Teresa and Gia Giudice's long-awaited Italian restaurant, Il Vero, is inching toward its debut in downtown Westwood, New Jersey, with the mother-daughter duo saying the project is “getting closer” to completion even though no official opening date has been announced. The 170 Center Avenue space will eventually serve Teresa's favorite dishes, including chicken saltimbocca, steak pizzaiola, and grilled octopus, alongside elevated cocktails at a bar built to seat 25 to 28 people.
The update comes from an Instagram post shared by the Il Vero team in late August, in which the restaurant said, “We're so excited to finally introduce the people who are bringing Il Vero to life,” according to Bravo. Gia Giudice has said the restaurant will open soon, adding that the timeline keeps moving up as more construction work gets completed. The name Il Vero translates from Italian to “the truth” or “the real thing,” and the menu is described as Italian-inspired cuisine drawing on Teresa's own heritage.
Who's Actually Behind the Business
While the marketing centers on Teresa and Gia, public records show the venture is structured as a joint operation between the Giudices and Maria Sausa, a commercial real estate developer and restaurateur who owns the 170 Center Avenue property through 170 Center Avenue, LLC, according to Boozy Burbs. Under that arrangement, Gia and Teresa handle brand identity and menu consulting, while Sausa brings the commercial real estate ownership and operational experience needed to run the physical space.
The space at 170 Center Avenue has a Class 33 plenary retail consumption liquor license, per a commercial listing on LoopNet. The address has seen plenty of turnover in recent years, having hosted concepts including Prohibition, Drift, Center Tavern, and Bat Barry's before Sausa and the Giudices redesigned the space, as Boozy Burbs reported separately in December 2023.
Inside the Design, From Wave Walls to Turquoise Booths
Renderings and social media tours have shown off a custom-crafted wave wall as a centerpiece of the interior, along with a 25-foot main bar on the ground floor and a smaller service bar upstairs, according to Jersey Digs. Built-in shelves with a textured mirror sit behind the main bar, and the downstairs dining area features banquette seating. Upstairs, guests will find turquoise velvet booths and a separate lounge dining area, in addition to the smaller bar.
Outdoor seating is also part of the plan, including a rooftop deck. Jersey Digs' report noted that the Giudices originally targeted a Spring 2026 opening when they first announced the project in January, but ongoing custom construction and interior fit-out work, including specialized molding and trade work, pushed completion into late summer.
Zoning Rules Will Shape the Rooftop Scene
A November 2022 hearing considered rooftop outdoor dining at 170 Center Avenue but did not resolve or approve the application. The proposal included restrictions on live rooftop music and umbrellas, intended to limit the impact on nearby commercial and residential properties.
Staffing efforts suggest the buildout has moved into its final stretch. The Prohibition Westwood Facebook page posted job notices in late June seeking servers, mixologists, prep cooks, and event planners for both front-of-house and back-of-house roles, signaling that construction had advanced enough to begin pre-opening hiring.
A Bigger Bet Than Teresa's Last Restaurant
This isn't Teresa Giudice's first time putting her name on a restaurant. She previously co-founded Gorga's Homemade Pasta & Pizza in East Hanover, New Jersey, in May 2017 with her brother Joe Gorga and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, according to Us Weekly. Teresa also published the 2010 cookbook “Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It.”
Il Vero's arrival also comes as Westwood focuses on downtown planning, economic development, foot traffic, and outdoor restaurant seating, as reported by Pascack Press. Local officials have long emphasized preserving the pedestrian-friendly feel of the downtown corridor while courting regional dining traffic. For now, though, there's still no official menu and no confirmed opening date, meaning downtown Westwood diners will simply have to keep watching for the next update.
