From USA Today, which named it one of the 10 best pizzas in the country, to Chicago magazine, which gushed over “the most addictive” crust in Chicago, accolades for Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta have been plenty. But none, perhaps, carry the weight of a nod from America’s reigning tastemaker and Chicago icon Oprah, who has featured the legendary pizzeria both on her show and in her magazine, and even treated her TV audience to slices of the famous pie.

A product of Rudy Malnati Jr., the son of Chicago deep-dish legend Rudy Malnati Sr., Pizano’s keeps the Malnati legacy piping hot with its delectable pies, which take shape every night as his mother (the late Rudy Sr.’s wife) hand-forms the dough in accordance with the family recipe. At five Chicago locations, ovens birth rotund deep-dish pizzas layered with homemade dough, mozzarella cheese, and tangy tomato sauce. Though lighter, their thin-crust pizzas are crafted with the same perfectionist’s care, anchored by a crust that Chicago described as benefiting from their “irresistible caramelized edges here and there giving way to a buttery, pastrylike base.” A full slate of traditional Italian pastas rounds out the menu, but diners would be wise to save room for the chocolate-chip cookie, freshly baked in a pizza pan and topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.