My wife and I have been coming to Gino's almost since they opened many years ago. Last night we came in for a "date night" dinner, and we left very disappointed. I ordered the calamari strips with raviolli. The calamari was very bland, compared to what it usually is... and the raviolli's were terrible! Tasteless raviolli with so much sauce it looked like a soup with raviolli sunk way down in it. I couldn't eat more than two of them. My wife ordered the sea bass, which was also disappointing. Basically flavorless, with a "fishy" after taste... typical of fish that isn't very fresh. We were not offered any bread, the wine was sour - as if it were left open too long, and my wife's lemondrop martini was watery. The waiter wasn't much better, as he was slow and seemed like had something better to do. He never asked if we would like another drink, and never even checked to see if everything was satisfactory. We sat 20 munutes after he brought the check, waiting for him to take our payment! Finally walked it to the front myself. It looks to me like the owners have gotten too many irons in the fire, with this resturaunt, a pizza shop, the Bagel Bakery, and now a new take-out pasta place. My suggestion to the owners is to pick a business and concentrate on doing it right. Don't take on more than you can manage! Won't be back again. read more

The blackened chicken fettuccine will change your mind about eating at another Italian restaurant again. Very seasoned, great portion and succulent pieces of chicken will have you wanting more. I have had this meal three times every time I've visited Salinas. It's definitely a go to place if your in Salinas. read more

I find Gino's a little over rated. Not the same great tasting food I remember. The blackened chicken used to be my favorite but now the chicken is chewy & burned. They do have a great artichoke busque soup. But you can also get that @ bagel corner or Pastabilities. read more

I've always liked the food at Gino's, the service the last time I was there, about a week ago was ok. Our waitress simply forgot about us. Young Hispanic girl, we kept bugging the other waitress and a nice gentleman with an accent, they both took care of us. My friend left a tip, I truly didn't feel like she earned her tip. I'm always pleased with the food. read more

The only reason I am giving this place a 3 is because the young lady at the bar was friendly and gave great customer service. As for the food I would give it 2 stars. I am a salinas native and I grew up coming to place. The food has always been on point. But tonite, no bueno! My lasagna red sauce was extra salty. My husband ordered a pizza and did not get what he requested. His pizza was super dry. A friend of mine went not to long ago and told me he has the same experience with the salt. Get it together kitchen. I have always been a fan of this place. read more

I had forgotten how good the food, service and ambiance was at Gino's. I took my husband and sons here for a special occasion . We enjoyed the calamari appetizer and prawns, which were very good and fresh. For dinner, my husband had the half spaghetti and half ravioli, while my sons ordered the Gilroy garlic pasta, and the chicken parmesan. I also enjoyed the chicken parmesan. The soups we ordered were the clam chowder and creamed artichoke--which were both wonderful. Thank goodness Salinas still gets to enjoy this wonderful restaurant. read more

Waited over an hour after being told to wait 30-40 mins. After an hour, we asked how long it would be and we were told 40 minutes. The hostess could not have been more useless. Very disappointed in the general lack of concern. Would have given it zero stars if possible. read more

I had a party of 14 and food all came together and was good. This restaurant has not changed much over the years, but the prices have and gew menu items are no longer there including the lasagne (my favorite) also, we brought a small cake for bday and was told we needed to pay a fee per person to recieve a slice or we could not cut and eat it otherwise. The waiter was rude and service was terrible!! If the tip was not already included, I would not have tiped at all, more over i would have passed the tip to the kitchen instead!! read more

I hecca like this bad boy. This bad boy will make you feel Praganant but good at the same time. I'm a dumb hoe who is a picky eater and I will eat here any day. Uwu. read more

Love the calamari and the blackened chicken fettuccine! Gino's has been a staple in Salinas for years. Great for a romantic date night, ordering to go for our office lunches or for family parties. They make a great dinner easy to come by. This is a can't miss! read more

What a great place to take a family. My daughters love the food and the calamari is the best around! The family is an amazing family too, Ralph is nice as they come! read more

After several visits to Gino's for dinner, we decided to have dinner with some friends as a celebration of the New Year. We were warmly welcomed as always and given a nice table in one of the dining rooms. After giving our waiter our entree orders from the main menu, the included soups and salad arrived shortly there after. The soup tasted OK but was not at all hot, the salad tasted average as always. Once our plates had been removed, we waited a good 30 min for our entrees. When they arrived,again they were not hot, but just on the warm side. The food itself tasted just OK that night. Even though it was a busy evening, there is no excuse for serving these lackluster dishes. We will go back there, but please get it together Gino's! read more

Food and service is A+ Location is great bc I live super close to the place, but objectively location is not that great, as it is next to a really busy highway and is difficult to park. Also the parking lot is pretty small, but the food is magnificent and makes up for all these minor inconveniences. read more

Blackened chicken Alfredo is delicious. Artichoke bisque soup is very tasty. Service is great. read more

Gino's gives generous portions of good food. What I like about their entrees is a cup of soup or salad is included plus table bread with amazing butter. You can't go wrong when choosing this restaurant for a family affair or a dinner for two. read more

I have literally never written a Yelp review. NEVER. I have worked in restaurants for 10+ years and Yelp is the bane of every hospitality workers existence. This time I had to. I have never had a customer service experience so horrible and because Gino's management has no way to be contacted by email, only phone, and they are closed today, I needed to get my frustration out while it's still very fresh. My husband and I went to Gino's after seeing a comedy show at the Rodeo. It was our first date night out without our 6 month old baby. We hadn't been in a while and in the past we have always had a good experience. We spend a lot more time at Bagel Corner and Angelina's, but Gino's has always been good. Anyway, last night we went in around 8 pm and there were no tables available so we were placed in the bar. This is our usual experience because we never make reservations. We ordered a bottle of wine, the Montepulciano which was a $49 bottle, while we decided on dinner. The bartender had no idea what we ordered, although she pretended to, and walked away. After some discussion with her fellow bartender she came back and asked again, and again I pointed to the Montepulciano. She scurried away, with more discussion with the other bartender and then the other bartender came over with a bottle. She showed us, I thought it seemed right, what do I know? I don't work there. I don't know labels. I am the CUSTOMER and it is your job to know your wine list. The bottle she brought was Montalcino. Close, I'll give it to her, but again, not my job to know the difference. She opened it, I smelled it, it wasn't corked, she poured us our glasses, and then she left. After a few minutes I said to my husband, this doesn't look right. I don't think this is the bottle I ordered. I grabbed a list, and much to my dismay, this was the bottle right above the one I ordered, selling for a whopping $119. I called the girl over and she went to tell the manager. This is where things got ridiculous. The manager came over and told us there was nothing he could do because the bottle was already opened. He made it seem as though it was OUR problem that the wrong bottle got opened. There was little to no concern for the fact that the bartender/server just made a $70 mistake and basically WE should have caught the error. There are several things wrong with this scenario. 1) Being a server and bartender in the past, there is NO way I would open a $120 bottle of wine unless I was darn sure that it was the bottle the customer ordered. If I wasn't sure, I would bring the list over to compare, or point to the price on the list before opening the wine (tacky, yes. But far better than making this mistake) 2) Do these servers/bartenders have ANY wine training? It seems like they don't. You should know your wine list if you are going to serve wine to your customers. At the very least, know the Italian wines at an Italian restaurant because your customers most likely don't speak Italian. Service in this town is very poor in general, but at a restaurant like this, the servers should at least have baseline wine knowledge. 3) Finally, the management. What is the point of having a manger if he can't make important decisions when it comes to customer service. I have NEVER encountered a more incompetent manager (and I've worked with some real questionable ones). The fact that he didn't do anything about it alone was ridiculous, but also he used the owner as an excuse. He said the owner isn't here so I can't do anything about it. Any place I have ever worked would take back the wine, bring the customer the one they ordered, apologize for the mistake, make sure the server understood they were in hot water and they better learn their wine list, and then use the opened bottle as a training opportunity for the other servers where we would taste a wine we would normally not get to try so we could improve our wine knowledge. NONE of that was done and basically NOTHING was done. As an "attempt" to make up for it, the manager sent out 2 pieces of bruschetta. Bread and tomatoes. Maybe cost the restaurant 50 cents. If you won't fix the wine mistake, fine. But maybe cover our food as an attempt to offset the cost. Its not like we ordered $30 ribeyes. We had clams and a special with gnocchi and filet tips. Easily could have been paid for without costing the restaurant a massive amount of money. There was no attempt to make up for the mistake except for $1 bruschetta. The whole management side gets an F from me. May I suggest training your staff to deal with situations like this in the future in a way that benefits the customer without costing the restaurant money and customers, because after this $70 mistake I will not be returning to Gino's. read more

Food was amazing but the service from our waiter is the reason for our review. We had a group of 11 which is larger for the type of dining this place accommodates but we have experienced coming here and enjoying our time as a family. We sat down and the waiter's personality was immediately abrasive and impatient. My mother in-law asked about the specials for fish and Vinnie rudely told her it was on the menu, "right in front of her on the menu." The interactions continued to be some of the most disgraceful service I've ever received which only worsened. He actually tossed the check at our table, slamming the plates and silverware on the way down, put his hands up then stated, "okay have at it." We sarcastically apologized as he impatiently tried repeating whatever we asked regarding the menu and options. Vincent/Vinnie only received a tip due to gratuity. We had $400+ meal that felt sub par due to our waiter. read more

Man, it hurt to give this review because I always rave about Ginos, but lately they have lacked consistency...among much more. Every other Friday my husband grabs Ginos after bowling. Normally we LOVE it. Until the 2nd, 3rd, 4th...and so on times it just seems to get worse. We always order the Blackened chicken fettuccine to share, garlic cheese bread, and marinara sauce. First, where have you EVER been when they don't give sauce with garlic bread and charge you $4 for a side. Ridiculous! But, it's almost always tasty so I can overlook that. Pasta is ALWAYS different. Overseasoned, underseasoned, bland chicken, too much oil, not enough sauce... I mean you name it we've gotten it. Ok, we still overlooked it and have a fairly decent meal. Until tonight. We ordered our usual and then a side of calamari. Opened the box and for $9.99 we got 6 calamari strips. 6! I've NEVER paid so much for so little calamari. Although it was tender and quite delicious, I felt like I was getting ripped off. Then onto my salad. I couldn't help but notice the change of greens. Usually it's a spring mix, but tonight it was mostly romaine. Ok, it was late I can deal. Tomatoes we mushy..gross. Their Italian dressing is good. Then, on my 3 bite I notice something on the lettuce.... no! It couldn't be... is that a BUG??? OMG it was a bug...still alive and squirming. But, I don't know what bothers me more about this... the bug, or the fact that they probably didn't rinse the lettuce. Needless to say I'm pissed! For the amount that we pay and give to this business as regulars, you can't even rid the salad of bugs?? On a side note, I did call to complain about the calamari and the response I received was... "that's the normal amount and it's weighed." Ok... that's it? You're receiving a customer complaint and all you give is that's the way it is. I'm SO disappointed in the quality of food and customer service. What a shame. read more

Gino's - Salad Bug!! You've gotta be kidding me! - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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TERRIBLE!!! Wait 12 minutes before I got up to find if we would be waited on? Only then the waitress showed up, then ordered 57 minutes later we got our meal The food was just bland nothing special, ordered one more glass of wine after I flagged down waitress, again took so long to get to me I had finished my meal, on top of that the waitress brought two glasses of wine not the one I ordered, but instead of just leaving it for all our waiting took the glass back! We asked for the dessert menu but took so long for the waitress to come by again we left. My girlfriend went to the manager to complain about the terrible experience as she works in the restaurant business the manager was no better than the waitress just said sorry ... This is the second time I've had a bad eating experience there it won't happen again!!!! I'll drive 16 miles to montery and get service and good food !! read more

You know, Ginos has been around forever, and my daughter who's in her thirties played ball with one of the Bozzos. The business has been the lead for food quality, taste and service. Moreover, the family and specifically Ginos Restaurant had supported the disadvantaged homeless by providing meals/food . That's addressing their humanitarian commitment. Now about the food. What can I say? Anything on the menu is a winner. It's traditional and original Italian. The portions are ample and are cooked to perfection. The selections fulfill a hungry appetite whether you eat meat or are vegan your palate will be satisfied. If I consumed alcohol I'd comment but I don't. However, it appears their selections will also satisfy your thirst. Enjoy! Buen appetite! read more

Local Italian restaurant with friendly service and good size portions. The problems is the food, it appears just to be the Italian selection from the Sysco (corporate food giant - supplies schools, hospitals, prisons and some restaurants with ready prepared solutions for lazy cooks). Anyone who was served this stuff in Italy would refuse to pay for the meal so all the reviews that give it a 5* (As good as it gets) need to try and sample what real Italian food tastes like. It doesn't come from a microwave. read more

I had eaten here a couple of times for lunch and met friends for drinks and pizza - but not a big deal. The reason I will not go back: went for romantic dinner with a date and the place had a MAJOR gnat problem! The bugs were swarming on our bread basket and by the time our entrees arrived, I lost my appetite. When I complained the manager. she acted as if it was okay to compete with bugs for the food. Not one apology or regret on their part. I have no regrets eating elsewhere! read more

I have very specific allergies, and 90 plus percent of the menu contain one if not more of my allergy. There isn't much for me to eat here. But what I have eaten I was not impressed. Service is not so good and the prices are too high for what you get. It's just not for me. read more

I have been trying to explore and try restaurants, cafes and bakeries in Salinas. One day I was craving a Calzone and checked Yelp for any places that made Calzones in Salinas. I was so glad to find Gino's! The Calzones are pretty large for me, so I usually end up eating half of it and then save the other half for the next day. The Calzones here have such a delicious flavorful dough, and the Calzones aren't watery at all(I had watery and soggy Calzones at Maldonado's pizza up at Mountain View). I have yet to try the other food they serve here, but that's only because I like Calzones a lot. The place is very clean and calm. Parking can be a little difficult because it's such a small parking lot, and gets filled quick around dinner time on the weekends. read more

When I think about going to have a delicious steak dinner, Gino's is my go-to. Ok it is evident given that it is essential for anyone to make a reservation to ensure a seat. They have a wonderful wine and dessert selection to ensure your dining experience is complete. Love this place! read more

I would say Gino's is the premier place to eat in Salinas. It is family owned with family recipes too. I've lived in Salinas all my life and this place, year in and year out, is the best. I only eat there 1 or 2 times a year and have never been let down. If you only have time to eat at one place in Salinas, eat here. read more

Hated it! Terrible service, gum on plates they handed us, dirty forks, bad service. Never going back

Well let's say we were here last Friday night, 40 minutes before the restaurant closed. Only place in to sit down was in the bar but at a mid table which was okay. I order some calamari which to me seems to taste fresh & for dinner: linguine and clams with extra sauce. This linguine and clams was picture perfect and tastes just as good and plenty as sauce. But unfortunately we got a rookie her first night there ( not to put her down because we were all the rookies at one time or another, I made more of the worst mistakes than that) and she forgot to offer as the bread and butter. But I looked at the clock on my watch and it was 955 so I asked a waiter to bring me a the menu's for dessert. Our main waiter(unfortunately I'd forgot her name) came back, and I asked for a box for my linguine and clams, because I have bread at home to soak all the juices from the pasta. She apologize and didn't realize immediate thought that we want any bread, she told me she was going bring me some with my pasta. And then I ordered the crème brûlée the side complement it, one of the best, no lie, top ten in my life. Why I'd gave the five-star because she went back make of what the bread I took a sample of it; it was that days bread, nice. Next time I'm Going back for their pizza, and I'll look at the other desserts; can't believe I haven't been here before and won't be the last time now. read more

Gino's - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

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I went to Gino's for the first time yesterday for lunch; sat outside on the patio. The interior is really cute, and the food was very yummy.....HOWEVER, our server ( Bless his heart ), was extremely confused about who ordered what. We say him " attempt " to deliver the wrong order 3 times, including us! He was very sweet though, and no one seemed to mind. We had the Ceasar salad and the bruschetta Genevesa....DELISH! I will definitely be back! read more

What can I say here that hasn't already been said? The food was fantastic. Everything I was hoping for after reading all the reviews here. If you can make an advance reservation do so...we waited about 30 minutes for a table last night. Well worth it though! Parking is a little cramped, so park around the corner to make it easy. I had the cheese ravioli, which was great. Boyfriend had the BBQ chicken pizza which he raved about. I had a little trouble getting my water refilled...but it was busy so I'll give them a pass. Try the cassata cake! (I sure hope I spelled that right) it's delicious! Wish we lived closer to this place to come more often. read more

Gino's - Cassata cake - Italian Near Me - Salinas, California

Ridiculously good! Both me and my wife had the best Italian meal of our lives here. This review is long due as we ate here a few months ago. Granted I just did a mountain bike race and was extremely hungry. This was amazing food. The server (woman) was getting harassed by the drunk table next to us and remained amazingly professional with them and kept her cool with us and brought the most amazing food!! We took the rest we couldn't eat there and ate it right away when we got back to the hotel! It was so good, it won't disappoint! read more

First off, food is great. The marinara sauce is on point. The atmosphere is romantic, albeit a bit noisy due to how close you are sitting to other people. That's fine, to be expected. What I could not deal with was the lack of attention from our waitress. She barely said a word to me and my wife. Even though she walked past us several times. Other staff picked up her slack, getting us our refills, bringing our food, clearing our table, and taking our check. She did none of this. She also did not ask how our food was or if there was anything she could get us. Unacceptable. I'm going to Olive Garden next time. read more

Love....love.... love Gino's! Exceptionally great staff,great food, great atmosphere and cannot say more about a great restaurant to come and dine. I do want to include the artichoke bisque soup has to be my all-time fave! I can always count on Gino's for an outstanding meal and most of all my husband prefers Gino's over my cooking any day so this place is always on top of our "eating out" list! I love the scriptures posted at their different locations and may god bless them!!! read more

Did there take out today. Called in order for three pasta dishes. Every meal was excellent and plentiful. Curbside service the best!

This place is so awesome. Small little place with a punch. Food is to die for. The pasta oh my God. A must go.

If you want pasta this is the best Italian restaurant in salinas. Even on busy nights the service is always great!! I also love the option of ordering food to go, it's great to order family style if your having a big dinner party but aren't in the mood to cook. read more

Holy Cannoli, love this place. This is one of our favorite places to dine out with friends and family. The atmosphere is welcoming and the staff are very friendly. The food here is consistently fantastic I love their Artichoke Bisque its got plenty of artichoke pieces it's delicious a must have if your into soups. The only thing I dislike is the parking area not enough space but if you can get by that this place is amazing. I also love the take out side door service quick pick up like I normally do for soup on the go. Love the quick service. read more

After having tried to have dinner at the restaurant several times and finding it full, my husband finally got reservations for us to dine for a special occasion. It had been some time since either of us had been here and we were both surprised at the changes. The decor was dull, the food was overpriced for the quality, the noise level was above and beyond comfortable and the service was ho-hum. I can certainly understand why we saw a lot of people using the take-out window. would not recommend this to my friends and we will not be going back. read more

This is not the place to go when you are on a diet. I mean there is diet-friendly stuff here but it will be hard to resist everything else. This is rich, luscious Italian comfort food. I'm Italian-American and to me this is home-style food like your Sicilian grandma will cook. Saucy, creamy, salty, carb-heavy. Modern Italian food is different from traditional Italian-American food so if you're looking for modern Italian, this isn't it. I came with 3 friends, we had all been hiking for 7 hours, and we were HUNGRY. We all shared a variety of dishes, breads, and soups. Every last one of them was delicious and filling. I had the gnocchi and the artichoke soup and some garlic bread and I still wanted to lick my plate after I was done with them. All of us were vegetarian and we had no trouble finding meatless options. I left feeling comforted, nourished, and blissed out. I enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. It seemed like a spot where the local young adults go on date night. If I lived near Gino's I would be very tempted to eat the artichoke bisque every day. It's a good thing I live too far away, because I would get really fat if I did that. (It's super rich and creamy). read more

Went to the pick up an order that was placed the day before. Got there paid gave the name of the person that placed the order. The order was supposed to be ready by 5:30pm. This was for a surprise party scheduled for 6:00pm. Long story short the order was ready all along but the staff decided to make me wait 25 minutes to figure out the order was ready and was actually in the oven ready for pick up. This is an unacceptable oversight that almost ruined a surprise party. Or was it an oversight? I should have taken back the 12 bucks I left for tip. So here is my 1 star for the to go crew you don't deserve more! read more