We were driving through Salinas with our dog and needed an outdoor patio. It was a chilly winter night, but their patio heaters kept us perfectly comfortable. The service was friendly and attentive, and the food was good. The most notable dish we got was the "Dad's Lasagna," which came with prime rib inside and a giant meatball on top. It was intense but delicious. read more

This restaurant has changed owners. Its been awhile since we have come and although the food was good, it was not the same as the original establishment. We had a terrific server and were easily seated on a Saturday night. The place hardly had anyone there which was unusual for our historical stops there. We ordered an array of items from starters, pasta and pizza and even my favorite Bruschetta Genovese was missing the original recipe and was not worth coming back for. Large portions and better than average ....but kind of disappointed that it appearsbthey have changed many of the recipes that once made this a go to for our family. And I would say a bit overpriced for the quality now. I will stick to Angelinas and Pastabilities to get the food cooked and seasoned like our food memory remembers. read more

Gino's - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

What a horrible experience for an unreasonable amount of money spent. I feel like I had my money stolen from me. First off, it was Valentine's Day very limited menu, and food was way over priced. So we ordered our food, 40 minutes later they come back and say they didn't have what we ordered, and charged me the same price. I had no drink the whole time there, had no o ask another sever for water. We watched two tables dine pay and leave before getting our food. The food had no flavor. And was bland, and not made to quality. Alfredo sauce was thin and running. The best part of our meal was the cheese bread appetizer we ordered. I use to love this place, it's sad to see that quality of food and service has gone down from this place it use to be such a great experience. I felt like I was robbed paying for 1app 2 entrees (one not even what I wanted) and 1 bar beverage for 230$. I used to work in the service industry and this wouldn't fly. Wish I would have went to Olive Garden instead. Bummer read more

Why in the world anyone would put Glade plug-ins in a restaurant is beyond me, the minute we sat down I smelt it. I smelt it the entire time we were there and came home with a headache. It seems like these things do not belong in a restaurant and are a health hazard. As I was walking out of the restaurant, I saw it plugged in near the hostess stand. Those plug-ins are a neurotoxin and I do not enjoy coming home with a headache after simply going out to eat. The food was pretty good. I had the rockfish and it was a decent size piece of fish. The service was good, although we waited a very long time for our check. The place seemed dirty. We were seated by the kitchen swinging door and can see into the bathroom where there's an overflowing pile of trash. I cannot stress enough, how offensive that glade plug-in and the smell through the entire restaurant is. Also, I do not enjoy seeing biblical quotes on a menu. This is not the place for that. Some people do not have a need for that religious nonsense. It's a turn off. I will not be back to this restaurant due to these things, the religious quotes on the menus, the Glade plug-in and the place is dirty. Do better! Not everyone gets inspired by biblical quotes on a menu. It's offensive to my intelligence. I gave this place 2 stars due to the food, although it was hard to enjoy it when all I could smell, was that damn fragrance read more

I walked into the take out to order spaghetti & more. Upon walking into the door you can hear loud Mexican music blasting from the kitchen area. Now when I decided to have Italian food and go to an Italian restaurant. I want to experience a little bit of Italian culture alond with the food ,even for take out. The young ladies working in the take out area were perfect host. The service was excellent. I am kind of old school...when I go to a Mexican restaurant hearing Mexican music is expected and should be..that or relative type music. The same with a Greek, Japanese, Chinese and so on. The experience today is in concert with a fast food drive through. NO AMBIANCE!! read more

Ordered lasagna Cesar salad and garlic bread Wife said The salad was good the lasagna was soup Disappointed read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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For people who don't understand: So my father has onion allergy, and black pepper in past when he was younger he could eat them no issue, just these days cause stomach upset, gas and pain. Food was ok Service needs someone to monitor it. Reasoning: food arrival, drink arrival and making certain ppl are happy My brother reasoning I was too fat, and I should stayed home, and they would got better service, he does this everywhere we go. That is reason I got alcoholic beverage.(first drink in 12 months) He is telling me at table: don't buy anything, you clearly don't need it. He carpooled with us. Food: Bread might want not serve sourdough in summer because stale ratio is bigger, Multigrain, parm cheese bread, or vegetable type breads might be better, house made sourdough by wild yeast is crave. Trio is bigger than Olive garden's trio. Lasagna you might need to make crustier and soupy standard. Chunky and leave for imagination if you had vegetable + meat type, it be super win. noodle addition could I have changed it? Alfredo did not have any flavor, missing: nutmeg, parsley, and pepper. Drinks: I recall my sister-in-law requested a water never received it. Free refills were late. Alcohol beverages help numb the stress. I prefer if they had decaf coffee drinks next time. Ambiance the area where depending on other table groups it was loud, and when there weren't another table near it was quiet. The area where we at it was bright, and roomy. read more

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DISCLAIMER: This review is specifically about our recent pizza takeout service at Gino's (so does not apply to an overall restaurant experience; YMMV). We stopped by Gino's yesterday to satisfy our craving after watching my grandnephew play baseball (they won, in case you're curious). My sister-in-law was hosting us for the weekend, and this place was on the way back to her place from the game. Service was courteous, polite, and prompt, both as far as taking the order, as well as adding a nice touch of fresh-shredded Parmesian (since they were out of the packets) and lotsa pepper packets. Pizza maybe took a bit longer from order to being ready, at least that was our perception -- most likely to them being very busy and us being very hungry. A word of advice -- pay attention to the sign that states, "Please check your order before leaving"; our pizza was missing the fresh tomatoes (which would have been easily seen and remedied if we'd peeked at the contents) and the garlic (which would have been less obvious, other than not seeing those marvelous little ivory lumps poking through the other toppings). Not withstanding missing two hoped-for ingredients, the pizza was very tasty, with a nice crust (although I was hoping for a little sourdough action), good sauce, and a decent topping-to-crust ratio (again, missing ingredients notwithstanding). We'll likely keep this on our pizza-to-go list for future cravings, and we'll be sure to follow the recommendations of the sign and peek at our pie before parting company with Gino's. We might even venture in for a sit-down Italian meal. Abbondanza! read more

Good service, cute/old fashioned place, won't go back again. The lasagna was soooo good 10/10, BUT the artichoke soup was served lukewarm and gave me minor food poisoning. Very unfortunate. read more

So delighted to report a very successful sixth birthday. Emelia was quick to note the birthday and help us while seated in the bar. We've been coming for years and while the change in ownership was bumpy for a bit... They have it right. read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Great family atmosphere with fantastic, fresh food. Family-style portions. The service was friendly and fast. It's so nice to find a true family-owned Italian restaurant that takes pride in all aspects. We were in the area on personal business, and when our friend heard where we ate, she gave it five stars too and asked how we found it. I replied that it was due to their great reviews! read more

Do not call them to place your order. They will put you on hold for sooooo long!!!! I tried calling multiple times, and each time I ended up waiting forever just to speak to someone. It's super frustrating and a total waste of time. If you need to order, it's better to go online or stop by in person because the phone service is terrible. read more

Went for Valentine's Day dinner. Good terrible. And terribly over priced!! They should have offered their normal menu. Short ribs were terrible for 68$!! read more

Beef ragu gnocchi special is rich, so if you're not drinking wine cut the heaviness with iced tea. For a family, I recommend the Luigi's Pride pizza. I also liked the ribeye special. The beef stew with polenta is comfort food. The iced cappuccino could be stronger, so we ended up ordering a couple of espresso shots to add as the ice melted. read more

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The food was horrible. I moved to SoCal 3 years ago and came to Salinas to visit friends. Decided to go to Gino's and I was very disappointed. Years earlier the food was good & the atmosphere was nice. The food as well as the place itself went down hill for sure. The furniture needs to be replaced the chairs are torn & tattered and the tables don't even match. unless we start hearing better reviews. And really? The manicotti was pretty bad! And wrapped like an eggroll We will not be visiting this restaurant again, read more

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Excellent food, excellent service. Large beer and wine selection. Order the trio for a sample of their best dishes. Very large servings. Be hungry when you go. You'll end up taking some home. A favor with locals. We will be back. read more

Great good! Terrible service! Went in for a birthday which was mentioned when the reservation was made. Not a single employee acknowledged the birth day.Our waitress was gossiping in the back station eating her candy in clear view and earshot of us. I'd rather not hear teenaged girl giggling during our special dinner. Hire some more professional people, or train the current staff correctly! Sadly will most likely not be returning read more

Went to Gino's today for my lunch hour with two other co-workers. It wasn't busy and it took 10 minutes for us to be given waters and addressed by our server who just said he was sorry. We ordered our drinks and food right away given the initial wait. Our appetizer came in about 15 minutes but our pizza came 25 minutes after, when our server said it would only take another 5-6 minutes! He apologized again, but never offered a reason or communicated what was actually going on so we could try to wrap our heads around why the wait was almost a hour for the calamari app and large pizza. The pizza was good so two stars for that but Gino's has gotta get it together if they're looking to stay in business. read more

I made reservations for 5:45 today for my wedding anniversary. There was a delay which I understand sometimes happens but we were sat in the outside seating a little before 6pm. Most of that area was empty and cold. We did pass an empty table in the inside. I don't understand why we had to wait after 5:45 to be sat outside in a empty cold area. We got up and left. Took our service somewhere else. read more

Waitress was very sweet, but the rest of the experience was less than satisfactory. The food was unfortunately very bad. My calzone was completely inedible and everyone's dishes at the table were mediocre at best. I guess because we came during the last shift, the staff was running out of professionalism as they were loudly congregated in the kitchen talking and singing. It's very unfortunate that the only upside to the experience was our sweet waitress, as the food was abysmal for the price. Ownership or management must've changed in the past 20 years because this used to be a favorite restaurant of my family's, but after tonight's experience we will not be coming back. read more

I'm not one to complain - in fact I try to give positive reviews when possible, but last night was an upset. I was excited to bring my team to Gino's for our annual Christmas party, and recall the patio space and restaurant being so inviting. I very quickly felt as if our waitress was trying to rush us through our party - and the ambiance just isn't the same as it used to be. The food was underwhelming - tepid and overcooked steak on multiple plates. The pastas and sauces were great, but overall, it just felt to have changed over the last few years. It's not the same old Gino's, and won't return with a group again. "Fine Italian" is not how I would describe our collective experience. read more

This review is in reference to my DoorDash order 11/22/24. I'm traveling for work. Today is my birthday. This was supposed to be my "happy birthday to me dinner". It turned out to be a not so happy dinner. I ordered a "Create your own 5 topping pizza" with sausage, cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni and jalapeños. It arrived with no sausage. I don't understand why restaurants offer a customer choices if they're not going to honor them. I believe that most restaurants are lax about fulfilling delivery orders as requested because the customer isn't in the restaurant. Are we being taken advantage of? I'm very disappointed. I'll be leaving town this weekend which is probably a good thing. There's no possibility of me ordering from this restaurant again. P.S. I ordered a pizza with sausage from this restaurant a few days ago. It also arrived with no sausage. read more

The service is good, they give you big portion. Home style cooking. Place is old but clean. Come here if you're hungry. read more

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My wife and I have lived in Salinas for many years and have dined at Ginos a few times for dinner. We noticed that they are open for breakfast and decided to try it out. What a mistake. Whatever charm Gino's may have had in the past is long gone. The place is rundown, old and scuzzy. Smelled like floor mop cleaning fluid. The food was really mediocre. Two lousy omelets, dried up English muffin, and some greasy hash brown potatoes all for $55.00 with tip. Gross. Used to be going out for a meal was supposed to be an event. This was plain abusive. If you are going to run a restaurant, at least try. Zero effort. We won't be back and highly recommend against dining here. They make no secret of their strong Christian values plastered all over the place with country music blasting in the background. What a disappointment. Approach with caution. read more

I've been here a couple times and I'm glad I found them. I think I saw them on a youtube video on "must see" places to check out. The first time we came w got the cheesy garlic bread which was very good and they didn't skimp on the cheese. The artichoke soup was amazing. It has a couple pieces of artichoke, cream based broth. I got the linguini and clams. They definitely don't skimp on the clams... you get our monies worth for sure. My mom got the chicken parm and kept having to stop herself from eating it all because she wanted to take some home to make a sandwich later. read more

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It was nice to come back ..... it has been about 7 years since I've been here Although I heard ownership or management has changed...... thankfully the service and quality of the food has not Our server was very friendly and accommodating Food was good Venue is clean Drinks were awesome Parking was easy Ladies bathroom EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAN 10/10 Decor is is nice I ordered my go to..... blackened chicken and it was JUST HOW I REMEMBERED IT!! Mom enjoyed her food Gilroy shrimp Servings are huge I was full after the appetizer Thai Calamari (10/10) read more

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Food is excellent, staff gives great customer service. My husband and I are in walking distance read more

Attended a birthday gathering here. Ordered Linguini with clams. Just delicious! The service was terrific as well. All around pleased with our experience. read more

We have been patrons of Gino's for about 20 years They have the best Blackened Chicken Fettuccine around by far! Pretty much everything there is really good. Best Italian food around! read more

Went to have dinner with my husband.. waiter took over 15 min to attend us Took another 15 min to bring drinks Never brought us an extra plate since we share an entree.... It was definitely bad service today Unfortunately This place is really going down hill read more

Check your credit card statements after your visit!!!! The food was great but not worth the unauthorized tip read more

Great local place that my daughter-in-law introduced me to tonight as she showed me where she grew up here. Private parking lot has ample parking. Easy access from Main Street. Charming building inside and out. Ate in the back room with murals on the wavy metal walls. Sunlight covering and dark wood walls make it a most charming place to dine. Have Artichoke heart tomato bisque which was delicious. The house salad was bigger than I expected. And it was fresh and crisp. Main meal was lovely. I ordered Spaghetti Marinara with sausage. Loved it. read more

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Being not from the area I took a chance and went w a friend who said it was great. The 2 main items which were recommended where the blackened chicken fettuccine and the artichoke soup. Both did not taste good...being into artichokes I was really excited but it was bland and lacked anything to make me keep eating it. Service was eh. Ambiance also eh. read more

Gino's - Blackened Chicken Fettuccine - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Fine Italian dining may be a slight stretch, but it's pretty darn good, that's for sure. I don't think that Salinas has fine dining like Monterey or Carmel, but this is above average. The place is cozy and quaint. The service is friendly and efficient. The bar is nice, as is the take-out area (saved out lives during COVID, thanks Gino's!). The food is wonderful! Anybody who's ever visited a major metropolitan "Little Italy" will feel right at home with the portions (huge), the flavor (outstanding), and the atmosphere. It is our go-to place for meeting friends or just enjoying a big, delicious meal. read more

Not sure if people know but Gino's has been under new owners for some time now. The original family has moved on to other ventures around the city where the food is the old Gino's quality. read more

Went to Gino's last night for dinner. It's not like it used to be. Our server could have cared less about our dining experience. After finding a long piece of plastic in our salad, definitely choker. Replaced the salad with an unenthusiastic apology, but still charged us for the salad. Food was mediocre. Lacked flavor, very disappointing. Really miss the previous owners attention to detail. Also the interior is very tired. Need paint, cleaning and brought into the 21st Century. This restaurant is off your list. read more

Had a reservation for 7:30 on Saturday...the restaurant wasn't crowded and we were seated in the back room...The service was not good from the beginning and it only got worse...we sat for 15 minutes before our drink order was taken...our food order was also late...in fact, everything was late...we had to ask for everything like more water, salt n pepper, and even parmigiano...we felt like we were placed outside and then forgotten...I called today to talk to a manager and I finally hung up after waiting for over 15 minutes...that's when I decided to complete this Yelp...I really wanted to ask for the tip back which is automatically added to the bill because the wait service was horrible and didn't deserve a tip. The food was very good, like always... read more

We went here for dinner tonight (Wednesday) and it took 15 minutes to get seated. We ordered and it took an hour to get our food. I had 4 children with me who were hungry and they didn't get their food for an hour. We were also supposed to get bread with our meals. Never got it. I'm really disappointed because the food was pretty good but I didn't enjoy it because it took so long. We will never return. read more

Gino's was recommended to us by a friend who discovered it while traveling for San Francisco to Long Beach, so while traveling the same route north we stopped in. We ate in the outdoor patio, although the inside dining room had reopened to limited seating. The patio was actually quite pretty. My husband ordered the Calamari Piccata and I selected the special Homemade Lasagna. Both came with soup or salad, and fresh baked bread. We both throughly enjoyed our meals. The service was excellent and quite friendly...even a visit from the manager/owner (?). This was a nice break in our long drive. We later learned that Gino's is a favorite of a friend who lives in the area. Another good recommendation!! read more

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Seated quickly, attentive friendly service, shared a salad and blackened chicken, portions were large, food quality was fantastic!