Giovanni's Italian Restaurant

What can I say, I love this Italian restaurant! In the past use to go at Clairemont Mesa location. What an up scale restaurant facility now. Ordered a calzone and salad it was awesome! The meal was great and serviced by the owner himself!Highly Recommend this restaurant!

Nestled in The Presidio Plaza off Linda Vista Rd just north of Napa St, Giovanni's is a fast casual Italian eatery. The biggest challenge was the narrow lot as there are too many businesses and not enough parking spaces. I don't know who designed this strip mall, but they obviously didn't do a good job of planning for adequate parking.I was surprised at how spacious the interior was based on the external appearance of the suite. The bar was both long and wide and could sit about eight people across. There were four TV screens showing sporting events, and a free WiFi connection was available if you asked for the password. The menu covered the basic fare you would expect from an Italian restaurant. The prices were fairly reasonable given inflation nowadays.My selection was the Fra Diavolo which was a dish of spaghetti and marinara sauce topped with shrimp, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, basil, onions, jalapeno, and feta cheese. A couple of slices of toast accompanied the entree which was large in portion size. The sauce wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be given the name of the dish. More red chili flakes were needed to kick it up a notch. The service I received was courteous and prompt. I gave a rating between three and four stars for my visit to Giovanni's Italian Restaurant.

We ordered two pizzas and a spaghetti dinner to go a few weeks ago. When we went to pick up we were greeted right away and our order was ready. The restaurant looked very nice inside and was clean. The diners all seemed to be enjoying themselves.Everything was delicious! They were generous with the pizza toppings and the sauce is excellent. Loved the spaghetti and the garlic toast too. We decided this will be our go to for pizza and pasta. Just a heads up, parking is kind of a pain. It's a weird parking lot.

Found this place on Yelp and there were a lot of good reviews so we wanted to give it a try. We came in about ten mins after they opened up. One couple was already inside and looked like they ordered. Female hostess was working in the back but heard us come in and said to sit anywhere. Ok, gotta be honest here. The service today was slow. Took some time to get our order. May have only had one person in the kitchen. It was about 30mins before we ate. So with all this, why does this review warrant 5-stars? It's because the portions were HUGE and the flavors were on point. Regardless of how long it took to get to us, it was worth it in the end. We ordered the Chicken Marsala and the Pasta Pescatore. Both were so delicious and we couldn't finish our portions and had to have take out boxes. We would definitely come back and try other dishes.

Best pizza and salad highly recommend not your typical pizza and salads This place is super nice inside !!!

The service was lacking. We were one of 2 tables and she was too busy talking to a coworker to keep our water filled and my husband ordered alcohol but she barely came to check on us. The flavors were so muted. It was like they took canned or premade sauces diluted with pasta water. Bottom line bad service and meg food.

Cute little local eatery in the Linda Vista neighborhood. We went on Saturday night and it was quite busy. Our server was quick and attentive, and our food came out relatively quickly as well, although I wish they would've taken their time with the preparation. Was a bit disappointed in the pizza. It seemed like it wasn't cooked long enough and to be honest it wasn't very hot. The crust was soggy, and when we picked it up all the toppings slid right off. It's a shame because the flavors really seemed to be there.I did enjoy the asparagus and zucchini appetizer, but it actually came out at the same time as the pizza and after our salad. We ordered the appetizer about 10 minutes before everything else.I saw several people eating the pasta dishes, and they looked enormous. I will give this place one more try to see if the pasta hits.

Giovanni's is in my top three of pizza places in San Diego. They serve up hot, fast, and delicious pizza along with other tantalizing items such as salads and bread.The restaurant is clean and casual. Bring the whole family because there are big tables for everyone. They also have a nice wine bar for date night. Prices are higher than your average pizza place, but then, so is the quality. You get what you pay for.

Nephews birthday today and we're a party of 9. First group to arrive today. Whoever served us today is very accommodating. 5 Star for his great service. Thank you!Food verdict- the portion is big and the prices is also fair. Pasta entrees are all good with add on chicken, juicy and seasoned well. Not a fan of giant calamari as it gets tough if not cooked right. Kids liked the mozzarella sticks. Roasted asparagus zucchini might be my least favorite. Service- our server is very attentive from start to finish. Made a few recommendations on the menu. This place is family friendly.Parking- very challenging. Most of the spot is timed. Tip: Call ahead to reserve if you have 8 people or more in your party.

Edited 8/9/24: The owner reached out via phone genuinely expressing his disappointment with our experience, apologizing stating the restaurant was working short that day in the kitchen. He whole heartedly attempted to make up for our recent interaction which I do appreciate and moved our 1 star rating three stars. We realize things go wrong and will definitely try again and hope to give 5 stars next visit. Original post 8/6/24: If I could give negative stars I would. We are currently in from out of town with our 79 yr old parents and 89 year old aunt. We ordered food at 6:15 it said 45 min for pick up arrived at 7 told they were running behind 20-25 min...still waiting at 8:00 pm have been waiting for our 4 dishes for now over 1 hour 45 min for an order that was supposed to be ready in 45 min. Spoke to a gentleman that just picked up his Togo order that he told us he ordered at 7:00 (almost 45 min after us). Went to the counter and were just told they are voiding the order because it's going to be another 20 minutes. It is now 8:10pm and our family is at home with no food (food ordered at 6:18) and this establishment offered zero explanation. FYI We went next door to the Thai place that took 10 minutes.