Giovanni's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in South Bound Brook

Please be aware when booking an event here, our story.

Event type: Bridal Shower For those of you following the brides unfortunate story on FB or just here on google. Here is some truth.

I am the MOH for , what was a bridal shower at Giovanni’s on August 9th (12-4) but no longer.

Please keep in mind the resturant would not take a deposit, write a contract , and requested final headcount 1 week from event and final menu 3 days from event. At the time we didn’t think twice. We trusted this family with this memorable life event.

On Thursday July 17th at 3:30 pm I personally stood in the main dinning room with Dolly discussing our party details. She even drew out our table layout on paper. At this moment, between Dolly And I this was the only party happening in the restaurant that day and she told me it will be open for lunch and they will seat guests in the side room and if it fills up would be on the other side of our room divider (totally fine)

I invited 60 guests to the shower. We had 42 RSVP at the time of the meeting. We discussed final details for the self serve mimosa bar, a dessert/sweet treat table, a gift table with an area for the bride to open her gifts with a chair, a 6.73 by 6.8 foot photo ring with ballon arch. All things which require SPACE, hence the need for the main room that was requested and verbally guaranteed since booking in March.

Later that evening the MOB got a phone call from Dolly saying that Joe (owner of joes meat market) booked our room for the Mayor of Franklin birthday with 100 guests same day 11-3 and we can no longer have it in that space, the mayors party needs the entire big room. This is not light news 3 weeks before an event.

To those who have planned a bridal shower before , you can understand. We were not just a lunch reservation for a large party. Every event begins with a vision bigger than just a seat to sit. this family was not understanding of that when all news broke that they had double booked the room.

Dolly suggests moving us into the side room that they say can fit up to 50. I would Never have invited 60 guests and purchased/rent extra space filling things as mentioned above with any chance of being put in the side room it just does not fit the party. We looked at the room. It was not the room we booked. There was never, not once, any mention of possibly getting bumped to a different area.

Giovanni suggested uninviting some guests to make the party size smaller and make the side room work. This was non negotiable for us.

And despite number of people/room size, you book an event based on what your parties needs are and you should be granted what you were given. We simply asked for a space to fulfill our vision from the beginning and up until that phone call 3 weeks out , we were in agreement. We didn’t demand anything out of nature.

We asked to meet with the family the next day. Dolly was off. Joe and Giovanni wanted my family out the door before they even arrived to discuss the situation. They were rude and did not care to make this work. They displayed lack of accountability and professionalism. There also is a clear lack of communication between staff and it is very disorganized when you did everything on your end to keep it organized.

Long story short, 3 weeks out, we were not getting the room we specifically booked Giovanni’s for. The Mayor took priority.

While we understand mistakes happen, just think, If things were handled properly , accountability was taken, and sensible accommodations were provided , the bride would not be without a venue 18 days out from her special day. This is a nightmare for us. We prayed it could work out instead of being venue less. It is wasted time and money on our end.

To everyone reading, please remember that in the world of social media, businesses are designed to maintain their reputation and will say anything in order to do so.

And yes moving forward, we learned that verbal agreements hold no true value, at least...

We dined in tonight. This restaurant has a lot of potential to be a really great dining experience. If they could just work through some of the early restaurant inconsistencies. To start they serve very delicious bread that has garlic, herbs and seasonings. It's disappointing that this is served cold. Like it just came out of a fridge cold. It would have been amazing if it were served warmed. Next, it's great that it is BYOB. There is a liquor store close by. I would have liked to see some mocktails or flavored lemonades available to order. Alas, only fountain sodas were an option. I ordered La Bombolotto (Dolly's) Seafood, which was excellent. It's served with risotto. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted very good. The portions are very generous. My friend ordered the Premium Reserve Pork Chop Giambotta. This was disappointing. It was overcooked by a few minutes at least. It was swimming in the reduction glaze, which is far too much, but was needed since the pork chop was dry. The mashed potatoes are excellent and the best thing on the plate. Worth noting that one of the specials was another pork chop dish and seemed comparable to this dish yet they charged about $7 more for the pork chop on the specials. The presentation of many dishes that come out are visually very appealing. We asked the staff multiple times what dishes were that other tables were given. One thing that came out was a stunning butcher's block full of hot antipasta that looked and smelled amazing. From what the waiter said, I don't think this is on the menu, but an option for 4 or more people. We finished our meal with the flourless chocolate torte which was absolutely amazing. There were 4 tiny dots of a fruit sauce that I would have liked more of. The chocolate was so intense it wasn't enough to taste any of the tiny amount of fruit. It didn't need it but more of it would have been a nice addition. That torte was very, very good and to my friend, it was the best part of his meal. While the chocolate was intense it wasn't overly sweet, staying true to dark chocolate. It was a very nice end of our meal. I will definitely want to have this again. I kept thinking of how good it would have been with an orange or blood orange sauce. Be prepared to wait for things. It's hard to get wait staff attention. I wanted another soda but by the time someone came to our table, I was done and no longer cared to have another beverage. There seems to be plenty of staff on the floor at all times, they just haven't gotten it together on being attentive beyond the basics. I do hope they work on issues that would have allowed us to enjoy our entire dining experience. I would like to see this restaurant succeed. I've heard others say it is hit or miss. We also heard that the specials can be a surprise when you see the bill. That review prompted me to ask about the price of one of the specials not written up on the specials paper. I turned off even considering ordering a dish that was over $60. Especially because the reviews are that things are hit or miss. That was an accurate description of our experience this evening. All that being said, I will definitely go...

March update: we have been back 3 times already on the first 5 weeks, twice with larger parties. Each time has been outstanding. I added a few now photos.

Let me start by saying this was in the top 5 dining experiences we've ever had, and this was during their soft opening. Just wow.

Party of 4, we were pleasantly greeted and given a tour of the new facility. This place is perfect for a catered party, a romantic night for two or a night out with family or friends. They have a beautiful banquet room, a beautifully decorated romance room with tables for 2 complete with mood lighting and a faux fireplace. The dining room is spacious and simple elegance without being too much.

We started with Calamari with both the marinara and spicy cherry pepper marinara sauces on the side. Perfectly cooked, super tender and the sauces... I wanted to drink the cherry pepper sauce. Of course we had to order Gio's famous Charcuterie board, fantastic presentation and mouthwatering tastes. Highly recommend for sharing.

Dinners were incredible and bountiful. I got the Bone in Veal Parmigiana that actually trumped the famous Veal Parm from Chef Volas in Atlantic City. This is served on a plate so big it hung off the table and the tender veal covered the huge plate. My wife ordered the Veal Mi Amore which was fantastic. The veal was so tender and flavorful and these sauces were divine. Our friends ordered the Cognac Chicken which was out of this world, another healthy portion. So tender and delicious. He got the 16oz Prime NY Strip cooked perfect and delicious. Dinner portions are big. We all took some of our dinner home. Bring your appetite.

We had to try the desserts. Homemade tiramisu, Italian cheesecake and carrot cake. A perfect finish to a fantastic meal.

Our hostess Stephanie and our server Hugo took great care of us. The staff was super friendly and extremely attentive. Gio's parents Dolly and Joe stopped by our table to see how we liked our meals and the experience. We couldn't say enough about our evening.

Congratulations to Chef Giovanni and Mom and Dad. This place is going to be impossible to get into once the word gets out. Get your reservations now, you won't be sorry.

Chef Gio... Until...