While saying Elgin in Illinois is known for pan-baked pizza is a true fact, there's a little more to add before the comment is totally complete. Elgin pizzerias do prefer pan-baked pizzas, but they don't all serve just one type, when it comes to dough, they really diversify. In the Elgin pizzerias you'll be offered several different types of pan-baked pizzas including Chicago-style, deep dish that's not Chicago-style, rectangular tray-baked thick and thin crust, and Sicilian-style too. That may seem like a lot of variety to try to decide between when you're ordering a pizza, but in reality, it's not. Thick and thin crust are basically the same whether they're pan or tray-baked, round or square. The big differences are Sicilian-style which has a thick spongy base and Chicago-style which has a lot more tomato filling. If you're not sure which you want the best thing to do is try them all, though probably not on the same day.
If having a wide choice of dough base is what makes a pizzeria bake the best delivery pizza in Elgin, then Taylor Street Pizza is at the front of the voting queue. Taylor Street Pizza sends out a phenomenal five different types of pie including one with a double portion of dough. Taylor Street Pizza isn't, as the name might suggest, on Taylor Street, but on Elgin's East Chicago Street where it occupies a corner premises in a row of stores. It does have an eating-in area, but most of this Elgin pizzeria's trade is delivery and take-out. As well as offering five different dough types, Taylor's also has some great ingredient combinations on their menu. Have one delivery pizza from here and you'll soon be placing an order for more.
If you've just come off the greens at the Wing Park Golf Course or have been taking a wander along the banks of Fox River where it runs through Mable Avenue Park, and want a pizza to take home, lucky you. You're just a few minutes from ZZA Factory which is where you can get the best take-out pizza in Elgin. ZZA Factory have their premises on North State Street in what was an old factory unit, hence the name, that has been converted to an upbeat pizza joint. They bake to order so you'll have a few minutes to wait, but every second of that short time lapse will have been worth it when you get your pie. The house pizzas at ZZA Factory are square tray-bakes with such totally scrumptious topping ingredient combinations that you'll be licking your fingers as soon as you've had the last bite.
To get away from all the small towns that surround Elgin and find some great cultural activities you have to head west to Rockford. In Rockford there's a surplus of museums and galleries to visit including the Discovery Center Museum, the Midway Village Museum, and the Rockford Art Museum to name just three. For some outdoor time in an unusual location check out the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens where there's a lake-like pond, a butterfly house, and interesting collections of tropical flowers that are not native to the US. When it's time to eat, try Woodfire Rockford on East State Street and you'll get a great pizza.
Make the forty-minute trip east from Elgin to Evanston and not only will you get great views of Lake Michigan, you'll find plenty to do too. Add a serious note to the day by visiting the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center before you head for Clark Street Beach. After you've had a stroll on the beach to clear the cobwebs of history, take a look around the exhibits in the Block Museum of Art or, if you're an interested collector, the American Toby Jug Museum. If you can handle more of the past then not to be missed are the Frances Willard House Museum and the Evanston History Center before you call it a day and have a pizza at Union Squared Pizza on Chicago Avenue.
Woodstock is a twenty-five-mile drive north from Elgin and the place to head for if you want some get back to nature time. Film fans will get a sense of deja vu in Woodstock especially if they've watched the movie Groundhog Day several times. Explore the Woodstock Square Historic District or do something totally different like catch a matinee performance at the Woodstock Opera House. Loosen up your leg muscles with a hike around the Dufield Pond Conservation Area, then go for a pizza at Rosati's Pizza on South Eastwood Drive.
Question:What restaurant has the best Chicago-style pizza in Elgin?
Question:What restaurant has the best grandma-style pizza in Elgin?
Question:What restaurant has the best veggie pizza in Elgin?
Question:What restaurant has the best calzone pizza in Elgin?