Chicago Deep Dish Pizza History | The Real Story Behind The Dish

The story of Chicago deep-dish pizza is thicker and richer than the two-inch crust it’s baked in. Before World War II, pizza in America was a thin-crust affair limited mostly to Italian immigrant communities. Then, in a former speakeasy on Ohio Street, a restaurant changed how Americans thought about pizza entirely.

What follows is the actual history — the disputed inventor, the inverted layer order that defines the style, and how a Chicago original became a national icon. (If you’re here to order one, our roundup of the best deep-dish pizzas shipped nationwide covers the top mail-order options.)

Who Actually Invented Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza?

There is no single inventor — the dish was a collaboration, and who gets credit depends on which story you believe. Pizzeria Uno officially credits co-founder Ike Sewell, but pizza historian Peter Regas makes a strong case that Ric Riccardo — a former football player turned restaurant manager — discovered the deep cast-iron pans and oversized oven at the Ohio Street location and formulated the original dough. Cook Alice Mae Redmond joined later and refined the recipe into what became the standard.

The version you’ll find in every tourist guide — “Ike Sewell invented it alone” — is the official legend, not the full truth. Sewell was the businessman and front-of-house face; he likely never cooked. Rudy Malnati Sr. and Lou Malnati, names now synonymous with Chicago pizza, arrived at Pizzeria Uno years after the first deep-dish came out of the oven.

What Makes It Different From Every Other Pizza?

Three things set deep-dish apart, and getting any one wrong changes the dish entirely.

The pan and crust. Deep-dish is baked in a deep cast-iron or steel pan heavily coated with oil or butter. The crust is thick, flaky, and almost pie-like — made from dough that in the 1945 original recipe used scalded milk, butter, and sugar. Redmond later switched to water, olive oil, and a secret dough conditioner that makes the signature buttery-pie texture.

The inverted layer order (this is where people get confused). From bottom to top: crust, then mozzarella cheese, then meat or vegetable toppings, then a thick layer of chunky tomato sauce ladled over everything. The sauce goes on top, not under the cheese. This prevents the cheese from scorching during the longer bake time and keeps the crust from turning soggy.

The depth. The original 1940s versions ran about one inch deep. By the 1960s and 1970s, crust depth had grown to roughly two inches, accommodating more filling and producing the dramatic slice that requires a knife and fork.

Stuffed Pizza vs. Deep-Dish — The 1974 Difference

Stuffed pizza is not the same thing as deep-dish, even though tourists treat them as interchangeable. Giordano’s introduced stuffed pizza in 1974, and it uses two layers of crust: one on the bottom, filling in the middle (lots of it), and a second, thinner crust on top. The tomato sauce still goes on top of everything. Stuffed pizza is deeper, denser, and takes even longer to bake — it’s deep-dish’s taller, younger cousin.

One common mistake is calling any thick pizza from Chicago “deep-dish.” Another is assuming thin-crust tavern-style pizza — the actual everyday pizza Chicagoans eat — is the same thing. It’s not.

Key Dates In Deep-Dish History

National Geographic and BBC Travel have covered the history in depth, confirming the core timeline and the ongoing debate over who truly invented the dish.