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    Giovanni's Take Out Express

    3.6 (71 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Giovanni's Take Out Express Photos

    GIOVANNI'S TAKE OUT EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Giovanni's Take Out Express

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    Always a long line
    Conor B.

    When we come to visit Morro Bay, we always make a point of stopping at Giovanni's Take Out. Is it touristy? Yes. Is it a bit overpriced? Yes. Is there always a long line? Absolutely. But the staff is incredibly friendly and personable, once you order you get your food quickly, and they have a selection of food our 3 young kids can't complain about & gobble up in record time. I think the negatives are easily outweighed by the positives. I also love the large patio they have for eating. They cover up the roof so you don't have to worry bout being swarmed by gulls (though they will still casually stroll in from the exit by the parking lot) which is great as they're everywhere in the area looking for a quick meal to snag. The tables are all large enough to hold our party of 5 and, even though the ordering lines are long, it seems like you will never be without a table to sit at for long as their is quick turnaround. The staff also do a great job of cleaning up the area so it's going be clean. It's just a wonderful spot to enjoy your meal. If you're also here during the farmer's market/craft show, this is a great place to take a break and recharge before going back out & looking for fresh food & unique gift ideas.

    Rudy N.

    Stopped here for some lunch, they have great food, beautiful views, with lots of seating. The service is fast. I took off one star because I ordered the poké bowl and asked with no added sesame seeds, she said, " they don't add any." I been here lots of times and always say none added please and never did they say that but ok. When my order came there were added seeds but I didn't complain.

    Cup of clam chowda & 805
    Drew N.

    I chose the take out express because there was no line. The young man who took my order was friendly & polite. There are numerous tables with umbrellas to sit at. The food was hot, fresh and tasty.

    Clam chowder in a bread bowl
    Lisa D.

    We have eaten here before, and enjoyed it. Tonight, however, was a big disappointment. Not sure what was going on with the employee taking orders, but he was having a hard time understanding what we were asking for- even when we were ordering off their menu. I told my husband I was nervous to order here if the employee didn't even know his menu. We asked about chips, and he said fries. We were like yes- fries- but your menu says chips. Then I was asking about the yelp checkin and the cup of soup they had in the past. They don't appear to offer that anymore- but what really turned me off was when my husband ordered the clam chowder in the bread bowl and wanted to clarify there wasn't any bacon in it. This time we were told yes- it has bacon already cooked in it. So not just an add on- but already has it cooked in. I do not eat pork- and we were saying we always ask about pork in clam chowders- just to be safe. The employee says oh it's in there and you can't miss it. You didn't notice it when you had our clam chowder before? I could tell my husband still wanted to eat here- so I said I would just eat his fries and we could stay. We did overhear him tell the next people to order if it's your birthday today you get free fish and chips with proof of birthday today. The tables were very sticky today, we had to wipe down a place to sit ourselves They charge .75 for a tiny sauce for dipping- which we paid, but didn't get our sauce. Had to go up and ask for it, and show proof we had paid I did like that they had water out and available to get refills. Also be very careful guarding your food from the seagulls- they are more than ready to take your food from you

    Kids Chicken Strips
    Mari J.

    The Kraken fries are amazing! Sadly not on the menu so I did panic a bit before ordering. Unfortunately the fish and chips were a bit soggy, the ranch tasted out of a bottle and the popcorn shrimp was nothing special. I tasted more crust than anything. Probably would stick to other restaurants on the Embarcadero

    Half crab special with clam chowder,  garlic bread and drawn butter and Albacore and chips
    Ted R.

    Always stop here every trip to Morro Bay. Today we had two specials. Half a crab, clam chowder, drawn butter and garlic bread. Also Albacore and chips. Great food and service. Beautiful setting with view and patio seating.

    Don't order your chowder to go.
    Josh L.

    Do not use the online ordering process to order your food. You will have your credit card charged, but your order will not go through, and you will have to place your order when you get there. So, instead of trying to order ahead for convenience, you are waiting anyway. This was made a little easier by the guy at the counter knowing exactly what happened, which means it must happen all the time. The food, on the other hand, is good and the weather at the outside tables is great. Just be careful with your food our to go bread bowls had the chowder already inside so it spilled everywhere.

    Clam Chowder topped with seasoning and a dollop of butter
    Monica L.

    Wow, really good clam chowder! It hit the spot for sure on the gorgeous day we visited. The soup was perfect temperature and the flavor was really good as well. Good proportion of clams to potato too. Something I've never had before was a dollop of butter on top at service. We just mixed it right in and added a nice finishing touch to our meal. They have outdoor seating with umbrellas which was really nice at a grab and go place. Attached is a fresh fish market as well as another place your order and sit by the water area. There was a bit of a line which, to me, is always a good sign. We

    Fish tacos - mostly cabbage
    Marcus F.

    This is a side window exclusively for "ordering to go" located behind Giovanni's Fish market and restaurant.. The menu is smaller than their main restaurant's menu. The benefit is there is no line here. While I do recommend Giovanni's fresh fish market, I can't recommend their cooked foods. This is the second time they've not met expectations. Their fish tacos were small pieces of fish covered by a large pile of shredded cabbage. No flavor. Their fish and chips tasted off, perhaps because the oil was either too old or had been contaminated with some other fish that caused a bad taste. Maybe the fish itself was bad.. I dunno, but I'm done with Gio's food offerings. Prices are very high for what you get. I'm not exaggerating when I say the fish tacos at Del Taco (a fast food chain ) tasted better.. Tip- There's a private parking lot behind this restaurant. It's your best bet on a busy weekend in Morro Bay.

    Sourdough chowder bowl
    Sherly M.

    We picked Morro Bay to stay two nights in June and showed up on a random Wednesday in June. On our first evening I checked Yelp for a casual place to eat and decided to give Giovanni's a try! Feeling lucky since we didn't have to wait in a super long line. The cashier was kind, offered his input on food choices and answered our questions. A few tables were filled with people but as we sat and waited for our food I couldn't help but notice the seagulls were fearless! Jumping on tables and making a mad dash for food if you left it unattended or were distracted by the scenery even! Our food came out and the chowder was absolutely delicious. A bit of butter melted on top was a nice touch. Also, not sure if it was chili powder or paprika but it provided a nice touch as well. The bread bowl was freshly made. My kids enjoyed the popcorn shrimp and the fries were perfect too. My husband chose the halibut burger with sriracha mayo as it was recommended by the cashier and it was really good as well. I'd definitely come back here in the future.

    Fish and chips, garlic style
    Melissa F.

    We just needed a small bite to get us to the afternoon until we had to go home. We stopped in for some fish and chips which were delicious. We upgraded our fries to garlic fries for two bucks more. We shared our meal. I've been here twice before and enjoyed my meals each time, it was a beautiful day nice area with umbrella covered tables the girl and the woman behind the counter were so nice. Big smiles. Definitely need to come by and try some of their dishes.

    clam chowder cup (free with yelp check in!)

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    1 year ago

    staff miserable and rude. Would never come back to the takeout express. Had a different experience in restaurant.

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    1 year ago

    The workers are always nice and friendly and the food never disappoints . Definitely one of my favorite places to go in morro bay

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    9 months ago

    Great fish tacos and quick service. My guest had fish and chips with a cup of clam chowder and enjoyed her meal also.

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    We stopped by Giovanni's Fish Market for a quick half dozen charbroiled oysters with sriracha…read morebutter and they were absolutely amazing. The oysters were incredibly fresh and the sriracha butter gave them the perfect kick and flavor. They were so delicious and packed with flavor. Service was quick which made it a perfect stop while walking around. The view is also great which made the whole experience even better. Simple, quick, and seriously delicious. Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area.

    In the continued search for good clam chowder, we stopped here for one of the many meals we'll be…read morehaving this weekend. The menu is extensive but I only had one thing in mind and thus I got the CLAM CHOWDER BOWL $6.99 and HALIBUT fish and chips $24.99 plus $2 garlic fries upgrade. Sorry to say this place is as many have said, a tourist trap. The halibut batter lacked seasoning it was practically tasteless. It's freshly fried however. Fries upgrade helped the fries only. The entire basket didn't taste much like anything and the tartar didn't help. The clam chowder was very salty. And I mean, very. It barely had clams in it and didn't taste rich and mostly had big cubes of potato. It was disappointing. The lines can get very long very fast. They have a good spot with greats views or Morro Rock. Parking is free everywhere to my knowledge.

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    My whole family enjoyed our dining experience at Morro Grill recently! My dog got special treatment…read moreand loved his pup patty(burger no salt). Our server, Paloma was so attentive to our 4 yr old son. He was served first thing, and not once was he overlooked or ignored. He requested to sit indoors midway through our meal, as it got cold outside on the deck and the move was done seamlessly. The server actually caught my son when he managed to tip his chair back and she did it swiftly, without making a scene and told him she's done that before, so that he wasn't embarrassed or uncomfortable. Amazing! We took our servers suggestions and loved our mushroom Swiss burger and cali fries and chicken sandwich. We had way too much food! We will definitely be visiting again.

    The best of my written reviews, dear Yelp Review Readers, are reserved for the establishments that…read more"meet or beat expectations". Morro Grill does it AGAIN! We arrived around 3:30 on a Saturday and the restaurant was moderately busy. Our table was in the interior dining room at the window (nice view). Our Server for this experience (Kate) presented us with menus promptly. Kate was fabulous...her service "spot-on", professional and very personable as well (thank-you Kate). Our order consisted of Drinks : A Lemon Drop (4/5 - the question here was if the cocktail actually contained alcohol. We were assured it did, but the drink was replaced non-the-less. The replacement tasted the same ‍..."our bad", but Kate didn't charge us for either!). A Sandy Beach (5/5 - ya...this cocktail is outstanding!) and a Big Sur IPA (5/5). Our ordered Mains: Mushroom Swiss w/ Bacon 2X - one w/ Beer Battered Fries, the other w/a Side Caesar Salad - (5/5 - a definite "go-to burger " cause it's sooo darn good) Bay Basket (Mahi Mahi w/double Coleslaw) - (5/5 delicious and enough to take home for another meal) Grilled Jalapeno Burger (w/egg and Bacon) - (5/5 - always a winner). The wait for our meal after receiving our drinks seemed remarkably short...yay! This occasion was a Birthday celebration meal for one of our party of 4...and Kate presented us with a very delicious piece of Carrot Cake which was large enough for all of us to share - (5/5...if we could give the Carrot Cake a "higher" score/rating we would. It is, as far as Carrot Cake goes, truly OUTSTANDING!) The dining experience couldn't have been better...Kate's service and customer service in "making it right" with the Cocktail and Birthday Cake, the atmosphere/view and the fabulous food didn't disappoint. Once again, on this occasion, in this Yelper's opinion...Morro Grill on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay truly earned this "really, ya gotta go and enjoy" 5 Star review!

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    House Of JuJu - By The Bay - Snapper bowl with greens and slaw

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    Had such a great experience at House Of JuJu, in Morro Bay California. The food was super yummy and…read morethe service was great our food came out fast, which I always appreciate. I ordered the Calamity Jane burger, and wow, it was absolutely delicious and HUGE. You will honestly get full after eating just half of it. I also got a side of their potatoes with the spicy garlic sauce for dipping, and it was so good. Definitely a must-order! They also had a great selection of sangrias, which was a nice bonus. The only thing I'd mention is that it can be a little pricey if you're dining solo, so if you're going on a date, be ready for your pockets to take a little dent. Next time I come back, I definitely want to try the shrimp tacos because they sounded amazing. I was torn between those and the burger, but I went with my default order. Overall, delicious food, fast service, and a great spot in Morro Bay. I would definitely come back!

    Last time I was here I ordered the sliders and a wedge salad. Don't recall how they were but they…read morelook good in the pics!! Had to park across the street in the surf shop parking lot for a handicapped space, luckily the traffic wasn't too bad crossing the Embarcadero. Waited quite a while to be seated. Loud concrete floor with metal chairs, could hear the conversation of all the other diners!! Distractions from people walking by on the Embarcadero, but great Rock view. Ordered cheeseburger with potatoes. Salad was "mixed greens" so I didn't order a salad. Next time I will get their wedge salad, but I didn't know if I could finish it with the burger and potatoes this time. Server said no fries or chicken strips becasue they don't have a fryer. Free refills for sodas, but only a little bit of ice. It was a bit syrupy and had a lack of carbonation, might have been Pepsi instead of Coke. Steak knife included with utensils, which came in handy because the burger was really slippery and I had to eat with a knife and fork!! Potatoes looked overcooked but that was because they are purple potatoes!! They tasted ok, luckily not too spicy like everything is these days. I liked the non-purple potato's texture better. Slow to refill my drink. I will come here again and have the wedge salad, from the pic it looks smaller than I expected this time around so it will be able to be eaten with a burger!!

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