Giovanni's

In Korea, we have a saying: "When you don't know what to eat, always go to the place that's packed with people." Although we were actually in the neighborhood for work and found this Italian restaurant through a Google search, seeing the place full of customers immediately confirmed that we had come to the right spot. Despite being first-time visitors, our server was very friendly and gave us great guidance on the menu. We also noticed how professional she was while handling other tables as we

My family and I love this place! The food never disappoints, and we have the same waitress every time it seems and she is wonderful! As soon as you walk in the place smells amazing. Over the years we have had just about everything on their menu and we look forward to their buffet as well. I think their prices are fair for the food, service and atmosphere. It's a place you can go and just dine, drink if you choose, and have a great time socializing. Oh and their pizza is one of a kind!

Won't be back and it had been a long time since we've been here. Ordered the vegetarian pizza, minus mushrooms. Wait 30 minutes for them to bring it (we did ask for well done) and...it has mushrooms. Again, not the end of the world, just wait for another. Almost 15 more minutes, the pizza is still raw...now getting agitated. They "cook" it, bring it back and it looked as though they threw it back on the plate where I had pieces of pizza under pizza. To make matters worse, our waitress gets that we're not having the best experience and she ghosts us. Literally had to track her down to get a box (for his leftovers) and our bill. Won't be back, what a shame!

Great food and service, Scott was our server and did a wonderful job. The appetizers and pizza were all delicious 😋

Came for a quick bite. Good service. No wait. Food was hot and delicious. Pizza crust was crispy and that cheese pull!!

pick up deluxe pizza. very friendly staff good prices i have been s customer for over 25 years. the deluxe pizza i purchased on 3 aug was a big change from the previous. the ingredients have changed i am not a chef but it seems the tomato paste is different. the cheese has changed. could not detect any oragano. the crust was dry. so sorry to be negative but a lot has changed within the last 7 months

Everything we ate was exceptional. Stuffed pizza was incredible! They also had these Italian beef stuffed meatballs. O....M....G.... 😳 DELICIOUS!!

On this episode of kitchen nightmares we arrive at Giovanni’s. Once a delightful local spot now an utter disappointment… I’ve been a bunch a times in the past and always enjoyed it, but tonight was awful! Our waitress took forever to get our drinks both waters, we eventually ordered one alcohol never each. Mine took about 10 mins, my wife’s didn’t come till she was done with her salad. Speaking of salad they took 20 mins. We both ordered the same salad, we both go two different salads… after about 30 mins and we finished the salads even tho they were wrong, the waitress told us she would check on our salads??? I informed her we already ate them. Finally she said she would check on our food. She said it was coming, then it wasn’t. Then it was coming and then it wasn’t. Then my wife asked for the manager (mama bear was mad) the manager very defensive and short with us. She went to the kitchen and came back. She informed us it was coming. At this point we had enough over and hour and just lettuce??? We seen several tables that came in before us get their food and pay there bill. Keep in mind we only had a sub par meatball sub and bland fettuccine Alfredo. Per my wife fazolis Alfredo is better. We took the food to go. The manager did comp the meal, but her attitude was disappointing. Bottom line unless I’m getting there pizza (9.5-10) to go, I won’t be supporting Gios anymore.

This is a long standing restaurant in Fairborn, OH. We sat at the bar and the bartender probably should not be in hospitality. Was disappointed the Sangria was from a bottle and not homemade as this is an Italian restaurant. Got to our table and ordered the Italian Chef Salad. The salad was soooo good and the homemade ranch and peppercorn was also amazing. Our server was AWESOME! She was nice, friendly, prompt, and courteous! We ordered 2 small pizzas, the meat and supreme. OMGoosh, seriously I think this is the best pizza around! Highly recommend! A perfect ending to my date night with my hubby!

How does this place only have 3 stars? When we come to Dayton to visit family we always to visit Giovanni's! That thin crust pizza with the crispy salty snap is sooo yummy! Generous toppings and a good cheese-pull, I wish I could find something close to my home! The house salad is fresh and the house dressing is straight garlic-goodness! Our server was new to the area, a bubbly red head who wouldn't have been been sweeter or more helpful! (We asked for olives on the side, and could she warm them up a bit and she gladly accommodated!) The cheeky Italian decor and blast from the past bar area are just two more things that make this place a fun, pleasant, DELICIOUS stop!

Old school Italian place in downtown Fairborn, broken into three rooms, the bar/waiting area, two dining rooms as well as a carryout pick up area in the middle of one of the dining rooms. FYI, 30-40 minute wait for a table at 6 o'clock on Friday night, not bad. There were open seats at the bar to get a drink while you're waiting. Box wine, house wine, mid-level spirits, although they did have Peroni on tap. Crowd was lots of regulars, older couples and families. I ordered carryout over the phone in the middle of rush-hour. Things were a little backed up / not perfect in ordering process, tried to order chicken piccata for my wife, they said they were not serving it that day... then asked for the basil grilled chicken. Then gave us chicken with pesto. Come to find out menu on app is out dated. Asked for a copy of the carryout menu for next time they don't have paper copies. Sat at the bar and had a beer while waiting for my food, the bartender and her assistant were friendly and the service was good. Although their service was delayed by the fact that every time someone used a credit card the bartender had to have somebody run it to the back to make the charge? Definitely delayed the process. The people in the kitchen and carryout counter were kind and helpful as well. As for the pizza the real reason I chose the place, it was very good, great crust and toppings. Although they got the toppings mixed up/wrong sides... Overall great pizza, friendly, hard-working staff but a little bit behind on their processes. May try again in person because the food looked and smelled wonderful or order carryout pizza only.

Ordered a pizza and they list the order . Sat for an hour before we asked (again) and than they said a glitch happened and the pizzas would be out in a few. Got up and left.

Loved it here! Our bartender Heather was so sweet and attentive. The food was really good ! The portions were great we got to eat it for 2 meals . Pizza was cooked perfectly and the salad was exactly how a Greek salad should be ! The bar was cozy as well as to sit and eat at.

Amazing I hadn't been in for a few years & forgot how good it is! Had a hot honey pizza this visit and highly recommend! The crust was crisp and amazing! Great flavor & love their pepperoni. Service was great

The whole experience was really strange. We came in an the server told us we'd have to wait because he wasn't taking any more tables for the night but that the other waitress would serve us. Then she walked up and was making comments under her breath when we asked for a kids menu for my autistic son. And kept rolling her eyes whenever anyone would ask a question about the menu. The breadsticks were hard as rocks, the soup was mush and luke warm, and the alfredo pasta was slimy, like actually slimy. The alfredo sauce itself was good though. But due to the poor customer service and lackluster food, we will not be going back anytime soon

Most recent three times we have bought dinner at Giovanni's in the past 3 months - the quality has changed. It definitely was not for the better. However, their pizza has become more dry, and it may have been that their sauce might have changed. It sure seems the same amount of sauce is on the pizza as usual is - this is why I stated it seems there was a sauce change. Recently, they started to sell bottles of their own named brand sauce in store - which never occurred under initial ownership. Despite this, I asked if there was a change and have been told 2 times that theres been no changes. Who knows?? Try it out. I'm not trying to ruin their business, just trying to figure out what has changed. It is something. The people are not so helpful and kind. There's a generational loss or sense of pride lost while speaking to employees; iy has changed. In multiple ways They're now closed on Monday & Tuesday. Menu constantly changes, too. I hope they do not close. We love being able to eat close to downtown.

This is a great neighborhood restaurant. Pizza is phenomenal. Sandwiches also are so tasty. The staff was super friendly and fast service. Love it here.

We went for dinner last night and we both ordered the chicken parmigiana. The chicken was way overcooked and the dish was not looking very appetizing either. The service was very good and that's the only reason I'm not giving a lower score. Never again

We ordered a 13" pepperoni pizza with a salad. The salad was OK, but the pizza was one of the worst we've ever had. It had too much pepperoni and not enough sauce or cheese. Very dry. It tasted like baked cardboard. Thay were out of the beer I wanted, so I asked for a sample of one of their draft beers. They charged 25 cents for it. I ended up getting a house red wine that gave me a headache for the rest of the evening. The service was OK. The waitress was nice. The ambiance typical for an old restaurant with no updates.

My partner and I had dinner last night at Giovanni's and it was awesome! He had been here before and this was my first visit. As you walk in, you're immediately greeted by friendly staff and the wonderful smell of freshly baked pizza in a quaint, cute older restaurant. We sat down and ordered the Deluxe and breadsticks. The breadsticks were awesome and were served with a melted garlic butter and their house made marinara. Both were great! The pizza was one of my favorites I've had in Ohio! Loaded with fresh toppings, cut into Dayton cut squares and just all around delicious! I was really impressed by Giovanni's and we'll definitely be back!!

Gotta love those family joints where the food, service, and ambiance are excellent. If you're a fan of Ted Lasso the American version of Rebecca was our server Ashley. She was fantastic and we can't wait to go back!

Dirty, smelly, flies everywhere. Service is slow and food isn't great. Was very underwhelmed.

Giovanni's is a family favorite! My Dad started coming here years ago when he worked in Fairborn. Since then my siblings and I have continued coming here. Over the many years we've had many family celebrations, parties, and just small family dinners. The food is fantastic! None of us have ever had a bad meal here. The staff is friendly and attentive. They've always done a great job serving large chaotic parties. The owner retired a couple years ago and the new owners have been trying new things and changing things up, while still remaining true to the restaurant's history and their long-time customers. All of us remain loyal fans!

Pizza,meatball sandwich and cannoli are all delicious, husband like the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp and the Son likes the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken . Service is usually fast sometimes friendly and it's usually pretty busy in there, but the food is amazing.

Awesome local place! Italian Beef sub was huge and tasted amazing! Service was great and our server was so friendly...made you feel right at home. Eat local and don't miss this gem! Gotta try the pizza next time; saw a couple come out and they looked amazing...

The food was great as was the service, once we got seated. How ever, the place is dingy and really needs updating and the room was full of smoke from the open kitchen. Apparently the air duct system doesn't work

2.5 stars my family and I decided to give this place another try. Here's the thing, the piazza was great, but the service is lacking. Where & how I spend my time with family matters and the wait staff seemed burdened by everything. Too bad, it could be great... it's a shame that the restaurant doesn't really care about the customer.

I grew up in Fairborn when Giovanni's was one of the best Italian restaurants in the Dayton area. That was a long time ago -- sadly. I've eaten there three times in the past year (I like to give a place a fair chance) but today can serve as a common experience. I ate there at about 2:00 PM, between rushes. I was seated quickly and my order taken -- a meatball sub with chips and sweet tea. A few minutes later I giot my chips and tea -- UNsweetened. There was no sweetener at the table nor did the server bring any. I saw nothing of her for about 15 minutes when she brought my sandwich and left the table before I had a chance to ask for sweetener. I ate my meal -- no one checked to see how it was or if I needed anything -- and I never saw my server again until another couple came in and sat in the booth next to mine. The server took their drink order and chatted with them about the menu, never looking in my direction, never checking on me. By this time I was done with my meal and was waiting to ask for a box. I waited at least ten minutes before the server brought the other couple's drinks and I was able to flag her down, asking for a box. She dropped off the tab and said she would be right back. Then she disappeared. I saw her pass by the section a couple of times, but that was it. After another ten minutes (20 total) I picked up my sandwich and headed for the register, asking the cashier for a box. The server was passing by at the time and said, slightly annoyed, "I'm coming." I got the box from the cashier, paid my bill and left. Bottom line: The food was decent -- certainly not what it was in the past, but not terrible; the prices are in line with other moderate restaurants (meatball sub, bag of chips, large tea -- $13-$14); the service was atrocious! The original owner of the restaurant would literally spin in his grave if he saw the kind of service given now. I cannot recommend going there.

Oh my goodness! HOW HAVE I NOT REVIEWED THIS YET!?! This place is amazing. Think community gem. Un-imposing building, and kind of the most amazing garlic dressing that you want to drink straight out of the container. We came during COVID-19,and had a limited menu, but what we had....they delivered. A lovely wine selection. A thoughtful staff. And wonderful menu offerings that don't feel like a limited menu at all. This is all to say that I've never tried their pizza, which seems to be one of the most popular menu items,and I am still completely infatuated with their amazing Italian food. If I can leave you with one thing...get the garlic dressing...it's EVERYTHING.

I was randomly in Fairborn and was in the mood for pizza. A local recommended this place and it did not disappoint. The inside is pretty old retro neighborhood pizza vibes but it works. Our waitress was slammed but she was so sweet and so attentive the whole night. I wasn't a fan of their house dressing. It was a bit too peppery for me. We got a double cheese, sausage, pepperoni pizza. It was so good. Their thin crust is so yummy and crunchy. It was so cheesy and delicious. We had leftovers in a pizza bag to take home that were just as yummy the next day.

Oh boy. Nice location across from Foy's, with parking in the back. Nice dining room, although a bit dated was super clean and charmi Extra large supreme at lunchtime. 35 minute wait after ordering and there were only 4 other tables. Our pizza was originally taken to the wrong table, but wasn't put down and the people stopped her before it was sat on the table. Wait staff was friendly and attentive which is the only reason I didn't give one star. Toppings were so skimpy and truly didn't taste fresh. The crust was crisp and the best part of the pizza, to be honest. The sauce was very very light and many pieces had next to none. Most of the flavor was from the bitter Italian seasoning they sprinkle all over it. Bill for two sodas and an extra large supreme was $30 before tip. A disappointment for sure.

I went here for dinner with my coworkers last night. I know a Giovanni's is known for their pizza mostly but I wanted to try the Pasta & Sausage they advertised on their Facebook. The pasta was good it just needed a lot more salt for my taste. The pasta came with a side salad. (Be aware if you say yes to cheese on the salad there is an up charge for it. And they will not tell you about it, it just shows up on your bill.) We had a large group so we had 2 waitresses helping us. Luckily the waitress on my half of the table was super friendly and nice. The one on the other not so much, I felt like maybe she was having a rough night as she barked at a few people that asked for things. And actually told one no that she wasn't her waitress when she asked to add something to her order. They also seem to have a limited amount of certain dishes as our waitress came out and had to ask someone to change their Chicken Parmesan order to something else as they didn't have enough. The place is cozy and definitely gives off the Italian vibe. Sadly the bathrooms are a little run down. I might go back again to try their pizza as it did look delicious, but a lot in my group were not pleased with the food. One received over-cooked/burnt lasagna.

Took my family of 5 here to get pizza and it was sooo good!!! My girls got the Alfredo and Spaghetti with Meatballs. They ate every bite! We also got a large Italian Salad! Lettuce was super fresh and crunchy with lots of toppings! The place is retro but honestly to me it had a cool vibe to it! We will definitely be back for the pizza!!

Great food and fantastic service a true gem of a place to eat. The pizzas are amazing

The food has always been 5 stars for me at this place. Been years since I tried it, and we finally ventured here to get a large pepporoni. It did not disappoint. Exactly how I remembered it. The lady at the register was friendly and so was the young girl putting the pizzas in the oven. We came in for pickup. Side note: we compared this to donatos large pepporoni thin crust pizza on the same night....and gio's crust cannot be beat!!!! The place definitely screams pizza joint as soon as you walk in. Can't judge the taste by the place it's made in. Decor and the pizza shop as a whole could definitely appear a bit cleaner and updated. But I'd still return for that pepporoni pizza anyway!!!!!

Food: ordered one large cheese pizza and a deluxe. Both pizzas were luke warm when picked up. The cheese pizza was over cooked. Service: good service. Ambiance: family friendly and casual environment.

Food was the worst ever it was mushy no labor and no meat in the lasagna over priced price charged did not match menu No character at all

Enjoyed the neighborhood dining at an authentic mom and pop place. The staff was very friendly and the food was like something from a family kitchen. Try it. Good stuff

Great Italian restaurant in downtown Fairborn. Food was excellent as was the service and restaurant atmosphere. Very fairly priced given service time and high quality of the food.

We have been here a few times, and never thought of reviewing this place till this time. I have had the lasagna, the spaghetti and meatball, deluxe pizza with anchovies..and wings. I am personally not a great fan of the sauce, but that is entirely personal preference. I think its a bit too sweet for my preference. The pizza how ever, is one of my favorites for thin crust. The bottom is crunchy the way I like it, the toppings are just the right amount. We almost always order a pizza when we are here. The other day, we discovered their parmesan wings, and they were the bomb. I never thought of Giovanni's as a wing, but this was so good! So our new staple is lookin like pizza and wings! They also started offering smoothies. I had a sip of my son's smoothie..and it was good! Again, a little sweet for me but it is good. Recommend the place. Service is usually good!

A great local Italian restaurant! The waitresses there are so kind and considerate. I like their pizza, but I LOVE their pasta dinners! They come with a salad with their homemade dressings and yummy mozzarella cheese on them. I like their ranch and my husband gets their house (has a lot of garlic in it) dressing. Their pastas are very good. My favorite is the Alfredo. It is also kid friendly- my daughter loves getting a cheese pizza or the cheese ravioli. Also do NOT get me started on their cannolis they are out of this world tasty! I like cannolis and theirs are the best I've ever tried. I recommend going here if you're looking for a great business to support in Fairborn!

If you have not tried their Wedge Salad you are missing out. Looks like dessert but that is the Gorgonzola cheese, crumbles, and bacon. I thought Brios was the best but this is the bomb.

Good affordable food. Staff was very friendly and attentive. We sat on the front porch with a well shaded area.

asked for a box to take pizza home, waitress said they only give boxes for carry out, I asked how much a box cost so I could buy one. no answer, hope the box was worth losing my business over. BYE

Never eaten here because whenever we've come they've somehow run out of pasta(?) Feels like this place is just taking up space downtown. Would love to see it replaced with something (like literally anything at all is better than walking in to be be seated and told they have nothing that their ads brought us in for). Waste of time, expectations, and gas.

We went late dinner time on a Saturday, and did not have to wait too long. There was a bar for drinks if the weight got long enough. I ordered the Mediterranean veggie pizza. It was good, but I will try a different pizza the next time around. I like the thin crust concept. We were in the red room of the restaurant - red checked plastic tablecloths, and a red roof.

Incredibly disappointing experience. Not entirely sure what's happened but this place has gone seriously downhill. I realize places are struggling with Covid but tonight's fiasco was indefensible We made a reservation and arrived to discover they had about 6 items on the menu. Your choice was spaghetti and meatballs or pizza. That's it. We should have been informed of this when we made the reservation; we would have come anyway but felt it was really deceptive not to tell people We ordered a pizza and waited an HOUR for it. Part of the reason was they brought our order to a different table. People who came in after we'd been waiting almost an hour got our order. I went up front to speak to the manager but since she was consumed with dealing with a customer xo planning that his wife had gotten sick from their salad, I thought it best to just go away Liked this place but I'll never be back

Pizza is so greasy I can squeeze the grease out of the pieces. The sausage is completely different then their normal and when we called to ask if they changed their sausage we were told "for a very short time today yes we got a different kind in and have had many complaints about it but now we are back to the normal" Well shouldn't that be told when you place your order? A simple "we have a different sausage that isn't as good as our normal and have already had complaints about it so if you really like our normal sausage you might not want to get sausage right now" we just spent $33 on a pizza that is not good at all. She didn't even offer to remake it.

I decided to take my best friend out for lunch on her birthday. We decided to try Giovanni's since we have only had their pizza, which we didn't care fo, but wanted to give them another try. The menu we received was very limited. I had the spaghetti and meatballs and she had the stuffed shells. The meatballs tasted like they were frozen and not freshly made. Not good. The sauce tasted like a cheap jarred sauce. The stuffed shells were only filled with cheese, no meat. We were very disappointed. The service was good. Nothing against our server. We will not return.

After driving by this place for years, I finally tried it for lunch yesterday with friends and learned that I've really been missing out! I had a side salad: the salad itself was nothing to write home about, lettuce, 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber slice....BUT, if you love garlic, the house dressing is a must-try. It's so garlicky that the waitress gave us a warning ahead of time. I'm glad I tried this unique dressing, but I'll admit, it was even too garlicky for me (a garlic lover), so I only used a little. Following that, we had garlic cheese bread, which is just what the game implies. It was pretty good. Then, finally, the pizza. YUM. I shared a large veggie pizza, and it was fabulous. Lightly crisp crust, piled with toppings, perfectly done. I'll post a pic. I'll definitely be back!

We have been here many times and it's usually good. While it wasn't bad, just had a bad experience. I'm in a wheelchair and went to the bathroom. When I turned the knob, the door opened and someone was in the restroom. I apologized and waited. When she came out, I apologized again. She turned to look at me and scowled before walking into the kitchen. I didn't think anything of it. Then hubby tells server that the pizza crust wasn't done enough. She goes to tell her manager. Same lady. She rolls her eyes. THEN when we go to leave, a guy is trying to ring me up but he's not sure if the server has put it in yet. The manager yells just do it again. Hubby comes out and tries to give her a compliment and she doesn't even acknowledge him. Just sits there, on the clock, on her phone. Very disappointed. She had long blonde hair, pulled back. Not very friendly for a manager.

We've had food from here a couple times and haven't been disappointed. I prefer dining in because it is served fresh rather than delivery, obviously. They currently just have 8 tables for dining in due to social distancing, however. When we entered today, the hostess was apologetic because all the tables were taken and it would be a bit of a wait but it was only about 15 minutes before we were seated so, no big deal to us. The waitress was great and briefed us on the menu and what was currently available due to Covid impact. I highly recommend the House garlic dressing with the salad. It has A LOT of garlic, so if that's not your thing, don't get it. The pizza was delicious. It has cornmeal at the bottom and doesn't flop. We also got the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, onions and peas. You can tell the sauce is made in-house because it doesn't have that weird artificial flavoring. They also have tasty desserts but we were too full to have any today. We recommend this place especially if you support small businesses.

Great pie. The feel and look take you back 50 years which is cool. The pizza is classic thin crust Italian. Despite what the menu says there is nothing special about the Italian bread served with all meals. Great family story though. The pizza is the story. Get the pizza.

So we tried Giovannis for the first time this evening. We have heard about this restaurant for many years and finally decided to try something new. The restaurant is very nice, small, neighborhood feel. Not pretentious or over stated. We waited a few minutes to be seated, but they were pretty busy so not overly long wait. Our waitress came over after a few minutes for our drink order, I specifically requested a Diet Coke, she did not mention they serve Pepsi products and brought Diet Pepsi instead of Coke, although not my favorite... eh, ok. We placed our order for Lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and chicken. Our waitress did advise of the 25 minute cook time for the lasagna, no problem. Ordered salad with garlic/house dressing and provolone cheese (my husband asked for his to go as he didn't want a salad tonight). The salad came out with a basket of crackers. The garlic dressing was terrible, there was no flavor other that GARLIC, really strong garlic. I ate some of it but left over half. The waitress brought my husband a refill for his drink. Our dinner came out and was piping hot. The chicken on the Alfredo appeared to be canned chicken breast that had been possibly browned in a pan. The fettuccine was very good, the sauce was delicious. My husband said his lasagna was delicious, a little on the salty side but still very rich and good. One big draw back is the meal did not come with garlic bread. We asked for bread and the waitress brought out cold white bread in a basket with some butter pats. Not what we expected. We then waited about 10-15 minutes after we were done eating for our bill. The waitress finally came by and we asked for our bill and she said "Oh your done"... if she had been more attentive she would have known that. All in all we will probably give them another chance now that we know what not to expect. The pasta was very good and worth the trip, just be aware that you have to order garlic bread separately and do NOT get the garlic dressing for your salad!

Recently ... my 4 most recent visits for at the littlest 2 jumbo pizzas have been rather bland... and dry! Not enough sauce! I had to complain last week to the person taking my order! I don't wish to buy a pizza with no sauce otherwise I would go elsewhere.. they don't have the same pizza makers as they once did; this WILL definitely hurt their business! Looks like they need to re hire the old pizza makers back!

Good pizza don't get anything else here. Pasta needs work. The pizza is best on the menu.

Had dinner there Friday night, it has been awhile! Yum!!!! The service was Great. There are so many restaurants just not what they used to be prior to Covid, so many excuses and I'm sure many are valid but this restaurant you can tell the people that work there are invested. we celebrated our anniversary prior to the Friday night football game. It was busy but you were catered to with top notch service, drink, food.