The pizza was so good and light. The wings were fried to perfection and the drinks were just enough for me!!! Love this
February 2024
Best tavern style pizza on the Northside of Chicago. Coldest beer in town. Best place
January 2024
Pizza was light and crispy. Go on a Tuesday, that's when the pizza is buy one get one free, not valid for to-go orders. Staff was very polite and service was great.
Located in Rogers park, Candlelite has been Chicago’s number one stop for thin crust pizzas since 1950.
Whether it be the classic margherita pizza, our Candlelite White pizza, or one that you build from the ground up, we try to bring the best of Chicago into our thin-crust pizzas. Plus, we want to make every time you dine a different experience.
That’s why any and every day you come in, we’ll have a unique special going on! It can be anything from half off wine to buy one, get one pizza to even a free draft with your Signature Candlelite Burger! When you come to Candlelite, you’ll find yourself surrounded by family and friends while enjoying your favorite locally crafted beer paired with the perfect meal. And if you can’t make it to us,
Other Information
Parking: Street
Attire: Casual
Cuisines: Burgers, Caterers, Barbecue, American, Mexican, Latin American, European, Continental, Brew Pubs, Family Style, Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Irish, Seafood, Bar & Grills, Pizza
Alcohol: Full Bar
Western Avenue is one of Chicago's longest streets, a 24-mile conduit that takes you all the way from Beverly on the far South Side to Rogers Park on the far North Side, passing through neighborhoods like Marquette Park, Little Village, Logan Square and Lincoln Square along the way. Head north on Western and just before you hit Chicago's northern city limits at Howard Street, you'll spot a large sign sporting an arrow covered in flashing bulb that's pointed at the nondescript building its attached to. There's a marquee on the sign?likely bearing a congratulatory message for someone who has recent celebrated a birthday, gotten married or graduated?accompanied by a twinkling neon martini glass and a glowing set of letters that announce the building's tenant for the past 70 years: Candlelite.
Established in 1950, the history of Candlelite is shrouded in a lot of mystery and hearsay, thanks to a succession of owners throughout the decades (the business has changed hands at least six times). According to current owner Pat Fowler, Candlelite was founded by an Italian immigrant who moved to Chicago and wanted to start serving pizza in Rogers Park?a neighborhood where there weren't many restaurants at the time.
"It was more of a date night spot originally," Fowler says, explaining Candlelite's romantic name. "At the time, there weren't many places to go out and eat, so it was a big deal to go out to dinner in the ?50s."
At some point between its opening and the dawn of the 21st century, Candlelite transitioned from a dimly lit spot where couples shared a pie to a dingy bar that served tavern-style pizza. With a cracker-thin crust that's cut into squares for easier snacking, this type of pizza was ostensibly designed to keep patrons sitting at a bar for longer periods of time, where they'd inevitably order more drinks (and maybe another pizza). And while Candlelite has evolved from a neighborhood dive bar to a family restaurant, it's still eschewing the often-controversial deep dish pizza in favor of serving tavern-style pizza.
It's the same type of pizza that Fowler fondly recalls eating with his family at Candlelite, while growing up in Rogers Park and nearby Evanston in the ?80s and ?90s. Fowler remembers the Candlelite of his childhood as "a family place where the kids could get pizza and the parents could get beer at this dark, dingy bar that just happened to have good pizza." Under his ownership, he's adapted to the changing Rogers Park neighborhood, positioning the restaurant as a family-friendly pizzeria that just happens to have good beer.
Photograph: Courtesy Candlelite
Fowler was working in the financial industry up until the collapse of 2007 and 2008, subsequently taking a job at Candlelite "to figure out whatever I was going to do next." But Fowler fell in love with the hospitality business, working as delivery guy, server, bartender and general manager of the Rogers Park spot before eventually purchasing the business in 2012 with his partner Pete Vernon. The pair have expanded the restaurant's dining room and added some items to the menu, but they haven't felt the need to make any major changes to Candlelite.
"I?m a believer in your customers dictating who you are," Fowler says. "You can try to be one thing all day long, but they dictated that we?re a family restaurant."
Candlelite's focus on families and the surrounding Rogers Park community extends to its iconic sign, bearing a marquee on which Fowler and Vernon frequently place messages that celebrate all sorts of achievements. From anniversaries to the MVP at baseball games in nearby Warren Park, the messages (all posted at no charge) commemorate individuals in the neighborhood that have sprung up around the restaurant, as well as the folks who have been coming back to Candlelite for decades.
"For a lot of people, Candlelite is in their heart. Sure, they enjoy the food, but there?s some emotion attached to the pl
