Gio Italian Grill

Growing up with Sicilian-born parents in the restaurant industry, it’s no surprise that couple and co-owners Tony and Giovanna DiMaio inherited a love for hospitality and their heritage. It led them to open the authentic Italian eatery Gio, which just celebrated its 9th anniversary.

How does Sicilian food differ from Italian food?
Sicilian dishes are lighter because they rely on fresh ingredients to boost flavor rather than butter and cream. In fact, Gio grows organic hydroponic basil on the patio, and has authentic San Marzano tomatoes so fresh and naturally sweet that the restaurant employs a no-sugar policy for all sauces.

Anything to look for this summer? Cool off with fresh drinks from the bar like Limoncello Lemonade, a zesty shareable cocktail, or the Ginger Mimosa.

A lot of restaurants in the Lehigh Valley do pizza. What’s different here?  Tony has been making pizza since he was 12. After two decades of hand-tossing pies, he went on a pilgrimage to Italy to learn how to make the best pizza possible. He picked up some old-world know-how on the island of Sicily, and today, hungry patrons enjoy a delicious souvenir from his travels: thin-crust pizza formed with dough made fresh daily from Caputo “00” flour imported from Naples that crisps to perfection in their Woodstone open-hearth oven.

What’s Gio’s best-kept secret?  One word: lunch. Midday diners are privy to plates like the PLT, featuring arugula, tomato, homemade basil mayonnaise and imported pancetta on thick slices of hand-cut country bread, which Tony drives all the way out to a bakery near the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey to retrieve.