Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana

Get here early if you don’t want to wait for a table! Delicious Italian food, lots of options, some specials. Ordered a smoked mottzarella pizza as an appetizer, delicious! All of the dishes ordered were right sized and tasty.
Four diners, a little wine, pizza, four entrees and two desserts, $ 150 with tip.

Always a fan of G. Wednesday dinner. Slowest service ever. Food delish. 1 dish was cold. 2.5 hours and not the dinning experience we expected. Maybe short on kitchen help. Good food made it the usual but way too long wait for everything.

Excellent food
Wonderful friends
Happy times
Come and enjoy
Guisseppi’s is classic
Mike is my favorite waitor
Lou
HAPPY AT HOME
805 249 8818

Ok so overall this place is being rated ⁷⁄₁₀
We ordered the cheese pizza which was very salty. I also ordered the rigatoni pasta with red sauce, capers, sun dry tomatoes and onions. The sauce was burnt. Not sure if they wee overwhelmed because of Valentine’s Day, but food was just ok.

Have you ever seen a picture of a beautiful person, met her/​him in person and then getting really disappointed because she/​didn’t look like on the picture? That’s how I feel after eating at Giuseppe’s … You get the picture? I give this place two stars. One for the knife and one for the fork.

I was excited to try this restaurant after reading all the reviews. The dip that they make for the bread is amazing… however everything else fell short. The wait was supposed to be 45 minutes, but took well over an hour and seemed as though the hostess skipped over our name. Multiple people were seated before us that checked in after we did. I expected the food to be spectacular for the price and the wait, but it was relatively mediocre.
I will not be returning anytime soon.

Arrived here on a Sunday around 1 and did not have to wait. Once we got seated, we were served some bread with a dipping sauce consisting of Parmesan, olive oil & balsamic vinegar. SO GOOD! I loved the little twist with the Parmesan. We ordered the little ears pasta & the linguine with seafood. Both were good & the pasta was cooked al dente! So, thumbs up to that. Service deserves 5 stars as he was very attentive. I’ll be back!

Great food, awesome place. Just that be ready for long wait times. We ere there on Saturday @ 6:30 PM and they had wait time for almost 1 hour. So plan to reach here early on weekends.
But yes the place is worth the wait. And yes do try their «Limoncello». Its really really goood :)
Server told me its house made. Also their crème brûlée is great.

Just got back from our anniversary dinner. We were very impressed by the portion of the seafood pasta I ordered. We have to ask for a box to take left over home. They were very generous with the amount of seafood. I think it is very reasonable price to pay.
The ambiance was great. People just mind their own business, enjoy the food, wine and chatting.
Nice, informal dinner place to go with friends and family.
Would go back.

My best friend and I came here on a whim after the Slo Farmer’s Market for dinner, unsure of what to expect. We were blown away! Giuseppe’s has both indoor seating as well as outdoor. Although when I say ‘outdoor’, I use the term lightly. It was more like a heated patio, which was fine by me because it was pretty chilly outside that evening. Each table has candles, which makes the ambiance pretty romantic– great for date night! Each table also comes equipped with paper tablecloths and crayons– great for coloring a terrible picture of your dinner companion. Anyway– onto the service! Our busboy AND our waitress were great. Both were extremely attentive, never letting our water glasses or bread bowl become empty. Our bus boy, Riley, personally mixed our dipping sauce for our bread, and our waitress helped me to pick out a wine to go with my dinner. However, she did not introduce herself to us so I could not tell you her name. Our dinner was excellent. I got the Bella Citta, an arugula salad with pears, bleu cheese, beets, as candied walnuts. I liked the salad, but I think fresh pears may have been better than poached. I also got something from the Secondi portion of the menu called the pollo con crema e basilico (a large chicken breast covered in a basil cream sauce with tortellini and shredded zucchini). My best friend, however, got a pizza! I am not sure what it was called but it had arugula and prosciutto. I had never had prosciutto before and it was preeeetty salty! To finish our meal we had some house made pistachio gelato– YUMMMM! Soooo good. I would definitely visit again (when I have the money, because this place is preeeetty pricey). Thank you for the great dinner, Giuseppe’s!

Our waitress was fantastic. This was our first time here and couldn’t be happier. They have such a great selection of wine. Our busser was always making sure we had our bread (which was great with the garlic spread) and our waters. She helped us with the menu and suggested great food. We will be back.
Side note: I do wish they had more beer selection and spirits. The menu does not show of any, so I’m so assume they have none.

The owner/​chef Joe Difronzo is really doing it right here. His restaurant and bar are the best in town. It’s busy every night with people lining up to dine here. I’d suggest going early around 5pm if you don’t wanna wait. Anyone eating here has to try the margarita pizza which is cooked to perfection in a wood fired oven. Followed with a perfectly grilled prime grade ribeye steak. I’d suggest trying one of Joe’s wines as well which are available on the wines by the glass menu. The Syrah is especially good. Although you can’t go wrong with any of them. Lastly you must finish the evening with a double shot espresso and the Giuseppes mud pie. The owner’s daughter actually makes them by hand along with all the other desserts on the menu. This place is a gem. Eat here whenever you have the chance.

We’ve been here several times and have always enjoyed the food. The bread basket with the garlic spread (grated Parmesan, fresh garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar) is assertive but tasty. The roasted Brussels sprouts were excellent, as was the calamari. We also tried the eggplant parmigiana, chicken with pesto sauce, and orecchiette with braciole. These were great as well. Overall, the food is very good. The service is good but a bit curt.

Very disappointed with how the front desk was managed. The two hostesses had no idea who had come in and when, and multiple families were left waiting for over an hour without being sat. Eventually most families, including mine, left.
There were multiple open tables and they do not take reservations, so they could have sat us. It’s disappointing to see a restaurant with a great reputation for its food be underserved by its staff.

Giuseppe’s gave us one of the best food experiences we have had in Pismo Beach. It’s a cozy comfortable dinning room with attentive servers. We were seated right away and felt very comfortable in the beautiful building. We immediately dug in to our bread with Parmesan, olive oil and balsamic dip. It was heavenly! The wine list was impressive, we both ordered local Chardonnay.
We started off with a seasonal salad that was amazing, with roasted Brussels sprouts and candied walnuts. Taking the servers advise we ordered the lamb loli pops, Usually we love lamb, but it does need to be cooked properly to avoid the distinct gamey taste that can be present sometimes. I took one bite and it was pretty tough and more pink inside than I was comfortable with. But I waited to say anything until my husband took his bite and immediately made a face and said «The lamb does not taste right» I agreed and although we never send food back, I had to say something. The server was awesome and took the plate away and said no problem at all. We then split the SPIEDINI DI GAMBERI– Grilled pancetta wrapped wild jumbo gulf prawns and butternut squash ravioli. It was delicious and everything was cooked perfectly. The split plate was just enough for us both.
Overall, the ambiance, service and food far exceeded our expectations and we cannot wait to go back. I have heard their pizzas are the best in Pismo so we are excited to try those!

After visiting Rosa in Pismo, I was really looking forward to trying out Giuseppe. The menu looks more progressive and varied. To start I want to say that the service was really nice. We had a delightful server.
The restaurant charges a corkage fee which is industry standard but many local establishments who support the local wineries will wave it for local wines.
I was a little disappointed with the shared plate fee of $ 4. Nickel and dime’ing is not classy. It reminded me of visiting the GDR in the mid 80’s. They had regular restaurants where a meal cost 5M and luxury ones where it was 25M which was half a month’s rent. But they charged a mandatory 5 pfennig surcharge for new potatoes in both restaurants.
So we had the lamb lollies to start. They were inconsistent. Some were not very lamby tasting with a lovely flavor, other pieces had no spicing other than a strong mutton flavor. The olive tapenade tasted like a tapenade. The «spicy aioli» tasted like cayenne pepper. No other flavors. Just an oily paste.
As our primi we wanted to share a spaghetti carbonara. Our wonderful waiter Scott suggested that we get the dish with two extra plates to avoid the $ 4 surcharge. The pasta was al dente but not cooked in salted water. The carbonara lacked flavor even after a ton of salt. We added the Parmesan/​raw garlic/​evoo/​balsamico to it and it tasted adulterated by better.
For my secondo I had the veal marsala. Again it was totally lacking in salt and flavor. The veggies had a burnt taste. My sweetie loved them. He puts the toaster on high!
He had the Porchetta special. Pork roast. It had a little more flavor than mine.
I originally was going to lower the rating to a 4 star because of the shared plate charge. But after tasting the food, I have to give it a 2. And that is only because the service was fantastic. Thank you, Scott!

Stopped here on the way home from SF. It was about 3:00 with probably about 4 tables filled. We were greeted and brought complimentary bread and water right away. Their homemade garlic and Parmesan dip was amazing! It seemed like we had two waiters and both were probably some of the best servers we’ve had! We told them that we weren’t from around here and they made us feel like family. Our main server was very knowledgeable about the menu and had some great suggestions.
The food was delicious and my husband said it was one of the best cioppino he’s ever had. My pizza was thin how I liked it just wish it was more crispy in the middle. My daughter had chicken Parmesan and it was tasty. Would probably prefer the chicken breast to be pounded a bit so it wouldn’t be so thick. Son got basic fettuccine Alfredo. He’s very picky and ate most of it so it must’ve been good.
Wish this restaurant with the same wait staff was in Orange County! Next time we visit Pismo Beach we will definitely be back here to eat!

What a dinner! This place totally lived up to the Unilocal hype. Came here on a vacation to pismo beach, and this place was recommended by a friend. Everything about this dinner was amazing. They start you off with house made bread and this heavenly concoction of olive oil, balsamic, Parmesan, and garlic. If you’re not too full after eating your weight in bread, you get your main course. I had the Vincenzo pizza, baked in a woodfire oven. It was a perfectly cooked crust, covered in cheese, tomato sauce, roasted red peppers (the best part), caramelized onions, prosciutto, and mushrooms. I enjoyed every single bite. My boyfriend got the Pollo con Crema e Basilico, which is range chicken breast, basil cream sauce, and tortelloni. He loved his dish, and even finished the whole thing!
Overall, amazing Italian food in a nice, open environment, with friendly and attentive service.

Four of us stopped in for an early dinner on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm and to my surprise found the dining room almost full here. We were seated in a corner booth and then abandoned for at least five to ten minutes before our server appeared. Everything got much better from here on out though once she appeared to take our drink order. The dining room was quite loud due primarily to a group of ten seated in the middle of the restaurant enjoying themselves.
Before our meals arrived, we attacked the loaf of freshly baked bread provided in a basket on our table. They mix up a concoction of garlic, Parmesan cheese, balsamic and olive oil for the bread that was yummy. Their wine list is pretty impressive as well with quite a few selections available by the glass.
Chicken Parmesan was my pick for this afternoon and they happily accommodated my request to substitute linguine for the tagliatelle. The chicken was lightly breaded and quite enjoyable. I would have liked to have the noodles drained a little better as I ended up with a puddle of water in my plate but not the first nor last time that will happen.
My wife’s lobster raviolis were light and very fresh. I think between the two of us she made the better pick. In the end, we were tempted by their dessert menu but with their generous portions and all that bread we were stuffed.

Pismo Beach is becoming a wonderful city for beach-​goers as well as gourmands. Visitors can choose from a treasure trove of seafood hotspots, fun wine tasting rooms, cute shops and even find authentic Italian at Guiseppe’s Cucina.
Guiseppe opened his flagship restaurant in Pismo Beach in 1988 and has dazzled diners with it’s unique blend of old world Italian charm and cozy sunny beach vibe. You’ll be treated to fine Italian dishes, which highlight the delectable flavors of southern Italy. Dishes are prepared with fresh house-​grown produce, home-​grown spices and home-​spun love and pair beautifully with selections from their thoughtfully-​curated wine list, featuring a wide selection of Italian and local wines.
Breads, pastas, gnocchi, raviolis, pizza dough, sauces and gelato are all made in house. Diners can also enjoy a fresh and colorful side of live accordion music to go along with their meal.
We started with the Roasted Golden and Red Beet Salad layered with goat cheese, walnuts and strawberry vinegarette. A delicious treat that really captures the essence of spring with it’s vibrant colors and sweet and zippy flavors.
I went with the Gnocchi Amatriciano which stars Yukon gold potatoes, tomatoes, chili flakes, red onion pancetta and accents of fresh sheep’s milk cheese. The dumplings are very soft and pillowy and the tomato sauce very hearty and amply spiced. I found it to be a bit too oily but I have a very sensitive stomach and I think I overdid it on the rich foods during my meal. All in all, a solid dish with a host of flavors.
My friend ordered the Linguini al frutti di mare, which comes with scallops, mussels, shrimp, calamari, fish clams, garlic and tomatoes; this is a beautiful fusion of fresh seafood and fine Italian flavors. The lasagna is filling and satisfying with robust Italian flavors and layers; always a great selection.
You will also enjoy exquisite small plates and fresh salads. Definitely try the caprese appetizer, which showcases an abundance of vegetables and herbs fresh from the Guiseppe garden like the heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, avocado, basil and red onion.
Indulge your sweet tooth with gelato and Italian desserts like the tiramisu, spumoni, cannoli, mud pies and carrot cake.
Be sure to stop into Guiseppe’s for well-​priced small plates and dinners with big flavor. They have two locations, Pismo Beach and downtown SLO.