Giovanni’s

You know when people are like «oh i LOVE dive bars» and then they’re all «OMG. They only have bud light? I hate this place.» Don’t bring that person here. (Also, you shouldn’t be friends with that person. They sound terrible.) Not that Giovanni’s is a total dive but they do have all the elements. Serious locals, questionable karaōke and a BYO liquor policy but it’s a marked change from Mickeys Thirsty I Lounge. THAT was a dive.
This is just a local bar doing local things with peeps from the neighborhood. They cleaned up the old place, moved the bar around and you don’t get the stink eye if you walk in with, say, 10 people who are already a little tipsy and ready to warble Nsync. Go to Santorini’s or the Balkan Grill and then have a beer or 7 at Giovanni’s.

Giovani the man love the karaōke and this place I’ve been there a few times with my friends and every time I go it’s been a blast. Only beer and wine but fair prices I like to kick it back and play some pool here it feels like one of those secluded places in the movies that they show before something epic is about to go down kinda like desperados

Kkaaarrraaaoookkkkkeeeeeeeeee! Imagine a wavering, cracking, horribly off pitch voice singing that.
Then remember you’re in a setup country bar that looks like it was halfway through bar rescue when they rescued it from bar rescue. Add in a bunch of folks, a few types of beer and wine, and tada! You’ve got giovanni’s.
Seriously, this place is a dive, makes no excuses about that, and is awesome at it. No frills, no cow excrement, just a fun dive bar.
I have no knowledge of whether the group singing Dixie Chicks said «Earl» or «Errol», but the harmony was great when they did.

Well, this one’s easy: What’s the coolest dive bar that’s exactly a one-​minute walk north from Santorini’s, Foot Relax, Balkan Grill, and Ross’s Café? Why, it’s Giovanni’s of course. I actually thought our group was going to some new Italian restaurant. Okay, to be completely honest, I didn’t even know this place existed, and I’m on this interesting stretch of North Lamar a lot.
It appears to be beer & wine, BYOB, and a bottle of that Fireman’s stuff cost me three bucks. A can of Diet Coke was exactly one. I’m not entirely sure this is a good deal or not, but it was a pleasant surprise from my last bar bill at Peche. There’s a pool table, two big screens, and a really good Karaōke system on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday nights. You know, it’s really hard not to like this place.
My only problem with half our table on stage doing Dixie Chicks is that line which sounds a lot like «Errol has to die.» Nothing against clever song lyric or my projections, but jeez. Did I also mention it’s hard not to like this place? Nothing against repeating the obvious either.

I am not certain the other person reviewing Giovanni’s even went there, simply because they couldn’t be more wrong! Giovanni is awesome, giving away food from his awesome restaurant «Napoli’s.» The beer is plentiful and cold and extremely well priced! Great dive bar, fast friendly service, great karaōke Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Also it’s BYOB, so if you want more than beer or wine, you can bring it!
Drove all the way from Southwest Austin and will definitely be back!