Locally Owned and Operated in Chicago Since 1966
Gino's East of Chicago

Pizza Near Grant Park: Deep Dish by Millennium Park

— Gino's East

Black-and-white checkered Gino's East of Chicago signs hanging from a red brick and rough-cut stone building in the South Loop

Looking for pizza near Grant Park? The closest Gino’s East is our South Loop restaurant at 521 S Dearborn St, a few blocks west of Michigan Avenue in Printers Row. From the Art Institute it is roughly a 10-to-12-minute walk, and from The Bean it is closer to 15 or 20. If you are heading north afterward, our original Magnificent Mile restaurant is the other easy pick.

Below: how far each restaurant sits from the park’s big sights, what to order once you get there, and the late-fall dates worth planning a deep dish dinner around.

Grant Park in a nutshell

Chicagoans call it the city’s front yard, and the numbers back that up. According to Wikipedia’s Grant Park article, the park covers 319 acres between Randolph Street on the north and Roosevelt Road on the south, with Michigan Avenue on the west and Lake Michigan on the east. The land was designated a park in 1844 and renamed for Ulysses S. Grant in 1901.

Inside those boundaries you will find most of the postcard shots in town:

  • Millennium Park, the 24.5-acre northwest corner that opened in July 2004, home to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Crown Fountain, Lurie Garden and the McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink.
  • Cloud Gate, the Anish Kapoor sculpture everyone calls The Bean: 168 stainless steel plates welded together with no visible seams.
  • The Art Institute of Chicago, at 111 S Michigan Ave on the park’s western edge, guarded by two bronze lions since 1894.
  • Buckingham Fountain, near the center of the park, dedicated in 1927 and given to the city by Kate Sturges Buckingham in memory of her brother Clarence.
  • Museum Campus, at the southeast end of the park.

That is a lot of ground to cover on foot. Sooner or later, somebody in your group is going to ask where lunch is.

Pizza near Grant Park: how far is Gino’s East?

We worked these walking times out from the published coordinates of each landmark and our own street addresses, following the downtown street grid rather than a straight line. Treat them as approximate. Your pace, the traffic lights on Michigan Avenue and how many photos you stop for will all change the math.

From the South Loop restaurant

Gino’s East South Loop sits on Dearborn Street in the historic Printers Row district. It is the natural pick if your day is centered on the southern half of the park or the museums.

  • Art Institute of Chicago: a little over half a mile, about a 10-to-12-minute walk.
  • Buckingham Fountain: a little over half a mile, about a 12-minute walk.
  • Cloud Gate (The Bean) and Millennium Park: around 0.8 of a mile, roughly 15 to 20 minutes on foot.

The short version: walk west from Michigan Avenue to Dearborn, then turn south. The neon sign in the front window is hard to miss.

Sunlit dining room at Gino’s East South Loop with exposed brick, timber ceiling beams, Edison bulbs, tufted booths and baseball on the TVs

From the Magnificent Mile restaurant

Our flagship at 162 E Superior St is north of the river, steps off the Magnificent Mile. From Cloud Gate it is a bit under a mile, about a 20-minute walk straight up Michigan Avenue and across the river. That makes it the better choice if you are staying in a Streeterville or Gold Coast hotel, or finishing the day with shopping on the way back.

It is also the restaurant where the story began. Gino’s East opened in 1966, started by two taxi drivers, Sam Levine and Fred Bartoli, and their friend George Loverde, who figured a pizza place just off this busy stretch of Michigan Avenue was a safe bet. Today the building has three floors of graffiti-tagged walls, a Comedy Bar with weekly shows and a third-floor terrace.

What to order after a day in the park

A morning in the galleries and an afternoon at the lakefront earns you a proper Chicago dinner. Here is what our servers tend to steer first-timers toward.

Start the pizza first. Deep dish is baked to order in the pan, one pie at a time, and it takes longer than a thin crust. Put the pizza order in when you sit down, then pick a starter while it bakes. Our famous hand-rolled mozzarella sticks or garlic breadsticks will keep the table quiet for a while.

Pick your deep dish. A few crowd-pleasers from the menu:

  • Meaty Legend, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon and bacon, for the hungriest walker in the group.
  • Cheesy Legend, with mozzarella, cheddar, romano and fresh mozzarella, for the purists.
  • The Italian Special, with Italian beef, sweet peppers and giardiniera: two Chicago classics in one pan.
  • Diavola, with spicy pepperoni, basil and white truffle oil, for anyone who likes a little heat.
  • O.M.G., a classic vegetarian pie with onions, mushrooms and green peppers.

Know what you are eating. The crust that made Gino’s East famous goes back to Alice Mae Redmond, who spent 29 years in our kitchen. She stretched the dough gently into the pan and created a secret dough conditioner that still gives the crust its texture today. The dough is made from scratch every day, the tomatoes are family-grown in California, the cheese comes from Wisconsin and the sausage is made in Chicago. Our deep dish pizza page has the long version.

Can’t decide on a style? Every Gino’s East serves both Chicago traditions: deep dish and tavern-style thin crust, cut into squares. Order one of each and settle the family debate at the table.

Overhead view of friends clinking glasses of beer over a deep dish pizza in its pan, a pepperoni tavern-style thin crust, wings, a salad and chicken tenders

If you are on a weekday museum run and short on time, ask about the lunch special built around a mini deep dish. Vegan cheese is available too: in 2019 Gino’s East became the first major Chicago deep dish restaurant to offer it. For anyone avoiding gluten, our gluten-free option is a thin crust rather than deep dish.

Late-fall dates to plan around

Grant Park does not shut down when the leaves fall. Two weekends coming up are worth circling.

Friday, November 20. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the city’s 2026 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place that day in Millennium Park, near North Michigan Avenue and East Washington Street. Choose Chicago lists the McCormick Tribune skating rink in Millennium Park as open from November 20, 2026 into February 2027. Skate, watch the tree light up, then warm up over deep dish.

Saturday, November 21. The next evening, the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. from Oak Street and Michigan Avenue and heads south along the Magnificent Mile. Our flagship is just steps off the avenue, so book ahead.

On big nights like these, both restaurants fill up quickly. Reserve online through the button on each location page rather than hoping for a walk-in table.

Bringing a group to the park?

School trips, family reunions, office outings and wedding weekends all seem to end up in Grant Park at some point. The South Loop restaurant seats 100 guests, hosts up to 120 reception style, and the whole restaurant and patio can be booked privately. Our South Loop event hosting page lists Millennium Park, Grant Park and the Museum Campus among its nearby landmarks for a reason.

Up north, the Magnificent Mile building has its own private event spaces. See Magnificent Mile events or the full set of group event packages, or call our group sales team at (312) 266-5421.

Brick exterior of Gino’s East Magnificent Mile with a black awning, palm planters and a tall red-and-white pizzeria sign reading The Original Since 1966

Frequently asked questions

What is the closest Gino’s East to Grant Park?

Gino’s East South Loop, at 521 S Dearborn St, is the closest. It is a few blocks west of Michigan Avenue in Printers Row, roughly a 10-to-12-minute walk from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Can I walk from The Bean to Gino’s East?

Yes. From Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, the South Loop restaurant is about 0.8 of a mile south, roughly 15 to 20 minutes on foot. The Magnificent Mile restaurant is a bit under a mile north, about 20 minutes.

Do I need a reservation for deep dish near Millennium Park?

It is a good idea, especially on weekends and around big events such as the tree lighting or the Lights Festival. Both downtown Chicago restaurants take reservations online through their location pages, or you can call the South Loop at (312) 939-1818 or the Magnificent Mile at (312) 266-3337.

How long does deep dish pizza take?

Deep dish is baked to order and takes longer than thin crust. Order the pizza as soon as you sit down and enjoy a starter while it bakes.

Can I take Gino’s East back to my hotel instead?

Yes. Both downtown restaurants take online orders for pickup, and the South Loop restaurant also delivers, including beer and wine. See delivery and pickup for how to order.

Plan your visit

Gino’s East South Loop is at 521 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605. For hours, menus and reservations, visit the South Loop location page. Gino’s East Magnificent Mile is at 162 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611; find the details on the Magnificent Mile location page. Wherever your day in the park ends, bring your appetite. The Bean will still be there tomorrow.

Sources

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