Bravo Star Gia Giudice Debuts Italian Restaurant Il Vero

Gia Giudice has grown up on camera, as the eldest daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice. Now, instead of serving up drama, she’s serving dinner—stepping into a new role as a New Jersey restauranteur with Il Vero, a Mediterranean-infused Italian spot in Westwood, not far from where she grew up in Montville.

For Giudice, now an ensemble cast member of Bravo’s Next Gen NYC, the jump between reality TV to business owner feels like a homecoming. And for this rising star, food is also the way her family has always expressed love.

“In a very traditional, old-school Italian family—food has always been a form of our love language,” says Giudice, 25. That and “bringing everyone together for Sunday dinners.”

Il Vero occupies the former Prohibition restaurant space, which was owned by Maria Sausa, Giudice’s business partner. Sausa had already been considering a post-Covid refresh of the restaurant when the opportunity to partner with Giudice, a close family-friend, arose.

“When I toured the space, I saw that [Prohibition] had everything you could want for a restaurant,” she says. “Now, we have downstairs dining, an upstairs lounge, and a rooftop.”

Her mother—who has published four cookbooks—has played a major consulting role in shaping the space and menu. “A lot of her recipes are going to be incorporated into the menu as well as on our specials,” says Giudice. Bringing those recipes to life is chef Pasquale “Chef Paco,” from Naples, who has cooked for other well-known Jersey Italian restaurants.

Eggplant is a particular favorite—and a go-to order for Giudice. Her nonno (grandfather), she says, makes the best eggplant parmesan, but Chef Paco’s is “a close second.” The menu’s staples are guided by a clean-eating philosophy, and are a departure from the stereotypical Italian meals that leave diners overstuffed. Other menu offerings include grilled octopus and a Sicilian red-sauce pasta with eggplant and lemon pasta studded with crab.

The bar program leans into the theater of going out. Expect custom ice, carbon dioxide effects, dry ice, and a whole lot of spritzes (Aperol, Hugo and “of course Sarti”), martinis and a full slate of spirits.

In the age of social media-driven dining, Giudice knows atmosphere matters just as much as taste. The 25-foot bar is backed by antique mirrors that double as a photo backdrop, while the upstairs lounge pops with vibrant turquoise seating. The design, Giudice notes, was carefully curated to feel glamorous and grounded.

“It’s all about the experience,” Giudice says. “You’re going to walk in and get dinner and fun cocktails, but we’re also leaning into the spectacle of it all.”

With Il Vero, Giudice is betting that New Jersey diners are ready for a new wave of restaurants that taste as good as they look—and that the love language she learned at her family’s table will translate to a packed dining room in Westwood.