Gino's East
Pizza restaurant · Streeterville ·
Iconic deep-dish pizza chain with graffiti-covered walls
Iconic deep-dish pizza chain with graffiti-covered walls
"Dating all the way back to 1966, Gino’s East is one of the city’s most celebrated deep dish specialists. Expect a heavy helping of mozzarella and tangy tomato sauce atop cornmeal crust made from a secret recipe. Menu highlights include the Diavola (spicy pepperoni, basil, white truffle oil) and the Chicago Fire (spicy sausage, roasted red peppers, red onions). To order carryout or pickup, click here." - Ashok Selvam
"A deep-dish institution whose dough the chef experimented with for a special pizza cooked in a cast-iron pan, illustrating an interest in reinterpreting and blending dough traditions." - Ashok Selvam
Adam Richman visits Gino's to settle the age-old argument: New York thin crust versus Chicago deep dish. He's a Brooklyn guy, but Gino's will make him test his loyalty.
"The original Gino's, open since 1966, is covered in customer's signatures, Blues Brothers paraphernalia, graffiti-covered brick walls, and scenes of Chicago . It's darkly lit, comfy, and welcoming, and its proximity to the Magnificent Mile makes it a draw for tourists, who come clamoring for the pizzeria's iconic pies. Gino's noteworthy spin on deep dish is its crust, flavored with corn oil, and a disc of sausage (yes, you read that right) layered just below the sauce: The fennel-spiced meat ensures the crust doesn't get soggy—bonus points for having sausage in every bite." - Nicole Schnitzler
"Pizza pilgrims continue to make the trek to the original location of this renowned deep-dish chain, where a 45-minute wait is worth every second for freshly baked, steaming pies. The walls, scribbled with years of graffiti, are nearly as iconic as the high-walled pies themselves, whose crusts get their signature crunch from cornmeal and searing-hot metal pans with two inch-high sides. Filled with heaps of mozzarella and toppings, like the “Meaty Legend” lineup of spicy pepperoni, Italian sausage, and both Canadian and regular bacon, it’s hard for some to eat more than two wedges here. The Chicago Fire layers hot and spicy flat sausage, fire-roasted peppers, and red onions for a kicky pie. Nonconformists can opt for thin-crust pies, but why?" - Aaron Hutcherson
