Uno Pizzeria & Grill Copycat Recipes
Uno Pizzeria & Grill — originally Pizzeria Uno — opened in Chicago in 1943 and invented deep dish pizza.
4 recipes
Uno Pizzeria & Grill (originally Pizzeria Uno) opened in December 1943 at 29 East Ohio Street in Chicago and invented the deep dish pizza format that is still the chain’s defining product. The reverse layering order — cheese directly on the crust, sausage patty over the cheese, chunky tomato sauce poured on last — was the innovation that set Chicago deep dish apart from every other pizza style and has remained the standard for 80 years.
The restaurant was co-founded by Ric Riccardo and Ike Sewell. Chef Rudy Malnati Sr., whose son Lou later opened Lou Malnati’s, is credited by many food historians as the actual developer of the recipe. The chain expanded significantly after Sewell sold it to a Boston conglomerate in 1977 and now operates as Uno Pizzeria & Grill across the US, with a menu that has expanded well beyond pizza.
The four most-searched Uno’s dishes to make at home are: the Chicago deep dish pizza itself (reverse-layered, buttery three-fat crust, no cornmeal), the Farmer’s Market Deep Dish (the vegetarian deep dish — caramelized onions, salted eggplant, spinach, pesto, feta, and plum tomatoes on the same crust), the Rattlesnake Pasta (penne in a spicy asiago-jalapeño cream sauce with pickled jalapeños and jalapeño brine), and the Spinach & Artichoke Dip (with its signature seasoned tomato topping and garlic baguette). All share a characteristic: a technique detail that most copycat recipes overlook and that makes the difference between a good attempt and the actual restaurant flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Pizzeria Uno really invent Chicago deep dish pizza?
The restaurant at 29 East Ohio Street in Chicago, opened December 1943, has the strongest documented claim to originating Chicago deep dish pizza. Credit for the recipe itself is contested — food historians frequently name chef Rudy Malnati Sr. as the developer, while co-founders Ric Riccardo and Ike Sewell are associated with the concept. A 1956 Chicago Daily News article named Rudy Malnati Sr. explicitly as the creator. Uno’s (now Uno Pizzeria & Grill) is the established origin restaurant; the precise individual credit remains historically debated.
What is the Numero Uno pizza?
The Numero Uno is the restaurant’s signature and best-known deep dish: Italian sausage, pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, with mozzarella (and romano in the classic build), topped with chunky tomato sauce. It is assembled in reverse order (cheese first, meats second, sauce on top) and baked in a deep pan until the crust is golden and caramelized against the buttered sides. The 1943 original was a simpler sausage pie; pepperoni became part of the standard build over the years. On the current menu it runs $16.49 for a 7-inch individual, $26.69 for a 10-inch, and $32.99 for a 12-inch.
What is the Farmer’s Market Deep Dish at Uno’s?
The Farmer’s Market is Uno’s vegetarian deep dish — the meatless option that uses the same three-fat crust as the Numero Uno but fills it with caramelized onions, sautéed eggplant, fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto, topped with chunky plum tomatoes and finished with crumbled feta in the last stage of baking. It is a permanent menu item available in 7-inch individual (~1,578 calories), 10-inch regular (~3,120 calories), and 12-inch large sizes. The key preparation detail: the eggplant must be salted and pressed for 30 minutes before cooking to remove its moisture — skipping this step produces a watery pizza that cannot set properly.
What is the difference between Pizzeria Uno and Lou Malnati’s?
Both trace to the same 1943 origin — chef Rudy Malnati Sr. worked at the original Pizzeria Uno, and his son Lou Malnati later opened Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in 1971. The core deep dish method is the same: reverse layering, deep pan, chunky sauce on top. The differences are in crust recipe and sauce seasoning, which each restaurant developed separately after the split. Lou Malnati’s is generally considered more focused on the original style; Uno’s has expanded its menu beyond pizza substantially. Both are legitimate Chicago deep dish.