Review Giovanni Pasta Fagioli - Johannesburg

Food is delicious and service is good. Always want to have dinner with family and friend here. The pasta is must have, it is vegetarian friendly.

I just love this little gem! The food and service is always amazing and generous portions! A must try if you haven't yet!

This is really a beautiful and serene restaurant, we were fortunate to visit whilst it was quiet which added to the ambience of the rain and really delicious food. I will definitely frequent again.

Giovanni's is a great Italian restaurant that serves great pizza and pastas. We came here for lunch and there wasn't a lot of people. The food took a while to arrive. However, everything taste fresh and flavours are amazing so I assume they made everything fresh. Overall, great place to have Italian food.

Their Pizza is an ultra thin base, we picked Pepperoni and swopped out Olives for pineapples and I picked the Vegetarian and swopped out Olives and Green peppers for Feta cheese. Their pizza is Pricey R145 each but tastes good. Nice to go here for ambiance and a date. I would like to go back and taste the Vegetarian Pastas.... the price were around R120 for veg, R220 for Meat options... curious to know taste and onserve portions. Next time :) .... I loved it, and will be back.

If you looking for a nice place with the best pasta in Woodmead, Giovanni’s is the right place to be, their food portions are quite big, beverages prices are reasonable and the service was excellent.

We stumbled into thqis restaurant by chance and we're gladly surprised. The staff were amazing. The manager of the restaurant was very attentive and our food was insanely delicious.

Food was great, and the people were very friendly. Kinda felt like I was having dinner at an old friend's place. Would recommend.

Very delicious pasta and the kingclip is a delightful culinary masterpiece I had.

The vegetables are incredible...the Lamb stew was not bad bit they could do better. However, their pastas and pizzas are one of the best in town...

Very tasty pasta. Service good too.

A most enjoyable meal, truly authentic Italian cusine. Waitrose friendly and helpful pleasant atmosphere. Lasagne ~ next level. Will definitely be back.

Last upstanding, flag bearer of Italian food, Giovanni has been famous for. I have been there on their opening year and most recently after 18 years or so. Food is of elite class. Go with ample time. Don't forget wine list!!!

Delicious food and friendly service. Best Pastas in town

Had very mixed feelings.Started with a shared salad -very tasty but portion was small compared to most other restaurants. Both of us had pastas as main course. Food was excellent but very pricey.Your guide of R200 per couple excluding alcohol is hopelessly out and misleading. It is about double that. Verdict. Really good meal but expensive.

We love the Mexicana pizza (best we’ve had... and we’ve tried many!!!) and Penne Giovanni. I haven’t tried other items on the menu yet, but can recommend these ones.<br/>Pizza has thin, crispy crust and the mince sauce has excellent flavour and you can taste it has been slow cooked for hours! <br/>Pasta is fresh, al dente, with an amazing creamy sauce.

Small quaint restaurant with the owner being very attentive. Good pasta flavours but not homemade unfortunately. My favourite is the penne Giovanni

One of the major changes we have experienced in modern joburg is the slow but steady disappearance of traditional Italian mom and pop joints, doing what has become traditional south african italian dishes. I remember there being a lot around when i was a youngster, and slowly, one by one, they have been replaced by hip chain restaurants. Gone are the la rusticas, venezias, due leone, and here in their place we have tashas and vovo telo, mimos, pizA e vino, and while these places are fine, they aren't doing the dishes i had grown accustomed to seeing on the menu. They also lack a certain authentic quality, theres no old man in suspenders at the door, no youngster called marco smiling from the pass when your family arrives, theres a cold efficiency, and distance from the cuisine and its really sad.<br/>There are 2 left that i know of, er buco in linksfield, and this place. I had never tried it before because its really unnasuming, tucked away in that little centre just behind the gas station just off the woodmead offramp.<br/>Well,traffic out of the beast has been pretty bad lately with traditionally slow roadworks on my usual route so I've been experimenting and one day i sat outside giovanis centre for about 10 minutes, and its occurred to me that i better try this place before "progress" sees it replaced with a news cafe or some other beige establishment.<br/>And so it came to pass..<br/>We're greeted at the door by the proprietor. He's clearly an immigrant or 1st gen saffer.<br/>The place just feels like mid 90s nostalgia italian. It could do with a refurb but its still nice to see. Guests all seem like regulars or locals and are treated warmly.<br/>Service is pretty good. Nobody forces me to order a drink, so i don't and i like that.<br/>I go straight to a classic, liver, bacon and onions. I've had it a number of different ways, sometimes its shredded pancetta, sometimes the liver is a thick steak, sometimes its on mash or polenta. It seems like each little italian joint has their own idea about how it should be done based on their traditions.<br/>This one is thin liver steaks, bacon bits, caramelised onions and some thin melanzane steaks. Its served in the pan. A steel tray of sides come too, a la 1990. Fried potatoes, a rich spinach and mushroom buttery dish, and peas... yeah.. peas.<br/>Its a little oily. But its perfect apart from that, all the elements in harmony. A classic for a reason, beautifully executed.<br/>Partner has sole, they have a sole special but she opts for a the menu version.<br/>Its not served inthe pan. Its served like it has been served for the last 20 years. On a plate with mushy pumpkin, creamed spinach and roastypotatoes. It looked pretty good. I heard no complaints.<br/>We shred a tiramisu. Bill is about 250 a head. A bit steep for what it is.<br/><br/>Anyways, totally would go back for pasta.<br/><br/>

Giovanni's is the type of place where you get absolutely amazing food all the time. Their menu has a selection of tried and tested dishes, generous portion sizes with a few personal favorites ("Chef's Special"pasta) not a very busy establishment but a real gem with friendly staff and amazing service. Don't expect a massive selection of wines and other drinks but they keep the necessaries to have an enjoyable meal.Amazing Italian food followed with a quick espresso before heading on your way fully satisfied, with thoughts of your next visit. Did I mention the food is amazing, simple and truly Italian.

Hands-down the best lasagne in Joburg (still think so after 5 years, trying to prove it wrong). Also can totally recommend the Tiramisu, as highly - with a surprisingly good wine selection (hidden gem).<br/><br/>Topped only by the friendly and helpful staff. Manager and owner have been on the floor serving people for close on 23 years...

I can honestly say, I’ve never had a better pizza 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Tiramisu to end the evening off was light and delish😍😍😍😍 <br/>I have also had the pastas which are fresh and delicious. The manager is always so hospitable and friendly. <br/>The best Italian eatery in town!🍕🍲🍮🥂<br/>❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮❤️🍮🍮❤️🍮🍮🍮🍮🍮<br/>

This is one of worst. Very unfriendly. never say hello, thank you, no smile. throw menu. <br/>sanity bad, cocroach creeping, mussel sells strange.<br/>pasta tasted canned source. also overpriced.<br/>

Love the service love the food especially the tiramisu it is a second....however abit far and pricy but it is a well worthy experience......highly recommended too anyone

Oh... Where do I begin? My foodie friends have been raving for ages this place's tiramisu - while we've already enjoyed the basic tiramisus from Chateaux Gateaux and well, Princis.<br/>We stepped in, realised how the restaurant is quite unassuming (in retrospect, a hidden gem) and received a warm welcome from the manager. Before the highly anticipated dessert, we ordered starters and main course like what societal norm demands of us.<br/>Oh My God. The Roquefort Pizza almost made me weep. Warm cheese with the flavour of romance and dreams. The Linguine Cartoccio was ordered for nostaglia as I have not seen this meal in forever - not disappointed at all, but the winner was the Veal Picatta. Anyway, to the point: dessert time.<br/>We ordered a lemon sorbet to cleanse our palate then two tiramisus. It was the soul mate to our tongues. The winning refreshing burst of coffee balanced the delightful creaminess, the slice of life was not rich at all, we ordered a third tiramisu, despite previously being rendered lethargic from the previous session.<br/>Service was attentive, our plates kept getting swapped with new plates and our drinks filled.<br/>It was utterly the most marvelous mix of yum. I am not sure how I'll be able to dine elsewhere anymore.

One of the best restaurants I've been to BY FAR! We have been coming for years and have never been disappointed!! Their fillet is delicious and pasta is full of flavour! Do yourself a favour and try it out!!

I have literally driven past this place so many times and on Sunday, the wife and I said "Enough", and I'm so glad we did. Sitting on the balcony takes you to this magical place where for a split second you think you in Italy. From the starters to the main course to the espresso and the shared bottle of wine, it actually just puts your mind at ease. After the main course it began to drizzle lightly and just at that moment I realized that this establishment knows what they are doing. I had the Penne Giovanni which kicked my tastebuds right in the funny area. The portions are massive and it validates the price tags of 119 South African big ones. You are never going to eat for R200 like the description suggests so just be aware. Realistically for mains and a bottle of red followed by a coffee, will set you back 500. Only complaint would be that the waiter was a little scarce when we needed him. A nice finish to this date was that the owner came up to us and had a conversation with us and really acted interested in his business. Brilliant

Went for lunch as I work nearby..had the chefs special pasta which was a nice portion size..well seasoned and enjoyed it however would have been much nicer if it had some sauce, but there was nothing..the pasta was crying to be drenched in sauce..friendly service..

Had a great dinner here on Friday night. We live in the general vacinity and I've been meaning to try this place for some time now and just never got around to it. Now that I've been, I'll definitely return. The pasta dishes that we had were really delicious, the pasta was perfectly cooked and not over cooked as sometimes happens in other restaurants and overall we were happy. I'm very keen to return to try their gnocchi and some of the specials on the specials board which looked great. On the slightly negative side, the pasta dishes here are expensive, plain and simple. My salmon pasta was R139 and my hubby's fillet pasta was R160. No one can tell me that those prices are not high...but, the portions are large and we both left with takeaways. Overall, great, and we'll definitely return.

Good food, always constant, Filletto al pepe delicious, a tad overpriced!!..could do with a little fix her uppa !! Manageress is lovely and very friendly. ill be back

Great Pizza!!! Avo Italian salad good. Very good value. Service is good. Have had lunch many time and a great lunch place with outside seating

All round nice food... But PLEASE do not state that you serve risotto when you serve tastic rice and not arborio rice! That's just not acceptable. At the very least state in on your menu so you do not mislead your customers. It was nice but not risotto.

Omg!!!!! If you are looking for Italian food that fills your soul this is it. If I knew the servings were this big I would've ordered one to share and then that makes it the best value Italian restaurant I know .

We went there recently and had a really super evening! Reminds me so fondly of Giovanni Pane Vino in Rivonia Road that went downhill so rapidly after it was sold a few years ago. Been looking for something similar since then! All of my family has their favourite Italian dishes and they were delicious and right on form. Can recommend the Osso Bucco, Gnocchi, Liver, Veal etc etc - definitely going back very soon. Wonderful waiters! <br/>

Really good authentic food! Gnocchi is absolutely amazing! Service was good and snappy. I loved everything I had at Giovanni's! The only thing that let the overall experience down was the venue. It needs a bit of a refresh. Everything else was perfect!

Giovanni's has a homily feel to it, just what you expect from an authentic Italian restaurant. The setting is beautiful and although the food my be a little pricey, it is well worth it. This is my moms favourite restaurant and I can see why. I ordered the spinach and ricotta cannelloni and although it looks like mush in the picture it was delicious, while the rest of my family also enjoyed their meals. Great place and great food, the perfect combination.

If you're craving great food. This is the place to be. I've had almost everything on the menu and they truly do not dissappoint. It's worth sitting through Woodmead traffic for.

Excellent food and good family environment. Pastas are very good. Perfect for Sunday lunch. The location is not great, next to an Engen Garage and Baron rearuarant. But the good makes up for it.

Excellent food, specials were great, sole was amazing. Fantastic service . <br/>Seafood was very fresh. Best starter lovers I've had in a while.

I really enjoy the attention we recieve at Giovanni's. The manageress is always fussing over our table making sure our food is alright, and that we have drinks.<br/><br/>In summer, the deck is a great spot to have lunch on while soaking up the sunshine. Giovanni's has great pizzas and pastas, and in this neck of the woods, hard to beat.

As the closest pizza place to our office, Giovanni's became a regular go-to spot for office lunches and celebrations. While not my Italian restaurant of choice, they offer a wide variety of very good pizzas, pastas and seafood dishes. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive, which is the main factor that has stopped me from going back in my personal capacity. <br/><br/>Interior styling isn't particularly inspiring, so we always sit outside when we can. Service is decent, but nothing exceptional. <br/><br/>All in all, a very formidable establishment. While not particularly memorable, I don't know of anyone who didn't enjoy their meal. <br/><br/>

Found the portion sizes and food rather disappointing, considering that a vegetarian pasta costs about R100. A disappointment of note compared to the old Sandton one

This place is close to the office so been here many times and it is going downhill so fast that last Friday's lunch was definitely the last time. <br/>The chicken liver starter was simply bland and came with, wait, two slices of Albany brown. If I want a quarter loaf I'll go to the street vendor opposite. A supposedly Italian restaurant that can't even serve up a decent slice of bread. Enough said! Basta!

Been here quite a few times over the years and it has certainly maintained its genuine Italian family cooking offering<br/><br/>Recently was here with 10 other hard to please "grumpy old men" for our monthly lunch. This meant that we all got to taste many different items off of the menu. I must have tried at least 10 items, all to a decent high standard. Only negative was the very overcooked gnocchi.<br/><br/>The service is really excellent, I would definitely recommend