When most people think of pizza in Chicago, the image of a thick deep dish comes to mind: A pie filled with massive amounts of cheese with sauce ladled on top. No matter what we do, we can't shake that reputation because, honestly, deep dish is such a fascinating . The truth is, we natives don't eat deep dish regularly since it's not built for casual eating.
Depending on the place, a slice of deep dish can become a fork and knife affair, and each pizza can take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour to prepare, thanks to long baking times. And since a deep dish is so indulgent, we tend to view it as a treat rather than a staple. Fortunately, Chicago and the Midwest have their own style of thin crust, which is more what we consider our utility, weeknight pizza.
It goes by multiple names, such as tavern-style and party cut, but most of us simply refer to it as a thin crust or just "pizza." This style of crust can range slightly in thickness from an ever-so-slightly breadier dough with a chew to one that's cracker-thin and crisp. Because of the sturdiness of its crust, tavern-style pizza is a structural marvel that can hold an impressive amount of toppings.
One of its signature qualities is how it's sliced because, unlike many styles of pizza, tavern-style pizza is cut into squares. Why tavern-style pizza is cut into squares Tavern-style pizza is named such because it was served at Chicago's drinking establishments, becoming particularly popular shortly after the end of Prohibit.