We celebrated a special birthday here and had a lovely evening. The food we had was great but I have awarded 4* because of the portion sizes. The sizes were on the small size especially the lasagne it really was a very small portion even for an 80 year old petite lady, she would have liked more. The desserts were homemade and 5*. The staff very friendly and attentive. Regards atmosphere it would have been great to have music in the background all evening.
The starter was amazing, the pizza was good and the dessert was terrible. We had Bruschetta to start, it was really light and refreshing, perfect. Pizza was okay, the sauce was a little dull, the pizza was a bit on the small size but nice. Then the man offered to give my crying child some ice cream. I thought it would be on the house, but ended up seeing it on the bill. The ice cream tasted very similar to the children’s ice lollys called mini milks. The atmosphere was quiet and quiet. You could just here other people’s conversations, it could do with some music.
Nothing but praise for this restaurant.
On a Saturday night when the restaurant was busy, we had three courses, and were in and out in little over an hour.
Food was fresh, portion-size just right. If you want a dessert - the amaretto trifle was divine!
Words cannot describe the spectacular food I had this evening. I spent a while trying to decide what to have, then I stumbled upon the crayfish spaghetti dish. I was not disappointed. It was glorious. I then asked which wine would be best paired with the dish, and again, I was not disappointed in the slightest. My partner also really enjoyed his meal. The whole experience was exquisite. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as the food was beautiful and the staff were so lovely and seemed to be passionate about Italian cooking. 100% recommend!!
The food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. The atmosphere was a little noisy dye to a large group celebrating a birthday.
Absolutely stunning food. Catered for our milk allergy son aswell. Most food around Barnstaple revolves around fry food.. nice to have freshly prepared authentic Italian! Will be going again!
Quite a busy restaurant. Food was nice (I'd say 3 to 4 stars), but like in other reviews, portions of pasta are small. Good service, friendly.
We had a lovely time as a family of four!
I'm gf and they have some penne as an option. The pizzas looked and smelt amazing, the pasta was so so but we would come back.
Nice place if you want something family friendly. Very nice staff as well
Jon “Flynnejammin” Flynne
+4
A lovely little eatery opposite the theatre which would be a great start or end to any show that you choose to see.
The entry was pleasant although its unusual being beckoned to a table by the waiting staff, who on reflection was being friendly but I'm just not accustomed to that methodology for getting people to a table.
I sat in a quiet section of the layout and sat and took in all the pictures and nick naks that filled any space that might otherwise have looked bare.
I was presented with the wine list and chose a bottle of the house red - the Sicilia Nero D"Avola, which I had not had before, but was full bodied and at the right temperature.
For the starter I had the Bruscetta (spelt Bruschetta normally) and pronounced it with an "H" to have it parroted back in an accent that made the "C" a hard C and missed out the H altogether, but thats great, I love learning. This little starter, coveted by many a tomato eating European, had a lovely flavour with the Oregano giving the floral note and the garlic giving that little punch you are looking for with this peasants dish. A smidgen of black freshly milled pepper was added by the lady waiter and i was left to inhale my food, being as hungry as i was.
For the main i had the Risotto Pescatora. This came out very quickly after the starter was taken away, which made me feel a little rushed, but i sat and quietly ate this rice dish laden with a flavour of the sea. Again i was offered fresh pepper and a funky electronic device despatched the pecorino cheese liberally over my meal. The plate was oozing fishy appeal and the flavour combinations were really good.
After the main, i was quickly offered the dessert menu but took my time and didn't order anything for another 20 mins.
For my dessert i had the Italian Crumble cake with vanilla ice cream. A light, soft and sweet custardy wedge of goodness was delivered, along with a bitter double espresso, went great together and was finished off with gusto.
On paying and leaving, it was only on getting back to my hotel that i noted i had been charged too much for the wine and also for the main.
So this is my main gripe, that along with having the feeling of being rushed throughout the meal.
Would i return - yes
Would i double check my bill before paying - oh yes.
Love it . My family has never had a bad meal here . Lovely friendly staff . Fantastic food . Just need to remember to wear elasticated clothing next time 😁
Really nice place authentic Italian food. My only downside was that the spaghetti dishes were small portions. More of a starter than a main course.
I'm a very fussy eater and Giovanni's was an absolutely gorgeous meal I would definitely recommend for the food atmosphere and service 😋
Lovely family restaurant, great menu, and all the meals were fabulous. Great staff who care about their customers. Would definitely recommend and will definitely be back soon
Lovely wholesome Italian food! Great service and always a nice atmosphere.
Epic pasta dishes and desserts. Friendly service and nice atmosphere. I can recommend.
The food here was amazing! I had Insalata Caprese (pictured) to start, which was light, fresh and tasty. And then I had Penne Romana for main. I had gluten free pasta, and I find that many restaurants do not cook GF pasta for long enough. However, Giovanni's cooked it to perfection.
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