This bar offers its clients Italian cuisine. Nicely cooked calamari, gnocchi and romaine salads are the tastiest dishes. Many visitors say that waiters offer tasty tiramisu, cannolis and profiteroles here. A number of guests note that you can try delicious house wine, limoncello or white wine at Trattoria da Gianni. A selection of good coffee is recommended to guests. Select between indoor and outdoor seating. Most users state that the staff is friendly. Service at this place is something one can call enjoyable. You will appreciate adequate prices. At this spot, people can enjoy the pleasant atmosphere and fine decor. Google users awarded this bar 4.4.
We stopped in on a whim and were not disappointed. The ambiance is super quirky but charming. The menu misspellings made it even more sweeter. Gianni, the owner, greeted us as we walked in and got us seated immediately even though we didn’t have a reservation. The food is knock your socks off good. Definitely a must-experience while in Zihou.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Spaghetti Meatballs
We held a birthday there for a dear friend last evening. The food, service and ambience all excellent and attentive. In addition, we found the price points on all items (the 8 of us all had different meals) very competitive and better value than several other higher classed restaurants that we have been to.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$400–500
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Parmesan Chicken
Food was absolutely delicious. The sangria OK. I was expecting more of a fruity base. We would definitely go back.
Cost $55 for 2 pasta entrees, a pitcher of Sangria, 2bottled waters, a salad, one dessert plus 15%tip.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$900–1,000
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
The owner is a character... should focus on the food rather than trying to be funny.. Seemed like a bit of an unnecessary wait upon our arrival
They seemed to struggle with our group of ten.
I ordered a salad... was small but tasty and Spaghetti with Meatballs...I found was odd spice and very salty. The meatballs were quite hard and very salty.
Others in our group were also not overly impressed. ...The garden atmosphere was amazing with lots of space between the tables.Our servers were very friendly.
Food: 2
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4
We were leery of the bad reviews, but took a chance and were really glad we did. To address other reviews:
The owner: I think he's misunderstood. He wants reservations so he can make sure the place run smoothly. I guess he refuses to let people treat him like "the help" in his own restaurant. If I owned a business that I was confident in, I can't say it's not a perspective that I don't understand and wouldn't have myself.
Us: Family of 6. Felt like Italian because when you have 3 teens and a tween who are Mexican-fooded out, Italian is a safe bet. A charming courtyard with crushed white rock for the floor, umbrellas and string lights. Really great atmosphere and ambiance. Tables really spread out -- you didn't feel cramped. We ordered salad, 4 appetizers, 7 entrees, and 8 desserts so we got a decent sampling of the menu.
Food and Service: Many great things to say, but first to address some concerns in other reviews. Service takes a little longer. Part of it is likely just kitchen pacing; the other is prep on demand. E.g. the gnocchi -- most house made gnocchi is prep'd in batches and frozen or placed in the fridge. Potentially, they're "flour heavy" to produce that chewy, al-dente mouth feel that we like with our pasta. BUT, it's gnocchi made of potato and not pasta so it's softer. Further, it's made when you order so that takes more time. Noodles are also made in house. My daughter's fet alfredo was great. Well seasoned; a really nice bite. So often for kids, get bland white pasta, but when my wife tasted it, her reaction was, "Wow, that is really good. I was not expecting that."
Lasagna ragu was great. Simple, but really tasty. Penne pasta with pork cheek and a little kick to it that was very nice. The salmon was cooked perfectly. In Seattle, we get some of the best, freshest salmon, and my son is really picky about it. When he ordered, I was asking, "Are you *SURE*?" I noticed it was skin on. It was seared, skin-side, very well...Crispy, but not charred and finished in the broiler. At his first bite, his eyes got really wide, he broke into a broad smile: "This is SOOO GOOD! It is seasoned so well and cooked PERFECTLY!" My wife said she wanted one too -- It didn't last 10 minutes before it was gone. Calamari was solid too -- if anything, I'd say the batter was a tad too thick, but it was good. Well seasoned, and we ate both orders, and will order it again later tonight.
Desserts were on-point. I loved the panna cotta, one son practically licked the plate of his creme brulee, the tiramisu fanatic was scraping at the serving dish. Affogato's might have been the biggest challenge of the night -- Server hadn't served 4 affogatos at once before so he brought out the 4 ice creams in cups, but brought all the shots of espresso out in a bigger taza de caffe. The result was his espresso/ice cream proportions were way off.
Italians run restaurants using "true Italian family recipes from the old country." At the end of the day, it's either good and you like it, or it's not, and you have something to complain about. I've eaten Italian in multiple places in Italy (including Venice where the owner says he's from) and other parts of Europe and North America, and what I can say is my family really enjoyed this place, and the food served. The sauces were well balanced and rich in flavor, the noodles were made in house and had a wonderful bite. We often eat Italian in Seattle or Vancouver BC (Lupo) and spend $325+ USD including tip (again, no alcohol because, like many Asians, we don't drink). This meal cost us a little over $200 USD including tip, and we were about as satisfied as we ever are leaving a restaurant so what is not to love.
Should you go there? I think you should. Should you be worried about the bad reviews? Maybe if you like to complain and nitpick. If you're looking for great food, well cooked at a fair price, and you can roll with a strong personality who just wants everything done just so, then you should give it a shot. We're going again later tonight.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
I was really looking forward to trying the Gnocchi here, but it got marred by not even getting to try it because of the rude owner.
We called a few hours before going and supposedly reservations were not needed. Not only did it turn out we did need reservations upon my family's arrival, the owner proceeded to yell at us, berating us for not knowing to the point of throwing insults. I get it, the place seems to get busy, especially at this time of year, but that was no way to treat would-be customers who made an honest mistake.
I really thought this was a misunderstanding and we walked in while he was probably stressed, but my experience seems to add up with other comments here and on TripAdvisor saying how angry the owner gets. It's a huge shame since there are no other places in Zihua that serve Gnocchi. The owner needs to clean up his act big time.
I want to give it another chance, but the owner's rudeness that visit singlehandedly killed my family's chances of trying this place again. If you're gonna eat here, beware of that and be absolutely sure you make a reservation.
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 5
Each time I come around Zihuatanejo I eat at Gianni’s place. Part of the experience there is getting the amazing life stories of him, can choose language… Italian, Spanish, French English… his wife is the cook to give you an idea of how charming and familiar is the place. Very different experience and probably my preferred restaurant in Mexico!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Had a great dinner here. Don't believe the negative reviews, it was fantastic. I had the seafood linguini and my wife had the pesto gnocchi, tasted great and the price was on point. Will return.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$200–300
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Great food in a wonderful atmosphere. We each had different dishes and they all came out piping hot and quick. Lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, ravioli and chicken parm, all excellent!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$200–300
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Parmesan Chicken
