Pizza! Pizza!

New restaurants, our favorite pizza, holiday events, and more.

Author

Joe Arendt
November 21, 2024

Welcome to the first issue of Burbs Explored’s weekly newsletter! Thank you for subscribing and sharing your inbox with us. We hope this newsletter helps you discover some great new spots and fun things to do around the Chicago suburbs.

We are just getting started so please do share feedback and let us know any places or events we should check out across the burbs.

Heads up, we will not be sending a newsletter on Thanksgiving, but we will be back in your inbox the following week. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Weekend Routine

Weekly highlights from the Burbs Explored team and community on where they eat, drink, shop, and play across the Chicago suburbs.

  • We had dinner with friends at Gigi’s Wine Bar (Barrington). Nice cozy atmosphere and excellent wine list. Ordered the oysters, green salad, wagyu bavette and truffle fries. All were excellent.

  • Picked up coffee and pastries from Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters (Barrington, Crystal Lake, Palatine, Libertyville, Cary). I’m a big fan of their Ethiopia blend and their cinnamon rolls are a must order if available.

  • Explored Busse Woods with my boys before winter arrives. Tons of great trails and space to explore. We will definitely be back next Summer.

  • Kicked off ramen season with a delicious red miso ramen from Chicago Ramen (multiple locations across the suburbs).

- Joe Arendt (Burbs Explored Founder)

Weekly Updates

  • Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape started this week and runs through Jan 5 (link)

  • Illumination: Morton Arboretum’s Tree Lights also kicked off this week and runs through Jan 4 (link)

  • Christkindlmarket in Aurora opens this weekend and runs through Christmas Eve (link)

  • New Glenview Mediterranean restaurant, Ema was featured on CBS (link)

  • One of our favorite roasters, Sparrow Coffee will be opening a second cafe in Clarendon Hills (link)

  • A new restaurant from the Gibson’s team will be opening soon in South Barrington (link)

  • The team behind Aboyer and George Trois will be opening a New Mexican restaurant in Winnetka (link)

  • Blackberry Market opened a new location in Naperville (link)

  • Elawa Farm opened a cafe offering farm-to-table breakfast, lunch, coffee service, and kid friendly options (link)

  • FoodHaul, a new concept offering to-go meals from top chefs, opened their flagship store in Wilmette (link)

Burbs Explored guides highlight our favorite places to eat, drink, shop, and play across the suburbs. The guides are meant to be highly curated lists that help you discover new spots in your town, hidden gems you might not find with a Google search, and places worth making a drive to check out. We do not allow businesses to pay for inclusion; the only way to make the list is by offering a high quality experience, service, or product.

This week we are highlighting our favorite pizza places, which we are spoiled with across the Chicagoland area. Everything from deep dish and tavern style to Detroit squares and wood-fired pizza can be found throughout the suburbs. Below is our list of favorites that includes places that have been around for decades, along with newcomers that are impressing locals and critics alike. Check out the list below or view the full guide on our website, and let us know your favorite local pizza spots!

NORTH SHORE

  • Barnaby’s (Northbrook)

  • Burt’s Place (Morton Grove)

  • Grateful Bites (Winnetka)

  • Half and Half Pizza (Lake Bluff)

  • Lefty’s Pizza Kitchen (Wilmette, Highland Park)

  • Pizza by Sal (Wilmette)

  • Union Squared | Union Pizzeria (Evanston)

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

  • Georgio’s Pizza (South Barrington and Crystal Lake)

  • Mockingbird (East Dundee)

  • neoteca (Barrington)

  • Pequod’s (Morton Grove)

  • Uncle Jerry’s Pizza Company (Cary)

  • Village Pizza (Elgin and Carpentersville)

  • Woodfire Pizza (West Dundee and Rockford)

WESTERN SUBURBS

  • Al’s Pizza (Warrenville)

  • Gia Mia (St. Charles, Geneva, Downers Grove, Elmhurst)

  • Fire + Wine (Glen Ellyn)

  • Kim’s Uncle Pizza (Westmont)

  • Little Pops (Naperville, Lisle, Aurora)

  • Nemec Brother’s Pizzeria (Geneva and Glen Ellyn)

  • Pie Life Pizza (Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream)

What places are we missing? Let us know your favorite pizza spots by replying to this email or sending us a message here.

Upcoming Events

NORTH SHORE

NORTHWEST SUBURBS

WESTERN SUBURBS

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