The Chicago Pan-Style Pizza Restaurant That Sells Out Of Pies Every Day

Deep-dish pizza would lead any discussion of iconic Chicago foods. However, the city's take on pizza is more than just deep dish, as locals generally eat more thin-crust tavern pies. There's also another type, Chicago's pan-style, that flies more under the radar. It has a signature caramelized thick crust with cheese and sauce on top, unlike deep-dish's layered filling. Milly's Pizza in the Pan has won praise for its version of these pies, but they can be tough to get, as the restaurant sells out all the time.

Owner Robert Maleski began Milly's as a ghost kitchen during the pandemic in August 2020, before opening a restaurant in the city in 2022. The culinary school grad named it after his grandmother Emily, who he cooked with as a child, and it has since expanded to two locations. Both only make a limited number of pizzas each day, and are open from just 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. People preorder online daily starting at 8 a.m. to try to snag a pie for pickup or delivery until they close or sell out. In-restaurant dining is offered, but neither location takes reservations, and they advise calling first to see if there are pizzas available.

Milly's was recognized by global city guide company TimeOut as one of the best pizzas in the world two years running. It was 11th in 2025 and 12th in 2026, one of just two American entries on the 2026 Top 18 list with New York City's Mama's Too at No. 1.

Robert Maleski became interested in pan pizza after having it at a restaurant called Burt's Place, founded by the style's inventor, the late Burt Katz. Maleski was blown away by it, and set out to perfect his own version, and considers his restaurants partially a tribute to Katz.

Milly's uses a poolish starter for the crust, a preferment made with flour, water, and a little yeast. It provides a more complex taste and better texture when added to the dough, which the restaurant allows to rise, helping make it lighter. Mozzarella slices are placed on top of the dough leaning against the sides around the pan to create the caramelized crust in the oven. A raw tomato sauce with seasonings like oregano and red pepper are used for the pies, whose fresh ingredients all come from local suppliers. They aren't cut once they're cooked unless the customer asks for it, in order to prevent sogginess.

There are eight pizzas on the menu, including the first one Maleski created, Untitled #1, with pepperoni, jalapeños, and mozzarella. Among the others are Only Pans, which has pepperoni, peppadaw peppers, tomato, Calabrian chili honey, and pesto, and Tom's Killing, topped with vodka sauce, pepperoni, everything bagel seasoning, red onion, ricotta, basil, and chili crunch, which is the same thing as chili crisp. Customers choose from the 15 toppings for You Do You, which range from common ones like sausage and mushrooms, to others including pineapple, Kumato tomatoes, and Castelvetrano olives, Giada De Laurentiis' underrated favorite.