Pizza is one of the most versatile and tasty foods on the planet. You can have it with basically any topping imaginable, from pepperoni and cheese to pineapple and seafood.

This not only makes it fitting to anyone's taste but you can never get bored of pizza. There's always a new combination to try albeit we all have our favorites.

The crust of a pizza also plays a big role. Some have thin and foldable crusts, others such as Chicago's deep-dish pies are baked in a deep pan.

Today, we present you one very interesting kind of pizza - bar pizza!

This fantastic option draws similarities to the famous New York-style slices as well as Chicago's thin-crust pies. In fact, it lies somewhere in between.

What we mean by that is that a typical bar pizza is thinner than a NY-style pie but thicker than a Chigaco thin-crust one.

Hence, the crust of a bar pizza is crispy on the bottom but you can still fold it like a New York-style slice.

As the name suggests, this type of pie is served in bars all across America.

Given that bars are the go-to place for beer, it makes sense that the pizza there would contain less dough. That way, you can drink more but still get a tasty snack.

When it comes to the toppings that go on a bar pizza, less is usually more. In other words, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and some pepperoni or mushrooms would do.

In terms of size, bar pies are usually smaller. However, the toppings often fill out to the edges which makes them packed. Packed with deliciousness that is!

Who Invented Bar Pizza?

While there isn't a clear answer to that question, (pizza) history can provide us with some context.

At the turn of the 20th century, many Italians immigrated to the United States. That's how pizza made its way over here.

The first pizzeria i.e. Lombardi's was opened in New York back in 1905. Those first bakers in NYC were making pies with a hand-tossed dough. Of course, this is still characteristic of NY-style pizza to this day.

However, in other places such as Chicago, the original pizza makers had a different approach. Thus, they would roll the dough instead of hand-tossing it. This led to an even thinner crust.

What's more, pizza in Chicago was predominantly sold in taverns. That's why this type of pizza is also known as tavern-style.

Naturally, taverns and bars are a place to drink alcohol. So, it wasn't uncommon that pizza would come as a free snack with your drink.

This was especially true after the prohibition ended. Taverns were back in business and (free) pizza was an offer hard to refuse.

As mentioned earlier, bar pizza is somewhat similar to Chicago's thin-crust style. Hence, we can assume that the concept of bar pizza derived from much the same circumstances.

In conclusion, there isn't a clear story of who invented bar pizza, but what matters is that it's available and delicious.

How Many Calories in a Bar Pizza?

A small bar pizza (about 8 inches) contains approximately 730 calories. This includes 76g of carbs, 32g of fat, and 32g of protein.

Where Can I Find Bar Pizza Near Me?

For those of you in Chicago, a great place we recommend is Coluta's Pizza on Harlem Ave. They're open every day except Monday and offer pickup and delivery via Slice.