Ristorante Pizzeria Giovanni — Restaurant in Prague

We had a disappointing meal here on the 21st July this year. Maybe it was a mistake getting a pizza in Prague, but the restaurant and it's food looked nice, as we walked past. When we sat down, the male water came and "cleaned" our table. This involved running a paper serviette over a very sticky outdoor table. When bits of the serviette tore off and stuck to the table, he just picked them off in front of us. Classy! The pizzas took a while to arrive and looked great (I had ham and mushroom, my friend had veggie/ mushroom, but they were very bland. Couldn't taste the cheese at all, and hardly any flavour. But we were in a hurry so we ate them. The best bit was when the waiter brought the bill and the card reader. The bill came to 604 CZK, but the waiter keyed in 670 saying: "604 add 10% is 670, ok?" "No" my friend said; "604!" "Yes sir, but with 10% service charge its 670." he replied, offering my mate the card machine again. "No, 604!" my friend replied. At this point the waiter's attitude changed, he re-keyed the price of 604 with a dirty look on his face, didn't say another word and marched away. We both happily give tips when we get good food and good service, but at Wine & Food by Giovanni (very imaginative name), we got bad food, slow service, rude service but at least the beers were nice! Well I suppose, beer is not brewed there, so that...

I have been going to this restaurant for over 9 years, initially maybe 3 times a year but since we moved to Prague much more often. I have never been compelled to write a review before as we have always had such a nice experience here, my bad I should praise rather than just complain. We noticed that there were always 2 brigades, that alternated over a period of weeks and they were both lovely welcoming and always remembered us. In the past few years I was perplexed at the number of negative reviews being posted and always thought it may be rude tourists. But after tonight I can maybe see why. We were greeted by a male and female worker with much indifference and grudgingly taken to a table. In the 9 years I have eaten here not once have I been disappointed with my food. I ordered the chicken with chanterelles and my partner carbonara but dishes we have eaten many times before. My sauce was just crème fresh with mushrooms no taste and the carbonara was dry as if it had been kept under the pass for 15mins. We both love this restaurant and will be back but if we see this team there we will just pass and go back another week. As an owner please correlate the bad feedback with the team working, the only light tonight was the bar lady that remembered us and was...

❌️Scam Alert❌️

I had a troubling experience at Ristorante Pizzeria Giovanni. The food was mediocre at best, it was dirty, and the service was almost nonexistent. Our wait times were long, and staff seemed disinterested.

The real issue, however, was the questionable payment practice. They displayed a sign stating 1 € = 25.50 Kč, and without giving us a choice, they charged my credit card in euros (29.92 € for a 763 Kč bill) using Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). This forced conversion likely included a hidden markup (3-7% or more), which is a common tourist trap. The market rate was around 24.30 Kč per €, meaning we paid more than necessary while they told us they do it because "it's a better deal for the customer".

We watched multiple tables struggle to get their checks and argue about this same practice, but the staff were dismissive. I'll share my bill for reference.

This seems to be a deliberate tactic to exploit visitors, especially since we saw similar signs at other sketchy spots in Prague. I'll share the sign so others are aware. If you must eat at one of these restaurants I’d advise paying in CZK cash to avoid being overcharged. Check your statement and dispute any extra fees with your bank. You also could just save yourself the hassle and...