Say Cheese...
... Gioia is open!
The long line outside Pepe’s pizzeria might soon extend across the street, now that Gioia — a new Italian restaurant, bar, gelateria, and market — has opened its doors at 150 Wooster St.
As New Haven pizza fans soaked in the rain outside Pepe’s Friday afternoon, a smaller crowd of local officials crowded inside the warm glow of the new, upscale spot to herald an additional draw to the already bustling stretch of Little Italy and cut the ribbon on the anticipated success story.
Mayor Justin Elicker with co-owners Tim Cabral and Avi Szapiro.
“What a welcome addition in particular to this Wooster Square corridor,” Mayor Justin Elicker declared. “You’ve got lines outside Pepe’s and Sally’s and I can guarantee you you’ll have lines outside Gioia as well.”
Co-owners Tim Cabral of the Ordinary and Avi Szapiro of Roía fame quietly unlocked their doors to diners on Oct. 6. They reported that every table has already been reserved through this weekend, which they marketed as their official opening. Friday night is “packed,” Cabral said, but they’re still leaving the bar and a couple extra seats available first-come first-served.
The idea behind Gioia is to create “a place to hang out, come and grab dinner, or stop at the market if you need something,” Cabral said.
On Friday afternoon, Cabral and Szapiro provided a quick tour of the scene, from the modern dining room replete with portraits of the owners’ female family members to a shiny cocktail bar and full view of chefs preparing potato dumplings and parm-filled meatballs (“dinner and a show,” as Cabral put it).
On one side of the restaurant lies a gelateria, where guests tried samples of nearly all current nine flavors: blood orange, espresso chip, mint stracciatella, olive oil, vanilla bean, chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, and spiced pear coconut.
On the other side, facing the street, is a gourmet market selling the shop’s homemade pastas, fresh produce, and household goods. Upstairs is the roof, currently under construction, which will open this spring as an outdoor bar.
Gioia, which offers plates like wood-fired rotisserie chicken and grilled red snapper in addition to pizzas titled “Wooster Squares,” brings new life to the former home of Tony & Lucille’s Little Italy, another beloved pizza joint.
“I had pizza at The Spot every Friday since I was like 5 years old until I was 18,” Wooster Square Alder Ellen Cupo recalled during the press conference. “Gioia has the potential to be that place for so many families here!” she said, celebrating that she also has a view of Gioia’s “gelato window from my house.”
Cabral, who hails from West Haven, similarly remembered stopping at Libby’s for pastries on the regular as a child. “Growing up in the area as a little kid, and now getting to be part of it on the day to day means so much to me,” he said.
“We’re humbled by the response of the neighborhood and we hope to be here for a long time,” Szapiro pitched in. “We’re not trying to take over and be different, we want to be a part of it,” Cabral added.
“I hope we fill up every night,” he stated.
Read an in-depth review of the restaurant and interview with the owners, including their story of pandemic resiliency, by the Art Council’s Lucy Gellman here.
It has been sad without Abate. I hope Gioia does well!