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Mon-Thu. 3:30 p.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"It's hard to have a bad meal when you are in a good mood. And, it's hard to be in anything other than a good mood when you are in Carmel,…" read more »
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I want to live next door to this place!!!!
This is what a real pizza parlour is supposed to be like! OMG! As soon as you walk through the door, you can smell it! You can smell fresh dough cooking, cheese melting and bubbling away atop one of the most delicious pizza crusts I've ever encountered. Yeasty, light (but sturdy), a nice rim and plenty of pizza bubbles. There's something about a hand-stretched crust that just results in the most amazing texture.
The bread sticks! YOU CANNOT NOT ORDER THE BREAD STICKS! THEY ARE LITTLE, POUFFY, CHEWY STRIPS OF PARMESAN ENCRUSTED GOODNESS. YOU MUST ORDER THE BREAD STICKS!
OMG! This was a torturous drive back to the hotel. I have a no-eating-or-drinking-in-the-car policy and darn near broke that policy.
dreaming of Gianni's......................
People thought this was:
I wish there was a place like Gianni's up in the bay. But I guess it's tough since they use some secret family recipe that's guarded like Ft. Knox. The crust is always crisp (due to a high-tech vented plate), with fresh, high qual ingredients. Part of this review is also my rant on NY style pizza. I think there's something wrong with me b/c all my friends love NY style thin crust and I don't think it's all that. Maybe they just haven't tried Gianni's, I dunno.
Anyways, if you're gonna take it to go, do yourself a favor and order it half-baked so that the crust stays crisp outside and moist inside. That's one of the best things about the pizza.
Everything about this place is terrific. The linguine and clams are the best around, the Italian sausage, the sauces, the sub sandwich all first rate and authentic. One of the best restaurants in Monterey.
Be sure to stop by the bar and say "hi" to Angie, whose worked at Gianni's for 25 plus years. She's a real hoot and makes great drinks!
I am so glad I live up the street from this place. The crust is always perfect, the sauce is tangy and zesty, and the toppings are always delicious.
If you want good pizza in Monterey, this is the place.
I visit the area at least once a month, and I feel confident that this is the best pizza I have had there. The sauce was to die for (maybe cuz bro ordered extra). The toppings pretty dang good, and so was the crust.
I usually don't eat the crust so scarfing down this one was a clear sign that it was made pretty spankin' awesome.
Did not visit the actual place, since there was a pick-up volunteer among us, but I can't imagine the "hang-out" putting any kind of damper on this delicious, scrumptious pizza. ;D
People thought this was:
There was a lot of hype leading up to my first visit to Gianni's so expectations were running high and the anticipation was unbearable as I waited in that seat watching other gobble down their pizzas all around me. Finally our piping hot pizza arrived and a piece of cheese was dripping off the side so I grabbed it and put it in my mouth. I knew from that point that this pizza was going to be good, damn good. The pizza comes out piping hot which adds to the anticipation because you have to let it cool down a bit so you don't burn your mouth. Being a Starvin' Marvin after a long day at the aquarium I disregarded the burn caution and just went for it. The pizza was all that it was cracked up to be, the ingredients were fresh, the meat was top notch, and the crust was made to perfection. One side of the pizza was a little too doughy for me but that wasn't a huge issue.
The establishment itself is a free standing location with plenty of free parking. Parking is a big issue in that area so it is nice that they have their own lot. The Sicilian Decor and checkered table cloths give it a very mom and pop feel. I love how they have the huge vat of pizza sauce cooking on the stove top for all to see, I would much rather see that than cans of sauce! I would love to go back to Gianni's soon and try some other things like their soup, bread, and pasta! However, I wouldn't be able to step foot in there without having at least a slice of pizza.
Skip the chain pizza joints and try this pizzeria for good authentic pizza!
This place is the real deal......Delicious! They even have canoli's for dessert!!
I dig this pizza. I'm all about independent eateries and it blows Round Table, Domino's, and the usual crap out of the water. I appreciate the large selection of toppings and if you're daring, I recommend an olive and pineapple combination. It sounds weird, but it's something I concocted in high school and the salty olives mixed with the sweet pineapple is quite delicious. I'm also not one for thin crusts, and their standard house crust is simply rad. The breadsticks are always dry and pretty mediocre, I don't recommend them. Stick with the pizza and you'll be just fine.
The ambiance leaves something to be desired--staff don't look happy to be there and there are always kids running around everywhere (if you can't control them, don't bring them--or don't breed). Focus on how great the pizza is and then flee the building.
People thought this was:
Next to CPK, this is another pizza joint to avoid. My experince here is based on a Friday afternoon lunch. Their hours seem odd since they only do dinner the rest of the week. To get a lunchtime pizza you'd have to look elsewhere. I tried a meatball sandwich, which was lukewarm and somewhat edible. I also tried a little of some veggie pizza which has the consistency of cardboard. I'm not really sure why there are so many good reviews here, other than perhaps it could be a good location. I'll avoid Gianni's in the future, and will seek another pizza alternative.
Food not bad... service decent... hard to say because we had a huuuuge group. We came with a group of 50... pre reserved and ordered... it's a casual place so food came out as smoothly as could be expected I guess... The pizza was yummy... the hot wings were very good... didn't especially like the lasagna... not horrible, but not special.
Big place with lots of seating... i didn't look at the menu too much and we stuck to the basic pizzas... but what we did order was tasty.
People thought this was:
First off, they do NOT deliver like it says in the restaurant details above - at least, that's what they told us when we called to ask if they delivered to the Anton Inn down the street. No big deal, we'll drive over even though we were dead tired after a full day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Ordered a medium Meat-zilla (Italian salami, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, beef, and linguica). Called it in half an hour before closing. Arrived about 5 minutes before and the door was already locked up, but they let us in. Paid, got bags of pepper and parmesan, and plenty of napkins. First thing I noticed when picking up the box - it was HEAVY!
Cheese-y, meaty goodness. Nice, hearty crust. I'd try it again if I revisit Monterey.
Fantastic!!!
Each time we visit Monterey, we do 3 things... Stay at the Plaza, spend a day at the aquarium and eat Pizza @ Gianni's!
This place is an easy walk from Cannery Row and once you get there, you'll enjoy the family friendly atmosphere and the great pizza menu. (not to mention the beer on tap is very reasonable!) Usually we order enough pizza to enjoy at the restaurant and save a little to bring back to the hotel for a superb midnight snack!
I hope you enjoy as much as we do!
People thought this was:
Our friends suggested this place when we went out for the MOTOGP races this past weekend. Great place for a big group like ours. Pay first, and delivered to your table. So you don't have to share the bill. Good pizza and no frills on the wait staff.
A minus, the parking sucks!!! Especially when it's a race weekend!
I had the Gianni's Special mini. Great food and atmosphere!
I went to Gianni's with high hopes, given the effusiveness of so many of the other recommendations. Unfortunately, I left disappointed: the pizza is just plain bland. While I appreciated the abundance of toppings, the crust, sauce, and cheese lacked any real flavor, and those are the most important ingredients in a good pizza.
Everyone raves about this being the best pizza on the peninsula; if that's truly the case, I feel sorry for those of you who have to live here without any good pizza restaurants.
Definitely the best pizza on the peninsula. I told my husband, a pizza fanatic, how good it was and he wouldn't believe me until he tasted it himself. And now he is a believer.
As someone who works in Monterey... I would have given it 5 stars, but they are not open for lunch during the week, except Friday.
Awesome Pizza! & Gelato!
Fabulous crust/dough for their pizza. So tasty, we have been loyal fans for decades. Favorite used to be the Gianni's special pizza. We are getting on in age, so the Veggie is now an excellent choice. Sunday nights are wonderful, here. Warm, friendly, casual, family ambiance creates an enjoyable dining experience. =D
People thought this was:
pizza is pretty good. Fun for groups. General all around good pizza place. Nothing to make it sounds out as spectacular though.
I ordered the Meat-zilla to go while I wated and had my pizza fast, in 15 minutes. This is a shocker for a busy popular non-chain pizza joint.
I was pleasantly surprised by the sausages on the pizza. It was tasty like no other I've tried before. Maybe something you would get in Italy? The inner crust was good, but the outer crust was kinda tough and I didn't eat it. That was the only downfall, ergo 4 stars instead of 5.
People thought this was:
The place is big and nice to have a private party. The pizza is great. The spaghetti is just average. The calzone is good. The buffalo wings were awesome! I would come back for the pizza.
I gave this place a 5-star rating because the pizza is great and has been for years. It's the best pizza in the Monterey area, and I would say the best in N. California. It's usually busy and noisy but that's because people flock here for the pizza.
You can't go wrong with the pizza here. I love it!!
It's a nice hangout-type place. The ingredients are fresh, and they have a lot of employees, so they're pricey (12" small for over $15.)
I just don't like the pizza. There's no salt in the dough, there's very little sauce on the pizzas, and they use mozzarella and powdery riccota, which have almost no taste, especially when melted. Also, there is raw tomatoes and basil leaves on top of the pizza.
Do NOT make the mistake of ordering the Margherita pizza....we made this mistake, and got a flavorless pizza with no taste. They were nice enough to make us a different pizza, though.
So since my unfortunate experience that dreary Friday night, I have returned to Gianni's on several occasions (even at 10 pm) and received excellent service. Maybe they were just having an off night the night my friend and I went in for some late night pizza? Anyway, I'll definitely keep going back for our late night pizza cravings.
People thought this was:
So if I was just reviewing Gianni's food, I'd probably give them a higher rating. Their pizza is… Read more »
We really, really loved this place.
We accidentally discovered it while wandering around looking for a place to buy a camera memory card, noted it and decided we'd come back. We've eaten lunch at the aquarium before and aren't huge fans of the food.
It's a close walk, and was a nice break in our day from the aquarium crowds. The place was quiet at lunch time, and we really enjoyed our half-pepperoni half-something delicious with artichokes pizza.
The place was very clean, too.
I highly recommend Gianni's.
This is a great local pizza joint for groups! I came here with a large group after a scuba diving session and the pizza really hit the spot. If you're with a bunch of guys, you may want to go with the meat madness pizza. The extra larges are huge, we ordered 2 extra larges for an extremely hungry group of 7 which was perfect. We also ordered the margherita pizza which I personally really liked. They piled on the tomatoes, the guys were less into it. The place is very self serve and the pizza is decently fast.
I love Gianni's!
The spaghetti with meat sauce and meat ball and sausage was good but a tad bland. The alfredo with clams and mushrooms and the pesto with chicken however were AWESOME!
People thought this was:
This is the best pizza in Monterey, the place is family friendly.. we love it!!
After you get past the unorganized ordering-at-the-counter system (seems to always be a bunch of confused people milling around...with the young ladies manning the cash register either completely oblivious, or uncaring)...Tasty pizza in a relaxed atmosphere. The pizzas are huge. We got 2 for two couples (both big eaters), and had a Ton of pizza left over.
Sandwiches are good too! If you want take-out...call it in! This place always seems to be crowded.
I've been back a few times since my initial review, mainly thanks to friends who wanted to dine here - though these days I find myself recommending this place to my other friends.
You're going to get a big doughy pizza, with lots of cheese and a generous amount of toppings and it's all very tasty. It's all a bit old school, but all the better for it,
The place gets crowded, but so far I've been lucky in that we've always managed to get a table after ordering - though the last time I was there, it seemed we were in the minority for that privilege.
Given my original thoughts on the place, I figured this would be a once in a very blue moon destination, but more recent experiences combined with the thoughts of the folks I've recently dined here with definitely ensure that I'll be back sooner rather than later.
Actually, I could eat a slice or two right now.
People thought this was:
Let's see, there are three women trying to play darts after what I really hope is too much alcohol;… Read more »
The best pizza in Monterey! Their pasta is even better than their pizza.
Some reviewers have whined that it wasn't New York-style pizza (which I prefer, too). Apples and oranges; besides, there is NO decent New York-style pizza to be had around here. Other reviewers whined about the hours. Grow up--the world doesn't revolve around you.
Gianni's is always busy, because they have really good food at reasonable prices. The atmosphere is fun and family-friendly, but there's alcohol for the grown-ups, too. They even have an accordionist some weekend nights!
Bottom line: great food. Yum!
LOVE GIANNI's Pizza... the best crust. the best toppings.
we always got chicken wings too which were in their own right finger licking great.
We were in monterey for just one night, and when we drove in, we felt like all the restaurants down by the water looked like tourist traps. We went to Yelp to try to find something that others found good. We chose this pizza place, which was walking distance from our hotel. We walked to the place first so we could see what the pizza looked like before ordering. It looked good, so we ordered two large pizzas for 5 people (way too much... these are pretty thick pizzas).
The pizza was really good. Ever since learning how to make pizza by hand, I've been pretty picky about pizza. When in the restaurant, you can actually watch them make the pizza since the kitchen is open to the main counter area. Everything looked fresh. They also blot some of the oil off of the pizza before boxing it up, which resulted in a very nicely cooked pizza that wasn't overly greasy (like other places).
We took the pizza back to our hotel and ate it outside on the deck. Someone else came later and had the same idea as us - pizza on the deck. They got their pizza somewhere else, though, and it didn't look nearly as good.
If I lived in the area, I'd go back to this place pretty often.
This is literally the closest I've had to NY pizza on the west coast. When we walked into the joint, it smelled JUST LIKE NY. I couldn't believe it. I almost cried tears of joy.
And it was REALLY good. Not quite as good as pizza from NY, but pretty darn close.
Everything was delicious, but it was super duper crowded. Also, some racist bitch (customer, not an employee) was super rude to us. I felt like she wanted me to apologize for not being white. I almost started a fist fight with a soccer mom.
FOR REALS.
Anyway, really good food... but I did have to take it down a star because we found a fly just hanging out in the parmesan cheese shaker. And that is just gross. It probably just crawled in there through the top holes. NASTY.
It's probably not their fault, but it was just too gross to not say anything about. We should've complained... but instead we put it on the next table to see if someone would use it on their food. haha! Unfortunately, the group of teenaged boys saw it. And they wouldn't SHUT UP about it. I wanted to punch them in their stupid acne-ridden faces.
Anyway, it was super crowded... If you're looking for a nice dining experience, I would suggest NOT visiting Gianni's, or perhaps just ordering take out. But if you just want some delicious pizza, head here.
PS - The private parking lot is kind of small for the number of people who visit this place. AND I would suggest driving the smallest car you've got. My friend has an ENORMOUS pick up truck and we had a really hard time parking.
People thought this was:
Great pizza and toppings here, particularly in that some include alternate sauces than tomato. A tad oily, but not an issue if you have a napkin. They also serve many additional items, including lasagna! It's all cooked to order, and generally served quickly.
A tad pricey, though... That's the single thing preventing my 5th star.
People thought this was:
Good pizza. Yum yum.
Had a soda machine so I made my magical "mountain dew, lemon aid, orange soda" mix that turns the soda brown but tastes yum.
Salad was exactly what I expected, and joy, they put the dressing on the side w/o having to ask! One bonus: one of those little banana pepper thingys on the side of the salad. Yum.
Overall: four yums.
People thought this was:
Best Pizza in California. The decor and ambiance is great you feel like your in NYC's Lil Italy!!!
Monterey/Pacific groves best pizzeria. This place is always busy, however there's allot of indoor seating. The dough is good and they put allot of cheese and marinara on the pizza which is how I like it.
If you like salt and plastic pizza this is the place for you! I don't know what all those 5 star reviewers were smoking but.... this place was anything but.
I seem to be on a roll with trying new restaurants only be be sorely disappointed and just a little nauseated. Gianni's is unfortunately one of them.
We had just had a really great day and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and were looking to eat some good for before driving back to San Francisco. Had we been wise we would have just held out for the nearest In-N-Out, but we weren't sure we would make it. At first we were thinking of a place on the waterfront, but they were all a little too fishy and touristy, so we whipped out the iPhone and looked for Italian places on yelp. Gianni's came up in the first few results and had a lot of good reviews, and to top it off, was only a few blocks away. So we decided to go on in.
Upon walking in we were thrown off by the order at the counter method. It didn't look like fast food, yet we were treated like fast food customers. Having never been there, we needed a few minutes with the menu to decide what we wanted to get. Apparently those few minutes were long enough as the counter workers kept giving us sidelong glances of impatience. Sorry guys, but the four of us here need another minute. (maybe if you came to the table and took our orders like a normal restaurant we wouldn't be having this problem) So we order the Alfredo pasta, pesto pasta, and the pesto something pizza minus the shrimp, and take our number with our still wet water glasses over to a table and start eating our garlic bread sticks.
The bread sticks were pretty good, especially with the ranch dressing (which we had to pay extra for). Within 15 minutes our two pasta dishes were out, we were doing family style so it was a few minutes of frantic grabbing of food before we started eating. The Alfredo pasta was undercooked and, while I'm sure there was a sauce in there somewhere, all any of us could taste was the overwhelmingly large amount of salt in the dish. Next for me to try was the pesto which was made from a spinach base, and I'm a huge fan of spinach, but this pesto just fell flat on its ass. It was mostly garlic, and just sat in lumps on top of the pasta. by the time we were finishing up our pastas the pizza arrived. We all looked at it with hungry eyes, as it did look very promising. However, withing the first two bites we all realized that this was not the pizza we were expecting. The chefs here must have gone to great lengths to find the cheapest mozzarella cheese available for mass consumption, because even donimos and other chain fast food pizza restaurants provide a cheese that tastes and feels less like plastic. It was chewy and rubbery and possibly the most unappetizing thing in the world. We all barely managed to finish our slices, leaving the other half of the pizza untouched (don't even bother boxing it up). With the meal over, I felt as though I would have been better off just fighting the hunger pains back to San Francisco.
As far as the restaurant went, this is a great place to bring your kids (if you can put up with the food) because there are kids running around everywhere. But if you don't have ankle biters of your own, and tend to get frustrated with parents who can not keep their kids under control in a public restaurant, then this probably isn't the place you want to bring your hot date.
All in all, I would never come back, and will probably warn all of those I know against stopping here post aquarium.
They get two stars for being mostly clean.
People thought this was:
Great Pizza! I love pizza, and it is hard to find great pizza.
The atmosphere is fun..the place is always crowded. My whole family makes me stop here every time we visit Monterey or Carmel.
This is a cheap family pizzeria in Monterey, near the Aquarium. I don't really find this place to great but my family loves it. Their pizza is a grease trap, and its the type, where you have to cut it really carefully or all the cheese will slop off. I had some of my Dad's Pasta which was pretty good, but their breadsticks are really bland, and they make you pay extra if you want sauce. Their garlic bread isn't that good, but overall the whole place is really inexpensive. You can't go wrong if you're looking for a traditional cheap family dining habitat. But if you're around Monterey and looking for really good pizza, your best bet is to go to California Pizza Kitchen in Del Monte Center.
I didn't much care for the breadsticks (I like it when you can chew them easily), but the pizza is pretty darn good. Tons of seating, and free drink refills. There shrimp, pesto, tomato pizza who's name escapes me is very tasty... I've never tried the pasta but after reading some of these reviews, I definitely will the next time I'm down in Monterey.
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