BELLA! It's rustic and charming with a taste of Italy all around you. There's an excitement in the air along with the smell of the delicious food we waited with anticipation. Servers never missed a beat! Never had an empty glass of water. Never had an empty glass of wine. Will definitely be returning! Thank you for the beautiful ambience and memorable food.
Grace S.
Every-time we come to San Luis Obispo (from SoCal) to visit my sistah, we always make a bee-line to Giuseppe's and EVERY SINGLE TIME the service has been impeccable!! If one pays attention you'll find that their 'training' is spot on! They always know the menu and when to recommend items, they always know if you need anything and are right there to fill water, change plates, silverware, all while being polite and polished, yet relaxed. Upon arriving, we were greeted with a big smile from the hostess who told us there was a 45 minute wait. We inquired if we could sit at the bar and she said it was 'first come first serve' so we walked towards the back and I asked one of the waiters if the empty table was open--he referred me to Macon, who directed us to a high top table where we decided to enjoy our meal overlooking their outside garden. Macon immediately brought us warm sliced bread with a bowl of sweet balsamic tapenade. We each enjoyed a cocktail. We started off with the beet carpaccio salad which we shared -- it was really beautifully served with sweet gold and red beets complimented with creamy salty goat cheese and peppery arugula. I ordered the pasta carbonara with homemade bucatini which they cooked to perfection; it was perfectly al dente and the sauce was 'authentic' with the right amount of cheese, black pepper, and pasta water; it was the HIT of the night!! My husband had the bolognese and meatballs which was packed with flavor! My sister had the Dabs, piccata style with lemon, white wine, butter and capers. It was tender, flaky and quite tasty. To end this fabulous meal we ordered their famous carrot cake with marscapone frosting and the spumoni both decadently sweet and delicious! The meal was a perfect combination of everything you would want from a great restaurant, we look forward to returning soon!
Emily J.
It was delicious! Environment was friendly and fun. I ordered something completely different than I was even looking at or that I would ever order because it was the first thing the waiter said was a must try (bolognese). Huge portion and I barely ate 1/3. Will come back next trip. Just eat here.
Gabriela C.
I'm sorry -- I don't know what the white entitlement and looks are in this restaurant. I'm full blown Italian so they're the odd man out, maybe that's the problem having these tiny boppers as their front desk ? I guess I expected better as I'm from SLO , but I've also been in Stanford college town for the last 10 years that shows much more class than this restaurant could ever. I bought a lemonade and it's powdered country time . Their lemon water tasted like cilantro . Not sure what's going on with this restaurant . Everything in SLO in going downhill. Never again.
Kim S.
Icelandic fish! Just delicious! This place never fails. Good wine good food what more could you want
Jeff McCall
A little over priced. Good was okay.
Alexa G.
food was delicious but server was horrible, took 30 minutes to great us and take our order & didn't check in throughout meal. thankfully another employee named gus that was in charge of our drinks was constantly checking in & making sure we had everything we needed. we all wished gus was our server so we wouldn't have had to wait so long to put in food & had an overall better experience!
Shelby H.
Not sure if it's the region of Italian food or what I'm ordering. However, every time I eat here I get disappointed. Do not order the Giuseppe tortellini. I made that mistake. Lol. I feel like their red sauce is lacking a lot of garlic the flavor and it just wasn't hitting for me. The service was good and consistent. Ambiance was great with their hip little euro vibe, but the best part about our dinner this time were the appetizers. I think it's a little overrated honestly. Maybe next time I'll try one of the yelp popular dishes. Today was meh.
Omar Vásquez Duque
Had a lasagna because the pizzas didn’t look good. You may see the pizzas in the main counter since they sell pizza slices too. The lasagna wasn’t remarkable at all. But the people there were very friendly and kind.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
patrick zibell
Great Italian food with amazing service. I recommend you try them
Everything. Excellent. Meals, drinks, staff. I'm sad when my meal is done. I always want to try something new, but I can't get away from the butternut squash ravioli!
Joseph G.
A standard for the area and my wife's lunch favorite with the ladies. Breads are great as is the pasta and pizza. Reservations for the dinner hour would be a nice touch. Back patio is great especially if you have a pet.
Veronica B.
If you are a regular visitor to SLO, you know Guiseppe's is practically an institution in town. No reservations (unless you're a group of 8+) and aaaaalllll the waiting that a venue that's so popular can entail...so long as you can be good sport about it, it'll be worth your wait. So it was that after years regularly visiting my child (a student in town) that we finally gave in to give Giuseppe's (and their long, long wait) a try. They had beat us once before, about a year prior. We'd put our name down and just got too hungry to wait for the overwhelmed hostesses to text us that our table was ready. (Side note: Because they're so overwhelmed the hostessing team seems a little standoffish. I'm a service industry vet, so I have a hard time with that but I give these peeps a break; they're truly paddling upstream!) But THIS time we came early and committed to waiting it out...we also had a small snack prior, just to be safe. We were ready! I'm proud to say we beat the house! We got a table in their back patio, which I highly recommend, since I think it's prettier than inside and probably much less noisy. Now, to the actual dining experience: As mentioned above, the back patio was where it was at. Twinkle lights, nicely set and appointed tables, a beautiful setting. My espresso martini was one of the best I've ever had. Definitely recommend! They bring bread and olive oil to the table and they don't mind replenishing that bread at your request, which is great when you have hungry teens along. I ordered their linguini vongole (clams, garlic, lemon, white wine), and it was delicious! If you're a lover of seafood, this is an excellent pick. Our server was polite and efficient, nothing to write home about but also no complaints at all, just really good service inside of a very busy night, all things considered, I'll call it wonderful. So, pack a granola - just in case - while you wait for that table and pass the time strolling the rest of downtown, maybe some retail therapy to distract you from your hunger, and once you get that magical text, go enjoy the experience! PS Bonus for those who have pups along: doggies are allowed in the back patio.
Martik Begi
We literally waited 3 hours to get in... They would get 5 stars if they could manage their space and customer flow. They have 2 kids estimating the wait time, and they are not very good at that.
Adam West
I know this is "The Place" and I cannot complain about the food quality but the portions are skimpy! Paying nearly $30 for what would be considered a light lunch pasta is crazy! It's a nice place and has good food but they need to step it up with portion size!
BELLA! It's rustic and charming with a taste of Italy all around you. There's an excitement in the air along with the smell of the delicious food we waited with anticipation. Servers never missed a beat! Never had an empty glass of water. Never had an empty glass of wine. Will definitely be returning! Thank you for the beautiful ambience and memorable food.
Every-time we come to San Luis Obispo (from SoCal) to visit my sistah, we always make a bee-line to Giuseppe's and EVERY SINGLE TIME the service has been impeccable!! If one pays attention you'll find that their 'training' is spot on! They always know the menu and when to recommend items, they always know if you need anything and are right there to fill water, change plates, silverware, all while being polite and polished, yet relaxed. Upon arriving, we were greeted with a big smile from the hostess who told us there was a 45 minute wait. We inquired if we could sit at the bar and she said it was 'first come first serve' so we walked towards the back and I asked one of the waiters if the empty table was open--he referred me to Macon, who directed us to a high top table where we decided to enjoy our meal overlooking their outside garden. Macon immediately brought us warm sliced bread with a bowl of sweet balsamic tapenade. We each enjoyed a cocktail. We started off with the beet carpaccio salad which we shared -- it was really beautifully served with sweet gold and red beets complimented with creamy salty goat cheese and peppery arugula. I ordered the pasta carbonara with homemade bucatini which they cooked to perfection; it was perfectly al dente and the sauce was 'authentic' with the right amount of cheese, black pepper, and pasta water; it was the HIT of the night!! My husband had the bolognese and meatballs which was packed with flavor! My sister had the Dabs, piccata style with lemon, white wine, butter and capers. It was tender, flaky and quite tasty. To end this fabulous meal we ordered their famous carrot cake with marscapone frosting and the spumoni both decadently sweet and delicious! The meal was a perfect combination of everything you would want from a great restaurant, we look forward to returning soon!
It was delicious! Environment was friendly and fun. I ordered something completely different than I was even looking at or that I would ever order because it was the first thing the waiter said was a must try (bolognese). Huge portion and I barely ate 1/3. Will come back next trip. Just eat here.
I'm sorry -- I don't know what the white entitlement and looks are in this restaurant. I'm full blown Italian so they're the odd man out, maybe that's the problem having these tiny boppers as their front desk ? I guess I expected better as I'm from SLO , but I've also been in Stanford college town for the last 10 years that shows much more class than this restaurant could ever. I bought a lemonade and it's powdered country time . Their lemon water tasted like cilantro . Not sure what's going on with this restaurant . Everything in SLO in going downhill. Never again.
Icelandic fish! Just delicious! This place never fails. Good wine good food what more could you want
A little over priced. Good was okay.
food was delicious but server was horrible, took 30 minutes to great us and take our order & didn't check in throughout meal. thankfully another employee named gus that was in charge of our drinks was constantly checking in & making sure we had everything we needed. we all wished gus was our server so we wouldn't have had to wait so long to put in food & had an overall better experience!
Not sure if it's the region of Italian food or what I'm ordering. However, every time I eat here I get disappointed. Do not order the Giuseppe tortellini. I made that mistake. Lol. I feel like their red sauce is lacking a lot of garlic the flavor and it just wasn't hitting for me. The service was good and consistent. Ambiance was great with their hip little euro vibe, but the best part about our dinner this time were the appetizers. I think it's a little overrated honestly. Maybe next time I'll try one of the yelp popular dishes. Today was meh.
Had a lasagna because the pizzas didn’t look good. You may see the pizzas in the main counter since they sell pizza slices too. The lasagna wasn’t remarkable at all. But the people there were very friendly and kind.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Great Italian food with amazing service. I recommend you try them
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything. Excellent. Meals, drinks, staff. I'm sad when my meal is done. I always want to try something new, but I can't get away from the butternut squash ravioli!
A standard for the area and my wife's lunch favorite with the ladies. Breads are great as is the pasta and pizza. Reservations for the dinner hour would be a nice touch. Back patio is great especially if you have a pet.
If you are a regular visitor to SLO, you know Guiseppe's is practically an institution in town. No reservations (unless you're a group of 8+) and aaaaalllll the waiting that a venue that's so popular can entail...so long as you can be good sport about it, it'll be worth your wait. So it was that after years regularly visiting my child (a student in town) that we finally gave in to give Giuseppe's (and their long, long wait) a try. They had beat us once before, about a year prior. We'd put our name down and just got too hungry to wait for the overwhelmed hostesses to text us that our table was ready. (Side note: Because they're so overwhelmed the hostessing team seems a little standoffish. I'm a service industry vet, so I have a hard time with that but I give these peeps a break; they're truly paddling upstream!) But THIS time we came early and committed to waiting it out...we also had a small snack prior, just to be safe. We were ready! I'm proud to say we beat the house! We got a table in their back patio, which I highly recommend, since I think it's prettier than inside and probably much less noisy. Now, to the actual dining experience: As mentioned above, the back patio was where it was at. Twinkle lights, nicely set and appointed tables, a beautiful setting. My espresso martini was one of the best I've ever had. Definitely recommend! They bring bread and olive oil to the table and they don't mind replenishing that bread at your request, which is great when you have hungry teens along. I ordered their linguini vongole (clams, garlic, lemon, white wine), and it was delicious! If you're a lover of seafood, this is an excellent pick. Our server was polite and efficient, nothing to write home about but also no complaints at all, just really good service inside of a very busy night, all things considered, I'll call it wonderful. So, pack a granola - just in case - while you wait for that table and pass the time strolling the rest of downtown, maybe some retail therapy to distract you from your hunger, and once you get that magical text, go enjoy the experience! PS Bonus for those who have pups along: doggies are allowed in the back patio.
We literally waited 3 hours to get in... They would get 5 stars if they could manage their space and customer flow. They have 2 kids estimating the wait time, and they are not very good at that.
I know this is "The Place" and I cannot complain about the food quality but the portions are skimpy! Paying nearly $30 for what would be considered a light lunch pasta is crazy! It's a nice place and has good food but they need to step it up with portion size!
Food: 4
Service: 4