Lovely & lively restaurant in the city centre of Triest. Delicious food. Very reasonable prices. Only to recommend! read more

I used Yelp to find a nice local restaurant near us and this was highly recommended. It was an easy 10 min walk from our B&B. It is on a "no car" street...nice, with lots of outdoor tables. We got there around 6:45 and the food wasn't served until 7 pm but all the tables were filled?!? It appears to be customary at the end of the day to meet and have a drink or two before heading out. People literally sit at the table for 1 hour with one drink, talking; no pressure from servers bec they don't live off tips! So we decided "while In Trieste..join them" we ordered drinks, a plate of local meats for an app and people watch...very European. Later we ordered "prawns and tagliatelle ", I had "chic with roasted olives/tomatoes ", dessert-apple strudel. read more

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Opened in 1961 this small family-owned restaurant has to be on your "must-go" list if you ever visit Trieste. It's located on a pedestrian zone right in the heart of the city, and it's best reachable via public transportation (finding a parking spot for your car is going to be more difficult than "Mission Impossible"). It's open for both lunch and dinner, but be ready to have to wait for a table because the restaurant is always packed, mostly by locals. They have a few tables inside and more on their outside patio Here you will have the opportunity to try out various dishes of the typical cuisine of Trieste. If some items on the menu may not be available, don't get upset: it happens to restaurants offering food that is mostly homemade (including the desserts) and always fresh! If you are a tourist, the first thing that you will need to try is the "panino with prosciutto cotto (ham)", which is also typical of Trieste: they will cut the prosciutto from the by hand in front of you (actually, their "cutting station" is right by the entrance, so you may be able to see it also if you're sitting outside). Their menu is usually very various: you can eat pasta, vegetables, meat and fish. I particularly love their "pesci fritti" (fried fish), above all the sardoni (from the anchovies family and typical of Trieste and the Northern Adriatic Sea). However, I have tried several of their dishes by now and never had any complain; in fact, we pay them a visit every time we are in Trieste. Prices are very reasonable and the service is very good. I look forward to go back! read more

Trattoria Da Giovanni - Italian Near Me - Trieste, TS

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I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy who was on death row. Came because travel agent recommended it. Time to start looking for a new travel agent. 15 of us, had the absolute worst experience. Last night in this country, ruined the experience. Left after 2.5 hrs and only appetizers. Spoke to manager Morgan. He clearly does not belong in hospitality or hates his job or hates this restaurant. DO NOT COME HERE! Deserves ZERO STARS BUT WAS FORCED TO GIVE ONE. read more

Trattoria Da Giovanni - Italian Near Me - Trieste, TS

We went last night on the hotel recommendation.. they sat us in the smaller bistrot side which was fine. We ordered the food and saw them bringing it cold from the other side and simply microwaved it. It came out half cold and my octopus was uneatable and chewy. We paid and left. So disappointing!! On top of that while waiting , one of the servers picked out a piece of ham from the prep container without gloves and ate it... yuck!! Nice for a restaurant !! read more

Loved it-- you can really taste the influence of the Austro-Hungarian empire's mix with Italian culture. Since the Italians have always been the superior food culture, they've managed to dramatically improve the food--- breaded sardines were like a wonderful application from the veal snitzel--- sausages on the boiled meat plate were nice and soft, superior to the Germanic style- and sauerkraut that is soft on the senses---The best sauerkraut I've ever had-- better than any in Germany read more

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My dinning experience here was very enjoyable. The cuisine reflects the city's mixed cultural heritage. Started with the cotto (cooked, uncured ham.) For the entree I had a plate groaning under the weight of 5 different varieties of pork. There were two whole cuts (I think the more tender one was loin?) and three different sausages. Everything was delicious. They had Grimbergen rouge on tap, which was a pleasant surprise. It is one of my favorite Belgian beers. read more

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Beef had good flavor but was quite chewy. Choice of about 5 vegetables. Some wine mostly local.

Decent food and cheap wine. The place seem to be famous for not having all the dishes and not telling the customers until serving to the table. The service could be improved. read more

TRATTORIA DA GIOVANNI All right! You are the kind of tourist that loves to try the real local food. The type who doesn't care about eating in the hotel restaurant, but wants the venture out and discover what the locals eat, the little secrets that most tourists will never know. You are reading the right review because I am just about to share one of these places with you. Da Giovanni has been there forever, right in downtown Trieste. The place is unpretentious, it's a Trattoria (in the Italian meaning, which relates to simple, casual but often authentic food, not in the American way that means crappy food, but will overcharge you just because "Trattoria" sounds so fancy and Italian). The place is small, decor to a minimum. It's not fancy, it's not flashy, furniture are simple. At lunch it's often overcrowded. So why go? Because it's one of those places you must go to if you want to able to say you ate in Trieste. This is one of "classic" of Trieste cuisine. You will probably notice as soon as you get in a guy cutting bread and slicing (by hand) a big Prosciutto Cotto (ham); he does that almost nonstop. Yes, because, one of the simple classic in Trieste is the "panino di prosciutto cotto" or "panin de cotto" in the Trieste dialect. Often they would add some mustard and fresh horseradish to it. But if you want to sit down and have lunch, you can try something else. The menu is limited, they waitress will normally tell you what they have that day, but you can also get in writing. The great news: fresh! How many times can you eat breaded fish and it still smells like sea? It happens to me with the Sardoni Appannati. Sardoni (plur. of sardone) are typical small fishes of the Adriatic sea. In Trieste they are a classic. You can find them appannati (lightly breaded), fritti (fried) or in savoir, which is a special way to make them, marinated, very tasty. Try the calamari fritti if you are from the USA and you will see the difference: lightly breaded and fried, fresh taste, not chewy, light to digest. But feel free to try the fish they have that day, especially if they have Branzino or Orata: great!. For a salad, go with a classic of Trieste: "radicchio e fagioli" (radicio e fasoi in dialect), radicchio and beans. This place keeps it simple, makes it fresh and have very affordable and tasty meals (try also the gnocchi!). As for the wine, don't bother with bottle, just get their house wine. A must visit in Trieste for the tourist that wants to discover the local taste. ------ read more

We were not impressed with Trattoria Da Giovanni despite the good reviews. My husband had the goulash, which was simply a plate with a few chunks of gristly meat in a watery sauce. I ordered the goulash with gnocchi, so at least I had a dish with a bit more substance, even if it lacked flavor. By contrast, my side dish of cooked vegetables seasoned with lemon was tasty, if not visually appealing. The house wine was inexpensive and pretty good. We split a strudel, which arrived blisteringly hot and soggy -- having spent more time than was necessary in the microwave. We had hoped to enjoy a low-key meal showcasing an Italian twist to Austro-Hungarian cuisine, but we were sadly disappointed. At home, this might pass for "diner" food, but just barely. We ate outdoors, where the prices were slightly more expensive than if you ate the same meal indoors, but the cigarette smoke from all the surrounding tables made it an unpleasant experience. The waiters were fine--reasonably fast, although we did have to remind her to bring a side dish she had forgotten. We would not go there again. read more

A carafe of friulano with a plate of fritto misto - what's not to like? Great spot to people-watch.