Bill Murray may be best known for his roles in such classic comedies as “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day,” but he’s also a bit of a foodie. He and his five brothers have two restaurants called Murray Bros. Caddyshack, one in St. Augustine, Florida, and another in the Chicago area. The actor has also been known to rave about foods and restaurants he has a special fondness for. So, being from Chicago, you’d think his favorite pizza place would serve classic deep dish or even the lesser-known tavern-style pizza that’s cut into tiny squares, but no.
As it turns out, Murray’s favorite pizza comes from Robert’s Pizza and Dough Company in the Chicago neighborhood of Streeterville and it’s an artisanal New York-style pie. (Former president Barack Obama’s favorite Chicago pizza spot also serves thin-crust pizza, although he is a Chicago tavern-style pizza aficionado.) “What an amazing place that is,” Murray told Fox 32. “And I never thought I’d go back to thin-crust pizza, but that’s amazing pizza. That might be the best pizza I’ve ever had.” He’s not alone in his assessment of these pies. The restaurant was named the sixth best pizza in the U.S. for 2025 by the Italian organization 50 Top Pizza, up from the previous year when it was named 10th (and 50th in the world).
A Pizza Crust Like No Other
Robert’s Pizza and Dough Company is owned by Robert Garvey, who is originally from Queens, and his wife, Dana Hokin. The restaurant came about from Garvey’s obsession with creating the perfect pizza crust, which took around a decade to perfect. The end result combines elements of three of the 10 best-known pizza styles — Neapolitan, New York, and California (thanks to artisanal toppings such as cured duck breast and braised fennel). The dough is cold fermented for three days, and the pizzas are baked in a gas-fired brick oven, producing a thin crust with the perfect amount of chew and a bubbled interior.
While the restaurant’s pizza may not be a traditional Chicago deep dish, it is rooted in Garvey’s adopted city. “Everything I learned about how to make pizza, I learned in Chicago,” Robert Garvey told Fox 32. “We’ve been here for 30 years, so I really feel like a Chicagoan.” Beyond that, there’s literally a little bit of Chicago in each pizza. Garvey uses a 25-year-old starter that includes wild yeast from the city’s air. For Chicagoan Bill Murray, it’s saying a lot that he’s publicly admitting to preferring a New York-style pie, but perhaps knowing the yeast is local helps…