Giancarlo’s

YUM !! Omg the presentation WAS OUT OF THIS WORD! The food was TO DIE FOR! Home made bread fresh bread! What more can i say! Beautiful pizza and the price is right. Can’t wait to go again!

Well of course there’s always someone who knows better. The fact is I am very well educated when it comes to food preparation, temperatures, and presentation… I graduated from my culinary school in 1995 I have been a sous chef all the way up to an executive chef for multiple restaurants, as well as catering companies. Yes one can say that I still may not know all there is since I have not been in a position to achieve a Michelin star although I have done well enough to establish myself in multiple companies. NoW… The food that I was prepared may not have had a perfect picture to demonstrate the fact that it was raw, although if you are taking the time to critique my feelings on the condition of my meal take the time to realize there was blood saturating every inch of my plate. Not to mention that the entire center of the pork was cold and not up to temperature further demonstrating the point that temperature was wrong. If one would like to further analyze and critique take the time to understand that these are simply my feelings which I am entitled to. Undercooked pork that has not achieve proper temperature is not only unattractive but is dangerous. With this being said for those that feel that I may still be incorrect. By all means eat all the raw pork that you can handle. I wish the best for you.
Now in regards to an update on my previous review I had a long sit-​down with the owner and he apologized and felt that I was accurate with my complaints and that it would not be tolerated not to mention took the proper steps to make everything right. This goes to show that even the best restaurants have an off-​night at times I happened to be there on that night. Although I had a very difficult experience I would still recommend a trip I feel everyone is worth a second chance…

Like another reviewer, I just called and got put on hold for a long time with background restaurant noise and never come back to

This restaurant is the real deal Italian. Fresh bread and pizza right out of the oven and the entrees would make any Italian Mama proud. Also it was reported closed. It is very much OPEN!

Not closed name is now GC Bistro Giancarlos, same owner chef, same amazing dishes. Chech him out on Instagram.

I just called to place a order, the website is down and I asked to hear about some options. She said I should come in to see it, Then the chick put me on hold and never came back I waiting five minutes. So I hung up and called distasio’s and they placed my order right away.

Not as good as in the past. Have loved this place in the past. New décor not as tasteful, I think they took a step backwards. Didn’t care for the wine selection the didn’t have chianti wine in stock. Name changed to GC. I think they have new chefs too. I hope they see this and correct. Food was just so so.

Service. Our server was cool (he reminded me of a mix Best Actor Eddie Redmayne and comic Greg Fitzsimmons) and he welcomed us to come in even though they were closing in 25 minutes. It felt like our food took a long time, but whatever. (Also we had a Groupon for Giancarlo’s but apparently they «switched business licenses» or something in between our purchase and a business/​name change, so they didn’t honor it.)
Menu. The only one I’ve seen that is organized by LENGTH of DESCRIPTION rather than price, shortest to longest to create a pyramid, which was interesting. I assume the menu writer is OCD or Egyptian. Anyway, I saw a few items I would like to try. (My wife is on a rose’ kick, and they had four or five choices when most places have 0 – 2.)
Food. I got the Orecchiette with meatballs, sausage, and cheese. The pasta itself is eerie, or should I say ear-​y, as they are little «ears». A little chewy, but different. The meat pieces were plentiful and the helping was HUGE. I took my photo HALFWAY through my meal and it was still a lot of food. It is almost like a saucy stew mixed with melted cheese, so don’t order it on a first date– mainly because it can be messy there.

This is my favorite restaurant! We do the five hour round trip to visit this restaurant several times a month! Gian Carlo, the chef and owner, is the best. It is a pleasure to sit at the bar and watch Gian and his team prepare the many fabulous dishes that this restaurant serves! On a side note, the meals that I now prepare at home are bursting with flavor because of everything that I have learned from watching Gian cook! Can’t wait to go back this weekend!

Great food made by a REAL chef. As good as it gets on the Central Coast.
Nice ambiance too. Prices are fair, and worth it for the quality of food that you get.

When near water, we like to eat fish. But our friends suggested to try this spot. We were not disappointed! Nice to have a change of pace from Fish spots in MB.
They are closed now until July 2, 2015 for remodeling.
Many nice dishes were offered as Daily Special. We had a fairly long wait time for arrival of food. Our table ordered a pizza-​salty but tasty, mushroom ravioli-​excellent, penne pasta-​very good, chicken dish-​all large portions and very good! Friendly staff, though seemed s little understaffed. Somewhat dated feel inside. We look forward to seeing how the remodel looks cuz we will be back!

Food was excellent! Overall restaurant could use some finishing touches. Server Dillon was on top of it from initial seating, continuously till we departed.
The pros: good service, great food
The cons: tacky interior, stained menus, cigarette smoke from employees at the back door, and doors do not open till 5pm on the dot. (We arrived about 5min prior and had to wait outside) the 3″ screw that stuck out from the door they sealed shut that butted up to the right side of my head! Staples on the wall. Unexplainable black and white photos. The hand dryer cords next to their bathroom sink.
I’m torn in the sense that the Chefs’ at this place have to perform, meaning food and presentation at its best, but the interior of the restaurant is so incomparable to the standards that the company is trying to uphold. My suggestion is to invest the $ 2000 in finishing touches that ‘flow’ & make sense, it’ll look $ 25,000 better! There’s an awesome skylight that is totally underutilized.
Overall good experience. I hope for this place to stick around, but wish the owner would put a little time and effort into the place.

Took our time, my friend and I, and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. One of the few places where one can get superior cuisine, from appetizer to dessert.
Too bad that the location leaves something to be desired. This restaurant should be on the water, rather than next to the street.

Giancarlo creates dishes that are always made to order. Obviously, he specializes in Italian cuisine but he turns out to be one of the better chefs around when it comes to seafood dishes! Second to none! It turns out he is also very interested in creating requests! I asked him about Braggioli and a few days later he made it! It felt like he did this for me.
In terms of the ambience I prefer eating at the bar where a patron can watch Giancarlo and his excellent kitchen staff as they create each dish to order. This is where we found out about his amazing Caesar’s salad where he grills large lettuce leaves in his pizza oven. His wonderful wife was our server one evening and she definitely made our date into a wonderful experience.
We also went for his Mother’s Day fixed menu offering, and it was truly a feast, culinary magic! The wine and baked Alaskan dessert inclusive! And as always the presentation? Giancarlo’s amazing artistry on display!
Giancarlo’s restaurant is also a great hang out just for drinks!
Certainly a must see destination on the central coast!

We tried this place tonight. The best dish we had was the Penne pasta quatro formaggio. There was nothing special about the seafood pasta special I ordered. The pasta was mushy and over cooked. The seafood tasted like it came from the freezer. I didn’t know crab could taste that bad. The waitress was disorganized. If you get a cocktail, be sure to ask for a normal glass, otherwise it will come in a 7oz glass. It ends up just being ice. I should have driven farther south to SLO for a better meal!
To your response Giancarlo: I don’t know if its a regular item on your menu but it was a special that night that your waitress recommended. Now I understand why it was a special; probably stuff you had to get rid of from the week before. Yes it was the correct restaurant. Good try though!

Food: ⁹⁄₁₀
Ambiance: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service Pros: Attentive servers, frequently checking in with the table and very friendly. Brought two plates of extra bread upon request. Bread comes with delicious balsamic and garlic oil dipping sauce.
Service Cons: Restaurant was quite busy so the food took a long time to be served. A bit rushed towards the end of the meal. Servers kept trying to remove plates from the table before finished, although it was near closing time.
Food:
Orange-​Glazed Duck was excellent. Came with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies, both were very good.
Seafood Pasta with tomato sauce was great. Fresh seafood and delicious sauce!
Sizable Portions.
Flirty Flute wine sampler: Great wines at a reasonable price.

Nice staff, great food… my friend loved mussels so much, he went to thank the chef before we leave the restaurant. As a seafood lover I enjoyed Fishermen’s stew a lot which has everything in it: fish, shrimp, mussel, clam, squid, baby octopus… Will go back for sure.

Good food, good service, good evening at a nice restaurant, will come back on our next visit to Morro Bay.

Speechless. Weeping like my dad at an Italian Opera. Amazing. I just had the most amazing, most delicious, most sublime duck a l’orange with truffle mashed potatoes. I literally sit here, fumble fingered, trying to grasp with words how happy I am from this dining experience. I am never disappointed with Giancarlo’s, but this meal blew me out of the water completely. Oh my goodness. Speechless.

We just had a great dinner this evening that included a delicious Ceasar Salad and Lasagne. The Caesar Salad came w/​generous a wedge of lettuce, white cheese and a perfectly balanced Caesar dressing that fit the salad just right.
For my entrée I had the Lasagna al Forno, which was prepared with mozzarella cheese, and a cabernet braised bolognese ragu Pamiggiano and Bechamel — amazing.
My meal was complimented with a glass of a wine called «Super Tuscan» that capped off a great meal.
This is hands down our favorite Italian restaurant on the central coast — a must try place when you are visiting Morro Bay.