Gio's BBQ Bar and Grill

My friends and I decided on a whim to check out the Friday night karaoke.We're so glad we did. There was a couple that just got married and they started the party off with a duet. The whole bar joined in and there was such a joyful and supportive vibe. The whole night people were either dancing to the karaoke or backing up the singers. We had a blast and will definitely go back. It is a small neighborhood bar with a small staff so be prepared to wait a little for the food when it's crowded.

Coming back to our old stomping grounds after almost 15 years! We can't believe our regular Friday/Saturday karaoke nights!!! Service is as friendly as ever-- the owner really knows how to pick his employees!!! There was an issue when we were there with a guest and bartender handled it smoothly. We ordered the loaded fries and it was delicious!!! We needed something to fill our bellies before a concert and this definitely hit the mark! It was so good to be back... Thanks Gio's!!!

My love and I started off a Saturday Funday by going to Gio's BBQ Bar and Grill, located on Damen a block north of Lawrence. Gio's is a sports bar with screens showing various sporting events during our lunchtime visit (Cubs baseball, EuroCup soccer, Wimbledon tennis, and other action). The walls showcase some photos of local sports legends (Michael Jordan, Brian Urlacher). Gio's also has Karaoke and Trivia nights, so they are not just a sports bar.Gio's has a good amount of sidewalk patio seating. We chose to sit at an indoor table, so we had that area practically all to ourselves as most of the patrons were congregating at the bar or sitting outside. Our youthful servers were pleasant and prompt.I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, and it was quite tasty indeed. Although not heavily sauced, the pork had an appealing crispness to it that paired well with the toasted brioche bun. I chose cornbread casserole as my side (other listed choices are fries, mac and cheese, or coleslaw), and basically it is a wedge of cornbread with some creamed corn blended in the mix. My love enjoyed the Gio's Burger and side order of fries. She also liked her goblet of sangria, and my Maplewood Beer on tap was refreshing.

I was too hungry to get a picture of the burger before eating it, but my pup and I have really enjoyed our patio dining experiences here and feel so lucky to have this gem in the neighborhood. Good food, great specials, need to check out karaoke Fridays! Also, the service is so friendly and makes all the difference in experience and brightens my day, thank you!

Service was really, really good. The bartender was working her butt off while the owner/manager simply sat at the bar drinking Irish coffee, eating brunch, and watching videos on his phone. Why are you there if you are not going to help? Most people were eating brunch during the Bears game, we did not. Food was obviously frozen including wings and onion rings. The onion rings were especially bad. I would recommend they scale down the menu considerably. Regardless, the service was the star of the show.

So there is a great server and bartender Jillian! She is so sweet and all business. She makes sure food is hot and drinks cold. Come visit her. Have not been in while and she made our day.

If you're craving some pulled pork in your life, hop on over to Gio's. They use a really nice sauce that's not all vinegar or all sugar; it's balanced. This also isn't the place where the meat is swimming in sauce. Our order came out in a very reasonable amount of time and I really liked the grilled bun. It was pretty quiet when we came by, so if I'm looking for ambiance I might try a weekend night. The fries were also pretty good. Glad we finally came by here!

Gio's, you get five stars from me, you're a neighborhood bar and you do what you do well. A small variety of beers, food that's well, neighborhood bar food and sometimes you need neighborhood bar food. You did catch me off guard with soup that was either really good, or just really hot because it was really cold sitting outside. Regardless the staff is attentive and the location is convenient. You have food and you have alcohol, not much more to add.

Fun neighborhood bar with delicious food and great service as always from Jamie. 10/10 top notch hand water.

The woman bartender is a ROCK star. DJs for the karaoke nights are great sports and super fun. I'm not sure if the other bad reviews I've seen about the owner are also the same guy who works behind the bar? The one with the crusty goatee and brown hair but he gives off the biggest incel vibes. Any interaction me or any of my girls have had with him he's been extremely rude. I once saw him pick out two girls from a huge party (full of men) and yell at them for sneaking in alcohol (they were clearly confused because they weren't the ones doing it). He was rude to my sister when I brought her in on her 21st. And rarely keeps the bathroom restocked with toilet paper. Seems like he wants to run a circle jerk instead of an inclusive business.