Giovanni's in North Devon

We visited Giovanni's in Barnstaple last night a lovely Italian restaurant.we had Mozzarella in Carrozza as a starter which was full of flavour and a nice light starter ,my wife had lasagna al forno as her main it looked very well presented and was delicious for my main I had Penne Pasticciate and this was full of flavour for the dessert we had the tiramisu and a a panacote with chocolate sauce and both were excellent.The service was very friendly and professional and very attentive.I will definitely be visiting again and recommending to all

Visited here whilst awaiting viewing the Mousetrap at the nearby theatre with friends. Friendly greeting and good service. However all of us were disappointed with the size of our meals, the food itself was tasty and well served. My wife and I had chicken dishes which appeared to be half a chicken breast thinly sliced, mine a moderate amount of sauce with some pancetta. The portions of pasta were small. The overall impression for all of us was disappointment, we left with a general consensus that we would not be returning.

We booked pre theatre, there was a nice amount of people in the restaurant. The food was delicious, we both chose from the fish menu, the quality and quantity was beyond our expectations. Which is why I have given the three stars. However that’s where it ended. From the moment we walked in and were shown to our table by (we assume) the owner there was no friendly greeting, no eye contact, we were shown to two tables and told to sit where we liked and then he walked away. During the hour we were there the service was robot like, no interaction from staff or the owner who walked around not really looking at or looking after anyone. When we paid the bill, even THEN he didn’t look at us and more annoyingly he picked up the credit card and tapped it on the card machine himself!!! This is NOT legal. Then he walked away straightaway. I’ve never ever come across such an unfriendly and inhospitable Italian restaurant. Would not recommend and will never revisit. Made all the worse as my husband is Italian. The owner should think before he starts to speak in Italian when in earshot of customers.

Very friendly staff. Enjoyable quick meal as we were on route elsewhere.

Really friendly and welcoming. The food was exceptional, full of flavour and as Italian as you would expect. A wonderful experience.

We were disappointed. It was Friday night and we were on a two-day break in Barnstable. We arrived, as booked, at 6.30pm and were the only customers to begin with. There was something drab about the décor, as if it badly needed a makeover and an injection of colour. The owner/manager greeted us politely. The pleasant waitress got our drinks. A dishevelled waiter, who seemed as if he had just got out of bed, took out food order. The calamari were poor, rubbery and probably frozen. The other starter, courgette and artichoke was cold - our mistake possibly in expecting it to be warm. The veal in the restaurant's own Napoli sauce was uninteresting; the chicken with cream and mushrooms was bland but better. Best of all were the triumvirate of al dente fresh vegetables. We did not have desserts. The house white wine by the glass was fine; the Chianti by the glass, however, was chill and closed, as if it had only just been taken from cold storage and opened - by the end of the meal, it had warmed a little and opened up enough for us to begin to savour how it might have been. Two other couples came while we were there, all of us grey or white hairs. The atmosphere was somehow flat and joyless, as if the staff were depressed to be there and just going through the motions. It's a pity, because potentially the restaurant is an appealing size, with comfortable tables and a sense of intimacy. Maybe, we caught it on an off-night; but there was no sense of pleasure or enthusiasm and everything seemed dull and uninspired. When the £75 bill came, we felt the meal had not been good value.

Although the interior is dated, the food was quality and everyone enjoyed their meal and drinks. Their bathrooms were clean, however they could do with a refurbishment.

Me and my husband have been to Giovanni's twice before, first time on honeymoon and really disappointed in the quality and price of our meal. Definitely out of the microwave! We gave the restaurant a second chance a week ago, having been to the pantomime. We booked for half past nine, and got there around 9.15. We got a not very nice look from the host. We both ordered cannelloni... well, what can I say. It took about a couple of minutes to be brought to us, totally microwaved, crunchy around the edges, tiny portion with hardly any meat. How anyone can dish that up and serve it to a customer I just don't know! He should be embarrassed ! The bill was £38, including a beer and a glass of wine. Absolute rip off. Will never go there again.

Amazing experience and great service

Decent Italian restaurant, a regular spot when we are visiting Barnstaple for business.

I came here with my partner on a date and it was absolutely amazing, the food was wonderful and was to our table in a flash, the service was professional and very friendly, a lovely little restaurant to go to for a tasty meal and cozy atmosphere! 100% recommend ^^

Food was lovely, service was great, nice atmosphere. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Haven't been here for a few years but we booked for a pre show dinner at the Queen's Theatre and it was as good as we remembered. Service was excellent and the food was hot and generous portions. It was busy so still very popular and I would highly recommend a visit.

Haven't been to this restaurant for a a few years but visited last night with family and it was the same as it's always been. The service was good and the food was lovely with generous portions and hot. Would highly recommend

The food was delicious, and the service was impeccable. The atmosphere was a little noisy dye to a large group celebrating a birthday.

The starter was amazing, the pizza was good and the dessert was terrible. We had Bruschetta to start, it was really light and refreshing, perfect. Pizza was okay, the sauce was a little dull, the pizza was a bit on the small size but nice. Then the man offered to give my crying child some ice cream. I thought it would be on the house, but ended up seeing it on the bill. The ice cream tasted very similar to the children’s ice lollys called mini milks. The atmosphere was quiet and quiet. You could just here other people’s conversations, it could do with some music.

I'm a very fussy eater and Giovanni's was an absolutely gorgeous meal I would definitely recommend for the food atmosphere and service 😋

Wonderful food and great service. I can't recommend this restaurant enough. We went with someone who is incredibly fussy and she loved it !!

Love the cosy friendly atmosphere and great food too

Lovely wholesome Italian food! Great service and always a nice atmosphere.

Must try the vanilla crumble WOW

We returned to Giovanni's on the last night of our holiday in North Devon (we have had a meal there most years for the last 25 or more). As usual the food was excellent, the service was fabulous and there was a lovely, chilled atmosphere. We would particularly like to thank them for their kindness and patience as my husband and I both practised our (not very fluent) Italian and also Spanish, once I'd discovered that our lovely waitress was from Valencia. Grazie y gracias!

Absolutely stunning food. Catered for our milk allergy son aswell. Most food around Barnstaple revolves around fry food.. nice to have freshly prepared authentic Italian! Will be going again!

We had not been for a long time but thought it would be nice to have Italian to celebrate a family birthday. The meal portions were small and poor quality ingredients which were small and very overpriced for what we received. In all very disappointed and will not be going there again.

The starters were nice. The mains were tastlesss and the carbonara was made from a strange sauce, definitely not eggs. Very unimpressive.

Well I have been to Giovanni many years ago which I enjoyed but sadly this time it was very poor, the food was bland tasteless and the presentation was appalling it is clear they are riding on a reputation that sadly has faltered. Consistency in the restaurant game is key Giovanni has lost is CNN passion, sadly won’t be going there again.

Authentic Italian cuisine. The waiter service was exceptional. They noticed that we are Muslims and offered to prepare any of the dishes without the wine. They went over and above. The food was delicious. Thoroughly recommend them.

Such a lovely evening in this Italian restaurant. Good atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff and delicious food. Would definitely recommend.

Everyone loves an Italian and this one is more authentic than the pastiche chains. I felt it was going to be good when on booking I could hear the unmistakable Italian debate in the background! We were not disappointed, it’s not luxury dining by any stretch, but good quality, well prepared and tasty. House wine was also very palatable. Between us we had muscles, pizza, pasta, gnocchi and a calzone. All great. Staff welcoming and friendly. Worth a visit. Ciao!

Takeaway portions could be at least ⅓ bigger, maybe ½ for the price. £15 for a small take away container compared to a full plate if you dined in feels like a bit of a con. The food was exquisite, but the portion sizes were child-like.

Nice welcome, staff friendly. Food was very enjoyable.

Quite a busy restaurant. Food was nice (I'd say 3 to 4 stars), but like in other reviews, portions of pasta are small. Good service, friendly.

Love it . My family has never had a bad meal here . Lovely friendly staff . Fantastic food . Just need to remember to wear elasticated clothing next time 😁

Really nice place authentic Italian food. My only downside was that the spaghetti dishes were small portions. More of a starter than a main course.

Food nice but portions reduced since last visit a couple of years ago, prices have increased so not good value for money. Staff rushed through service (at 8.15pm). Had to ask for dessert menus and told to decide quickly as chef was leaving. We were the last table to leave (at 9.30pm) and heard them shout "Finally we can leave" as we walked out the door. Wouldn't return.

Really authentic Italian cooking . End with the Limoncello 😂

Lovely place and staff. The vegetarian soup and Giovanni's pizza were amazing.

The food was felt quite cheap, however my family adored the Napoli sauce & the chicken. It feels like the relationship between the owner & the other staff is very tense. The new girl is lovely and trying her absolute best for what felt like her first few shifts. Our family have been coming here for years and unfortunately this time it wasn't up to par.

We had a lovely time as a family of four! I'm gf and they have some penne as an option. The pizzas looked and smelt amazing, the pasta was so so but we would come back. Nice place if you want something family friendly. Very nice staff as well

Food expensive, and is not befitting of standard it should be for the prices, and I agree another comment toilets are dirty unpleasant and haven't seen a paintbrush for 20year's! That's not good enough

Terrible food, smelly toilets, made me sick all night due to dodgy badly defrosted sea bass If I could post less than 1 star I would Others had mean portions of pasta and to be honest out of 7 people not one person enjoyed their food Maybe just for them on a bad night?

Reviews were good so booked for a Saturday evening meal. The food was nothing special but ok. Tomato salad excellent. Brushetta not so good. Pastas were a decent portion maybe a bit bland. I would have rated a four but the manager was not very nice. Shouting match with one of staff. They then seemed quiet and it changed the atmosphere. My wife asked for a spoon to eat her spaghetti and he just threw it on the table.

Lovely family restaurant, great menu, and all the meals were fabulous. Great staff who care about their customers. Would definitely recommend and will definitely be back soon

We celebrated a special birthday here and had a lovely evening. The food we had was great but I have awarded 4* because of the portion sizes. The sizes were on the small size especially the lasagne it really was a very small portion even for an 80 year old petite lady, she would have liked more. The desserts were homemade and 5*. The staff very friendly and attentive. Regards atmosphere it would have been great to have music in the background all evening.

Great food and service. Tiramisu was amazing

Attended the restaurant and ordered the wrong pizza like a massive pleb. However the waiter very kindly saw my distress and very kindly offered to cook me another one. What a great guy. The pizza was very good. I left with my tails between my legs especially after I was practicing my itallian on him trying to show off to the company I was keeping.

Friendly efficient service. We all had pizza, so delicious we all agreed one of the best. The deserts are home made except the ice cream. Again, they were so mouth wateringly nice & we did the taste a bit of each others. Wine of which we had a bottle of sauvignon blanc was very nice with not an overly dry taste, best of all it did not leave a harsh after taste like most wines just lovely fruity notes dancing on the palette. Would strongly recommend you give it a go. Wonderful food at an average price. Enjoy!!

Lovely meal, very attentive, all staff amazing we will return 🙌

Been visiting there for many years now,on and off,but it's always a friendly atmosphere,and good food.Well recommended.😁

Welcoming, friendly atmosphere. Dined as a group of 7 each of us having a different dish. With everything being cooked to order it was great that we were served at roughly same times. Delicious food and can’t wait to go again!

The whole restaurant is very humid and needs to have some some kind of air circulation. The spaghetti was very dry and had hardly any sauce. The place needs updating. The service was very good though.

My friend and I both had Rissotto with prawns and asparagus, it tasted lovely, sadly we , both now have food poisoning, my friend vomited big time during show at Queens Theatre, I managed to get her home before I started with a massive vomit, I now have stomach cramps and diarrhoea, will report this to food hygiene in the am

Food and service was fantastic, we popped in for lunch as a bit of a treat and we're thoroughly impressed food was hot, freshly made and very nice. Everyone cleared there plates will definitely visit again next time I'm in the area.

I find it quite outrageous how good the ratings are for this restaurant. The service was generally ok...if you don't speak Italian. Because if you do, you can understand the owners swearing at each other non-stop. The food came out fast... and there's a reason for that–it was all frozen. We ordered 1 pizza, a salad and two fish dishes. Everything except the salad was frozen. So I paid over £10 for a frozen pizza which was an order of magnitude worse than the frozen pizzas I could buy from any supermarket for a fraction of the price. You think it'd be hard to get a coke wrong, but that too felt like it was from a coke bottle that had been open for over a week and all the fizz was gone. I rarely write reviews. This is only the second one. I felt obliged to write this as I find it unacceptable for an Italian restaurant to get such high ratings while serving frozen food. The sad part is that most people around us didn't seem to realise it and were enjoying their meals. I guess that's why the reviews are good... If a halfway decent Italian restaurant popped up in the same town, they'd probably be put out of business. Or have to start cooking for real.

Great food, great service, always polite, book a table and give it a go

MY FIRST VISIT MANY YEARS AGO WAS A DISAPPOINT BUT I DECIDED TO GIVE IT A ANOTHER GO BUT SADLY THE SAME, BLAND TASTELESS FOOD, NO FLAVOURS IN THE DISHES, LOTS OF LITTLE BITS MISSING, NO LEMON ON THE SO CALLED PRAWN STARTER, NO CREAM TO COMPLEMENT THE DESSERTS, NO CHOCOLATE TREAT WITH COFFEES OR BILL, I WONT BE RETURNING

Great for my sister's birthday celebration. Restaurant is a little basic but adequate. Owner is very hands on and friendly. Prices are fair. Well worth a visit. Wine list is basic.

Warm, welcoming, tasty food & attentive service!

Had the two course lunch special, staff friendly and attentive, great value for money, food was tasty and just the right portion size for lunch. We will be back

We didn’t book, just popped in on the off chance of a table for 2. The service was excellent. The lunch menu was good with a hard to resist 2 course offer, then we shared a delicious pudding. A great experience and we will go back to try the dinner menu.

Had a lovely lunch! We had the set menu, 2 courses for £14.95 it was really good value. They made us feel really welcome they were so friendly, nothing was too much trouble will definitely recommend and return.

Went there last night food was so good that be booked again tonight. Friendly staff brilliant pizza and lovely deserts. Only wish we didn't live so far away. Would be eating there regularly. Definitely will be coming back when we visit again. Couldn't understand negative comments on TripAdvisor.

Lovely food, cute little restaurant

Nothing but praise for this restaurant. On a Saturday night when the restaurant was busy, we had three courses, and were in and out in little over an hour. Food was fresh, portion-size just right. If you want a dessert - the amaretto trifle was divine!

Oh my goodness the food is delicious! Even my very particular hubby enjoyed his starter and main ( cheese and biscuits was bleh!) The only thing which is negative is the finer touches to make it amazing and to take it to the next level! For example, table cloths, pepper grinder, bread sticks, better quality napkins. The cheese board was incredibly boring! No butter,fruit, the crackers were not Italian just boring crackers slithers of cheese, no relish... I had coffee ice cream omg this was divine,again no finishing touches, Italian biscuit/ wafer?

Wow, what a pleasant surprise, a great Italian restaurant serving authentic Italian food, nothing fussy just straight forward food, simple but one of the best, have already booked to go back

The seasoning is perfect, and the ingredients are really fresh. At least for the dishes we order.

Good selection of Italian food. My pasta meal was delicious followed by a genuine Peroni beer. Staff excellent attention.

Food excellent and service good.

Very clean restaurant Lovely food 😋 Traditional Italian food

6 of us went this evening and thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Very varied menu, and Choices you wouldn’t find on all Italians. Very friendly service. Amazing cheese grater! If we were local, it would be a favourite of ours, and we would definitely revisit. Thank...

I went in for an early dinner with my husband and 2 year old. Pizza was delicious and the service was top notch. They were all so lovely with my little girl. Thank you! We will be back.

Excellent food and service beautiful food

Delicious pasta dishes, good house wine and amazing homemade ice cream. Slightly dated but worth a visit.

Service totally let the evening down. Originally tried to book a table for 8pm, got offered 9pm instead. We arrived and hadn't even taken our coats off before we were asked to order. Ordered drinks and asked for a few minutes to decide on food, we were abruptly advised by the waitress that we needed to order now as the kitchen was closing. We rushed an order for starters and main, not even having chance to properly read what we were ordering and given more time, they'd of probably had sides out of us too. The stater arrived, one was good, the garlic mushrooms however were very disappointing. We hadn't even finished the starter before she came to clear our plates and bring the mains. Whilst this was happening a couple arrived who had not booked and asked if there was a table, a waiter said he'd check with the kitchen before coming back and saying they could eat - why were we rushed if people were being seated 20 minutes later. The mains were good so the service really let that down. The waitress had been hovering and before we could even put our cutlery down she was clearing the plates and asking 'do you want anything else or just the bill'. We would have had desserts but did not want to spend any more money there just to feel like we were being rushed/watched. The waitress did apologise for the rush when she bought the bill (probably in the hope for a tip) and I then asked why we were rushed when others were seated so much later, she didn't really have a response. The service totally ruined the evening and also meant we didn't spend half the time or money there that we usually would. Huge disappointment especially when most the food was good.

Just don't order pizza! The chef has no idea about pizza.

We had dinner here and were very pleased. I had a lovely penne with smoked salmon, my husband had risotto with asparagus and shrimp, our adult son had tortellini panna. The pasta was al dente, not overcooked. We had a nice house wine (Sicilian). The...

I like to gamble with food poisoning occasionally here.

Authentic Italian atmosphere with a friendly service. Well priced, delicious food, pasta is a must! Good wine selection and the homemade tiramisu is to die for! Good, varied menu, plenty of vegetarian options. Definitely recommend a visit.

The food was excellent for the price point and the feel of the place was great. The staff were attentive and nothing was too much trouble - they allowed for deviations from the menu to suit person preference

The pizza was incredibly salty which ruined it for us all. We were also left waiting after others had been served their food after ordering after us and it took me asking before they apologised and said they had to make our order again.

Best authentic and truly Italian run restaurant in Barnstaple. Fresh food that doesn't disappoint as well as reasonably priced. Good location for taxis or to go into town afterwards. Also offer delivery for take outs.

Great little Italian with a great atmosphere

Nice little place, but a few thing about my experience dragged it down to 2 stars. I felt unwelcome from the start from the manager.. as if I was an inconvenience rather than a valued customer. I was a single diner compared to couples and groups which may have been a reason? He was my head server but ignored me most of the night? To start.. he walked off when I said I was good to order.. he gave me smile but didn't say a word. He just walked off without saying a word? He did come back to take my order, which is fair enough.. but felt weird after being ignored first time round. Then as I ate, I asked for a few drinks during my meal. The first time I asked he didn't even acknowledge me. Just looked away and walked off. Then shortly after he asked a colleague to come to me. So not even an "ok" or "no problem" after I asked for a drink ? Unusual to just get someone turn away and not even an acknowledgement? In general these are minor things, but I kinda spoilt the eating experience. Starter was presented nice. But bruschetta should definitely be made with better quality fresh tomatoes. These were pale and a little tasteless. The bread, oil and seasoning just about rescued it. For mains I went for a house pizza. Tasted good so no complaints about the taste. But the quality was very very average. If I wasn't hungry I would have been very close to leaving to be honest. It looked almost like it came straight out of a wetherspoons oven. Ingredients were ok, but definitely not a fresh dough base sadly, clearly a perfect circle base made in a factory then straight out of the freezer here. Was hoping for better quality going to an Italian, even if its not a specialty pizzaria restaurant. I hope the pasta is better.

A great noisy Italian restaurant, which is unpretentious, serving great food. We thoroughly enjoyed, can highly recommend.

This is our favourite restaurant in the Barnstaple area because they consistently serve good home cooked Italian dishes and the staff are vey attentive and friendly. The food is divine and freshly cooked to order and apart from the English weather you could well imagine...

First walking in seemed friendly. Service was ok. Ordered a starter and a pizza, a mushroom starter which came in a ramekin bowl which supposed to have been mushrooms in a tomato sauce must’ve been one mushroom chopped up and as if they just poured some tomatoes in it ,very salty and tasteless. With one piece of bread which was one mouthful. Pizza it was very salty and was very tasteless. Waiter came to us and asked our meal was?we said it was a bit disappointing very salty. Which he shrugged his shoulders and said he was very surprised and then walked off! Wouldn’t recommend the place food very poor.

Attentive staff, lovely setting and food that hits the table sizzling and lovely. Can't compliment it any more. Loved it all. Highly recommended.

We dinned here for three consecutive evenings. Good location and lovely, authentic Italian venue. The food is to die for. Try avocado gratinato or mozzarella in carozza, or the rare, yummy deserts. The pizzas taste of mild char which enhances their taste. Pastas are great...

I haven't eaten such bad food for a long time, the risotto tastes like it was yesterday. Old bacon, no fresh mushrooms, something was added that looked like dried mushrooms. Unfortunately, I do not recommend the food, it is far from Italian cuisine.... It's been a long time since I have eaten such bad food, the risotto tastes like it was made yesterday. old bacon, no fresh mushrooms something was added like dried mushrooms unfortunately I do not recommend the food is far from Italian cuisine ....

Rude rude rude , left before we had our drinks. I don't come to a restaurant to pay for food for the waiter to be so rude.Had a lush curry in the Gurka very polite lush food. Won't ever be coming back here If you are having a bad day don't bring it to work!!!!!

Giovanni is my wifes favourite place to go, since covid we haven't really been so it was nice to get back and see the place, it was busy and the food was still as good as ever, the staff are friendly and will go out...

The food was outstanding and arrived quickly, the staff were lovely and I can’t wait to come again!

Horrible manners of the owner. Deffinately avoid this place. Even if cuisine attract… service comes before it

My husband and I visited four weeks ago, food was really good, best desert ever . Hoping to visit again tomorrow

Reasonably priced evening meal service was good and the food was good

Went here tonight, Staff great and very friendly. Prices OK. I had Spaghetti Alle Vongole and was basically bland with gritty clams, not good. My wife had Prawns, garlic and olive oil, bland and lacked taste, no flavour to olive oil. Would'nt recommend.

Great little family type restaurant. Friendly service and nice homemade Italian food. I don’t know what else you can ask for really…

Fantastic, authentic Italian restaurant. Great service and an excellent choice of dishes from starters to desserts. Previously gave 5 stars as both service and food were amazing however service has dropped massively. Had to chase for drinks and condiments throughout. We were going to have dessert however the service was so slow we ran out of time. The waiter suggested leaving 2 and a half hours for a 2 course meal!

Was well nice food is amazing..unfortunately you need to sort your toilets out