We knew that pizza was always going to be hard. That's why our recent poll in search of the most life-changing pizzeria in the country came so close. (See all the polls here.) In the end, the beloved Lou Malnati's of Chicago won by just 0.6 percent. Only two New York–based pizzerias made the top ten, most likely proving that New Yorkers feel they have too many life-changing pizzas to choose from. In any event, the Facebook commentary makes it clear that the quality of any slice is personal.

Lou Malnati's co-owner Marc Malnati likes to think that's because a pizza craving can seize one at any time: at work, when you stare at it in the fridge in the morning. "That's what I hear again and again from my customers," he says. Malnati doesn't like to call the 1,800-employee company a "chain." (We excluded national chains from the poll, though, to be fair, with 34 locations, Malnati's is something of an urban mini-chain.) "It sounds like Applebee's or something," he says. His father and grandfather, who opened Lou Malnati's in 1971, first worked in a pizzeria that now competes with Lou Malnati's. Malnati would visit them at work when he was growing up. "I got to see how much they cared, what they inspired in other people."

Four decades later, Lou Malnati's is committed to its consistency and attention to detail. Representatives from the Chicago company routinely check on the cows at the farms producing their cheese, in order to watch how changes in the feed might affect taste. "We always have to tweak our product. Wheat that produces flour is different at this time of the year than it is in the spring. It'll brown quicker. It's a little drier. We have to watch it."

If you're visiting Chicago any time soon, Malnati recommends: "Their first time at Malnati's, they've gotta have a Chicago Classic" — a specialty pie made with cheese, butter crust, and Chicago sausage. "It's not burdened with fennel or other things people use to hide flavors of the pork," he says. For dessert: the chocolate-chip-cookie pizza, topped with three scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Below are the full results of the poll. If you have any memories of eating at Lou Malnati's or pizza generally, do share in the comments.

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