Review Grappino Bistro - Johannesburg

We have visited a number of times recently and the Seafood Linguine is currently my favourite dish anywhere! 😁

Food was really delicious, tasty.. it’s just one of my order was a bit burnt 😏

The food the service was absolutely spot on.Thanks Melody keep it up!!!

Such a beautiful restaurant, I have been wanting to eat here for such a long time. I was not disappointed. The feeling of the restaurant is amazing as you walk into the door it smells of amazing food. The service and food was exceptional.

Beautiful place to be. Nice atmosphere. Great food. Friendly stuff.

Had a really great time, and enjoyed some awesome Italian food

Very happy about the food & portion. Great atmosphere & will definitely come back!

Great little bistro with some of the beat pizza in town!

Great restaurant, great food, great service. Just no wheelchair friendly bathroom.

Fantastic family restaurant. Hearty delicious food, best pizzas anywhere. Affordable and friendly.

Authentic Italian cuisine. Exceptional quality. Fantastic service. 11/10

Still one of the best pizzas in town. They been going strong for such a long time and consistently serve great food.

Had another amazing evening at Grappino last night.... food was as good as always and the service friendly and effecient ..we had a table of 10 with the food arriving all at the same time which was impressive and although we didn't see the automatically added service charge for large parties, the Manageress refunded our added tip with no hassel. Will definately be back!

Celebrated my daughter in laws birthday surrounded by family good food and a bottle or two of Syrah. Thank You for a wonderful evening!

This is the second time I've called to order take aways only to get there and find out that nobody had even started making it. I've only called for take aways there twice. Never again. Useless service and nobody cares if you complain

I live down the road from this restaurant, I only discovered this restaurant a few years ago. The food (most of the time) is exceptional, fast, hot and tasty. Their pizza is cheap and delicious, however I have encountered a bland pasta at a time and rude and slow service, however the meal I had tonight and the service was amazing. Yes it is a end of January Tuesday night (obviously not so busy) but the bolognese which I actually ordered a half portion was more than filling, fresh salad with loads of avocado! Sangria is never a let down here, tasty and strong! The service and my waitress was fast and attentive, loved it tonight, would 100% recommend for a inexpensive lovely dining experience.

I'm not one to order pasta at a restaurant as I feel it's a dish you can make better at home for a quarter of the cost. But I was in the mood and I was all pizza'd out. Pasta was cooked al dente but the sauce, I feel may have been from a tin or jar or bottle instead of a 30L pot which had been simmering for 5 hours and stirred with a 40 year old wooden spoon. My wife had a pizza which was a bit of a shocker. Look it was Easter Sunday so probably on skeleton staff and those that were there were more than likely in la la land.

I used Uber Eats to order something different and from somewhere different to my usual restaurants. <br/><br/>It’s amazing how different restaurants manage their take aways! My breakfast this morning arrived in a restaurant branded white paper bag, with a restaurant branded white box inside. The food presentation was beautiful and inviting. <br/>This lunch takeaway arrived in a scrunched up plain white plastic bag with an aluminium foil dish inside. What a difference in looks, presentation and appeal. <br/><br/>I ordered a Panzerotti Aurora pasta filled with butternut and a Napolitana sauce. My first impression was, bland. It needed salt or something just give it a bit of life. The pasta was just firm enough and the butternut pleasant. The sauce was creamy and tomato’ish but bit bland. I felt it needed a bit of zing or life. My meal got colder very fast and I didn’t want to eat the last cold bit of pasta. <br/><br/>Overall I found the meal to be a bit boring and bland but ok’ish. Nothing to go crazy over and order a second helping immediately because it was so awesome & irresistible.

Hi this is the 3rd time I have been to Grappino with friends and the service is really appalling they have to do something about it otherwise they will lose more customers. They have extended the restaurant and cant cope when it was small now extending it will be worse. The manageress does not even come and apologise for the bad service and this is not a good reflection for the restaurant.

My favourite family restaurant and has been for many years ❤ I love coming back to see the old staff and the new, as well as to try out more of the delicious menu ❤

This place is going downhill. My pasta was dry and tasteless. My friend's salmon pasta had no salmon. Admire - our waitress - needs to be fired or retrained. We had to get up 3 times to find her so that we could get some service. Her very bad attitude screams "I loathe my job ". At one stage she put her arm out and leaned against the wall whilst we ordered dessert. i was a waitress too, once, and its just rude. She also forgot to add a water to the bill.

this is a nice place without high expectations. food is decent, pizza is great, best value for food. it could be better, but it is a good neighborhood restaurant.

What a neighborhood gem! Easy, casual, and excellent food and non intrusive service. Will definitely be back. A great find for a cold Friday night.

A friend of mine recommended Grappino Bistro recently. My husband and I decided that tonight was the night to try it out. <br/><br/>The place was buzzing for a Thursday night. I loved my veal masala and my husband also enjoyed his pizza - he said that the base was one of the best ones he have had in a long while! <br/><br/>We will definitely be back again.

Grapino is a place I've returned to and will continue to return to. The pizzas are delicious and the pastas are great as well. I've tried a variety on the menu, the only time I've ever been disappointed is when I ordered the Cannoli - the taste did was quite bland. However the pizza selection is great, I've enjoyed the Alfredo and seafood pasta before. Really well priced dishes. Service is good but there's never anyone at the door to greet and seat u!<br/>Cosy little restaurant, cute for a date night. Limited parking.

The food was great especially the pizza, the service was good (waitress was warm and friendly). She informed us of the popular options. The view from the top outside area was lovely (sunset and suburb views). Furthermore The menu is well priced. Great place for date night or a regular dinner spot.

My favourite favourite at the moment... friendly and efficient service, great food, reasonably priced. Calamari is exceptional as is lasagna, melanzane is also great. I love the cosy upstairs area.

Finally made it to Grappinos for date night tonight. On entering there was no one to greet us until we went up to the desk/bar area. Service then took a while We had foccacio with mozzarella to start which looked very oily but was still delicious. Service was then quick but a bit too quick. I hadnt finished starters yet and they brought mains, our starters plates then sat there the entire meal. For mains we had pasta. The arribiata pasta was great but my calamari pasta was completely tasteless. Portion size was huge so i do appreciate that. Dessert of italian kisses was 4 small kisses which came in a bowl of ice which was a bit strange. There looked to be only 2 waitresses for the whole place so i felt bad for the staff. They ran around like mad. Overall not terrible but i wont be rushing back Gabriel Levy

Food was very good, service was average and a bit slow. Overall a decent experience also the food is very well priced. I will definitely be eating here again

Decided to come here for a change of scenery and to try a new pizza/pasta place. The ambience not too bad and we were welcomed well enough. Decided on a hot summers night to sit on the balcony which was a bit of a mistake as the noise from the M1 kind of drowned things out. I ordered a pizza with anchovies and my wife ordered pasta with a tomato-based sauce. Frankly, the pizza (whilst piping hot and fresh) was average. It didn't stand out for me and once again, South African restaurants dont pay enough attention to the base which is where the core of the taste is. The pasta and sauce my wife described as not being home made but seemed to come out of a bottle.<br/><br/>So, good service but a very average meal that one must say is very reasonably priced but that is its only saving grace

Ordered though Uber eats. Disgusting. Really bad. Overrated. Not recommended. You can do so much better. Give it a miss. Don't risk it. Overpriced. Never again.

Only been for take-away Pizza's...<br/><br/>Good, Fresh and were hot on pick-up.<br/><br/>I note the comments about the owner - not the Customer Service Warrior of the year but I can't say much more than that...<br/><br/>Prices were good, compared to other options in the area. If you live in Norwood or surrounds, your Pizza won't be as hot when you get home as it is a mini - shlapp

Food was delicious (especially the pizza) and it all came pretty quickly. Service was great- granted they weren't hectic busy but still was excellent.

First impressions matter - unfortunately #KevFabFood's first impression was one of irritation as the manager / owner did not seem to care customers entered her restaurant and she rather focused on her take away clients. However - the waitress we had was awesome and the food was delicious and tasty and very good value which really redeems this quaint Italian restaurant - I can highly recommend the Lasagne.

Grappino is a warm, homely little Italian spot a little out of the way near Melrose. We found this spot and loved it the first time we went so of course we had to return! <br/>We popped in without a booking on a Friday night recently and since we didn't have a booking, we were seated in a little bit of a cramped corner which was a little irksome given the open tables that remained open but other than this the food was seriously yummy! <br/>We ordered the Bacon, Feta and Avo pasta and a lasagna and both were piping hot and delicious! <br/>Next time we'll just make sure to book ahead of time.<br/>

Tasty Italian food at a reasonable price in a warm and friendly atmosphere! My fiancé and I had our first date there almost 2 years ago and I don't know why it took us so long to go back. We had the pizza - Gorgonzola and Grappino! Both were excellent!

Since the new owners took over, it's amazing. I refused to come for 6 years as it was awful. But happy to say it's as good as it was 20 years ago!!! Amazing how good owners can revitalize a place. Pizzas are amazing. Pasta is great. And it's affordable. If you are in the area i highly recommend you stop by!

If you lack tastebuds and are keen on a partially cooked, doughey pizza Grappino is the place for you. The food is lacking in both quality and taste. <br/><br/>The only thing that is going well for them is the pricing, which is very reasonable.

There is always such a great vibe when I come here. I'm a big fan of their vegetarian pizza but their chicken limone is also fantastic. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience service-wise about three years ago and I can't seem to shake it off...

I've been here a few times and it's not my favourite Italian food in Joburg but it's still good. I like the set up and it's nicest to sit upstairs on the balcony. The staff is friendly and the wine list is extensive.<br/><br/>They are best known for the pizza but don't have many vegetarian options. What I do like is that they don't charge you extra to add onion, chilli or garlic onto your pizza. On my most recent visit I had the Gorgonzola pizza without the bacon. It was dreadfully oily to the point that I couldn't eat more than two slices. The other pizzas on our table were not that oily. The pasta is good as well with the ravioli being my favourite. <br/><br/>Overall, a cosy restaurant serving good Italian food. It offers a more authentic and homey place to eat than other restaurants in the area. The pizza is good but I would advice to stay away from the Gorgonzola one.

Visted after having not been for over two years. New owners, new menu and upgraded decor. Food was outstanding - pastas and starters. Service was excellent and definitely value for money.

Very very disappointing. Have been eating here for many years. 3 out of 6 of us sent our meals back. The other 2 had veal that was bland and had no taste. No supervison at the restaurant either. When the cats away the mice will play??

Very disappointed with Gappino. 7 Jan 15:15 just left after having lunch. Pizza was below average (mexicana and venezia - both lacked flavour). Staff seem to be having a picnic while the owner is not present. Sleeping on chairs on the upper level. Will not go back

Shocking food delivered, I had guests and could not serve the food <br/>BLAND<br/>OLIVES WERE OFF <br/>The person taking the orders was rude and insulted my family - while they had not put the receiver down correctly - Most upsetting experience I or my family have had

I recently returned to Grappino after not having been here for quite some time. The restaurant is definitely busier than it used to be and with limited parking space available it results in having to park quite a distance away from the restaurant.<br/><br/>We ordered a jug of Sangria which was delicious. The food was lacking in seasoning and flavor but the toppings were generous on the Marinara pizza and the portion of Bolognese was large. The food quality has gone down since it changed owners. The staff have remained the same and are really friendly and accommodating.

We used to go here regularly over the past few years, new owners took over about a year ago and there have been a number of changes. The food is not as flavourful as i remember - although reasonably priced i would say its average. The sangria was great! Some of the original staff are still there, they have to be commeded - they are incredibly friendly and always make you feel at home. All in all a convenient meal if your looking for somewhere to go near the Waverly area.

The baby chicken meal was very good but expected the other meals to be a lot better. It's a good and friendly environment with good service. Next time I'll try the pizza because I hear that's good.

We were a large group, 12 plus an infant. We were seated upstairs on the balcony, just where we had requested to be seated.<br/><br/>I always feel for our server when we go out with a bigger group, as people order their drinks and food at different times. However, our orders were brought out just as and when ordered, so well done to our server.<br/><br/>The food is always delicious at Grappino, and the wine list is also extensive. My calzone piźza was great, and the rest of our group enjoyed their food very much, bar the calamari starter ordered by a friend, which could have been fresher.<br/><br/>All in all we had an enjoyable evening and I will go back in the future.

Great place for casual, inexpensive dining. It's not fine dining by any stretch but if you're looking for a relaxed dinner that feels like home with great wine by the glass, it's a hit! Kids can make pizza. We love the pasta al sol with loads of capers and sundried tomatoes and a glass of Fat Bastard Chardonnay!

Been coming to this restaurant for years and years, usually we get delivery which is always quick and convenient. The restaurant is well decorated with a lovely warm atmosphere. The food is always delicious especially their pizza's. Highly recommended

Best kept secret- little Italian bistro in our area. The staff are awesome, attentive and engaging. We've been going there for years. It's easy, unfussy and food is completely home from home Italian meals. I would love to see them bring back there best in the world by far,,Tiramisu- oh my word, there was nothing like it.<br/>A definite family keepsake!

Ordered the chicken schnitzel and it was as thick as a cake and completely tasteless. Everyone else enjoyed their pasta and pizza but they haven't got a clue how to make schnitzel. If management ever get round to reading this I'd strongly recommend sending your chef to almost any other restaurant to learn how it's supposed to be made, alternatively just buy frozen schnitzel from woolworths and serve it, it'll be a lot less disappointing.

When I looked up this restaurant on Zomato it had very mixed reviews so I didn't know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. We all (5 of us), really enjoyed our meals, from the starters right through to the refreshing sorbets.<br/>The decor is smart/casual, warm and inviting. The service is also good and the wait for the food to arrive wasn't long at all.<br/>I had the Carpaccio to start. It was one of the best I've had. It came with mushrooms on top which was different from the usual rocket and Parmesan cheese shavings. The pieces were a perfect thickness and the combination of the meat and mushrooms was delicious. An Italian salad for the table was ordered and that really was delicious and a good size for the price, the salad dressing just finished the salad off perfectly.<br/>For the mains I had the Calamari tubes. They were lightly dusted with flour and grilled, one of the nicest I have had in a long time (portion could have been bigger 😋). The others ordered the Oxtail cooked in a red wine gravy which they thoroughly enjoyed as well as the Veal Marsala and Spaghetti Bolognaise all good portions and all very tasty. All main meals are served with one vegetable and you pay about R10 for an extra one which is very fair.<br/>We ended the meal off with a selection of sorbets, 2 balls each so you had the choice of lemon, mango or litchi. I had the lemon and litchi, the lemon being my favourite but both very nice (brain freeze). The ice cream with barone chocolate sauce was ordered and vanished pretty fast. I thought value for money, enjoyable meal and a lovely evening was had by all.

Took take aways last night with a big party of people. Very disappointed. I ordered melanzani and my husband a Panzaroti. My melanzani was dry, solid and totally black and burnt underneath, inedible. My husbands dish was one congealed glob of pasta, unable to even try separate with a knife and fork. Very disappointed

This is a hidden gem of a restaurant. Its unassuming exterior really lowers your expectations but once you get stuck in to you food you are pleasantly surprised. A personal favourite is the Chicken Carlo.

One of the best pizzas i have had in Johannesburg. And on a Sunday night the service is as good as any other. I would highly recommend ot and the owner is lovely.

I have recently moved to the area and am THRILLED to have found this little gem! The spinach and feta Focaccia (for R40!!) is to die for and service has been great so far! Looking forward to testing more of the menu!

I've only been once.....will I go again? maybe, probably not. Nice cosy setting, may be quite cool for a first date. But this is no Tortellini D'Aro. It's not bad, it's not great, so give it a try and let me know!

<br/>Absolutely superb food

This review is only based on the melezane and lasagne. Being vegetarian or not these are probably one of the better prepared versions of these meals in Johannesburg. The service at this restaurant however requires some attention. I will venture out here in the near future to try something else to review upon.

Fantastic! Chicken limone is a dish to rave about but not to out done by the other dishes, such as the Carpaccio for those with an acquired taste or the speciality veal dishes, for the kids there are always fantastic pizzas. Pricing is great and the service is excellent and with a smile. A fantastic atmosphere to go with a fantastic meal.