[4.75 stars]
Finally after (almost) a year of being open, I finally got to try Gusto Mio. Having been back from a trip to Italy recently, you bet I was craving focaccia sandwiches. I made my way to the heart of downtown, allowing for extra time to find parking (because name any downtown city where you can just pull up into a spot on a whim during lunch time - it's not a thing! lol).
[+1 star]
Clean and bright space.
Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was how bright the space was. White walls with a pop of red for stools/ chairs. Everything was clean - from floors to tables to chairs to dining counters and most importantly, the bathroom too!.
[+1 star]
Welcoming and patient staff.
When I stepped foot into the eatery, I was immediately greeted with a smile and was offered to answer any questions I had. By briefly examining the menu, I was overwhelmed by all of the options. The worker took the time to explain all the pizza flavors and the different sandwiches they offered. I spent a lot of time looking at the various spreads and the worker walked through each one with me. I definitely appreciated the patience. At the time, I was the only person in the store. Though, maybe don't try this when there's a lunch rush unless you want angry eyes staring at you!
[+1 star]
Lots of menu options.
Though it might not look like much based on the two display cases, there are lots of flavors of pizzas and lots of spreads, sauces, cheeses, and meats that truly make the possibilities endless if you choose to DIY your own focaccia sandwich. A DIY sandwich is composed of a spread, cheese, veggie, and meat (and you choose those in the order I just stated).
If you don't want to DIY your sandwich, you can choose between 10 pizza flavors or 16 pre-made sandwich combos. I'd neither of those are up your alley, they also have salads, eggplant parm, and lasagna!
[+0.75 star]
Flavor and portion size.
The focaccia sandwiches here made me reminisce of Rome's All'Antico Vinaio sandwiches. I ordered the Pistachio focaccia sandwich because that's their best seller. It comes with mortadella, stracciatella cheese, pistachio cream, and pistachio crumbles. The size of the sandwich was huge! Piled high with meats and lots of cheese and pistachio cream, I'd say it was definitely say it's worth the $17. Easily on par with a spots you'd find in Rome in terms of portion size. It really could have been two meals for me. Flavors complimented each other very well. The only thing was that I thought the focaccia itself was a little overdone so it scratched the roof of my mouth a lot and it wasn't as soft as I was expecting [-0.25 star]. More of a crunchiness all around for the focaccia. Perhaps it was over toasted as well, which contributed to the over crunchiness.
[+ 0.5 star]
Service speed.
With only one person working and doing everything from spreading, layering, packaging, etc., the process can only go so fast. I was impressed with how fast the worker moved. Again, I was the only person working so I didn't mind the wait. But if you come during the rush, keep in mind that it can take a while for your order to be ready.
[+0.5 star]
Seating space.
Though the dining space might not look like much because there's only one counter and a few tables, rest assured that it's more than enough. After I received my sandwich and paid, I sat at the counter to people watch. There were 7 other chairs at the counter. On the other side of the room were 3 round tables that sat two, and 2 tables that sat 3.
With one year down, I wish Gusto Mio many more years of success. I'll definitely be back to try more of their foccaceria in sandwiches next time and then the pizza slices the time after that! Brave the downtown parking craziness and give this place a try for yourself! read more