first-timers maybe going on a date!
