Giovanni's Fresh Fish Market and Galley

Open daily from 9:00am - 6:00pm

Ah Giovanni's. When you're hungry for fried oysters, there's just no other place. Giovanni's offers a unique approach to bayside dining with an outside window for ordering and picking up your meal (one of two in town). There are a good number of outdoor tables available, thanks to the remodel completed this summer (no inside dining here). The line can be quite long and you may have to wait some time for your food. However, the many seagulls and pigeons walking around should tell you that it's worth the wait.

The fish and chips at Giovanni's are quite good and the menu is flexible allowing a price reduction for an order without chips, and offering fish priced by the piece. I have never been able to stomach raw oysters, but when friends came to visit over Christmas last year they convinced me to try a bite of fried oyster at Giovanni's. I was amazed. Never before had I tasted the perfect blend of ocean depths and batter. I have since ordered them by the piece, finding that four is too many and one is not enough. Now if raw oysters are your thing, Giovanni's offers them at $1.50 a piece, $7.50 for a half dozen and $14.00 for a dozen.

Giovanni's has delicious fish tacos available with cod, halibut or salmon. There are also tasty seafood wraps and quesadillas. Other menu items include seafood and land-lovers sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, corndogs, chili, and seafood salads and cocktails. The clam chowder used to be our favorite, but we were disappointed twice last winter and haven't had the nerve to try it again.

Another wonderful experience we have had, thanks to Giovanni's, is eating fresh crab. For our anniversary last spring, my husband and I purchased "matching" live crabs from the outdoor tank (they both had all their legs). We watched intently as the gentleman from inside bagged our crabs and submerged them in the giant outdoor steampot. Emotions aside, the steam escaping the pot smelled fabulous. It took about 20 minutes of watching people get their food and walk away happy before our crabs were done. The price included cleaning the crabs and plenty of butter sauce. They offered to remove the meat for us, but where's the fun in that?! It was an extremely messy and tasty meal that I hope to make an annual tradition.

Giovanni's is a great place for families to eat. The menu prices are reasonable ranging from $1.50 to $9.99. The dining atmosphere is very casual, welcoming kids and pets alike. You won't have to worry about your child pulling off the white tablecloth and using the correct fork. (You may have to ask them to stop chasing the seagulls and sit down and eat.) Before you leave Giovanni's be sure to walk around the deck to the water and watch the seals. Evening time finds them most active. And keep your leftovers to yourself - it's against the law to feed these barking mammals.

Kids' Opinion: "I just love the hotdogs. The fish is pretty good if you like that kind of thing. Great view! Sometimes the seals are right there barking their heads off - that makes it fun."

Giovanni's is located on the inside corner at 1001 Front Street in Morro Bay.