So Chicago is known for deep dish pizza. Which many (passionately) argue is not pizza at all. While others (passionately) advocate for it. To be honest, I just don’t have strong feelings about it at all. When you’re craving a lot of carbs and cheese, it’s hard to deny it’s appeal. Let them live. Let them eat deep dish. Let them call it pizza. There have been more bastardized versions of things we don’t argue about.
But anyways, today we’re here to talk about a different kind of pizza. The Roman kind. And for some reason, it exists of all places in Chicago. The original famed one in Rome, one in New Orleans, and two in Chicago.
If you’re new to Roman-style pizza (not particularly easy to find here in the US), imagine walking in and being met by a beautiful array of rectangular pizzas topped with everything imaginable. Essentially crusty bread topped with seasonal ingredients curated together and cut to your liking. At Bonci, everything is sold by weight, so you can tell them how big of slices you want of which flavors to try as many as you like. The selection is always changing, so think of the pizzas as an art, the bread a canvas for creations based off whatever Bonci fancies, pizza is simply the medium of choice. And who can’t get behind carbs as a medium for art you can eat?
the details
| Address | West Loop: 161 N Sangamon St, Chicago Wicker: 1566 N Damen Ave, Chicago |
| Website | https://bonciusa.com/ |
| Yelp | West Loop | Wicker |
| @bonciusa | |
| Hours | West Loop: 11a-9p Sunday – Thursday, 11a-10p Friday and Saturday |
| Price | $-$$, you can definitely eat a cheap meal here, or you can go all out and try everything |
| Aesthetic | simple but inviting in that rustic Italian way |
good to know
Go here for: a quick lunch, a late night bite, an anytime pick me up
Order this: literally anything that tickles your fancy. They have dozens of options every day, so it’s not hard to find something that tastes good, it’s just hard to decide what to get.
Amount of time to spend: ~30 min or less, think of it as a quick serve restaurant
When to come: pretty much whenever, they’re decently quick, and a popular spot for lunch
Getting here: the West Loop location is just around the block from Morgan Station (pink/green), the Wicker Park location is right around from the Damen Station (blue line).
Other things to note:
- There isn’t a lot of seating inside at the West Loop location, mostly just counter style seating, but they do have some seating out front. Wicker location has more tables.
- Everything is sold by the pound (generally $10-15 per pound), and you can specify the size of each cut to make your own plate. They’ll finish it off and then call your number.
Last visited: June 2019
Last updated: April 2020
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