GIO Bistro and Wine Bar

We were so excited when Gio’s opened in La Mesa. There are a lot of people in this part of town who appreciate fine food and drink and finally there are some fine decent restaurants opened in this part of the county. However, after extensive renovations they continued to serve the same boring East County fare — club sandwiches, burgers, omelets, etc. But hold the phone! My wife and I stopped in recently for a glass of wine and were very excited to see the addition of a new manager and some great improvements to the menu (isn’t there some way you could let the community know, maybe a banner?). Now, only a couple of weeks later, after they made the changes we’d all been waiting for they are closed. Bummer. The restaurant was to change hands but La Mesa City Council z (in all of their conservative splendor — they need to learn to allow nice things to happen in this town or it’s going to be nothing but Wal Mart and the Dollar Store) declined to allow for a live music permit. Come on, the people who live in the area know they are living cheek by jowl with commercial businesses, surely a reasonable limit on live music, maybe by 10:30 pm on weekend nights could have been reasonalbe.
Gio, couldn’t you all have pleased given the new changes a chance to work before you closed your doors? Couldn’t you have listened to your customers earlier when we were asking for better food? The upshot: you’ve got to have a pretty face and serve good food. We will also miss this restaurant in La Mesa. You could’ve been great.

Went here for the Oktoberfestivities because they had the grilled to order bbq burgers going on in the back and a little faux club dancefloor going on. Burger was outta site! but small for $ 9 (even though I think the beef was of the healthy, grass fed variety).
They have a decent wine selection for such a 20-​sumn trendy bar so me and my date promptly guzzled down a Pinot red that wasn’t too bad (i’m spoiled from good olé Oregon Pinots). I’d definately come back.
Good, spacy establishment so your not rubbing elbows in every corner of the place on a crowded night.

We had breakfast here with some friends last Sunday and while the $ 1 Mimosas can’t be beat, the service certainly can! Our server forgot the bloody mary we ordered, neglected our table, forgot to put our food in, ignored the late comer to our table and got her simple request for water with no ice confused with that of someone who did want ice.
The food was mediocre at best — We were told we absolutely had to have the chicken chilaquiles, and the server even said, «oh thats really good» when 3 of us ordered them, but the eggs tasted like they came out of a box, the tomatillo put my mouth on fire (which I gladly put out with more mimosa) and there was very little chicken. I’d give a regular breakfast a go, but the food really isn’t anything to get excited about.
The patio was a great place to enjoy cheap mimosas on a Sunday morning though!

A friend picked this place out of a recommendation from another friend and i was excited to try something new and a bit hoity toity than i’m used to. Monday evenings have happy hour all nite long; tapas and drinks on sale.
At 6 pm there were a few other patrons but service was quick and attentive. The patio is enclosed but definitely pleasant for summer. The server came to our table prompty to inform us that they were out of steak and calamari. I ordered the ahi tuna steak (with risotto and asparagus) and my friend ordered the lobster ravioli. I wasn’t a fan of my dish. The tuna wasn’t seared, only browned like it had been microwaved and heavily encrusted with sesame seeds. The inside was cold and very raw; bloody drippings were all over the plate. The risotto was bland and weird. The asparagus was awesome! My friend loved his lobster ravioli (6 pieces for $ 21).
I peeked at some cheese boards that other diners had and those looked pretty solid. I’m banking that this place has decent tapas and apps but meh entrees. I was happy to end with gelato at Centifonti’s across the street
.
I’d recommend coming here for a social evening of wine and munchies but wouldn’t expect to be satiated from the rest of the menu. If you come here and leave hungry there are still several other places on the block: Centifonti’s, La Torta, Johnny Bs, Swami’s Café, Tiramisu Trattoria, etc.

We had dinner at Gio’s last Saturday night with another couple. We ordered the Calamari starter, which was delicious. However, the overly enthusiastic bus boy cleared my plate before I was done, and I kept saying «I’m not done with that. I’M NOT DONE WITH THAT!» and it’s like he completely tuned us out. We all looked at each other like, «did that really just happen?» However, the Calamari that I did get to eat was delicious. We split a bottle of the house cab and it was great as well. Good house wine!
I ordered the Shrimp Scampi and it was delicious, but I wish it had more shrimp in it. My husband ordered the Gorgonzola New York Strip and that was excellent. Next time I will definitely order that.
I wish I had ordered a cup of soup too because their soups are so good!
Afterward, we went across the street to Centrifonti’s for Gelato and after dinner drinks. Gio’s unfortunately does not have a full liquor license, just wine and beer. Hopefully they will get one soon! I know it’s a wine bar, but it’s nice to have other options for an after dinner drink too.
We’ll definitely be back!

Went here a week ago. ZERO local or craft beers. San Diego is now THE destination point in the US for craft beer. Ya just gotta have some to make it, in my opinion. I’ve been here several times before when they had a decent beer selection.
They have a killer patio that seems under-​utilized. half the place (the bar is totally cool, the other half (restaurant) is decorated like a modern Denny’s. Wierd.
I heard the place was sold. Let’s hope the new owners reasd Unilocal reviews and give the public what they want.

I live around the corner from GIO and I am so disappointed in the turn it has taken in the last year. The environment is fantastic, location couldn’t be better, but the staff is indifferent at best, and the food is just not good anymore. I can’t figure out why it is so expensive.
We were overcharged the last time we went there ($ 10 for two kids’ juices), and the server couldn’t be bothered to tell us that they were out of half the items on the menu. I know because I tried to order all of them before finally landing on something they had available. When I finally got the entrée, it was completely overcooked.
I was really excited when GIO opened, but sadly I will never go there again.

Went to Gio for the first time to meet some of my friends.
Its a casual/​dressy atmosphere.
Its nice, because not as crowded as downtown SD, but still had the feel of it.
Happy hour specials, open mic nights, live jazz.
Definitely try this if your in La Mesa.

A lot has changed about this place in the last year and I DO NOT LIKE IT!
My mom and I were once fanatics, and now, this is really the last place we think about when we think wine bar happy hour.
The new staff royally sucks. They have a careless attitude that borders on just plain rude. The supposed manager that night gave us flack for not having a reservation for the patio when it was EMPTY, and remained empty until 30 minutes before we left. He hastily brought wine to my friend who asked for the happy hour wine instead of a $ 13 glass he recommended, and was like «Here.» as he slid the glass down to her, instead of something pleasant along the lines of «here you go Miss.»
My biggest flippen peeve is that the last 3 times we have come here, they are OUT OF 75% OF THEIR WINES! What gives? Arent you a wine bar? And oddly enough the only «available» wines are the outrageously expensive ones, or the Gio house wines. Huh… go figure.
Everyone here has a bad attitude and it is more of an overpriced spot for a meal than it is a winebar anymore. I am definitely not coming back after the service and attitude we experienced last time.
Get over yourselves, Gio.

GIO has become a favorite over the last year. Breakfast is terrific, first class food and service. Dinner is excellent, well priced, delicious with a relaxing atmosphere, good choice of wines with a full bar.
I highly recommend GIO for any occasion.

The first time I went to Gio’s it was happy hour, my friend was raving about their sangria. It was a hot day so i couldn’t wait to try it. well they were all out. along with 3 other kinds of wines…
Second time i went for a bday dinner… once again out of sangria, out of the Cab… and also out of propane for the heaters!
The chicken lettuce wraps were bland and not so great, but I did try the gargonzola steak which was very good.
The waitress was great, especially with the stress of us being frustrated that they were out of most of the things we wanted.
Their food is pricey.
Probably won’t go back unless it’s another birthday of some sort.

I’m torn between 3 and 4 stars…
Lunch was pretty good, but not great. Quite fresh but seemed to be missing «something».
Service was so-​so but luckily I went with a good friend on a beautiful day and we enjoyed the great atmopshere of the outside patio so we weren’t in a rush.
Interestingly, the bus“boy” (busman?!) was friendlier than the waitress. Maybe she was busier but I really liked his attitude and willingness to help and make recommendations…
I gave a voucher for a half-​price deal to the waitress when we ordered but she didn’t allow for it on the bill. We had to have her tracked down to have that take care of. Not sure I’d be as happy paying full price but I’ll probably go back again sometime… maybe for comedy night?

This has to be the most over-​hyped place in east county. After reading reviews I was expecting a high class wine bar with great food. When I arrived I found something completely different.
There was a cheesy Frank Sinatra impersonator signing on the patio. He was even holding an unlit cigarette in his fingers, the whole time; give me a break.
I ordered the seafood risotto. I guess that’s a dish for people who want to prove how manly they are because it had a whole spice bottle worth of chili pepper. It was so hot I could only eat one bite. Thankfully they took it off my bill. But I still have to wonder, how good their culinary expertise is when they annihilate seafood with cayenne.

Review for breakfasts only– they have what looks to be some great HH specials and events in the evenings which I will update soon (if I’m old enough to be admitted!).
Baby and I had nothing but a great time with excellent food when we last went on a Sunday AM. Service was snappy and attentive (even thought there were several large groups in our section), the place was clean and I guess it was too early for the heat or flies.
The only thing that kept GIO off my 5 star list was the prices– a little high for La Mesa and like everyone else I’m looking for a bargain, but everything we had, right down to the coffee was excellent.
WHEN YOU GO– Southern Hospitality Breakfast. Unusual, but delicious gravy on a chicken fried steak and biscuits with 3 scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and has browns. My cholesterol went through the roof, but I did it… I did it and I’m glad! Glad I tell you!

The wine list is great, the setting is romantic, the service is hit and miss and so is the food.
Once had the chicken cesar salad and my chicken seemed like it was left out to become jerky.
The plus: it’s the only place in La Mesa that is not a dive
The minus: food and service

Really cool local place. Nice patio and good food and wine.
The service is good, well meaning, but a little overwhelmed at times.
Lots of good tapas, plus, the mount helix grilled cheese is really good comfort food!

They have happy hour on Sunday night and wandered over this Sunday — and had a really great dinner.
$ 1 Street Tacos!
$ 13 for the big cheese plate
$ 5 homemade chips & dip
It’s just a bunch for tapas and hanging out with good friends. It’s alot so close to us in La Mesa that it works out really well.
I have to remember to come here more often!

No. No, no, no. I admire the thought here. La Mesa desperately needed somewhere sort of hip that still caters to the older crowds. Mission sort of accomplished, GIO. Stop by any Friday or Saturday night and you’re bound to see 40– and 50-​somethings having date night, or people like my boyfriend and me who don’t know any better (first time) and/​or are too lazy to drive far for drinks (second and last time).
We used to come for the sangria. It was the best I’d ever had. Then, they decided to stop serving it because the weather turned cold. So no more delicious sangria because it’s cold, but the massive floor-​to-​ceiling windows stay open year-​round, causing diners like moi to freeze. Makes perfect sense.
The food is perfectly average. My boyfriend loves the black and blue salad, but I’ve never found anything I really like.
To top it off, the prices are terribly high for the quality, especially during dinner, and the service has bordered on rude on more than one occasion. I’ll be sipping my sangria elsewhere from now on!

The La Mesa Lunch Bunch decided to have a late afternoon/​evening UYE to try and accommodate the people who were having a hard time making it to daytime events so we chose Gio. Some of us had been here before (I was FTR!!) and some hadn’t but wanted to try it out. The atmosphere was excellent – we mostly had the room to ourselves, whether it was because it was a slow night or because we scared everybody out with our raucousness, I don’t know.
I was going to see if they had any purple or lavender drinks, which I had researched on my computer earlier in the day, but found out they only have wine and beer. I was about to get a beer until I saw Tina C. drinking a Sangria, and that sounded really good so I had two of those and they were delicious.
Most of us had appetizers/​tapas to go with our drinks and were very happy with them. I got the Ceviche which was excellent. They were advertised as being $ 2 off each for Happy Hour, which was all evening on Mondays but I got charged regular price for mine which was kind of a bummer.(I didn’t notice it on the receipt till the next day) I talked to one other attendee who said she got $ 2 off two of hers, but charged regular price for the third one. Go figure. What’s the point of advertising and telling people verbally the Tapas are $ 2 off and then charge them the regular price? On the other hand, mine was really delicious and the tastes I had of others’ were just as good. I would definitely go here again, just double check my receipt before I pay it. Did I say the service was excellent? It was – no complaints there – our server was efficient and very cheerful and friendly.
Of course, the company was excellent, with Marisol and her man-​slave, Warren and JC, Tina C. and Pattie C., Ron the Rev and Vanessa. Hope I remembered everyone. I forgot my camera and I think JC did, too so I have no pics to refresh my memory. With this group there is never a lack of conversation! I think everyone concurred our first Happy Hour was a smashing success (though we didn’t actually smash anything).

I may have only had sangria this time around but it was some good sangria. The waitress was friendly and very accommodating. She brought some great bread with garlic/​pesto but I want to apologize to any Unilocalers in attendance if I made your hair go back as I talked.
Thanks Joe C for putting this together and here’s to many more get togethers in the future: ***clink clink*** with my sangria glass.

I live on the east side of Mission Valley, so downtown La Mesa is very close, but only recently has there been a reason to venture east. I discovered Gio this past month as I am always looking for great new restaurants to try out, especially when they have music and wine!
Gio has a large outdoor patio to which they host live music every Friday and Saturday night. They also offer a semi-​outdoor area with a beautiful fireplace to sit beside. If you are interested in eating indoors, there is indoor restaurant seating, and those of you who want a bar scene, they have that too! I love being able to pick my mood and be able to sit in the appropriate area, all under one roof.
I had a great bottle (or two) of Malbec with my fiancé, and we never got around to dinner, but I plan to try out one of their seafood specialties on my next visit. I had great service by everyone that I encountered, and am happy to see such a wonderful addition to La Mesa.

A swanky little spot on the otherwise quaint strip of downtown La Mesa, Gio has a trendy wine bar, a diner-​like restaurant area, and they saved the lovely patio that had been the highlight of the restaurant that previously resided there.
The first thing I noticed was an extensive wine list. Our friendly server did her best to make some suggestions, though definitely was not a sommelier… however we chose one of her suggestions, which turned out to be a new favorite of ours! We chose from the tapas menu, which is not a traditional tapas menu, more of a large selection of appetizers. We ordered the white flatbread, which was like a thin, gourmet pizza with whitesauce. We also ordered the ahi tempura, which was an original way to serve ahi, though came out slightly overcooked. And we ordered the old standby, caprese which did not disappoint.
Service was decent. Our wine came quickly and we were given time to look over the menu. The experience of watching locals stroll down La Mesa Boulevard and looking at black-​and-​white photos of Old La Mesa was something I will return to do once again.
Just wanted to add, on my second visit, I tasted the best crème brûlée I have had in a long time!