Business & Tech
Gardino's to Re-Open This Month
More seating, food and drink counter among new upgrades for downtown Italian restaurant that will celebrate official grand re-opening in January.
After several months of renovations, Gardino’s downtown restaurant will be re-opening its expanded restaurant this month with more seating and a food and drink counter, according to restaurant owner Peter Jillo.
The official date of the grand re-opening has not been announced yet.
The mom-and-pop Italian restaurant, located at 51 No. Santa Cruz Ave., will have nearly 1,100 square-feet of extra space with 45 tables, a raised ceiling and a new food service counter in the expanded area where patrons can eat and drink cocktails, according to Jillo.
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“It will be a nicer, clean atmosphere and double the size,” said Jillo. “We will have more business and a better environment.”
Jillo said the menu and food prices will be exactly the same as before, while the restaurant's hours of operation will change from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily to 10 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
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This month’s re-opening comes after a long, hard-fought journey for Jillo, as the expansion almost never took place.
After Jillo’s plan to expand into the lot at 49 No. Santa Cruz Ave. that was formerly occupied by Los Gatos Baby and Tot Boutique was approved by the Los Gatos Planning Commission, the Los Gatos Town Council then voted 4-0 in a May 2 meeting to deny the project, citing that Jillo’s original plan to move the kitchen into the vacant lot would displace a future retail use.
The Council then re-considered the denial and unanimously voted in early June to grant Jillo the expansion under the circumstances that it only put seating to the expanded area.
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ronee Nassi said that the Gardino’s remodel will mean good things for the town and the business community is anxious to see what the newly modified restaurant will look like.
“The re-opening and expansion for any business in Los Gatos is a good thing,” said Nassi. “Gardino’s has been here a long time and we’ve been looking forward to their expansion. We’ve all been waiting to see what it will look like in the inside.”
