Great service. Great food. Reasonable prices. Limited parking. No waiting. Busy after 5pm Very attentive staff I'd go here again read more

I am not sure what happened but this place used to be good. The food is blah, the wait staff is slow as molasses and act like they hate their jobs. Wine is poor. The only redeeming quality is the artichoke bisque and that it is family friendly. Too bad, it has potential. read more

Fantastic, tasty Italian food. All food is fantastic and satisfying! Highly recommend-fantastic tasty delicious food!

Great dinner tonight. Our server, Marni, took such good care of us. Her suggestions of Lasagna Rustica and Blackened Chicken Alfredo were perfect. Portions are large, so we'll eat the leftovers tomorrow. Also, the Artichoke Bisque is a must. Excited to go back! read more

Fantastic food and menu options. The ambiance and service is also good. They pour a good drink as well.

What a disappointment! I have not ordered a pizza from Gino's for a couple years . We have been ordering from Angelina's . I was so excited Luigi's Pride my all time favorite pizza from Gino's in Salinas . It was the worst ever!! We threw it away after 1 piece even my son who loves pizza did not like it . Greasy Greasy Greasy the peppers were big chunks and the sausage was loaded with grease . It was dripping in grease that's all we could taste . What happened ? We use to love you pizza no more disappointing pizza . read more

This used to be a go to spot for me and my family. We would be here for every special celebration. Things have changed since the sale of the restaurant. I find the quality is just not the same and the staff is just not as knowledgeable. I wouldn't talk anyone out of going but there are definitely better options in town for Italian food. read more

3 recommendations! All were correct! Top it off the lovely lady Paola decided and was right on for exactly What my palate desired after a long work day! Thank you! Bomb bomb place! read more

It is easy to see why this restaurant has been here for nearly 50 years. The food was great, service equally as good and the atmosphere very nice. Portion size is big so consider spitting if you are inclined. read more

What happened to Gino's?! My husband & I went in for our anniversary dinner and it was terrible!! To start, we were sat in a bright room, right in the middle of the empty room. I asked if we could move, anywhere else, but was told no. So we decided to make the best of it and ordered some wine and at the same time we also ordered our appetizers and dinner. Our appetizers arrived and no wine. We finished our appetizers and still no wine, and no server! I had to go to the bar to get our wine! When the server finally returned, there was NO apology, just dropped our plates and sped off. Before we even finished our dinner, she came by and dropped our check. We were going to share a dessert but by then we just wanted to leave. When we opened the bill, we saw we were charged for 4 glasses of wine (we only got the 2 from the bar!) Again, we waited for our server to return to show the error and she never did! Once again, I had to go to the bar to get it adjusted! (Kudos to the amazing bartender who was nice and helpful!) I felt very let down by the experience as we have had good experiences there in the past. So I decided to reach out to them just to let them know. I sent a nice email detailing what took place. I received a timely response that did acknowledge that it was a busy night and our server may have had too many tables. But then the bulk of the reply was "if you decide to return, just request a different room to sit in". Really? That's what you think our biggest issue was? Well that reply made it easy for me to say, no thanks, we don't plan on returning. Which is too bad because it used to be a family favorite. read more

My favorite restaurant for many years now. Blackened chicken fettuccine and artichoke bisque....can't go wrong!

We attended a wedding party here. So the food was more self serve in party trays. Food consisted of; blackened chicken, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. All-you-care-to-eat style. Fettuccine was good, lasagna was good, blackened chicken was ok but the sauce was watery (not much flavor). Service was ok. Pretty much, every server we had were nice except the one female that was with the service staff. I didn't catch her name, but she came off really rude and even snapped at the server serving the food at the party trays! We were seated pretty quick but food was served far too long after. I honestly won't be back. For me to come back, the food should have be something to remember, to take about for days after...not for me here. read more

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Decided to check it out after a meeting in Salinas; We've heard it's a great Italian Family restaurant. We'll stick to places in Monterey & Carmel for Italian. Waitress was attentive but not familiar with the menu. We ordered a special, she came back to report they were out. 2nd order was also not available. They were out of 3 of 4 items on the special menu so unsure why that menu was offered. Table next to us was confused too, as they had to reorder as well. Food was very under-seasoned and pasta wasn't fully cooked (and we like al dente). Marina and Meat Sauce were very under seasoned and could have easily come from a jar. The Caprese salad lacked any salt and we never received balsamic to sprinkle after requesting. Pizza we ordered was not the one served. Mistakes do happen but it was another fail. They offered to remake, we did not want to wait for it to be remade. Atmosphere was also crowded and quite loud. Maybe it's the specials others enjoy.....our meal was mediocre at best. read more

Came here on a Tuesday night with my family and there was no wait. I'm not sure if we came on the wrong day but our entrees were simply okay... however, the appetizers were good. We were greeted by the host and taken care of our server, emily. Food arrived about 25-30 minutes after we ordered. Now, let's talk about the food. Minestrone soup - ehhh, i don't care too much for it. it was a bit bland so i would highly recommend to get the salad instead. Caprese - So delicious! So close into ordering another one (that's how good it was). I always ask for the basaltic vinaigrette for extra flavoring. Bruschetta - Tomatos and carb lover? You'll love this. It was made perfectly. Entrees: Gilroy pizza: I was excited to try this due to the hype and it did reach its expectations. It was flavorful, but I would share it with someone else. It gets overwhelming after the second slice. Lasagna: The taste of this threw me off a little. I tasted a lot of wine in this and a bitter taste. Took a bite and took it to-go. I'm not sure if this is suppose to taste that way but it didn't go well with my pallet. Blacken chickened pasta: this was probably the best out of our three entrees. Can't ever go wrong with this simple yet flavorful plate. read more

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Excellent food and service. Love the Gilroy garlic shrimp dish. We get take out a couple times a month. Thank you!

I've been coming to this place three times already in the past the food. It's really good and the ambience is awesome. You guys will enjoy this place read more

Very bland food. Needs way more flavor for the price you're paying. Tastes like the bar just free pours cocktails; all of the cocktails we got were very hard to drink and simply not good. I would suggest you use jiggers to measure what you're making. Their entrees needed basic seasoning, like salt and pepper. The bread was dry and tasted cheap. Gino's, you have so much potential! Get you act together! read more

Had dinner her with the family for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I forget my server's name. She was very friendly and very personable. She provided great customer service. We had of course the black chicken alfredo, seafood pasta, beets salad and some other stuff. Food was good! Atmosphere was comfy. Again, if chicken piccata was on menu... you know I'm on it. Not as good compared to the others I've tried. Artichoke soup, delicious! I can just come here everyday just for their soup! read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Great wine great food great service! What more can I say? It's not overly priced like a lot of places. This place is great for take out and pick up if you choose not to dine in. read more

Four of us arrived for dinner last night. We were greeted promptly by the server who took our order for a bottle of wine. He returned shortly and poured four glasses from the bottle. We tried the wine and felt that it was bad. It had a metallic taste and it had turned. What was strange, is that the server poured all the glasses versus letting someone sample it. We asked for a different bottle which didn't come out until our entrees arrived. I had to ask him if he had forgotten our bottle. He said he was busy. I ordered a Caesar salad and the server came back later and said they don't have that salad because of the recall. Maybe he should have known that before. My pizza entrée came out 10 minutes before everyone else got their meal. Bad timing. After dinner, with our wine glasses empty our waiter was MIA. We flagged down a busser for to-go boxes and finally the server brought our bill. The manager came by and said the server was new, 3 weeks, and said he was still learning. Maybe he should have been trained better. The manager said that Italian wines are unique and it takes a talented pallet (my words) to appreciate wines. Talk about blaming the customer for returning a bad wine that three of us said was bad. Now we see why the server was not properly trained. The food was good but the service and customer interaction was lacking. Maybe they should stick with their takeout service instead of sit-down service or improve your customer experience. read more

It is not the same since ownership changed. We've been here twice and both times have disappointed. Their signature dish, the blackened chicken fettuccine, is no longer blackened, lacking any flavor, and the Alfredo sauce has obviously been thinned out. No longer rich and thick, it's no better than jarred sauce. We always order the family dinner that serves 6. Now we're lucky it serves 4. Overall a huge let down from its former amazing quality. We likely won't be back and will instead go to the other location the former owners still have. read more

The blackened chicken pasta is NOT THE SAME. I'm so very sad that the recipe was changed. The service is okay. The staff looked miserable. Maybe smiling would help the vibe. read more

Everyone loves Gino's. If you come to Salinas, please come here for a nice dinner. This restaurant has been around for YEARS! Why? The food is AMAZING. Freshly made pasta (and everything else). My loves: Artichoke Bisque- tons of artichoke pieces. Mmm. Minestrone-packed with veggies and some lentils. Garlic bread- garlicky goodness. Mmm. Blackened Chicken fettuccini Cannelloni Spaghetti and Meatballs Fettuccini Alfredo Tuxedo cake Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with anything here.... read more

The customer service and ambient were excellent. I wish I could've said the same thing about the food. I went for breakfast and while the food presentation was excellent, the flavor was lacking. For the price I expected better. read more

[Review is for CATERING only] Summary: - Food - as expected, tasty and a cheesy overkill [4 stars] - Service/timeliness - you're seriously LATE, lol [2 stars] ******* If things did not turn out the way at the end, I'm sure the bride would have probably gone mob-boss-style-bashing-this-establishment-until-the-mafia-becomes-Godly-citizens [FAS RO DAH!]. I'm thankful it all worked out though so this is just a TIP for others who plan to cater through them soon OR anytime in the future. ******* - Background: Friend's wedding - Food ETA: By 1500 hrs - Calls made: confirmed in the morning/noon/at the end of ceremony - Planned reception time: 1530 hrs - Food Arrival time: 1640 hrs [1 hr 30 minutes late on an important event where the bride could potentially go berserk and kill the mafia herself? Yeah, would not be a good thing.] ******* Perhaps it was the rain. Perhaps the road conditions weren't great. Perhaps something unexpected happened. Aye, aye, everyone is once in a while entitled to having a bad day. But here's the thing...waiting and hungry guests do not create a happy atmosphere for a joyous day being celebrated. What saved the day actually was that the members of the brides family, bridal party and friends of the wedded couple, as well as random event planners and such were all over the phone on various moments following up on the food the moment it did NOT arrive "BY 1500 hrs". This allowed the maid of honor and the members of the bridal party to secretly delay arrival at the reception by extending the picture taking at Pasadera. So in some ways, a FURIOUS-DUAL-SHOTGUN-WIELDING-BRIDE-POCAPLYSE was successfully averted. I'd shudder to think otherwise. ******* Anyways, no bashing intended here. I totally enjoyed the food SO... To all who plan to have an event catered in the future... My tip is that you set the food arrival time to be even earlier. After all, with the amount of cheese in most dishes...the liquids in steamed veggies...or the salads with dressing on the side...they are relatively easy to keep warm and fresh tasting in proper room temperature. read more

I was in Salinas yesterday and stopped in for Lunch. A business associate and my self ordered two entrees off the specials menu. The Seafood Gnocchi and the Eggplant and Calamari Parmigiana, both items were excellent ! We were pleasantly surprised with this great Italian food in a non descript location. The service was good and the prices were as well. read more

Gino's - Seafood gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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Our last trip to San Francisco in March of 2016 included a trip down to Monterey and Pacific Grove. Instead of staying in Monterey, I decided to take our family to a hotel in Salinas. When we got there the front desk rep was puzzled as to why we would come to Salinas. Is seemed like a quiet town and we went to Yelp for some dinner recommendations and came across Gino's. We went there to celebrate Dez' 21st birthday. It was a very popular place. TIP: Pass the main parking lot, if after hours and park in the adjoining lot. We started off with an antipasto plate that was large and fresh. It tasted really good. Being so close to the garlic and artichoke capitals of the US, I thought they would have featured them. We also had the fabulous garlic bread and the Caprese salad. We didn't particularly care for the duck spring rolls. For sides I had minestrone soup and Darcie had a mixed salad. Salinas is supposed to be the salad bowl of California and the greens sure proved fresh and tasty. For entrees, I had the sea bass and I really enjoyed the firmness of it as well as the sauce. Others in our party had shrimp Alfredo, and seafood pasta. Dez got a free dessert for her birthday. read more

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This place was pretty good. I was in for a quick workday lunch with a colleague of mine who recommended it. I wasn't feeling to hungry or feeling like spending over $15.00 on lunch so I got a salad for around $11. The mandarin chicken salad was very good. Tender chicken with Mandarin orange slices on the side and cucumber with mixed greens. The bread they brought to the table was hard but good in the middle. The service was fast and efficient and friendly. The place is really big too. There are so many little areas for people to sit. We sat out side in the patio area. The weird things I noticed were 1) the giant painting of the last supper right above the lobby door area 2) on the specials menu there were no prices listed. How do I know if its really special if I cant see the prices? 3) on the specials menu they had religious quotes at the top. OK we get it you love Jesus. I just want to know how much the Veal Ravioli is for Christ Sake. I would love to come back here for dinner but as to this was a work related business trip I don't know when the next time would be. Lovely restaurant. Thank you Jesus! read more

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I don't know what happened to Gino's but it's not the same as I remembered. First of all, it took 15 minutes to get our drinks, didn't get the bread didn't even ask. I've always loved their eggplant Parmesan, but it wasn't good at all this time. The pasta was cold, eggplant wasn't even warm, cheese was barely melted. They just put a glob of tomato sauce on top couldn't eat it. Artichoke soup had uneditable leaves in it and wasn't hot at all. Such disappointment. Won't be going back. read more

We had an amazing time celebrating my nieces graduation. Thank you Brittani B for your service, you are amazing. The food was amazing. We really appreciate it. read more

I was so glad that I got last minute reservations on a Friday night for my friend and I! Even better was that they have corkage for only $10!!! I brought a nice bottle from Stag's Leap in Napa to enjoy. The food and service are always great at Gino's. We got bread to start with and the garlic herb butter they serve is sooo delicious. I totally broke my diet eating all that bread! We got the clam appetizer to share, which is so good- came with lots of clams and the broth was so flavorful. We used the bread to soak up some of the broth. By the time our actual food came out, I was so full! Our entrees came with soup or salad choice - we got one of each soup (clam chowder and artichoke bisque). Both soups were really nice and creamy. I'm a fan of both. Can't go wrong with either. As for the entrees, my friend got the shrimp scampi, which came with ravioli and a white sauce. I got the calamari steak with penne pasta. I loved that the calamari was a nice thick piece of steak. It was tender, soft, and cooked perfectly. The marinara sauce was fresh and tasty. Both dishes were on point! It's shame we couldn't have drank 2 bottles of wine with such cheap corkage! Someone had to drive.. =P I would definitely recommend Gino's to anyone looking for a nice, but casual, affordable dining experience. I would also recommend to bring your own bottle of wine to enjoy! It's cheaper than getting 1 glass there. read more

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Gino's isn't the same! The restaurant recently changed ownership so I suppose that is what's going on. There were four of us ordering appetizers & main courses. The bruschetta was inedible with cold unripe tomatoes tossed in tons of preserved sulfured garlic - as in all you could taste was preservative from the crushed garlic and they didn't even toast the bread. The Barrata was literally a ball of Barrata and one sliced unripe tomatoe. By the way, it's July when tomatoes are great. The cannelloni was full of bread crumbs almost no meat. It was gummy and the pasta wasn't good. The raviolis have changed too, which was a strong point there. My son ordered the special which was a combination of small portions of three mains and was disappointed in all of them. My husband ordered the polenta and stew and was just okay. The cappuccino machine was broken and the Tiramisu wasn't the same. The restaurant wasn't very crowded for a Sunday night so I think they already are feeling the pain of the kitchen not delivering. The hostess, bartender and server was very good. Get it together Gino's! "Saving" money with poor ingredients and cooking will cost you success, or at least our business. read more

Arrived at 9:45 to eat dinner with a gift card we got for x-mas . Greeter at the door asked if we had reservations and I said no, do I need one, and he said no. Then quickly said sorry were closed after. In a rude manner. I asked, don't you close at 10pm? Another person steps up and says that they have not had a customer for 45mins so they closed. But there were still customers sitting in the restaurant eating. I was very disappointed on how I was treated but do understand there reason for closing early. Just very poorly relayed. Treated us like we were not important as customers. I'm not sure if I will go back. Young kids don't know how to treat people. read more

The Greeting Staff and Waiter Joe M were Awesome!!! We were seated and a pesky fly kept zooming me and I had to protect my bread an garlic butter. The meatballs were good and the sauce that came with them was also good. My Sturgeon was good but a little over priced, also I wasn't impressed with the artichoke bisque everyone is raving about. Then desert was a panna cotta and was similar to jello pudding ....... Plenty of water was a plus. Had coffee as well and it was tasty too. Over all I doubt I will be back..... But good for first timers. read more

Gino's - Coffee was tasty..... - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

If I was going to have Italian I would much prefer Gino's than say...Olive Garden...yes at Gino's you will prolly spend a bit more than at Olive Garden but it just tastes soo much better and worth the extra bucks! I love their Chicken Parmigiana and even though I'm not that much of a fan of cream sauces their Blackened Chicken Fettuccine is especially delicious...I especially love their pizza's...every other pizza joint around here has gone down hill and I'd rather pay a little bit more for a pizza that doesn't have that weird cheese...their pizza is a close rival to Casa Sorrento's pizza which I love. Service can be slow but what's the hurry?? Its not a fast food joint and I think people are so used to fast food that they want it now, it takes time to prepare food from scratch!! Food always comes hot so its not as if I'm waiting and the food is sitting under a heat lamp or something. I would much rather sit out in their patio area also as its a bit more relaxed out there and if your with a group you can be a little bit more loud. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is cause of the parking lot...sooo small!! and if you don't get a space in the lot you either have to park on the side street or in the shopping center's parking lot that's across the street. Its just inconvenient. read more

Whoa! When a waitress apologizes 10 times for messing up, that's a bad sign. Our relationship with our waitress started off bad and ended worse. I mean, she was nice enough, and tried hard to please, but she was a fiasco and that set the tone for our lunch - we never really got to taste the food so this review is solely based on our attempt to have a lunch while on the road. Sorry to say, a total failure. It would have been a "stand-up" gesture to comp the bill for a lunch we didn't have, but alas, we paid full price for nothing. Bummer! read more

Gino's is a pleasant enough choice for Italian fare in Salinas. In a town rife with Mexican restaurants, it is good to know that one can insist on Italian food without having to resort to a visit to the ever popular Olive Garden. And speaking of popular, Gino's has its fair share of visitors as we were nearly in a traffic jam just trying to enter the parking lot! Further, seeking a table for two on a Wednesday night, we were asked if we had reservations! No worries though as we were still kindly seated very quickly sans reservation. It is something to be aware of though. We were led to the back of the restaurant in a seemingly makeshift space rich with woods, wood accents, and heat lamps hanging overhead. Apparently, it serves as an outdoor space in warmer weather, but a temporary roof is added during the winter. The heat lamps make up for the resulting lack of insulation. The space would have worked well enough if it wasn't for the intensity of the heat lamps. I could definitely feel the heat peering downwards on my neck, which made me feel hot and stuffy after a bit. All said though, the space is pretty casual with a generous nod towards using wine bottles to break up the monotony of all the wood. Scanning the menu, the selections were pretty typical of an Italian-American, family-owned restaurant. The wine list by comparison was more compelling though with a very nice mix of California varietals and Italian varietals alike. I opted for the Spaghetti and Ravioli Combo Half and Half ($16.95) with meatballs along with a glass of cabernet sauvignon ($7.50) from the Heller estate (located 1 town over in Carmel). The meal came with a choice of soup or salad, to which I opted to have the minestrone soup to start. Said soup was tasty enough but especially rustic in preparation. The main vegetable was potato, and it was cut into very large chunks which proved a little distracting. The flavoring of the broth was decent enough though, so it was a joy to eat. Accompanying the soup was a bread basket of fairly boring white and wheat bread. However, said bread was significantly helped by the inclusion of some amazing garlic butter which elevated it to an all new level of goodness. That was a surprise! The main course was a mixed bag. The spaghetti noodles were nicely prepared al dente. The red marinara sauce was ever plentiful and had a decent enough flavor. Unfortunately the noodles were finished incorrectly, so the bottom of the bowl was very watery! The raviolis were placed in the bowl first underneath the noodles, so they were effectively served "in brodo". The pasta in the ravioli had great texture and may have very well been freshly made. The filling was bland though and the degree to which the raviolis were filled varied considerably. As such, the raviolis were mostly a miss. The meatballs were fantastic though! Dense, yet delicious, packed with flavor, they were a hearty treat. Overall, the dish was mostly good, and certainly very filling given the ridiculously large portion size. The service was okay, nothing special. Overall, I would recommend Gino's as a good family restaurant. Disabuse yourself of any notions of haute cuisine, regional authenticity, and the like, and you should be fine. 3.5 stars. read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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We made reservation and we weren't told that we had to make up the difference for people who didn't show up. Because they had to bring in additional staff. The service was not Indicative of the extra staff. So we purchased meals to make up the difference and they could count because I was shorted a meal. In addition I was told the amount was inclusive of tax and tip and they charged me both. I wouldn't post a star but I had no choice. However the food was good read more

Always great! Gino's has been a family favorite for over 15 years. Great for special occasions, fantastic for any night of the week too! Our favorites: cheese ravioli with alfredo sauce, gilroy pizza, and spaghetti/ ravioli combo with meat sauce :) We love you Gino's, thanks for being there and still providing super service and even better food right now! read more

I have been coming to this restaurant ever 1990. Back then, they used to lease a small space at the Nobb Hill strip - very close to where they are now. Needless to say, if I have been coming back for this many years, it's because they maintained their focus to deliver a high level of service and quality. Of late, however, it pains me to say that the last 3 times that I have visited, I have been disappointed in either the food or the service. My mother recent visit was this past Thursday. My date and I shared a caprese salad and fried calamari. The calamari was great how the caprese salad is a dish with 4 ingredients so when something is missing or of less than perfect, it is very obvious. The tomato was okay but lacking in flavor and the salad was served without the flaked sea salt. Our soup and salad choices were served. The soup was hot and flavorful. My salad was chilled and very well presented. The entrees arrived in a prompt manner and appeared to be exactly as we would have expected. However, when you order something as simple as spaghetti and meatballs at an Italian restaurant, you expect nothing less than perfection. I will admit that the marinara sauce was wonderful but the meatballs were as pillowy soft as a bag of river rocks sold at Home Depot. When I mentioned it to our server, she said she'd speak to the chef about it and have him come out to speak to us. I don't know if she ever mentioned it because nobody ever came to our table. I would have preferred they remove the dish but the server didn't even come back until she presented us with the tab. I am sorry to say that I will have to consider greatly the next time I feel like Italian food whether to come back. If I had to guess, I think that they have expanded their operations too fast now that they have multiple locations. They have lost their ability to pay attention to detail and deliver either a quality meal or exceptional service. read more