The Midwest’s Great Thin-Crust Export is Sweeping the Nation

In the suburban neighborhoods of Chicago where they grew up, it was simply pizza. For Brittany and Brennan Grosvenor, the husband-and-wife team behind Proof in Portland, Oregon, ordering a pie on a Friday night always came down to a familiar family debate. They had to choose between thin-crust, deep-dish, or double-dough, a nostalgic ritual that Brittany remembers as a staple of her youth. Today, the Grosvenors sell the former at their Portland establishment, though the regional language of "thin-crust" has naturally evolved into the more nationally recognizable phrasing of "tavern-style"—the distinct pizza phenomenon that has quietly swept from coast to coast over recent years.

To outsiders, the culinary identity of the Windy City is often inextricably linked to its famous, tourist-beckoning deep-dish pizza. Yet Brittany notes that this stereotype is simply not reflective of everyday reality. She characterizes deep dish as a much less frequent, novelty treat compared to the ubiquitous Midwestern thin-crust style that is rapidly gaining mainstream popularity across the United States. The pizza people actually eat every single week, or order by the dozen for a child’s birthday party, is invariably tavern-style.

This iconic style of pizza is deeply prevalent across the entire Midwest. Major culinary hubs like Chicago, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and St. Louis all tout their own closely related versions of these beloved pies. Characterized by a thin, cracker-like crust that bakes up to a satisfying crunch, tavern-style pizza is traditionally cut into a grid or lattice pattern into small squares instead of the conventional triangular slices. Depending on the specific region or the neighborhood pizza shop where one’s culinary nostalgia lies, the underlying tomato sauce might lean sweeter or punchier with spice. Above all, however, a profound lightness and intense crispness remain the style’s defining characteristics. Writing for Esquire in 2023, critic Omar Mamoon aptly described the variant—which was then still on the rise—as a direct foil to the famously thick Detroit-style square pizza that experienced its own massive cultural moment in the late 2010s.

The true beauty of the tavern-style pie lies entirely in its effortless shareability. A single pizza yields significantly more portions when sliced into a grid rather than traditional triangles, according to Bradley Shorten, the creative force behind both Kim’s Uncle Pizza in his hometown Chicago suburb of Westmont, Illinois, and the recently opened La Merna in Washington, D.C. Pizza cut into bite-sized squares makes for exceptional drinking food, largely because a piece fits comfortably on a standard cocktail napkin. What ultimately constitutes a well-made pie, Shorten explains, is that every single square receives its fair share of every ingredient, with the toppings stretching right out to the very edge of the crust. And while culinary traditionalists might jokingly point out that the four small corner pieces are not technically the "best" slices because of their crust-to-surface ratio, Shorten observes that they are invariably the ones everybody reaches for first, especially if those diners happen to be from Chicago.

Over the past few years, as neighborhood taverns have become a growing fixation for a new cadre of restaurateurs, the classic "party cut" pizza and dedicated tavern-style spots have become ubiquitous. Recent high-profile openings include Keepers in New York City; One Trick Pony in Fort Worth, Texas; Tillie’s Tavern Pizza in Wheat Ridge, Colorado; and establishments like Zarella Pizzeria Taverna and Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian in Chicago, where the style has always been part of the daily fabric. For homesick Chicagoans scattered across the country, these new national openings represent a long-overdue opportunity to correct the broader public record regarding their hometown’s actual pizza culture. Simultaneously, it allows other Midwesterners to proudly stake their own regional claims in the burgeoning pizza landscape.

When Mike Fadem opened the second location of his popular New York City pizzeria Ops—a spot widely celebrated for its wood-fired, Neapolitan-esque pies featuring leopard-spotted crusts and pliant, airy dough—he felt a distinct urge to offer something entirely new to his clientele. Fadem originally hails from St. Louis, a city known for its own ultra-thin local pizza tradition. Despite his enduring personal fondness for it, Fadem readily admits that it might not objectively be the finest version of tavern pizza, acknowledging the style’s vocal critics who frequently take issue with its traditional use of Provel, a gooey, highly processed cheese product. The historical trajectory of tavern-style pizza, he explains, reads remarkably like a game of culinary telephone: St. Louis-style pizza directly derives from thin-crust Chicago tavern pizza, which itself traces its lineage back through American adaptations of traditional Neapolitan pies. Distinct divergence has accompanied every single geographic jump.

Meanwhile, one of Fadem’s kitchen employees at Ops hails from New Jersey, a state that fiercely claims its own storied tradition of thin-crust, tavern- and bar-style pizzas. The distinct bar pies of the Boston area also command a fiercely devoted local following. Inspired by these diverse regional traditions, Fadem began asking himself if they could successfully craft an "Ops version" of the style. Given that Ops is already renowned for its artisanal sourdough fermentation, Fadem also wanted to highlight the rich, complex flavor profiles of whole grains in the crust. Furthermore, he was determined to make it exceptionally crispy—a textural quality he knew would instantly appeal to New Yorkers.

Fadem’s unique take ultimately landed on the menu under the regionally agnostic moniker of the "tavernetta." Although St. Louis and New Jersey served as his initial creative inspirations, Fadem discovered through extensive research that the absolute pinnacle of the style resided in Milwaukee. Interestingly, the Tavernetta has not displaced any of the other established pies at the restaurant; instead, it is routinely ordered as an addition to the meal, with most tables of diners purchasing at least one to share alongside their main orders.

In Los Angeles, the popular cocktail destination Bar Next Door celebrated its third anniversary by expanding its operations to include a dedicated food menu. Previously, the cocktail bar had operated under a casual arrangement where patrons were permitted to bring in hot pies from Prince Street Pizza next door, largely because Prince Street co-owner Lawrence Longo is a financial partner in the bar. However, bar owner and beverage director Brynn Smith realized that heavier styles of pizza could cut a night short. After having a heavy slice, guests often felt too full and decided to call it a night. The primary goal for Bar Next Door was to encourage patrons to linger a little longer and enjoy another round of drinks. Smith concluded that tavern-style pizza would serve as the ideal vehicle for this social atmosphere. The fact that the pizzas—officially listed on the menu as "bar pies" to better match the establishment’s classic name—are crafted exclusively for the bar by Prince Street provides yet another compelling reason for locals to venture out for an evening.

The foundational idea of the neighborhood tavern as a warm, convivial social space is ultimately inseparable from the tavern-style pizza it serves. For Shorten, his primary design and culinary goal with La Merna—which he operates alongside his wife, Meg Schmitt, who grew up in St. Louis—was to evoke the unmistakable ambiance of a classic Chicago dive bar or a traditional Wisconsin supper club. He envisioned a space defined by rich wood-paneled walls and classic checkered floors, where patrons could comfortably slide into red leather booths, order pitchers of cold beer and square-cut pizza, and settle in for hours of socializing.

The rising appeal of this cozy "tavern" aesthetic across restaurants nationwide is deeply rooted in a collective desire for spaces that feel genuinely homey, unpretentious, and lived-in. At these modern taverns, diners are actively encouraged to sprawl out, stay awhile, shed their daily pretense, and tap into something comforting in its sheer familiarity. For countless people across the country, this feeling is perfectly embodied by the cultural archetype of the humble hometown pizza shop, which remains permanently tethered in our collective imaginations to the comforting trappings of a simpler era.

It is precisely for this reason that the Grosvenors in Oregon have recently introduced their own regional interpretations of classic Midwestern comfort foods, including Bosco sticks—the nostalgic stuffed cheese breadsticks famous in Midwestern school cafeterias—and authentic Italian beef sandwiches piled high with spicy giardiniera. While the couple could occasionally track down isolated Midwestern culinary hits around the greater Portland area, they often felt frustrated that they could never find all of those nostalgic elements under one roof. As Brennan Grosvenor aptly summarizes their mission, they are simply trying to capture the authentic feeling of walking into a neighborhood tavern back in Chicago and finding everything your heart desires on the menu.