Papa Gianni's Ristorante | Goldorado Shopping Center — Restaurant in California

my family and i have been going to papa gianni’s for over two decades, and this place continues to provide excellent service and incredible food every single time! let’s dive in:

FOOD i mean if the pictures don’t make you drool, tasting them in person will. you cannot go wrong with a dang thing here. everything tastes from scratch, and the pasta always tastes freshly made! also for the salad that comes with your meal, the creamy italian is THE move. so yummy. great selection of menu items too — from chicken, to pasta, veal, to pizza. you can’t go wrong with anything! also, the portions are ginormous, so you definitely feel like you’re getting your monies worth!

SERVICE always a 10/10. we had Melissa as our server and she was friendly, attentive, took the time to run through a few menu items with us and made sure to check on us throughout our meal. make sure to ask to sit in her section, you won’t be disappointed!

PARKING lots of parking as the restaurant is in a shopping center. plenty of close spots!

AMBIANCE just transports you to italy, and you feel like you’re in nonna’s kitchen. you just instantly feel like family, and they even have their own family pictures on the wall. so very cool to see!

i always look forward to my next meal at Papa Gianni’s. highly recommend stopping by on your way to tahoe or leaving tahoe. it’s a little gem in cameron park, and you won’t be disappointed stuffing...

I love Italian food, especially since I was married to one year ago ( Neapolitan) , and yes I got a bit spoiled about Italian food, how it should be cook and prepare it, yes you can say i do like good food My husband, our son n his wife love food there… I always have the same dish : fruiti de mare no cream sauce- you should never put cream in a seafood pasta sorry Well, this particular day : my husband 65 bday … we were set down pretty fast , got water straight away ( hm customer HAS to ask for a water before you serve it - CA has a shortage hello ) our waitress… she was very nice , smiled at us, telling us she will be there soon.. after about 10 or so minutes she come by, we ordered drinks, ask to try a wine since it was by a glass n bottle…. I could go to a Bell A and get a whine before she even got back to us ☹️ In a mean time, big group walked in - apparently everyone knew them , great nice to see locals to enjoy seeing each other’s But … she delivered bottle a wine - we opened n served it 🙄 I had to ask to get more water most of the evening 🥴 Now, what in a way hurt me was : your just n waitress were told it was my husband big bday and our wedding anniversary … I didn’t expect anything for free but … I do like that restaurant, I know how to cook most of your dishes ( I can’t do calamari) I’m in a way sad about our last experiences there… Oh well , I think nowadays nobody cares about there...

OKAY...I come from a very strong family of restauranteurs from my Father to my husband, my brother in laws in Sicily even..and this is hands down the BEST representation of what true Italian meals should be! I am absolutely enamored with the mussels...I ordered them on a whim as I had not had any in a very long while since we closed our SF restaurant in North Beach...I almost jumped up and did a dance they were THAT yummy! I even turned my son in law into a devotee as I sopped up every last drop of the juices "del mare" I possibly could with the tender bread and nearly ordered a second plate of them until I was reminded that I had my entree to look forward to...WOW! ..one of my faves is veal piccata and it did not disappoint...capers, a splash of lemon amid tender veal. I was in heaven! Then to celebrate I ordered a cannoli which usually are "Americanized"..but I thought..well so far so good...I brought it home and in 2 minutes flat gobbled it down with gusto! Oh did I forget to tell you that I am a VERY small eater!?! True! I have not had a meal like this one in a very long time and look forward to coming back soon! Our server was Casey and he has become our "go to guy". Oh wait! Forgot....the wine...Rarely do I order a bottle "for the table" but I did and it was incredible! Ferrari Carano Merlot . Off the chart fabulous! Tante graziei !...