Giovanni’s Table

I didn’t think anything about Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas could get any better, and I never figured it’d be worth additional money to go above and beyond the already fantastic free (included) meal service — but Giovanni’s Table really impressed me! The food was wonderful, especially the Veal Osso Buco and Tiramisu. But the best part was eating outside in Central Park — and we were lucky to be there during a violin performance. Really a memorable night!
Caution though: service can be slow, so don’t come with a tight schedule (e.g. a show to make within 2.5 hours). We had 2 hours and still missed our ice skating show (but luckily caught it the next day — not to be missed).

This review is for Giovanni’s Table, on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas.**
Royal Caribbean calls Giovanni’s Table is an Italian Trattoria, featuring Italian classics served family-​style. Cruise passengers pay an additional $ 15 for lunch and $ 20 for dinner, per person. It is open 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm for lunch, and 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm for dinner.
Which begs the question — on a ship where you can eat 24 – 7, is it worth the extra money to go to a speciality restaurant? For me, speaking of Giovanni’s Table, on Serenade of the Seas, the answer is Yes, Yes and Yes. Tonight’s menu was:
Mozzarella in Carrozza allah Giovanni (mozzarella and prosciutto bake, on ciabatta bread, with mixed greens and Dijon mustard drizzle).
Capesante al Forno (almond crusted scallops with red bell pepper pesto).
RIsotto aI Fungi TrIfolati (Arborio rice and forest and porcini mushroom risotto and truffle mushroom tapenade). Spectacular!
RavIola di Polpa di Granchio (crab ravioli with sweet corn and crab meat sauce).
Costolette di Agnello alle Erbe (three grilled lamb chops, baby vegetable caponata, sautéed spinach and Merlot reduction). Spectacular!
FIltto di Manzo alla GrIglia, Patate Fritte all’Olio Agliato, and salsa al Barolo (eight ounce grilled beef tenderloin, garlic fries and Barolo reduction).
Cannoli alla Giovanni (chocolate rum and hazelnut filled cannoli).
I have eaten at this restaurant three times in two years, and I am looking forward to going again in a few days. Actually, I am counting the hours until our next reservation.
Delicious! Five Stars.
** The Serenade of the Seas is a Radiance Class cruise ship, built for Royal Caribbean International by Meyer-​Werft. She entered service in 2003, weighs 90,000 tons, is 965 feet long, cruises at 25 knots, and can accommodate 2,490 passengers with a crew of 891.

My review is for Giovanni’s Table on Oasis of the Seas
I believe the surcharge on oasis was $ 15 per person for lunch.
Ordering was a little confusing at first because They list the appetizers, Pastas and Entrees, but they state that it’s family style. After a bit of prodding, the appetizers and pastas are served family style and the entrees are served individually. I think you can order as many of the appetizers and pastas as you would like, but really those are meant for sharing.
I had a part of four celebrating my mom’s birthday. For appetizers we had calamari
Frittura Mista Per Due (Shrimp, Calamari and fish fillet)
*Italian cured beef, arugula and Paremsan (sorry I don’t know what the italian name was)
For Pasta we had the Gnocchi in a lamb sauce and the Tagalerini with Calamari
For entrée we had the strip loin steak and the jumbo shrimp
For Desert we had the gelato and the canoli
I was very impressed with the food and the service. The steak was tasty (cooked exactly to medium rare and well seasoned) and the seafood was good enough to satisfy my dad (who’s a big seafood fan). My wife didn’t love the gnocchi since it was in a lamb sauce (there is another sauce as well but she didn’t seem to like that sound of it).
What I would like to point out is that I told the hostess that it was my mother’s birthday and asked if they did anything special. They do the normal desert and happy birthday song. Fair enough. I also asked if they had any sugar free deserts. she grinned and said that they don’t have any sugar free deserts. I was ok about that (it’s the thought that counts), but I knew my mom wouldn’t be too happy.
When they came out to sing happy birthday, they brought the desert and they said it was sugar free! They went out of their way to find a desert suitable for my mom.
For that I will always hold Giovanni’s table in high regards.

This review is for the dining experience at Giovanni’s Table on Allure of the Seas.
Giovanni’s Table is an alternative dining venue on board Allure of the Seas with $ 20 per person surcharges. It is an Italian Al Fresco Family style restaurant.
We ordered a few appetizers to share and also our own individual main course.
Appetizers:
Antipasti per Due — Prosciutto is of good quality and quantities, a great mix of Salami, olives, peppers and artichokes
Baked Scallops — a little heavy on the pesto sauce but tasted fresh and perfectly cooked, we ended up having 2 each!
Cesar — fresh and crispy lettuce
Soup:
Seafood Soup — Great mix of seafood, the calamari was really tender, the broth has great taste of tomato and garlic
Pasta: (SKIP)
Maryland Crab Ravioli — MEH! Just taste strange have more a Mexican flavour (BTW, our waiter is from Mexico!)
Penne with Baby Shrimps, Smoked Salmon and Brandy Sauce — Meh! Dry, lack of flavour and just salty…
Main:
Gratinated Jumbo Shrimps — Huge Shrimps and nicely seasoned!
Ossobuco — Without the bone but still tender and moist
Veal Scaloppini wrapped with Prosciutto — MEH! I ended up with this dish, just too salty and without any other taste aside from that! (My waiter did want to get me something else)
Dessert:
Tiramisu — great! Traditional version!
Cannoili — Meh! I never really have good Cannoli as yet
Affogato — A choice of Raisin/​Rum or Vanilla Ice Cream and a shot of Espresso… Always my fave
The experience was A-​OK! Just don’t order the pasta and you will be fine!
But for $ 20 surcharges,… I don’t think the food served here is a lot better than in the Main dining room… so I might skip the experience next time!