Queen Creek’s Buddyz A Chicago Pizzeria to open location in Gilbert

With all the hoopla over Chicago imports Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East, and Giordano’s coming to the Valley, I sometimes wonder how many local diners know about Buddyz A Chicago Pizzeria in Queen Creek.

After all, Buddyz, which also has its roots in the Windy City, has been serving authentic Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas here in the Valley since 2013.

But with its location on the far-flung southeast edge of the Valley – just off Power Road about a half-mile south of Riggs – a certain amount of anonymity is understandable.

That may be about to change. The pizzeria is opening a second location near U.S. 60 and Val Vista, shaving more than 30 miles off a roundtrip for those coming from most parts of the Valley.

The 6,864-square-foot space on the southeast corner of Val Vista and Baseline formerly was home to Prima Pizza, which closed last week.

Look for Buddyz Gilbert to open in mid-November.