Deep Dish Is An Understatement
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Cuisine Style: Pizza, Italian
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in: July 2013
Article Updated: February 2020
Article Updated: February 2020
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Gino's Rating on Zomato
Owners:
Ivan and Jeff Himmel
Gino's East Pizzeria restaurant owned by Ivan Himmel has many menu options but they are most famous for their Chicago-style pizza, and several other different pizza styles developed in the city of its namesake, Chicago. This style is a deep-dish pizza with a crust up to three inches tall at the edge, slightly higher than the ingredients, which include large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Chicago-style pizza is most commonly known for the deep-dish style of pizza that was first introduced outside the metropolitan area at Pizzeria Uno in 1943, reportedly by Uno's founder Ike Sewel. However, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that Uno's original pizza chef Rudy Malnati developed the recipe.
Menu:
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Soups
- Sandwiches and plates
- Deep Dish Pizza
- Thin Crust Pizza
- Desserts
- Gino’s Brewing Co. Beer
Gino’s started in 1966 and today has sixteen total restaurants with nine in the Chicago or metro area, one in Wisconsin, five in Texas, and one in Arizona. I came across Gino’s East while visiting Chicago on a city tour with reservations at Alinea for one of the nights. Through my hotel, The Drake, and other Hotels in the Downtown Chicago area, the Concierge was giving little slips of paper to jump to the front of the line, so I highly recommend this, since there was a long line, and a good forty minute wait. The restaurant is on two levels, very casual in style, and graffiti all over every piece of wall in the entire place, which added to the uniqueness of the restaurant. I sat at the bar as it was one of the only open seats and ordered my pizza, a meat-lovers, which on their menu is called the ‘Meaty-Legend’ which came with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, and regular bacon. This was one of seven special pizzas you could order, or build your own.
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| Gino's East / The Meaty Legend |
The sizes were small, medium, and large, but as I learned, and I thank the bartender's recommendation to just order the small because, with the deep crust, it was like eating a medium or a large. It would take about forty-five minutes for the pizza to arrive, so I started with a small bread-stick appetizer. You could also order hummus, spinach dip, spinach sticks which looked interesting, calamari, or a combo family platter as well.
Between soups, salads, and the many sandwiches, this was a wonderful little lunch or dinner stopover to fit any craving. Being a tourist to this city, which I’m sure they got a lot of, the pizza was calling my name. The bar also had several selections of beer on tap to include local brewers, and in 2015 they began crafting a house-made Microbrewery selection of beers under brewmaster Kevin McMahon. Most of their special beers focused on breweries in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and such with a few in California, plus the regular big-name beer brands that everyone has. The wine list had a combination of old and new world selections, most mainstream, but then you are here for pizza, not classy wine. That is what places like Alinea are for.
Once the pizza was delivered, the site was divine, thick crust several inches high, filled with assorted cheese, the meat items mixed together, and extremely hot, so I had to wait several minutes for it to cool down. The bartender cut away one piece removing from the pan delicately over to the serving plate, and the cheese stretched over the entire way, with the aroma of the Italian gods in the air. There was so much sauce and cheese, that I tried eating with my hands, but in the end, I surrendered and had to use a fork and knife.
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| Gino's East / Chicago-style pizza |
As small as the pizza looked, I couldn't finish and had to take the rest to go, which saved me from buying dinner in Chicago. When I return to the city, I will go back and enjoy another pizza. Great job guys.
Dessert:
They have four options on their dessert menu plus coffee and after meal cocktails as well. When I return, I will make room for one of these desserts as they all look very appetizing. They have a classical tiramisu, a deep dish brownie with Mitchell’s vanilla ice cream, a chocolate cake, and a selection of cookies.
Plus check out some of these wonderful selections from Wine Dine and Play:
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other Noteworthy Pizza cuisine Articles and Restaurants:
Pizza is a yeasted flatbread typically topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and baked in an oven. It is commonly topped with a selection of meats, vegetables, and condiments. The term pizza was first recorded in the tenth century, in a Latin manuscript from Gaeta. The modern pizza was invented in Naples, Italy, and the dish and its variants have since become popular and common in many areas of the world.
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Feola’s Restaurant - The second article of this eatery in the Thunderbird Resort in Treasure Island, Florida
Gino’s East Pizzeria Chain serving Chicago-style deep dish pizza and other Italian eats in Chicago, Illinois
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MidiCi Neapolitan Pizza A non-GMO Neapolitan style chain pizzeria in 10 states. Reviewed in St Petersburg, Florida
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Pizza Republica Trendy Italian trattoria and pizza restaurant in Centennial, Colorado
Slyce Pizza Bar Laid-back pizza bar known for their artisan stone-baked pizza in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
Sparkman’s Wharf An outdoor Channelside venue with a beer garden, coffeehouse, and 10+ restaurants in Tampa, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Chicago restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Eulogy to a famous Chicago Chef
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Classic New England cuisine at the Drake Hotel
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Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor.
To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Gino’s a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Gino's East Pizza
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Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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10
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8
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3
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Food quality
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9
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8
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1
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Plate presentation
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9
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6.5
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2.5
|
Customer service
|
9
|
7
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2
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Alcohol and other beverages
|
9
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6
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3
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Total regular points awarded
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46
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35.5
|
11.5
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
0.771739130434783
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“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
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2
|
0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0434782608695652
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.815217391304348
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
|
3
|
**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
82% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded my Expectations in a Dining Experience
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Wine List:
| |
Wine rating:
|
5 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Greece
New World selections:
Argentina, California, Washington State
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Corkage fees:
|
This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge
$25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant-style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style:
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American, Italian, Pizza
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Vegetarian and Vegan options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
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Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
|
A place for foodies, Modern, Trendy, Hotspot, Great bar, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Street meter parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Loud
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
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Gino’s East Pizza:
The Magnificent Mile
162 East Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 312 266 3337
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Website Contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun-Thur
11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri-Sat
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
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Social Media
and
Accolades:
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****
The world's best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Impeccably prepared French fine dining
Dublin, Ireland
|
Countryside French Bistro
Cheverny, France
|
New American dining on a restored ship
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Other Pictures:
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| Gino's East / Street logo |
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| Gino's East / 50th logo |
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| Gino's East / Graffiti interior |
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| Gino's East / Breadsticks starter |
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| Gino's East / Bartender pans it up |
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| Gino's East / Pizza service |
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| Gino's East / Worth the wait!! |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
