Giada De Laurentiis restaurant coming to new Joliet Hollywood casino

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis will put her signature on a restaurant to open in the future Hollywood Casino now under construction in Joliet.

Penn Entertainment has announced that its new casinos in Joliet and Aurora will feature Sorellina by Giada restaurants.

“The new dining experiences will bring De Laurentiis’ signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence to the Chicagoland region for the first time,” Penn Entertainment said in a news release.

Penn Entertainment is building a new Hollywood Casino in both cities.

The Joliet casino is expected to open sometime in the fourth quarter of this year at a site under construction in the Rock Run Collection development at Interstates 55 and 80.

The restaurants will feature menus of pizza, pastas and more, the release said.

The restaurants will include:

• seating for 170 with private rooms available

• bars with comprehensive wine selections

• design elements with wood tones and Italian tiles

“I am thrilled to partner with Penn Entertainment to bring fresh restaurant concepts to their exciting new Chicagoland properties,” De Laurentiis said in the release. “The two spaces are complementary but ultimately offer different aesthetics. Joliet’s Sorellina, meaning ‘little sister’ in Italian, will be light, young and casual. Aurora’s Sorella, meaning ‘sister’ in Italian, is more formal and refined.”

Ruben Warren, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Joliet, noted in the release that Di Laurentiis “is a world class chef, author, and restauranteur.”

He said the Joliet restaurant will contribute to “making our new property a regional entertainment destination.”

De Laurentiis owns and operates two restaurants in Las Vegas, and a third restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has authored 11 cookbooks, including her most recent release “Super Italian: More than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy’s Healthiest Foods.”