Italian Fiesta Pizzeria: A Slice of Tradition and Innovation

Italian Fiesta Pizzeria, a renowned family-owned business on Chicago’s South Side, continues to impress with its classic Chicago-style thin cracker crust and unique fennel sausage. Among its treasures, a jerk chicken pizza stands out, gaining popularity as a secret menu item.

Keith Lee, a well-known TikTok food critic, shed light on this dish when he reviewed a half jerk chicken and half sausage pizza at the Hyde Park location in late August. This location is famously visited by former residents Barack and Michelle Obama. “They packed our places from the moment we opened,” co-owner Christine Mikulec shared. Her great-grandparents, Connie and Phillip DeCarlo, started the business in the 1940s.

Mikulec and her family, including her brother Steven Harris, sister Megan Johnson, and cousins Chris King and Jessica Suva, now manage five locations across the city and south suburbs. The jerk chicken pizza, whether whole or by the slice, features juicy white meat, smothered in mozzarella, on a crust painted with rich jerk sauce sourced from Jerk Villa. Located near the flagship store on 71st Street in South Shore, Jerk Villa provides the foundational flavor for this dish.

Steven Harris, co-owner and general manager, emphasized the process: “We slow-cook our chicken in spices, cool it, then chop it up.” This preparation complements the dark sauce base they use instead of the traditional red sauce.

Originally an off-menu experiment, the jerk chicken pizza drew attention following Keith Lee’s review, leading to a rush on their sauce supply. With renewed stock, Harris aims to officially feature jerk chicken on their menu soon.

While the jerk chicken pizza rises in fame, their sausage pizza remains the bestseller. This pizza combines their signature thin crust with a homemade sausage using their great-grandparents’ recipe and a bright sauce made from an unusual blend of tomato puree, secret spices, and water.

The cracker crust is central to their pizzas, made with a specific flour blend, milk, and butter, achieving a pastry-like thinness. Dough rests briefly, then is rolled for baking, offering a crunch with depth.

The pizzeria’s roots trace back to 1944 when Connie and Phillip opened their first shop. Their daughter, Patti Tubbs, recalls it as an eat-in spot. After her father’s passing in 1993, Tubbs and her sisters continued the legacy.

Italian Fiesta maintains its use of whole milk mozzarella since its inception, ensuring the cheese remains rich even after chilling. Customers can mix and match toppings, and options include shrimp with garlic or a spicy combination of turkey sausage and hot giardiniera.

Besides pizzas, Italian Fiesta offers an Italian beef and sausage combo sandwich, though slightly dry, and a catfish dinner with spaghetti complemented by cornmeal crusted fish and house-made garlic bread, sometimes accompanied by ginger ale for a balanced meal when eaten in their limited parking spaces or your car.

The pizzeria’s legacy name remains a mystery, with Patti Tubbs amusingly noting, “My grandfather named it—maybe Italians love a party.”

Visit Italian Fiesta Pizzeria at 1919 E. 71st St., Chicago. Call 773-684-2222 or check italianfiestapizzeria.com for more information. Open daily from 11 a.m.–until 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 2 a.m. on weekends. Prices range from $3.75 for a slice to $29.75 for a large jerk chicken pizza. The location is wheelchair accessible with no public restrooms.

Tribune rates this establishment “very good” with two of four stars, emphasizing traditional excellence and a warm welcome.