I love coming to Gio's always. I live so far but I always look forward to going back! Everything is incredibly tasty. Their fettuccine alfredo with the shrimp is one of my favorites on their menu, the filet mignon, breaded steak sandwich, the grilled octopus/calamari!!! I'm hungry just thinking about it now. It's byob, very cozy family restaurant with a five star menu. You won't be dissatisfied with whatever you order. read more

Gio's Cafe & Deli - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is no longer my favorite Italian near my home. I ate dinner yesterday. We don't have any communication with our waitress. But the most important is the food is so bad. I can cook better. The clam is not fresh . So the whole dish is not fresh. I miss the former delicious restaurant. read more

When the moon hit your eye like a big pizza pie that's Gio's! While the food is exceptional at this Italian restaurant that is completely owned and operated by Mexican Americans. It is comical, at least to me, how they have done everything they could to come across as Italians and conceal that they're Mexicans. Down to the owner wearing an Italia tee shirt at the register to Dean Martin, America's long lost Italian crooner playing overhead, this place is a cover up. LOL but, I love it! :) However, this place has some of the best Italian food in the most charming setting in an Italian grocery store setting. Great concept! Love the red and white checkered table cloths and the intimate seating. Love the casual, yet authentic Italian feel. Great job! The food is extraordinary! It is a must to come and visit Gio's! Our grilled calamari was superb and with a Cajun flavor, not all that Italian but playfully delicious. My pasta with octopus was fabulous, it was the special of the day. My friend had the ravioli and it also was delicious. Service by the Irish waitress, was excellent! No complaints! She was lovely! Our dessert was giant cannoli! Wonderful! We loved this place and I would highly recommend Gio's for some awesome Italian food in Bridgeport. Support your local business! Exceptional! We will return! read more

Great BYOB Italian place that doesn't charge a corkage fee. The restaurant is a little confusing since it's a deli, but easy to get a table. My best friend and I went on Friday. This is her go-to Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. The baked homemade cavatelli is the best thing on the menu! Homemade cheese raviolis are also great and they are BIG. Large portions. You'll get hot bread for the table with olive oil. Good place to try with friends or the family. read more

this place is no frills, excellent (personable) service, great food, and a refreshing reminder that sometimes the greatest places are the most and least obvious simultaneously. this place is one of many byob spaces in chicago, but bring a nice bottle of red or white wine and start pairing it with the best pasta. i seriously couldn't believe how good the pasta was. the grilled calamari was also tasty, i had never enjoyed calamari that way and it comes with a base of balsamic vinaigrette that is very good. the place is very cozy and always reminds me that the best relationship you can have is one with pasta. a south side gem. read more

I have enjoyed this place for a while. I thought the food was great. I brought a few friends to lunch to celebrate a friend's promotion at work. Imagine my surprise when one of my co-workers discovered what appeared to be a maggot in his food. We examined it closely at first believing it to be cumin or Carraway seeds. We noted that the maggot had horizontal lines opposed to the vertical line of cumin or Carraway seeds. The waiter brushed us off upon being notified. He brushed it off as parsley and seemed unconcerned. We will not be returning. Google was our friend in this case. A search of Google revealed the truth. No more Gio's! Note: It has been months and there is no response from the ownership. I am a bit surprised. If it were my business, I would have been all over this review. read more

Great tender calamari. A lot for two people though. Big portions here. The capellini with clams, mussels & shrimp was good. White sauce on it was more flavorful than most other places but still not heavy. Vodka sauce was the best I've ever had. I can't imagine coming back here and not ordering it despite wanting to try their other dishes. read more

One of my favorite places in Chicago. BYOB, Bridgeport sass, and amazing home-style Italian. Plenty of specials to choose from, or the standards are great too. Parking is tricky, but worth the trip! read more

Saturday we decided to take a drive up to Bridgeport and originally planned to hit a different cafe but it was closed for a shower. Lucky for us as we ended up here and it was a delightful lunch. First of all I loved eating in the midst of the deli itself, what a unique and fun atmosphere. There was a group of ladies having a mini reunion and we took their pictures and it all added to the friendly ambiance. I could see myself hanging out here if I lived in Bridgeport. The service was attentive and personal without being smothering. We both started off with the pasta e fagoli soup which was out of the world. We shared the mozzarella app and had the crusty, chewy delicious brea. I had the pasta special with asparagus, spinach and mushrooms which was yummy but a bit heavy on the garlic. My husband adored his shrimp pasta. We were sorry not to have sampled their sandwiches so we took two home for dinner, brilliance and flavor all wrapped up in me not cooking two meals. If you are ever in the neighborhood, I would suggest you drop by for a casual, delicious and authentic Italian meal. It really doesn't get any better than this! read more

After an aborted attempt to eat at Han 202 last night, and discovering it was closed on Mondays ( I edited Yelp business info page), my friend and I ventured into Gio's Cafe. She's eaten here before and liked it so I was happy to go as we have similar taste in food and restaurants. Gio's is one part deli, one part grocery store, and one part sit-down restaurant. Cans of San Marzano tomatoes and jars of giardinera line the shelves. The menu is huge for being a relatively small place. You half expect a little Italian grandma to come out of the kitchen. It just feels like someone's house. I love little places like this as you just know the food will be good. We were both going to start with a house salad but the waitress talked us instead into splitting the Italian salad. She was spot-on in her recommendation. It was a great salad, chock full of crispy iceberg lettuce ( I like iceberg; don't judge me), cucumbers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and shredded fresh mozzarella, and topped with the just the right amount of vinaigrette dressing. It was the perfect start to the meal. I ordered the chicken vesuvio for my entree and my friend ordered the tortiglioni carbonara. The chicken vesuvio was really good; it had a light white wine sauce that was not overly garlicky and came with vesuvio potatoes and peas as any chicken vesuvio worth its salt should. I was really jealous of my friend's pasta dish. It was what looked like fusili in a light cream sauce with mushrooms, proscuitto and peas. I was hoping she would offer me a taste, and bless her heart, she did. It was delicious and I actually liked her entree better than mine. I am definitely going back and getting that. We sat there sipping our red wine and I just absorbed all the activity in this little gem. Orders were flying out the door; the waitress was chatting with everyone, and all were enjoying their food. You won't find this kind of camaraderie at Olive Garden, folks. I don't venture into Bridgeport all that often, but I'd definitely make a special trip to come to Gio's. read more

If I were just reviewing the food, this would be a solid four star review. Everything was very good, I had the Chicken Vesuvio, and my friend had the Chicken something else...I don't remember, however I remember she did approve. We also had one of the tomato salads as an appetizer. The bread was warm and had a crispy crust. As the other reviews say, yes the place is a little corner grocery store setup, only instead of shelving in the middle, you have a grouping of tables. So the setting is a bit tight, but in a nice homey way. What earned the fifth star, and I'd add more if I could was our waitress, friendly and professional. Very attentive without being overbearing. The plus was that this place is a BYOB, we did bring a bottle and when we polished it off, she brought over a bottle with a bit left in it and asked if we wanted it, she also had another bottle that she offered to the next table. What a nice touch. I recently moved into the area and I'll be adding this place to my list of regular places. My thanks go out to my favorite cookie place in the area, Biscotti's Galore and More, I asked them for some ideas being that this area is restaurant challenged. So when one Italian business owner tells you about good food at another Italian place, it's a recommendation you can't refuse. read more

Imagine a small neighborhood Italian grocery store, then take out the inside aisles of shelves and replace them with tables...Then put together all of grandma's recipes and cook good food. That's pretty much what this place is. The place lacks a little ambiance but makes up for it in the food. It's very very good... Went on a Friday night and though every table was full there wouldn't have been a wait really... Had the carbonara, which was delicious. Fairly inexpensive, most of the pasta meals are around $10, with the seafood being a little more. They also have a good deli selection and cheeses to go... It's also BYOB. read more

Ah Gio's, mi amore, you are one fabulous place. Everything I have ever sampled has been just pure perfection. From your Arancini to Pasta Fagioli to Capellini Alle Scoglie (seafood pasta) I have never been disappointed. If I had two wishes it would be this: #1 that you were a tad larger and #2 that you moved to be a block away from my house. Oh who am I kidding you are awesome just as you are. I cant wait for the next time I find myself on the South Side so I can order a Caprese Salad and some Peach Ripieni Di Frutta! Baci Gio's! read more

I'm tempted to write a bad review of this place just so people don't find out about it, it was that good. I'm mean really, really good. You would have to be blind, dumb, deaf and hard of smelling to not realize how good Gio's is going to be the minute you walk into the place. It screams "You just came up real big, you lucky bastard. Now sit down and get ready to eat some good food." Screw Taylor Street, 3 day old leftovers from Gio's is better then anything you are going to find on that street. But if you feel the need to overpay for average food, Taylor is one block north of Roosevelt, restaurants start west of Halsted. Gio's is equal parts neighborhood cafe, deli, sandwich shop and amazing homestyle, fresh, tasty Italian cooking. It is BYOB, so that is a plus. We had one of the special appetizers for Saturday, Crabcakes, they were real good. Fried Calamari is great too and we shared some Ravioli. Everything was excellent, best Italian food I have had in a very, very long time and that probably was made in one of my family's kitchens. This place is by far the best Italian food restaurant I have been to in Chicago. Take a trip down to the Southside and check it out. RrL read more

Unlike some Italian Resturuants Gio's is a nice cozy sit down place to relax talk and enjoy a good plate of Pasta.

This has been my hidden gem for a few years now but I know the secret is out. This is probably my favorite restaurant. I have eaten just about everything off the menu and I have yet to have a bad meal. Their specials are always right on! I love their seafood and it always comes out fresh with lots of flavor. The sausage & peppers appetizer is so big that you could have it as your entree. Also try the pasta fagioli its the best in the city. I have a new position at work and I was relocated and one of deliveries spots has become Gio's. +BYOB+ read more

Gio's cafe, I would be so thin if I never discovered you. Gio's is the greatest secret bridgeport holds. I'll go on the record as saying this is the best italian food in all of Chicago, and nobody would expect it to be if they caught a glimpse of it from outside. Tucked away at the corner of 27th & Lowe, and resembling a co-op, most would expect it to be utterly run of the mill. Never judge a book by it's cover. Everything this restaurant serves is exquisitely prepared, reasonably priced, and delicious to the last bite. They give you fucking free bread and olive oil too! It's just.. really good. Though, I do not like the plastic cups they give you if you order a drink. They should probably get some nicer glasses. So.. do that, Gio.. assuming you're a real person & still alive. Blessings to your restaurant. If you ever close, I'm jumping off the 24th street bridge. read more

A friend of mine originally recommended this place to me stating the pasta was amazing, the bathroom is interesting and the sauce is good but not as good as his moms. It wasn't until I started driving my son to school at Mark Sheridan that I actually noticed it in the neighborhood and decided to give it a shot. Boy, am I happy I did! This place has all of the elements I love about eating out. Although Gio's is a deli and a grocery store as well as a restaurant, the dining experience still has a very nice level of intimacy. The service was fantastic, the food was great and it's BYOB! I stopped in for late (and carb-o-licious) lunch one day after picking my son up from school. We were greeted by the door and left to choose a table for ourselves. The walls were lined with Italian goodies such as cookies, breads and sauces. There were freezers stocked with pastas and gelatos and a deli counter full of cheeses and italian meats. Normally I am of the mind set that it's not worth it to go out to eat at an Italian restaurant since I can make a lot of the food in my kitchen of equal or greater value. This is not the case with Gio's. I would eat there every day and be thrilled about it if I wasn't concerned about my waistline. Some of my favorite dishes include the arancini (a must have), the rigatoni vodka and the tortiglioni carbonara. I've also ordered a bunch of dishes from the specials menu and they have delivered every time. I am in love with Gio's and I have a sneaking suspicion Gio's is in love with me too. read more

I Heart Gios! Gio's is a hard core old fashioned Italian joint that I was in love with at first bite. The portions are ginormous and they just don't focus on quantity, their primary focus is quality. Gio's sits on the corner of 27th and Lowe in Bridgeport about a mile or so from Comiskey, which for some makes it geographically undesirable. I ensure you that it's worth the drive or bus or train you will take to get there. Oh, did I mention that Gio's is BYOB! If you eat encased pork products, like me, you must order the sausage and peppers. The sausages are grilled to absolute perfection and served with a healthy dose of grilled red and green peppers. The actual sausage has a bit of a kick, but I would not call it spicy. Be sure to sop up some of the sausage juice that coats the bottom of the plate, it's to die for. In addition to the sausage and peppers, we typically order an Arrancini. An Arrancini is basically a ball of rice, stuffed with meat, cheese, or spinach dusted in breadcrumbs and deep fried. They also bring out a lil gravy for you to dip her in. Yummy! When it comes to entrees, I have had just about everything, but 9 out of 10 times I order the Tortiglioni Carbonara. It's heavy, it's rich, it's abnormally large in size, and I finish my plate every time. You know you can't reheat a cream sauce! Other can't go wrong dishes include the Penne Melanzana, the Rigatoni Vodka, and the Chicken Parm. The tiramisu is delicious and the espresso is espressolicous! A perfect end to a perfect meal. Gio's is unique in that it's half Italian grocery store and half Italian restaurant. It's one of the few places in Chicago that makes you feel like you're on the east coast. When you enter the wall to your left is lined with stand up freezers and fridges that contain drinks, desserts, and plenty of take home frozen pasta options. The wall to your right is filled with canned and dried goods. Finally the back wall is where you will find the deli counter. You may be thinking, "Where is the restaurant?" It's smack dab in the middle. Roughly ten tables sit in the middle of the equivalent of one really wide grocery store isle. Every time we go I end up roaming around and picking up something to bring home. The service is always excellent! After your fist visit you feel like part of the family. If you are Sox fan, which I am, when they are playing you can watch the game on a small set that sits atop one of the freezers. Is there anything better than watching the White Sox while devouring a plate of sausage and peppers? 1 Sausage and Peppers 1 Arrancini 1 Tortiglioni Carbonara 1 Penne Melanzana 1 Tiramisu 1 espresso ------------------------------------ $45 read more

It was a very enjoyable meal in our neighborhood. Everyone has described it perfectly already... mom and pop style, good food, byob, you are sitting inside a store, good prices. We had the most excellent Italian salad, grilled calamari, and ricotta baked cavatelli. Chicken marsala was not that good, sauce was too watery and too sweet. But the entire experience was so good that the bad chicken marsala doesn't detract from my 4 stars review. read more

Love this place. Neighborhood corner joint with a bit of deli and a few tables. I always get the sausage and peppers but my husband gets other stuff and loves. I'd rather not more people know about this place but like them so much had to write a review. read more

Neighborhood gem! It's all about the food. No show just tasty Italian goodness. Bring a big appetite. read more

Gio's Cafe & Deli - Grilled calamari - Delis Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is really cute. A tiny little deli/restaurant/grocery store located on a corner in the middle of a residential area in Bridgeport. I was at work, had driven in to work that day and wanted a sandwich, so I did a little searching and this is what came up. I got a sandwich and mozzerella sticks, and it was huge. I had at least half a sandwich left over for the following day, and the mozzerella... triangles were enormous. Luckily they deliver, so I'm going to have to have them again sometime. read more

BYOB, and bring lots of it, 'cause the service is slow! The food makes up for it, though. It's hard to find good pasta in Chicago and Gio's has got it! The atmosphere at this place is... unusual. Basically, you're dining in an Italian grocery store. It's a little brightly lit and less cozy than other places, but it's charming in it's own way. Plus, as I said, the food makes up for it! read more

Finally tried Gio's and Treated my family to an amazing Italian feast tonight. Everything was delicious! The family favorites were the homemade ravioli, the arancj, and the vodka rigatoni. Oh and the bread. So much bread! They also threw in an order of cannolis that were absolutely delicious. I haven't had cannolis that good since Mike's Bakery in Boston. I also felt very safe there. Everyone wore masks. Controlled pick up flow. My feast was ready in about 20 min, and the staff could not have been friendlier. We will be frequent flyers for sure!! read more

Fabulous treasure in the old neighborhooemd! Never a disappointment!...quality food byob

Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow. And when you get hungry call Gio's. Their food is great and if you are in delivery range it is probably the best delivered Italian food that I know of. The restaurant has so much character too. You really feel like you are in an Italian Deli. This place always has amazing specials and the delivery guy pretty much knows me by name. Tell him hi next time you order. P.S. Get the grilled calamari for an appetizer. read more

Authentic Italian food located inside an Italian market. The market is small and has a long table in the middle of the supermarket. The chicken parm was excellent and excellent red sauce. read more

Arriving by cab, we almost missed the restaurant. It's a small corner cafe in a family neighborhood, the streeets dark and quiet on a Saturday night. The restaurant is totally unpretentious and was packed with happy couples and families at tables--enjoying their delicious Italian dinners and getting PERFECT attention and friendliness from the waitstaff. We were treated like royalty, and the service was so prompt it was almost immediate. The servings were generous and all the ingredients fresh and delicious. The prices were really low for Chicago. It was a perfect Italian neighborhood experience. The round-trip cab drive from our Loop hotel was more expensive than the dinner ($40), but we wouldn't have missed this evening out for the world. The next time we visit Chicago, we'll be sure to have at least one dinner at Gio's! Barbara C., Gainesville Florida, and Julie G., Manhattan Kansas read more

Great hole in the wall style Italian place in Bridgeport. Nothing crazy but the aesthetic makes it worth traveling to.

What an awesome little hidden gem this place is. The arancini was really good, as was the seafood capellini. We got our entrees spicy, and speaking as someone who likes food with some kick, they weren't shy with the heat. I can't really think of anything comparable to Gio's, with the combination of deli, grocery store, and restaurant. You really feel like you've been let in on a neighborhood secret while you're eating at this place. I could see this as being a cute place to take someone on a first date - not overly romantic, but still intimate and unique. Also, you can't argue with the price, and the BYOB status. read more

I've always been curious about Gio's. I've walked passed by it so many times but never went in. It was only when I got a Groupon for Gio's that I finally tried it. Now it is my usual spot for takeouts. Everything on their menu is pretty good and it is very different ambiance. Like the name suggests, it is a deli and a restaurant. It is definitely not romantic or trendy but it has its own unique ambiance. My favorite dishes are calamari, arancini, penne melanzane, tortiglioni carbonara, and chicken scallopini. My favorite kind of pasta is linguine so usually I have that as a substitute. I was only alright with the linguine with shrimp and broccoli since it was somewhat bland. The chicken vesuvio was a little dry to my liking. read more

It's hard to find real Italian in the Midwest, even in Chicago, but Gio's does the trick. It's basically a corner grocery with a few tables and a kitchen and wait staff. Prices are great. Fun with a group. Definitely try the sausage and pepper appetizer if you are a sausage lover. You'll be back. (You have to come back, everything else in town is casual-dining chain restaurants with ketchup for sauce.) Note: one review commented, "I ordered the Grilled Calamari and to my surprise it most definitely had been frozen." Come on now, you are 900 miles from where the squid live. Snap out of it; it's all frozen! Another note: I have the same name as a local politico who was doing time in Joliet. I called in a large order to be delivered for a meeting once and when it was delivered, the driver kept quizzing me about who I really was -- he needed to see my photo id. It turns out, they had thrown in platters of free deserts for their friend, who was so friendly that a judge had decided to send him away. Just sayin' read more

Gio's is exactly the type of place you want to know about in Chicago. Carefully disguised as an Italian grocery/diner, they churn out some of the best pasta I have been nose-to-nose with in this great city. There is a set menu of all time favorites, and then there is a daily specials board. Bread with dipping oil comes out first, if you sit in, and the wait staff is friendly and helpful. I have dishes with vodka sauce here multiple times; it's serious vodka sauce. I also had 8 finger cavatappi here for the first time, with a green sauce and house made sausage. If an italian eatery on the south side wants to serve you house made sausage, you will be a fool not to order it. The chicken vesuvio is really good too, but I don't think they have it every day. The best part is being able to take home leftovers and a jug of legit olive oil or a jar of giardinara if you need it, because Gio's IS actually a small grocery as well. Gio's is very low key, it's a solid place to hang out, and really it's a place you shouldn't miss if you are ever in Bridgeport. read more

Gio's is a great semi hidden Italian restaurant in Bridgeport, all of the locals know about it. I've been coming here for years and have never had a bad meal. It's a smaller place, probably seats 50, that can get loud depending who is there. They have great pasta and sauces (gravy, im not here to debate this), im not a big fan of gnocchi, but there is one of the few places I will eat it. The vodka sauce is amazing as well. They usually have fish specials, I've had some very good fishes dishes here, look out for the specials! It used to be BYOB im not sure, I haven't brought any the last two times I have eaten here. The owner is always around he is very friendly. The staff is great about explaining dishes and giving recommendations. The baked clams are amazing, a little smaller but well worth it. Definitely try the soup and a side of the sausage. It's also a deli with shelves around the walls where you can buy pasta, cheeses, sausage and your other needs. read more

It always seems crowded when I go! I have tried various pastas and loved everything. Look for the specials on the board above the kitchen. I also like that it is a store too so you can buy some Italian goodies to go. read more

After all of the great reviews we were excited to try Gio's. Then we found out it isn't open Sundays when we tried to go for lunch. Armed with this knowledge, we recently tried it on a Saturday for lunch. It was pretty tranquil, but I'm sure dinner is as busy as people say. They do have a great array of meats, pastas and other Italian culinary items. We sat down for lunch and enjoyed the bruschetta before a sandwich with pasta. The ambiance is definitely deli, with stark decor. But it's definitely a comfortable and friendly place to eat. The bruschetta was tasty with toasty bread and a cool mix of the usual toppings. I'd like to try the grilled calamari that others have mentioned. We did see the calamari that looked like it had a lot of batter on it, a style I don' like. I had a hot chicken sandwich that was simple with wonderful flavor. My companion had a special, pesto with checken and fettucini. The pesto was creamy and had too much oil on it, but a ton of great flavor. We'll be back. read more

4* Panino Italiano 4* Tortiglioni Carbonara 3* Pasta Fagioli 3* Rigatoni with Vodka cream sauce read more

Gio's is amazing! The food is so good, the service is fabulous and the prices are reasonable. I had the arancini and the chicken parmigiana. Their marinara sauce is delicious; possibly some of the best I've ever had. I am still day dreaming about the arancini: a large rice ball filled with meat and cheese, deep fried and covered in that amazing sauce. My friend had the baked cavatelli and she really liked that as well. The portions are generous but not overwhelming like some Italian places. I wish I lived closer, I'd be here everyday! read more

I didn't even want to give this place one star can you put no stars. I would give it stardust if measurement more precise. For starters the bruchetta was soggy as a mop that sucked sponge dried the sewers of chicago. The acidic tomatoes burned the whoooole way down... and out. I ordered rigatoni vodka, and was surprised to find brown cream sauce, dry noodle totally overcooked. It was a smugglers sauce that lacked richness, frugle with cheese. I could hardly tolerate the taste and never finished. $40.00 us Thos is a definite pass. Onle Positive: impromptu dog treat read more