Gennaro’s St. Pete Beach

Without checking Unilocal,I had made this my Valentine’s Day destination based solely on Google reviews. I will be relying more on Unilocal in the future.
Perhaps my expectations were too high. I was expecting a stand-​alone restaurant ON the beach, not one NEAR the beach that was attached to a coin laundry and a Circle K. Not exactly the most romantic place to take your dates.
There were three people in my party. One had the special: Lobster Ravioli. Was told it was delicious, and I had a bite and I concur. Another had the chicken piccata and said it was cooked the way it should be; I had a bite but not being a fan of chicken piccata I couldn’t concur.
Then there was my order: shrimp scampi. Avoid this dish at all costs, even if it’s on special (mine was not). My expectations were WAY too high… I was expecting something more garlic-​y and cheese-​y, but instead I was given something full of garlic cloves in some kind of bitter wine-​y sauce. The shrimp still had the freakin’ tails on them! For the price I paid, I don’t feel I should have to do additional work. I opted not to take my leftovers home. Ate the shrimp and maybe a third of the linguini until the taste combination became intolerable.
Did I register a complaint? No. I’m not the kind of person to do that. And I thought I was the only one who felt that it tasted «off», but the other two in my party also tried it and agreed with me.
I don’t know if this was just one bad experience out of possibly hundreds of other good experiences that others have had, but given the drive to get there and the value for the money, it’s not an establishment I’m anxious to re-​visit.

The food was ok. salad had too much dressing.
I had the chicken parm. The portion wasn’t giant .as some Unilocalers stated. worst part my wife waited 20 minutes to use the restroom. finally knocked on the door… and one of the MEN from the kitchen came out. yes I said MAN WAS IN THE LADIES ROOM… she was mortified… he claimed he was replacing tissue. EXCUSE ME. with the door locked
for 20 minutes? We won’t be back …
When we addressed this with the waitresses they laughed at us

I have been going to Gennaro’s for well over a decade. We have come to know the great waitresses. They know my mom likes her Coors Light with a wine glass.
I adore this place. It’s a wonderful gem!

Visiting from NC and OH MY this is some great pizza! We had the garlic knots on steroids and man were they good. So if you are ever in St. Petersburg, Fla please stop by for some great pizza. Friendly staff as well.

Outstanding pizza! Delicious flaky crust and fresh toppings. Don’t let the outside of the building fool you, the dining area is very clean with nice décor and great service! I can’t leave out the yummy sangria and the beer from a local brewery!

The meal was amazing. Pizza, baked ziti, garlic knots and salad were all good. Everything seemed fresh and homemade and the service was great. If you are in the area I highly recommend this hidden gem.

One of the best Italian restaurants. Everything is authentic and fresh. I love the gnocchi’s with their blush sauce. So good. Their mussles are great too. Highly recommend!

Used to be the best pizza around, but not lately. Very inconsistent with the pizza.

Live right down the road and our first time here. Omg! The Garlic knots, Lasagna, Mussels in white wine sauce to the Sangria, was DELICIOUS!!! The waitress was very good. Only one complaint, the windows need a cleaning. Always a turn off to see dirty windows in a restaurant. Prices very fair for such good food and the servings are large.

My husband and I had dinner here around 8:30−9 on a Friday night. Everything was great. We had the mussels in white wine sauce as an appetizer and we both agreed they were the best mussels we have had in a very long time (in any restaurant in Tamp/​St. Pete area). Pasta dishes were great too, my husband says the marina sauce was perfection.

One of the best Italian spots I’ve been to. Quaint, wonderful and yummy! Marinara is amazing.

Came here again because I love this place but it’s so far away from my house. So when I’m near St. Pete I eat here. And as every time before the food was amazing! My favorite Italian place. The sauces perfect, the pasta al dente, salads crunchy with the best Italian dressing ever, and pizza crunchy! Did I mention it was Gluten free? Well it is. I have a Gluten allergy and have never felt remotely sick after eating here. My favorite place to eat when I eat out of the house. I will continue to eat there! Perfect mom and pop feel with amazing cuisine.

Great thin crust pizza! Authentic Italian cuisine and atmosphere. Wonderful service too. Don’t forget to leave room for desert, there all amazing but do try the salted caramel cheesecake it’s to die for.

Got the Gennaro special, it was good but nothing to brag about. Garlic bread with cheese what a waste of time and money. A piece of bread with a slice of melted cheese on it. I would try somewhere else next time!

Got in to town on a Friday night. Hungry to say the least. We orders 2 small pizzas. One half pepperoni half bacon. One the Primavera…
which had fresh tomato, spinach and bummer. Frozen broccoli cuts… not even florets.
We also got a calzone. Food tasted good but I expected fresh ingredients for the price. Come back… I’ll look elsewhere.

I wish I could give this place infinite stars. We came here on a Friday night, around 7 PM. We were seated immediately. I ordered Chicken Parmesan and garlic knots. After our order, there was an influx of customers, so we had to wait a bit (small place). But when the food came… wow! The Chicken Parmesan was absolutely perfect.
For $ 13.50, you get a huge piece of chicken breast, breaded perfectly, surrounded by sauce that is to die for. On top of that, it was layered with one of the best mozzarella cheeses I’ve ever had in my life. Service was excellent, no faults in the entire meal, and even though I ate a huge slab of chicken, cheese and sauce, I was ready for more.
Not to mention, I was in here once before and forgot to check in. But, I had the pizza on the previous visit. The pizza is pretty amazing too. Very nice flavor, great crust and perfect cheese.
I can’t say enough about the quality of food here. It was simply amazing. I will be back so fast, their heads will spin.

I enjoyed my first visit to Gennaro’s a couple of nights before Christmas. The service was good and the pizza was great. The crust holds up well… Large portions. They only thing I would do different is serve some better beer; maybe something local like Green Bench or Cigar City.
I plan to go back when I return to Pass A Grille!

Being from Chicago where pizza and pasta are stellar, I thought the reviews were not gonna live up to the rating but I was dead wrong. My wife and I ordered a personal meatball pizza and the shrimp fra diavolo over linguine and we were blown away. All the ingredients are homemade and fresh. The sauce is perfect on both entrees and the pizza crust… R u kidding me… So good. I honestly would say I prefer this pizza over Gino’s, Unos, Lou Malnatis… in Chicago. Its not like deep dish but still… a flavor explosion in my mouth… The pasta had big Gulf Shrimp and I can’t to back for other tasty dishes… The service was great and our waitress was very helpful. The 2 star rating I saw seems odd since they liked all the dishes they ate. I would not pay attention to it if u are viewing these. 2 thumbs way up from the Saliga’s in Chicago!!!

This is a nice little neighborhood Italian eatery. It is consistently delicious. I love their garlic knots the size of grapefruit. Their Shrimp fradiovlo is music to your mouth. Give it a try if your on St Pete Beach and hungry.

Delicious pizza and pasta in an authentic Italian family setting.
Gennaro’s is located very close to our beach house in St. Pete’s, and I am so happy about that. The first night we were there we ordered the Pepperoni Pie pizza, which comes with pepperoni, plum tomatoes, oregano, ricotta cheese and pesto sauce. This was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. Every ingredient played off of the others and made the flavors pop, especially the plum tomatoes and pesto accents. The next night we ordered meatball marinara and shrimp scampi. Both were delicious; the scampi was bursting with lemon and garlic flavor. Both came in large portions and with a side salad and amazing garlic bread, which seemed generous.

Great Pizza. We took a Medium Pizza with Peperoni, Onions, Mushrooms, Black Olives and Peppers to take out. Recommended.