Giovanni's Restaurant in Cardiff

What a fantastic experience! From the welcoming staff to the amazing food, every moment was exceptional. So good we are going back again tomorrow. Thank you Francesca and your whole staff for giving us an unforgettable evening! Highly recommend Giovanni's! Also thank you to The Royal Hotel for recommending this restaurant to us!

Don't believe the hype. Service was the worst. Too busy, even though I booked a table for when they opened, had to wait 25 mins for a table. Waited another 20 to order, got our order wrong with some items not served. Drinks order was wrong with 1 of our party left without a drink. The menu was limited, the venue is small and dated. Honestly don't understand what all the hype is about

It looks Italian. But it doesn't taste Italian. The food was well below average (we cook much better Italian meals at home - and yet we're neither Italian nor cooks!). The food was also quite pricey for well below average food. The staff were friendly, so I feel a bit bad writing this review. But I think it's important to write reviews so customers know what to expect. For example, the bread was something I'd expect to buy at a very cheap supermarket. If you love authentic Italian cuisine, avoid this restaurant. But perhaps it's a good place for families for the ambience.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere. That being said, the food was very bland. We had the Calamari and it did not have much taste at all. The Pizza was average (again, not much taste and flavor). The owner seems like a great person—he was walking around talking to various customers. Very engaging.

Incredible food with a fantastic atmosphere, and great service. We had the ravioli and the Giovanni’s special .. honestly the best past I’ve had in YEARS. It’s cost, authentic, and lined with pictures of all the celebs who’ve eaten here. Wine is pricey, but that’s a minor grumble. Thoroughly recommend!!

Bella Italia food at Ivy prices.The pasta dishes were simple but badly executed and the deserts were worse. I wouldn’t be surprised to find something similar at a child’s birthday party. I would have been more willing to let this slide if our bill hadn’t come to £70.We had a lovely waiter but they seemed over stretched. The service was very slow and somewhat sloppy. The one redeeming quality was the atmosphere. It feels like a place locals frequent.That being said, I suspect they frequent only out of habit. Giovanni’s might have been a Cardiff specialty twenty years ago, but the city has much more to offer now.

During our Wales-Trip we also spent some time in Beautiful Cardiff and went to Giovanni's restaurant only by accident, because the queue at Wagamama was pretty long and we are hungry.So what should we say. The restaurant was also pretty crowded, but they suggested a place downstairs, quiet and silent....maybe not everyone would like this....but it was perfekt for us.We got served by a really nice and kind waitress, she gave good recommendations and it was really nice to talk with her about how she came to Italy and Wales, about languages and so on....thats the kind of conversation we really like, not only smalltalk, also something private.I took a seafood-risotta and my wife a nice pasta with prawns. A great bruscetta opfront and we shared a nice Tiramisu at at the end. The waitress, I think her name was Jessy recommended the Tiramisu because it was made by her and to be honest, it was one of the best Tiramisus we had since years....even in Italy it is not sure to finde such a nice piece of fresh, handmade Tiramisu.Nothing to complain from our side, even Germans are known as born complainers. We had a nice time here for a reasonable price and when we come back one day to Cardiff, we will step in to Giovanni's again for sure.Thank you very much!

Not real ItalianCan't express how disappointed we were on our meal on Tuesday night.The bruschetta was watery tasteless,  just drowned in olive oil. Calamari wasn't crispy. The mayo that comes with it looked like straight out of a jar no favour. The side salad no dressing. Pizza looks great with lots of cheese and toppings unfortunately raw and soggy in the middle. Pasta was LOADS but with exactly 5 prawns in it. There were no check back from the waiter at all. We had 1/3 of the food and paid the bill and got from there as fast as we could.  Still no interest from the server at this point.It takes a lot from me to write an review as I'm working in hospitality. They are at a prime location so disappointed about the food. Don't waste your time and money!

Only my second time at this restaurant and my first since they had to introduce restrictions due to Covid-19 and I was really impressed. We chose to sit inside but they did have some lovely dining spots available outside as well. Super quick service with friendly staff and wonderful food. One of the few times I've ordered a salad and been thoroughly impressed by what was delivered (a fantastic price as well). A staff member recommended their choice of dessert; fudge cake with pistachio ice cream and the ice cream in particular was a delight. They even let us share and brought out two spoons. Very happy to be a local to this restaurant.

Really, really disappointed. This place doesn't do what it says on the tin. Food was just above average, but nothing to write home about. Service? Absolutely shocking. Ordered the 'special' Mussels. No side water to clean fingers afterwards, and didn't replace napkins after taking them away. Got the drinks order wrong. After waiting for a considerable time our meals arrived, no offer of Parmesan, S&P etc; had to ask. Took the plates away on completion. Didn't ask if we wanted to recharge our drinks at any point. After another 30 mins of waiting, we decided we couldn't wait any longer for an offer of Dessert, so walked to the til to request our bill. Virtually no dialogue whatsoever, payment given, and the their final comment was, ' See you tomorrow evening'.... Errr, don't think so!! If this thinks its the best Italian in Cardiff, they are seriously deluded. Very poor Restaurant, obviously won't be returning, or recommending!