A Taste of the Windy City in Long Beach

In 1985, Bob McDonnell opened a small pizza parlor in Long Beach and hired Jimmy Eleopoulos to help him run the place. The venture was short-lived, but last year, when Jimmy--now a successful restaurateur--thought about opening a second Long Beach establishment, he called Bob. Now the two are partners again at Chicago Jimmy’s.

Situated next to a residential neighborhood, on a block it shares with the popular Mediterranean restaurant Madame Jojo’s, Chicago Jimmy’s is a little storefront pizzeria like the ones you find back East--the sort of place where regulars can buy on IOUs, delivery is free, the hours are late and Frank Sinatra croons on video.

The walls are lined with photos of Eleopoulos’ father and uncles in Chicago. (Two notable non-family photos: Al Capone and James Cagney.) The tables are set with red-and-white-checked tablecloths complemented by small vases filled with fresh red and white carnations. A shelf ringing the room is lined with tins of olive oil.

Though the restaurant bills itself as the Long Beach home of Chicago-style pizza, the pies here are not the classic deep-dish variety made famous at such Windy City landmarks as Pizzeria Uno and Gino’s East. These have a doughy, chewy, medium-thick crust under a thin layer of tomato sauce and gobs of mozzarella. The topping choices are mostly quite traditional--crumbled sausage, pepperoni, button mushrooms and the like. Sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese add a touch of the modern.

Among the popular pizza combos is the Jimmy the Greek ($12.45 for a medium pie--it could pass for a large elsewhere), which features feta, plus Greek olives, green peppers, tomatoes, sausage and mozzarella. Also known as “The Cardiologist’s Delight,” the “Tough Guy Meat-za” ($14.20) is loaded with double meat and cheese.

It’s not all pizza here, though. Spaghetti, ravioli, fettuccine and manicotti are offered in various guises. For the manicotti Louis ($6.70 with salad and garlic bread), large pasta tubes are filled with sausage and cheese.

Chicago Jimmy’s is at 2945 E. Broadway, Long Beach. (310) 433-3913. Open Sundays and Mondays, 5 to 11 p.m.; Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.