Papa Gianni's Ristorante

Nice interior for a strip mall, good menu selection, decent service with a bunch of employees on hand. I would call it authentic Italian food at fair prices. The food was a little salty. But what was completely off-putting was that the manicotti was cold inside when served! It appears they make these dishes earlier in the day and then heat them up prior to service, which is not so bad IF IT IS ACTUALLY heated correctly. Major Fail by the cook/chef. If not for the cold food I would have given it a four. We will try again and I will update. more

We thought the food was good enough, but not a place we'd go for a special night out. Great place to go for a regular evening though. Okay meat sauce. Pretty tasty garlic bread and meatballs. Good linguini with clams, but not great. Very nice atmosphere, pleasant wait staff. Okay for kids; they have a kids menu, but it's not really geared toward kids (no cups with lids or plastic cups, for example). Really comfy booths. Pros: nice ambience, good food Cons: nothing outstanding more

After living in San Francisco and enjoying the best of North Beach for ten years what a FIND!! We finally we found Pappa's after struggling with the lack of quality dining in this area!! This is a truly authentic italian restaurant! Pappa oversees the operation on a daily basis. The entrance walls are covered with the generations of family that have built and created the incredible dishes that they serve on a nightly basis. Never once have we been disappointed. We go there for every occasion, birthdays, holidays, to show company you can have fine italian in the foothills. This has been our kids favorite restaurant for years they are now 9 & 11, and they always choose Pappa's for their birthday dinners. We are thrilled Strings and Macaroni Grill where all the dishes taste the same, are not on our list of good eats in this area!! Pros: FOOD OF COURSE, Fruta De Mar, MichaelAngleo, garlic bread anything...service incredible! more

The place was recommended by a family friend who had not visited - but heard that it was a great Italian restaurant. The service was very slow, the chef was unwilling to accommodate a simple request for a child (meatball sandwhich for dinner when on lunch menu), both servings of penne pasta were ice cold, and the meatballs were the worst I've ever tasted. When we went to leave there was an 18% gratuity on the bill for a family of 6 - and we were charged $2 for a small cup of marinara sauce for the kids to dip their bread into. The best thing about our meal was the creamy italian dressing and our departing the resturant with no intentions of ever returning. This is not a ""find"" in Cameron Park - stick to String's off El Dorado Hills instead. Pros: Creamy Italian Dressing Cons: Everything Else more

I have been to Papa Gianni's Ristorante for many occasions and I have never been disappointed by their food... more

I have been to Papa Gianni's Ristorante for many occasions and I have never been disappointed by their food or service. The first time I went there... more

WOW! What a rare find! Someone suggested we try this italian restauarant up in Cameron Park and although I had my doubts I was pleasantly surprised to have not only the best italian meal I've had in a long time but this was the first time my stuck up italian family didn't complain about something. They were so mesmerized by the food and phenomenal service that I was actually able to enjoy my meal because they weren't talking, just eating. How many times do you go to a restaurant and find at least one thing they could improve on. Not this time, everything was fantastic, I had the veal marsala, and I can't wait to have it again. The calamari is the best I've ever had. My husband had the pasta with clams and not only are the portions huge but it's so darn good you eat it all. So for all you people who think that you can only get good italian food in North beach think again. This is the real deal! Pros: Great parking, Great service, great menu more