Welcome to Gio's. We hope to serve you soon. Please mention your gift certificate to our wait staff when you arrive. Bistro's personal and creatives sides, about the restaurant 2001. There's a big city feel to a little Italian restaurant tucked away in a shopping center at N. Dale Mabry Highway and Waters avenue. We wanted to be different from other restaurants, said Maria Teresa Calderon. So it is. From the waiters and chefs, who have been with Gio's almost since it opened 10 years ago. For all that, we went to well hidden, nondescript but deserving little restaurant called Gio's in Tampa. It provided the right selections, delicious food and good services. Add some nice touches such as waiters in black and white uniforms, rows of wine bottles and photos of Sophia Loren on the walls and you have a well done standard. Named after the Calderons' younger son, Giovanni, Gio's has slowly built its clientele so that reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends. That's when Ugo DeAmbriogo plays piano and patrons sometimes spill out of the restaurant small vestibule and onto the sidewalk. I mention Gio's is easily missed Here's why It's tucked in an already well hidden shopping center at the corner of Waters Avenue and DaleMabry High way. You could drive past 100 times and not spot the place. But Gio's is worth finding.