il Bistro Italiano opened in August 1998. Its focus is on bringing a combination of traditional Italian dishes together with some innovative ones created within the boundaries of modern Italian cuisine.

     The pastas, breads, sauces, and desserts are all made at the restaurant from fresh ingredients. Our wine list features a large selection of wines from Italy and from Colorado, and whenever possible, we use local ingredients in our kitchen.

     There is always something going on at the Bistro, so look at the event page to learn of special wine nights, cooking classes, seminars or other events.

HOURS

     il Bistro Italiano is opened Monday through Sunday for dinner starting at 4:30 pm.  We close around 9 pm, depending on how busy we are.   You can sit on our patio and enjoy our beautiful Colorado late afternoons and evenings most of the year.  Our patio is on Main Street and we enclose and heat it during colder days.  It is closed only for the coldest 3-4 months of the year.

THE OWNERS

     Brunella Gualerzi was born and raised in Bibbiano, Italy.  Bibbiano is a small village in the Northern region called Emilia Romagna which is considered the food epicenter of Italy.  From a young age, her mother taught her how to make pastas, sauces and other traditional dishes and her passion for food was born.   Many of those dishes are now regulars on the Bistro's menus.  Brunella came to this country in 1990 and attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction.  After her graduation in 1994. she worked in Grand Junction until she opened the Bistro in 1998.

     On the first day the restaurant opened, Brunella met Ronald Hall.  They married one year later and Ron joined her at the Bistro in the year 2000.  Ron has a long history in the restaurant industry in Grand Junction.  For 28 years, Ron was the manager of the Winery Restaurant where he charmed countless guests with special attentions and his famous tricks. Ron and Brunella now run the Bistro with the help of their capable administrative manager, Lori Smith.

     A few months a year, Brunella's mother, or "Mama" as everybody calls her, is also at the Bistro.  She comes from Italy to check on her daughter and son-in-law, to help out, and to make everybody laugh.  If you are lucky, you may spot her at one of the front tables or cooking in the back of the kitchen.