Italian Riviera vibes at Gio’s by the River
By Seger Abels
NDSM-Kade 14, 1033 PG Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWYou know where I truly feel I belong? I feel I belong strolling along the Italian Riviera in a tailor-made suit…in the ‘70s. I would take a seat at my favourite bar, and the waiter would bring me my Negroni Sbagliato without me even needing to order it—they know me. La dolce vita.
Okay, it might be a bit of a stretch to say ‘Gio’s by the River’ is exactly that, but if you squint your eyes, the NDSM docks on a sunny day do feel a bit “boulevard-ish.” Gio’s interior is what you could call extravagant. It’s 70’s chic, colourful, and adorned with some typical Italian decorations. The interior might be over the top, but the menu shines in its simplicity. That’s Gio’s.
We took a seat on the stylish terrace overlooking the ‘river’ (’t IJ), making Gio’s truly “Gio’s by the River.” An endless stream of stylish people entered the restaurant, clearly showing that everyone wants to look their best when they stroll Gio’s promenade. The menu draws inspiration from different parts of Italy, not just one particular region. Dishes like Fegatini di Pollo (chicken liver, red onion, and Vin Santo) hail from Tuscany, while moscardini (fried mini octopus, preserved lemon, and basil mayonnaise) come from the far south of Italy. As usual, the menu is divided into antipasti (plus focaccia), pasta and pizza (let’s call it primi), secondi, and dolci.
The focaccia was very flavorful and came with plenty of extra ‘nduja that we ordered. The real test at an Italian place might be the carpaccio. Gio’s carpaccio is amazing, so that test was a piece of cake for them. Perfectly sliced beef with gorgeous aceto balsamico. Since the pizzas weren’t available the night we visited, we indulged ourselves in the pasta dishes. The ‘ragù di manzo’ (classic ragu with beef and pork neck) served with rigatoni (please correct us if we are wrong on the pasta sort, Gio) was everything we hoped for. A thick and rich sauce with perfectly cooked pasta—we could eat this all day. The amatriciana (tomato sauce, guanciale, and pecorino) made us instant ‘red sauce’ pasta lovers, even though we usually don’t go for red sauce pastas. On the other hand, we always tend to go for something with guanciale.
Gio’s is hip, hot, and happening, but at the same time, we felt at home right away. You can tell this place has a lot of love put into it, and everything is just top-notch. Crafted with passion and a great eye for detail. We truly thank Gio’s by the River for bringing a bit of Bella Italia to our ‘riviera’—the NDSM wharf.
Gio’s by the River
The Place: Italian all the way.
The Space: Extravagant, bold, colourful, stylish.
The Base: €50-75 pp
The Face: Seen and be seen, combined with regulars from Amsterdam-North.
The Ace: Order the sgroppino for dessert and watch a show happening at your table.
The Veg: The veg offerings are just as tasty.
Opening Hours: Mon-Thurs 18:00-00:00, Fri-Sun 12:00-00:00
Images from gios.amsterdam, Gio’s by the River
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