Piece

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly-ass slap – ½ star

Restaurant: Piece
Location: 1927 W. North Ave.

Do you like pizza? Do you like beer? Do you like Cheap Trick? Do you like Rachel Ray? Do you like The Real World: Chicago?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will love Piece. If you answered yes to the last question, then you love crazy chicks named Tonya.

Piece is a Wicker Park favorite. It’s a pizza joint and a microbrew rolled into one great joint. One of the owners is the former guitarist of Cheap Trick. And, if you ever watched Real World: Chicago, Tonya used to wait tables here when she needed money to pay all her medical bills (boob implants). Plus, Rachel Ray was recently here, and even created a chocolate pizza that is now part of the dessert menu. If the star power doesn’t intrigue you, the food will.

The pizza is thin-crust, so anyone outside of Chicago will love that you don’t need a knife and fork to dive in. They offer three different types of pizza - one with a traditional red sauce with mozzarella cheese, one with a white sauce and a blend of cheeses, and one with no sauce and some other hippy, vegan, tree-hugger type ingredients. And once you get your pie, you will not be disappointed.

The pizza’s are big, and with plenty of ingredients to choose from (including crab and other non-traditional options), everyone can get something that suits their taste. I enjoy the “Ricky Kim”, which is pepperoni and peppercini.

And nothing compliments ice-cold beer like an ice-cold brew. Piece always has at least 7 home brews on tap, and up to 10 guest brews. The other night I enjoyed a Dark and Curvy, and will be going back to snag a couple of growlers of it to enjoy at home.

I also love cheese. And if that cheese is melted, mixed with spinach and/or artichoke, and served with chips, then I love it more. Guess what? Piece has a great spinach and artichoke dip. Maybe the best in the city. Yeah, I said it.

The atmosphere is great. They always have sports on and the crowd is eclectic. Get there early though, as a typical Friday night wait is 90 minutes.

When I’m not looking for a big old Chicago stuffed pizza, this is the place I like to frequent for my pizza cravings.

I give it a chest bump with a manly ass slap.