Giovanni's Restaurant — Restaurant in Beaverton

I've been driving past this restaurant for almost 30 years, and finally decided to give it a try when some family came into town for a visit.

Upon entry, it wasn't what I was expecting. The entry was tiny and it looked more like a cafe relic from the past than a cozy Italian restaurant with the decent reviews I read here. The hostess didn't quite seem to know what to do with us and looked a bit confused before asking how many and directing us to a booth.

Service was good though, and attentive. When asked about items or drink details, the explanations were clear and given with a nice energy.

Some menu items come with soup or salad, but it seems that I one I ordered didn't, so I sat watching the rest of my family eating their salads and soup. It made for an awkward span of time awaiting the entrees to appear.

It took a LONG time for them to appear. Everyone but me ordered lasagna and had decent things to say about it. I took a bite of my spouse's and it tasted OK. The basket of bread got indifferent reviews though. My stromboli eventually showed up and was just shy of burnt with no comment from the waitress The stromboli was odd. Very thin crust, almost burnt as mentioned earlier. The taste of char wasn't too off-putting though. What was weird was that there was no seasoning other than the meat in it. The meat combination was strange. Why was Canadian bacon used rather than Italian sausage? The bland meat sucked all of the life out of the filling. If it hadn't been for a zesty pepperoni, I might have fallen asleep waiting for an interesting taste to appear.

While I wouldn't call this a bad experience, I don't think it left an indelible mark on us that makes us want to return. It was...

I would like to say I have been ordering food from Giovanni’s for 20yrs and I order the same thing every time. I ordered chicken Alfredo but because the hostess did not hear me say chicken I had to drive another 25 min back to the restaurant and pay an added $9.50 to have my order remade. And also they wanted me to bring back the food they messed up on. Who pays for my gas on their screw up? I have never ordered anything different. So I know I ordered chicken Alfredo. I am completely upset at how I was treated. Unfortunately it looks like they are going to lose a customer because they can’t admit when they messed up.

I would be happy to give Giovanni’s another chance, however it was fine that I had to pay the difference for the chicken, which is what I originally ordered but what was so upsetting is how we were treated by their staff. There was a young girl that seemed very apologetic for the mishap but the rest of the staff were extremely rude and made us feel like we were completely at fault. It’s obvious that whoever took my order did not hear me say chicken. Understandable, but it was a little frustrating when I live 25 min from the restaurant and I had to make the trip twice only to be greeted with attitude when I got there. My fault for not checking to see if there was chicken on my pasta, I guess. I returned the uneaten pasta without chicken. I guess I have just assumed if we were going to have to make the trip twice, pay the difference, and bring back the uneaten pasta I would have had at least an apologetic attitude. Like I said before I know what I ordered. I order the same thing every time. It’s the attitude that makes me not want...

If you’re trying to decide where to go for Italian, this is the place. I have only good things to say about it and their food is delicious for a good price and comes with a welcoming atmosphere!

My boyfriend and I are new to the Portland/Beaverton area from the Midwest. We tried this place out for our anniversary dinner in March and have kept coming back! I am half Italian and being so far from family, I get homesick for that home-cooked Italian food. I don’t really like mushrooms but their mushroom marinara tastes the closest to my grandma’s sauce of any restaurant I have ever tried. When we went for our anniversary, I did dress up in a dress and heels and it was not weird but definitely a more casual, family-style place. I’ve seen a family or couple celebrating an event or occasion here every time I’ve gone so it is good for if you want a quick bite or a nice dinner. My boyfriend loved the chicken parmesan and gets it every time and I have tried a few different vegetarian options and really loved them. It is a good atmosphere with really friendly and kind staff. We have never had a bad experience or bad meal from here and their staff always makes us feel so welcomed. This is probably one of my favorite places we have come across since moving to Portland and always cures a bout of homesickness.

For groups, you can usually expect to spend $15-20 per person if you aren’t having wine and appetizers and about $25-30 if you are. Take out is easy and doesn’t take very long unless they are busy. About 30-40 minutes during rush on a Saturday night, so if you’re ordering take out and in a rush, order...