St. Louis-style pizza vs Chicago tavern-style pizza
The fuller page on this is Compare any two styles.
| Field | St. Louis-style pizza | Chicago tavern-style pizza |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | United States, St. Louis | United States, Chicago |
| Form | round, thin, large format | round, thin |
| Thickness | very thin | very thin |
| Rim / edge | No distinct rim; flat and thin to the edge | No distinct rim; flat and thin to the edge |
| Base texture | Uniformly thin, cracker-crisp | Uniformly thin and crisp throughout, almost cracker-like |
| Crumb | Minimal to no crumb; dense and cracker-like | Minimal to no open crumb |
| Hydration | 40–50% (typically 45%) | 45–55% (typically 50%) |
| Fermentation | same day direct | same day direct, room temperature long fermentation |
| Shaping | Rolled very thin with a pin | Rolled out thin and even with a pin |
| Flour | All-purpose flour (traditional) | All-purpose flour (traditional) |
| Preferment | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) | No documented preferment tradition (direct dough) |
| Topping load | moderate | moderate |
| Bake temperature | 230–260 °C (typically 245 °C) | 250–280 °C (typically 265 °C) |
| Bake time | 8–12 min (typically 10 min) | 8–12 min (typically 10 min) |
| Oven | Commercial deck oven, Domestic fan (convection) oven | Commercial deck oven, Domestic fan (convection) oven |
| Flavour | savoury, milky | savoury, rich |
| Texture | crisp, brittle, crunchy | crisp, brittle, crunchy |
| Difficulty | intermediate | intermediate |
| Domestic suitability | good | good |
| Serving | Cut into small squares ('party cut') | Cut into small squares ('party cut'), well suited to sharing casually |
Key similarities
- Thickness
- Rim / edge
- Flour
- Preferment
- Topping load
- Bake time
- Oven
- Texture
- Difficulty
- Domestic suitability
Key differences
- Origin
- Form
- Base texture
- Crumb
- Hydration
- Fermentation
- Shaping
- Bake temperature
- Flavour
- Serving
Editorial notes
Both are thin, cracker-crisp, square-cut Midwestern styles, though St Louis uses Provel cheese and a more minimally leavened dough.