I had a wonderful experience. The food tasted wonderful and the service was great. The artichoke bisque was amazing. Atmosphere was good spot on. read more

We came here for dinner to celebrate a birthday. It had been a few years since we'd visited (pre pandemic), but we had been long time customers in years past. Not to mince words-it was extremely disappointing. We started off by ordering three appetizers: bruschetta, a teriyaki Thai calamari, and meatballs. We all agreed that the calamari was the solitary highlight of our dinners, ironic in an Italian restaurant. The bruschetta consisted of two buttered and toasted French style bread slices piled high with chopped tomatoes and a hint of shaved parmesan. To describe the dish as flavorless would be an overstatement. The meatballs were edible, but not outstanding. No flavor(s) lingered as they do with well seasoned meatballs. Like almost every dish that was served, they were smothered in a thick, flavorless marinara sauce, which seemed to be a constant theme. My metaphor for this meal is an old rock and roll burn: "if you can't play music, turn up the volume". In this case, if you cannot prepare flavorful Italian food, cover it with blah marinara sauce and serve large portions. We split our soup/salad order between artichoke bisque and Caesar salad. The bisque lacked any savory quality and the Caesar salad may have been tossed out of a plastic bag. They were each notably mediocre. I ordered pork osso buco, which was a first for me. I had enjoyed lamb and beef main entrees at Gino's in the past. The pork osso buco was a generously large shank, but the pork devoid of flavor, served with a few squares of polenta and a tasteless vegetable medley that was again smothered by the signature marinara sauce. The beef short ribs that were served on mashed potatoes were the most generous portions I have ever seen served for that particular dish. However, rather than falling off the bone (as well prepared short ribs should), these were tough and chewy. Overall? An extremely disappointing dish. A shrimp pasta dish tasted like the shrimp had been frozen vs. fresh. Our server was young and pleasant but obviously not versed in the ingredients of the dishes on the menu. That was not her fault, but a reflection on the lack of training extended to staff. Late in the meal, one of our group asked for bread (a pre dinner item in every Italian restaurant I have patronized throughout my life), and our server promptly brought us a nice bread service. When I inquired about the missing pre-dinner bread service, I was informed that the policy at Gino's is "bread is only served if it is asked for. I think they maybe want customers to order more appetizers". Huh? Really? Seriously? There are many restaurants that have and are currently experiencing staffing challenges and high turnover. We noted that the restaurant was more than 1/2 empty as we exited a little after 7:30. While that may have been partially the fault of the holiday week, it certainly was never the case in the past for this restaurant. Two last comments: We called the restaurant twice seeking basic answers that only the manager was apparently equipped to field. We left a message asking the manager to call back, but we never received a call back for either call. I hope this business can get its' act together, as it has long been a pillar of the Salinas community. This was always a birthday or anniversary spot, a post-event gathering spot, a family get together place. Currently it is missing on all cylinders, especially food-wise. Whether it has been the change of ownership, the pandemic, or a combination of the two, change is needed here to restore the quality of food to what it once had been. Prices are not cheap here, which further magnified the disappointment we experienced re. The poor food quality. read more

This is probably the best restaurant in Salinas. Family owned, cozy, great presentation, nice servings, friendly and attentive service-an overall great experience. Don't go in here expecting a 5 star restaurant experience that you'd find in a large city. Eat locally and support small businesses. I appreciate that the wine list has a lot of local wines and that it was packed for a random Wednesday. It has a family friendly environment and very welcoming. read more

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Went to make a take out order and the guy at the counter was incredibly rude. He insulted me and asked if I knew how to read. I don't care how good you think your food is nobody deserves to be treated like that I will never go back read more

This review isn't about the food, since this is the first time we've been in since the ownership change, but rather why a woman was allowed to bring her small pet dog inside the restaurant last night. My wife and I were dining with a friend when I noticed two women enter the front door one of them carrying a small dog in a snuggly similar to those used by mothers with small infants. I was shocked to see the hostess seat the women instead of telling them that dogs are not allowed inside restaurants per the health code. A small dog in a snuggly is not a service animal nor is an often referred to therapy dog a service animal. Why does the restaurant management allow this when they know better? Dogs inside restaurants, dogs inside grocery stores, dogs inside shopping carts inside grocery stores. When is this going to stop? I'll be contacting the health department on Monday to ask. read more

The food is always great. This rating is not about the food. It's about Becca. This is the first time that I've ordered takeout from Gino's during the pandemic. I was told that my food would be ready at 5:30 and I got there at 6:00. I was unsure of the waiting process, so I called. I spoke with a gentleman who stated that I could come up to the door and that he would bring me my food. When I got to the door, I told Becca about my phone conversation. With a rude tone, Becca said that nobody should be coming to the door and that I need to get back in line. Rather than trying to problem solve, she was short with me and gave me attitude. After I got my food I called back to speak with a manager, and it turns out that Becca is the manager. I told her that I was unhappy with her tone and with how she treated me. She apologized but kept going back to the fact that nobody has walked up to the door since March, and questioned me as to why someone would have told me to walk up to the takeout door. That's not a question I could answer. I'm completely fine with the takeout process, but I'm not ok with being misinformed and spoken to with a rude tone. Becca's tone was unacceptable, especially if she is a manager. read more

The food was OK but for the amount that we paid was not worth it at all. The food took almost an hour and 27 minutes to come out after the appetizer was served and the place was almost empty. I asked for tea in the beginning and I never received it so I asked to bring me a lemonade since it was taking forever for the tea to come out. Our drinks were left unattended to at least 85% of the time so we asked for water being that they do have pictures of it that they leave behind on the table. The overall experience on Father's Day was not great nor good at all. The food did not taste 100% authentic but it was OK. If you're planning on having a long conversation with someone like a business meeting, then I guess it's OK to wait that long but if you're trying to have a romantic dinner or family gathering then I don't recommend this place at all. I have given this place 2 separate tries already , once on Valentine's Day, and it's always been the same. As we where leaving I sat in my vehicle a few minutes, being that I was having a slight diabetic attack, and I noticed that the to go orders where being served extremely fast. That's probably the reason for indoor dining not being attended to properly. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. We absolutely love to support small local businesses, especially since we know how it is to run a small business since we own a company ourselves, but we will never return again. We are Very disappointed in how this place is ran. read more

Gino's a local eatery that specializes in Italian cuisine. They've been around for quite some time. I think for a restaurant that has been around for some time they need to look back at the beginning. Why did they open,what is the inspiration behind the restaurant. Sometimes we get lost and caught up in the messes of this world and lose sight of what we are here for. Overall the food was good, but not great. If I'm going to put $40 pp into a meal,I'm going to expect the foods to be fresh and if possible as local as one can. Locally sources foods not only are fresher, they also have terroir to it. terroir is a French term that literally translated means: "earth, or soil". It is most commonly used to donote wine,but I use it to help denote food. Locally grown foods are more vibrant and have certain traits to them that help make them special. Minimal handling and "quick to the table" keeps foods at their peak of freshness which equals flavor. I don't want a sauce that comes out of a Jar. The red sauce used for my Chicken Parmesan was good but not great. Canned tomatoes along with dried herbs doesn't make a great sauce. The chicken breading for the Parmesan was a bit soggy and not crisp. It indicates the pan or oil it was cooked in wasn't hot enough. It seemed to have maybe been deep fried and not pan fried in a cast iron skillet. There are differences in product texture and taste when using proper cooking methods. The pasta served was not al dente and it could have been drained a little more before plating. The service staff was just a basic service staff (mostly what I call an "order taker"). Very little knowledge of food and beverage. This is where most restaurants fail to provide excellent customer experiences. They cut corners and don't train their staff and hold continuous ongoing training throughout the year. When asked about the sauce the server didn't know much about it. When asked about the significance of the knife (Laguiole) that was served with the meal the server didn't know any history of it. Why not? I blame the restaurant management/ownership for that. Those little extra things that really make a dining experience special we're just missing during my experience. When I come back through I'll stop by again to see if it was just an off night but I'm not going to hold my breath. Although the restaurant seemed fairly busy for a local restaurant. I think they could be packed to the gills if they would just step up their game some. Overall it was an ok experience but for the PP price, not fully worth it. read more

Atmosphere: Amazing, Staff was great, kinda bummed they only offered the lasagna on the weekends! Food was good and authentic but nothing out of this world. read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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The place is popular, but to me, the food is just meh and the hours are inconvenient. We've tried this place 3 times and I've been disappointed every time read more

The artichoke bisque is amazing but it's really rich so get a salad if you're avoiding rich food. This is one of the "nicer" places in Salinas and has many great choices. It's also a great choice for your catering needs. I love it when someone says the food is from Gino's or it's a group party and we are pitching in to get Gino's. Yum! Just watch out for the middle aged horny crowd at the bar. bleh - not my scene. I won't be dining at the bar again. read more

Gino's - Halibut special - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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We came for a date night and the food was brought out wrong. And when asked to rectify, the server told us it's going to take a long time so it's not worth it. Food was ok, just probably wouldn't return. read more

I've returned to this location a couple times since my poor review and I've been very satisfied with the food. Service can depend on the waiter/waitress sometimes but I'm happy to come back and look forward to dining here again. ---- I don't come to Gino's too often but when I do it's usually on a Friday or Saturday night and it's great. Today I came on a Wednesday evening with the same expectations as my other visits. To start off the bread was dry and seemed old or left out. Next, my starter salad was filled with rotten lettuce. They took it back and gave me a new salad and after a few bites I found more rotten lettuce. At this point I'm very disappointed and feeling sick to my stomach from my two rotten salads but I hope that my main dish will be okay. I ordered the Famous Calamari with spaghetti which I always order. The calamari was tough, bland, and not as good as it usually is(it's usually very tender). The best part of my meal was the spaghetti which was just pasta and marinara sauce. Once the bill comes I was given no discount for my bad salads so I asked if I could have my salad removed from the bill. The waitress replies she'll have to ask the manager and I said that's fine. She comes back and says my discount is $2... Really? For Gino's high prices, $2 seems like they could care less about their food quality. I'm shy and usually don't complain but I was so beyond disappointed leaving tonight with the poor quality food I was served, the high prices I paid for it and the stomachache I left with. I won't be returning anytime soon. read more

I tried them for catering . And it wasn't all that . But it's the only one in the area that was Abel to do pick up order for same day order . Only reason I give 2 stars is because they where Abel to do same day . Catering . read more

Fantastic food! The artichoke bisque was to die for. I had the abalone style calamari and meesh and carolyn had the sicilian shrimp. Both of these orders were way to much food so we all took doggie bags home. They were really great to abby too. I guess kI have another must place to eat when coming down this way. Worth the drive from prunedale or moss landing! read more

My favorite Italian restaurant! Been to a few but cannot compare to Gino's. There pastas are delicious. Great Service and great food what more can you ask for. Highly recommend this restaurant for those who like pasta try it out. read more

The best Italian food in Salinas. An enduring family restaurant. Small liquor bar in the back. Small smoking patio. Pastas, some meat dishes are the features. Desserts are made in house. The tiramisu is good. Prices are low. Full on dinner for two who drink a whole bottle of wine will cost $60 -$90. read more

We were in Southern Salinas for the evening last weekend, and while looking for a place to eat, yelped, and up popped Gino's! Disclaimer...as stated before, I HATE HATE HATE Italian food (of the pasta variety)...and...umm...Gino's is kinda sorta Italian. BUT....they also got quite a few kudos for pizza, they DO serve pan pizza, AND they have Stella on tap. So off we went! The good - the waitstaff shoehorned us in. Yeah, it's that crowded on a Saturday night, but we still managed to get in with no wait (that said, the couple behind us were told "30 minutes or more", so keep that in mind). We were served brew relatively quickly, and placed our order for a real pizza....no veggies allowed, pan. After a fairly short amount of time (again, given the crowd), we were served. I asked for slightly well done, and kudos, it was. The Italian sausage was VERY good. The rest of the pizza? Meh....kinda bland, even with a TON of red pepper on it. A bit greasy, but given all the meat, I can't really complain. Overall, it was not too shabby, and I'd eat there again (although would likely go with the thin crust). Wasn't the greatest pizza, but....did I mention Stella on tap? read more

I actually used to live right near here when I was a kid and of course, Gino's has been here since way before my family came to Salinas because of my dad's transfer to Fort Ord. Back then, there weren't many restaurants that were good in Salinas, but then again, we never used to go out to eat much. So it took me over 20 years later to actually go here and try it out! This is really a cute Italian restaurant and it's definitely a gem in Salinas. I really enjoyed the ambiance and I couldn't believe how busy it was the day before Thanksgiving! People really love this place and I can see why. It's a neighborhood favorite that delivers reliably decent Italian fare. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and it came with a side salad and there was also bread for the table. Prices are reasonable and they do not skimp on the seriously large portion sizes! Wow. I had enough leftovers to share with my mom. The meatballs were decent but the pasta was just okay. Maybe a little overcooked for my liking but it was still good. The sauce was solid and not too acidic. Overall, I enjoyed my meal. They also boast a decent wine list with some local wineries dominating the list which is a nice touch. I think if you are looking for a nice place with solid food to have a decent night out in Salinas for a reasonable price, Gino's is a good choice. Cute spot! read more

Gino's - salad to start comes with all entrees or you can get soup of the day - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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We used to order Gino's religiously. Ever since the new owners took over things have gone downhill quickly. The food is nowhere near as good as it used to be. We've given them another shot too many times now to the point We've given up and will no longer support Gino's. Shame as they were awesome and incredibly consistent with the old ownership. read more

I had gone to Gino's for my daughters 19 birthday celebration. We had a party of 12. We had a great time and our server was wonderful and patient with our whole party. She had a lot of great recommendations and brought a wonderful energy with her. Food was delicious and service on point. One of my favorites read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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The food is excellent. Unfortunately, the assistant manager isn't. But thank goodness the manager got on the phone and made everything all better. I've been going there for 15 years I highly recommend the food. read more

We have been going to Gino's for four years. Each time we go it is worse. It use to be great. Three weeks ago we went there. Waited 25 min. Ordered short ribs, no flavor. I could have done better with my slow cooker and some seasoning! It was so bland. We also ordered shrimp pasta. Basically just that. No flavor. The waiter didn't even come around with extra grated cheese or ground pepper. We tip him $20. Poor service. He came once only. Don't go there unless you want no flavor or taste. Parking is horrible. Parked in Nob hill. read more

1st time here in this area. I was skeptical at first but this was the best linguine and clams I have had in a very long time. The waitress was very helpful with the menu recommendations and attentive throughout dinner without imposing. The clams are so fresh and delicious that I had to eat all of them and leave the pasta behind even though delicious in its own way. Portions are large, enough for sharing but it is absolutely the best. My husband had the spaghetti carbonara and he thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Did I mention they have fresh bread and a garlic butter that is whipped!!! Amazing. I recommend if you are near here for wine tasting, that you stop by. You will not regret it. read more

Gino's - Linguine and clams in white sauce.... Amazing! - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

First time using this res. Curbside pickup. Chicken Parmesan was extremely thin, dry as a dang bone and burned around the edges WTF. I tried it be of their ratings. Shame on me. If I had been served this in the restaurant then they would have never sent it out to the table. Seriously, what a piece of inedible food read more

Too bad there's not a negative category! This place has gone down the drain!! Total slop; tasteless food; wait staff who don't give a crap about you or their job; dirty dishes, glassware and silverware; sticky tabletops; dirty linens; the place is filthy; doesn't the health department inspect restaurants anymore? It's got to be totally embarrassing to Gino's previous owners ... how could they sell a long-standing, well established, first-class restaurant to amateurs? My family were loyal customers for 25 years to the original Gino's but sadly, we'll never go back again! read more

The more I come to Gino's the more I enjoy it. Great happy hour every afternoon and the daily breakfast is awesome. I got the chicken Benedict -it was delicious and probably 3 meals. They have a dog friendly patio if you have your pup. Breakfast everyday starting at 9am. Ellis just down the street is packed and the food isn't nearly as good! I'd recommend giving them a try! read more

I love the pasta at Gino's but I actually think it's better at their take-out sister store, Pastabilities. What I don't like are the generally younger inattentive servers who forget things like your wine and other things while you wait and hope for them to eventually circle back to your table, or not. This seems to be fairly regular. read more

The food was delicious. I had the lasagna and they were making sure that seating was spaced out nicely outside. They also have portable heaters so you aren't cold. You can eat in the front or back patio. We saw they also offered a drive up service where they take the food to your car for you to take home. read more

Went for lunch - in the past it has always been good. To take our order must if been at least 15 minutes However the last 2 times the service is poor, food is ok and the waiter was no where to be seen. read more

Awesome friendly service! Everything in their menu tastes great and they're not stingy on offering bread. Been here 3x with friends and family! Will definitely come here again! Also, a Christian owned restaurant which is great! They're closed on Sundays. read more

This place has my favorite family size italian dishes. Skip Olive Garden and get enough high quality food to feed the family.

This place is good. Idgaf what anybody else says. I have run ins sometimes but I speak up and guess what? They always, happily correct their (or mine) mistakes. 99% of the time it's amazing. Everything we've ordered is really good. I love coming in here feeling like Norm from Cheers. I've been coming to this location since their togo room looked like an insane asylum JUST KIDDING GINOS! But yes, I've been coming here since then. Their togo room now is genius, the displays are very nice. They got the wines and dessert all out forcing the diet to over indulge, it's great! You can hear the staff in back always getting along, working well together and bumping good music, it's like a party back there, good vibes. read more

Started out with ordering a Diet Pepsi for my elderly mother and a Maker's Mark Old Fashioned for myself. First serving was good, tasty, albeit just a bit heavy with the simple syrup. Ordered a wedge salad for my mother and meat ravioli with meat sauce and a side Caesar salad. The wedge salad was offered with grilled chicken which my mother opted for; what she got was two huge wedges of iceberg lettuce, topped with red bell pepper, guacamole, tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch dressing on the side? No bacon, no Bleu Cheese crumble, dressing... like classically served. Thought this to be a bit odd but mom didn't seem to mind the take on a classic salad. My ravioli, sadly, was machine made, not homemade, previously frozen, topped with a red meat sauce that was a bit watery, not thick like I've have had in the past at other Italian restaurants. It was tasteful, but the ravioli pasta was chewy, not melt in your mouth. The Parmesan cheese offered was dried crumble, almost like what you get off the shelf at the grocery store, not a freshmen shaved Parmesan cheese you get out of the deli section. While eating, our server checked with my mother to see if the food was acceptable, which it was, but before leaving our table, she asked if I would like another cocktail or water, which I agreed to water, she took what remaining drink I had away, which still had another two sips in it... the next time the waitress returned to our table, my mother remarked to the waitress that she had taken the drink away a bit early, for which the waitress was apologetic and stated that she would return with a half drink serving of the same. I stated that she didn't need to but she insisted that she did; what she returned with was incorrectly made with soda water, not tasteful at all. My mother asked for a box to take home the remaining salad, which she received, then asked for a side of bleu cheese dressing from the busboy. The waitress brought our bill, and the host/cashier came to our table to take the check, process the credit card transaction, and promptly returned it. No sooner than I had filled in the tip, total on the credit card receipt and completed the customer survey which also was included with in the payment folder, the waitress returned to our table to take away the payment receipt folder before my mother and I had a chance to stand up, leave the table. As I exited, I noticed the waitress had returned to the cashier's stand, and had handed the manager the survey I had written. I felt this was a bit distasteful in how it was handled as a waiter/waitress should not be rushed to get the payment receipt off the table until after we had departed. While I still think of Gino's as one of the go to destination restaurants within Salinas, I don't feel this was the best of dining experiences for what you pay; I recently enjoyed the same meal in San Jose at an Italian meat deli which cost me $12.99, for the meat ravioli, the Caesar salad topped with bacon crumble and cherry tomatoes, and fresh sliced sourdough bread. Here, at Gino's, I paid $14.99 just for the ravioli, an additional $2 for meat sauce and $3 for the side Caesar salad. I get that I am paying for service here at Gino's but for the extra money paid for lackluster food, the service should be spectacular and it wasn't. While I didn't cheat the waitress and staff out of a tip on the receipt, I generally try to tip 20% or higher based upon the quality of the service and food quality. This didn't warrant a nice tip, and I was saddened by that, as this place had been better in the past. Again, just one experience out of many, but one I hope they learn from when reading this. read more

Used to be favorite restaurant in Salinas, but now it's just not the same quality as it used to be, Could new ownership be the issue? Used to love their polenta and stew special on Mondays, the meat was so tender it would fall apart. Had it tonight and meat was tough and hard as a rock and the polenta was horrible. Bread was dry & old. Couldn't eat it and they politely credited us for the meal. read more

Worst place in town for Italian. Worst customer service. Slow AF. Food is average. I seriously sat at a dirty table for about 3 hours from start to finish and it was because the staff was just plain awful. You would request something and they would forget all about it by the time you would see them again. They wouldn't even stop at your table as they power walk by you to presumably go handle someone else's complaint. I will assuredly never return to Gino's restaurant. read more

The atmosphere was BEYOND amazing and the food and drink was very delicious!! Will definitely be back soon!!

We found Gino's after a long road trip to Northern California last week. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the service attentive and the food was the best comfort Italian food we could imagine. My nephew left his cell phone there, and the manager Guillermo called us and met us (on his day off, as the restaurant was closed on Sunday) on our return trip to Southern California to return it. He said it was his pleasure to just be kind. I will never forget this wonderful restaurant and this kind and generous manager ! If you're in the area please go to Gino's! read more

Took my friends to this spot last week and as usual the food was great! Portions are huge so we wish the waiter had advised us to not order 2 lasagnas. We shared the 6 piece garlic cheese bread (amaaaazzing) , lasagna and blackened chicken fettuccine pasta.. food was delicious just way too much since it's a family style type of dining Service was good and they were attentive throughout our meal! read more

Calamari appetizer, minestrone soup and delicious salads! So many other food and drink selections. The back enclosed patio is bright, spacious and feels like being outdoors. Staff is incredible! read more