Giovanni's is a family-operated Lynmore restaurant and pizzeria that has been part of Te Ngae Road since 2017. Fresh pasta and pizza from the wood-fired or brick oven form the centre of the menu, supported by Italian-style meat dishes and a separate set of vegan choices. The dining experience is rustic and evening-focused, with enough antipasti for a shared opening and enough variation across pasta, pizza and mains for a table to take several different routes through dinner.
Antipasti can be as simple as bruschetta with salsa and pesto or as generous as a plank of cured meats, cheeses, olives, stuffed peppers, capers and grissini. Prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella keeps the ingredients direct, while prawns and Italian chorizo are cooked with garlic butter, white wine and caramelised onion. Mushroom, spinach and Parmesan arancini offer a vegetarian contrast, and ricotta drizzled with honey turns toasted bread into a softer, slightly sweet first course.
The pasta section highlights the kitchen's house-made approach. Pappardelle carries a beef-and-pork ragu cooked with red wine, plum tomatoes and herbs, while ravioli can be paired with Gorgonzola and walnuts, tomato sauce, or butter with capers and pesto. Tagliatelle offers several sauces, and potato-Parmesan gnocchi can move from roasted garlic and tomato to Gorgonzola or Bolognese. For a larger main, chicken parmigiana, slow-cooked lamb shank, Roman-style porchetta, wood-fired Scotch fillet and layered lasagna all carry the meal beyond pasta alone.
Pizza dough is baked in the brick oven and topped in combinations that range from Margherita to Giovanni's Favourite with salami, chorizo and porchetta. Vegetable-led choices include Porcino and a spinach-and-eggplant calzone, while a dedicated vegan pizza range uses plant-based mozzarella and Parmesan. Tiramisu, affogato, gelato and Nutella pizza provide four very different finishes. With antipasti, handmade pasta, grilled mains and inclusive pizza options all given real space, Giovanni's is well suited to a mixed table that does not want to order alike.
Address: 346–352 Te Ngae Road, Lynmore, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
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Giovanni's Menu
Antipasti/Entree
Bruschetta Italiana
Oven-toasted bread with salsa, basil pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.
Prosciutto with Buffalo Mozzarella
Oven-toasted bread with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, olive oil and pesto.
Chorizo and Prawns
Prawns and Italian chorizo lightly cooked in garlic butter with caramelised onions, white wine and basil pesto.
Marinated Feta Cheese
Bowl of homemade marinated feta.
Marinated Olives
Bowl of homemade marinated mixed olives.
Garlic Bianca
Wood-fired baked pizza bread with garlic and mozzarella cheese.
Antipasti Plank (serves two)
Three Italian cured meats with mixed olives, stuffed peppers, capers, three Italian cheeses, grissini and olive oil.
Italian Bread Selection
Oven-toasted bread in olive oil, basil pesto, capsicum relish and salsa.
Arancini
Mushroom, spinach and Parmesan risotto balls crumbed and lightly fried, served with tomato sugo and basil pesto.
Miele e Ricotta
Creamy ricotta drizzled with golden honey, served alongside oven toasted bread
Insalate/Salad
For something light and refreshing
Traditional Italian Caesar Salad
Garden mix, focaccia croutons, oven-roasted chicken breast, bacon, Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, basil pesto and hazelnuts.
Giovanni's Italian Salad
Crunchy garden mix, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, stuffed red peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, ltalian dressing and a drizzling of basil pesto.
Fiorentina
Garden mix, olives, Gorgonzola cheese, bell pepper, Tuscan salami, hazelnuts, ltalian dressing and a splash of basil pesto.
L' Italia
Garden mix, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, buffalo mozzarella, focaccia croutons, seasonings and a drizzling of olive oil.
Green Salad
Rucola leaves, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, shaved Parmesan cheese and ltalian dressing.
Caprese
Sliced tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, Italian balsamic and basil pesto.
Pasta
Delicious, fresh and handmade
Ravioli
Served with Parmesan cheese and a choice of sauce:
Papperdelle al Ragu Guanciale
Homemade fresh papperdelle with traditional ragu of ground beef and pork cooked in red wine with plum tomatoes and herbs, topped with Parmesan cheese.
Tagliatelle Pasta
Served with shaved Parmesan and choice of sauce:
Spaghetti Siciliana
Freshly-made spaghetti pasta
Gnocchi
Homemade potato and Parmesan gnocchi tossed in either:
Secondi – Mains
Pollo Alla Parmigiana
Crumbed free-range chicken breast, oven-roasted then topped with Napoletana sauce and buffalo mozzarella, served on a bed of oven-roasted vegetables with basil pesto.
Giovanni's Lamb Shank
Italian-style slow-cooked Canterbury lamb shank with garlic and vegetables in red wine, served with oven-roasted vegetables and mint sauce.
Traditional Porchetta
Cooked old Roman style. Wood-fired roasted pork belly stuffed with sage, fennel, basil and Tuscan spices, served with oven-roasted vegetables, apple-and-fennel cream, and red wine jus.
Scotch Fillet (300g)
Traditional Italian-style steak cooked in a wood-fired oven to your choice, and served with herb roasted potatoes or wood-fired oven-roasted vegetables and a choice of blue cheese or mushroom sauce. For well-done steak please allow adequate time for cooking.
Lasagna Di Mamma Alda (Meat)
Thin layer of homemade pasta, bechamel sauce, ragu, Napoli sauce and melted mozzarella, served with green salad topped with pesto.
Pizza Della Casa
Freshly-made pizza dough baked in a brick pizza oven for a perfect crust. *Low gluten option available. Please note that gluten-free pizzas are cooked in the same oven as regular pizzas, so have to be classed as low gluten even though the gluten-free bases are bought separately.
Giovanni's Favourite
Tuscan salamis, Italian chorizo, porchetta, olives, capsicum, mozzarella, and Napoli sauce.
Traditional Margherita
Sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, boccacini, and Napoli sauce.
Pollo
Roasted chicken, spinach, onion, capsicum, pesto, mozzarella, Napoli sauce.
Alpina
Shaved Parmesan, mushroom, proscuitto, rucola, mozzarella, and Napoli sauce.
Porcino
Mushroom, capsicum, eggplant, spinach, mozzarella, and Napoli sauce.
Hawaiian
Ham, bacon, pineapple, mozzarella, and Napoli sauce.
Quattro Formagi – 4 Cheeses
Parmesan, Feta, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Napoli
Marinara
Shrimps, spinach, bacon, parmesan, mozzarella and Napoli sauce.
Calzone
Spinach, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and Napoli sauce, garnished with Parmesan and pesto.
Additional Toppings
Red onions, spinach, basil, olives, capsicum, pineapple, capers, and mushroom. – For online orders, please write in the notes which pizza you would like extra toppings for and which topping. For example- ‘Margherita with extra olives.’
Additional Toppings Primo
Mozzarella, prosciutto, chicken, salami, anchovies, ricotta, Italian chorizo, and bacon. – For online orders, please write in the notes which pizza you would like extra toppings for and which topping. For example- ‘Margherita with extra olives.’
Napoletana
Kalamata Olives, Anchovies, Mozarella, Napoli Sauce
Molta Carne
Italian Chorizo, Tuscan Salami, Bacon, Mozzarella, Napoli Sauce
Margherita
Fresh Basil, Buffalo Mozarella, Napoli Sauce
Picante
Roasted Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom, Mozarella, Napoli Sauce and a splash of pesto
San Marco
Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach, Red Onion, Mozarella, Napoli Sauce
Genovese
Porchetta, Spinach, Onion, Mozzarella, Napoli
Vegan
Marinated Olives
Succulent Kalamata and green Sicilian olives marinated with lemon, chili, garlic and rosemary.
Roasted Agria Potatoes
Oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary and Italian herbs.
House Salad of Garden Mix
Garden mix leaves, tomato, capsicum, red onion, black olives and Italian dressing, topped with vegan parmesan.
Vegan Pizzas ~ low-gluten option available
Made with heavenly Angel Food plant-based mozzarella and parmesan. *Please note that gluten-free pizzas are cooked in the same oven as regular pizzas, so have to be classed as low gluten even though the gluten-free bases are bought separately.
Angelo Margherita
Napoli sauce, fresh tomato, basil, olive oil and vegan mozzarella, garnished with vegan parmesan. Named in 1889 after Margherita, the queen consort of Italy, the colour of the toppings represent the Italian flag.
Ortolana vegan
Napoli sauce, baby spinach, fresh tomato, mushroom, olives, capsicum, and vegan mozzarella, garnished with vegan parmesan and arugula.
The Luciano
Napoli sauce, fresh Roma tomatoes, basil, chili, cracked black pepper and vegan mozzarella, garnished with vegan parmesan.
Porcino vegan
Napoli sauce, baby spinach, eggplant, capsicum, mushroom, basil pesto, and vegan mozzarella, garnished with vegan parmesan.
Dolci / Dessert
The perfect way to end your Italian dining experience
Tiramisu
Coffee-and-liqueur-infused biscuit with fresh mascarpone cream and a sprinkle of chocolate.
Pizza Nutella
Marshmallow, Nutella and chocolate sauce.
Non- Alcoholic Drinks
Ginger Beer
Kombucha
Lemon lime bitter
Sparkling water
Coke Range Products
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Most Juice Range
From Happy Menu members
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+ Log your visitHow prices compare
Against typical prices in Rotorua
- Margherita pizza Typical in Rotorua: $24.90 $29.50
- Tiramisu Typical in Rotorua: $18.00 $18.00
Around the corner
Within 1 km of Giovanni's
More Italian nearby
Within 10 km
