A 42-year dream, finally open
Mike had the idea in 1973. He opened the doors in 2015. The pizza was worth the wait.
Chicago Mike's Pizza | Our Story
The dream that almost wasn't
In 1973, Mike moved his family from Chicago to Gardnerville with one goal: open an authentic Chicago-style pizza joint. He spent two months looking for the right spot, never found it, and headed back to Chicago — but the idea never left him.
A father, a daughter, a plan
When Mike came back to Gardnerville for retirement, his middle daughter Gina eventually followed — and the old dream roared back to life. In 2015, the two of them opened Chicago Mike's on Highway 395 together.
No shortcuts, no compromises
Thick, square-cut, deep-dish Chicago-style pizza made exactly the way Mike always envisioned it — honest food, done right.
Carson Valley's best pizza
The community noticed. Chicago Mike's has been voted Best Pizza in Carson Valley Back to back wins from 2015 to 2025 and counting! The walls show it, and so do the regulars who keep coming back.
A neighborhood place
Checkered tablecloths, Chicago sports on the walls, families filling the booths — this is the gathering spot Mike pictured all those decades ago. It just took a little longer than expected.