Gianni's Pizza
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
50 Reviews for Gianni's Pizza
While I am a self-admitted pizza snob (being from Chicago where deep dish reigns), this place is highly overrated in my opinion. There are several other local options which are much tastier like Pizza My Heart and Papa John's. The only plus for this place seems to be its ample seating and capacity to satisfy large groups and families looking for a cheap pizza night. I can't believe it has been rated best pizza in Monterey.
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.
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.
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it's kid friendly, so it was the perfect choice after spending the morning at MY museum. we ordered a large pizza. half with ham & pineapple and half with pepperoni & mushrooms. it's what the kids wanted. we received great service and they weren't at all stingy with the toppings.
This place has pretty good pizza, not great. I think a bit of it is a personal taste thing. I love thin crust lighter pizza and we got the giannis special which was pretty thick and had tonnns of cheese and toppings. I imagine many people would love this, but it was too rich and topping filled for me to eat more than a few slices. It did have a pretty nice setting and wasn't too expensive. I imagine the standard mans man who loves a ton of toppings and thick pizza would love this place.
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.
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After a long day at the beaches of Carmel, literally 9 hours plus...some folks recommended Gianni's for a late night dinner. The girls who chilled with us at the beach said it was the best pizza in Monterey. So a few hours later, after our bonfire, we got directions on my friend's IPhone and headed to Gianni's. The pizzeria was going to close in 20 minutes and we barely made it when most of the dining area was roped off with tables on top of the tables already. The staff was nice enough to let us order and stay and eat till we were done. There were 2 other parties there which were waiting for their pizzas as well. We had ordered breadsticks, meat lovers pizza, and the alfredo pizza. Both pizzas were delicious and I was doing pretty good until I bit into the breadstick. The breadstick was hard as a rock and dry and ultimately broke 2 of my brackets. See, I wear braces and this literally damaged my braces. I was in pain but I'll deal with it later on. We did get new, fresh breadsticks and the next batch we got were warm, soft, and I mean soft and oh sooo good! The staff was very friendly and the pizzeria handles huge parties very very well. We had a party of 8 and we all fitted perfectly on their huge tables and benches. Nice pizzeria with a great charm. Gotta come back when I am in the area for their pizza again and their desserts!
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The pizza is not good. I have tried it several times. I think if you order a pizza just stick wtih cheese, thats the safest bet. Salads suck with a yucky bagged dressing.
Pretty good pizza. Fairly priced. They get your pizza out to you fast, which is great and supprising considereing how crowded they get. The breadsticks are lacking but the pizza makes up for it. I only wish that they delivered.
These high school girls said that this was the "best pizza ever!"
And they were right!
Though the bread sticks were dry, the Alfredo pizza was to die for!
Check it out!
everytime I'm in Monterey, my family and i usually end up at this pizza place! it is awesome, we love it!!
Great for what it is. Really good pizza with generous toppings. Pretty good calzones too. Steer clear of any sandwich or bread sticks if you don't like sesame though, because that's the only kind of bread they have.
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Checked out yelp before the long weekend visit to Pacific Grove and are we glad we did. Often the build up of an old stand by results in let down.
WERE WE NOT LET DOWN. Some of the best overall pizza ever. Great crust, tasty sauce, spicy pepperoni, cheese, well the the cheese was just perfect. We had 2 smalls for 2 adults and 2 kids, took all of one piece home, about $30. The Margarita Pizza was exactly like the pic posted and 3x as tasty, lots of garlic, great tomatoes and the cheese factor again.
Ok, yeah a little run down, kinda noisy, Saturday night what did you expect, it's a PIZZA JOINT, not the Ritz Carlton. As busy as they were, still really quick and efficient considering. Parking lot is a plus, almost stopped for take out on the way out of town.
The best pizza in town, hands down!
This place is a family oriented pizza place that accomodates large groups and is perfect for small ones too. Its a family owned business that has been around for a long time. You know you are driving by Gianni's when you can smell the pizza from your car. The parking could get a little tricky around peak times. I would suggest parking on the street or even across the street in front of the dry cleaners. This place is also very accomodating for kids. There is also a full bar with a sassy bartender who had been around forever. If you don't look 40, she'll ask for your ID.
I love everything about this place!
This is the BEST pizza in Monterey. A little pricey, but worth it.
The restaurant is family friendly, not too fancy - you can tell it's been around for awhile.
Skip the pasta, it's nothing special, and you should be eating the pizza anyway.
The pizza here is damn good.
The 2 and 3 star reviews are dead wrong.
As for charging for each bread stick and then for sauce, yes they do.
Bread sticks are like 37 cents and ranch is 50 cents. And the bread sticks are like a foot long. That's a damn good deal.
I got the Pesto Di Mare Pizza.It comes with spinach pesto topped with Mozzarella, sliced tomato, garlic, shrimp and olive oil.
My service was lightning fast and I got mozzarella cheese sticks in about 4 minutes. (They were damn good too)
The pizza came out piping hot and they have it on a pizza cooling tray that has a bunch of holes punched out in it so the crust doesn't get all soggy.
The pizza was damn good and it was real cheesy. If you don't like cheese (like some other reviewers) then you don't like pizza. And if you don't like pizza then what the hell are you doing in a pizza joint.
The other pizzas I saw walking around all looked damn good.
The crust and sauce here are the bomb. It's hard for me to find a good red sauce but they hit the nail on the head here.
Good location and right down the street from Cannery Row.
I'll be back anytime I don't mind blowing 20 bucks on a big ass lunch.
Very delicious pizza. I got a mini pizza for about $8.50 and managed to get full after only two out of the four slices. I had considered a small because I was really hungry, but the mini was more than enough. The breadsticks are also an amazing value. The original and the garlic-cheese ones are both only 50 cents each. A must-stop for lunch if you're in the area and looking to save some money and a delicious meal.
I went to Gianni's for my rehearsal dinner for my wedding in Oct. 07 and I was happy with the service and the food. The banquet room was roomy yet cozy and perfect for the blend of kids and adults that attended. The place gets super busy on weekends/evenings, so I opted to have the dinner early to be sure to get the room to ourselves. They had our food ready to go when we all got there.There is a full service bar and lots of yummy food to chose from. After the pizzas were all served, two of the kids wanted plain cheese pizza with no sauce (gotta love finiky eaters) so they whipped one up in just a few minutes and all was well with the world again.
I would recommend this place for a private party or just a good lunch while visiting Monterey. I say visiting because anyone that lives in Monterey has already been there! ;)
Excellent pizza, great family atmosphere. Stef grew up eating here on vacation, and it's a tradition that we've carried on.
We ate here last night and had a sausage, mushroom, and garlic pizza, which it turns out is even better as leftovers.
Extra kudos for the awesomely not-watered-down soda fountain!
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There's always a certain nostalgia associated with the neighborhood Pizza parlor of your childhood. Back then it wasn't just about the food, and it certainly wasn't about the price. The atmosphere at Gianni's is all about community. Chances are, if you're from the peninsula you'll probably bump into someone you know.
Today, Gianni's is still the place where the local sports teams go for the big year-end award ceremony. And the other locals? Well... we do take out.
I'm partial to the Gianni's special, but everything is delicious. If you're feeling like a change of pace, try the pizza margarita, you won't be disappointed.
Regarding price, this isn't a place where you'll find a "buy one get one free" or "one topping pizza for 9.99". That said, the quality of ingredients is well worth the cost.
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Let's see, there are three women trying to play darts after what I really hope is too much alcohol; they're loud, they're rolling on the floor (yes, rolling on the floor) and the only open table is near the dartboard - The Bulldog is quickly ruled out for the night.
Wandering down the street, the smell from Gianni's takes over and the three of us are led by our noses into Gianni's. We're all real men (or so we like to think), so an 18" Meatzilla is ordered. We grab our manly number on a little pole and head off to find a table near the bar and grab some drinks from the bar (beer selection - average).
It took a while to arrive, but when it did, it had ham, sausage, pepperoni and various other meats on it, but there was a preponderance of this other substance on there too. It was stringy and yellow and kind of chewy. Yes, it was (not the best ever) cheese.
Now we all expect cheese on a pizza, but should it really be the dominant flavor of a pizza called Meatzilla? Unless zilla is Italian for cheese?? No, I didn't think so.
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Best Pizza on the Peninsula.
A tad pricey, but when you're the best, you can get away with things like charging $20 for a medium pizza. Delicious, fresh toppings. Fun environment. Yum!
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Gianni's is THE best pizza I've had...period. It's a great place to eat, watch a ballgame, and go with groups. Good selection of pizza. Garlic sticks are good too.
You will not find better pizza anywhere in the area.
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the best pizzeria back in my hometown. chicago and new york got nothing on Gianni. they have a rotating oven, takes more work to cook but the pizza can be prepared like the way u want it, crispy, well done, etc. the crust is thick and tasty, the tomato sauce is fresh and tangy, and they arent stingy with toppings. the place is almost a landmark for the city. if u happen to be visiting monterey area, stop by here. the pizza is awesome and their pasta menu is not bad either.
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Put it this way, my friends were visiting Monterey for the weekend and they came here twice.
P.S. They have a 2 year old who loves pizza.
P.S.S (or P.P.S) Tastes great post marathons
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The pizzas here, as everyone has said, are really quite good.
That, however, is not enough to draw me to Gianni's unless I'm invited along with a crowd that's already going. This place is very loud, and rather crazy. It's a family joint - it's where the soccer teams go to celebrate and get thier trophies. It's where you bring groups of 10 and 20 - not the best for a small gathering where you want to hear people talking without effort.
There is beer, and good food. There is often an acordion player - which is always way too loud. And 500 million people - because, yes it is good food! But eating here stresses me out. It's good they have beer to help me chill, I suppose...
Yummy! Pizza is awesome, the spaghetti with the sausage is the best and the ice cream is great too! Get your food to go and go sit at Asilomar and eat...!
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So far, this is my favorite pizza place in California! The Fella and I loved to indulge in a pepperoni, garlic and mushroom small (we call it the Vampire Slayer). Even their small pizzas are huge, which was just fine for a starving grad student. The breadsticks are great, too!
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This place is perfect. The pizza is fantastic, the atmosphere is wonderful - lots of families, locals, sports teams, etc - the sort of down-home feeling that is now nearly impossible to find on the peninsula.
Don't change a thing.
After readying about all the Yelpers' reviews, I wanted to try this place out, too. It's only a few blocks away from the Aquarium and is definitely a lot less touristy. Four adults and two kids shared an 18" x-large Gianni's Special Pizza ($23.96), some breadsticks (47 cents for eachgarlic and cheese breadstick, and 37 cents for each plain one), and a large pasta salad ($5.55). We were hungry, but it was really quite a lot of food.
Bottom line: The pizza here is good, and is really affordable. There's a reason why Gianni's has been family owned and operated since 1974!
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Yum, this place is a nice, homey family-style (and family-friendly) pizza joint just a few blocks away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Perfect after a long day of sea-life gazing and walking!
Everything is moderately-priced and speedy. The restaurant has a ton of seating for big and small parties. Our party of 4 ordered 2 breadsticks and an XL Big Wheel pizza for $26 and change. The garlic & cheese breadsticks were tasty and were perfect for instant gratification when we walked in. It took about 15 mins to get our pizza and it was enough for 6 people (12 slices).
Perfect little independent pizza place!
I have to say this is my favorite place to eat in Monterey. I know that there are a lot of nice high quality restaurants in the area but this place has two TV's for watching sports and a kid's menu, great pizza and a full bar. What else could you ask for?
4-14-07
We went there at about 6pm on a friday night and this place fills up fast! Right after we ordered there must have been at least 40 people that showed up and all the tables were taken.
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I've eaten here at least once a year since I was probably six years old and I'm pretty sure this is the only "pizza restaurant" that I actually get excited about going to.
On my thirteenth birthday I was eating dinner here with my parents and a friend when they had the accordian player sing Happy Birthday to me....along with the ENTIRE PACKED RESTAURANT. At the time I kinda wanted to die but now it's a fond memory.
Memories.......
WOW...so having grown up literally behind Giannis, I never appreciated its lovely pizzas as a kid. My paretns knew the owners and all I could recall was thinking, man pizza is SO overrated.
BUT, I went back for a flashback visit and YES! YES! YES!!
I live in Sf now and love the amazing food choices that abound. But in all seriousness, the pizza here is fantastic and for the prices thet offer their pizza pies at, it cannot be beat.
The sauce, the crust. I don't know what it is, but they do it well.
5 stars all around.
*WARNING* defint8iely be prepared for chaos though on a weekend night. This place gets crowded and loud, but if you're there enjoying a game it is good times all around.
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Blech!
I used to love coming here as a child--it was bright, loud, tacky, and full of other hellions my own age...we ruled the roost, and enjoyed the oozing, cheesy pizza on the side.
Now that I'm older, I can't stand coming here--its bright, loud, tacky, and full of crazy screaming children. And the pizza sucks now! My pizza margherita was terrible---the cheese looked and felt like plastic, the tomatoes were very watery and made the pizza a sopping mess, and the crust was chewy and tasteless. It was the saddest excuse for a pizza I've seen in a long time. Next time, just go to Trader Joe's for their awesome pizza dough and toppings and make a better one yourself!
Overpriced, nickel-and-diming, mediocre pizza, and no unique atmosphere. Will not return.
We ordered a medium pizza with pepperoni and black olives, with some breadsticks. They charged us for each breadstick and again for the marinara sauce. The pizza they brought us was ridiculous, it looked like they dumped a full can of black olives on the center of a pepperoni pizza. I like black olives, but they were just piled in a bunch right in the center...
I don't have my receipt, but remember thinking everything was very expensive. For the same price, a person could order a much tastier dish at California Pizza Kitchen, or Domino's for that matter.
There was nothing compelling about the atmosphere or the staff, it's hard for me to imagine how this could rank as a great restaurant.
Delicious good old stand by. Whadaya need? food? Gianni's got it. From pizza, to pasta, to parking. It's a pizzeria, so it's loud and fun. The boys even hire musicians to play on the weekend sometimes so banjos and accordions fill the air. There's a couple of tvs to seek the evening game and a friendly bartender that can tell you the score. I like this place because they know, to move people you have to hire people. I like the service and the food is consistent. They used to have this sign up that said "There's only one way to make pizza, FAST". Sometimes people are so into the now, now, now, attitude, they forget it takes 15-25 minutes to make a good pizza from scratch. With a jar of parmesan and chilis on the table, and free refill soda you can't lose after a day of diving or Dennis the Menace Park
Salads are "meh" and their soft drink selection is pepsi-based, but that's not why you come here. You come here for Upper-Midwestern-style pizza. Not that skinny crust greasy east-coast style, or thick chicago pan style, or frou-frou California Cuisine pizza with strange vegetables.
The crust is thick, the cheese is always "extra cheese" thick, the sauce is thick and yes, a bit salty to some palates. Just like we used to get in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
I've noticed they have a bar - I think it's just wine and beer - but they seem to have a pretty good selection. Since we're always about to drive 90 minutes home, I never imbibe, but you might want to.
The pizza is great. I love the generous use of tomato sauce and cheese. It gets crazy on the weekends in here (small child crazy, not SF style crazy), so choose your night/time wisely.
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Yum. It's not my favorite (see Little Pizza Heaven) but it'll do. I love their big, fat crusts. I came here for many a birthday party when I was very little. It's very family friendly, so if you have a big clan, it's better than going to a Chucky Cheese (eww.) The only problem I have is with the prices...they've jacked them up quite a bit in the past few years. But still...yum.
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