CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Jan 2, 2014) - While our restaurants at Chicago hotels offer excellent options, visitors who have the time to venture out should indulge in the original Chicago deep-dish pizza.

Like the foundation of a fine building, the crust is essential to creating a pizza that is usually two to three inches in depth. The dough contains cornmeal, an ingredient unique to Chicago-style pizza. When the crust is baked, it is as flaky and buttery as pie crust, yet thick enough to support mounds of cheese and toppings.

With the crust firmly in place, next comes the cheese, and lots of it. Over one pound of mozzarella is common. Unlike other pizzas, Chicago calls for sliced cheese, not grated. Amazingly, the crust is so deep there is still room for heaps of toppings. Originally, the only topping was one large sausage patty, but nowadays toppings vary widely.

Perhaps puzzling to the uninitiated, the sauce is on the top of Chicago-style pizza, not on the bottom. Covering the top with a simple, chunky Italian tomato sauce prevents the cheese and toppings from burning while the pizza bakes for about 45 minutes. Rest assured, it's worth every minute of the wait!

While these are the standard components of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, individual restaurants have their own variations. Guests of our Chicago hotels can ask the local staff for their favorites or just head out in search of a great slice of the Windy City's most famous meal.