• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mommy Musings

  • Home
  • Food
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Holiday
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups
  • Travel
    • Cruises
      • Carnival
      • Disney Cruise Line
      • Holland America
      • Norwegian Cruise Line
    • United States
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Illinois
      • Louisiana
      • Michigan
      • Tennessee
    • Canada
    • Caribbean
    • Mexico
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • South America
    • Theme Parks
      • Disney World
      • Disneyland
      • Legoland Florida
  • Lifestyle
  • DIY
  • Recipe Index
  • Work with Me
    • PR Request
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Entertainment
  • Recipe Index
×

Home >> Travel >> United States >> Illinois >> What to Eat in Chicago? Deep-dish Pizza,Of Course!

What to Eat in Chicago? Deep-dish Pizza,Of Course!

Published: Jul 23, 2013 · Modified: Sep 18, 2020 by Guest · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

20 shares
  • Share8
  • Tweet

Leigh Caldwell of MidwestTravelMom.com attended the Embassy Suites #300 More Press Trip to Chicago on behalf of Mommy Musings. This is the second of several posts she will be sharing about the hotel and the attractions she visited.

One of my daughter's must-dos when we visit Chicago is to eat something the Windy City is famous for: Deep-dish pizza. And while we had had plenty of it, we had never visited one of the most famous spots for it - Gino's East - until our most recent visit to the city.

It's impossible to get a neat slice out of the deep-dish pizza pans at Gino's East. As you can see, it's all about the cheese.

It's impossible to get a neat slice out of the deep-dish pizza pans at Gino's East. As you can see, it's all about the cheese.

The famous deep-dish pizza was invented in Chicago in the 1930s. If you've never had it, you may think that the crust is very thick on the pizza, but true Chicago-style pizza actually has a crust of thin-to-medium thickness. It is baked in a round pan - the ones at Gino's East are cast iron - that is around three inches deep like a cake pan. The crust lines the bottom and the sides, creating a bowl of sorts for the toppings.

And this leaves plenty of room for the toppings. What distinguishes a Chicago-style pizza in my mind is the extreme amount of cheese on it. The pizzas are assembled upside down from a traditional pizza, with cheese over the crust on the bottom, then toppings, then the sauce, which is usually a quite chunk tomato sauce. Why upside down? Because the pizza is so thick, it requires a long cooking time, which would burn the cheese if it were on top.

There are a handful of famous names in the Chicago deep-dish pizza business: Pizzeria Uno (popularly believed to be the place it started), Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, Rosati's and Gino's East. The Gino's East location we visited was the first restaurant, at 160 E. Superior Street, just off Michigan Avenue. The restaurant was opened in the 60s by two Chicago taxi drivers.

The first thing you will notice when stepping inside Gino's East is all the writing on the walls. Patrons are invited to write their names on the walls, so it's fun to come prepared with a Sharpie, especially if you're traveling with kids.

The walls are actually completely covered with names. In some places, you will be scratching your head asking how someone even got to a certain nook or cranny to write their name, but trust me, it'll be covered.

Every square inch of surface space at Gino's East is covered with patron's signatures, including places that can only be reached by standing on someone's shoulders.

Every square inch of surface space at Gino's East is covered with patron's signatures, including places that can only be reached by standing on someone's shoulders.

The pizza at Gino's East was assembled in the classic upside-down Chicago way, and it was fantastic. My daughter and I are going to have a hard time deciding between Gino's East, our new favorite, and Giordano's, our old favorite, on our next trip to the city.

Most deep-dish pizzas at Gino's East will run you $20 to $30. They take awhile to bake, and there's often a wait at Gino's in the evenings, so be prepared to delay eating a bit. There is a nice selection of appetizers and salads to tide you over.

Gino's East also offers mail-order pizzas if you need a Chicago fix and can't get there. You can check out the mail order and Chicagoland locations at the Gino's East Web site.

Embassy Suites paid for transportation, accommodations and some meals and attractions we visited on our Chicago trip.

« Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown Offers More for Families
Spending The Day At SeaWorld #mykissimmee »
20 shares
  • Share8
  • Tweet

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Penelope (NYC Blogger)

    July 23, 2013 at 6:59 pm

    We have a place around here that makes Chicago style pizza and it's awesome!

    Reply
  2. Tammy

    July 23, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Oh man that looks delicious! Mailorder huh?! I may be ordering some!

    Reply
  3. Robin Gagnon {Mom Foodie}

    July 24, 2013 at 12:07 am

    Dang that pizza looks good. I usually go thing crust, but you certainly wouldn't need to twist my arm to eat a slice of that.

    Reply
  4. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell

    July 24, 2013 at 1:45 am

    I am in Chicago right now and you know I'm having some of that while I'm here. It's also my favorite frozen pizza!

    Reply
  5. Colleen

    July 24, 2013 at 7:17 am

    Been there! My only issue is we don't like a lot of sauce we should have asked them to put less sauce on it.

    Reply
  6. Angela

    July 24, 2013 at 11:26 am

    One of my favorite pizza joints claims to make Chicago style pizza, but I would love to have the real thing one day.

    Reply
  7. Donna

    July 24, 2013 at 4:53 pm

    I've never been to Chicago, but I know that a deep dish pizza is the first thing I'm going to try when I do. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jenn- The Rebel Chick

    July 25, 2013 at 12:17 am

    I've actually heard of Ginos East before, I think it may have been on a food network show but I told myself the next time I am in Chicago I have to go there.

    Reply
  9. Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com

    July 25, 2013 at 5:02 pm

    Yum! I've never had a deep dish pizza before.

    Reply
  10. Marcie W.

    July 25, 2013 at 7:17 pm

    That looks so good! Visiting Chicago to experience the many delicious foods they're known for is definitely on my bucket list.

    Reply
  11. courtney

    July 25, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    Annnd now I want pizza! I've actually never had a deep dish but I'd love to visit Chicago one day.. must make it happen 🙂

    Reply
  12. Shell Feis

    July 26, 2013 at 5:28 am

    Yum! I grew up in Chicago but was too young at the time to really appreciate good pizza. I need to stop there next time I'm in town!

    Reply
  13. Anne - Mommy Has to Work

    July 26, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    I love me some good deep dish pizza! That looks awesome!

    Reply
  14. Lolo

    July 26, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    It is a must! When I went to chicago I made sure to get some!

    Reply
  15. Jai

    July 27, 2013 at 4:08 pm

    I've never been to Chicago but have heard lots about the pizza, of course. Interesting to know some of the details. Thanks!

    Reply
  16. Emily @FamilyNLifeLV

    July 28, 2013 at 2:09 am

    I have written on that wall!

    Reply
  17. Rachel @ Following In My Shoes

    July 29, 2013 at 12:05 am

    Awww, I missed out on Gino's when I was there.... we tried Giordano's (it was close to our hotel) and it was AMAZING.... this one sounds like it wouldn't disappoint either!

    Reply
  18. Lisa

    August 19, 2013 at 9:00 pm

    I live in chicago. We have the best pizza here!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Welcome to Mommy Musings™ - I'm Stefanie Fauquet and my passions are food & family travel! I regularly share easy recipes and travel tips to inspire families to create a life they love...one that's full of delicious food and incredible adventures!

📧 [email protected]

Recent Posts

  • The Ultimate List of Valentine's Day Gifts For Women
  • Kid's Educational Gift Guide Ages 6 to 12
  • Teen Girl Holiday Gift Guide
  • Holiday Gift Guide for Moms
  • Cook's and Foodies' Gift Guide

Pages

  • PR Request
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Work with Me

Footer

Mommy Musings™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Copyright © 2023 Mommy Musings®

20 shares