Giovanni

Giovanni is a great place to start your evening or grab a late-nite snack. Walking through awnings lined with wine bottles, you are immediately snatched away from the busy streets of Berkeley and transported into a warm, family atmosphere reminiscent of Sicily. At the center of Giovanni is a large wood-burning fireplace, providing ample ambience as you sip a supple red wine while downing bite-sized deep-fried calamari or snacking on sauteed mushrooms. Cozy booths are available where you can sit snuggly next to your date instead of across from them. However, you can also opt for traditional tables if your dinner partner is not of the romantic persuasion. Aside from being a nice place to take someone on a casual date, Giovanni is also a great location for family dining and private parties.

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The menu changes often and prices are reasonable.

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Ratings & Reviews of Giovanni

Giovanni details
I am OK with paying a decent amount of money for Italian food, or any food, if it is high quality. But Giovanni's just fails ... (Christopher, 1/8/2009)
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getting worse with time
My boyfriend & I have been coming here for years. It started off as a fairly good restaurant, but lately the food has gotten consistently worse. The service is fine, but anything we ordered was substandard for the prices they charge. On our last visit (last ever!!!) my boyfriend got sick from his meal. If you go here, it should be for the bar, which serves great drinks. Pass on the food!!! (anabris, 01/08/2009)
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Good bread by Veronica C. at InsiderPages
Their pizzas are very good, but I think their pastas are a little too rich and heavy. Funny thing is my favorite thing there is their focaccia bread and it's free! (Citysearch User, 12/30/2008)
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Great Pizza by L L. at InsiderPages
Giovanni's has great pizza and many toppings to choose from. The dining experience is very enjoyable too. I especially like their meat combination pizza. Their crust really adds to the flavor experience. (Citysearch User, 12/28/2008)
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absolutely disgusting
First off, I would like to say that I eat out regularly, and I have never posted a review online before. I started an account with citysearch just to post this review. This restaurant is absolutely terrible. If the prices had been more reasonable I would have just written it off as a bad dining experience, but unfortunately that is not the case here. I ordered the Jambalaya calzone for $16.00. The presentation was non-existent and the ingredients seemed to be well beyond their expiration date. I don't think that all of the ingredients listed on the menu were even included, which may be a good thing considering the quality. I can't remember the last meal I genuinely regretted eating, even Jack in the Box. Nothing could wash the taste of spoiled shrimp out of my mouth for nearly an hour after the meal. My girlfriend ordered the veal marsala, which seemed like it might not make you violently ill, but it looked like a TV dinner. Between the two of us the meal (with one glass of wine and after tip) was nearly sixty dollars. The wait staff did their job, nothing special though. Do not eat at this restaurant unless you are some kind of masochist. (hungryinsf1, 06/23/2008)
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A Berkeley Classic by Caesar G. at InsiderPages
Giovanni is a classic in Berkeley. From my 1st year at Cal until now, I enjoy eating at this place. My favorite plate is the Italian Duet. The setting has an old time feel, however the crowd varies from students to singles and families. This place is a must when in Berkeley. (Citysearch User, 05/01/2008)
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Bad aftertaste
What use to be a great Italian restaurant is now owned by Chinese owners who totally ran the place down. Food tasted horrible. I ordered Scampi - tasted like chinese rice & shrimp. My husband ordered clams with pasta in a red sauce. That dish not only was nasty to taste but sick to look at. Clams came from a can & were minced. Sauce was brown & tasted like i don't know what.....Ever few minutes one of the owners would haul boxes right pass the tables... , 2 times he dragged a trash can!??? (rayhana, 07/23/2007)
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Best bread you'll ever be served
I mean it... Their bread (with butter of course) is THE MOST increible bread I have ever had. Go there even if you're just goin' for the bread. Trust me, it's worth it. (kgarg, 07/24/2006)
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Great Value for Great Food!
The decor is like you're in the streets of Italy. There's a nice seating area in the front where you can people watch, or you can go in the back and sit near the huge fireplace. I got the chicken marsala, and my wife got the NY steak. Chicken was very tender and tasted great! Even the side veggies where good (I don't usually eat veggies), it was very fresh. My wife got the NY steak and it was delicious (had to take some home, very good portions). But, the fresh foccacia bread they serve you before the meal was SOO good. I could just go and eat that all day, they make it daily and you can definitely taste it. Our bill was under $40 with drinks, what a deal! I'm definitely going back to try the pizza next, saw someone order it and it looked really good. (sk818, 05/08/2006)
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Very Average
Fireside dining is kind of nice. Food unoriginal and unflavorful but good portions. Hostess inattentive but accomodating. Didn't card. (stainlessmirk, 02/27/2006)
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Decent but not great
The food was average. I had the chicken piccata. The chicken was great but it wasn't served with anything else except a few pieces of stewed veggies. Other members of my party were disappointed with their meal b/c of small portions and overall quality. Service was OK but the waitress was somewhat unattentive. (albert salsa, 12/30/2004)
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