Giovanni’s Restaurant

Ordered breakfast from here just now. French toast for me and got the biscuits and gravy to make it enough for delivery. And it’s AMAZING the french toast is delicious the delivery man was very nice and the prices are actually extremely reasonable. Will certainly be ordering here again!

Im giving them 3 stars because the customer service was great & the salad was amazing. However, the pizza wasn’t all that great & the texture of my lasagna was horrible. I do appreciate the fact that the waitress did try to make our experience a little better, but the food just wasn’t good to me.

Don’t expect the online ordering system to expedite the take-​out process! I arrived fifteen minutes after ordering (the quoted time frame) only to be told the order still had «a few minutes to go». I proceeded to wait twenty more minutes for my order. I have never wanted to ask for a tip back before, but today I really did. Who deserves a tip for making me miss my entire lunch break? I did not expect such carelessness from a San Diego classic.

I think they have excellent food. I have never been disappointed. My family hasn’t been here but six months and we have been there many times. Service is good. I haven’t had a problem, but we have always gone during off/​non busy times.

0 stars! RUDE ASS BITCH/​waiter. Came for dinner. No greeting, dropped the menu right in front of me. Walked out right away. DO NOT COME HERE! Terrible service.

I decided to order from here when I was at work and couldn’t leave to grab something to eat. It was the only thing close by that could deliver so I gave them a try. Ultimately, this place is not worth it. I ordered from Unilocal’s Eat24 website and decided on an individual pepperoni pizza, which cost 9.75 due to pepperoni being a topping, garlic bread that is served as an appetizer so I didn’t eat it all, a kids penne pasta with marinara sauce, and a Coke. Now, it’s not the price that was my problem (ok, maybe a little) but the customer service and lack of supplies. How so? Well, the first thing that got to me was receiving a call from a worker right after placing my order telling me that «for future reference, I am not slowed to order from the kids menu». Ok, so if that’s not allowed, then why was it offered? The tone in her voice was so rude also. Anyway, my order arrived 50 minutes later, which is fair because it was raining and the order estimate was 45 – 55 minutes. The delivery man was nice as can be, but he informed me that my request for them to include a fork and straw in my order (which is free and an option to choose online) could not be fulfilled because they didn’t have it. He then stated he could go back to grab some and bring it to me, but why bother if the food will get cold and I’m starving? Also, I ordered a drink. That he brought me. In a cup that requires a straw. And you say they don’t have it? And I ordered pasta. Which means I eat it with a fork. And you don’t have it? I’m thinking they were upset I ordered a kids plate and so they punished me for it. And in doing so, prompted me to write this review. Yes, the kids menu is for kids 10 and under. But the amount of pasta I needed was exactly that. In the end, the food was ok, not amazing, but this was the first and last time I will eat from there and order from there. And because of my experience, this place is getting 1 star. Even the food couldn’t make it 2 stars.

I tried to go to Giovanni’s last night (11/​22, it was Sunday). According to the website and the front door they are open until 10 PM. My husband and I arrived at just past 8 and were told to sit anywhere we like. There were 2 other tables with people finishing meals in the restaurant. We were brought menus and then waited for 10 minutes while the 4 people working skillfully ignored us. We ended up leaving without even water (not that we were asked if we wanted water.) One of the servers saw us leaving and smirked but didn’t even say anything to us as we walked right by her to the door. It was more than obvious the staff had just decided they were done working for the night, even though there was 2 more hours until the posted closing. We really wanted spaghetti, but won’t be supporting Giovanni’s.

I ordered takeout, a works pizza with two additional toppings, a cheeseburger and a root beer float (I had the Unilocal deal $ 15 for $ 30).
Root beer float was a joke, nothing to drink from it. As for the cheeseburger, the patty looked as if they microwaved it and they did a half ass job making the burger, kind of looked like a sloppy joe with all the mess they made with the veggies and ingredients. I recommend them sticking to making pizzas and adding more heart when making the food. The pizza wasn’t the best but I liked that it was cheesy.
And yes, I left a tip. I’m being generous by giving them a three star rating.

Giovanni’s is one of those long standing local businesses that maybe you’ve driven by over the years but never got around to trying (at either location), until you and a few of your cousins decide to ditch a family party for some restaurant pizza.
There were other groups dining in as well, but the place wasn’t packed the evening we came in. After redeeming the Unilocal deal, we also asked about the check-​in offer, and were informed that garlic knots were completely out for the day. Though we wondered how an item made from pizza dough that they surely have endless amounts of couldn’t be prepared, we were there for the pizza and ordered as such.
In lieu of the missing knots, we got a plate of pizza rolls, followed by the large Mexican (salsa, green onions, avocado, chicken, sour scream) and Giovanni’s Special (pepperoni, bacon, sausage) pizzas.
The thick crusts and portions were enough to feed the 8 of us at one slice per pizza per person. Both pizzas were all right, but toppings had the tendency to fall apart when picking up slices; it eventually turned into a knife and fork affair. I preferred the Mexican to the Special, but can’t say either blew me away.
While the pizza did its job to fill us up, service could have really used a smile. Otherwise, Giovanni’s seems like it would get more of its customer volume from lunch hours and pick-​up/​delivery.

I made an take-​out order over the phone. When I got there I checked in with Unilocal and the deal that was available. The waitress was not seem happy about me using the $ 15 for $ 30 deal through Unilocal.I have her some tip and took my food home, and was little disappointed about how food taste. Their pizza dough was too thick and tasted like flour.

I’ve been coming here for years and it has rarely disappointed. Admittedly, I have only ever done take out or delivery here and have not actually eaten at the restaurant itself.
As far as service goes, I’ve never had complaints. They may not be the fastest, but they have never been late — if they give a time for delivery or pick up, it has always been pretty dead-​on. Accuracy has always been good, even when it comes to special requests or sides. Everybody I’ve ever interacted with here has been great — very friendly and helpful.
The pizza here is pretty darn good — I haven’t tried any of their other items yet. They have such a variety of options. I usually go for the Giovanni’s Special (pepperoni, sausage, and bacon) but this last time I opted for the Buffalo Chicken & Fries pizza — yes it sounds weird, but it’s a great combination. Fries, buffalo chicken, onions — dip it in ranch and wow. pretty swell! My only complaint is that the pizza is incredibly greasy. Put a piece on a few paper towels, and they’ll be soaked in no time. The Giovanni’s Special is especially guilty of this unfortunately!
That being said, I’ll definitely be back — looking forward to try some more of the pizza specialties!

Amazing place in my hood! Even though they ran out of eggplant (sad), it’s still a great family place with fun food. Nice variety and I was impressed with their vegetarian options. The best thing about the entire evening was our waitperson named Misty. She made excellent recommendations and provided excellent service. She was friendly and sincere. She even talked me into an amazing dessert. Management at this excellent establishment needs to give her a big fat raise. Or at least some big fat praise. I love it here and I will be back.

Expensive, subpar food, okay service. Caters to the working crowd from neighboring offices. That’s the only reason they can stay in business, I imagine.
I ordered the panini lunch special. The food took a long time and when I got it, it looked like something I could hastily prepare at home. Chicken noodle soup was alright, salad was the typical iceberg stuff.
My coworker got the pastrami Reuben and she didn’t seem to enjoy it. The cheese didn’t look properly melted and the rye bread wasn’t toasted.
Wouldn’t come back.

I admit to some concern after reading the other reviews. I am happy to land in the well satisfied half. Like others posted we received free garlic knots. I enjoyed the marinara very much.
Our entrees were slow arriving but were quite tasty. My wife had the Fettuccine Verde with shrimp. It received high praise, and the bite I got put it on my «to try» list.
I had the TABC turkey deli sandwich on sourdough. I highly recommend it if you sre looking for a deli sandwich. Note the picture. The amount of turkey and bacon was astounding and was balanced with just enough avocado to make a delicious sandwich.
The only reason for four stars instead of five was the slow food service. The waitress’ were attentive and pleasant.
We will be back again.

Went for a party and got good service and good food. The ladies who worked there were very nice and the owner was there also and she was nice to. Good experience.
=)

Some coworkers were going to this place for their lunch special and I wanted to try them. I saw their $ 15 for $ 30 deal on Unilocal and decided it was a good time to try it out. I got a medium BBQ Chicken and small Spinach White and garlic bread for $ 30.19.
BBQ Chicken was very delicious and wasn’t overloaded with red onions, although I wish they were diced a little smaller so you wouldn’t get such a overpowering onion taste. The chicken was amazing and looked fresh, not the cubed mystery kind you usually see. A coworker thinks the sauce is sweet baby rays, but since I’m not a professional BBQ sauce taster, I couldn’t say for sure.
The Spinach white was amazing as well. I love the simplicity of it, tomato, spinach, ricotta on a garlic white sauce. The small dollops of ricotta cheese added a sweetness, and the large slices of fresh tomato with the garlic sauce … Mm I’m making myself hungry again! Good thing I have leftovers in the fridge right now!
The price is a little on the higher end, but I would go back for more.

Great place and a great value. Very busy during the week at lunch.
Using the Unilocal coupon increases the value!

Horrible service and eh food.
We were there for a party, I had never been there. We went to the back and grabbed a seat. I asked if they brought the food or if we get it. Got massive attitude. I’ve never been here, I have no clue.
Then when she brings out our food the dumb lady said ‘I’ve got a lot of plates to run, where do you want this’. Um how about where I’m sitting? That’s a start. She told my child to ‘move your hand, this is hot’ but in a super rude tone.
The food was bland, pizza gross, and service crap. This was my one and only time eating there.

Giovanni’s is cool. Nothing fancy, but good. They have self serve soup de jour. They also have well-​priced lunch combos. The lunch combos include more than just pizza options which is nice. They also have Unilocal deals that I just saw! Score!

We came here for a group dinner and had the private room off to the right side of the restaurant. I like how the private room is spacious and can seat up to 75 people comfortably. There’s its own soda machine and bathrooms.
Our party had a buffet with salad, pizza, marinara pasta and garlic knots. Sadly, the food is bland. The flavors of the sauces (no matter if it was on the pasta or pizza) were all the same. The pasta sauce was a bit on the watery side.
I had 3 different pizzas and they were OK. The crust is on the thicker side and wished it was a bit crispier. The garlic knots definitely needed more garlic.
The service could have been friendlier. We were pretty much on our own in the 2^nd room and none of the staff came around to check with us. The only time we saw staff is when we had to actually fetch them to assist us.
Parking is shared with other businesses. I really wanted to like this place since I pass it on Clairemont so often, but just couldn’t.