When I was about 14 years old, a few friends and I — Joe, Mike, and Jay — spent most of our weekends hanging out in Mike’s basement, laughing, arguing about music, and eating way too much pizza. Mike has since passed on, but those nights are memories I’ll always keep close.

One night, my buddy Joe had a wild idea. He said, “What if we could fix pizza?”
We all looked at him funny until he explained — the middle pieces of a pizza are always floppy and messy, but everyone loves the crust. So why not cut the pizza like a donut — no soggy middle, just perfect crust on every slice.

We called it the “Donut Cut.”

Someone joked that we should name the place Crusty Joe’s, and for a while, that name stuck. None of us remember who actually said it first, but we do remember that moment — four kids, laughing in a basement, accidentally inventing a new way to enjoy Chicago tavern-style pizza.

Years later, we’re proud to bring that same spirit to Chi-Town Tavern Pizza Co.
Every pizza still follows the tradition we started back then — hand-tossed, slow-fermented dough that rests for five days before baking. Our sauce is made from scratch and simmered slow for rich flavor. We use Applegate organic turkey pepperoni, homemade chicken sausage with fennel, and fresh-cut green peppers roasted in avocado oil — those are our premium toppings, because they’re worth it.

We may have grown up, but we’re still chasing that same perfect crust and that same feeling from Mike’s basement — friends, laughter, and pizza that everyone can enjoy, crust and all.

- Brian Linde

Owner/Founder