Renaldi’s Pizza

Chicago-style pizza joints are a dime a dozen, but New York–inspired takes are harder to come by. Grab a booth in the dim, casual, somewhat shabby room (it’s not bad, but the place does much more take-out biz) and dig into the flavorful meatballs, tangy tomato sauce and toasted bread that make for one great meatball sandwich. Basic but fresh ingredients are turned into a handful of pastas, like baked ziti and spinach ravioli in tomato cream. But pizzas rule the roost—the thick-crusted, square-cut pan is a good base for hearty toppings like Italian sausage, but we prefer the thin crust for delicate classics like spinach, tomato and garlic.