In the quiet suburbs of Chicago where Brittany and Brennan Grosvenor spent their formative years, pizza was never a subject of high-concept culinary debate. It was a staple of domestic life, a reliable constant that defined the rhythm of the week. According to the couple, who now operate Proof in Portland, Oregon, the decision-making process on a Friday night was remarkably straightforward, centered on a simple trinity of options: thin-crust, deep-dish, or double-dough.
While the world at large has long identified Chicago almost exclusively with the mountainous, cheese-laden architecture of deep-dish pizza, the Grosvenors are part of a growing movement of restaurateurs working to correct that narrative. At Proof, they specialize in the thin-crust variety, though they have seen the linguistic landscape shift beneath them. The "thin-crust" of their childhood has been rebranded for a national audience as "tavern-style," a term that has transitioned from a regional descriptor to a sweeping culinary trend appearing on menus from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic coast.
For Brittany Grosvenor, the distinction between the deep-dish pizzas that lure tourists to downtown Chicago and the pizzas actually consumed by residents is a matter of cultural accuracy. She notes that the thick, heavy pies so famously associated with the city are, in reality, a much less frequent indulgence for locals than the crisp, Midwestern thin-crust style. Tavern-style is the true workhorse of the region; it is the pizza of weekly family dinners, the default catering for children’s birthday parties, and the ubiquitous companion to a round of beers at a neighborhood bar.
This style of pizza is a common thread that runs through the fabric of the Midwest, with Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and various cities across Minnesota all laying claim to their own specific iterations. Despite regional nuances, the core identity of the tavern-style pie remains consistent: a remarkably thin, cracker-like crust that provides a sturdy, crunchy foundation for a layer of toppings that typically extends all the way to the very edge of the dough. Perhaps its most defining characteristic, however, is the "party cut"—a lattice-like grid that results in small, bite-sized squares rather than the traditional triangular wedges found in New York or Neapolitan styles.
The rise of tavern-style pizza represents a significant shift in the American pizza zeitgeist. Writing for Esquire in 2023, critic Omar Mamoon identified the style as a necessary "foil" to the Detroit-style pizza trend that dominated the late 2010s. Where Detroit-style emphasized thick, airy dough and caramelized cheese edges, tavern-style offers lightness, crispness, and a high degree of "snackability." It is a style designed for the social environment of a bar or a crowded living room, prioritizing ease of consumption over the heavy commitment of a thick crust.
The beauty of the tavern-style pie lies in its inherent shareability. Bradley Shorten, the veteran behind Kim’s Uncle Pizza in the Chicago suburb of Westmont and the recently launched La Merna in Washington, D.C., explains that the geometry of the grid cut is simply more efficient for groups. A single pizza yields a higher volume of individual pieces when cut into a square lattice, making it the ideal "drinking food." The small squares are perfectly sized to fit on a cocktail napkin, allowing patrons to graze while maintaining a conversation or holding a drink.
According to Shorten, the hallmark of a superior tavern-style pie is the distribution of ingredients. Because the toppings are spread to the extreme perimeter, every square—even the ones toward the center—carries a balanced ratio of sauce, cheese, and protein. And then there are the corners. While the four small, triangular corner pieces might lack the structural integrity of the interior squares, they are often the most sought-after portions of the pie. For those who grew up with this style, particularly Chicagoans, the corners represent the ultimate prize: the crunchiest, most well-done bits of the crust.
