For a city with less than 100,000 residents, Evanston sure has a lot of pizza places. There are the big names like Domino’s and Lou Malnati’s, the mom-and-pop shops like Gigio’s Pizza and DeSalvo’s to grab a quick slice, and the more upscale eateries like Union Pizzeria — perfect for a date night or celebration.
And now there’s a new spot on the block — Pizzeria Deville — hoping to combine the three. Deville opened March 27th in the former Giordano’s location on Chicago and Davis. Owner J.R. Escobar says he and his team are bringing top-notch pizza catered specifically to the Evanston community.
[J.R. Escobar]: “We have an ordinary pizza for extraordinary people so our focus is always bringing like the best pizza that, people that, that are people gonna love, so what we really do is tailor to the community and, and, you know, the equipment and the, the vibe and the space.”
The Evanston joint is Deville’s second location — Escobar bought the original Libertyville shop back in 2023. He says Deville focuses on perfecting the basics:
[Escobar]: “We use imported flour from Italy that’s non-bromated, non-bleached, so it’s really like the flour they were using in ancient times, you know, so it’s, it hasn’t been messed with, hasn’t, there’s no chemicals going into it.”
The standard marinara sauce is made with fresh Roma tomatoes and a housemade garlic confit — cooked for the first time right before the pizzas are baked. And the mozzarella comes from a small worker-owned farm in Wisconsin — Escobar says they match Deville’s quality-first mindset.
Local Merle Monroe stopped in with her husband for the first time this week. The pair ordered a simple tavern-style pizza. She says the quality was evident:
[Merle Monroe]: It was very, very good, very authentic. It tasted like homemade, not like corporate, so it was very good.
And Deville has much more to offer than just its plain cheese: Diners can order from over 20 pizza varieties — including out-of-the-box style offerings like its chicken and waffles pizza or the Chinese takeout Detroit-style pie and Evanston-specific creations like the Wildkit, topped with sausage, two kinds of pepperoni and a smattering of veggies. And the spot sells pizza by the slice from 11 to 3 — helpful for curious patrons who might not be ready to dive into a whole pie. Escobar says the menu’s creativity is one way Deville caters to everyone who walks in:
[Escobar]: “I’ve tried about every pizza and I know that we have some customers that really like to try every pizza, but I know that the majority of the people find something that they love here and that’s what I like about it is there’s going to be something there that really speaks to you where it’s like, hey, this is my pizza.”
If pizza’s not your jam, Deville still has you covered. The menu includes a variety of salads, sandwiches and burgers — and a large selection of starters, including Deville’s handcut, double-fried fries.
There is one place Monroe says the menu is lacking —
[Monroe]: Now they don’t have their liquor license yet.
Escobar says he hopes that will change by May. The restaurant is planning to start a whole drinks program with beer, wine and specialty cocktails as soon as it gets a license. Until then, diners can bring in their own alcoholic beverages to enjoy with their meal.
Once the liquor program is running, Escobar plans to add Thursday night trivia and potentially a weekly karaoke session to the mix. Deville already runs bingo at 7 on Tuesday nights. He says these community events are important to him — turning Deville from just a restaurant into a gathering place.
[Escobar]: we want to bring those events and give people a reason to, to come out and celebrate and gather with people around some wonderful pizzas and burgers and fries and, you know, drinks or whatever it is, you know.
So far, Deville has already filled its entire dining room twice — and hopes to serve even more of the Evanston community in the coming weeks as the weather improves and the restaurant opens its patio dining.
This piece was made with production help from Ethan Pan. For WNUR News, I’m Gabby Shell.