I'd never really had deep dish. Still can't guarantee this is authentic Chicago deep dish. But I can guarantee it's abso-effing-lutely delicious. Like, "Don't eat all day so you can finish a full slice cos it will be worth it," delicious. We had the meat lovers pizza and one of my sons ordered the meatball sub. His sandwich came first (it's true, it does take time to get your pizza. We were warned - 30 minutes. So we conversed while we waited), and it was monstrous huge. It was also delicious. The meatballs are really good. The large meat lovers could easily feed 4 people, and we took a couple slices home. It's dense with meaty flavors and smothered with a really nice sauce, and the server told us that the cook said it was "his best pizza of the day." Made me wonder - do they tell everyone that?
Another plus - as a California girl I was very much looking forward to this "American iced tea." I enjoy the sweet iced teas in places like the Rebel House, but sometimes I want plain old unsweetened Lipton. This was the real deal. Only thing that would have made it better would have been a lemon. Alas. No lemon slices at Chicago Pizza Kitchen. The lemonade is amazing, though. Super tart and sweet all at once. I ended up pouring a little into my tea. Not quite the same, but close.
The server was a bit too eager, but we overheard him telling someone at another table it was his third day on the job. The atmosphere was decent, though it was a little crowded in the dining area. The group at the table next to us complained about the lack of beer - they're not licensed. There is a sign proclaiming the pizza dough is made from a 30 year old sourdough starter from San Francisco, and apparently the owner is Californian.