Message from Giovanni
Giovanni is a great place to start your evening or grab a late-nite snack. Walking through awnings lined with wine bottles, you are immediately snatched away from the busy streets of Berkeley and transported into a warm, family atmosphere reminiscent of Sicily. At the center of Giovanni is a large wood-burning fireplace, providing ample ambience as you sip a supple red wine while downing bite-sized deep-fried calamari or snacking on sauteed mushrooms. Cozy booths are available where you can sit snuggly next to your date instead of across from them. However, you can also opt for traditional tables if your dinner partner is not of the romantic persuasion. Aside from being a nice place to take someone on a casual date, Giovanni is also a great location for family dining and private parties.
Editorial by Citysearch
Berkeley spot for Italian since 1960 lined with wine bottles and featuring a wood-burning fireplace. Specializes in private parties, catering.Key Points
- Private parties and catering
- Open Kitchen and Full Bar
- Authentic Italian cuisine
The Inside Scoop
- Know Before You Go - The menu changes often and prices are reasonable.
Insider Pages Reviews for Giovanni
My daughter loves this place,every-time she is asked where she wants to eat she says Giovanni's.Her favorite is the hot cocoa and the bread.She is 11 years old now with pretty good manners,but this is a place we've been coming to since she was about three and we felt like if she could be glued to the chairs we would.But they always provided us with great service regardless of our situation
Posted 08/28/09 | Report Abuse
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Their pizzas are very good, but I think their pastas are a little too rich and heavy. Funny thing is my favorite thing there is their focaccia bread and it's free!
Posted 12/29/08 | Report Abuse
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Giovanni's has great pizza and many toppings to choose from. The dining experience is very enjoyable too. I especially like their meat combination pizza. Their crust really adds to the flavor experience.
Posted 12/28/08 | Report Abuse
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I absolutely love Cafe Giovanni! After moving away 8 years ago Giovanni's is the one restaurant I visit every single time I come home (usually twice a year)! The gnocchi is amazing! The staff is always friendly. Giovanni's is perfect for a date! It's cozy and romantic, especially when the fires lit!
Posted 10/26/08 | Report Abuse
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This place is really good if you want a nice Italian dinner. They have a huge selection of food, pizza, pastas, seafood... I especially LOVE the bread. The deserts are pretty awesome, too!
Posted 05/02/08 | Report Abuse
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Giovanni is a classic in Berkeley. From my 1st year at Cal until now, I enjoy eating at this place. My favorite plate is the Italian Duet. The setting has an old time feel, however the crowd varies from students to singles and families. This place is a must when in Berkeley.
Posted 05/01/08 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
getting worse with time
by anabris
My boyfriend & I have been coming here for years. It started off as a fairly good restaurant, but lately the food has gotten consistently worse. The service is fine, but anything we ordered was substandard for the prices they charge. On our last visit (last ever!!!) my boyfriend got sick from his meal. If you go here, it should be for the bar, which serves great drinks. Pass on the food!!!
Pros: great drinks, friendly staff
Cons: THE FOOD!!
Posted 01/07/09
absolutely disgusting
by hungryinsf1
First off, I would like to say that I eat out regularly, and I have never posted a review online before. I started an account with citysearch just to post this review. This restaurant is absolutely terrible. If the prices had been more reasonable I would have just written it off as a bad dining experience, but unfortunately that is not the case here. I ordered the Jambalaya calzone for $16.00. The presentation was non-existent and the ingredients seemed to be well beyond their expiration date. I don't think that all of the ingredients listed on the menu were even included, which may be a good thing considering the quality. I can't remember the last meal I genuinely regretted eating, even Jack in the Box. Nothing could wash the taste of spoiled shrimp out of my mouth for nearly an hour after the meal. My girlfriend ordered the veal marsala, which seemed like it might not make you violently ill, but it looked like a TV dinner. Between the two of us the meal (with one glass of wine and after tip) was nearly sixty dollars. The wait staff did their job, nothing special though. Do not eat at this restaurant unless you are some kind of masochist.
Pros: Hasn't been shut down by the health inspector.
Cons: Hasn't been shut down by the health inspector.
Posted 06/22/08
Bad aftertaste
by rayhana
What use to be a great Italian restaurant is now owned by Chinese owners who totally ran the place down. Food tasted horrible. I ordered Scampi - tasted like chinese rice & shrimp. My husband ordered clams with pasta in a red sauce. That dish not only was nasty to taste but sick to look at. Clams came from a can & were minced. Sauce was brown & tasted like i don't know what.....Ever few minutes one of the owners would haul boxes right pass the tables... , 2 times he dragged a trash can!???
Posted 07/22/07
Best bread you'll ever be served
by kgarg
I mean it... Their bread (with butter of course) is THE MOST increible bread I have ever had. Go there even if you're just goin' for the bread. Trust me, it's worth it.
Pros: Good for dinner parties (for a large group), Nice ambience, nice crowd
Cons: Expensive for Berkeley, the waiters are usually in their own worlds
Posted 07/23/06
Great Value for Great Food!
by sk818
The decor is like you're in the streets of Italy. There's a nice seating area in the front where you can people watch, or you can go in the back and sit near the huge fireplace. I got the chicken marsala, and my wife got the NY steak. Chicken was very tender and tasted great! Even the side veggies where good (I don't usually eat veggies), it was very fresh. My wife got the NY steak and it was delicious (had to take some home, very good portions). But, the fresh foccacia bread they serve you before the meal was SOO good. I could just go and eat that all day, they make it daily and you can definitely taste it. Our bill was under $40 with drinks, what a deal! I'm definitely going back to try the pizza next, saw someone order it and it looked really good.
Pros: Price, Food, Atmosphere
Posted 05/07/06
Very Average
by stainlessmirk
Fireside dining is kind of nice. Food unoriginal and unflavorful but good portions. Hostess inattentive but accomodating. Didn't card.
Pros: fireside
Cons: food
Posted 02/26/06
Decent but not great
by albert salsa
The food was average. I had the chicken piccata. The chicken was great but it wasn't served with anything else except a few pieces of stewed veggies.
Other members of my party were disappointed with their meal b/c of small portions and overall quality.
Service was OK but the waitress was somewhat unattentive.
Posted 12/29/04