Caffe Giovanni

I don’t want to post how much I like this place because I like quiet locations, but it’s a good place so you deserve to know about it.
I’ve been going to Giovanni’s since I was a kid, and I haven’t seen it look this good. The new management has a talent for putting together good food at reasonable prices, and the location is great in and out. Meatball sandwich and salad are solid. Beer and wine is available.
Thanks Giovanni’s for reminding me that you’re alive and kicking.

Not closed! Open open open! They’ve reopened with a streamlined menu, new tables and chairs and an excited willingness to please!
The rosemary rolls remain. Hot and delicious. Love it. It comes with balsamic vinaigrette — wish they brought butter too, but that’s cool cause I bet you can ask for it and they’d gladly bring you some.
We all had the calzone because honestly it’s one of the best. They used to make a phenomenal calzone, so we wanted to see if they still had it. You know what? They totally still have it. Mine oozed with delicious and rich mozzarella. I picked mushroom and garlic and was so pleasantly surprised to find that the garlic was roasted. Delicious! We got a bit of marinara on the side for dipping and even the sauce was fresh and bright and full of flavor. Nothing worse than a marinara that’s too sweet and this had a perfect balance of tang and basil.
All in all, I love that they’ve reopened. They’re a couple blocks from my house and this is perfect because I can go gorge on more deliciousness and then walk home in an Italian food stupor.
Next up: eggplant parmesan!!!

CLOSED PERMANENTLY…
I am so sad about this. I loved fresh herbed dough and sauce. I will miss the calzones and calamari… these were the best in town by a long shot. I used to eat there on weekends and study with a beer for hours using their free internet. This and Phở Ho… have been my favorites for years… and now they are BOTH gone…

Bartender is awesome… makes great margaritas and
the freshly baked bread… Amazing!
Service is good too

The food isn’t great but the service is great, the free bread is great, and it’s a good place to get both drinks and food. It’s a pretty versatile place because you can go alone and sit at the bar, have a dinner for two at a semi-​private table, or even have a large group outing in the back of the restaurant. I ate here often when I was in school at UCB.
Would recommend the Ozark Mountain Punch if you’re trying to get a strong buzz on. The veal dishes here are good.
Expected bill: $ 15.

Man, why pay more here and the food is less than decent.
Every time I come here (not by choice obviously), but i always wonder why this place is still opened. The other Italian restaurant closer to campus in the ghetto is 10 times better!!! AND it is cheaper!
I several times, and ordered pasta, pizza, salad, and steak, and they were all less than mediocre.
Eh, i pass!

My roommate and I decided to try this place on a whim, since we live across the street and I was craving Italian.
The outside of the restaurant didn’t look too exciting, but entering it was a bit like entering Narnia. It was way bigger than I imagined AND had a fireplace AND cheesy-​cool Italian decorations on the wall. I know a lot of reviewers have complained about the fireplace/​decorations being a bit lame, but we were pretty excited about it. The only awkward thing is that you can peer at the other tables if you look under the chimney.
We ordered mozarella sticks, a calzone, and a panini. They brought us some fresh focaccia, and it was warm and delicious – easily the best part of the meal, in my opinion. The calzone was pretty tasty, but I’ll probably try one of the pastas if I ever go again. Overall, I’d say the dinner was pretty average, but combined with the ambiance (and the great bread), I had a good time and I’d be willing to give Giovanni’s another shot. The service and pricing were fine as well, and a lot of the other entrees sounded delicious.

I decided to come here because I’ve heard good things about it from one of my friends. I beg to differ.
The décor is very buca-​esque, but not as decorative. This place seems to attract couples. There’s a couple at almost every corner, so if you’re not into the mushy, lovey-​dovey stuff, don’t come here.
The food was a disappointment. Both my bf and myself did not like our dishes and were a bit sickened by the PDA in the restaurant.
The service was mediocre. The price point is a bit too high for the food we ate. I’m not coming back.

I’ve heard people rave about Giovanni’s over the last decade, and always wanted to try it out for myself, but boy, things have definitely changed over the last few years, and not for the better. First of all, I blame Angelina’s Louisiana’s Kitchen for not having a table for us. Just kidding, but had they had a table Giovanni’s would still be on my to-​try list. =(Anyway, no hard feelings, Angelina’s, I’ll check you out very soon!
Where shall I begin? How about with the propane gas aroma of the restaurant that slaps you in the face upon entry. Not sure if this was coming from the semi-​open kitchen or the out-​dated open fireplace in the dining room, but one too many matches being lit could cause some major damage, but maybe an explosion would force this place to change.
We were seated in a half booth near the rear of the dining room, and the restroom, which is disgusting, but I didn’t realize how close to the restroom we were until, well, you can probably guess, so not okay!!!
Our waitress was MIA for what seemed like forever, and a table in front of us, which was seated much after us, had their drink and food orders taken first, annoying! Our waitress finally appeared and we quickly gave her our drink and food orders since we weren’t sure when she’d return.
I made the mistake of ordering the angel hair pasta with scallops and a marinara sauce. My sis and niece shared a pizza. We tried the minestrone soup and it had no flavor and the beans were not cooked thoroughly. My scallops were tiny and rubbery, and the marinara sauce was just plan gross with a fishiness to it, and had huge chucks of green onion. The pizza was okay, but I was not a fan of the sauce, it was similar in taste (or lack of) as the marinara, and too sweet. The complimentary focaccia bread was the best thing that came to our table. Our glasses of Chardonnay were aged, but in more of an old way than a good way.
We finally had to flag down another table’s waiter for our check since our waitress was again, MIA. Luckily we had cash, so we didn’t have to wait for who knows how long for a credit card transaction. We actually never saw our waitress again. $ 60 later we left feeling more robbed than satisfied. This was my first and last Giovanni experience.

This is a cute place. You can see the chefs and cooks at work when you walk in. There’s a bar I need to try if I go back. Waitress and hostess were very nice and good about recommending wines. Plenty of vegetarian food. It was quite cozy sitting next to the fireplace.
This is a good restaurant if you want to go to a nice place that isn’t too fancy. It’s very casual and relaxed, but still has a lot of elements of a fancier place.
Probably good for the local college students to take dates.
I’d recommend it and I’d probably eat here again.

It is not the best Italian food I’ve eaten and not the worst by a long shot. The ¹⁹⁵⁰⁄₆₀ interior is comfortable and the fireplace adds charm to the large room.
I started dinner with a Peach Melba cocktail a nice blend of Peach vodka with schnapps and orange juice.
My favorite entrée at Italian restaurants is veal scaloppini and Giovanni’s’ rendition of this classic dish is not bad. It was a generous serving and I had leftovers to take home for the next day. N had mushroom raviolis and said they were very mushroomy and quite tasty. She offered me a taste and foolish I said no. I should have said yes, they looked, and smelled good. I kept hopping she would leave them in my car when I dropped her off, but alas she took them with her

It’s been so long that I been to Giovanni’s but recently I went on Halloween nite and was suprised that the place wasn’t full– prob everybody was partying in SF. So, we got a nice seat near the fireplace (real cozy!) in the back. We had to pass the regulars at bar who were cheering on a baseball game drunk out of their minds, pass the cute little terrace and into a huge open area full of several sized seatings.
We took our time looking at the menus and finally I settled for seafood linguine with salad and soup. My guy settled for ravioli. We both ordered drinks– they have a nice selection of wines and other mixed drinks. Unfortunately my mixed drink didn’t even give me a buzz!!! Wow first time something didn’t knock me out and I am a lightweight… so I felt kinda ripped off by the lack of alchol in that mixed drink… melon something or rather.
The bread came quickly in these triangular pieces… interesting! The bread was ok, not mouth savoring or anything but not crappy either… My soup and salad were soon served and by the time my pasta came, I was already full! Both our pastas were huge servings and mine was very delicious– shrimp, salmon, mollusks… it was two meals in one and i was so in love with my food!!! One of the best Italian seafood pasta I have tasted, and although the alcohol didn’t give me a buzz I am coming back to Giovanni like back in the old days when I used to go to Cal. All in all I would give this place a 5 star except for that poor sad non-​alcholic tasting drink that cost $ 6.50. Total price of whole meal for two was moderate.
I took a picture by a pumpkin in my police officer hottie outfit (I will soon put up) and hubby was in his miliary outfit and some guy saluted him– it was funny!

Cool atmosphere and place to take a date for Italian dinner. The bread (ask for the olive oil and balsamic vinegar) is decent but nothing spectacular.
— Blackened catfish: catfish with Cajun spices, served with rice and vegetables. The catfish is perfectly crusted and very flavored with the Cajun spice. A little peppery and spicy, it’s my favorite dish here.
— Cannelloni: perfectly done topped with marinara sauce!
— Seafood Fettuccine: very creamy and full of fresh seafood.
Overall I think the food and atmosphere is pretty decent. The service however, needs improvement. It seems like every time I go service is incredulously slow, even if it isn’t busy! The waiters take forever to come back, whether it’s for more bread or to refill water. Plus, I don’t think the food is worth the price– it’s good, but nothing I can’t get at another Italian restaurant. I’d come back here in the future, but only if it was convenient and I was in the area.

Nice date place, or if you want to just go with a good friend to talk. Make them feel special, it’s kind of like that. Except, of course, it’s Berkeley after all, on Shattuck of all places. It can only be so nice.
The food is good. The wait staff attentive, although sometimes a bit thin, especially during peak meal times. The bread, as others have noted, is quite enough to get full off of.

This place used to have the food that matches the ambiance and price. Not cheap, the décor hasn’t changed for the past 20 years but the crowd has dwindled quite a bit. They have a mid-​sized TV at the bar but their happy hours menu is very limited and not advertised anywhere. After being away for the last six years I was disappointed to learn that they have now rolled back their portions and the complimentary of focaccia bread. When times were good I used to get a warm basket of fresh focaccia but nowadays they would only give you a stiff one of a plate. It was strange to see one customer at the other side of the bar asking to pay for an additional piece of focaccia when they used to come in abundance.
In addition, my greek salad wasn’t as fresh as before and I was surprised by the small portion when it arrived. The dressing was surprisingly heavy and the strange blocks of goat cheese were overpowering. I later developed a negative reaction to the house wine that was for some reason far too dry and bitter. This might still be a good place to order their fresh focaccia bread to go, but otherwise there are plenty of outstanding Italian restaurants in San Francisco.
Two stars since I had experienced something far better at the same restaurant from six years ago.

We’re always trying to try new places around here so once leaving happy hour we decided to walk down Shattuck until something caught our eye.
Café Giovanni it was!
We weren’t expecting anything spectacular. The inside was nice enough with lots of tables and a wall lined with red booths.
They brought out some bread which oddly enough, smelled like a Jimmy Dean sausage. It was good, and no, it didn’t taste like a Jimmy Dean sausage. We both ordered calzones which were a bit dry, but not terrible. I think they were a bit overpriced though.
And yes, the calzones smelled like Jimmy Dean sausage too.
We ordered a blueberry fizz drink, which was okay.
I think we’d probably go back again, but it’s not one of those places I’d be super excited about.

I like Giovanni’s. I gotta say the food isn’t amazing but the ambiance and service keep me coming back for more =) Plus this place has a sentimental value for me! I always order the Fried Zucchini Stick Appetizer — it’s yum! I ordered the seafood pasta last time and it was a little heavy — I think I’m going to try a lighter pasta next time. The bf ordered a pizza that looked delicious and very light and healthy. As I said… food-​wise, not that impressive… three stars but I’m definitely going to keep trying til I find something great!
What I love most, however, is that in the back room there’s all these older couples eating together and you just know that they are regulars here. The waitresses say hello and make conversation with them and it’s always so heart-​warming to see couples that are still so in to each other. Ok, probably not the best reason to choose to go to a restaurant… but it put a smile on my face and I’m pretty sure that’s worth one more star.

After walking a few blocks from the Berkeley Downtown BART station me and my party came to Giovanni’s Caffe. When you first walk in the restaurant looks warm inviting and small. Our waiter led us threw a maze of rooms and tables just to find out that the restaurant stretches way farther then you think. Watch your step on the warped floors, it feels like you are sinking with every step you take.
We where sat quickly and I noticed the place had quit the clientele. The menu is pretty large and can make it hard to choose. Knowing that this is an Italian restaurant I decided to go with a pasta dish. I’m always hesitant to order any pasta dish due to the lack of taste/​seasoning in the sauces. I decided to order the seafood fettuccine, bay scallops, shrimp, salmon, and clams. For starters we did order a full plate of calamari. The calamari where very disappointing. Glistening with oil, no color, and bland with seasoning. Then came the main dish and that was a hit. A few medium sized shrimp, chunks of salmon which had a smokey taste, bay baby scallops perfectly cooked and chunks of clams. The sauce was perfectly seasoned the pasta had a good bite, and the warm focaccia bread for sopping the sauce just made the dish even better. If in the area again I would go back just for this dish.
So why only three stars you may ask? Service was sub par. I give our waiter kudos but he was hit or miss at times. Very friendly but not attentive and forgetful. Not only with us but I did notice he made mistakes with the table next to us. After finishing our appetizer no one had bothered to clear our table and we had dishes piling up through out our dinner. The desert we ordered chocolate moues cake was dry and had no mouse at all. More like a safeway/​costco slice of sugar. The décor is weird and hard to understand. It was just to busy and had to many shades of different reds all over. Price’s are decent and I had a good meal. I would only go back if I was in the area and craving the seafood pasta. But would rather try something else.

Not a favorite, I had been here when I was younger with my Dad who used to eat here a lot when he was younger and living in the Berkeley area.
Just ok. I wouldn’t drive all the way out there for food that is sub-​par to places like Johnny Carino’s.

I was invited to a corporate party. Yeah-​I can’t believe I went corporate for a spell. .. O=:-o What was I thinking? Oy-​Evay!
Anyway, there were 25 peeps in our corporate party ready to devour anything placed before our hungry faces. We toiled all day at the corporate office-​ready to get our party on, so we locked up and strolled down Shattuck to the local Italian restaurant.
This Italian restaurant is conveniently located in downtown Berkeley, but finding parking close to the restaurant is a real challange.
Alternatives: Take BART or walk a few blocks after finding parking. Please-​ya gotta remember to bring those roll o’ quarters to feed the digital meter ticket machine kiosk before going into the restaurant before 6 PM. Berkeley Meter Maids with zero negotiation skills are a grumpy bunch, so don’t even think whining to the Berkeley Meter Maids about your stupid parking ticket, ok?
We succintly arrived on time. .. so corporate keeping true to our timely scheduled reservation, plopped our weary behinds at our well-​appointed, formal table setting, carraffes of ice water dotted in convenient locations on the L-​shaped table configuration.
The menus are carefully placed at each table setting. Mouth-​watering peeps perusing the dinner menu choosing their sinful Italian delights for their dinner consumption, immediately devouring the Italian breads served room temp before the meal. .. but, the butter was stone cold. Cannot melt da butter, Signore Giovanni!
I checked out skulking around the huge Mediterranean style, dark brooding interior restaurant as I usually do for cleanliness. Kinda reminds me of the small Italian restaurant I ate in Portofino, Italy-​the one across the street from the Marina with the white cast iron tables and cast iron seats outside overlooking the Mediterranean Coast. Bello!
Whoa-​check out Giovanni’s nicely stocked liquor bar. .. plenty of drinks to be happily created and rapidly consumed. .. Lethal!
Four Wait Staff cordially greets each individual as soon as all 25 corporate meisters are seated. Surprisingly, the owner is present greeting us at our corporate party as well-​totally cool.
The wait staff promptly takes each dinner and beverage order. The owner makes and delivers our drinks very stiff-​awesome! 25 peeps all giddy from the stiff drinks! Check out the plethora o’drinks at the table!
Thirty minutes later, all twenty-​five orders arrive in fours. .. four orders ready are placed at each respective peeps placement, the wait staff totally hustle back and forth to the kitchen to get four more dinners until all 25 corporate peeps are happily served.
Everybody is quietly chowing down, giggling with utter delight! Must be the stiff drinks the owner made for each of us! Hiccup…
Wait Staff procedes bringing carraffes of white and red Chards to enjoy along with our delicious Italian dinners. No complaints from these corporate peeps! Everyone is served with piping hot food is a great, difficult task in itself.
Dinner: The food was excellently marinated with correct sauces and ingredients, not greasy, not too spicy, just right, well-​executed food presentation-​this talented Chef knows his stuff, huh?
I wonder. .. Is the Chef from Noli, Italy? To me, the food preparation and the manner each dinner was gently spiced with just the right amount of garlic and seasoning reminds of the great Italian Chefs hailing from Noli, Italy.
However, please keep in mind, Chefs hailing from this Italian region of small towns of Noli and Genova create huge dinner plates for family members. Happily, I had to take a to go bag. .. I ate my dinner leftovers for my next day’s lunch. .. delicious, but I left the stone cold butter behind.
Thank God this Italian cuisine restaurant exists and is definitely not a mushy palate nightmare like the Bucco Di Beppo I visited in OC. I think I will stick to owners owning their restaurants rather than eating at a corporate owned chain restaurant.
The corporate price-​break was very cool, too. I think the next time I have a corporate party, I am setting it up at Giovanni’s. I am sold! But, I will tell Giovanni to melt da butter next time, so 1 star subtracted for the hard, stone-​cold butter!
Some peeps just do not understand the ways of Italian cuisine Chefs and how each meal should be properly served. .. props to Giovanni with the exception of the stone-​cold butter…
Grazie, Bello Giovanni for serving all 25 corporate peeps in a timely, cordial, Italian hospitality.