DeKalb first appeared on the map of Illinois when it was plotted in the mid-19th century as Huntley's Grove. At first the community was mainly an agricultural one, but as time progressed and the railroad reached the isolated town, it began to evolve into a larger settlement. After successfully developing a new type of barbed fencing that was used all over the country, two entrepreneurs gifted the town with the funds for a teacher’s college. The college later became a university which was, and still is, a major employer in DeKalb. By the 1960s, DeKalb covered almost sixteen square miles and its population count was heading toward the twenty thousand mark. It was during that era that several Italian families were tempted to make the move from Chicago to open the first pizzerias in DeKalb. They were an almost instant success and one of the most popular items on the menu was that classic Italian dish called pizza.

DeKalb in Illinois is known for Thin Crust Pizza

While DeKalb is surrounded by corn and wheat growing farmlands, the pizzeria chefs of this Illinois city like to be careful with the quantity of flour they use in their dough. There might never have been a shortage of flour, but it's good to be careful anyway and so DeKalb is known for thin crust pizza. There are various different names given to thin crust pizzas as well as it just being called a thin crust pizza. The most common are Roman-style, Neapolitan-style and New York-style which are all names that define the pie’s place of origin. The pizzerias in DeKalb don't bother too much with naming formalities though and tend to stick to calling their pies thin crust which makes ordering a whole lot easier.

Best Delivery Pizza in DeKalb, Illinois

How can you get your hands on the best delivery pizza in DeKalb? To be honest, it's not rocket science. All you have to do is use the app on your phone to contact JB's World Famous Pizza and they'll bring it right to your door or your office if that's where you are. JB's Pizza is located on East Lincoln Highway in a tastefully decorated bar-like premises with bare brick walls and black furnishings. Whether JB's claim to being world famous is true, or more possibly a very slight exaggeration on their part, is something you'll have to decide for yourself when you get your pie. Give your mouth a surprise with JB's World Famous Italian Beef pizza and one thing's for sure, you'll be telling all your friends about how great it was.

Best Takeout Pizza in DeKalb, Illinois

After you've hiked the DeKalb Nature Trail that runs alongside the Kishwaukee River where it runs through Prairie Park, you're bound to be famished. If you are and you want some pie, you can get the best take-out pizza in DeKalb nearby where you are from Vinny's Pizza on West Lincoln Highway. There's no way you'd call the premises that Vinny's Pizza is housed in posh, but they do have one attraction that will keep you busy while you’re waiting for your pie to cook and they're a lot more fun than looking at interior décor. At Vinny's you can place your order then have a game on one of their antique video game machines. Whether you choose pac-man or blasternoids, don't get too involved and let your pizza get cold.

Best Pizza near DeKalb, Illinois

Burlington

To have a day of outdoor exercise in a pleasant environment you should head northeast from DeKalb for the fifteen miles it takes to get to Burlington. Burlington is an Illinois city bordered to the west by the compact Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve. The preserve consists of thirty-five acres of unspoiled countryside where you can hike on marked trails through open prairies and wetlands. It's a super spot for bird and wildlife spotting that will make you forget for a while that cities exist. There's not much to do in Burlington itself so after a quick wander around head for Mott's Lounge on North Main Street and spend a couple of hours eating pizza.

Shabbona

The easiest way to lose yourself in the wilds of Illinois is to make a fifteen mile trip southwest from DeKalb to the rural village of Shabbona. The most outstanding thing about Shabbona is its water tower. Once you've snapped a social media worthy photo of that, the best thing to do is go straight to the Shabbona Lake State Park. The park covers over one and a half thousand acres of Illinois that surrounds the three-hundred acre Lake Shabbona. The park offers year-round activities so when the trails are too snowed over for hiking, you can get out your cross country skis, snowmobile or snow board. The best place to go for pizza in Shabbona is Chumly's Pizza on West Comanche Avenue.

Geneva

Geneva is an Illinois city with a wide variety of things to do both inside and outside. After making the twenty-mile trip east there from DeKalb, put the Friends of the Viking Museum at the top of your list of places to visit. The museum houses the early 19th century replica of a Viking ship that was used by Magnus Anderson to sail from Norway to America. To find out more about the area's local history go for a browse around the Geneva History Museum where there are a range of artifacts on display. Rather than eat in a restaurant, pick up a pizza from Antonio's Pizza Factory on Lark Street and take it to Island Park where you can sit on a bench by the Fox River to eat it.