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Opening hours: Mon-Sun 12-2.30pm & 6-11pm.
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94 Gloucester Green Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues Ads by Daily Info:
  
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I have now eaten at Gino's twice, and on both occasions I went with a group of Italians. They love it, and so do I. Good value for money, and great food. One recommendation- the pasta is where their strength lies, not the pizza.
Kate, 02/05/09 I was dismayed at the level of service at the Spaghetti House, Oxford on the evening of 1 April. My pasta dish was delayed because I was told they had initially cooked the wrong one and were preparing a fresh one. When I eventually received it it was luke warm and went cold very quickly. The staff I attempted to complain to did not understand my complaint. Needless to say we did not bother with coffee or desert. I for one would not go there again or recommend that anyone else do so. It has certainly declined since my previous visit. Richie, 10/04/09 I’ve been living in Oxford for the last 6 years, and one of the things I love the most is dining out with my girl. I’ve been in almost every restaurant there is in this city, and I can definitely tell you that there is only one of them like Gino’s Spaghetti House on Gloucester Green. Gino’s is a cut above the ordinary restaurant; it’s a warm place, with a friendly ambience, and genuinely traditional Napoli food (that’s where the chef Marco Maiorello and his brother Liberado are from). The hosts are very friendly - you'll probably meet them personally, like I did, with a smile on their faces. Together, they take this place to another level of enjoyment. The food is delicious, with a good variety to select from and good-sized portions; the wines they have to offer are brilliant too. I would recommend any of the pastas and the house wine….and after all that, try the most amazing liqueur based on almond there is: the Amaretto. And all this for good value too. Take my advice and dine in Gino’s - you won’t regret it! Nelito, 30/11/08 Me and boyfriend were searching around Oxford for ages to find a nice, small, traditional Italian restaurant - somewhere with a little more soul than all the chains you can find on George Street - and when we spotted Gino's and had a little look at the menu and decor we thought we'd found it. . . Sadly the spaghetti sauce was no different in taste from tinned spaghetti hoops and the over-priced steak and wine were nothing to shout about. Definitely won't be going back unless the place comes under new management. It is almost certainly redeemable as we were surprised to see how many people were there, despite it being a Sunday and the location being reasonably difficult to find unless you know where to look. With the number of tourists in Oxford Gino's may survive a little longer than perhaps it should, but once everyone has done the rounds, they'll find it difficult to entice second-timers. msbrown, 19/10/08 This restaurant used to be one of my favourites too but not after the meal I had yesterday evening. The pasta appeared very similar to the "fresh pasta" you can buy in any large supermarket and the pasta sauce was nothing special. The overall quality of the food and the service were of a low standard - perhaps now they know Jamie Oliver's opening a new Italian restaurant 100 metres away, they've given up. At any rate, with the standard currently on offer, I don't think Gino's will last long. It's a shame because this used to be a great little restaurant. PJ, 05/03/08 My husband and I love this place. Perfect place for a date where you want something kind of cozy and nice food. It has a warm and wonderful atmosphere. The staff is great, especially the manager. The food overall is terrific. I am not a fan of their pizzas or calzones; everything else on the menu is fantastic. Highly recommend at least trying their spaghetti bolognese, and their tiramisu is to die for. Jeannie, 11/02/08 The place has a great atmosphere. The food is excellent and the ice cream is even better. Go! Go! Go! Paul, 04/01/08 It has a decent atmostphere, and some dishes are good (e.g., whitebait, some pasta dishes). But the pizzas are too thick - even some cheap chains are better!! 14/11/07 Really good food with sound service in a lovely atmosphere. Veal with bacon, onions and red wine was stunning, pizzas were delicious and the tagliatele a la case was yummy. And yet, the bill for three adults and one child, including a bottle of wine and a couple of other drinks (plus whatever the adults had) was less than £50. Super place, super value. Alan, 28/10/07 I hate giving a bad press to somewhere I've loved for years, but this was my first visit for more than a year and a real disappointment. Service was sullen and unsmiling, the food was very poor, house wine was stale and vinegary. To give an example, the minestrone was tepid, without pasta, beans or tomato and unseasoned. Whitebait was clearly deep-frozen and served without dressing. The calzone had clearly been microwaved and was ice-cold in the centre. Although a weekday lunchtime with only six customers, service was slow, and the customers herded together like sheep at adjacent tables. What a shame! Robert Southwell, 25/10/07 Ginos is my favourite bargainous place to eat in Oxford. The couple of negative views expressed here do not tie with my experience at all. The food is excellent, generously priced and staff are always pleasant. I've come for meals here with visiting parents, or the boyfriend, or with a large birthday party group and never been disappointed. I will continue to return again and again Jaz Venning 10/10/07 We have nothing put praise for Gino's. We have been countless times and never been disappointed (apart from the times we haven't been able to get in!). The menu is unpretentious, but so are the prices. Everything is made from good quality ingredients and well cooked; there are always a few interesting things to choose from on the specials board. Service is excellent and there is always a good atmosphere. Like a previous reviewer, we often go here mid-week if we don't feel like cooking in the knowledge that we can treat ourselves without breaking the bank. Dave, 03/10/07 Average food and the manager has an attitude problem. LS, 01/10/07 I do not normally write reviews but due to our very negative experience I felt I should share our disaster with you. On a Friday evening my partner and I booked and visited Gino's where we were seated at a table directly by the bar next to a large number of dirty dishes/glasses. We asked to move but were told all other tables were booked. There was also a disturbing smell near our table so again asked to move. The waiter acknowledged our request and we moved to a table nearer the door (the smell was still there but less potent). Waitress was attentive and took our order of a bottle or red wine, olives, a vegetarian pizza, a pepperoni pizza along with and a side salad. The drinks were delivered quickly with the olives. So far so good after the initial disappointment. Unfortunately it all went down hill very quickly when the pizzas arrived. We can honestly say we have never tasted such disappointing pizzas. Not only were they very small, they were very watery in the middle. The meat pizza has about 3 small pieces of meat and the vegetarian had some very wet mushrooms (looked like they were out of a tin). After forcing our way through half the pizza's we decided to complain about the state of them. The waitress was very apologetic and got her manager to come over. They offered to cook them again but by this time we had had enough. Thankfully they took the pizzas off the bill. We would not recommend this to anyone, it was very disappointing as we had read the previous reviews and thought it would be a guaranteed new favourite restaurant for us - as you can tell we will not be returning. We both love Italian food but from now on will be sticking to our tried and tested favourites. 14/08/07 I often feel Gino's is overlooked, being a pizza/pasta place which isn't situated by the others on George Street. However, I needn't worry as the place is often full during the evening with a variety of clientele. The setting is sweet, and the staff friendly. The food is brilliant for what you are paying. Have had both pasta and pizza dishes here and they have always been of good standard. A good place to go on a date. Oxford Student, 01/04/07 My girlfriend and I cannot praise Gino's enough. The service is fantastic. The waiters are not too cloying, but attentive nevertheless. Great value main meals, and exciting specials on the chalkboard - notably the seafood dishes - offer reasons to come back again to try something else. Saying that, my veggie girlfriend always enjoys the Spaghetti Napolitana, and no wonder- It tastes just like my nonna's! This is high praise indeed and perhaps explains why it has a largely Italian clientel - always a sign of a good Italian restuarant. The spicy spaghetti sauces are also delicious. Thanks Gino. chris, 12/02/07 Been staying in Oxford over the festive season with the Theatre. Have had a few visits from friends because of this. Gino's hasn't let me down once. The food is fantastic. It's almost as good as the service. I reccomend the calamari. Tommy Cat, 11/01/07 My husband and I rely on Gino's. If ever we don't feel like making our dinner we know we can nip to Gino's and get a good, tasty, value for money meal. It's always buzzing so there might be a wait but it's worth it! If ever we have guests we usually take them to Gino's for dinner and we always say "excuse the location". (grimey bus station) However, once you step in the front door you quickly forget about the bus station you just walked through. To be honest I am one of those kind of people who finds a meal I like and stick to it - I get the Spaghetti Anna Maria which is a creamy spicy sauce - very tasty. Next time (which I am sure will be soon) I am going to try something different. My husband has tried a few dishes and has been satisfied by every one. The wine is very good too, not tasted a bad one yet. Oh and the portion of garlic bread is very substantial. B, 23/05/06 I have been to Gino’s twice before and I had to write this review because of my last visit. I went with a friend who was visiting. We started with fresh mussels and deep-fried whitebait and shared the course. The mussels were beautiful and were cooked in a tomato chilli sauce that I just couldn’t get enough of! The fresh bait was crispy and more-ish too. For the main course my friend chose cannelloni and I chose porcini risotto. Now I, not properly knowing Italian, thought porcini was a type of ham and when discussing this query with my friend she confirmed it was ham. I therefore ordered it. As soon as I did, an image of a mushroom entered my head! Doubt set in as I don’t like mushrooms… When the order came to our table, our faces meet with horror as it was mushroom! I tried to eat a bit to see if my years of not liking mushrooms had vanished but unfortunately I was unable to eat it. It’s a great dish for mushroom lovers though. I sheepishly called the waiter over, expecting a laugh at my expense. I explained my stupidity and said I would pay for the dish. The waiter was very nice, telling me to choose anything from the menu “free of charge”! I ordered the obvious Carbonara. As he delivered the dish, I again apologised and asked to pay, but was told this wouldn't be necessary. We finished off with a coffee and amaretto ice cream which was amazing!! The hospitality was outstanding considering my stupidity and the evening also gave my friend a lot to laugh about! Sian, 07/05/06 Gino's is a small, buzzing, family-run restaurant on Gloucester Green. On a rare warm evening, you can sit outside and pretend to be in Campagna (not the easiest of illusions to maintain in Oxford's drab climate, particularly not so close to the coach station), but inside you are transported to a check tableclothed Italian restaurant that could just as easily be in Naples as Oxford, with a map of Italy painted on the ceiling, causing many upturned faces. On arrival, Gino's will always seem packed, but whether it is the Italian habit of enjoying a meal elbow to elbow with neighbours overtaking our English reserve, or careful placement of tables, the ambience is welcoming and comfortable, without ever seeming overcrowded. If you're out for a romantic evening a duo however, you might want to book the table in the alcove. As far as Italian restaurants go, it is very traditional, offering a core menu of sempiternally popular dishes - lasagne, penne arrabiata, spaghetti puttanesca, risotto napoletana. There is a short list of pizza. In addition to the main menu is a specials board of more unusual dishes offering so much choice that deliberating over so many tempting options became quite a challenge - the lure of the asparagus risotto may beg a second trip before too long. Finally we settled on a shared starter of bresaola with shavings of parmesan and olive oil, which indicated that the evening was going to go very well. A grated carrot garnish gave a retro touch: one of the charms of Gino's is its lack of pretension. The bresaola was paper thin and melted on the tongue. My companion advised me that the spaghetti carbonara was excellent and the garlic bread was unnecessary but irresistable. Gnocchi sorrentina - a dish loaded with gnocchi, rich tomato sauce and melted mozzarella was almost enough to finish me off, although I just about managed to squeeze in a dessert too. A bottle of chilled Soave was just over a tenner - the wine list is not extensive but is reasonably priced. Meals are also keenly priced; expect to pay between £3 and £5 for a starter and £5 and £7 for a filling main course. Our bill for two, with shared starter, two main courses and a pudding plus wine, came to less than £40. The service is generally very good and seems to be undertaken by Gino's extended family, to add to the Napoli illusion. It is advisable to book as Gino's attracts many regulars and usually manages to fill its tables by 8 o'clock on any week night. Forget the Mediterranean urban flash of Branca or the George Street 'Italian' multiples: Gino's is the place to go for good, cheap and old school Italian food. Abby Chicken, 29/07/03
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