Giovanni's Pizzeria & Kitchen — Restaurant in Lake Mary

I had such a bizarre experience here this evening that I am surprised that Giovanni's has 4.5 as its average rating. I asked the server if they had a drink menu. No. I asked what they had for red wines. The server listed off Pinot Noir, Chianti and a couple of other types. So I asked if they just had the house wines (because if that were the case I'd have switched to something else). No, they had more. I was to tell her what kind I liked and then she'd tell me which they had in that category because she had no list. The way she said it was in a tone that seemed to convey I should have known that. Being that I'm from another state, visiting my family to see my granddaughter perform in her dance recital, and that I have never been to a Giovanni's and have never worked at a Giovanni's, I don't know how I would've known that. I asked if any were Riservas. She didn't think so. Which is fine. I decided to go with Pinot Noir, even though I'd rather know what all of the options are because as someone who likes wine, if there was a brand or year I really liked of a different red, I'd choose that. Or if there was a Chianti Riserva, I might try it. She started to list the Pinot Noirs off. She got to Meiomi. I half recognized the name and asked if it was a California red wine. The way she confirmed it made it sound as if that's where all Pinot Noir wines come from and like I was an idiot for asking. I was 100% treated like a nuisance as everyone at my table noticed without me reacting to it, including my granddaughter. They were more offended on my behalf than I was. It just seems strange and like printing a wine list would be such an easy solution. If that's not possible, maybe explain to waitstaff that their customers are not their coworkers and are not privy to their systems... I complimented her on knowing the wine list off the top of her head and she rolled her eyes at me. She also definitely didn't like that I wanted balsamic for my salad instead of the house dressing, ranch, or blue cheese. My husband liked his sandwich well enough. The Eggplant Parmigiana wasn't awful but was a disappointment. It seemed like just a lot of cheese on top of a barely discernible eggplant, a bunch of spaghetti noodles, and a meh sauce. I wouldn't bother leaving a review on the food, but the server's rude service put such a damper on an otherwise wonderful day for my family, that I might as well give my honest opinion on my meal. It felt like the server tried to recover later on but being rude to me at the beginning had just made everything go way too far south. We were polite because what's the point of being rude,...

Giovanni's is usually a nice place to go and eat and their food is good. Today's meal included cheesy garlic bread, 10" pepperoni pizza and the chopped salad. The cheesy garlic bread was ok, it's not a toasted type garlic bread, instead it is more like a fresh baked bread with melted cheese on top. The salad was ordered with "light" jalapenos and a side of the house Italian dressing. It comes standard with balsamic vinegar glaze. The salad came exactly as ordered and was very good! The pizza is a standard hand tossed pizza. Not too greasy from the pepperoni and the cheese and tomato sauce mixture was good. The pizza did not fall apart when bit nor did the toppings pull off in one bite, the slice stayed intact for the next bite. The flavor of the crust is lacking and the toppings are good but not great. I added garlic, parmesan cheese and oregano to give it more flavor.

The service from our waitress Amy was very good. She took our order quickly, got our waters right away and put in our order of cheesy garlic bread ahead of our main order. She also checked on us throughout the meal, was well ahead with refills, and offered up the additional "sprinkle flavorings" before I asked. She had boxes ready for our leftovers and we didn't have to wait long for our bill.

In the past the waitresses have been hit or miss (one even forgot to put in our appetizer) but Amy did a fantastic job!

The table was a little sticky when we sat down, more of a leftover from wiping it down. The 2 plates that were there for appetizers were dirty so we just didn't use them. I think maybe the hostess should have noticed that when she sat us. On a positive note, the menus have finally been updated and reprinted (the old ones you could barely read). Unfortunately, with new menus come higher prices.

Overall a good experience and better than a lot of restaurants these days. They do have a bar there but it is usually full with their "older" regulars. They seem to enjoy the place, so for the most part I believe they are fairly consistent with their food and service.

UPDATE: June 16, 2024 For Father's Day they gave every dad a free entree coupon for the next visit; that's a very nice "gift" and was unexpected.

Today we also had an issue with the calzone, they apologized for the issue, offered a different entree and took that meal off our bill. Issues can arise anywhere, it's how the establishment reacts that is key. Giovanni's did the correct thing and...

3-21-20 Joe and his wonderful team really understand "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!"

With the lockdown in restaurant dining, Giovanni"s is making sure all of their great customers in Lake Mary are able to have their favorite dishes done in the special way that Joe does it.

It is Saturday night, our usual night to have this wonderful Italian food. We did take out of two of my favorite dishes. Chicken Francesca and Zuppa di Pesce. They were prepared perfectly as they always are.

Take a look at the picture of what the food looked like when I got it home to share with my wife Patricia.

Giovanni's portions are always so generous and salad and bread! We are going to have another wonderful meal soon.

In this difficult time , it is so heartwarming to know that Joe and his family are taking care of us.

Check out these pictures! Click on my name in the review and go to my photos. They are "gonna make you hungry!"

April 26, 2023

First, my wife Patricia and I wish Joe and his family happiness, health and enjoyment in their lives.

Through all the years that we have eaten at Giovanni's, you've always been treated as family as we enjoy delicious meal after meal after meal..

I have personally met the new owners. They are really nice people with great respect for Joe and his team.

Tim is doing a wonderful job in managing the transition. He is a true professional.

We have eaten at Giovanni's three times in the last two weeks. Every meal was just as delicious as it is always been.

Ahmed was our waiter every time and took care of our every need. All the staff are so well-trained and friendly.

We will be going to Giovanni's, at all the locations, just as often as we have done through all these years.

You will have fun and wonderful food every time you do the same...