Pizzeria Uno introduces region to first Chicago-style deep-dish pizza restaurant
A company that invented Chicago-style deep-dish pizza more than 80 years ago has opened its first restaurant in LaPorte.
Pizzeria Uno, founded in Chicago in 1943, opened Friday at the Pine Lake Resort and Banquets hotel at 444 Pine Lake Ave.
The hotel, originally a Holiday Inn, fell into disrepair in recent years, but a nearly completed renovation has breathed new life into the facility.
“As everybody knows, they have a great history, and we wanted to bring that Chicago-style tradition into the wonderful town of LaPorte,” said Vikey Patel, one of the owners of the pizzeria and hotel.
The name “Chicago-style deep-dish pizza” originated from Pizzeria Uno under then owners Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo, who invented it.
Their love for business and Italian cuisine led them to open the first Pizzeria Uno at Ohio and Wabash streets in Chicago.
Presently, there are more than 30 Pizzeria Uno locations, mostly along the East Coast but there’s one as far west and south as Colorado and Florida, respectively.
There are two other sites in Chicago and two other locations in Northwest Indiana at Porter and Highland.
Sue Magee, general manager of Pizzeria Uno, said the company is considering opening one in the South Bend area in the near future.
The atmosphere with jazz-style music playing softly along with the food is sort of upscale, but the prices in LaPorte are reasonable.
For example, a large deep dish pizza costs $26.99 while a small one ranges from $15.99 to $17.99.
“We’re not outrageous prices here. We aim to please,” Magee said.
The menu contains a variety of other dishes like Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, cheeseburgers, spaghetti and meatballs, rattlesnake pasta along with selections for children like chicken tenders.
“Everything is made fresh. Fresh vegetables. Fresh dough every day. Our ingredients are taste to please. You’ll enjoy every bite. Definitely,” Magee said.
Take-outs orders can also be placed on the phone, online or by walking in.
Deliveries can be arranged through DoorDash and Grubhub.
Stacy Lopez of LaPorte had a cheeseburger and fries while her 15-year-old son, Luke, had a personal deep dish cheese pizza.
Lopez said she enjoyed everything about the restaurant, including the fine dining opportunity it presents without having to drive a long distance for it.
“I love the aesthetics. The food. I think it’s really nice,” she said.
Dave and Julie Rudisell also of LaPorte said they’ve been waiting for the restaurant to open and didn’t leave disappointed.
Julie Rudisell called their deep dish pizza “delicious.”
“It’s very nice in here. It’s nice and spacious. We’ll be back,” she said.
The restaurant also features a bar with live entertainment planned during the night on weekends.
Mayor Tom Dermody said he was pleased to have the entire building restored to what it was during its hey-day, and the facility is positioned again to be more of a contributor to the local economy.
He said having Pizzeria Uno inside is also like the icing on the cake.
“It’s going to be welcoming to families and then you got a brand name I think most people will recognize out of Chicago,” he said.
La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership Executive Bert Cook said the hotel will play a key role in capturing dollars from people elsewhere coming here to attend tournaments at the Dunes Volleyball Center near Clear Lake.
Cook said there’s a need for more hotel rooms in La Porte and, recently, many people going to Dunes Volleyball Center events have been directed to Blue Chip Casino Hotel and Spa in Michigan City and other lodging facilities for overnight stays.
“We want those people to stay here," he said. "We want them to eat in our restaurants. Providing the space for them to do so as well as another dining establishment is a huge advantage for us. It keeps all of those dollars in the city of La Porte.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Chicago-style deep-dish pizza chain Pizzeria Union opens in La Porte
