I went there for the first time a few days ago and had a family style dinner. I'm trying to figure out what everyone else is raving about. I'll try them out again since I didn't order off the menu. I had- rolls, salad, mostaccioli with meat sauce and then chicken vesuvio. The rolls were garlic and they were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. These were very good. The salad was a little soggy and the dressing was confusing. I thought it was simple oil and vinegar but it was slightly creamy and blah. The pasta was cooked well but the meat sauce was really salty. It didn't have a lot of seasoning but that was ok. I'm sure the flavor would have been fine if it were not salty. The chicken vesuvio... Oh boy. So this dish is American-Italian, it's not a traditional dish from Italy. It actually has roots in Chicago. The dish is common to have chicken on the bone with wedges of potato, celery, carrots (sometimes) and garlic, oregano with white wine and olive oil. The dish is one I have had plenty of times. The dish I had here was not good. The skin was supposed to be crisp but it was soggy. It had a gravy on it that looked like common brown gravy that was salty. The chicken had a lot of rosemary on it so I kept pulling out pieces because they were like little sticks. The potatoes were wedged and appeared to be roasted but they were soggy on the outside and dry in the middle. I'm doing a review edit right now I just looked at the "not recommended reviews" and it looks like another reviewer disliked this dish too. I was told by a few friends that their pizza is good so I will update my review after trying that sometime. Other than that, the wait staff was nice and attentive and the ice tea I had was nice. The place needs an update bad!! It's been around for a long time so they must be cooking something right, I just didn't eat it. read more

Have been a patron for years. The last few visits have made me change my mind about ever returning. On both a weekend and a weekday visit, the food was just average and the service was poor. Went with a group of ten on a weeknight and had a bad experience. Water was not provided, nor was bread. We had to continually ask our server for both. Long waits for drinks resulted in our group ordering fewer than we would have with at least average service. Prices there are high for the area. I've stopped recommending this place to friends and family. Again, the food is not nearly good enough for anyone to put up with the poor service. read more

In my search for a great steak, in the Munster area; Giovanni's is absolutely the BEST. The Fillet minion was cooked perfect - medium, on the rare side. Worth the price. We've been to many supposed steak houses, but the quality of this restaurant can not be beat. Theo's was okay but not worth the price, Gino' steak house, not very good. Wine with dinner was very good.,--appetizer of Bruschetta was exceptional. Substituted potato for asparagus in a lemon butter sauce. Excellent - highly recommended. read more

This place used to be great about 15 - 20 years ago..I went in about a year and a half ago and was served raw chicken in my fettucini. When I told the waitress (who I had to hunt down on a weeknight with no customers) she said that the chicken was served "tender" and that was their method of cooking the chicken. Really? raw? Pink in the middle. Um yeah you can keep your murder method of cooking. Not only was I not offered a different dish she didn't even take the plate off the table or offer to cook it again. I will never go back. read more

Hadn't been to Giovanni's in years, so decided to check it out. This review covers our last two visits. I'm only giving this three stars mainly due to the some of the business practices that were a little confusing and frustrating. I will say that the food and service was very good during both our visits. The first visit was a few months ago with another couple. All went well until we got the check. There were two charges for 50 cents that we did understand. Not a big deal, but we asked the server. We were told that was a charge for ICE because there was a cocktail ordered "on the rocks". Never in all my years have I ever heard of such a thing. We didn't want to make a scene over the charges but asked for a manager who told us the same thing. Very strange. On our most recent visit, we decided to sit at the bar have some win and a few appetizers. The bartender was very helpful and opened the bottle of wine and served us both. When we mentioned that we were going to eat at the bar, we were told a server would take our food order. Server was very nice, food service was good and the apps were delicious. When it was time to bay the bill, we had TWO.......one for the wine and one for the food. Again very strange and something I've never heard of. Bottom, line enjoy the food. read more

This is not your father's Giovanni's and it's a shame. I'm 50, grew up in Munster Dining at giovannie's and have sent many nice size gift certificates...mainly to my parents for anniversaries,birthdays, etc. It's true, there are not many great restaurants in Munster, but as long as good food and service was received, and it always has been, it didn't matter, because there was Giovanni's. Unfortunately, those days have passed. In 'short', we brought relatives in from WI,VT,Chicago to celabrate Mom's Birthday...at her favorite place. She knew well in advance she would have her favorite dish, Sole. Unfortunately, we soon found they were out of the sole (we were there at 7PM), but...it happens. These things happen we were told, it was to be an especially busy day. That being the case, I would think one would prepare for that, but, this restaurant has many fine dishes...or so we thought. Several others decided to switch their orders, one to the trout....sorry, we're out. Rack of Lamb?...sorry. Again, I understand these things happen in every business. But in those businesses, when they do occur, the management - and I'd like to stress the Restaurant Manager-not the service crew who simply did the best they could with what they had-the manager not only said "so sorry", but offered nothing in the way of even attempting to be accomodating in any way. (I asked for a beverage for everyone who was waiting for food of any kind. We had already been there an hour+ and felt-since I had already purchased a $90 Cab and fine Champaign, that perhaps she would consider another CAB on the house."No" I was told the owner was called and the manager was told to decline anything to help keep an extremely long time customer happy. Unless ownership has changed, I doubt that happened. The manager simply decided she was going to remain rude and frankly, the most useless - and damaging -manager I, or my family have encountered. After waiting 2.5 hours, I recommended to the family we should leave, but my parents, not wanting to embarass all those friends they had come to know over the years, elected to stay. Oh, there was a $30 gift certificate and a well bellowed song of Happy Birthday. Since then, Mom has decided we simply should have left. She doesn't want to return knowing she may well run into additional condisention with the manager. Perhaps she can return the certificate (along with others she still has), for a refund. But that's just me. I would no longer recommend this once great eatery to a worst enemy. You may want to look elsewhere, even for a drink as they also ran out of the wine and...wait for it......tequila---which my sisters needed as much as I. I can only guess this one has found a way to it's own demise. As everything else was gone, I expect the building to soon follow. Pat Wilkins read more

Terrible experience! Ordered the lake perch .. absolutely unedible! It was full of bones and scales. Told the waitress- she sent the hostess over .. she made excuses and ultimately removed the meal from our bill. Having the hostess represent the restaurant when a customer has a concern is a disservice to Giovanni's reputation! We will never return - the hostess was completely unprofessional and made a bad situation worse. read more

Kind of a drab, older Italian place. burgundy faux leather booths, misplaced art, etc. The food was reasonably priced and the vesuvio was pretty good. Husband had the stuffed shells which were so-so. The waitress could not stop telling the people next to us how good and fresh everything was though. I will take her word for it read more

My neighbor gave me a certificate to eat here. They advertise as elegant dining as stated on their sign. Elegant, not so much. They don't even use a tablecloth on the tables. Big zero. I gave the place 3 stars because the food was actually pretty good. Service was just Ok. Not great. There are no Windows in the place. Looks like it hasn't been updated in 30 years. If this is elegant dining in Munster, I have to say it's easy to impress the ignorant read more

The food here is great, the service is also just as wonderful. I have tried the majority of the menu over the last 15 years. Also their text club program rocks, you get texts from them with lunch and dinner coupons and specials. I would score Giovanni's a 5 but I can't. You enter into this restaurant into an area that just smells of cigarette smoke and this forces you to keep your jacket rather then hang it up or you'll need to have it dry cleaned to get the stink out. I find it hard to believe they have not changed to none smoking, the stink can ruin your appetite and make you want to leave before your even seated. I admit when waiting to be seated, I have changed my mind and left because of the smell. So make reservations so you don't have to wait. read more

Food here is always good. Delicious rolls. Sometimes service is slow but usually friendly. Decor is outdated. Great place to eat.

The rolls to start were great (I'm not a bread person). Then the veal parmigiana was the best I've eaten. My buddy had the seafood risotto & said was one of best he has had. Highly recommend this place. read more

I picked this place 9 years ago, for my daughter's baptism party. there was a wine I wanted, and the chef ordered the bottles. The party was great, and the service a delight. Well my wine selection, was added to the wine list. Their fresh hot rolls are a delight. I am sadden they have had to shorten their once extensive menu. Their risotto is always spot on for me over the years. It is old school, with a piano player in the bar on weekends. That place the locals talk about and go to for every day and special occasions. Great food and great memeories! read more

Drinks were good. The servers were attentive. Unfortunately, our food wasn't spectacular. My husband and I will not be returning nor do we recommend this place to fellow yelpers! read more

First time eating here tonight and I have got to say.. it definitely feels like I'm eating my Nana's food all over again. I got the Sausage sub with marinara and sweet bell peppers, yum! I also ordered the soup of the day, spinach and meatball I believe.. it was okay but I would skip out on this soup next time strictly because of the meat that's used in it.. almost ruined it for me because it tasted like Chef Boyardee ravioli. Also found a hair in my soup, not the best after you've tried to stomach it for quite sometime.. accidents happen though! The rolls are great and I loooove the oil that's served with it. Will be returning, just hoping for no more long black hair surprises in my soup! :) read more

We have been coming here for over 20+ years because my in-laws live down the street and this is their favorite restaurant. I have been reluctant to write a review all these years because this place is really confusing! It can either be the BEST Italian restaurant you have ever been to.....or the absolute WORST Italian restaurant you want to run away from! I am finally writing since our last (notice I said LAST) visit was so bad, I can no longer stay quiet. There were three of us for lunch. Nothing special ordered, all of us ordered soft drinks. First the service was ungodly slow. It was us and another couple in our room, that's it...the place looked empty. Yet it took our waitress over 20 minutes to refill our drinks. The best thing they have are the warm garlic rolls. This day they were treating them like gold nuggets. For the three of us, we got three rolls! I can eat two by myself and another one with my meal. So around a minute after our waitress gave us our gold nuggets rolls, I asked for more, to which our loving waitress rolled her eyes at me and reluctantly went to go get more....which took ten minutes. I did not have a watch with me, but I could sense the passage of time....just sitting there waiting.....for drinks.....for more rolls.....for our food! Finally our food came....and it all was a nightmare! One person ordered the gnocchi. Which wasn't cooked, it literally was raw dough. We waited all this time and they never cooked the food!?!? My lasagna was totally inedible. I've had it before, I know what it should taste like! This was total garbage....it tasted like STRONG vinegar.....no taste other than vinegar! After complaining rather strongly, it was hard to hide our disgust. Not to mention our uneaten food being taken away. The gnocchi was taken off the bill.....but not my uneaten lasagna! After leaving and getting into our car, I was in total shock to see that we were in there for CLOSE TO TWO HOURS! Two hours for uncooked and inedible food.....and horrible customer service! In the future we will be taking the family down the street to Cafe Borgia! read more

I liked this place because it had a nice traditional atmosphere. Like the building had been there for 100 years with its dem lighting and wood work. The walls looked thick like some mobsters could take care of business in the next room and you'd never know about it. The food was well prepared and the prices were doable. Not the best game in town but definitely different speed from the rest. read more

The Martini and appetizers were the best thing that they had to offer. The food was obviously frozen and gross! Especially the fish. I cannot believe they called it fish! I mentioned it subtly to the busser who quickly scooped the uneaten meals up. And again to the server who has definitely been doing this too long and didn't care that nothing was eaten but a bite or two from each plate. And she just kept moving along. I would have rather gone to McDonald's and not spent $150 plus tip (even though it was really shitty I'm an ex server and therefore must tip). I will NEVER return and hope they hire some people who care about the food they serve and the way they make their guests feel. read more

The steak and bruschetta are very good. The spaghetti marinara was so salty it was inedible. Staff was kind and attentive.

Just visited this restaurant this past weekend and although it was busy, our waitress couldn't have been more accommodating and friendly. The bruschetta was surprisingly delicious and my steak and asparagus were great. It being Saturday night during March Madness made it a little noisy for a quiet dinner; everyone from dates to families were seen enjoying themselves.Try the flourless chocolate cake for the perfect ending to a great meal! read more

Good service. Older decor but tasteful. Had the crab cake appetizer....it was ok but nothing special. Had the cannaolni and it was good, although the longer I ate it the mire muddled the meat stuffing tasted. Meat sauce on it was good. Minestrone soup has good with a stew consistentcy. Tiramisu wad not good. Tasted mostly like whip cream, little lady fingers. I would not order that dessert again. read more

The food is good northern Italian style. The chicken marsala is excellent. I love the gnocchi. I have never had a bad experience there with the service. They have always been great. read more

Food is always decent and prices are pretty good. Service can sometimes be spotty but overall a very good experience. I always like going.

Wife, my Mother, and I had the best lunch we might have ever had, thanks to our awesome server, Noelani! She was very knowledgable about the menu and welcoming, extremely friendly, and made us feel we were right at home. She made our dining experience amazing and will be returning for some more of her wonderfull service. The food was delicious as well!! read more

We were traveling from out of state.... We took a chance on Giovanni's for lunch and had a very nice experience. We were greeted by a pleasant maitre 'd and waitperson. The salad and chicken penne were quite tasty. The Chocolate Flourless Cake with Grand Marnier Mousse was decadent!!! read more

I have eaten here my entire life. Best Italian food anywhere! The house dressing is amazing, the pasta is unbelievable, and the pizza is top notch. A nice cozy environment and friendly staff. I never go anywhere else when I want Italian. Simply the best! read more

If you love Italian food, like I do, Giovanni's in Munster is the place to go. Family owned, Giovanni's has the old-school charm of your classic Italian restaurant. The menu is excellent, featuring a wide range of choices, including pasta, seafood, steak, chicken and veal entrees. Giovanni's also features great specials, which often are entrees not regularly on the menu. My favorite meal ever was the night they served crab-stuffed ravioli. See http://dinnerdrinksandamovie.com/2012/04/20/ddm-favorite-giovannis-in-munster/ read more

Great Italian food. Friendly folks great service. It's always nice to find a great Italian place while traveling

This is an older place and doesn't have a hipster ambiance but the food is great. Top notch bread rolls. Bruschetta is great. Pasta's are terrific. Pizza is good. We had one of the best steaks ever here. (who knew?) We have never had a bad meal here. This is our "go to" Italian restaurant for any occasion. (June 2015) The service is good. They accommodated a last minute party of 30 for us and we were very satisfied. November 2016.: Not crazy about some changes. The big classic book menus have been replaced with a single sheet front and back. It seems they have reduced the size of the menu. I know that those classic menus are probably expensive to update but given the outdated decor, the menus helped retain the ambiance of a fine dining establishment. A disappointing amorphous blob of crab over lettuce arrived instead a the crab cake appetizer that I've enjoyed in past visits. Everything else was very good so hopefully it was just an off day for the crab cake. read more

Found my new favorite spot great authentic Italian food, love the intimate setting!!

This place is great for lunch. To start they offer the best garlic knots ever!! I had my bridal shower there two years ago and that's all everyone was talking about. They were amazing. I love the dressing for the salad. I usually get the shrimp fish and pasta as a side it has always been good. The owner is really nice. She always come to see how we are doing and remembers us when we come in. read more

Me and the wife went there on a Friday nite without a reservation but did get a booth. We had bruschetta and potato gnocchi and tiramisu. We have no complaints read more

Great local place. The staff is unbelievable, service is terrific. Can't go wrong here!

Terrible. Came here to just get a pizza on my last visit and left extremely disappointed. First and foremost, we ordered a pizza with pepperoni, fresh garlic, and sausage. In addition, we got the calamari and bruschetta for while we waited. Although the calamari was decent, the pizza took considerably longer than expected, but, whatever, I was not upset. We dig into our first piece and immediately realize that the pizza has no sauce. So, we don't want to be rude and say yes go ahead and place another one in for us upon being asked if we'd like it done. After another long wait, the pizza came and this time had sauce but actually was burnt on top and overly dry on the bottom. To top it off, we were there easily 2 hours and didn't even get a free drink or something offered. Not that I really care for anything free, but if you mess up, it is your job to fix it and have a happy customer. Will NEVER go back. So many better places around...go elsewhere. read more

really good pizza..... have ate in a few times....its fair...and the food is ok.... i want to give 1 star for the daughter that is basically the hostess...whata B****...... go to get pizza takeout..... she looks down her nose at you like your slime....3 stars only for good pizza.... read more

I called to speak to the manager on a Wednesday at 11am when it was non - peak business hours. I called to inquire about the menu. I spoke with a female manager that was very unpleasant. On top of the rude way that she spoke to me, she proceeded to hang up on me. She refused give me her name, otherwise I would have definitely gone to her higher up to report the matter. I've worked in customer service for over ten years and understand the importance of quality customer service. The way that I was treated made me not want to patronize this establishment, regardless of the food quality. I hope that other consumers never have the same customer service experience that I did. read more

Had a great time sitting in bar side listening to live piano. Older crowd. Good portions of traditional dishes plus some specials like the Marlin which was excellent. House Chianti was also very good. If you love garlic this is the place read more

What happened to this restaurant? Used to be ok. Was there tonight. 5:00 dinner reservation for two. Took a long time to get our food. The waitress said they had a large to go order. So let the customers who had reservations wait to take care of a to go order. Waitress finally came over with our food. I ordered the special Grilled Chicken and Grilled Shrimp with Broccoli and mushroom risotto. Tasted horrible!! I ate the Shrimp although it was burnt. Couldn't eat anything else. The risotto was NOT cooked! The best thing was my glass of wine. I kept asking for a Manager or owner. Seemed like the hostess had to handle all of this. She was very nice. She took my dinner off our bill. My sisters dinner was awful as well. Two very long hours and no dinner. I asked if they had a new chef? Said no. Asked if they changed ownership? Said No. Scary that they are serving food that is not cooked. Won't be back. read more

Had a wonderful lunch experience with a group. It was a birthday celebration and could not have been better. Great, reasonable, tasty food and incredible, personal servce. Their attention to detail was impeccable. .from the busboy to the manager..it was so refreshing. Classic restaurant with..and service from another era. read more

Great old school style Italian place (you know, the kind of place where you can say Eye-Talian) Its dark inside, so if that's not your thing, be warned. No windows, but if there were windows you'd be staring at Ridge Road or the parking lot of the donut shop, so you're not missing anything with the windows being gone. You go there for the food, which is really good. Plan on filling up on Bread (which you were warned as a kid by your mom not to do) but go ahead, do it, you're an adult now, the garlic rolls are worth filling up on (you can take your meal to go after all) the pasta is great and there are always specials if you want to try something different. Lots of meatless options (if that is what you like) Even desert it good, that's if you have room for it after filling up on garlic rolls. Good steaks, soup is good, and if you order the flavored ice tea they bring it in these really nifty containers that let you steep it at the table. read more