The city of Chicago will lose its last Aurelio's Pizza location when the 'za-slinging outpost on the south end of Grant Park shutters on Saturday, May 31. But the beloved pizzeria will live on through the rest of its Illinois-based locations, much to the relief of a surprising fan: Pope Leo XIV.
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Yes, the newly minted pontiff—formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old Chicago native—made history as the first-ever American pope during last week's papal conclave, a surprising election that had folks around Chicagoland cheering (and others, like Chicago-based chain Portillo's, making Pope-themed sandwiches to celebrate).
But when it comes to celebrating some good ol' pizza, Pope Leo reportedly has a favorite pie among Chicago's saucy bunch and, yes, it's Aurelio's Pizza. As reported by WGN9, during his pre-pope days, then-Cardinal Prevost paid a visit to the pizzeria's Homewood location this past August. “I didn’t know the day he came because he didn’t announce, ‘Hey I’m the cardinal,’” owner Joe Aurelio quipped to the outlet. However, months later when Prevost officially became Pope Leo XIV, "all the employees went crazy," Aurelio added. "They started texting and calling me, ‘Can you believe it? He was just here a few months ago.'"
His Holiness is reportedly partial to the restaurant's thin-crust pepperoni pizza, so much so that Aurelio's has affectionately nicknamed the pontiff-approved pie the "Pope-eroni". The restaurant also designated the table where he sat during his visit as "The Official Pope's Table".
Now all we need to know is where Pope Leo XIV likes to get his Italian beef sandwiches when he's back home in Illinois—does he like Al's, Johnnie's, Scatchell's, Portillo's, Odge's or somewhere even more holy?