Giovanni's Wine Bar and Italian Restaurant in Islington

If you are in London and are looking for an Italian restaurant that really knows how to preserve traditions, Giovanni's is the right place! The welcoming atmosphere and the scent of freshly prepared dishes will make you immediately feel at home. We tried the pizzas and pastas, and everything was exquisite: authentic flavors, fresh ingredients and an attention to detail that is difficult to find elsewhere. The pizzas were cooked to perfection, with a fragrant base and generous toppings. The pasta, however, had that consistency and taste that only Italian cuisine can offer. The staff is kind and helpful, ready to satisfy every need and to passionately explain the dishes on the menu. An experience that I highly recommend to anyone who loves Italian cuisine. Thank you, Tony for bringing a corner of Italy here!

The food is dated and not Italian. The pizza is bland, cooked in a regular oven and not using good ingredients The carbonara advertises pancetta and cream. The tiramisu must have been defrosted as mine was frozen in the middle and my friends was warm at the edges.

Business friends/contacts take me to this little gem. Food is excellent, service is faultless and the price is very reasonable. Give it a try!

Delicious meal. Had the Rigatoni nduja. Very good.

I love the food here been 3 times now

Wow. What a restaurant. We are an Italian couple living in London and guys... this restaurant made us feel at a (beautiful and super tasty) restaurant in Rome. If you are looking for original recipes, top ingredients, courtesy and.... good wines. Don't miss this restaurant!

I really wanted to love this place but unfortunately it fell a bit short. The carbonara was ok, but was fairly greasy and wasn't the best I've ever had. The garlic bread also didn't taste of garlic at all - mostly just rosemary. The ice cream for the desert did seem homemade though, which I liked. Overall the food was just average unfortunately. The restaurant also has a couple of TVs playing music videos but no music or anything, so overall the atmosphere is a little strange and quiet.

Friendly reception and attentive service: a first- class experience

This is a lovely restaurant 😍. The food was excellent, as was the service. We went there for our wedding anniversary and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would not hesitate to go back.

Almost 20 pounds per pasta dish and this is the serving size? Couldn't even fill up the small takeaway container? Bit of a rip off for takeaway.

The food was lovely, the service great and the ambience excellent.

Great food, lovely wine, good price and excellent authentic service. Busy but not looking busy and good atmosphere. Authentic family run place that did not disappoint. I would definitely return. Probably the best Calzone I’ve ever had.

I have been here occasionally since 2003, and never been disappointing. Always they have been offering lovely food and services.

Thank you for a fun and delicious lunch.

Nice Italian restaurant with good food. However I think they must be understaffed because the last 2 times I have been there the food has taken ages to arrive. For example 40 minutes from ordering to receiving our main courses.

Great Italian food, they accommodated 12 ppl, food was served same time. Will definitely visit again.

Parfait 👍 très bon accueil à l’italienne ! Les pizzas étaient très bonnes et la bière 🍺 Peroni bien fraîche.

An amazing last minute find. Great food. Great ambience, great service and amazing wallpaper. If you go you’ll understand. Highly recommend and will be back if in the area.

We had an early dinner so it was very quiet, the service was good but slow to notice you needed something. The good quality was misty very good with the exception of the calamari- at £16 it was over priced and rubbery.

Great place for a business lunch where you can have a good conversation and great meal. The food is authentically italian, and really well prepared. Definitely recommend if you are near City Road or the Barbican and are looking for a nice lunch option.

A welcoming restaurant where the food was really good. There is a wide range of food and every person in our party of 8 really enjoyed the food. The service was really prompt and friendly.

A hidden gem! We had a fabulous experience this evening. The food was amazing, great service. Definitely will be returning!

Hasn’t changed since I was last there a number of years ago, always reliable. The only thing I would say is that I wish they would invest in different gf pasta, there is now some good spaghetti and linguine and pasta shapes are important, but that’s a small point

Good place in city for Italian. Great service. Decor needs a bit of updating, but good place to eat.

2nd visit to Giovanni’s, The food once again was outstanding, you can tell the chef is passionate about what he/she does. Decent size portions for a fair price. You won’t be disappointed.

Quite disappointed, as I read through most of the reviews before making the reservation but realised that the handful negative reviews are actually accurate. Ordered quite 3 starters and 5 mains with my friends, and most items didn’t have any seasoning or flavour in them. The gnocchi with creamy mushroom sauce was really milky at best, with a weird water like consistency. My friends complained about bland, tasteless pastas as well. A real shame for the money we spent!

Bon rapport qualité prix Service rapide.

It’s our second time at Giovanni’s and we loved it once again. It’s a real Italian place, owned and staffed with Italian people and with lively authentic Italian food. Authenticity sometimes tends to disappear elsewhere in London… but not here! We’ll be back ☺️

Visited with colleagues in city for the night. Great food and atmosphere. Very good service and value for money too

Service worked incredibly hard, but the food was terrible and was left with no drinks for 30 minuets AND STILL WAITIN!

Did a works team get together at Flite Club opposite which was a bit of a disaster, so we bailed and went looking for food. A quick look on here revealed Giovanni's literally across the street and with decent feedback, we headed on over. We were the first ones in as they'd just opened for the evening and having got seated and perused the menu, within 10 minutes most of the tables at the front of the restaurant were already full of incoming diners. Always a good sign! I had calzone, which was bloody huge and whilst excellent, I struggled to finish! The pasta dishes my colleagues had looked good too and the one pizza ordered was a big old size resulting in a take home box. Service was decent and attentive, no hassles and best of all, one of our team is an Italian native and she gave it her seal of approval. So much so, she texted her other half about it and bagged him a takeaway pizza for his own dinner! Bill came to a touch over £200 for 6 of us having 2 courses each and a drink. Not bad at all for central London. Will definitely be back with the other half at some point in the near future.

Atendimento simpático. Restaurante barulhento, pouco confortável. Comida muito banal.

If you are looking for some true Italian food and a lovely atmosphere then this is the place to go. This was my first time here and the food and service along with the staff was second to none, I will be sure to be making a return visit

Thank you Giovanni staff for our delicious spicy sausage, aubergine pasta, hazelnut/pear sweet, followed by filter coffee. Tasteful artwork and decor. We very much look forward to returning with friends and family.

Very welcoming. Couldn’t do more to offer our children the food they wanted. All of our meals were delicious. Will definitely visit again when we are next in London. Thank you

Cordialità e professionalità fanno di questo posto una meta per chi vuole una cucina italiana d'eccellenza.

Ottimo servizio, pizza davvero buona, ambiente piacevole. Consigliato

Came with a group of work colleagues for evening meal, was really impressed with the food, very tasty and good portions. The garlic bread starter was great, comes as a pizza for anyone interested, easily can feed 2 or 3 as a starter. I had the linguine alla vongole which was very tasty and highly recommended. My favourite though was the desert. Pear and ricotta tart, recommended by the waiter, so so good. The Sangiovese was also very drinkable. Cost around £350 for 7 of us, so not cheap, but that included plenty of drinks and most had three courses. Service was a little slow at times, but wasn't an issue for us. Would come back again

I love this restaurant. The menu is fantastic - it has EVERYTHING! The staff are lovely, the chefs create incredible authentic Italian cuisine. The wine list is impressive. The restaurant caters for large groups. The seats are comfortable and the spacing between other guests is adequate. The bathroom facilities are very clean. This restaurant has a cosy intimate atmosphere. It is not noisy. It is perfect for celebrations and dates! I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. Thank you for such a wonderful dining experience. The quality of cuisine is consistently brilliant. The menu is excellently priced.

Ha eredeti, igazán finom olasz pizzát akarsz enni Londonban, szívből ajánlom ezt a helyet. 🙂

Bona pizzeria en aquesta zona de Londres, no resultat molt car i les pizzes estan bé

As someone who grew up in Italy, it was great to have some real Italian food in London. Bravi

An authentic Italian, friendly staff , great service. Pasta was lovely “al dente”, cooked and firm to the bite. I would definitely recommend this place!

Delicious pizza, the sauce was exquisitely crafted. Good service, would return in a heartbeat if I lived closer.

The atmosphere is too dark inside for me, the food was quite good nothing unforgettable. The service good maybe sometimes a little bit anxious the fact that they are at the counter.

Gnocchi, spicy, get it…Its the best I have ever had! Servers were awesome, helped with my Italian! 5 Star.

The service was amazing. The food was very delicious as well.

Cosy neighbourhood Italian eatery

Good variety on the menu, lovely food and friendly service

First time eating here. It was average sadly. We ordered a cheesy garlic bread and fried calamari for starters. The garlic bread was nice, straight from the wood oven they have on show. The calamari was barely cooked, batter all sloppy and greasy, and very limp salad. It was a real disappointment. I had the seafood pasta - this was the complete opposite end of the spectrum- the seafood was obviously frozen rather than fresh and tough as old boots. The pasta was lovely - but the seafood not at all. My wife had the Napolitana pizza which was lovely. So very contrasting dishes and poor execution of seafood dishes, made even worse by the fact that the bill was almost £90. Service was OK. We were not asked once how our food was. So overall this experience is enough that we would not go back.

Best Italian food I’ve ever had! The steak on my pasta was tender and juicy. My friends and I ordered different dishes and they were all delicious. Our waiter was friendly and gave us his recommendations, really good service. The atmosphere was cozy. I finished the meal with pistachio gelato, yummy! I will definitely come back the next time I’m in London.

A wonderful gastronomic experience. We, a table of six, had no booking and were accommodated immediately on a busy Thursday night. The staff were very attentive and observant. The food was delicious; a fresh Italian cuisine, sumptuous and well served. Also, we loved the parmesan cheese pots! I would definitely vist here again, let alone recommend.

Very good food and excellent staff, on the expensive side

Lovely place, lovely people and lovely authentic Italian food sensibly priced. Can't say more than that.

The bruschetta that we ordered was very average and the tortellini also tasted similar to a supermarket version. The pesto pasta was the only dish I could finish but that was also strictly average. The place was not priced any cheaper for the quality of the food compared to other italian places in the area.

Such a great place to spend an evening.

Fabulous food at a reasonable price. Attentive and lovely staff. Absolutely recommended it for a great meal.

A really good location for couples who are DATING. Would definitely come again and recommend.

The pizza and pasta was good. Nice place for lunch.

Gorgeous authentic Italian restaurant

Good Italian food, fantastic olives, great pasta sources, we were a large group of almost 20 people and the service coped well with us - the costs were reasonable even with a fair amount of wine

It was worst nightmare, i was with my wife and 40 day old daughter at around 3.30 PM in Moorgate branch on 18th Nov 2022. Despite it says outside Open and I knew it opened as i noted in google. I went inside with my wife and Daughter’s buggy. One of the staff asked did you reserve despite the whole restaurant is empty except around 10 people in single table. We said no we didn’t reserve, and she went to discuss with other staff and he came back and said that the restaurant is Closed. I wasn’t really sure why he said that. I couldn’t and I don’t want to talk further as i just head out of the restaurant. I really felt really bad and complete disrespectful. Wouldn’t they allow infant or Indian with infant or really they meant closed at 3.30 PM on Friday!! I left to debate. #bad #experience #disrespectful #act

Well accommodating to our family with 2 little girls on a tuesday night. Visited at the end of a long day, and the waiter was quietly helpful, and sought to make our experience as painless as possible. Food was authentic and delicious-thanks!

Friendly waiter, looks like David Lynch..

£16.50 for 6 prawns in an average sauce as a starter- shocking. £22.50 for a tuna steak that was very dry. Deserts dry; espresso martini- disappointing. Service began very well, very attentive, unfortunately by the end of the evening staff lost interest in serving our table for deserts after leaving us with the menus and empty drinks for at least 20mins until we had to get up and ask for service.

Ottimo ristorante, accogliente e con ingredienti di qualità. I gestori sono italiani e sono davvero gentili, simpatici e professionali. Consigliato assolutamente per la cordialità dello staff e per la cucina italiana davvero ottima!

We got 50% discount via First Table so saved a lot on the food. It was a really cute and cozy restaurant and the staff were really friendly!

Awesome place, great true Italian style, super nice people. I recommend.

A great experience and fantastic food. Highly recommended. Thank you for a lovely evening.

Des pâtes cuisinées avec une banalité affligeante, tomates sans goût, desserts acceptables, mais quelle déception quand on connaît les saveurs de la cuisine italienne (pour plus de 80ls pour 3...) on n'a pas goûté les pizzas mais, malgré le service gentil, on n'a pas envie d'y retourner

Really nice restaurant!! Do recommend

Probably the worst restaurant I’ve ever ate at. After being seated next to a very loud crowd of people having a party and screaming, we were quickly served by our waitress, who obviously wanted us out as quickly as possibly to make room for more guests. We ate a “bruschetta” consisting of some cheap chopped of tomatoes on a bit of lightly toasted baguette with some dried basil. Our main course wasn’t much better. Undercooked pasta served with some flavourless greasy sauce. The lobster ravioli tasted fishy (in a bad way, and coincidentally just like the cheap fish bullion cubes I have at home) and the rest was just completely disappointing. If this has costed us maybe 5 pounds each, they could’ve gotten away with it. Like an Italian version of McDonalds. But the thing is, for three people, this cost us over 100 pounds. And we had the cheapest appetisers, mains, two glasses of beer and some wine. No dessert or second main. This was one of the most expensive restaurants I’ve ever visited, but with a quality lower than fast-food. I highly suggest you avoid this place and visit someplace else. Maybe the local Tesco or homeless shelter if you’re looking for a similar experience

Good relaxed Italian lunch spot in the City

Good food , service , just price 👌

Went yesterday with colleagues having been there many times before... From the outside, you don't really see it but, go inside and you will find what used to be a great place. Sadly, we turned up for lunch and noticed that they were unusually "running behind", which then became obvious due to the fact that they were focusing elsewhere preparing more than 20 to 30 pizzas for take aways orders. Due to that, things were running late for our drink and food orders and the experience turned up to be disappointing, unfortunately. May not come back again if they are now providing more priority to take aways rather than customers in their restaurant.

Loved it. Great, genuine Italian food. Linguine Vongole is amazing but choose to have it in white wine sauce rather than tomato.

Fantastic Italian food near Liverpool Street Station

They make a great lunch time menus and provide a swift service. I can reccomend the pasta carabonara. Enjoy

Lækker pizza og god betjening. Hyggelig italiensk stemning. Vi kom to aftener i træk :) Vi kan anbefale pizza picante.

Fantastic lunch yesterday, deliciously cooked to perfection - sea bass outstanding. Many thanks!

Super ambiance et personnel très agréable

Couldn't have been a better experience! We were a party of 17, travelling from around the UK, all celebrating Sally's 70th birthday. Pino was fabulous helping me with the booking as this had to be done offline due to the party size. We were seated over three tables all within one area of the restaurant, which worked amazingly. The food was just stunning, I heard 'this is the best lasagne I have ever had'! The orange salad blew by husband's mind - he's going to be trying to recreate it for decades. And don't get us started on the tiramisu - I don't think I will ever be able to order it anywhere else! The service from Claire and Pino was second to none, they really did pull out all the stops to make this evening one to remember! Thank you! We will be back!

Zulke lieve mensen, heerlijk authentiek eten. Echt een aanrader!

Great food and service, local hidden gem

What a gem!!!!! Came here while staying for a Moorfields eye hospital appt…. Will definitely be back. Francesco and the team were amazing. Food is authentic and delicious. I love Italian food… this is the best restaurant I have been too in the U.K.

Nice cosy place. Good for formal or informal lunches. Great tasting food too!!

Fabulous 3 courses in pleasant surroundings with friendly staff. Food was superb, really top quality - fresh ingredients for sure - bruschetta, ravioli and really gorgeous tiramisu…..what’s not to like. Well done guys, we shall definitely be back 👍

Loved the pizza 🍕 Good starter as well. Table we were seated at was a little dark, but wasn't really a problem.

Not very good. We had the cotoletta, which was battered, not breadcrumbed, the meat was grey, it came with a side of spag bog, which is strange. Starters weren't fresh, all came from the freezer. Bread was bought, not fresh. Barolo was cheaper, too light and not worth £70. I spoke Italian and no-one spoke Italian back.

We 13 family members celebrated 2 birthdays. Fantastic food, ambience and great service by all the staff! Most of us are vegetarian so plenty of delicious options all very tasty!

A birthday celebration made so special by all the attentive staff plus amazing food and service ! Thank you boss Francesco,Chef Tony, waitress Mary and all other staff whose names I forgot 😌

Fantastic authentic Italian food served by a very welcoming family style team. Such a gem in the City creating great food with a lovely wine selection at a reasonable price - make sure you go next time you’re in the neighbourhood! Deliziosio!

I hosted a work Christmas event in the private room downstairs, Francesco was very attentive, nothing was too much trouble and he helped facilitate a very good evening!! Food was delicious too :D

We went on a deal, the food was fabulous, interesting menu and the staff were so friendly. Loved it, do much better than the usual chain Italian restaurants.

We came to Giovanni’s for dinner and it was excellent! Great staff, delicious food, and great atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

Excellent food, efficient, prompt and friendly service.

I frequent Giovanni’s everytime I come to London for business. Probably 9 years now. Wonderful service, outstanding food, just a warm welcoming atmosphere. If you have never been, make the trip!

Excellent vongole , super service and a place where they don't blink twice when you ask for a Frangelico as degustive with just one ice cube

Myself and my sister had no idea where to eat as we were going to the Barbican. I'm so glad we turned too the direction of this gem. When we got there we was given olives and neither of us eat them, but we both tried them and they were so nice. Our main course's was very nice and staff were very friendly & welcoming. Will definitely visit again if I'm in the area.

Gem of a place off Finsbury Square. Friendly staff, speedy service and a simple menu with really tasty pizza and pasta dishes. Went for the calzone which was huge and tasty, will be coming back again to try the carbonara.