My Favorite Pizza Spot In Chicago's South Suburbs To Get A Massive Late Night Slice

Even as someone who grew up outside of Chicago, I've always been able to enjoy great pizza whenever I wanted, which I realized I took for granted anytime I left the area. And while we can talk about the many great deep-dish pizza spots that the Chicagoland area has to offer, once it's nighttime, there's only one place that you'll find me — indulging in an unforgettably doughy slice at Nonna's GoodLife Pizza in Crestwood. Nonna's has been a favorite of mine since my mom began picking up whole pies from the restaurant when I was a kid. But I truly cemented myself as a regular at the Crestwood location when I discovered the large slices it serves every day until 1 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.

While many Chicagoans point to tavern-style thin-crust pizza as the best of the best, Nonna's serves thicker-crusted pizza by the slice and does it incredibly well. Both the restaurant's hours of operation and the gargantuan size of its slices — which amount to 63.5 square inches of pie each — are two elements on which Nonna's truly prides itself, as they are both major parts of the restaurant's marketing and also set the restaurant apart from many other pizza places. For my close friends and I, paying Nonna's a visit has become a time-honored tradition after concerts, sporting events, movie theater visits, and countless other endeavors that conclude after most restaurants close up for the night.

On paper, it's enticing to visit Nonna's because of its portion sizes, hours, and generally low price (the restaurant's Slice of the Day costs just $5.99, an increase from the previous $4.99). But what ultimately keeps people coming back is the consistent high quality of the slices. The pizza at Nonna's is dough-forward: The restaurant utilizes a dense, thick dough that never misses, carries the other ingredients perfectly, and is always satiating.

Speaking of other ingredients, the sauce itself is incredibly flavorful, so much so that one might recommend trying the stuffed pizza. This variation of the classic Nonna's slice has a wealth of tomato sauce placed atop the cheese-stuffed dough, which gives the sauce an even more prominent role on the pizza. With that being said, my personal go-to is the Meaty slice; the sausage, ground beef, pepperoni, and bacon toppings are able to give the pizza a nuanced flavor in every bite.

And if your sweet tooth is strong enough to leave you wanting more after a slice of pizza, Nonna's also has frozen yogurt machines at the Crestwood location. Contrary to popular belief, frozen yogurt isn't always a healthier option than ice cream, but the self-serve froyo makes the Nonna's GoodLife Pizza experience even more captivating and enjoyable.