From what I read on Yelp, I was expecting a great meal. From the standpoint of an experience, Ristorante Giuseppe is fantastic. It is a tiny family-owned place with an unforgettable wait staff. Also, it's BYOB with no corkage fee, which is a huge plus in my eyes. It feels like you're dining in someone's house, great family atmosphere. \n\nThe menu is very simple, your classical Italian fare. Priced at about $15 an entree, I expected excellent food. I had the cioppino and was very disappointed. Granted, I spend half my time in the Bay Area and have access to the freshest seafood. Still, this was clearly average ingredients being used. Also, there was significantly too much pasta in my dish (as opposed to a true cioppino, which is more a seafood stew). My group also ordered the chicken parmigiana (again, decent but not great) and the pork ribs parmigiana (a very interesting dish I had not seen before). Also had the soup of the day which was excellent, the highlight of the food.\n\nThis is a good change of pace, a nice hole in the wall restaurant with a dedicated group of regulars who know the owners well. However, the food is not as good as one might expect from previous Yelp reviews. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I will not be returning anytime soon.\n\nAlso, it loses points from the shocking number of smokers right outside the restaurant. We ate outside, and several guests regularly took smoke breaks about 12 feet from our table. This was not the best complement to the dining experience.
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