Langel's Pizza

When the pandemic hit and everything pretty much shut down, I turned to carry-out and delivery when I didn't want to cook and wanted to support local places that were getting hit hard. A lot of restaurants had a bit of a learning curve as they tried to transition from sit-down establishments to preparing everything to go, but for pizza places, carry-out is kinda their thing. Sure, it's lovely to be able to sit down at a pizzeria and enjoy a pie, but I can't think of a pizza place anywhere that doesn't do carry-out. It's a nice portable food that tastes awesome whether it's enjoyed in a restaurant, at your dining room table at home or even in your car right out of the cardboard box.

So, as I ordered carry-out from many places, I worked in pizza on a regular basis, but not from the same place. I wanted to take the opportunity to try out some I hadn't had before. I hit some places in the city I hadn't been to before, some over the border in Indiana, a place near my sister's house and one in the town I grew up in. Then I got COVID and it has slowed me down tremendously for the past six months. I'm still trying out some new pizza, but sticking closer to home so far.

Anyway, that takes us to now. This past month or so, I've been doing Facebook Live videos when I visit a new pizza spot so our social media followers can join me as a try out a new pizza for the first time. I've been mainly in Northwest Indiana lately. This week I added two more to the list. One was Langel's.

I've been hearing for years about how good Langel's is and how I have to try it. It's been around since 1979. I've even written about it in the past for a regional newspaper. I have driven past the Highland location countless times over the years. I was even there once to photograph someone who was there for a Lions or Kiwanis meeting for an article I was writing. But I had never had their pizza.

Langel's came up last month when I was at a baby shower for my niece. In chatting with her sister, the conversation turned to pizza and she said they were planning to go to Langel's pizza for their grandfather's birthday. Apparently Langel's is his favorite pizza and he loves the finely-ground sausage they have.

I, too, like crumbled sausage so I decided enough was enough. I've lived on the Illi-Indi border for almost 30 years now. It was time to try Langel's. I found out they have a Tuesday special where you can get a medium one-topping pizza for just $10. I called in an order. A medium pepperoni for the kids who prefer pepperoni and a medium sausage for the rest of us. I wanted to try both the crumbled and the chunk sausage so I asked them to make a half and half and they were happy to oblige. 

It was some really tasty pizza. I can see why people have urged me to try it out and why they've been voted Best Pizza in the Region many times in the past. I like both sausage versions. It's a great-tasting sausage under a thick layer of gooey cheese with a pleasant sauce on a sufficiently crispy crust. I'll definitely be getting it again - especially on Tuesday. How can you beat that deal?

Langel's also has locations in Schererville and Crown Point. For more info on their other locations and menu, visit langelspizza.com.

If you want to watch the video of my visit, head over to the Chicago Foodie Sisters Facebook page. And leave me a comment and let me know where my next pizza field trip should be to.