Giovanni Venti Cinque Reviews

Totally disagree with Westsider. This quite little Italian restaurant is wonderful in one of the best neighborhoods in NYC. Atmosphere was great. Service extremely attentive. We split two appetizers; lump crabmeat risotto and grilled octopus. Both great. Main course were Dover Sole and Branzino. Both deboned and terrific. Served with mixed veggies and grilled potatoes. Split 1 dessert of warm apple cobbler with vanilla gelato. Decaf coffee was rich and strong !

From the moment you set foot in the restaurant you step into Italy. Superb classic Italian cuisine. Their excellent chef mixes high quality ingredients into flavorful, yet delicate, dishes. The grilled portobello mushrooms were simultaneously meaty, delicate & flavorful. The burrata caprese with basil were a perfect reminder of summer just before Christmas! The veal Marsala & fegato al balsamico were again examples of delicate flavorful cooking. I wish we could have tasted the squid-ink pasta with calamari & grilled sea bass. The wine selection is excellent & priced correctly. The desserts were perfectly made & satisfying. I strongly recommend it.

I took my Board of Directors out to dinner, and since this place was a half a block away it was a logical choice. Gentle and friendly service, relaxed atmosphere, even when full of people. But the food - wow! Black fettucine with clams and lobster and octopus as an appetizer and magnificent venison for the entree. Juicy and tender and rich rich flavor. Gorgeous to look at, breath-taking on the tongue. Rave reviews for salmon, for vegetable soup - every dish got its own set of rave reviews.

Wandering around on the way to the Met on January 2, feeling a little peckish, and picked this place at random. We could not have done better. Real northern Italian. Very quiet - three other parties while we were there, including to families from the neighborhood. I doubt that it is ever noisy! We found the service appropriately reserved but very friendly. The food was somewhere between excellent and outstanding. We'll go again.

Located half a block from Metropolitan Museum of Art. $25 prix fixe lunch is a great bargain. Good quality, varied menu, even for the prix fixe. Quiet, traditional atmosphere. Some reviewers have noted that customers seem to be on older side, which is true, many hosting their younger friends and relatives. Not a place with "buzz" but perfect if the other end of the spectrum is what you're seeking.

Great service, amazing food, large portions Flavors Devine. Menu little bit everything. Homemade pasta need I say more well worth the ride

It is perfectly situated between the Met and Guggenheim. The restaurant is nicely decorated and cosy with attentive personal. However I found it too expensive a lunch (pasta is above 20$ and they refuse to have Children sharing a portion)

You can be sure you will have a great experience, pasta Is so Fresh! carpaccio!!! Wines...wow! After the Mesuem this is the best place to go. Dessert are Perfect!

Followed Trip Advisor to Giovanni Vente Cinque. This is a charming little Italisn restaurant very near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, almost across the street. Very nice white table cloth type of place. Service was excellent and kind of old world charm. Food was excellent, from mussels to salmon, to fettuccine Bolognese. Prices were very reasonable considering the setting. I highly recommend. Only dessert was a little limited.

As we spent a great morning at the Met decided on our walk back to try this restaurant for lunch what a great surprise! Excellent servicce, we loved the prefix menu food was absolutely delicious can't wait to go back!

I was here with a group of seven women for dinner before the theater. Giovanni 25 has a wonderful and charming wait staff. I had the pasta and it was a little pasty, the bread fabulous, and a salad very nice. The red wine arrived very warm so when I asked them to chill it down a bit, they complied and then it was fine. It hadn't been kept warm so it hadn't spoiled, was merely too warm to drink. The staff are the best part of this restaurant.

A little hidden but well located next to the Guggenheim and Metropolitan museums.It appears romantic for a couple of French, Japanese tourists or others. It is a bit cramped in the room. But the ambiance provided by a plethora of servers that speak you at the same time French, Italian, Spanish and English sounds quickly wrong. The dishes are excellent. My ‘Frutti del marre al pasta’ were very tasty and well-cooked, if compared to the ‘Pasta with some frutti del marre’ one could get in usual Italian restaurants. But the price/quality ratio is very exaggerated: $ 12 for a small plate of green salad with a little parmesan or a glass of Californian wine! There is no menu, contrary to what is announced outdoors. One is in New York near Central Park, can getting caught once for €41 per person.

This is an old, established restaurant that never - NEVER - fails to impress and delight. Reservations are recommended, as it is quite popular, although with many New Yorkers spending time in the Hamptons it's not so challenging to get a reservation in the summer. We dined with friends there, on business, and it was awesome. Everyone loved their meal. The pasta with truffle sauce and mushrooms (both the papardelle appetizer and the special we had) are to die for. My favorite Italian entree is veal saltimbocca ("so good, it jumps into the mouth" literally translated). A well-crafted version is the hallmark of an excellent chef. Although not on the menu, I asked and it was delivered. Absolute perfection. Order it, and think of me. The wine list is expansive and reasonably priced for NYC. The sommalier/head waiter will work within your budget to find the perfect pairing. Service is impeccable, the ambience is sedate - old world - and elegant. One of my favorite restaurants in the city. You won't be disappointed.

Seven family members met in Manhattan for an early dinner several nights ago. Giovanni’s is in a lovely part of town between Madison and Fifth Avenues. The menu is varied, unique in many of its’ offerings from other Italian restaurants. I had the beet gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce, my husband had saltimboca a la Romana, the others had Dover sole and shrimp dishes. The only unhappy person was the one who had a lobster special that she deemed bland. We shared a bottle of wine, and had several desserts-cheesecakes, panna cotta and tiramisu, and espressos. Service was very good, and everyone enjoyed themself. I had checked the menu online before we went, and I knew that the prices were upper east side prices. However several of our party were shocked when the bill came. It was about $140 a person, and we didn’t overdo the alcohol, although the sole and lobster were rather expensive. We had a good time, with attentive service and good food, but it’s always wise to check menus before going to any restaurant, especially those in the toniest part of the city. Recommended if your pocketbook can bear it!

Great food! we started with the Asparagi Gratinati and had as the main course a tagliolini pasta with clam. Both were great. The service was perfect. Love the ambiance and the location.

Although down the block from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (at 83rd St. off Fifth), Giovanni's is no tourist trap...and in fact is remarkably reasonable for a New York City quality Italian restaurant...We went twice with friends, on a Sunday at noon, and took advantage of the $25 fixed price menu--appetizer, entree and dessert. Portions were substantial and the quality was excellent. Best of all: at least when we went the place was not crowded and tables were not on top of one another, so friends could talk and be heard! Who would think such a good, charming restaurant could pop up a block away from the Met and Museum Mile, one of the biggest tourist magnets in NYC?

This small Italian restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side offers an excellent prix-fixe luncheon at a moderate price. The service is caring and professional and the fare includes a decent range of pastas and meat and fish dishes. Dining here is unhurried and the flavorful food makes for a truly enjoyable experience. Global New York City

On a below-freezing day in New York City, parking at, and visiting, the Met makes sense -- but if you want a change from the Met's food offerings, food better than all but the "Member's Only" Met restaurant (but impossible to have lunch at without an advance reservation), Giovanni's is your place. First, they serve lunch 11:45 AM - 3:45 PM seven days a week. Arrive early, and easily get a table. Ask the waiter for specials -- unless you ask, you'll hear only about the fish of the day, and you won't hear about four or five other specials! But ordering off the menu is safe and wonderful: my wife had grilled calamari (perfect!) and a pasta: tagliolini Grancio (also perfect), along with a glass of Pinot Noire. I had grilled artichoke hearts with pistachios (Yum!) and beet gnocchi (the best!), along with a glass of Nero Tavola. We finished with capuccinos, which came with a plate of bisccotti. We've been coming here only about once a year, but, after this meal, we're going to skip the Met's restaurants more often!

High price for low level italian food. The location is convenient if you visit the Guggenheim museum, but service was so rude he ruined the lunch.

Server was rude. Assumed that our party were out of town tourists and took it upon himself to inform us at the time of taking our order that there was a one entree per person minimum, stuck us in a corner table (there were plenty of tables available) and at the end of the meal took it upon himself to enter a 20% tip and total the bill for signing.

Just a stone's throw away from the Metropolitan museum Giovanni is a great place for a relaxed lunch. They have an OK selection on their lunch menu and a very good selection of wines. Service is very good, some of the staff is Italian, which is nice. The lunch was well prepared and light, not a five stars meal but for the price and location, very good.

We found this hotel by lucky closer to Met. We're delighted by an typical Italian atmosphere, an excellent wine list and very special food. I ate an Ossobuco that I can't forget :) The service was more than 5 stars, something difficult to find ... And we got all of that without paying high prices...

Our last experience here wasn't as good as last year -- service was still attentive and the decor and cleanliness were both excellent. The food, not so much, varying from too much sauce and spice with the fish dish and too little taste for the veal. The food trumps other advantages of the restaurant: close to the Met, a "hushed" atmosphere that makes conversation pleasant, a good Italian wine list, a propensity for Tuscan cuisine. We both suggest trying the place for lunch, rather than dinner -- we agree with other reviewers on that point. We will search further for a favorite Italian restaurant. At the moment Per Lei at Second Avenue and 71st Street is a contender as is Nicola at 83rd and Third Avenue. More research is needed. :)

Had a prix fixed menu for lunch following a visit to the museum. Starter, entre plus desert (good cheese cake) for each of us plus one (very good) drink for $90.91 plus tip. Good service, and we thought that it was good value for the $$.

Oh yes!! The price-fixed lunch is an absolute bargain in this fine dining establishment. It's the best way to get a sense of the calibre of the offerings that will have you making dinner reservations before you leave. The mussles were one of the best we've had, a perfect tomato-based broth that gently caressed perfectly cooked mussles. Pappardelle with wild mushrooms and truffle was excellent. But we almost had to call 911 for the pasta with butter and lemon...absolute perfection that almost drove me mad: a light, beautifully subtle interplay of lemon, garlic and butter. Amazing. My request for linguini subsituted for angelhair was accepted graciously. Yes, the wine is ridiculously overpriced, but our fault for not asking the per glass price for a top-shelf choice - we could have had a bottle. Will definitely return to this warm, cozy, authentic, gentile, welcoming gem.

Giovanni is a rustic Italian restaurant just half a block away from the MET. There are very few dining choices around this area, and Giovanni is definitely the place to go to. They have a $25 pre-fixe lunch which is a really great deal, you get a 3 course menu plus coffee or tea.

This is truly a spectacular dining experience. The food is absolutely wonderful, the setting intimate and charming, the service world-class. There are only a few table, and the staff makes everyone feel special. It's a few bucks more than other local Italian restaurants, but that's money well spent as Giovanni's is a very, very special place.

We came into NYC for the day on a Saturday. We planned to spend some time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art then meet visiting family on Broadway for dinner and a play. We knew the touristy place that was picked out for a niece and nephews birthday was not going to offer the best food so we decided to walk around near the museum and grab a nice lunch before heading inside. We were strolling down Madison and happened to glance down 83rd and saw the sign for Giovanni's and decided to give it a try. We entered at 1:30 and were the only customers. All of the wait staff were gathered near the front as if there just to meet us. Its a small intimate space, very nicely decorated. They have a very nice prix fixe menu for lunch...$25 appetizer, entree, coffee and biscotti. Just what we were looking for. A nice selection of 5 or 6 appetizers and at least 8 or 9 entrees. Our selections arrived hot, with an elegant presentation. The wait staff were attentive without being obtrusive. The food was excellent. I had a bite sized veal that was fork tender and my companion had an excellent sea bass. With a bottle of Pelligrino and iced teas (we had a long day ahead and wanted to avoid alcohol) the bill came to about $73. We will definitely go back again.

good food beginning with toasted seasoned bread, good choices and well prepared food. Nice wait service.

Giovanni's is a small, neighborhood Italian restaurant that makes you feel like welcome guests in their home. The extensive menu is complimented by daily specials, which only served to make it harder to chose. The attention to detail, and the personalities of the staff (including Giovanni) made our evening unforgettable.

Our friend made reservations at this restaurant for a lunch gathering so I didn't know anything about this place. Boy was I pleasantly surprised. The lunch menu was fabulous and had a hard time deciding what to order. Shared some meals so we could try more. Everything was superb! Will definitely go back to.

I went to the upper west side to go shopping last week and it began to rain. I went into Giovanni unplanned after looking at the menu at a few other restaurants. It rained a little harder and I thought what the heck...I was promptly seated in this cozy beautiful place. I ordered Caesar salad and the wonderful waiter recommended at lobster and calamari in tomato sauce that was actually on the dinner. The Caesar salad was fresh and delicious. The entrée came and oh my, so delicious. I was in a U shaped area of tables and the patrons all began to talk to one another. I met delightful people from Belgium, Cape Cod, and Mexico that had gone to the Metropolitan Museum before their visit. It was a great meal and good company. It could not have been better if I planned it. The restaurant also featured a prix fixe lunch that was very appealing as well. I will definitely add this restaurant to one of my "favorites" when I visit New York again.

This is my second time eating here over the last few years. My Mom and I found it while frequenting the museum up the street. Both times we went for lunch and it did not dissapoint. The pricefix is the way to go. Portions are large, service is on point and both times I genuinely felt welcomed and like our business was very much appreciated. I will always return if I am visiting. Bravo

This is the perfect place for lunch or dinner after visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is very close and upscale but inviting. We had a fantastic lunch starting with grilled octopus which was unbelievably tender. My wife had Cacio de Pepe and I had a breaded veal chop. We had a Super Tuscan wine. The service was superb.

We went to Giovanni on a Thursday night after an event at the Met. We got there at 8:30pm, and the restaurant was empty except for a group that was just leaving. Since it was just us, the noise level was acceptable! This is a pretty old fashioned, really good, Northern Italian restaurant. Everything we had was excellent, the service was excellent, etc. In spite of the restaurant being empty except for us, we did not feel rushed at all. Pretty expensive, but not bad considering the location. Hard to beat. We live on the upper west side, but my wife wants to come back here.

We needed to find a restaurant that was really close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, since the internal restaurants are either unable to guarantee reservation times or are nothing special. Since I cannot walk far, Giovanni Venti Cinque filled the bill. Giovanni Venti Cinque is a nicely civilized old-world type but unassuming spot serving international cuisine. We were there for lunch, and if you stick to their prix fixe luncheon menu, the prices are fine. Sometimes, though, it is hard to muster the resolve to do that because the waiter also mentions dishes from the dinner menu to tempt you, and those prices can be fairly steep. The restaurant appears to be small, but actually there is a lot more seating than at first glance. The wait staff is warm yet reserved, contributing nicely to the low-key yet elegant ambience of the restaurant.

My cousin, a recently retired M&A lawyer in NYC, has been my go-to guy for restaurants for years. When he suggested we meet for lunch while we were at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, somehow I knew we were in for a treat. And so it was. He first became acquainted with this small, but beautiful restaurant many years ago. The decor was quaint and very comfortable. It was not terribly crowded making the dining experience more relaxed. For lunch they have a pre-fixe menu that includes appetizer, main course, and coffee with biscotti. I began with the soup of the day which was a cucumber soup. My daughter, a recent Culinary Institute of America graduate, told me it is actually a leek soup with other root vegetables that are pureed. It was completely vegetarian. The consistency was smooth and creamy, even without any dairy, and the flavor was intense. My main course was a homemade pasta with pesto. It also contained homemade mozzarella. My cousin has mussels and then the Spezzatino di Vitello, which he loved. They had excellent choices of wines. The coffee was perfect. The biscotti was a little soft for my taste, but still very tasty. Overall, I have to say that if you are seeking quality Northern Italian fare in a pleasant atmosphere, with friendly and highly professional staff, this is the place.

After visiting several museums in the area, we were looking for a quiet place to have lunch. Stumbled onto Giovanni on this quiet side street. What a wonderful surprise. Food was great. Service attentive. Nice wine selection. Ended up spending 2 hours, and enjoyed this refuge in a busy city. Would definitely return.

This is a restaurant where the food is so perfectly seasoned you don't even look for salt and pepper on the table. Entrees about $25-$36. Well worth it for a special night out. Only about 12 tables. The pastas are so perfectly created. The wait staff is worthy of note too. Parking garage available right next door (accepts Spot Hero , we paid $15) and across the street. Also right next door to the Met.

I've eaten here twice, with a regular (well over 60 - closer to 90) and have been underwhelmed twice. The service is haughty but not attentive. Prices are high for what is not close to fine cuisine. The tuna tartare appetizer is a gooey mass of chunks of tuna, chunks of avocado, chunks of hearts of palm. It should be good, but it needed plenty of salt and lemon juice for any taste at all, and the consistency was very offputting. Didn't seem fresh at all. The pork tenderloin with artichokes and white wine sauce was so salty it was inedible. When it was sent back, they made it again from scratch, but apparently the salt was in the sauce, so it came with NO sauce - just pork (which tasted oddly like veal - no pork taste at all) and pieces of artichoke on top. Dry, tasteless, unacceptable, but by then we were hungry and frustrated. This for $30. This is a very pretty restaurant and when you enter they make you feel that you being welcomed into a first rate, special place. But I've had better food in a coffee shop, with better service. Sorry, but this place is a huge disappointment.

Excellent Italian food. Try the Risotto, Osso Buco or the Dover Sole. You will not be disappointed. They will prepare any pasta dish upon request. Quiet Place with older crowd. Service professional and friendly. Excellent wine list. One of the few restaurants in New York where you will leave fully satisfied and will come back again and again. We do. Please do not change !

What a delightful find on a rainy, cold and ugly day and step into this warm and intimate old style Italian restaurant. The decor is elegant, the service superb and the food is excellent, carefully prepared and presented. What more could you want? This is a great stop pre or post Metropolitan Museum of Art visit. They have a great lunch 3 course special for $29.00.

Pros: Excellent food; attentive serivce; near to Met; $25 lunch outstanding Cons: Some tables for 4 seem very small; dinner may be less of a bargain

Romantic upscale Italian with fine food and excellent friendly service. If you like truffles, you'll always find them at GIOVANNI'S.

Overpriced,claustrophobic,rude service. With all the exceptional restaurants within a five minute walk this is the last place you should go.

I went here a while back and went with a friend of mine so we asked if they could split the check so we each got our separate bill and a day later when i checked the receipt and the guy charged me for my friends meal too. so i called my friend and the same thing happened to him to. so we both went and asked and the guy said sorry the manager is not here so we went back the next day and he said the same thing so we went the week after that and we finally gave up.

Dainty, refined Italian restaurant. No reservation needed, but most of the tables were already reserved when we arrived for an early lunch. The parmigiana paired with a glass of the Montepulciano worked well. Will return on every trip to NYC.

When our party of 4 ordered $48 wine bottle, 2 salads + 2 entrees, waiter DEMANDED that we order 4 entrees, despite the already large bill. I suggested compromise by paying splitting fee. He flatly refused. Vastly overpriced with coercion. We have never had this foisted upon us in any restaurant. And overall, the food was mediocre.

We were four for dinner, with a good selection of wine and only ordered four main courses. The filet of sole portion was modest in size with a very light taste. The pasta ( and there are many on the menu) again was small in portion and just good not great.

After a few hours enjoying the Metropolitan Museum of Art, my partner and I decided to have lunch in the neighborhood. We had been to Giovanni 25 a few years ago and went back for a second visit. It was a real treat with their $25 Prix-Fixe Lunch. Twenty-five dollars gets you an appetizer, entree, coffee and biscotti. The bread and cheese spread was a wonderful start to our meal. We both had the house chardonnay with which we were extremely pleased. My partner had their Caprese Salad consisting of buffalo mozzarella, a wonderfully juicy tomato and basil. I chose the Cozze in Brodetto and the mussels, simmering in a white wine, with garlic, and tomato broth was delicious. As an entree my date had the Petto di Pollo ai Ferri, which was a grilled chicken breast topped with salad. She raved about the selection, as well as the presentation. My choice of entree was similar; the Vitello Milanese. The breaded veal was tender and delicious and topped with a fresh garden salad, it all just hit the spot. Even the biscotti and coffee were excellent, serving as a perfect cap to our meal. Service was excellent; courteous, timely and attentive. The only reason the meal received a four star rating, rather than a five, is that the was not a wine list offered when we ordered. For the house chardonnay, I was just a bit surprised by the price. Overall, it was a delicious meal on a wonderful outing to the Big Apple's Museum Mile.

We stepped inside Giovanni Venti Cinque for lunch after a visit to The Met on a damp and grey afternoon. The universe must have been rewarding us - after the crowds of the museum - we enjoyed a relaxed and charming experience. Our waiter, I believe he may have even been the Maitre'D, was so welcoming and just lovely to us. He quickly recognised our Australian origins, and also engaged in a little Italian banter with my wife after her Italian heritage had been established. The ambience of the restaurant is rich and warm - relaxed and a touch formal at the same time. With several separate dining rooms, it was also quite intimate. Our meals were lovingly presented, and beautifully delicious. The recommended vino rosso was also richly medicinal after the hectic beginning to our day. At no time did the personable and attentive service wain, it was a thoroughly charming experience.

We enjoyed the $29 Prix Fixe menu in the afternoon after a fabulous morning at the Met. Delicious Italian fare. Well worth it.

Have visited several times over the course of several years and each experience exceeded the previous visit. Love the attention to detail. The breadsticks on the table with tomato dip were enjoyed while sipping wine. I clearly love and highly recommend the Tuna Tartar when available. Each meal was wonderful. Have had business lunches, family dinners and visited with friends after raving about the food.

I happened upon this restaurant on my way to view Savage Beauty at the Met. It is an elegant establishment with a diverse menu. I had the caprese appetizer special which I enjoyed. What stood out for me was the fish special - delicately seasoned with wonderful side vegetables. I had the zabaglione with berries for dessert. The entire experience was a pleasure. I found the service to be attentive without being cloying. I am looking forward to returning on my next visit to NYC.

Serendipity prevailed after an inspired evening with art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My friend, the celebrated artist, Austin Palmer-Smith, suggested Giovanni 25 for our late night dinner. We enjoyed a good glass of Sangiovese and a savory wild boar bolognese, which was the special of the evening. I always look forward to wild boar dishes when visiting Florence in Nov. so it was a treat to find an authentic presentation in New York.

This is an Italian Restaurant heaven. Very good location (just half a block from the MET). Excellence service and the food is really a delight. We were lucky and walked in without a reservation and they took us in. We were waited on by a very special guy who was so kind that he even gave directions here in the city; the whole staff was really magnificent. Is not a cheap restaurant, so if you are not willing to spend at least $ 60 per person having a great meal and enjoying a good Italian wine,ten this is not your place.

If you are looking for fine Italian dining in an intimate and serene environment, this is the place. One can actually have a conversation during dinner because it is so quietly congenial. Food is excellent. Only the people in the neighborhood know about this under the radar spot. It is a rare and wonderful find. If you want to see and be seen, this is not the place. This is the real deal....a genuine Italian fare, well prepared and served most graciously. Feels like you are Italy.

Delightful Italian restaurant on the upper East Side, upscale, elegant, wonderful food, excellent service. A great place for an event dinner.

The restaurant's fixed price lunch for $25 includes an appetizer, an entree (with a choice of any of its pasta dishes), and biscotti and coffee. The appetizers include salads, soups, and mussels (my personal favorite). The entrees include the fish of the day, veal, chicken, and any pasta on the menu. I recommend the pappardelle with wild mushrooms and the spezzatino di vitello. Having lived and taught in Florence for several months, I'm happy to say this is the real deal. The severs were professional and friendly. For the upper East Side, Venti Cinque is a great deal.

We went there after a museum visit, and were hungry... The place is nice, well situated in a quite location. The team is warmly welcoming the guests, and you feel immediately very well ! The menu card is typically italian, but very interesting, as well as the wine list. The plates are well presented, and the food is really good. The prices are correct, not that expensive for NYC. A place to go when in Big Apple to eat italian dishes

Heard about the great lunch bargain at Giovanni. It is only a bargain if you like bad food&bad service.

We were actually going to the 92n St Y, but my friend made a reservation here. What a find! the $25 lunch was delicious. I ordered asparagus soup, my friend had the mussels. I ordered pork, thin slices in a caper sauce, olive oil mashed potatoes, and mixed Italian vegs. Her dish of chicken Parm, came with a side of spaghetti. Not too Italian a dish, but it was tasty. I would go back, and I am happy to find something near the museum. We walked to the Y.

I rated Giovanni 25 "Excellent" four years ago, and on a recent visit it still is the Italian restaurant most others merely aspire to imitate, both for food and service. The Melanzane Grigliate was both beautiful and a taste treat; the Mushroom Soup with Black Truffle was both wonderful and less than expected: $27.50, and well worth it. While I passed on the special pasta with shaved black truffle (I asked the price, and the waiter came back and apologetically said $72! My memories of shaved black truffle pasta in Perugia for $30 kept intruding.), the Pappardelle with Funghi and Black Truffle Butter ($27.50) was a perfectly acceptable alternative. My wife's Linguini alle Vongole ($34) was terrific. What a great meal, and we need to come back here more often.

Just finished having dinner here and the food was very good. The service was on point and was never lacking. I will defiantly be back.

This is the quintessential "neighborhood restaurant" with a style and panache that is surprising. Ate dinner here with friends. It's small inside, very intimate spaces, but welcoming because of the great staff, who made us feel very good from the moment we walked in. We enjoyed a tasty bottle of Chianti, and thoroughly ransacked the menu for all kinds of delicious things: caprese salad, beet salad, calamari. I was so busy devouring my fettuccine Bolognese I didn't pay much attention to my dining guests and what they were eating, but the general consensus was: everything was very good. Cheesecake and espresso for dessert finished things off. We'll be back, as this was a thoroughly delightful and enjoyable dinner!

Great food and service, they took good care of their customers...the wine list really balanced with spectacular wines and nice quality-to-price ratio options!

Went for lunch with my companion and two friends. Small, intimate room (one of two), table beautifully set. We each ordered a different entree: 2 salads, one pasta, one chicken dish. Everything arrived at the right temperature. The two types of bread were served with a delicious spread, a sun-dried tomato caponata. Service was attentive without being fawning. We stayed for two hours, chatting and eating without being rushed.

This great little Italian restaurant is near the Met so a great haven and break before returning for another go at the extraordinary breadth of the Met. Excellent service, great food, decent wine list.

the people who run this restaurant care. The food is very good, but I don't think great. They made a number of mistakes ( over billing us; not having food they said they had) and it was expensive. I don't think I will go back.

Came across this genuine Italian near the Metropolitan Art Museum. Set lunch provides a good choice and delicious food, a starter and main and coffee with biscotti are included but we opted for a dessert as well at extra cost. Waiting staff were very pleasant and the service was slick. Mussels as a starter were very good and the calves liver with balsamic sauce excellent.Set meal was good value but adds up if you have wine and dessert. Overall we enjoyed the meal and would recommend it.

We had a really nice lunch here after a couple of hours at the Met. The prix-fixe lunch initially looks great value, but once you have added on the $9 bottled water and $10 desserts it quickly adds up. The food was really good and I guess you are paying for location. Service was excellent, we were with children and the waiters were very pleasant to them. Delicious wine, which again you pay for at $14 per glass.. Watch that they automatically add 20% tip to the bill, so don't pay it twice! Not sure I would rush back, as I know there are better value Italian restaurants, but certainly no complaints.

We have dined at this Italian eatery a number of times over the years - but lately the customer experience has turned horrible. Take our dinner last night ( November 11). We ordered wine.It was sour. the waiter agreed it was corked then replaced the bottle with some disgruntlement. We decided to split a small portion of the white truffle pasta. It was $80.00 so a bit of a splurge. You can judge an Italian restaurant in NYC by how generous they are in shaving their truffles over your pasta. This terrible waiter provided only three small shavings per portion ( one for me one for wifey). He pressed so lightly on the truffle shaver that he had to manual peel the truffle off the back of the shaver! it was so pathetic my wife and I had to laugh. the price came to $14 per truffle shave! Ny wife and i both ordered the veal. My dish was fine. But My wife's was so horribly salty. I mean like only a mexican sous chef could do. So they make my wife's dish over again. Now I am waiting with my entr in front of me my wife waiting for a redo of her entre. (I asked that an italian chef prepare her food this time). We wait and wait. We finish our bottle of wine waiting. She finally gets her second entre. My food is now ice cold. We have no more wine so i ask for two glasses. the wine by the glass tastes like camphor. Undrinkable. We get our bill. They charge us for everything including the two horrible glasses of wine. I ask that the glasses of wine be taken off the tab. the waiter refuses. Saying there was nothing wrong with the wine. I indicate i had to order the two glasses because they screwed up my wife's original order. _ And we did not drink the glasses of wine. What a terrible waiter - he doesn't get it that it is not his call regrading the wine - it is the customer's. Stay away from this terrible place. It has gone down hill fast.

The six of us were seated promptly at a perfectly set table near the front window in this small, classy Italian restaurant. Our Italian waiter was close to perfect, as was the service. And the food was delicious, served with justifiable pride by the wait staff. We each had the three-course special, but most of us could not resist the dessert menu that added to the $25 advertised price--not to mention the two bottles of Italian red wine ordered by my wife for our group! I had as an appetizer the fresh asparagus tips served warm with melted grana padano cheese, which was followed by a delicious veal dish. By the time I finished, the biscotti was enough for me, but I did sample a couple of the beautifully prepared desserts that others in the group ordered. We kept on our hectic weekend schedule by walking outside shortly after 2:00, and were inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art by 2:15. Giovanni helped make this a great day for all of us.

Not far from the met a nice little Italian restaurant - nice room and warm service - good food, with quite a 'real' Italian taste ! Good choice after the MET visit !

We had heard good things about this place but it did not deliver. It is definitely catering to the neighboorhood crowd but they did make you feel welcome with people mostly in the 60+ range. The menu is a bit limiting and the food was good but it should have been better at $24 for a plate of pasta. The wine list is OK with some medium priced wine at about $70 a bottle and they do have a list of some really great wines into the hundreds. Overall we will not go back because we expected more. It really wasn't better than some other places in UES that have better value.

It's a nice enough place, but the service is a little too brusque, the decor a little too old fashioned and the food a little too quick out of the kitchen to leave me with a contented feeling. But if you don't mind overpaying a little for a perfectly acceptable pasta dish, it's nice for a quick lunch.

Wouldn't trust an online reservation! Unable to reach the reservation desk early last week, we booked through the restaurant's online access--as they recommended. Got a confirmation, but when we arrived on Sat of Labor Day, the restaurant was closed for the Labor Day weekend--sign on the door. Thinking about the phone calls, there was a message that the restaurant would be closed the Fourth of July weekend. Maybe they mixed up holidays?

Chose this place to eat before going to an event at Met Museum, only a block away. Four of us, and we all enjoyed our meals. Squid ink pasta dish was excellent, tuna appetizer excellent, and the lump crab in pasta with saffron sauce - all terrific. We ate rather early before the crowd - service was prompt.

We go to this restaurant often when we are in New York because it is close to where one of us grew up and the parents still live there. We have only been for dinner. Lunch is a very good value with a $29 menu. Dinner is far more expensive. The Upper East Side has lots of residents for whom price is immaterial. They seem to be the target audience, although we frequently see people coming in for dinner on Friday or Saturday from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, just a block away on Fifth Avenue (the restaurant is just west of Madison Avenue). At dinner, prices are high. The food is fine, some dishes better than others. We have never had a bad meal here. On the whole, the pastas, made in-house, stand out as the better quality options based on multiple visits. The wine list is decent, if also a little pricey. The reason to come here is that the room is very comfortable and sound levels, even when the restaurant is crowded tend to be sufficiently low that you can actually carry on a conversation at your table without raising your own voice. Service too is professional, as it usually is in New York, where wait staff at expensive restaurants can apparently earn enough to make a career of it. We have seen the same dining room staff for a number of years now. We cannot say this restaurant is a good value, but the food is decent, and in some cases (especially the pastas) quite good, and the service and ambiance are quite good. On the whole, if you are willing to spend you will enjoy the overall dining experience here, though for the money, you can find better food at any number of high-end northern Italian restaurants in Manhattan.

My friend and I found Giovanni's while out on a stroll from our hotel. We glanced at the menu and decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed. I enjoyed the veal scallopini and my friend had a fish entrée that was very nice. The pino grigio was lovely. The service was very attentive. We were the last ones out on a quiet Sunday night. We will return.

Just off Museum Mile, and a few steps from the Metropolitan Museum, this warm, elegant and cozy traditional Italian serves first class food in wonderful surroundings. Have been there several times and it has never disappointed. The carciofini with pistachios and the pasta with boar ragú are excellent. The service is outstanding: attentive without being overbearing. The wine list is good, but pricey. But let's face it, this is the high rent district and the prices have to reflect it. The luncheon prix fixe doesn't, so it's a good midday stop after a few hours of traipsing through the Met.

I was here for lunch and had to wait for my friend for about 40 minutes as she was caught in traffic. At first the staff in this almost empty resto was mildly polite and then they were visibly annoyed and their attitude became indifferent. I therefore did not find the atmosphere pleasant although the resto is cozy to look at. In a city where the best of food is easy to find, this resto is mediocre at best. My meal was no more than average and certainly nothing spectacular. I found the staff's attitude cold and uninviting. At almost $40 for lunch with one drink for my friend, 2 entrées, and no dessert or appetizers, this was not cheap. Most of the restos in NYC are so friendly and the service is impeccable. Why go to one where all the amenities of a fine resto are lacking? We will not be back.

I went to Giovanni Venti Cinque in october 30 - after our (good) meal, I received the bill with 15% included (nobody ask me before), paid it in full - and the owner told me - in NYC you must to pay gratuity!!! It's true that he felt much shame at it and said me their apologizes, but it put me out of conceit with the day and the lunch. Rate after this? ZERO.

This is a good Italian restaurant at a nice location. Lunch served is very well prepared. The restaurant staff is very friendly. Good options of lunch menu at reasonable price.

On a side street off Madison Avenue, you could miss this unprepossessing Italian spot. Many dine here regularly, on white linen with Italian waiters. The pastas are spectacular. The eggplant grilled under a mozzarella crust, ditto. The wine selection is excellent. It’s blessedly hushed and just a bit dimmed. I marked “fine dining” below but you can eat here for about $50 with wine, and for Upper East Side Manhattan that's a bargain.

Giovanni is located near the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC on a quiet block in a stately apartment building. It is, I think, a neighborhood destination. This restaurant serves delicious Northern Italian style food at tables with tablecloths so it is a bit fancy. It is also a quiet and pleasant dining experience. My favorite items on the menu are the appetizer of artichokes with cheese and the pasta with mushrooms. They also have a nice osso bucco and the fish plate my companion ordered looked good. Wine pourage, like too many other restaurants is not great - a "glass" of wine is about half or a little less in the glass. So order your wine drink with this caution. But portions of food are good and really delicious. This restaurant attracts an older crowd, very much older, so I don't recommend this restaurant for a boisterous crowd or one with kids.

Prix fixe lunch a great buy and worth every cent. Dinner can be a little pricey. Overall a great place in the neighborhood. Veal chop and Branzino my favorites.

Went to Met with wife and kids and we were looking for a good place to eat within walking distance. We also wanted to carrying afterwards to the Museum of Natural History. This restaurant's location is perfect! The staff is very nice to kids and the food delicious. Portions are also reasonable (for a European). Overall, nice experience!

After a wonderful morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we were tired and hungry and wanted a place where we could relax and eat at a leisurely pace. We found Giovanni Venti Cinque and decided to check it out. We ordered from the prix fixe lunch menu and were delighted with the quality of the food. We sampled a variety of entrees including fish, veal, pasta and pork and they were all equally delicious. The waiter was not especially friendly but efficient and provided us with the information that we needed to make our choices. We never felt rushed. We enjoyed the entire experience as well as the amazing value! We all agreed that we'll be back on our next trip to the Met.

We have known this restaurant for more than 15 years. We were there with friends from abroad last week and found that the service and food had deteriorated to a totally unacceptable level.We were 2 couples.We ordered salad for appetizer and pasta dishes for entrees. One of us ordered a "special" risotto with truffles(75$) and got a lump of boiled rice with truffles on top(embarrassing).One of us ordered black linguini with shrimps and was served regular pasta which was sent back. The taste of the food was barely acceptable and was eaten by our foreign guests who were too polite to send it back.Even salads were not up to par. Management/Chef must have changed to justify such a deterioration in food quality and service

So many southern Italian restaurants in NYC ( and everywhere else in the States) are poor excuses for packing on the lbs. This exception proves the rule. After you've had the pasta dishes here, or the veal, or the fish - after you've tasted the wonderful sauces and cheeses - after you've sampled the good bread and lovely wines - you'll know what you've been missing.

Cozy neighborhood establishment just down a quiet block from the Met. Old school Italian with superb service and food. Good wine list, but the $$$ run up FAST! Pay attention, unless you have Dollars to go. Specials were terrific. We shared a number of items and the wait staff was eager to please. Menu had a wide range of meats, fish, and pasta. Many different salads too. Ordered the spinach gnocchi. Light and bursting with flavor. Heavenly! My wife had a special seafood mix over black ink pasta. Wow! Homemade biscotti was the best I've ever had. Have got to replenish the bank account, but it was a great experience.

Rather fussy decor but with a real feeling of anupscale Italian restaurant. Good cleanliness. Attentive service, with a very good wine list, especially for Italian wines. We've eaten here three times and consider it one of the best Italian restaurants on the Upper East Side. Fish specials are always worth

This is a very nice little restaurant that I have been to several times for lunch. The Metropolitan Museum is close by, and Giovanni's is just off of 5th Avenue. The food is excellent, the mussels were fresh and outstanding. Giovanni's is low key and has a varied lunch menu and wine list to choose from. My 94 year old mother ate an entire bowl each time we visited Giovanni's, and still raves about the sauce. Service is excellent. Staff is very attentive. This is a definite 'must go' when in the neighborhood of the Metropolitan Museum.

Picked this place due to its proximity to the Met Museum of Art. It was great to be able to dash over without the need for a cab. We were a group of 6 ( 2 young children). The children initially had them worried but soon the servers and Maitre’D were so helpful when it became clear that everyone was going to be well behaved. The food was so delicious. Great classical Italian dishes and the specials were fantastic. We loved the whole branzino and the Dover sole with lemon butter. The pastas were great also. two of us had the pappardelle with wild mushroom and truffle butter and could have eaten 2 orders. The young daughter absolutely devoured her Fettuchine Bolognese. In fact her father remarked that she had never even so much food at one sitting. Service was impeccable with no delays and so accommodating. It seems to have a neighborhood clientele who were also quite nice to our party as well. If I lived closer this would be my regular go to place. Highly recommend.

Had trouble finding a decent place to grab lunch before visiting the Metropolitan museum. Came across this place just a block or so away, maybe a 5 minute walk. Glad I did. Not only convenient, great food, good service. $25 PF lunch menu was a bargain.

Giovanni's is located very close to the Met and is a perfect place for dinner after a day of museum touring. The location is quiet and unassuming in a neighborhood setting. We went on a Friday night, and the restaurant was fairly quiet when we ate at around 7:30. The service was impeccable, and the waiter offered several glasses of wine to test prior to making our selection. All of the entrees were outstanding. Although bolognese is basic it can frequently be ill-prepared. Not here - I still have a taste for more even a week after eating here. Completely loved this place and will definitely make a return trip. I've already recommended it to a number of friends. A very good value for the money as well.

This quiet restaurant near the Met. offers high quality service and delicious food at a high price. Some of the specials (e.g. Dover sole) are particularly expensive; we were not warned in advance! The wine list is extensive with standard markup.

Just a block from the Met, Giovanni's offers classic Northern Italian food, done well, with a great wine list to boot. We were five people, and these were the highlights. Asparagus soup, with a non-dairy base, asparagus appetizer, quail special, grilled calamari, pappardella al fungi. Only subpar item was the profiteroles. Service was very professional. I will go back!

This restaurant is just off Fifth ave, very near the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their $25, 3 course prixe-fixe lunch is almost a gift, considering the restaurants location in the toniest of New York neighborhoods.Typical northern Italian fare, but done well. My wild mushroom pasta was excellent. Good coffee. Excellent professional service. Relaxed confortable atmosphere, with check arriving only after my request. Decor is a bit tired. My only quibble is a less than fresh caesar salad.

I must have walked by this place thousands of times (I have a business contact around the corner from them), never entered it. It took a lunch in Queens (Via Trenta, separate review) to bring me here. But once I found it, I'll never leave it again. We drop in around 1:30pm for lunch and are given the table of our choice. The soup of the day is mushrooms and its velvety smoothness fills up your mouth with an avalanche of aromas and pleasant sensations. The Caprese is with real mozzarella di bufala and fresh basil, nothing but the best. Grilled branzino is delicious, with its own roasted vegetables and some mashed potatoes. We drink a crisp Pinot Grigio from Friuly and top the food with excellent espresso served with biscotti. Prix fix lunch is $29, this includes choice of appetizers, a dozen choices for entree and coffee or tea with biscotti, all of this served promptly and professionally. I would have rated them excellent, if it were not for the greeter who was very condescending and nosy, both qualities not compatible with fine dinning. We are definitely going back there.

First off let me say that the pre fixe lunch here is a great deal good food good price. The last two times we had lunch here the restaurant was almost empty . My complaint is that they put one of the only other people eating lunch at the next table . There was no need to do this with more then half the place empty. So instead of a nice quiet lunch we had to hear all about the women at the next table vacation , net worth etc. Our lunch was ruined . Will try someplace else next time in area

Good, old school restaurant. Had dinner with friends (4 of us), and 2 had been going locally for a while, 2 (including me) were new to this place. Old school Italian, nice inside, nothing spectacular. Dishes were great, artichoke salad, tuna tartare with avocado as apps. Now for the interesting part. I had read in a recent review about the 10 items to NEVER order in restaurants, because they are pure profit and you are getting ripped. One is Dover sole. Get this: Of course these were ordered (not by my suggestion mind you) by our guests and my wife ordered as well. So three of them. I ordered pasta bolognese which was good but not amazing and for the small portion they gave me I felt a bit taken. Portions for the sole were nice sized and I tasted hers which was excellent, but the price to pay was a whopping $69 bucks per fish (and since it was a "special" nobody mentioned the price. Until the bill came. Now it's a bit awkward depending on who you are dining with to ask the price of a special, I don't care, but my wife does and discourages this. Well I could have said "I told you so" in the end, because it was true, I was right. This was outrageous. All in "full boat" with splitting dessert and tip & tax this was almost 3 big Benjamins. Ridiculous, for a local restaurant. I can dine in just as good locations as this for half the cost. So it was nice to have experienced it but never again. Off the list forever.

Recently ate there and even though we had reserved a certain table and were promised that table, were told it was reserved for another party ( who ultimately never even showed up!). The food was absolutely delicious- Dover Sole the best I ever had and their bread basket was really special. Our service was extremely slow, even though the place was not full, but maybe that is normal for NYC. Four stars instead of five for service only.

Had luncheon there today with friends. It was simply wonderful. Perfect cooking, excellent service. A real treat.

Mediocre food w/very high prices. A "special" of osso bucco was little pieces instead of one pieces on the bone. The preceding ceasar salad was cafeteria food. Do not go.

Last night we took our chances at a couple of favorite bars but they were too crowded, and we walked up on a cold and windy night to 83rd Street where Giovanni's once again provided a pleasant evening. Two glasses of champagne to celebrate my companion's ongoing recovery from pneumonia, and the quite a decent meal. Her salad was very fresh with a nice combination of cheese to top it off; my squid salad was not quite as good -- fresh greens, but tough squid and a bit too much sauce. Her branzino was beautifully cooked, not over-cooked, and my osso bucco was meltingly done -- a bit too fatty but perfectly cooked and on a very nice rice base. Her tiramisu was almost perfect but my zabaglione was a mess -- very good fruit but the sauce had no flavor. Service a bit uneven because of a later arriving crowd around 8:30 on a Saturday night -- what can you expect during the holiday season. Cleanliness in the men's room was excellent, and the staff was very pleasant and clearly the crowd was primarily Upper East Side denizens.

This review is not a critique of the food or service. Other reviews of this place suggest that the food may be good, but unfortunately I will never find out as sometimes it is the simple things that matter most to me, and this strange run-in will prevent me from returning. Worse, it has inspired me to write my very first negative review. I am a local New Yorker and I live and work nearby, but last week was my first trip to Giovanni Venti Cinque. Was quite surprised when the maître d' would NOT seat me and my children (3, 7, 9) with half the restaurant empty at 8pm. Half the tables were empty...but I gathered that they simply didn't want children in the place as they refused to seat us. May possibly have been the strangest (and calm , civilized) interaction I have ever had with a maitre d' as I tried to ask for a valid reason and they fumbled over a variety answers. My favorite was "we don't have a child seat". They do have a sign in the window that says no strollers (but we had no strollers for my 3, 7, and 9 year old) and dress appropriately (we were), so I simply did not understand. I did suggest they add a sign that says 'no children' if that is how they felt. If you have children, there are at least 4 other good restaurants with great food within 4 blocks of the Met that are kid friendly and will always seat you for dinner if they have room: DeMarchelier, Moreli, Cafe Grazi, and The New Amity Diner.

This Italian Restaurant is beautifully situated, we easily found on street parking around the corner on a Saturday about 6 PM. Although no "Sights" to see the architecture and feeling of the city surrounds you. It is a safe neighborhood to strool around before dinner and check out the stores and homes in the area. The restaurant is tightly packed with comfortable seating and a quite New York vibe, the staff was friendly and attentive. We were a party of 4, began with drinks, great app's, a bottle of wine, I had the duck which was spectaular, not gamey at all, exquistly prepared. The lamb was equally done. We visited to celebrate my birthday with long time friends who live in the city and they suggested Giovanni's, they work near by and had been there for lunch several time and dicided to try it out for dinner. Since we only see each other 2 or 3 times a year we spent the entire night there talking eating drinking and laughing. Although the atmosphere of the ristorante seemed quite when we arrived, the New York attidude quickly appeared and the room came alive. There was a romantic couple in the corner and a 3 generation family gathering of 5 next to us. We heard praise from them regarding there entree's. By the time we were ready to leave it was at least 930 PM. We were never rushed and allowed to enjoy ourselves. The evening cost us about $ 100. per person which was a bit high but considering the food, service, drinks, really not so bad for a quite, but not to quite, private night out in the greatest City in the world...and we parked for FREE. ---FYI --When ever we drive into the city ( from NJ) I check out this website- parkpalnyc.com/ it tells you where street parking is allowed at what time and where the nearest parking garages are.

I wish TA had half points or 1-10 rating system. This is a true 3.5 or a 7. Giovanni venti Cinque is good. But not great for the price. A decent wine will be 120+ or more. Figure 300 per couple for appetizers, mains a bottle of wine and share a desert plus tip. We were there late May on a Saturday night and it was pretty empty. The regular clientele was probably away for the summer weekends. We come here once a year or so. Good food and service. Not great.

I found this place by chance, looking for a cosy place for my last lunch before leaving ny Very good food, typical Italian, smart.

3:15 pm on a very cold, snowy, slushy afternoon. Exhausted and more than ready for lunch after a wonderful private 3-hour tour at the crowded Met Museum. Entered and a nice waiter greeted us and told us not to worry, we could still have lunch. This Manhattan foodie (from a far away neighborhood) was in heaven. It was warm, it was quiet. And the menu was pure old-school Italian comfort food, prix fixe and a la carte. Exactly what we wanted. Bread and good olive oil quickly arrived. I had delicious squid ink pasta with calamari in a spicy red sauce with a glass of red. My friend visiting from Florida ordered salmon with fresh veggies and a glass of white. She commented that this was the best salmon she had ever had. We followed up with perfect cappuccino and split a yummy fudge cake. If only more restaurants in Manhattan had a waiter like ours. A family gathering is planned at the Met in April. We will surely have lunch at this delish restaurant.

The food was good. Beautifully presented as you can see in my pictures. To spend the kind of money that I did for good but not astoundingly excellent food was ridiculous. I got home and immediately ate again because I was starving on account of hilariously small portions. The place is small, the staff was friendly, but the overall atmosphere was stuffy. Definitely not worth it.

Upscale, civilized Northern Italian with excellent food, outstanding service and worm atmosphere. It feels like home..

The food is simply excellent-fresh, served piping hot, and full of flavors. The staff taking the orders is attentive and they are very well trained to please and above all are good listeners when given orders by their guests. The table settings with crisp linens and under liners, the absolute old fashioned way, the attention to detail is all of superb caliber. The ambience is warm and inviting, and while the lighting is geared towards romantic dining, it is still lovely for an evening out with the family. An all-around excellent dining experience.

Authentic and delicious. The staff were friendly and welcoming to me. The food was excellent! I can’t remember the last time I had pasta like that. Definitely worth a visit.

I went there for lunch after a visit to the MET museum. Delicious food- appetizer, veal dish with side dishes included and cappucino and biscotti. All for like $30