Giovanni Restaurant

3.8 (92)

$30 and under

Italian

2420 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

OverviewReviewsDetails

About this restaurant

A Berkeley favorite, Giovanni Restaurant specializes in classic Italian fare. With a daily happy hour and separate dinner and bar menus, it places an emphasis on people coming together to share food and enjoy good drinks. Noted for a good house wine and nice range of beer, the food at Giovanni Restaurant is the centerpiece. Traditional Italian flavors appear in the antipasti, salads, delicious fried dishes and pasta. The warm Brussel sprout salad is popular as is the housemade carbonara. Unique spins on some dishes, such as the Jambalaya linguini or the confusion pizza ensure that everyone can have a bit of fun whether eating dinner or an after work snack at Giovanni Restaurant.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Dinner: Su-Th 4:00pm-11:00am Dinner: F-Sa 4:00pm-12:00am
Website
http://originalgiovanni.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Alex Sanchez / Juan Sanchez
Catering
All items on menu available.
Private party facilities
Our private dining room seats 40.

Location
2420 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Neighborhood
Oakland
Cross street
Channing Way
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Bus and BART are nearby
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Giovanni Restaurant.

3.8

(92)

3.8Food
3.8Service
3.7Ambience

Noise • Moderate

92 Reviews

N
Nancydy Gold
San Francisco52 reviews
3.0
Dined on March 23, 2015
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Food was fine, and service was fine. Did not seem up to date, though. There were six of us from four different places, so we loved that it was quiet so we could have a great visit. Our waiter was very good.
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JM
JMCMartinez
San Francisco33 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 15, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Went to Giovanni's for Valentine's Day dinner last Saturday night and had a very nice experience. It was the first time my wife and I went there and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of food and the service. Good Italian cooking and one of the best alfredo suaces we've had. And great tiramisu desert!
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EN
EatNEnjoy
San Francisco4 reviews
4.0
Dined on January 5, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 5
I have been going there for over 30 years. Everything is delicious. My favorite is the Carbonara and any of their pizzas. The crust is perfect with any type of topping. It's the perfect place for any ocassion.
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L
Lovegudfood
San Francisco2 reviews
4.0
Dined on November 29, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our waiter was very helpful throughout the evening
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r
rhino
San Francisco26 reviews
2.0
Dined on November 1, 2014
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
-Even though it was a slow night, the service was slow too. -Our drinks took awhile to be served and they did not taste as good. They were out of a certain liqour to make one of their "signature cocktails" -my spouse enjoyed her pizza, even though the salad order did not arrive.
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H
Hankey23
Chicago22 reviews
3.0
Dined on October 29, 2014
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
food was good. the place is a little outdated but remember you are in Berkeley.
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g
gotrock49 Gold
San Francisco17 reviews
3.0
Dined on October 5, 2014
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Food is always good here, but this time the service was lacking. It seems that our service person lost our order and after waiting for about 15 minutes for our drinks and food, we had to place our order a second time. Our salad came to our table without dressing.
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T
Taxidigirl
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on September 27, 2014
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
I've been going to Giovanni's since my college days circa 1981. I hadn't been back in a few years. It was a pleasure having Giovanni seat us! He is still going at age 80+. I love the old school Italian atmosphere, especially in the back with the cozy copper fireplace. The chef accommodated us and added a wonderful pesto sauce to the homemade fettuccine. The focaccia bread is out of this world!
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HT
HashTagRomance
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on September 20, 2014
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Took my gf here for a date and it was great. The ambience was romantic. The food didn't take too long to get out and the food was delicious. Waitress was helpful but not nosey or pushy. I did wish they turn the fire down a bit cause it got a little warm next to the fire place. But once it gets colder then the warmth will be really nice.
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c
chilledcoyote
San Francisco5 reviews
3.0
Dined on July 25, 2014
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Service was very slow and pretty inattentive, this may have been because they had a large party in the back. Food was pretty basic, good, but really nothing to write home about. I chose this place for a casual business meeting because it was the quietest looking place within walking distance of the Bart station, but I don't think I'll come back.
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Dinner: Su-Th 4:00pm-11:00am Dinner: F-Sa 4:00pm-12:00am
Website
http://originalgiovanni.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Alex Sanchez / Juan Sanchez
Catering
All items on menu available.
Private party facilities
Our private dining room seats 40.

Location
2420 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Neighborhood
Oakland
Cross street
Channing Way
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Bus and BART are nearby
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing