Trattoria da Gianni — Restaurant in Guerrero

We were leery of the bad reviews, but took a chance and were really glad we did. To address other reviews:

The owner: I think he's misunderstood. He wants reservations so he can make sure the place run smoothly. I guess he refuses to let people treat him like "the help" in his own restaurant. If I owned a business that I was confident in, I can't say it's not a perspective that I don't understand and wouldn't have myself.

Us: Family of 6. Felt like Italian because when you have 3 teens and a tween who are Mexican-fooded out, Italian is a safe bet. A charming courtyard with crushed white rock for the floor, umbrellas and string lights. Really great atmosphere and ambiance. Tables really spread out -- you didn't feel cramped. We ordered salad, 4 appetizers, 7 entrees, and 8 desserts so we got a decent sampling of the menu.

Food and Service: Many great things to say, but first to address some concerns in other reviews. Service takes a little longer. Part of it is likely just kitchen pacing; the other is prep on demand. E.g. the gnocchi -- most house made gnocchi is prep'd in batches and frozen or placed in the fridge. Potentially, they're "flour heavy" to produce that chewy, al-dente mouth feel that we like with our pasta. BUT, it's gnocchi made of potato and not pasta so it's softer. Further, it's made when you order so that takes more time. Noodles are also made in house. My daughter's fet alfredo was great. Well seasoned; a really nice bite. So often for kids, get bland white pasta, but when my wife tasted it, her reaction was, "Wow, that is really good. I was not expecting that."

Lasagna ragu was great. Simple, but really tasty. Penne pasta with pork cheek and a little kick to it that was very nice. The salmon was cooked perfectly. In Seattle, we get some of the best, freshest salmon, and my son is really picky about it. When he ordered, I was asking, "Are you SURE?" I noticed it was skin on. It was seared, skin-side, very well...Crispy, but not charred and finished in the broiler. At his first bite, his eyes got really wide, he broke into a broad smile: "This is SOOO GOOD! It is seasoned so well and cooked PERFECTLY!" My wife said she wanted one too -- It didn't last 10 minutes before it was gone. Calamari was solid too -- if anything, I'd say the batter was a tad too thick, but it was good. Well seasoned, and we ate both orders, and will order it again later tonight.

Desserts were on-point. I loved the panna cotta, one son practically licked the plate of his creme brulee, the tiramisu fanatic was scraping at the serving dish. Affogato's might have been the biggest challenge of the night -- Server hadn't served 4 affogatos at once before so he brought out the 4 ice creams in cups, but brought all the shots of espresso out in a bigger taza de caffe. The result was his espresso/ice cream proportions were way off.

Italians run restaurants using "true Italian family recipes from the old country." At the end of the day, it's either good and you like it, or it's not, and you have something to complain about. I've eaten Italian in multiple places in Italy (including Venice where the owner says he's from) and other parts of Europe and North America, and what I can say is my family really enjoyed this place, and the food served. The sauces were well balanced and rich in flavor, the noodles were made in house and had a wonderful bite. We often eat Italian in Seattle or Vancouver BC (Lupo) and spend $325+ USD including tip (again, no alcohol because, like many Asians, we don't drink). This meal cost us a little over $200 USD including tip, and we were about as satisfied as we ever are leaving a restaurant so what is not to love.

Should you go there? I think you should. Should you be worried about the bad reviews? Maybe if you like to complain and nitpick. If you're looking for great food, well cooked at a fair price, and you can roll with a strong personality who just wants everything done just so, then you should give it a shot. We're going again...

I was really looking forward to trying the Gnocchi here, but it got marred by not even getting to try it because of the rude owner.

We called a few hours before going and supposedly reservations were not needed. Not only did it turn out we did need reservations upon my family's arrival, the owner proceeded to yell at us, berating us for not knowing to the point of throwing insults. I get it, the place seems to get busy, especially at this time of year, but that was no way to treat would-be customers who made an honest mistake.

I really thought this was a misunderstanding and we walked in while he was probably stressed, but my experience seems to add up with other comments here and on TripAdvisor saying how angry the owner gets. It's a huge shame since there are no other places in Zihua that serve Gnocchi. The owner needs to clean up his act big time.

I want to give it another chance, but the owner's rudeness that visit singlehandedly killed my family's chances of trying this place again. If you're gonna eat here, beware of that and be absolutely sure you make a...

My husband and I went to Gianni's a few years ago and decided to go again on Saturday night, March 19th. The food was incredible. The calamari was the best both my husband and I have ever had. The lasagna was by far the best I've had. It was spinach lasagna and melted in my mouth. I was on meds so no alcohol. I ordered a marguerita without alcohol and even THAT was perfect! My husband raved about his meal as well. The service was great, the dinner was perfection and we want to bring our friends there so we reserved again for this Saturday night. Thanks to this restaurant for making our Saturday absolutely perfect! The prices are...