"The pizza gods are shining on the San Fernando Valley this week, as deep dish specialist Gino’s East has opened its doors along Riverside. The Sherman Oaks (by way of Chicago) operation has been quietly serving for a couple of days now. Gino’s East is a well-recognized name in the Chicago style pizza universe, having opened a slew of Midwest locations over the years. The company even ships its pizzas nationwide care of Goldbelly, though this is the brand’s first Los Angeles area location. To that end, franchisees Tod Himmel and Dan Michaels have pulled out all the signature tricks, showing off lots of Chicago memorabilia inside alone with TVs for sports-watching, a bar area, and big, comfy booths for the family. The menu, too, pulls in the best parts of Chicago, including not just deep dish pizza but also sausages and Italian beef sandwiches. The restaurant is keeping dinner hours only for now, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., but expect those hours to grow in the coming weeks." - Farley Elliott
