2 Illinois Pizzerias Get Slice Of Fame On NYT National Roundup

ILLINOIS — Two Illinois pizzerias recently landed on a New York Times roundup of the Best Pizza Places in the United States. Making this 2024 list of the nation's 22 top pizza joints were Scratch Brewing, in Ava, Illinois, and Bungalow by Middle Brow in Chicago.

The article touted Scratch Brewing's pies for their locally sourced or homegrown ingredients, its signature sourdough culture-based crust and its brick oven preparation. The pies are baked in a handmade brick oven and are available Thursday through Sunday. Weekend road trip, anyone?

Of course a Chicago pizzeria made the list of the nation's best. This year, the honor went to Bungalow by Middle Brow, located in Logan Square. The reviewer wrote that "[t]he crusts are fragrant and flavorful, with sturdy undercarriages, and the Neapolitan pizzas are always memorable, whether they’re topped with the barest amount of ingredients (order at least one with tomato sauce and yuzu oil) or the makings of a German potato salad, to name just one in the never-ending parade of specialty pies."

The New York Times also recently unveiled its reader-chosen list of the world's best pizzerias. Nods were given to pizza joints in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Ohio, but sadly no Illinois pizzerias made the worldwide selection this time around.