The Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Joint That Lets Diners Leave Their Mark (Literally)

Although many modern-day diners might be used to scribbles and even inscrutable emojis covering restaurant photos all over social media, spots that actually invite folks to get so creative IRL are relatively rare. But one Windy City pizzeria has been encouraging guests to scrawl on the walls (as well as a lot of other surfaces) for decades. Chicago's own Gino's East is an artistic outlier where the venue is a veritable canvas, and the pizzas are deep (not to be confused with stuffed).

Gino's East was famously founded by two taxi drivers in 1966. Their liberal ink policy would follow some years later as a way to mitigate a different kind of vandalism, according to The Chicago Tribune. "People used to dig their forks and knives into the tables and write their names," stated Deborah Frank, Gino's vice president of sales and marketing. Markers and other writing implements were provided as a gentler form for the original address, which Gino's occupied until its structure was demolished in 2000, only to return to a new building in the same spot a few years later. There are presently two Gino's outposts in Chicago, with others in Wheaton, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Singapore. But only the good, old premiere locale is synonymous with user generated doodles, classic bathroom limericks, and general documentation of who "was here."

Gino's East at 162 East Superior Street near the Magnificent Mile allows you to unleash your inner graffiti artist. That's where it all started back before the brief construction interlude. You might want to pick up a marker or two along the way, (and consider both light and dark shades), should you need a bright color to cover layers and layers of accumulated tags with your own signature. Plan your own message wisely, too — once you find the perfect spot, it might just last until the next major renovation or at least until somebody else comes along with their own carefully chosen words.

The whole, DIY graffiti thing isn't just a gimmick, either, as Gino's East is held in high regard by area pizza experts and amateur aficionados alike. It would be a shame to miss that famed deep-dish pizza, which Gino's serves with toppings like pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, and Canadian bacon (yes, all in one pie), several cheese varieties, and another beloved Chicago staple: Italian beef with sweet peppers and giardiniera. Chicago's lesser-known tavern-style pizzas are also available, plus salads, sandwiches, a few pastas, and a full bar.