Italian Restaurant, Piano Bar To Open In Aurora

AURORA, IL — A new Italian restaurant and piano bar is coming to Aurora.

Amore Mio will pay homage to the Italian-American restaurants of mid-20th century New York City with its newest location at 33 W. New York St., the former site of Gillerson's Grubbery, which closed its doors in August 2022.

The new restaurant's dining room will be on the first floor, while the basement will be home to more dining and lounge space featuring live music.

Dates for the restaurant's soft launch, grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony have yet to be announced.

Amore Mio is owned by Chef Robert Avila. The restauranteur and his wife, Erika Villanueva, also own Altiro Latin Fusion, with locations in Aurora, Wheaton and Geneva.

City officials announced the news on Facebook and were met with more than 800 reactions and 80-plus comments.

"Sounds awesome," one person commented. "I can’t wait to be there!"

"Great news! Wish them success. I'll certainly try it!" someone wrote.

"I cannot wait - this is fabulous!!" another person said.