Extra toppings

Photo: Sarah Bonk

Best place to convince yourself pizza is healthy
Crust
When words like certified organic are thrown around, the hype—and hipsters—tend to follow. But this Wicker Park pizzeria is not as pretentious as you might expect, and we love it. Light, fluffy flatbread crusts come out on wooden pizza paddles and are speckled with airy, just-baked bubbles. And unlike the overcooked, oily toppers you’ve come to expect on a pizza, the toppings here are blindingly bright and fresh—as if they were picked fresh off the vine. Skip the standard Pepperonata (tomatoes, pepperoni, peppers, mozzarella and provolone) for the spicy, gooey Mexicali Blues (pictured), which includes smoky shrimp, Chihuahua cheese, pico de gallo, heirloom peppers and cilantro. It’s a taste of magic. 2056 W Division St, 773-235-5511.

Photo: Maia Harms

Best place for a gimmicky ’za that doesn’t suck
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder
At this homey Lincoln Park spot, the chefs couldn’t care less about deep dish or thin crust. They’ve been churning out their own interpretation—the pizza pot pie—since 1972. Baked in a bowl with cheese on the bottom, toppings in the middle and the slightly sugary, quarter-inch crust on top, the pie is flipped cheese-side up on your plate by your server. Imagine an Italian grandmother’s homemade pasta sauce brimming with spicy sausage, garlic, green peppers, ripe plum tomatoes and golf ball–size fresh mushrooms. Now imagine that mess of deliciousness enveloped in a thick, melted blend of Italian cheese. If you think you feel stuffed after deep dish, devouring one of these “individual size” half-pound bad boys will make you feel like you’ll never fit in your jeans again. 2121 N Clark St, 773-248-2570.

Photo: Sarah Bonk

Best place to go nuts over crust
Pizza Metro  
The quarter-inch thin crust at this storefront joint run by two cousins from Rome has a pleasantly bready, slightly sourdough flavor. The secret? Chefs roll dough onto 32-inch pans before “prebaking” each sheet with a layer of housemade marinara sauce to keep the crust moist inside and crispy outside. Then the nine- and 18-inch rectangular pies are customized with more than 20 toppings; go crazy and divide your pizza into “quarters” with different ingredients like zucchini and fresh basil buried under a thick blanket of mozz (or blue cheese) and baked one more time. The good news? You won’t wait longer than 15 minutes for your pie. The bad? The pizzeria gets rowdy with late-night revelers looking to dig into a booze-soaking snack. Save the trip for a mellow night so you can savor some of the creative combos—we love the addictive rosemary and potato pizza (pictured). 1707 W Division St, 773-278-1753.r