I walked in with the hopes of being able to snag a seat at the bar. Tim, one of the managers, greeted me. When I told him there were no seats available at the bar, Tim worked to try to get me a table. I waited about 10 minutes and was lucky enough to snag two seats at the bar. The bartender Luis was terrific. I had a perfectto Negroni. It was delicious. The bread was amazing as were the three different dipping butters and oil. We shared the mozzarella with prosciutto and the cauliflower. Both were amazing, but I have to say that I'd go back for the grilled cauliflower. We shared an order of the ravioli and the Gramigna. Both were outstanding, light and flavorful but I would get the gramigna again. It's such a warm and welcoming spot, and it's clearly well run. Highly recommend.
EnjoyAGoodMeal
Service was very attentive. The app of roasted cauliflower was delicious and large enough to share. The mushroom lasagna was a beautiful presentation as well as delicious! The tortellini with spicy sausage and pasta was excellent. We ended with cappuccino and shared a slice of chocolate cake. Definitely going back
MikeT
Bartender was so welcoming! Heather,our waitress, was amazing as well! Must try the grilled cauliflower,sizzling shrimp, and mozzarella apps. We tried the ravioli, tortellini, and pork chop—all were terrific. The desert was also great.
No complaints with the service. Our appetizers were excellent. She had the beets, and I had the eggplant. Our entrees were hit and miss. My chicken was good but she did not enjoy the lobster & pasta special. It was too spicy, no ther flavor really, and the pasta was gummy. Our sides were way too salty. The chocolate tort was very good.
FoodieNYC1
The staff and service were amazing - - some of the most attentive staff we've ever seen at a restaurant. Food was excellent, loved starting the meal with a cocktail from the spritz cart.
JBIRISH
We understood the concept of the food /wine from the region, and using all of freshest 3/4 ingredients available, but honestly was a little disappointed . Service was very professional but not very attentive for this price point. And understood that place was small but noise level on a Tuesday , early, was very hard to even talk and hear our friends . We were directly across from bar. One of our guests was very hungry when leaving, as dish had 4 very modest spinach ravioli's. Lovely bar, ambiance great, nice feeling when you walk in to, but just something missing for us. But we'll try again , we love 2 spring and always great burgers at burger place too.
Dennis M.
I think I will go back to my old rule before I book another reservation. If the bar takes up most of the dining area....its a bar. Loud cramped and lots of drinking.The food:Not sure but I believe the pork Chop was deep fried. I can usually tell that night after bed the heartburn starts up. My wife had the "fresh pasta" ok it was made there but not sure when. It seamed a little old and pre-done . Definitely not the place I would go back.....the staff was fabulous. They know how to serve and timing of taking the dishes back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 5
Finally a place worth an evening out! Atmosphere is perfection through and through. All staff are wonderful and welcoming... and the food, high quality and scrumptious. Finally food that is worth what you are paying. Now please Gioia, never change... keep it high quality and don't let the standards fall like everyone else after they are a hit.
NancyC
Atmosphere and service lovely. Exceptional (but not cloying) attention from service staff. Food exceptional.... Every morsel delectable....well balanced, satisfying and beautifully presented!! Cocktails a little sparse...left a bit to be desired. ......otherwise, perfect!!!
Food was delicious. Serving size was perfect. The service was great, our server was very attentive. The restaurant isn't very big and it was quiet enough to have a nice dinner with family.
The food here is really good! Everything is so fresh and you can taste it. The restaurant is dimly lit and creates a nice ambiance. The menu is on the limited side, so make sure that you know that going in. There is a spritz cart where they make your drink table side. The only issue we had was that the bar was very slow. I ordered a Negroni, and it took about 45 minutes to get to the table. The food gets to your table fast, but the drinks came well after the appetizers. I'm sure they'll smooth that out as time goes on.
Garreth Kaplan
Exceptional food, great service and atmosphere, and reasonable prices. Fresh pasta that rivals some of the best italian restaurants in NYC at a fraction of the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
CharlieO
It was a very nice high-end dining experience. The restaurant is quaint, very well, decorated and clean. The staff is impeccable, and on top of their game. I loved how the waiters were in white jackets. My wife is gluten-free and we knew that going into the restaurant but I really wanted to try it ( I am not gluten-free).  we went to the Monday night because it was the only time we can get a reservation in the near future. You wouldn't have known it was a Monday night the restaurant was full, not overly full, but every table was occupied. The appetizers were very good and unique. The beet salad and cucumber salad were really amazing. Sizzling shrimp were tasty and cooked to perfection. My wife being gluten-free had the option of ordering a T-bone steak. It was cooked perfectly and tender. I had a pasta dish and she had a side of gluten-free gnocchi. We both agreed that the gnocchi and my pasta dish were a little on the salty side, definitely more than our normal levels. It didn't ruin the meal, but it was a little too salty. Only one gluten-free option on the dessert menu and that was berries in a cream sauce. We probably could have done without the cream sauce and a little more berries. I had a chocolate tart, which was pretty good and tasty. I also had a decaf, espresso and my wife had ginger, lemon tea , the tea was pretty good very strong ginger flavor and brewed perfectly. we will probably go back, but need to keep track of the daily specials to make sure there's something there for my wife to eat. Next time I will request less salt, but thinking back it could be because they put Parmesan cheese on everything and that could have increased the saltiness .
Diane U.
Near impossible to get a reservation! And I don't think that is because it's that great, the place is just super small and cannot accommodate a lot of people at once. My reservation was at 7:45...didn't get seated until after 8:00. They were out of all the drinks that my friends and I wanted so we ended up with our second choice. The food was good, but unlike most restaurants that ask if you want cheese on top, they just went ahead and PILED it on! The food was still good, but would have been nice to have an option. Food didn't look anything like the online photos. But again, it still tasted good.
Savlex
Gioia exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high, based on all the previous stellar reviews, from food, to service to ambience. The food was. phenomenal. My husband and I shared the cheese plate. Then we had the tortellini with sausage in a delectable creamy bechemel sauce. We also shared the pasta w sausage, mortadella, and prosciutto. Our waiter told us the lasagna was outstanding, but unfortunately, they were out of it. They comped our yummy desserts. One was a layered chocolate treat w chocolate mouse. The other was a dessert that they torched table side. It was like being transported to Lake Cuomo w a woman making home made pasta greeting us upon entrance. In fact the food even rivaled food we had in our travels to Italy. It was so authentic tasting.
I walked in with the hopes of being able to snag a seat at the bar. Tim, one of the managers, greeted me. When I told him there were no seats available at the bar, Tim worked to try to get me a table. I waited about 10 minutes and was lucky enough to snag two seats at the bar. The bartender Luis was terrific. I had a perfectto Negroni. It was delicious. The bread was amazing as were the three different dipping butters and oil. We shared the mozzarella with prosciutto and the cauliflower. Both were amazing, but I have to say that I'd go back for the grilled cauliflower. We shared an order of the ravioli and the Gramigna. Both were outstanding, light and flavorful but I would get the gramigna again. It's such a warm and welcoming spot, and it's clearly well run. Highly recommend.
Service was very attentive. The app of roasted cauliflower was delicious and large enough to share. The mushroom lasagna was a beautiful presentation as well as delicious! The tortellini with spicy sausage and pasta was excellent. We ended with cappuccino and shared a slice of chocolate cake. Definitely going back
Bartender was so welcoming! Heather,our waitress, was amazing as well! Must try the grilled cauliflower,sizzling shrimp, and mozzarella apps. We tried the ravioli, tortellini, and pork chop—all were terrific. The desert was also great.
No complaints with the service. Our appetizers were excellent. She had the beets, and I had the eggplant. Our entrees were hit and miss. My chicken was good but she did not enjoy the lobster & pasta special. It was too spicy, no ther flavor really, and the pasta was gummy. Our sides were way too salty. The chocolate tort was very good.
The staff and service were amazing - - some of the most attentive staff we've ever seen at a restaurant. Food was excellent, loved starting the meal with a cocktail from the spritz cart.
We understood the concept of the food /wine from the region, and using all of freshest 3/4 ingredients available, but honestly was a little disappointed . Service was very professional but not very attentive for this price point. And understood that place was small but noise level on a Tuesday , early, was very hard to even talk and hear our friends . We were directly across from bar. One of our guests was very hungry when leaving, as dish had 4 very modest spinach ravioli's. Lovely bar, ambiance great, nice feeling when you walk in to, but just something missing for us. But we'll try again , we love 2 spring and always great burgers at burger place too.
I think I will go back to my old rule before I book another reservation. If the bar takes up most of the dining area....its a bar. Loud cramped and lots of drinking.The food:Not sure but I believe the pork Chop was deep fried. I can usually tell that night after bed the heartburn starts up. My wife had the "fresh pasta" ok it was made there but not sure when. It seamed a little old and pre-done . Definitely not the place I would go back.....the staff was fabulous. They know how to serve and timing of taking the dishes back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 5
Finally a place worth an evening out! Atmosphere is perfection through and through. All staff are wonderful and welcoming... and the food, high quality and scrumptious. Finally food that is worth what you are paying. Now please Gioia, never change... keep it high quality and don't let the standards fall like everyone else after they are a hit.
Atmosphere and service lovely. Exceptional (but not cloying) attention from service staff. Food exceptional.... Every morsel delectable....well balanced, satisfying and beautifully presented!! Cocktails a little sparse...left a bit to be desired. ......otherwise, perfect!!!
Food was delicious. Serving size was perfect. The service was great, our server was very attentive. The restaurant isn't very big and it was quiet enough to have a nice dinner with family.
Restaurantji Recommends
The food here is really good! Everything is so fresh and you can taste it. The restaurant is dimly lit and creates a nice ambiance. The menu is on the limited side, so make sure that you know that going in. There is a spritz cart where they make your drink table side. The only issue we had was that the bar was very slow. I ordered a Negroni, and it took about 45 minutes to get to the table. The food gets to your table fast, but the drinks came well after the appetizers. I'm sure they'll smooth that out as time goes on.
Exceptional food, great service and atmosphere, and reasonable prices. Fresh pasta that rivals some of the best italian restaurants in NYC at a fraction of the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a very nice high-end dining experience. The restaurant is quaint, very well, decorated and clean. The staff is impeccable, and on top of their game. I loved how the waiters were in white jackets. My wife is gluten-free and we knew that going into the restaurant but I really wanted to try it ( I am not gluten-free).  we went to the Monday night because it was the only time we can get a reservation in the near future. You wouldn't have known it was a Monday night the restaurant was full, not overly full, but every table was occupied. The appetizers were very good and unique. The beet salad and cucumber salad were really amazing. Sizzling shrimp were tasty and cooked to perfection. My wife being gluten-free had the option of ordering a T-bone steak. It was cooked perfectly and tender. I had a pasta dish and she had a side of gluten-free gnocchi. We both agreed that the gnocchi and my pasta dish were a little on the salty side, definitely more than our normal levels. It didn't ruin the meal, but it was a little too salty. Only one gluten-free option on the dessert menu and that was berries in a cream sauce. We probably could have done without the cream sauce and a little more berries. I had a chocolate tart, which was pretty good and tasty. I also had a decaf, espresso and my wife had ginger, lemon tea , the tea was pretty good very strong ginger flavor and brewed perfectly. we will probably go back, but need to keep track of the daily specials to make sure there's something there for my wife to eat. Next time I will request less salt, but thinking back it could be because they put Parmesan cheese on everything and that could have increased the saltiness .
Near impossible to get a reservation! And I don't think that is because it's that great, the place is just super small and cannot accommodate a lot of people at once. My reservation was at 7:45...didn't get seated until after 8:00. They were out of all the drinks that my friends and I wanted so we ended up with our second choice. The food was good, but unlike most restaurants that ask if you want cheese on top, they just went ahead and PILED it on! The food was still good, but would have been nice to have an option. Food didn't look anything like the online photos. But again, it still tasted good.
Gioia exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high, based on all the previous stellar reviews, from food, to service to ambience. The food was. phenomenal. My husband and I shared the cheese plate. Then we had the tortellini with sausage in a delectable creamy bechemel sauce. We also shared the pasta w sausage, mortadella, and prosciutto. Our waiter told us the lasagna was outstanding, but unfortunately, they were out of it. They comped our yummy desserts. One was a layered chocolate treat w chocolate mouse. The other was a dessert that they torched table side. It was like being transported to Lake Cuomo w a woman making home made pasta greeting us upon entrance. In fact the food even rivaled food we had in our travels to Italy. It was so authentic tasting.