Mexican-Influenced Gino's East Opening in Pilsen on April 8

Gino's East is finally opening their special restaurant in Pilsen that will serve Mexican-influenced deep-dish pizza and other items. Reps revealed an April 8 opening date at 1659 W. 21st St. this afternoon. They announced the restaurant back over the summer.

Pizza Carnitas [Photo: Gino's East]

The restaurant is based on the success Gino's has enjoyed with their restaurant in Mexico City. They tailored that location using ingredients used in Mexican cooking. So expect toppings like carnitas, salsa picante and chorizo in Pilsen. There's also Mexican-spiced chicken wings and a pozole verde soup. The restaurant will also serve lunch.

Gino's will serve beer from their River North brewery, and they're capitalizing on the mezcal trend with cocktails including the Ron Amarillo (white rum, ancho chili liqueur, yellow bell pepper, cilantro, lime), Humo Blanco (mezcal, apricot, lemon, hellfire bitters, chipotle), and Medicina Liquida (mezcal, tequila, aperol, honey, lemon, orange zest).

The release made no reference to 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, as the local brewery's beer could be a good fit. Back in July, Gino's bought 5 Rabbit's infamous beer that made fun of Donald Trump. The brewery's owners were steamed after racist remarks directed at Mexicans made by the GOP presidential hopeful.

There's no word yet on the size of the space or decor, so stay tuned for that intel.