Da Giovanni Restaurant
1980 Da Giovanni ad in La PresseDa Giovanni, an iconic Italian restaurant in downtown Montreal, has served up hearty plates and a warm atmosphere for over 70 years. Opened in 1954 by the Poggi brothers— one of whom was the renowned Giovanni himself — the restaurant continues to welcome generations of regulars who grew up dining there. Even those who have never set foot inside often recall the restaurant’s catchy theme song, recorded in the 1950s by Montreal singer Yolanda Lisi, which featured in the restaurant’s famous ads and even on its website today.
Da Giovanni’s original Ste-Catherine location had all the charm of a classic diner, with red booths and tables, Italian-themed memorabilia (including a figurine of Giovanni as a chef on a bicycle) and stone-tiled walls. Chris-Ann Nakis and her father, Paul Nakis, were the restaurant’s last owners before its recent move, when they sold the restaurant rights to business developer Kiki Dranias. Chris-Ann began her journey in Da Giovanni’s kitchen “squeezing oranges at 7 o’clock in the morning” and worked her way up, eventually buying the restaurant with her father in 1985. For Chris-Ann, the beloved diner aesthetic was authentic and popular with guests. “The decor itself never changed,” she recalls, “the only thing is we added a mural on the wall. Nothing more serious than that.”
Short-order cooks in the middle of the action as diners look on (Montréal ce soir, 1988 [screenshot])
The food it typically served, known to be as excellent as it was affordable, remained virtually unchanged since the restaurant’s mid-century start. The North American-Italian menu featured all the classics: pizza, pasta, and hearty dishes like Veal scaloppini, alongside Québecois twists like poutine and pizza-ghetti. Chris-Ann is certain that the unwavering consistency of Da Giovanni’s quality fare played an important role in the restaurant’s longevity: “You knew you were going in, you were getting your pasta, your meatballs, whatever, your soft drink, and you were leaving. Not too complicated. It always tasted the same.” Even the recipes and suppliers remained the same over the decades— a winning formula for the loyal customers coming since childhood or their university days at the nearby Université de Montréal or UQÀM. The regulars often dined alongside celebrities: Québec icons like the singer Ginette Reno and the author Michel Tremblay could frequently be spotted enjoying a comforting meal. For many years, daily lineups famously stretched down the block to René Levesque, a scene confirmed both by Chris-Ann and a 1988 Radio-Canada news report on the phenomenon.
A 1970s Da Giovanni ad showing the ever-present lineup outside the restaurant (hifichet, 2010 [screenshot])
Above all, Da Giovanni was “a community place,” as Chris-Ann puts it. “You used to see the short order cooks in the windows serving up the pasta, and everybody would come by and hit the window and say hello,” she remembers fondly. The owners gave back, donating food across the city, including to local hospitals. Christmastime traditions were especially meaningful: Da Giovanni’s staff “used to take a couple of hundred turkeys every year and go up and down to houses wishing everybody a Merry Christmas.” In the lead-up to the holiday—the only day of the year that the restaurant closed— Santa Claus would stroll through the restaurant giving candies to kids and filling the place with Christmas spirit. These cherished traditions made Da Giovanni a second home for many in the community. As Chris-Anne reflects, the original family atmosphere “stood the test of time. One hundred percent.”
In 2021, the building complex that housed the original Da Giovanni restaurant for almost 60 years was authorized for demolition by the city to make way for a real estate project. This marked the end of an era at its longtime spot across from Square Berri. Today, Chris-Ann and Paul Nakis retain Da Giovanni’s wholesale operations, while Kiki Dranias continues to operate the restaurant in its new location, just down the street at 165 Ste Catherine St E. Despite its newer, sleeker look, the restaurant still serves up its beloved hand-tossed pizza and heaping plates of pasta.
In November 2020, Da Giovanni’s sign was recognized by the Ville-Marie borough as a point of heritage interest. Featuring the words “Da Giovanni”, “Pour Emporter,” and a little green moustache, it was a nostalgic landmark for countless Montrealers. Though the restaurant has found a new home, the original sign now lives with the Montreal Signs Project, a lasting symbol of the city’s culinary and cultural heritage.
Writing and research by Marie Bernard-Brind’Amour
Sources
Chapdelaine, B. (2023, May 23). Ancien Da Giovanni: Un projet immobilier bloqué faute d’entente avec une locataire. Radio-Canada; Radio-Canada.ca.
hifichet (Director). (2010a, September 21). Da Giovanni 2 (Publicité Québec) [Video recording].
hifichet (Director). (2010b, September 21). Publicité Québec Da Giovanni (Publicité Québec) [Video recording].
Le petit journal. (1965, May 30). La journée du 24 mai. Le Petit Journal.
Le restaurant Da Giovanni. (1988, November 14). [Broadcast]. In Montréal ce soir. Radio-Canada.
Pâris, M. (2016, April 25). Paul Nakis: Gentleman restaurateur. Voir.ca.
Robert Mailloux. (1986). 13 septembre 1986 (BAnQ Vieux-Montréal) [Graphic].
Spinner, S. F. (2022, December 6). Da Giovanni: A Montreal classic since 1954. Secret Food Tours.
Un départ fulgurant. (1999, September 25). Le Soleil.