LOCAL

October is National Pizza Month. Celebrate with a slice at these Rockford spots

Jim Hagerty
Special to the Rockford Register Star

ROCKFORD –October is National Pizza Month, and Rockford is more than capable of helping locals celebrate.

The Forest City’s rich Italian history has allowed pizza places to flourish, making it easy to find a slice yet difficult to rank the best pizza places in town.

A little history

Make no mistake. Pizza is an Italian dish. It is so original that native Italians serve it at formal dinners. That’s right. In formal settings in Italy, pizza is served unsliced and eaten with a knife and fork.

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In casual settings, it's cut into slices and eaten with the hands. Over the years, a host of food items have been called pizza toppings at one time or another. Pineapple, broccoli, clams, even peanut butter, have been cooked into a pie. But those things had no place on a pizza in Naples in the 1700s when the dish was invented.

Early pizzas were a flatbread crust topped with tomato sauce and traditional garnishes like basil, soft cheese, oil, and anchovies. Meat was introduced later as the job of a pizzaiolo became one of Italy’s most notable professions. By the 1800s, pizza became America’s original fast food. By the turn of the century, pizzerias began popping up in cities like Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Because families from all parts of Italy also settled in Rockford, the local introduction to pizza was not far behind big cities.

Pizza from Capri Italian Restaurant, 313 E. State St. in Rockford, is a local favorite.

From deep-dish to artisan, these Rockford restaurants have got you covered.

Lino's, 5611 E. State St., Rockford. Lino's serves seven different pizzas, including their classic cheese and sausage, Caprese, and spicy meatball. Lino's is the No. 5 pizza place in Rockford, according to Yelp.

Capri Restaurant, 313 E. State St. Rockford. A downtown Rockford staple since 1963, Capri serves 20 different pizzas in three sizes: Baby (7 inches). Small (12 inches), Large (14 inches) with all the traditional and specialty toppings. Capri is Yelp’s No. 10 pizza place in Rockford.

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Gerry's Pizza, 7403 Argus Drive, Rockford. Gerry's menu features a dozen styles of pizza including the Pizza with Everything that's loaded with sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onions, green peppers, green olives, ham, and anchovies. There's also the Spicy Veggie, Spicy Hawaiian, and Chicken Bacon Ranch.

Gerry's Pizza & Italian Restaurant at 7403 Argus Drive in Rockford is a local favorite for pizza and Italian cuisine.

Gulotta's, 1002 11th St. Rockford. Gulotta's has been making pizza in Rockford since 1978. The menu includes a 10-, 12-, and 14- inch pizza with more than a dozen available toppings. The everything is a cheese pizza with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, green olives, black olives, and onions.

Villa Di Roma, 915 S. Alpine Road, Rockford. Custom and traditional pizza with all the classic toppings are on the menu at Villa Di Roma. Selections include their cheese pizza, meat lovers pizza, and breakfast pizza. Custom pies are 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 inches. Additional toppings include boiled eggs, onions, meatballs, ham, giardiniera, pineapple, and shrimp. Double crust available.

John's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, 2914 11th St., Rockford. John's is famous for its thin-, stuffed-, double-crust and pan pizza. The eatery's specialty pizza menu includes a meat lovers pizza, vegetarian pizza, taco pizza and John's Special Everything, a pie with mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, green olives, pepperoni, bacon, shrimp, and anchovies. Gluten-free options available. John’s is No. 3 on Yelp’s Top 10.

Opsahl's Pizzas & Sandwiches, 3301 11th St., Rockford. From a 7-inch personal pizza to the famous, 24-inch "Big Kahuna," there is no limit on the pizza creations Opsahl's has been serving since 1973. Traditional pies are topped with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, and olives and are complemented by the taco, spicy beef, gyro, and buffalo chicken pizza from the specialty menu.

Nunzio's, 5800 N. 2nd St., Loves Park. Original sauce on 12-, 14-, and 16-inch pizzas with loads of toppings describe the menu at Nunzio's. Selections include the meat lovers pizza, supreme pizza, Hawaiian pizza and the thin-crust Italian classic, Margherita pizza.

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza, 408 E. State St., Rockford. Artisan pizza at its finest describes Yelp's No. 9 pizza place in Rockford. Red-sauce pizzas include the Margherita, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese, spinach and mushroom, and shrimp Bolognese. Woodfire's lobster pizza, sausage with rapini and ricotta, and buffalo chicken highlight the specialty menu.

Primo's Pizza, 1710 Rural St., Rockford. More than 20 toppings highlight the Primo's traditional and veggie pizza selection. Ten-, 12-, 14, and 16-inch pies available with thin, regular, pan, and stuffed crusts. Primo’s is No. 10 on the Yelp list.

Pino's on Main, 2511 N. Main St., Rockford. Pino's serves regular, thin, thick, stuffed-crust pizza with 22 regular, specialty and premium toppings. Their 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-inch pies are made with Pino’s original sauces, oils and garlic butter. Gluten- free options available.

Vinny’s Pizza, 4190 Newburg Road, Rockford. Vinny’s is the No. 2 Rockford pizza place on Yelp’s list. They offer regular, stuffed and pan pizza with 18 available toppings. Classic toppings include sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and olives. The buffalo chicken, meat lovers, barbecue beef, Hawaiian, and Vinny's Everything Pizza are popular specialty selections. Pizza available by the slice.

Jo-Jo's Pizza & Pub, 3110 S. Alpine Road, Rockford. The Special Everything Pizza with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black and green olives, and anchovies highlights the menu. There's also the Hawaiian, barbecue chicken and Sicilian pizzas. Yelp users ranked Jo-Jo's the seventh-best pizza place in Rockford.

Giuseppi’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, 950 Halsted Road, Rockford. No. 4 on the Yelp list, Giuseppi’s features thin, stuffed and pan-style pizzas with 22 regular and special toppings. Selections include cheese, meat lover, and veggie. Nine-, 10-, 12-, and 16-inch pies available. Other restaurants that cracked the Yelp list include Giordano’s, Macianio’s, and Lou Malnati’s.

Jim Hagerty: jhagerty@rrstar.com@jimhagerty