Gino's East

"Been coming here for 12 years and I won’t be back ever again. The younger Latina hostess was incredibly rude and unhelpful and didn’t care about our business. I politely asked for a table near the bar because the other side was full of loud children. She refused even though I’ve been coming to this location for 12 years and never had this issue. Her reason was that she had to alternate sections for the servers. Fine, okay. I tell her that I prefer to sit on the other side as I usually do since it’s quieter, so I’ll wait until someone else comes so she can put them at that table. She says okay, and we do that. We wait for her to put someone at that four top so that we can seat on the other side away from the loud kids. She then seats a couple in the section the section that we’re waiting to sit in, and when I approach her and ask whether am I also getting seated in that section (since clearly she isn’t alternating sections), she refuses. Her new reason is that our party is too small, which is not the reason she initially gave me. I also point to three other parties the same size and smaller seating over there, and she doesn’t have a reason. Basically, her and the manager who stood next her and allowed her to be unhelpful and make up reasons are lacking in their customer service skills, and after 12 years of business to this specific Geno’s location (I used to live and work right around the corner and make it a point to come back and get a pizza here a few times a year when I’m in town), I will no longer be back. Train your people to be better, or at the very least to be consistent. Being the only black people in restaurant and being mistreated felt quite a bit targeted, especially when the alternating sections rule didn’t apply to the white couple seated after us. I’m not asking for special treatment, I’m asking for your hostess team to be consistent. If our party was too small to sit on the bar side of the restaurant, then say that up front. Don’t just make up a new rule after you give the white couple the table we asked for. My money spends just the same if not better. Went to Lou’s instead. Never thought I’d see the day where I picked them over Gino’s."

"The best deep dish pizza we have had. Truly an original."

"This is definitely one of the popular dining spots in Chicago, and for good reason. If you're visiting the city, getting a deep dish pizza here is a must. The atmosphere is lively and welcoming, making it a great place to experience one of Chicago's most famous foods. Our waiter was incredibly friendly, always smiling, and very knowledgeable about the menu. One feature I really appreciated was the ability to do half and half pizzas, which made it easy to try multiple flavors in a single order. We were able to enjoy a great variety without having to order several full pizzas. Everything we tried was delicious, and the experience left us wanting to come back and explore more of the menu. Definitely a place worth visiting when you're in Chicago."