Long-awaited Gia Mia opens in old library building
Popular west suburban Italian restaurant chain Gia Mia opened its newest location this week in the old Nichols Library building in downtown Naperville.
The sixth Gia Mia opened Monday at 110 S. Washington St.
“We just finished a great lunch shift,” manager Christian Callejas said Monday afternoon. “We are fully booked. That’s great for our first night.”
Gia Mia features Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizzas, small plate dishes, fresh mozzarella and fresh pasta.
Callejas said one feature that was unique to the Naperville location was its pizza oven.
“All of our pizza ovens are built in Italy,” he said. “But ours is so big, it had to be built in the store instead of in Italy. So, we brought the builders from Italy to Naperville to install the oven.”
The oven is the key to the pizza’s popularity, Callejas said. It can hold 12 to 15 pizzas at a time depending on size, he said.
“We cook the pizzas at 800 degrees so it only takes two to three minutes to cook a pizza,” he said. “That allows us to really churn them out. That’s important because we expect a lot of foot traffic in downtown Naperville.”
He’s probably right. Gia Mia is just south of the 5th Street Station, steps away from the Central Park Bandshell, close to North Central College, shopping, and the Riverwalk.
Renovations created two indoor dining rooms that can easily handle 150 people, Callejas said. “We take reservations for the indoor dining rooms.”
There’s also an outdoor patio with 10 to 15 tables, he said. “But the patio seating is first come, first serve.”
Besides the Neapolitan pizza, popular dishes include chicken parmesan and Romano crusted chicken. For the full menu visit https://www.giamiapizzabar.com/
There is a full-service bar inside and outside.
Hours at the Naperville location are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
For reservations and information, call 331-204-7222 or visit them on Facebook at giamianaperville.
Other Gia Mia locations are in Geneva, St. Charles, Wheaton, Downers Grove and Elmhurst.
Naperville cops to hit Dunkin’ roof for Special Olympics
Naperville police will be hanging out at a coffee shop Friday to raise money for the Illinois Special Olympics.
The event is again being called Cop on a Rooftop after it was rebranded last year as Coffee for Champions. Coppers will prowl the roofs at more than 300 Dunkin’ Donut locations across Illinois from 5 a.m. to noon.
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This will be the 19th year that Dunkin’ and the Law Enforcement Torch Run have partnered to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics athletes.
Dunkin’ guests who donate to Cop on a Rooftop will receive a coupon for a free doughnut. Guests who donate $10 or more will receive a commemorative travel mug and a coupon for a free medium hot coffee.
Since 2003, the event has raised more than $6.6 million for Special Olympics Illinois.
Naperville’s finest announced on Facebook they will be accepting donations from 5 a.m. to noon at the Dunkin’ at 1580 W. 0gden Ave.
Plank Kitchen reopens in Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk
Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk in July announced the reopening of Plank Bar & Kitchen, which was shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The kitchen is currently serving breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday Through Friday and 7 to 10 a.m. Saturdays. General Manager Syed Hasan says he hopes to open for Sunday mornings soon. Plank Bar & Kitchen is open to both hotel guests and the community.
Plank breakfast selections include eggs with bacon or sausage, breakfast potatoes and toast; avocado toast; omelets to order; French toast; pancakes; oatmeal with berries and yogurt parfait. The eatery features coffee from Sparrow Roastery.
Plank Bar is open for cocktails from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk is a boutique hotel located along the Riverwalk.
Big Blue Swim School opens
The Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting in June for Big Blue Swim School at 1265 S. Naper Blvd. at the Market Meadows Shopping Center.
Mayor Steve Chirico welcomed Rachael Roth, franchising partner for Big Blue, who said they had a goal of registering 900 students prior to their official opening but had surpassed that goal by registering 1,400 by the time of the ribbon-cutting.
Big Blue Swim School accepts students ranging in age as young as 3 months to age 12 with the mission of showing kids “they can do anything by unlocking their full potential in the water.”
If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at [email protected].