Dining at Giovanni’s, Macdonald Aviemore Resort
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When we arrived at Giovanni’s restaurant in Aviemore’s Macdonald resort it was clearly recently refurbished. One touch I particularly liked were the photos of children munching on lasagne, sooking up spaghetti and licking the bowl clean, decorating the walls. You can eat here as a couple, you can dine as a group of friends but, as a parent, I knew my little ones were welcome as the photos said it all. They instantly put me at ease. We’d booked a table for 5.30pm so the restaurant was busy, lots of families, with a relaxed, informal atmosphere.
FOOD – When we rocked up to Giovanni’s we were on the fifth meal of our trip. I confess the previous meals my kids had eaten comprised of pizza, fish goujons and chips, sausages and beans, then thankfully some lentil soup so I was dreading to discover a stereotyped kids’ menu of junk food. At Giovanni’s we weren’t handed a children’s menu, instead we were told we could order anything off the main menu as a half portion, at half the price, for our tots. I was delighted. Normal food for my children to enjoy.
Our kids happily shared our caprese salad starters, you can’t go far wrong with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, then they ate their bodyweight of the Penne Alla Genovese which was basically a simple pasta with basil, parmesan, pine nuts and cream. This dish was a massive hit, our kids ate a LOT. We’d also ordered the Linguini Gamberi with prawns and cherry tomatoes as my toddler is currently intent on emptying the oceans of prawns. The menu did clearly say the dish contained chilli but whilst it was too spicy for our little ones I happily finished it off.
The children then had a scoop of ice-cream, we were on holiday after all, and I had a pretty mind-blowing tiramisu. It was Giovanni’s interpretation of tiramisu including a luscious zabaglione (egg yolk sauce) with chocolate chip chunks dotted through it as well as the signature coffee flavour. It really worked for me.
SERVICE – The restaurant was busy but service was swift. Yes, we naturally waited a little between courses but when Mr Baby decided it was time to take a walk around the restaurant nobody cared or batted an eyelid. He wasn’t the only baby doing this! At Giovanni’s you order drinks from the bar waiters and food from the restaurant waiters. Despite having a 50-50 chance of choosing the right person I never do – am I the only one? Mr Baby’s high chair was waiting for him when we arrived (rather than dad having to find a high chair and move the furniture around to make it fit whilst I hold onto two wriggling kids). A small detail like this is a nice touch when you book in advance, they know you’re coming and they know you’ve requested a high chair.
MEMORIES – My highlight of the night was overhearing a mother at the table next to me joking to her son to sit still and pretend he was enjoying himself. I laughed out loud and said we may very well be saying the same things to our unruly pair – all parents know what those moments feel like. Thankfully I can safely say both families ate well and had a relaxed evening.
The bottom line is that I’d happily make a point of eating at Giovanni’s the next time I’m in Aviemore. It’s probably not the cheapest Italian you’ll find in the town but with modern decor, good service, good food and a family friendly outlook it was exactly what we were looking for. And if you’re staying onsite it’s a bit of a no-brainer.
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It sounds like a great family friendly place to eat and that is sometimes hard to find!
Exactly. That’s why I like highlighting venues where all the family are welcome.
Looks delicious and like it was a lot of fun. It’s always good to be served quickly even if it’s busy, I hate waiting around!
I know. It’s nice not to be rushed in a restaurant but swift service is definitely a bonus.
This sounds like a great restaurant. My kids sound like yours, they don’t like the chicken nuggets and burger menus and want proper tasty food. We love going to restaurants where we can all enjoy a good meal.
My son currently loves prawns and mushrooms but he wouldn’t turn down chips, crisps, sausages and fish fingers:-) It’s just about variety and options.
I don’t have kids but I know we struggle when we take my nephew out and all they have are chicken nuggets. Great to find a restaurant that can cater for all.
Yes it’s all about balance whatever your age.
Oh this all looks delicious!! My kids are all about the chicken nuggets though! Ha!
So are mine, but not every meal! Nice to have a wee mix, and to have the choice.
It’s so rare to find family friendly restaurants that aren’t purely kiddie so this sounds like a great option to keep everyone happy.
Yes, you easily dine there as a group of friends for some informal Italian food, and later in the evening I’m sure a lot of couples have quite romantic evenings, but there was a great family vibe when we dined at 5.30pm.
This looks like a lovely family friendly restaurant! Will bookmark it for later!
Yes, it’s a good to have a thorough list of recommended places when you’re on the road!
I love that it is family friendly and you are right, you can never go wrong with a caprese salad x
So healthy and light, all the more room for tiramisu!
That looks perfect, love that the kids get normal ,meals
They love traditional kids menus too but after a few days away it can get a bit much so a ‘normal’ meal is a refreshing change.
I love love places that do half portions of real food. Sometime it’s so dull with the constant chicken nuggets isn’t it? And swift service is just so important with small ones. It looks like a great place to go!
Yes, I never return to places that take an absolute age to serve customers, whether I’ve got the kids or not. And half portions are such a tempting idea for kids.
I think more restaurants should be like this and offer half price food for kids. Plus Tiramisu is my absolute fave so I would love me some.
It’s such an obvious idea isn’t it! You’d think it would be less work too.
Its really difficult finding family friendly places to eat, we haven’t found one yet where we live this sounds fantastic.
In some ways it shouldn’t be difficult to be ‘family friendly’. It’s mainly about being nice, and welcoming. We felt very comfortable in Aviemore, hopefully you’ll find somewhere near you soon.
The food sounds and looks great. Good to know such restaurant exist.
It sounds like a lovely night out and that tiramisu! Oh my…
I felt quite spoiled 🙂
The restaurant looks fab and the food delish. All this time I thought food for kids is half-priced, I cant believe that is not. x