by Armani Johnson ’23

When people, particularly “outsiders”,  talk about “Chicago style pizza” they more often than not are talking about the deep dish variety. However, with all due respect to my deep dish people out there, “real Chicagoans”, particularly us South Siders, know that deep dish is not the “best Chicago has to offer”. In fact, in my humble pizza loving opinion, the best Chicago pizza can be found at Home Run Inn .

The history of the company goes back to 1923,  when couple Mary and Vincent Grittani owned a small tavern on 31st Street in Chicago along with their children. After a home run from a nearby baseball game smashed through the window, they decided to rename the tavern to the well known pizza brand, “Home Run Inn.” 

In the 1940’s, Mary Grittani developed the game changing pizza recipe that’s still being used today, and almost 10 years later in the 1950s, they began selling frozen pizzas in the Chicagoland area. 

In 1986 and 1996, the frozen manufacturing plants were constructed, one being located in Chicago and the other in Woodridge.  Fast forward to today, and frozen Home Run Inn pizza is now available in over 30 states. 

And each of those states is better as a result, because whether plain cheese, or full of pepperoni and sausage, whether the margherita, or of course the supreme, you cannot go wrong with any variety of Home Run Inn pizza and its mouthwatering crispy butter crust, and savory sauce.

And don’t worry, there’s plenty of sit down options available to get a taste as well. As of today Home Run Inn has  9 restaurant locations in the Chicagoland area, including a two story restaurant at the original location.

 So next time a friend comes into town looking for a taste of Chicago style food, skip the deep dish, and hit a Homerun—pizza style.