We came across Giovanni's while out seeking somewhere different for our wedding anniversary. Immediately upon arrival we were made to feel welcomed by the young lady at the door. We were told that mains would be about 20-25 minutes but that was ok with us,...as we had a drink each and chatted. Our food was marvellous, choosing a carbonara and a steak with veges dish. Both were ample, extremely tasty and very enjoyable. We followed that lot with dessert, opting for a tiramisu and a gelato. This is a wonderful, friendly restaurant, with both the food and the service well above average. All waitstaff, including the knowledgeable and cheerful Ashwin, excelled in their roles, so much so that we've vowed to return next time we have the opportunity.More

Great pizza, attentive service and family friendly. Food arrived in teasonable time. We will be back.

I rarely write reviews for TA but when I do, it is because I have accolades for a hotel or restaurant. Unfortunately this review is for a disaster of a dinner we had at Giovannis. The evening began when we asked for a booth. The...hostess said we could sit in one but would have to leave in one hour since another reservation was coming. This never happened. After we were seated we waited 20 minutes until the waitress arrived. Without asking us if we would like a drink, she announced that we would have to wait 40 minutes for dinner since the kitchen was so backed up. We immediately placed our order. Then the wait began. The waitress never returned to our table. When we wanted another drink (just to fill the time) I had to walk up to the bar. After a one hour a 20 minute wait, our dinner arrived. The lasagne was unrecognizable. It was a flat pile of food in the middle of a plate. Honestly I couldn’t recognize noodles. The concoction was something so overcooked, and tasted of ground meat, dried sauce and cheese. My partner had eggplant Parmesan. He had the same experience of something in the middle of his plate that tasted like a very tired breaded eggplant without sauce. The final straw was the bill. We spent more for 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine and one dessert than we have in any restaurant in NZ in the last four months. This includes some amazing fine dining restaurants. Do yourself a favor and skip Giovannis.More

Had lunch with a Grab One voucher. Food was delicious and the waiter went out of his way to accommodate for dietary preferences. He also made an excellent margarita cocktail, one of the best we have tried. The restaurant wasn't super full, but they were...short staffed meaning the staff were run off their feet to keep up. They did an excellent job to maintain the professionalism with their reduced capacity. Would definitely dine there again, and try some more cocktails.More

beautiful evening. The meals were delightful and beautifully presented. This is one of Christchurchs top restaurants and is well worth experiencing. Staff were most helpful and the overall experience was 1st class

We wandered around before deciding to dine here. We have been a few times & always enjoyed the food & hospitality. It's great when the staff remember you. We ordered a basil pesto tagliatelle & eggplant main. Both meals were enjoyable & Can't wait to...return.More

This is the review I wrote on First-Table: I'm sorry to say that we had such an unexpectedly terrible experience tonight that I felt inclined to write a review as soon as we got home. (I say unexpected as we have had immensely positive experiences...at every other First Table restaurant that we have ever dined at). Firstly, we ordered a starter followed by two mains: the 'Lasagna' and the 'Melanzane Parmigiana'. After we had finished eating our starter (a very plain 'Prosciutto with Buffalo Mozzarella' with a heap of undressed mesclun in the middle), I was told that they had run out of my main choice! This felt unbelievable as it had already been 30 minutes since I had originally placed my order. So, I chose to have the Steak instead. The waitress asked me how I would like to have my steak cooked and with the choice of potatoes or vegetables to which I chose vegetables. When our mains finally arrived, the steak was with potatoes not vegetables. Additionally, my husband's lasagna was extremely overcooked and very heavy on oregano - again, we are not the people to complain, as you can clearly see from every other one of our First Table reviews. Lastly, when we had finished our mains, even though we waited for almost 25 minutes, no one cleared our plates or offered us a look at the dessert menu. Naturally, we felt we should just leave. When I told the Manager about our experience, he was very apologetic and offered us a takeaway tiramisu on the house. To be honest, I felt awkward complaining as the food was already going to be discounted due to First Table but it was such an unpleasant evening from service to food that I felt I had to speak up. Unfortunately, because there are many other Italian options in the city, we will likely not return and would not recommend this restaurant to any of our friends or family.More