Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Pizza Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

Giovanni's was recommended by a friend, so we decided to try it on Friday, July 23rd at 8:30pm for 4 people. We ordered the Fritto Misto, Penne Alla Vodka and both the Calabrese & Pepperoni pizza, along with a half litre of red wine. The ambience was nice, and the food & wine were delicious.

The down side of this dining experience; 1) I felt a very condescending vibe from Tony (who looked like he was in charge). When we approached him at the entrance, his first question was, "Are you looking for a table?" He looked disappointed when I said we had reservations. He told us to wait and walked away. He came back with a hosterss and instructed her to seat us in section where the picnic tables were on the road. When I asked about an available table for 4 in the patio, we were curtly told it was for someone else.

2. We had to wait 5mins before our server Sam, (who was polite enough but seemed overwhelmed by the busyness) came to our table, which was not a problem because we understood to bring patience in this new dining atmosphere. I initially ordered a glass of wine but later decided on the half litre instead. We spent a few minutes trying to get our server's attention and finally had to flag him down. He told us the bartender just poured my drink and would be too busy to change it...WTH!?!?! When I repeated how ridiculous this sounded, I was able to get my 1/2 L of wine...although we waited another 10 minutes to receive our drink order.

3. We had looked at the menu online ahead of time because our daughter is a selective eater. We were told the kids menu on their website was no longer available and when we asked if they could do a simple pasta Alfredo for her, again Sam said they were too busy to do it!?!?! So be aware that they don't have time to cater to picky children right now, or at least on a busy Friday night.

4. A group of 6 Italian patrons were seated in the same area at the same time as we were. I'm unsure if you can pre-order your food or if perhaps they knew the owner/manager, but we felt they had preferential treatment when it came to their drinks & food order. I'd hate to think that because we were non-Italians, we didn't the same service....

Although the food was great, we would not dine here again because of the 4 issues we encountered Our friend who recommended this place is a regular and was very surprised by this, I guess it was a...

Unlike alot of old school restauraunts who have been in the area for a long time, Little Italy has only had Giovannis in their presence for less than a year! They opened summer 2020 right in the middle of the pandemic which took alot of bravery. Their menu selection is massive.

From Italian drinks like the Malfy Spritz to their apps like the polenta fries, bruschetta, or fritto misto (fried calamari and fried shrimp) the entire menu is representative of a bunch of different regions of Italy.

They also offer alot of unique choices you won't find at other restauraunts like the Polpetta - a 3/4 pound meatball in tomato sauce! Its massive! And the fico e prosciutto is a first for me. Its arugula topped with melted mozzarella and a skewer of fresh figs but the whole thing is surrounded by prosciutto.

In terms of both pasta and pizza the selection covers you from veggie to various meets, and again with that italian influence. What I mean is pizzas like the mortadella and tonno exist here, which is rare to find other places.

As for dessert, my favorite dessert is of course tiramisu. It's very hard to do tiramisu wrong, however what is difficult is trying to take a unique spin on it and doing it right. Giovanni's was able to put their touch on the dessert with Tiramisu dessert pizza! The best part is a mini espresso pot is poured over top before serving. All in all this is an amazing place for authentic Italian food and I hope when restrictions lift I can dine in or on the...

Just had THE most off putting experience at this restaurant. The house wine was on the menu - a half litre for a decent price. We order it just to be told it’s out. We ask if there is another option, since the house is out of stock. We are told no and begin to discuss our other drink options. We also discussed the fact that perhaps the cost of providing another option outweighed the loss they experience from frustrated customers. NOT loudly, not rudely, not angrily, but in a private conversation at our table. I noticed during this conversation a woman sitting at a table nearby and listening. A few moments later she arrived at our table with two glasses of wine ‘on the house’ accompanied by a snide remark and spoke my words back to me making it evident that she heard us and was extremely displeased by our private conversation. Her voice was absolutely dripping with attitude and it was evident that this was NOT a friendly gesture. I have never gotten up from a table and walked out of a restaurant before but I am absolutely flabbergasted that a business owner would be so incredibly rude to a customer. They were also NOT checking vaccination status until LONG after we had been seated and looking at a menu. I have NEVER been so upset by a SERVICE WORKER, let alone a business owner who then expected me to sit down and drop $100 bucks at her establishment. I am quite...