For this post, I went back and forth between the current title and “Heaven is a Place Called Bonci” in a nod to Belinda Carlisle’s classic…anyway, point being, I knew I had to use the word “heaven” when writing about Bonci Pizza.
I’d heard snippets like “cut with scissors” and “delicious crust” which were enough to pique my interest – I mean, with pizza you really don’t have to sell me on more than that – but after reading this article just a few weeks ago, a visit rose to the top of my shortlist.
Our dinner club met there on the early side of a Saturday evening, thinking we’d avoid some of the dinner rush, but no such luck – there was a constant stream of people coming into the place. The space is long and narrow with just a few seats in the front and back, so it felt a bit chaotic at times with so many bodies – but after tasting the pizza I can see why it’s so crowded. Despite the crowd, we managed to snag some stools and counter space together, and the efficient number-based ordering system (like a butcher counter) made the experience painless.
While waiting for our numbers to be called we scoped out the offerings – roughly a dozen large pans of pizza topped with a wide variety of toppings…Cacio Pepe, meatball, spinach/anchovy, garlic rosemary roasted potato, octopus/fresh tomato, mushroom/sausage, just to name a few.
One of the many things I love about this dinner club is that everyone is PRO-SHARING – which is ideal when you go to a place like Bonci. Between the five of us we ended up getting to try ten different kinds of pizza. While the toppings themselves were undoubtedly delicious, unique and perfectly cooked, the most remarkable thing about Bonci’s pizza is the crust. It can’t be called thin OR thick; it’s not doughy OR crumbly. It has large air pockets making it perfectly light but chewy, and it retains the perfect level of crusty crispiness. No limp slices here! This flawless texture is all the more impressive given how large the pies are; maybe the secret is in cold fermentation which starts with imported heirloom flour. Whatever it is, it’s the real deal.
Don’t wait for their much-anticipated second location (Wicker Park) – get yourself to 161 N Sangamon, stat!
Joe says
This pizza looks great!!