I just found out we have a "Rosati's Pizza" in my suburb of Austin, and that it's a chain originating from Chicago. Anyone have any opinions on it?
Looks like they do a flat pizza that they cut tavern style, and then they also have a deep dish option.
Obviously haven't eaten Rosati's for at least 25 years, but I recall them being pretty solid.
Definitely tavern style.
Bear in mind, though, it's unclear whether their remote locations will be any good. For example Pizzeria Uno ended up selling the concept to a restaurant group which then expanded, and the pizza was
nothing like the original downtown--even in Chicagoland locations. Looking at the Rosati's web site, it's a franchise, not company-owned restaurants, and that could be a red flag.
It's for the same reason I discussed elsewhere, like finding good craft beer in underserved markets, good BBQ in underserved markets, etc. A strong portion of quality control comes from consumers not only knowing what something SHOULD taste like but having alternative vendors providing the same thing, and voting with their wallets. If their pizza isn't authentic, any Chicago transplants to Austin won't eat it, but that doesn't mean that Austinites won't think they're getting the real deal.
On Reddit at least two people gave it a vote of confidence, though, one a claimed Chicagoan: https://www.reddit.com/r/austinfood/comments/1756iac/where_do_you_get_your_chicago_tavern_style_pizza/
They also mention a place called Lefty's that might be good.
