Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant

My boyfriend and I came here for Valentine’s Day and loved it! The place is small and quirky but very romantic with the dim lighting and intimate seating. Get there early because if you’re not seated immediately you will be waiting at least 45 minutes. We got the calamari as a appetizer which was delicious. Next we ordered the tortellini pink and the chicken piccata. Both were delicious and a lot of food. We finished off with the cheesecake and one piece was plenty to share. We loved the family restaurant and authentic Italian cuisine!

An excellent Italian restaurant. Forget about all the chain places this beats them all. The capers salad was perfect great fresh tomatoes kept the oil and balsamic on the side just not to get the tomatoes soft perfect. Order the Linguine with mussels & calamari n red sauce and it was perfect. The décor is kind of corny but perhaps that gives the place more character. Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the Greenville, SC area.

A small classic Italian restaurant. Simplistic, however the food quality was great. I had a dish with Gnocchi and a Gorgonzola sauce, and it was tasteful and filling. The atmosphere is perfect for a quiet night out to enjoy classic Italian fare.

Giovanni’s is a satisfying little Italian place. The quirky décor with its retro seating and funky Italian wall murals actually give it some charm.
Their menu hasn’t been completely Americanized and still has some old world dishes like the veal scallopini draped in prosciutto with a sage white wine sauce that I enjoyed. My girlfriend ordered meat lasagna, and while she struggled to find the pasta, the dish was nice and savory with good spices.
Giovanni’s is a dependable Italian restaurant for a very fair price. Make sure to eat here before you go to an Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill.

Thank you very much for catering my Christmas party. The food was fantastic!!! The lobster and shrimp ravioli was a real winner.

Cute, warm, romantic little restaurant. Great prices for high quality Italian food. The owner is very personable and friendly. Skip Olive Garden, come here :)

This place has never disappointed! From the fresh house made mozzarella, to the amazing sauces and bread we haven’t found a better Italian place in Greenville. The family that owns the restaurant also cooks and serves. You can tell this isn’t just a business venture for them but their passion. If you go get the caprese salad for an appetizer.

For the price point you are paying, you are not getting your money’s worth. You are paying for overcooked chicken, salmon, under-​ripe tomatoes and store bought mozzarella. Was very disappointed by the slightly-​more-​than palatable dinner received and the ingredients tasted cheap and were ill-​prepared.
This is the second visit to this restaurant, and my last as it was not worthy of being true Italian cuisine.

Five Stars is not a high enough rating for this Greenville staple. Giovanni’s is simply incredible. The first sign this was going to be a meal of a lifetime was being greeted and seated by Mr. Giovanni himself. The setting felt like a scene out of Lady and the Tramp and the food was even better. Our meal began with Giovanni’s homemade bruschetta, which was absolutely to die for. Up next came the calamari. Please note that the calamari was not simply breaded and thrown in a fryer but delicately cooked to perfection in a spicy red sauce. Simply put the best calamari I have ever had! Soon came the delectable Caesar salad which Caesar himself would have approved of. The main course was Hot Ziti… spicy sausage, fiery red sauce, and yummy mozzarella delivered an orgy of flavors into my mouth that I can honestly say was one of the best Italian meals I have ever had. Amazing.

Very good and delicious food
I recommend this italian restaurant
Great service five *****

Delicious, authentic Italian cuisine cooked to perfection and blasting with flavor. If you’re a merlot fan, the bottle of North Star is a must. Delicious.

I wish we had found out about Giovanni’s sooner. Don’t be put off by the strip mall location. I love the old-​school Italian ambiance (nothing fancy) and delicious food. The owner is very nice and hospitable — tell him your budget and he will select you a lovely bottle of wine. They serve complimentary bruschetta before your meal, too.

Why have I not been going here? Best Italian in Greenville by far. Probably the best food period. No reservations taken, so be prepared to wait standing up in a small space, but it’s worth it. Old school Italian at its finest. We enjoyed talking to the owner who took our order and took his time chatting with all customers.
My only complaint is the wine by the glass. There was one Chardonnay choice, and it wasn’t the best. I’ll take the Woodbridge, though, if I get the quality meal we experienced last night.

Having lived most of my life in or around NYC, I know good Italian food. Giovanni’s is good Italian food. It is family run and all the food is made to order, which means there is a wait to get your entrée, but you can make that bearable by ordering an appetizer to share.
I had the Saltimbocca Di Vitello which is veal, sage and prosciutto with a side of pasta. My husband had veal parmesan.
Besides the regular menu, there are specials which I look forward to trying. Just remember that this is not fast food, but well worth the wait.

Best Italian in Gville (verified by my Italian husband, and the fact that we just relocated from Manhattan). The fruit de mare is sensational, and the bruschetta is a nice touch.

Mussels were good for an appetizer, bruschetta was very good, salad was very good, veal parm fair (marinara too sweet for my taste), pasta aglio olio fair. Wine by the glass was served out of airplane sized bottles — strange. Small place, very busy, service was good. It was pretty good but I was hoping for better based on the previous Unilocal reviews. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to go back.

Well, it has a 4.5 overall rating for a reason. If you’re looking for Italian food in a great atmosphere, then this is the place to go. The owner is very welcoming and it’s like he’s inviting you into his home for a meal. You can tell he loves what he does and he’s passionate about his food. Combine that passion with the talent to back it up, and you’ve got Giovanni’s. It’s a delicious meal and a great experience.
I recommend it for a romantic date night!

Pasta Fresca with creamy tomato gorgonzola sauce. Bruscetta. Veal Saltimbocca. Shrimp and scallops with red seafood sauce over gnocchi.
Need. I. Say. More.
Added bonus… The owner Gabrielle is phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommended!

The real deal!
You’d be lucky to find this restaurant in the big, big city… but there you are in South Carolina-​a-​a! Of course driving there on Woodruff will make you think you’re stuck in the L-​A gridlock.
Great service by the owner, and he is a trip! The sauce was unique and fantastic, non bland like you’ll usually find. Our dinner for 2 cost about $ 53… Bruschetta, Lobster ravioli, lasagna, one salad, mozzarella marinara, one glass of wine.
The owner is big on wine and he’s sure to have a special deal for you, for a case. We heard him dealing wine with the couple dining next to us.
Don’t let the strip mall location throw you, and the place is pretty small… things could get crowded for sure…
Can’t believe Giovanni’s is in Greenville! Great Italian food!

My colleague at our Greenville site told me about this amazing Italian restaurant and I really had high hopes of giving it a 5 star — it’s been awhile since a place received one from me and this was an Italian mom and pop place so it really had my hope up high!
We were lucky or privileged to get two tables to sit all eight of us, but whatever the case may be — we had no waiting for our table. And from that moment on — it wasn’t a meal — it was an experience!
Our servers were the owner and his son — it was if they both were our servers and though I didn’t catch his dad’s name — the son’s name is Sebastian — so here’s a shout out to him. He was a fantastic server with personality plus — nothing against his dad, but at times it was hard to make out every word his dad spoke, but he was certainly very charming and I felt almost like family — maybe because I’m Italian it was easy to feel at home!
The menu was extensive, but it wasn’t overwhelming — problem was — everything sounded good and they didn’t have a huge sampling meal. I selected the Hot Ziti along with another colleague and the other two at our table selected the Sea Bass and I believe the veal dish. NO ONE complained — in fact there wasn’t much talking while eating — it was that good. However, Sebastian’s «HOT» must be far hotter then mine because the hot Ziti had more kick then he said. BUT — I loved it — and knew I wasn’t eating something great when I began to sweat — now THAT’s Italian!
Then came desert — homemade Tiramisu — my son actually makes the best I’ve ever had, but this one was so different then his — it was the best I’ve had like this — wasn’t quite as sweet nor was it as light as my son’s, but it was equally good and a nice change of pace from typical tiramisu!
Pricing — I’m not too sure what the total came to, because the other table ordered a very pricey bottle of wine. However, the prices on the menu for most all of the meal selections were reasonable. They also do a good job paring up the meal to wine and beer and the menu — and you can always ask them what they think would be a good choice too!
Because I include cleanliness in my reviews — I must comment on this place — very clean — yes including the bathrooms. The entire place was decorated decently, but the bathroom impressed me — not one single mark of graffiti and yet the smallest of details I did notice. In order to conserve on energy and be sustainable — the hot water selection in the sink wasn’t available, but by NO means did that distract me from a 5 star rating.
This mom and pop — family owned place it top notch and I’d recommend to everyone to stop in. There is plenty of parking — it’s easy to find and get to (inside a plaza type area) and they accept credit cards and have morals. Of course — if you are an idiot — expect to be thrown out — I applaud them for not putting up with arrogant idiots and allowing us to enjoy our experience!