gianmarco's

i liked their walls.

excellent italian restaurant in the birmingham area. we dine at gianmarcos about twice a year and returned again on a recent saturday evening in august. as with many good restaurants, reservations about two weeks in advance are almost a must. don't be surprised and angry; just plan ahead.
first the good comments. both my wife and i feel that gianmarcos kitchen continues to produce some of the best italian dishes we have ever tasted. although i am addicted to their spaghetti, meatballs and saugage (best ever at $14!) i decided to try the mushroom ravioli this trip. not quite as good, but still very tasty. my wife had the pasta ala vodka with sausage; also very good. pasta dishes are reasonably priced between $14 - $18. other entrees range in price from about $24 - $34, which are also reasonable for the high quality and portions.
now the not-so-good comments:
perhaps due to the popularity of this restaurant, the owners appear to have added an additional table or two to an already very crowded dining area. you are very close to other tables. (the picture shown is as the dining area was a couple of years ago, not anymore) the noise level is so high that you can barely hear the server describe the specials and table conversation for tables of 4 or more is difficult at best. we also have noticed that the servers seem to be rushing your dinner so as to get you in and out in an hour or so. got to get another serving in!
all-in-all, still a very nice experience, but has it's limitations.

went on 7/3 and it wasn't as good this time as other visits. radicchio salad had zero radicchio, lots of iceberg lettuce, and way too much dressing. my snapper was dry and lacked flavor. service was friendly and my date said his steak and caesar salad were good. will give it another try.

just like back home! amazing calamari and eggplant parm!

i have explored almost every italian restaurant in and around birmingham. the bartenders were very knowledgable but the food was not worth the price, very very bland and extremely crowded/cramped environment. if i am going to spend money like this for italian there are a dozen other restaurants that i would rather dine.

excellent meal...but plan ahead. heard good things about gianmarco and tried to eat there without a reservation two weeks ago and learned that was not a good plan. the place is on the small side and was packed -- even the bar. returned last week with a reservation and had some excellent veal. my friends eat there all the time and say they have never had a bad meal. give them a try....but olan ahead and get a reservation.

service excellence and gustatory delight. from the wine bar out back to the the excellent fare in the restaurant, gian marcos' owners hopefully know that one of their greatest strengths is their waiters and staff. namely, our foursome had the delight of the service of a waitress with red hair and a joyous nature - thank you so much for always delivering on the quality and picking such great people.

where do they get that attitude?. i really like this restaurant, but about 1 out of every 3 visits you get attitude. i ate lunch there friday (alone) and was treated like a queen. with a party of 6 today at lunch, we got the attitude. one of my co-workers, who has dined and drunk there many times, said "that's it- i'm not coming back" after the server made a rude comment to me when i asked about half portions of pasta. she and her money and friends will not be back because of recent rude servers- in the dining room and in the wine shack. i've actually ordered half portions of pasta at lunch regularly, but the server told me i could not do that at lunch in a harsh and scolding manner.this server (a new one for me) was sweating profusely and sweat was dripping down her face- into the food? unappetizing to say the least.
if i drop in alone for a lunch, i don't make a reservation because i am happy to sit at the bar- but i am almost always asked if i have a reservation in a condescending way and there are always dining room tables open when this happens. it's almost funny. today, with the party of 6, we should have made a reservation, but did not. when the guest of honor arrived first, she was "schooled" (her words) by the hostess about the need for reservations. however, we were accommodated easily at a round table.
this used to be the place where southern living execs would have business lunches, but over the last few years, gianmarco's never even comes up as a possible lunch place. the execs like to go where they are treated well.
i will still go back because sometimes the service is just fine, but other times the rudeness is just not worth the trouble.

changing... used to be our favorite restaurant -- hadn't been in a while, because it's become so popular it's harder to get a reservation. went last night, noticed the noise level has increased. so loud, could not hear the waiter or my husband sitting next to me. and this was a monday night. i think they jammed a few more tables in to accomplish this feat! love the food, but our experience last night was chaotic, loud, with poor service that the waiter blamed on the kitchen. i don't want to hear excuses and complaints from a waiter...i could have given him the play by play of my day too. sadly, may have to find an alternative to our fav, or may try the wine bar in back and give it one last shot.

wonderful food and amazing service. i went with my family on a saturday night and became a bit claustrophobic because they sure pack them in. i was ok after a glass or two of wine:)

love it!!. love this place, especially the wine bar in the back. only complaint, please add a few more heaters on the other side so you are getting warmth on both sides of the tables. :)
this is one of my top 5 restaurants that i frequent in b'ham. staff and food are awesome!!

i eat here frequently, staff and service is always friendly. i eat at the bar and have found the staff and patrons friendly and helpful, sometimes ijust say "bring me something". i have yet to have a bad meal at gianmarco's. this is a top ten restaurant in birmingham

the real deal! if you're in birmingham and want italian this is the place.

try the eggplant parmigiana. if you haven't tried the eggplant parmigiana yet, do. just like mom used to make.

service was prompt, attentive and unobtrusive.

wonderful. i have to say our dinner at gianmarco's was everything we wanted. the atmosphere was perfect, the service was outstanding, and most importantly the food was amazing. i had the lasagna and it was easily the best i've ever eaten. the sauce had a very good tomato flavor with just the right amount of spices. everyone else at my table enjoyed their dishes immensely as well - including the desserts. i highly recommend gianmarco's. we can't wait to go back.