Around Christmas 2024, we stayed in the area while visiting family but didn't know about Geraldi's…read moreat the time.
In January 2025, we visited the small town of Floyd, VA and ate at an amazing little Italian restaurant called Geraldi's. (It was such a great experience that you should read the separate review we wrote for that location.) While there, we met Albert, the owner, who shared with us that his grandson Joe owns Geraldi's in McMinnville, OR. We told Albert that we had just been in McMinnville and promised that we would visit his grandson's restaurant on a future trip to visit family in the area.
This visit, we made sure to plan a stop at Geraldi's--and we did just that today, two days before Christmas 2025.
We arrived a little before 4:00 PM and walked inside. The exterior is well maintained and there was ample parking available. Inside, the ordering process is straightforward: you order at the counter, take a seat with the order number stand, and your food is brought out when it's ready. There's a menu board behind the counter, and hard-copy menus are conveniently located on both sides of the entrance.
The kitchen is completely open behind the counter, so you can watch everything as the food is prepared, which we always enjoy.
My wife ordered the chef salad with added grilled chicken, along with a side of two meatballs. We remembered just how good the meatballs were at the Floyd, VA location and hoped they would live up to that memory.
I ordered a small (14-inch) calzone with pepperoni and sausage, which comes with a side of marinara.
When our meals arrived at the table, the portions were huge. The chef salad was loaded with fresh ingredients and the grilled chicken was perfectly cooked. The meatballs absolutely lived up to expectations, tender, flavorful, and clearly made with care.
The calzone was massive, even for the "small" size, with a generous amount of filling and a nicely baked crust. The marinara was rich and well-balanced, pairing perfectly with each bite.
Overall, this visit felt like a continuation of the same family tradition and quality we experienced in Floyd, VA. It's clear that pride and consistency carry through the generations. If you're in McMinnville and craving Italian comfort food made well, Geraldi's is absolutely worth the stop.