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Carmel's Bistro Giovanni, Carmel, CA

Carmel's Bistro Giovanni

4.7
4.7
2035 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian
San Carlos & 5th Ave, Carmel, CA 93923

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 16 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
An artful, romantic setting with an international wine list and amazing cocktails.
Try some of our specialties: the "Mamma Mia" features mouth-watering meatballs with pasta and southern Mediterranean-spiced sauce, Veal Osso Bucco, Lamb Shank, steaks, and a plethora of seafood including halibut, salmon and sand dabs! For our gluten-free guests, we can also provide gluten free pasta and bread.

*Patio availability depending on weather. We do have plenty of heat lamps but do not have covered tables outdoors. Please understand this when booking.

* For parties of 6 or more and special events we require a credit card to hold your table with a 24 hour cancellation policy, $40 per person will be applied to your credit card for late cancellations and no shows. We will hold your table for 10 minutes.

*We have a $30 corkage fee for a standard size bottle (750 ml.) 2 bottle maximum per table.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Daily 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Fernando Aguilera
  • Catering
    We can accommodate large or group to go orders. Please reach out to the restaurant directly at 831.626.6003 for pricing and availability. <br /><br />We currently do not offer off site catering.
  • Private party facilities
    We have a semi private back room available for up to a party of 24. We can accommodate private groups on our patio, or reserve the whole restaurant for your group. For inquiries please email cbistrogiovanni@gmail.com
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    Carmel
  • Cross street
    San Carlos between 5th & 6th
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 2,035 people are saying

Carmel's Bistro Giovanni reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Best Ambiance

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Best Value

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Carmel's Bistro Giovanni is a cherished gem in Carmel-by-the-Sea, celebrated for "great homemade style Italian food" and "excellent service." Guests rave about its "warm friendly environment," "delicious food," and "attentive staff." The restaurant's "cozy atmosphere" and "authentic Italian" offerings make it a favorite for locals and visitors alike.

2,035 Reviews
  1. Maya VIP

    Los Angeles22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Carmel’s Bistro is a quaint, family owned quintessential Italian restaurant. Great service, superb food and wonderful experience. We loved it! Simply wonderful all the way around. Thank you

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  2. Arthur

    New York City51 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really enjoyed our dinner. Very nice to meet Giovanni in person!

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  3. T.

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing experience celebrating my partners birthday. We were visiting from the Bay Area and had a lovely time. From the starters to the main courses, the birthday boy was pleasantly surprised and quite full. Cannot wait to return, highly recommend.

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  4. Diane

    Detroit6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 22, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    generally had a good meal. noise level is inpacted by how small the restaurant is and how close we were to the kitchen. Out waitress took to long to take our order as she spent a good deal of time chatting with other customers so that the owner noticed and came to our table and asked if our order had been taken

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  5. Robert

    San Francisco21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our favorite restaurant in Carmel! Food is excellent. Everyone who works there is d nice and helpful.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Donna

    San Francisco8 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on April 20, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    The sauce for the pastas is more like cream of tomato than tomato like. No children’s’ menu. Portions were of generous size. Service was very good.

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  7. David VIP

    San Francisco7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We always enjoy ourselves at Giovanni’s Bistro. The food is top notch, great homemade style Italian food. The owner and his daughter have always been kind and welcoming to us and we hope to return for many years to come.

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  8. Megan

    Central Coast21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 18, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This Bistro is one of our go-to restaurants in Carmel. It’s large enough that a table is generally available early in the evening and the food is consistently good. They typically have specials on top of their standard menu, service is attentive without being intrusive and the result is a fun meal with friends!!

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  9. Cindy

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Carmel is a destination of mine 2 to 4 times per year. Bistro Giovanni is always one of my dinner reservations. Fantastic food , beverages, and ambience.

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  10. Connie VIP

    Greater Boston16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner was excellent - we loved the veal scallopiini and clalms linguini. We will definitely return. Also lots of locals so that is always a good sign.

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FAQs

Carmel's Bistro Giovanni offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 626-6003.

Carmel's Bistro Giovanni is rated 4.7 stars by 2035 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Monterey / Carmel
  5. Carmel

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 16 times today
Google Map for Carmel's Bistro Giovanni

San Carlos & 5th Ave, Carmel, CA 93923

Additional information

  • Cross street
    San Carlos between 5th & 6th
  • Neighborhood
    Carmel
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Daily 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Fernando Aguilera
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    We can accommodate large or group to go orders. Please reach out to the restaurant directly at 831.626.6003 for pricing and availability. <br /><br />We currently do not offer off site catering.
  • Private party facilities
    We have a semi private back room available for up to a party of 24. We can accommodate private groups on our patio, or reserve the whole restaurant for your group. For inquiries please email cbistrogiovanni@gmail.com
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