The best meal around, 5/30/2010
Reviewer: Rob
from Santa Barbara, CA
Due to finances, I rarely eat out nowadays. But I indulge myself at least once a week at Giovanni's on the Mesa. It really is the only restaurant that I go to on a regular basis. The pasta is great (especially with meatballs), the sandwiches are outstanding, the salads are delicious, and the service is phenominal. That's not to mention the out-of-this-world pizzas. My mouth is watering just thinking of my next Gio's visit.
You order at the counter and sometimes (not usually) have to go to the counter to pick up your own food (esp if they're busy), but it's a pizza joint, not the Ritz. If you want to be "serviced" (sit down at the table and have someone wait on you), do NOT go to a pizza place.
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Great service and excellent food, 2/1/2010
Reviewer: Sean spiteri
from Santa Barbara, CA
The food is great and Daniel and his team are fun to be around. This is a great spot for your lunch break with fast service and also Internet service for your computer devices.
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Good food, fair pricing., 2/1/2010
Reviewer: William Meyer
from Santa Barbara, CA
I meet with friends here for lunch often, we are always happy with the food and the daily specials they have.
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Consistent and Delicious!
Reviewer: Fabio H.
from Santa Barbara, CA
This new location is great. The staff are friendly and helpful. The new building is beautiful. I have been eating at Giovanni's for years and it is still the best in town. This is NOT a fast-food chain so if you are looking for premade-super quick processed food this is not the place for you. They continue to make everying to order, which I appreciate and the restaurant is CLEAN which is also important. Locals know----this is the place for pizza and pasta!
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Great New Location
Reviewer: Dan B
from Vail, CO
I am usually in Santa Barbara three or four times a year on business, and my favorite pizza place in the world is Giovanni's. I used always go to the Giovanni's on upper State Street, but I was so happy on my recent trip to see the new Mesa location. The food and service at the Mesa location are better than I remember. The pizza is always served cooked to perfection and the crust is amazing. Last week, I was in town and ate here FOUR times! I only wish they had some sort of way to mail me Giovanni's in Colorado. I can't wait to be back.
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MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT!
Reviewer: Jim Doonan
from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been to Giovanni's Mesa three times and each time it was just wonderful! I love the pizza! The chicken parm sandwich is delicious. It's a very nice, authentic Italian restaurant. The staff is friendly and very attentive. I highly reccomend it over any other Italian in SB. You won't be disappointed.
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Best pizza in town!
Reviewer: Andrew
from Santa Barbara, CA
Great food best pizza i've had in a long time! sausage was really fresh. Ranch is the bomb! nice atmosphere lot more space than the other giovanni's i've been to. My kids loved the video arcade a little to much. can't wait to go back! next time im getting a gringo!
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Very disappointed
Reviewer: Adriana
from Goleta, CA
I was with my husband for lunch and we decided to try this new restaurant.
A sign in front of the door was showing the today special (pasta with marinara or meat sauce) for around $4.80 and we both took this.
We waited aproximately 20 min to get served if we can say this because you have to go order and go take your plates. This is why I rated the service 0.5 stars. Basically you see somebody just to pay and wait and wait and wait. I will add that we were alone to order so they were very far to be busy.
The pastas were overcooked, not enough drained. The meat sauce was a huge disappointment. I even went to ask if that was really meat sauce because I couldn't taste any meat. However the garlic bread was pretty good.
To conclude, even if a lunch for 2 for less than $10.00 does not seem expensive, my estimate regarding the cost of this meal would not be more than 1 or 2 dollars. Definitely, pastas are much better at the SBCC cafeteria or even at home with the meat sauce from Trader Joe's.
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Finally a good pizza place on the mesa!
Reviewer: Ted
from Santa Barbara, CA
I'm a long time Mesa resident, and I've always felt like we needed a true pizza place. I've been by the new Giovanni's on the corner of Cliff and Meigs 3 times now, and everytime the food has been great and the service prompt and attentive. I particularly like their pizza, chicken-bacon ranch sandwich, and anti-pasto salad. I was actually surprised at how large the menu is compared to places like Rusty's and Deano's.
The atmosphere is nice as well...open, bright, and airy with numerous flat screen tv's and nice decor. No more dark, dingy, dungeon feeling pizza places for me!
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Why?
Reviewer: MIke
from Santa Barbara, CA
Why do we need another pizza place on the mesa. The best ones are already there (Dean-o's and Mesa Pizza Co). I went to Giovanni's for lunch because I haven't had their pizza in years and it was no surprise that it wasn't anything special, at all. Right out of the oven the pizza crust was super soft, not crisp. They suck at pizza, sorry. Also, the jalapeno poppers were terrible. They were soft also, lukewarm, and not even remotely spicy. Service was good but big deal. Give me an angry New Yorker and a good pie over good service and a bad pie any day. I wish we could have gotten get another non-chain restaurant on the Mesa rather than this place. Booo!
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Thems a Spicy Meatballs
Reviewer: Glenn
from Buellton
The meatballs are good here along with the sauce. This place is more on the authentic Italian side over a Dominos type pizza so the wait will be longer. Nice inside with TVs to watch and outdoor seating and unlimited sodas. Some video games also. Good, Wide menu selection of various things.
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Never going back again
Reviewer: Scott
from Santa Barbara, CA
Probably the worst meal that I've had in Santa Barbara and some of the worst service. The server had one iPod headphone in while taking our order - that just might be why they got it wrong. Avoid the calzones at all cost. All the ingredients looked and tasted like they were ordered in bulk from Costco. The calzone itself was wet on the bottom like they didn't bother drying the plate before serving it. I definitely won't be back.
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Won't be back
Reviewer: Chris
from Santa Barbara, CA
Nice location. For a restaurant that we were looking forward to, we were let down by the less than impressive service and poor product. We ordered a large pizza that arrived with little sauce and tasted as if the ingredients were stale. We were not impressed with the cashier with the ipod earbuds in his ears who could not be bothered by taking our order.
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Great pizza
Reviewer: Janet
from Santa Barbara, CA
We have it to go and it's great--hot, fresh, and just the right amount of sauce, toppings, and spice. My friend loves the pepperoni and pineapple. I have to say it was so good with a sprinkling of basil on top. The service is still working out the kinks, but they'll get there. I just wish there was some place in SB that has the kind of thin crust pizza sold in New York and San Francisco. We're still stuck in the Deano's/Rusty's/Taffy's/Gio's style of "after soccer" pizza for kids.
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Yeah! Gios on the mesa!!
Reviewer: Foodie Dan
from Santa Barbara, CA
I usually have gone to the upper State St. location. I am so glad to have them closer to my house now. The inside is nice with a small game room for the kids(with a closing door)!
The pizza is great. They slice all veggies and meats in the morning...fresh! The sauce cant be beat and the sprinkling of oregano on top makes it unique. The owner, Daniel, is always ready to help with reservations for large groups and his wife Loni is a doll. Go to this Gio's....the best!
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How can you improve on perfection?
Reviewer: Carl
from Santa Barbara, CA
3-17-09: My wife & I had been looing forward to the opening of Giovanni's on the Mesa since construction first began. We decided to avoid the 1st weekend's opening crowds; and went there for dinner last night. Well worth the wait; and well worth many repeat visits.
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Work out the kinks guys!
Reviewer: Carolyn
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband brought home lasagna and ravioli, a caesar salad and one small pizza for us to eat at home. I know they said service was slow and I understand that was because it was very busy and that is not unreasonable to expect it was going to take awhile. What I will say on the negative side was that both of the pasta dishes tasted overly salty. And I guess that was the sauce although the cheeses are saltier types of cheese it shouldn't have been THAT salty. My son thought his small pizza, which one would consider a one person size pizza if you are a hungry kid, was too small. But he liked it still, the pizza was good. And the caesar was good enough, nothing over the top great but a decent, standard type caesar. Just watch the salt on the red sauces guys/gals!
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