Costco is known for its budget-friendly food court items. Where else can you buy a huge slice of pizza for just $1.99? Well, it turns out the store also offers a more expensive pizza option. The grocer is also selling a 3-pack of pizzas from pizzeria chain Giordano’s for $90.
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Now you might be thinking, “$90? That’s way too much money for three pizzas!” The average price per pizza is $30. But these aren’t just regular pizzas with crust, tomato sauce and cheese. They’re special Chicago deep-dish pizzas from a trusted brand, two of which have meat on top.
Deep-dish pizza is a staple in Chicago and tourists often look for a way to bring the hearty dish home since it’s not as common elsewhere in the world. Known for its take on this regional dish, Giordano’s is hailed as one of the best pizza places. And the fact that it’s served from the freezer doesn’t change that. Reviewers on the Costco website praise the pizza product for its strong flavor and crispy crust, and some even say they’ve already ordered it for the second time. Curious to give this infamous pizzeria a try? Here’s everything you need to know about the chain and why the price at Costco is a good deal.
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Giordano’s is a Chicago restaurant known for deep dish pizza
When you enter Chicago, deep-dish pizza is always just a few steps away. Given the popularity of the dish, there are several restaurants that serve the popular dish, but Giorando’s is recommended and has a rich history in the city. The restaurant was founded in 1974, but the family recipe dates back over 200 years ago in northern Italy as a dish called “Italian Easter Pie.” Commonly served at the end of Lent, the dish resembles a double-crust quiche filled with cheese, meat, and eggs. However, the Giordano matriarch tweaked the recipe to make it more similar to a pizza.
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It’s easy to do. A Giordano’s deep dish pizza has a thick, flaky crust with high sides. It’s then filled with mozzarella and other toppings. A second pie crust is placed on top, followed by a generous helping of pizza sauce. The restaurant also offers the lesser-known Chicago tavern-style pizza. Instead of being extra thick and filled with fillings, this pizza is served on a thin crust and traditionally cut into rectangles.
Giordano’s is best known for its pizzeria in Illinois, where it has 46 locations, but there are also several other stores throughout the United States. The pizzeria is located in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio.
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Why the $90 trio is a bargain at Costco
Now that we’ve established Giordano’s notoriety, it’s time to discuss Costco’s offering. Deep-dish pizzas are huge and require more ingredients than traditional pizzas. The tall crust creates a two- to three-inch-thick wall for the toppings to pile high. As a result, the dish tends to be more expensive than the average pizza. Costco’s $89.99 offering includes three different 10-inch deep-dish pizzas from the pizzeria: a cheese pizza, a pepperoni pizza, and a sausage pizza. Now, if you were to purchase a trio on Giordano’s website, you’d pay $109.99. Both Costco and the website offer free shipping, but there’s still a $20 difference.
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Costco is known for its great value offerings, from the inexpensive but huge pizzas to the pantry-brand items. The store also limits the selection of each item to keep the price down, but Giordano’s is different. If you buy the trio in-store, you’re locked into the three specific pizzas, while if you buy it in-restaurant, you can customize your trio. That means any vegetarian can opt for three cheese pizzas or spice up their selection with a spinach pizza, so the price difference makes sense. And if you’re not a picky eater, you can save big at Costco and still bring home a beloved slice of Chicago!
