Slice of Chicago Pizza Tours caters to those who want authentic Chicago pizza-- and an unconventional dining experience.
"Our friends who came to visit us [in Chicago] were always asking to try different food, so we came up with the idea of a pizza tour," said owner Mark Singer, who owns Slice of Pizza Tours with his wife, Lauren.
"It's been really fun. All different types of people come on the tour," said Lauren. "Last week, there was even a guy who came from Italy and translated the entire tour into Italian for his family."
The small tours all begin at Pizzeria Uno, the birthplace of Chicago deep-dish pizza.
"So this is where it all began!" said tour guide Gabriel Hebison, a pizza fanatic who belongs to his own pizza club, which goes to a different Chicago pizzeria every Sunday.
"I won't say what my favorite place is, but my favorite style is Napolitano," said Hebison. Napolitano is a style of pizza from the Southern region of Italy.
Next stop-- Pizzeria Oro, whose owners and chefs are rumored to have ties to the secret Uno recipe. Oro seems to win over the women on the tour.
"They make heart shaped pizza here on Valentine's Day," said Hebison.
The final stop on this tour -- Giordano's, which dishes out "stuffed" pizza. Unlike regular deep dish pizza, stuffed pizza includes a second layer of dough on top of the toppings.
So which pizza was the favorite?
"I really liked the crust at Pizzeria Uno, it was really flakey and almost buttery," said Jonathan Stelly, a tourist from Houston, Texas.
"I've had deep dish before," said Brian Boyer, who came with his wife from Boston. "My favorite pizza was at Pizzeria Uno."
For more information about Slice of Chicago Pizza Tours, you can visit their website sliceofchicagopizzatours.com . Tours are held Thursday through Sunday, at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. They are limited to 16 people and held through November 21, 2010. The cost is $40 per person. Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-623-9292.
