Where do I start?
First off, we waited about an hour and a half on a Saturday evening. Granted Saturdays can be a busy day but I've had less of a wait at the Cheesecake Factory! The place was about the size of my thumb and OVERFLOWING with people. The hostesses/waitresses kept assuring us that we would have only "a few more minutes'" wait and justifying their snail's speed service with "we only have four ovens".
When we were finally seated, and the waitress/hosts were free to take our order, we had the WORST dining experience ever. The "silverware" we were provided was plastic as were the drinking cups. We ordered a simple appetizer of Caesar salad and breadsticks. HOLY CRAP I don't know how in the world you can screw up a Caesar salad but they definitely did. It was absolutely horrible. The breadsticks were drenched in this disgusting oil that had no taste. The appetizer should really have tipped us off that the rest of the meal was going to be an awful, awful bust.
When we finally got our pizza about half an hour later (keep in mind that we had a thin crust pizza- BBQ chicken- and the waitress assured us that she "fired it" no later than 2 minutes after we sat down), it was the ABSOLUTE WORST RESTAURANT PIZZA I HAVE EVER TASTED. The cheese seemed fake and the crust was hard (not the crunchy, delicious kind that a thin-crust is supposed to be either). When we informed our waitress of how dissatisfied we were with the food, she assured us that their crust was "homemade" and "different than other restaurant thin-crust styles". What does that even mean? Different as in crappy??
The ONLY good thing about the pizza was that it had a sweet BBQ sauce on it. But that didn't save this meal. We ended up sending the pizza back because it was utterly inedible. I've seriously had frozen pizzas that tasted better than that garbage- no joke, CPK's frozen BBQ chicken pizza (which I had a few weeks earlier) is better than the swill he were presented with at this establishment.
Bottom line, if you want a RIDICULOUS wait time, crappy service, plastic dinnerware, and horrible pizza, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, be smart and go down the street to Lou Malnati's where the thin crust is everything a thin crust should be- crunchy, buttery, saucy, and delicious.
Also, there is basically no parking at this location. They have a TINY lot in front that holds about 6 cars but good luck getting a spot there!
They do not deliver to my address i went to pick up a large thin crust 3-3-13 It took 30 minutes then it was burn when I go home if they were close to me I will have return but I eat the part that was not burn. NEVER THERE AGAIN I will go to there near north location were they knoe how to cook pizza with out burning iy
Review Source:Gino's Pizza opens at 11:00am. And apparently they are very serious about this. I showed up today at 10:58 (in a hurry and just wanting to grab a quick slice to go). The door was unlocked, and there was an employee behind the counter, so I walked right in. The woman tells me "Sorry we're not quite open yet." It's 10:58am. That's just fine, I get it. I ask, "Do you mind if I just sit on this bench until you're ready? I just want a slice to go." She replies, "Actually you will need to wait outside." It's 10:59 by now, and it's also 26 degrees and the middle of February. I have had their pizza before, and it is definitely not my favorite Chicago deep dish. I was just in the area and in a hurry. But after being told to turn around and go back outside for 1 minute, I left and I won't be back. There's a lot of competition in the Chicago pizza world. BYE GINOS!
Review Source:Things to know:
- Small parking lot
- Small dining area (maybe 8 tables)
- BYOB with plastic pop-together wine glasses, love it
- No calamari (I don't know why I feel the need to mention it but we went in looking forward to calamari)
- Four cheese plus spinach and onion is a good choice
- Wings are decent for a pizza place
- With a groupon and $10 each for a group of four had plenty of leftovers
I dont know what happened here, but after much recommendation, I went for the deep dish. Â I was confused. Â It was NOT hot, it was NOT gooey, it was not GREAT. Â The pizza was swimming in liquid. Â Here I am thinking I am in the city of the deep dish, so why in the world am I not happy. Â
I ended up just writing my name on the table like everyone else did. Â That was the highlight of this experience.
This place had no silverware and our plates were those disposable plastic kind. Â I felt like I was eating at a food court. Â The spinach and artichoke dip appetizer was disappointing and didn't look appetizing at all. Â It was served in one of those black plastic take-out containers- Â the dip was in the lid and the chips were in the bottom half. Â :|
Then the pizza came out. Â Aside from the toppings and sauces looking like they were melting off of the pizza, it tasted ok. Â I've definitely had better pizza. Â I won't be returning to this location.
I'm a Gino's guy. Gino's has less cheese then Lous and you taste the toppings more. To each their own with the deep dish debate. This location is a little different. Very small and dark, feels like a small town hole in the wall pizza shop. Â They have paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, and such. Nice servers every time I have been.
Review Source:Food - Very good. Had deep dish sausage, pepperoni and mushroom pizza with spinach/artichoke dip and chips as an appetizer.
Service- Good, considering they were obviously overworked. Kids as far as the eye could see until about 7:30-8, we got there at 7.
Ambiance- Family friendly, plastic plates, utincils, cups, etc. Â Very small, dark, small, small, small space. It seems like a takeout place that turned there storage room into a dining area.
Verdict- Timing is truly everything here. If you decide to dine in, it could be a long wait. We went on a freezing 19 degree Sunday evening and got the last table. Â I personally would recommend pick up or delivery.
GET THE SAUSAGE PATTY OR GO HOME!
I have grown up a Gino's East child. My parents introduced me to the Deep Dish Sausage Patty at a very young age. It is in my DNA. This is not a thin pizza joint, so don't get upset, if you don't like the thin. You have been warned.
We have eaten at this location many times. It is independently owned and they kind of do there own thing from the corporate locations. Â
Here is my rule when you come here! You must order the deep dish sausage patty pizza. End of story!!! Â There is nothing like this anywhere in the world. Also the deep dish pans are seasoned. The black on there is from years of incredible crusts baking. I'm getting hungry just writing this review.
They have a great promotion/deal on Monday and Wednesday nights. Â It is called family night and you get a pizza with 4 sodas at a discounted price.
We had the opportunity to throw a party for our little one on a Monday night. We had about 14 people. I called ahead and the staff was nice enough reserve a big table for us.
We ordered a bunch of pizzas and the family style salad with a few apps. There was a ton of food and everyone was so happy. The best part is that this place is BYOB. So I was able to bring wine and beer for everyone to enjoy. Â We had a rocking event for a Monday night. Plus the party didn't cost us an arm and a leg.
We also had great service. Our waitress made sure everyone was happy. She even was pouring wine for our guests.
Just some info about this location. Â It is small on the inside. There is not a lot of room. Our party dominated half of the restaurant. The parking lot is also very small, so don't have high hopes for finding a spot. You may have to feed the meter on the street.
Okay, I am not from Chicago. Â I was SOOOOOOOO excited about trying this phenomenon called the deep dish pizza. My husband has had it before, and he loved it. Â So at least he had a point of reference, which I did not have. Â We did our research, but we also wanted to avoid tourist traps. Â So after asking around and probing the minds of locals, we settled on this place. Â What ... a ... let ... down.
The breadsticks were terrible, but who cares? Â I was there for the pizza. Â When it got there, it was a hot mess. Â Literally, a hot mess. Â But ... I expected that. Â After all, that is the nature of the beast. Â When I bit into it, it tasted to me like runny crap from a can. Â The ingredients just did not cut it for me. Â The service was ok. Â We sat at the bar and were barely looked at. Â One guy was better than the other.
I don't know. Â Maybe it's just me, but then my husband hated it too, and he's had it many times before. Â I am not a pizza snob, but I am an ingredient snob. Â I have pizza down here where I am from (spare me, New Yorkers. Â I've had your stuff MANY times, and it's good, but get over it), and I can tell the difference in the quality of the ingredients. Â Maybe they had an off day; maybe I am wrong. Â I don't know, but I am not going back. Â When I do go back to Chicago, I will give it another try, but not here.
If you go to Chicago without getting deep dish, we can't be friends--but if you get your deep dish fix at Gino's East, let's be BFFs forever. Spicy sausage thin crust makes me drool even now, and the veggie deep dish was delicious even freezing cold right out of the hotel fridge at 2am (trust me).
Review Source:I called ahead to see about the possibility for a vegan pizza. The employee graciously answered my question: The deep dish crust is vegan (as long as you don't avoid sugar) but the thin crust is not. They made me a personal deep dish loaded with seasonal veggies, including asparagus. The crust wasn't the tastiest I've had (it seemed kind of bland), but all in all it was better than other pizzas I've had at places that don't specifically cater to vegans.
The friendly and attentive service was excellent. Our server came out often (we were on the patio) to refill our water and ask if we needed anything.
BYOB, and they'll keep your booze in the fridge until you need more.
Nothing like downtown location. We called the downtown location about a month earleir said we could be there in 15 minutes and they said that would be ok. When we got there we were almost turned away until we complained to a manager. When the waiter came to the table he had an attitude. So we left telling the manager about his attitude. A few weeks later we tried this smaller location. The staff was nice mannered bout the experience was that of eating inside a hotdog stand. Nothing fantastic, nothing unusual. Overall they get 1 star, since there is "no stars" as an option.
Review Source:3 stars: A-OK
We are huge fans of Gino's East.
This location is very small, and the staff is currently scatterbrained. It's as if one of them visited Haiti and came back with some kind of rare disease that eats away at the logic centers of your brain, and the rest of them got infected over time, and now everyone who works at this location is kind of non-functional and brain dead.
They would really benefit from a competent manager who understands the nuances of dine in vs. phone order, as that would solve about 25% of their problems right from the get go.
The reason why Gino's East is so good is this: The sausage goes from end to end. As a result, every single bite of pizza will have a piece of sausage in it. This is quite satisfying to those who enjoy sausage in their pizza.
This location follows the Gino's creed, and makes an acceptable, corporate copy of the venerable pizza.
Their pizza isn't the deepest dish, their sauce isn't the best, their crust isn't the best, and their cheese isn't the best, but I do like the fact that the sausage goes from end to end, and I'm comfortable with their version of deep dish. A trip to Chicago isn't really complete without a deep dish pie from Gino's East.
Other locations are larger, and better, but possibly more congested due to the slow turnover inherent to deep dish pizza restaurants.
If you dine in, don't forget to BYOB.
Also - They have a small parking lot. Which is nice.
Pizza #2 of the night - Meh.
The one saving grace of this pizza was its crust, its magical cornbread like crust. Other than that, the sauce, the cheese, and the toppings were all meh.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/5p60V_t5ly_eN56i6hxHrg?select=KBhaVqmvG1SW2_tuapZJFg#KBhaVqmvG1SW2_tuapZJFg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
With so much amazing pizza in Chicago, par just doesn't cut it.
The servers are awesome. They are very friendly and helpful. I was going to rate this 4 stars, except for my last trip there. This has been my go to spot for deep dish, and the past 4 out of 5 times it was awesome. However the last time we ordered a large vegetarian, and it was juts frigging terrible. There were four of us that ate it, and we all agreeed. the crust was dry and tasted like cornmeal. It was nothing like the usual greasy, awesome crust we usually get. I was pretty dissapointed. I'm going to have to try the other deep dish pizzas because my last gino's pizza left a bad taste in my mouth (see what I did there?)
Review Source:I came here from out of town with high expectations because of Gino's reputation. The venue is cute, the wait was long, and the pizza is inedible, in my opinion. I managed to scarf down one slice of deep dish, thinking that I should ignore my taste buds and tongue texture warnings of gross, gross, gross since I assumed I wasn't well versed enough in Chicago deep dish and that it was an acquired taste that I would come to appreciate. It took the middle of the second piece for me to start gagging. The sauce was too sweet and the crust was similar to a shortbread crumbly cookie, and my tongue protested and insisted that cheese and watery sweet tomato sauce do not belong on shortbread cookies, and thus I could not eat it. I haven't given up on finding good deep dish, and next I'm going to try the recommendations below! Good luck with your deep dish ventures!
Review Source:Was in town with a bunch of friends and after taking in a game  at Wrigley we stopped on in to have some authentic Chicago Style pizza.  I've had Giordano's and Gino's and I prefer Gino's.  With that being said, I really enjoyed the ambiance of Gino's East, it was tiny, maybe 8 tables but it had character.  We went with an all meat deep dish pizza and a single  large was more than enough food for the five of us.  The crust was cooked perfectly, the cheese super stringy and full of flavor and the various meats plentiful.  I would come back to Gino's East in a heartbeat, for both the atmosphere and the food!
Review Source:Ok, so this was my third and final "best deep dish pizza in Chicago" restaurant while visiting my sister. My boyfriend and father had come up for the final weekend and I was hoping to go out with a deep dish bang as I'd heard great things about Gino's East. My disclaimer is that my sister told me she liked Giordano's better, but thought Gino's East was ok.
My boyfriend and I shared a Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza since I don't handle italian sausage well, and it was just ok. The crust was WAY overcooked, the sauce was average (Lou Malnalti's is better), and the cheese had no flavor (total opposite of the fantastic cheese at Giordano's). The only bright spot was that we could actually taste the meat, and while the pepperoni was pretty standard, my sister and father shared a Sausage Deep Dish Pizza with a Traditional Patty Layer, and I understand why that is what they are most famous for. The sausage was not too spicy (I probably actually could have handled it), but it had great flavor. I just wish the cheese, sauce, and crust would have been better so I could have rated it higher.
Overall, I would pass on Gino's East if you were going for the best, but if the crowd is going, go with the Traditional Sausage Patty Layer.
I find it amazing how there are so many reviews with only 2 stars or less, and one even said "ICK" in her review - but then again, I could never understand how the Olive Garden survived as long as it has and touted "authentic Italian cuisine".................... I digress.
I am certain most of the complainers would prefer Domino's, Little Cesar's, Pizza Hut, or just about any other crappy dohy pizza that is created by bad Pizza chains over a Gino's East or Lou Malnatti's. These are the same people that whine if they find a piece of REAL TOMATO in their sauce because they are used to crappy jarred sauce that has no flavor or body to it. Although my favorite pizza is paper thin and usually comes out of a brick oven, Gino's East (Lakeview) and Superior have incredible deep dish and also excellent thin crust - Since I have been on a diet since January 9th, I really steer clear of all pizza, and I do order it  for our crews at Wrigley from Lakeview during the Winter construction season.
Gino's East is awesome!!!! Â I would not judge Gino's (except O'Hare sucks) by those who really have no palette for anything that is not from a large chain.... and for their $6 lunch special with a salad that actually has more than just ICEBERG lettuce, and a drink you can't go wrong!
Oh ick! I really haven't had BAD pizza in Chicago until I ate here. If you'd asked me before, I would have said all deep dish is sort of the same (I know, I know, but sorry, I can't really expound on the differences between Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, etc).
Anyway, as far as deep dish- or any pizza- this was a total disappointment.
Of course in deep dish, the crust is the majority of the pizza- this crust was awful. Heavy and bland and just... I don't know. Gross. And I got spinach as a topping- most places have sauteed spinach that you can tell used to be fresh. Here, it's like... a watery pureed version. Not good at all.
I love pizza- it's probably my favorite food in the world, and frankly I'm not super picky, but I'd never eat this again. There are SO many other good options.
*It is small but I'll give a couple stars for our nice server. Too bad the meal was so tasteless and sad.
I was really surprised at how TINY this place is considering how enormous the other location is. Â
Our server was one of the most friendly, attentive, "I could not be happier doing anything else in the world" people I've met in a long time! (although difficult to understand).
The food was great! Â He suggested a different form of sausage, which was a giant sheet of sausage that covers the pizza instead of the usual nuggets.
BYOB is also always a great! Â Especially when they put your six pack in their fridge for you!
Everything was great and I'm really glad I finally made it out there. Â Will certainly be back soon!
I've had better pizza, but I've also had worse. However, we had the best service possible when we went to Gino's East on Lincoln.
The overall establishment has been there for quite some time, and it shows. The decor and atmosphere are okay, and though BYOB is nice, it would have been nice if they had a few options in house too. Plastic silverware and dishware, along with paper cups is wasteful and just plain cheap, I feel that was the one big thing I would change right away.
The pizza was decent, but I really only give Gino's 3 stars. The fourth star is just for our server Dimi, he made the entire meal more enjoyable and anything we needed he took care of immediately. I actually would give him 5 stars if this review was just on service.
Two of my best friends and I ordered Gino's East Sunday night in Chicago and they came through with a great pizza. I went with the famous sausage patty across the pizza and it went over well for our Bears victory celebration. One of my friends grandfathers was best friends with the original owners of Gino's, He had some great stories about the Chicago Outfit and alleged shakedown attempts at the establishment. It was like taking a bite of of history.
Only disappointment was that I didn't think it was as cheesy and thick as I have had there in the past. It felt like more of a pan than a Chicago Deep Dish. Sauce, however was fantastic!
So I've decided that Gino's is my favorite Chicago Style stuffed pizza. Â From now on, I will take family and friends here when they want some real Chicago pizza. Â
Which brings me to this location - so awesome! Â Don't want to wait in line? Â Want a table immediately? Â Want friendly service? Â Come to Gino's on Diversey! Â My friend and I came here yesterday because she wanted some real Chicago pizza and we decided that the Gino's on Erie is just too inconvenient (no parking lot, yo!). Â But this Gino's has a parking lot right out front - oh, and tons of street parking. Â Sweet. Â
So, enter two friends hungry for some yummy stuffed pizza. Â There's only one occupied table in the place. Â Now, let me say that this location is tiny. Â I think there were only about eight tables in the whole restaurant. Â This is more like a "Gino's Light" location. Â So we're invited to sit wherever and our server immediately brought water and took our drink orders. Â The menu is great for such a small location. Â You can get tons of salads, some appetizers, Italian entrees (pastas) and - of course - pizza! Â Many types, sizes and toppings. Â
This is when we notice the best part of the menu - the $5.99 lunch special. Â Yep, $5.99 gets you either: a) a huge slice of stuffed pizza (your choice), side salad and a pop or b) a personal stuffed pizza (your choice of one topping, extras $.50), a side salad and a pop. Â Awesome!!!!!! Â This is exactly what I had planned on ordering, anyway, but I just paid way less. Â
The side salad was good but I only have one complaint (rather, suggestion): get some fat-free Italian dressing on your menu! Â That was the one dressing I wanted and they just didn't have it. Â I've honestly never heard of a restaurant not having a fat-free/lite choice for salad dressing in the last five years. Â Go figure. Â Was it still delicious Italian dressing? Â Yes! Â I just wanted fat-free. Â Anyway.... the pizza was cooked to perfection and the crust was super buttery and crispy. Â YUM. Â I couldn't even finish my entire personal pizza because of that salad before hand (they really shouldn't call it "side" because it's a whole large salad) so I got to take some tasty leftovers home. Â
All in all, a great experience. Â Much less frustrating than going to a larger location downtown but you still get the same delicious pizza. Â I'll definitely bring out-of-town guests here from now on because it's so close to our house and we can park. Â Awesome! Â Oh, and if you don't feel like eating in the restaurant, don't forget they have a take-out window right at the entrance. Â You can get your yummy lunch special to go! Â Oh, and did I mention it's BYOB?! Â YES!! Â This Gino's is BYOB so you can come have a yummy stuffed pizza dinner with your favorite wine or beer. Â Awesome!!
I imagine it must be pretty tough being a pizza place in a city like Chicago. The competition is stiff and your clientele is a metropolis whose populous prides themselves on the appreciation of the very food you prepare. To open a pizza place in Memphis is one thing. To do so in Chicago is completely another. Â
That said, at one of Chicago's better-known pizza joints, I ironically find the non-pizza entrees to be where the place really shines. The pizza is so-so, but the stromboli and sandwiches are tops. The outdoor seating area isn't bad if you plan on eating pretty quickly, but being on the edge of a parking lot between a 5-point intersection, a Lady & the Tramp romantic dining experience it is not.
In the dining area, the pictures of famous people and landmarks with a Gino's pizza box pasted in are pretty cool and you'll find yourself looking at them if you ordered pick-up, as it always seems to take 5 to 10 more minutes for your order to be ready than what they said on the phone.
This is a good place to go if... you can ignore all the fuss and just want a meatball sandwich.
The 5-stars here are solely based on the pizza.
For those who said Gino's stuffed pizza is anything less than some of the best in Chicago, I harbor a deep-seated hatred for you that I hope never surfaces, for the sake of humanity. Not really. But kind of.
With all seriousness, almost everything about this particular location frankly sucks. There are about 5 parking spots, 13 seats, and you eat off of a plastic plate. Ambiance: 0. Date spot? Never.
But DAMN the pizza is so good! First, they offer a FOUR MEAT pizza. Sausage, pepperoni, Capicola ham, and Genoa salami. This jubilee of meats could not be tastier. Crust: Good. Sauce: Great. This ranks in the top 5 for sure.
I was next door doing laundry, and needed sustenance while I did so. Â I had taken note of Gino's the last time I was at the laundromat and decided to wander over there after I put my clothes in the washer.
After perusing the menu - I decided on a Spinach Stromboli. Â I asked the guy about it and he told me the flavours it came in. Â I'd never had Stromboli before and I like spinach, so I decided to give it a try.
It seemed like it took forever - but I have to say that I was really impressed with what I got. Â The serving portion (to me) was HUGE. Â I ate SOME of it, and took the rest home for a snack later. (it was even good cold!)
Every so often, the boyfriend has a serious bad day.
You too?
Want the Bad Day Antidote?
Take the Dog and Boyfriend to ghetto-style small patio/parking lot here and order the Deep-Dish Vegetarian pizza and bring your own booze. Yay! Grease and alcohol!
Service is slow and subpar without a doubt, but to be frank, if I were the server, I'd avoid the table venting all the negatives of the day as well...
I love the unique taste of Gino's East deep dish pizza...I grew up on it. Â But for some reason, this location just doesn't measure up for me. Â Is it possible that a suburban location can produce more authentic tasting pizza?! Â In my opinion......yes.
WHATEVER you do, don't base your experience of Chicago-style deep dish pizza on here! Â It's below average- but I'll give it 3 stars for BYOB, however the space is small and not the nicest restaurant....I would suggest take out.
I can't believe I've never reviewed this place and I visit here quite a bit.
They're pizza is ok - it's definitely a change from the typically stuffed pizza in Chicago. Â I'm not sure what the crust is - possibly a cornbread type of concoction, which sets it apart. Â However, it's pretty crunchy, almost enough to chip a tooth over!
The sausage patty stuffed pizza is a novel idea as well. Â This way you can make sure you're getting a meaty bite the first time, every time.
Go on Mondays and Wednesdays after 4PM - they run a special for a $14.99 large stuffed 1 topping with 4 cans of pop. Â Can't beat that!
I don't think it's the pizza I'd take my family or out of town visitors to.
The best deep dish in Chicago. Â I love the usual suspects but Gino's is the one that has my heart. Â Usually we just get delivery but we managed to make it over here for an in-restaurant visit recently. Â We didn't mind the small room or the paper plate thing since if you want to do the whole tourist pizza thing you should go to the Gino's downtown. Â I don't know why people would complain about it anyway--it's a pizza place for chrissakes. Â You're not getting Limoges china. Â I guess I wouldn't mind having a real knife to cut with though.
Service was fine. Â Pizza was amazing. Â Out of town guest loved his first introduction to Chicago pizza. Â End of story.
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