Gia Visto in Penn Hills temporarily closed after citations from Health Department

Penn Hills newcomer Gia Visto has temporarily shuttered after health inspectors found the Italian restaurant had been operating without a valid permit, among other violations.

Gia Visto acknowledged the visit from the Allegheny County Health Department in a social media post Aug. 31, saying “kitchen improvements,” namely a sink and bigger cooler, were needed.

“We will be back in two weeks,” the post continued.

There was no mention of the permitting issue.

According to county records, Gia Visto is one of six restaurants this year cited for serving food without a permit and the only one in Penn Hills. Universal Pizza, another eatery in town, was briefly subjected to a consumer alert last month for poor temperature control and cleaning.

In Pittsburgh, spots caught operating without a permit include the South Side VFW Post 6675, Proof Bar & Grill in Brookline and Caravan in Downtown. Cravingz in Stowe and Hungry Cupcake in West Deer also were cited for this reason. Of those, only the VFW post and Cravingz remain an active closure.

Jill Varmecky, owner of Gia Visto, told TribLive the situation is “too complicated to type in an email.”

Further requests for a phone call went unanswered.

Gia Visto staff was not on-site when TribLive visited Thursday morning, although plumbers were seen working in the kitchen.

A sign attached to the main building at 7505 Saltsburg Road said “we are very upset and hope to see you soon.”

On the front door, a permit for Flowers in the Attic was taped over and mostly covering a red “closed” sign from the Health Department.

The florist leases a carriage house on the property, which it sold to Parsley LLC for $575,000 in May, county records show.

After about 10 years of serving upscale Italian fare in Monroeville, Gia Visto shut down early last year, only to reopen in Penn Hills in December.

County spokesperson Abigail Gardner confirmed Gia Visto had a permit in Monroeville.

To start serving again, Gia Visto must install new refrigeration equipment and a food preparation sink, according to inspection records. It also must obtain a new permit from the county’s food safety program.

Permit applicants can schedule a preoperational inspection once they prove minimum requirements have been met. If denied, businesses can make corrections and request a second look.

According to Abigail Gardner, there are more than 9,000 permitted restaurants in the county and about 60% to 70% are inspected each year.

Any restaurants found to have violations that warrant a consumer alert or closure are posted online.