When you're hungry on a Friday night in the northwest suburbs, the search bar tells the story. "Pizza near me" is the phrase everyone types — and the results are almost always the same mix of chains, apps, and neighborhood places you've been meaning to try.
This is a guide to the real thing on Golf Road. What we serve, when to come in, how to order, and why Old City Pizzeria & Sports Bar has been the answer here for over fifty years.
Fifty years in the same building
We're at 8706 West Golf Road in Niles, and we've been at this address since 1974 — first as Nancy's Pizzeria on Golf, and today as Old City. Same ovens. Same recipes. Same family of pizza-makers who trained under Nancy Palese herself.
The reason we mention this first is simple. Pizza is a proximity food. A great pie forty minutes away isn't a great pie — it's a soggy pie. Old City sits five minutes from most of Niles, ten from Park Ridge, twelve from Morton Grove and Skokie. Close enough that the cheese is still stretching when it hits your table.
Chicago-style pizza, three ways
Ask ten Chicagoans what "real Chicago pizza" is and you'll get five arguments. We settle it by making all three legitimate styles under one roof.
Chicago stuffed pizza — the one we're known for
This is our house specialty and the recipe that put this building on the map. Our stuffed pizza is a 1970s Chicago original: two layers of dough, cheese and toppings tucked between them, homemade sauce spread across the top crust. Not deep dish. A completely different construction.
Cooking time runs 35 to 45 minutes, which sounds long until you cut into it. If it's your first time, order the Wrigley Classic — sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers. If you're feeding a crowd of doubters, order the Old City Meat Lover's. If you want the giardiniera to fight back, go Chicago Heatwave.
Chicago tavern-style thin crust
This is the pizza most Chicagoans actually eat at home — thin, crispy, cut in squares, toppings all the way to the edge. It dates to the 1940s bar scene, when squares were the perfect one-handed snack for patrons who didn't want to put their beer down.
The Greektown is our sleeper hit: pepperoni, sausage, Kalamata olives, feta, mozzarella. The Carbonara — ham, bacon, mushroom on alfredo — is worth ordering once just to say you did.
Deep dish
You know this one. Thick cornmeal crust, layers of cheese and toppings, sauce on top. Ours is honest and correct. Most first-time visitors come for deep dish and leave loyal to stuffed. Judge for yourself.
When you need dinner right now
Sometimes you don't want a guide. You want food. Here's what to know before calling:
- Fastest option:thin crust pickup — 15 to 20 minutes.
- Delivery:30 to 45 minutes depending on the pie and where you are.
- Stuffed pizza takes time.Add 35 to 45 minutes of oven time on top of prep. If you know you want stuffed for a 7 PM dinner, order at 5.
- Late kitchen: we're open until 1 AM Monday through Thursday and 2 AM Friday and Saturday. For late-night food in Niles, we're usually the last kitchen serving on Golf Road.
The weekly deal calendar
If you're the kind of person who plans dinner around discounts, respect. Here's our rotation. Full details on our weekly deals page.
- Monday:half off tavern-style thin pizzas (dine-in and pickup).
- Wednesday:half off Chicago stuffed pizzas (six-slice and eight-slice).
- Thursday:$5 off pasta dinners and select chicken plates.
- Sunday:half off smashburgers if you're taking a pizza break.
- Online most days:$10 off orders over $60 through Toast, and a rotating set of pizza and wing bundles.
These are dine-in and phone-pickup discounts. The online deal structure is slightly different — we explain both channels clearly on the deals page so nothing surprises you at checkout.
Why the neighborhood list is shorter than you'd think
There are chains within five miles of us — Domino's, Papa John's, a Rosati's. There's a Lou Malnati's ten minutes south in Park Ridge. All fine. All fill a role.
But if you narrow the criteria to real Chicago pizza made by people who have been making it in this exact building for half a century, the list gets very short. That's not a boast. It's just the situation on Golf Road.
Nancy Palese and her family opened the shop in 1978 (the earlier iteration goes back to 1974). When the family stepped away, the recipes stayed, the ovens stayed, and — most importantly — the pizza-makers stayed. We kept what worked, added a full bar with eight HD TVs, and reopened as Old City Pizzeria & Sports Bar. Everything about the pie is the same.
If you want a slice and a booth to watch the Bears in, that's what our sports bar on Golf Road is for. Same kitchen. Bigger night out.
Ordering from the neighborhoods around us
Every zip code has its own reality when it comes to delivery. Here's a rough guide.
Niles (60714)
Two to seven minutes away — this is our home turf. Most of our regulars live within a mile of the shop. Walk in on a Wednesday and grab a half-off stuffed.
Park Ridge (60068)
Ten to twelve minutes east on Golf. Delivery lands hot. Park Ridge locals tend to order the Wrigley Classic in stuffed or the Meat Lover's in tavern thin.
Morton Grove & Skokie
Twelve to fifteen minutes south. Delivery works well; if you're going stuffed, call earlier. Bears Sundays get busy for this crowd — reserve a table if you're bringing a group.
Des Plaines & Glenview
Fifteen to twenty minutes. Delivery is doable, but pickup is snappier. Order thin crust if you're driving — it holds up in the bag better than stuffed.
The honest sales pitch
Every pizza place in the Chicago suburbs claims to make "authentic Chicago pizza." What separates the real ones from the marketing is time. Fifty years in the same building, using the same recipes, with the same pizza-makers standing at the same ovens — that isn't something you can fake with a good logo.
Old City on Golf Road is that place. Try a stuffed on a Wednesday, a thin crust on a Monday, and a Bears game on a Sunday. Then decide for yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What travels best for delivery?
Tavern thin crust holds up best in the bag. Stuffed pizza is still excellent delivered, but eat it within fifteen minutes of arrival — the top crust softens as it sits. For longer trips, thin is the safer bet.
How long does Chicago stuffed pizza take to bake?
Thirty-five to forty-five minutes from order to oven-out. That's not slow service — that's how the pie is made. Budget an hour from phone call to first bite, or order earlier in the day for pickup at dinnertime.
Do you deliver to my neighborhood?
We regularly deliver to Niles, Park Ridge, Morton Grove, Skokie, Glenview, and closer parts of Des Plaines. Not sure if your address is in range? Call (847) 824-8183 or start an online order and the checkout will confirm.
What's the difference between stuffed and deep dish?
Deep dish is one thick crust with sauce spread on top of the cheese and toppings. Stuffed has two crusts — one under the fillings, another on top of the fillings, with sauce spread over that upper crust. Stuffed is denser, holds more filling, and takes longer to bake. It's the more distinctly Chicago style.
Do you take reservations?
Yes. Use our reservations page or call (847) 824-8183. Reservations matter most on Bears Sundays and playoff nights.
Are you the same place as Nancy's Pizzeria?
Same location, same recipes, same pizza-makers. Nancy's Pizzeria on Golf reopened as Old City Pizzeria & Sports Bar, with the addition of a full bar, smashburgers, wings, video gaming, and eight HD TVs. The pizza recipes did not change.