GianMarco's Restaurant

First off, I'd like to apologize for my pictures. I only had my iPhone for the occasion and the flash results never turn out very well.

For my birthday, a group of great friends surprised me with dinner at GianMarco's. The location make the place seem like a hole in the wall, and walking inside, I was surprised to see a bar section and a small restaurant section. The bar had a distinct smell of hard liquor and there were many people seated there snacking on appetizers such as calamari or crab legs while they downed their beers and mixed drinks. The olympics games were playing on the large TV screen in the room and everyone was mesmerized by it. The restaurant side of the place was small and cozy, giving off a comforting feel. Candles and bulbs from the kitchen provided most of the lighting in the restaurant.

My friends and I enjoyed the never ending bread baskets, which servers would replace as soon as the basket was approaching empty status. The bread consisted of an assortment of wheat and white bread; I don't think there was anything special about the bread, but we were all really hungry so it tasted delicious. There was a rosemary infused olive oil for us to dip the bread in, and we found ourselves eating several basketfuls- way more that we should have.

Never ending bread baskets

A friend ordered crab legs as an appetizer for everyone to share. They were accompanied with a garlic butter dipping sauce and fresh lemon. The dish looked simple, but the crab legs were really fresh and the sauce paired really well.

Crab Legs: $? 

For my entree I ordered one of the specials of the night. There were several specials, which our server took about fifteen minutes to explain. I'm still wondering how long it took for him to memorize it all! Though the bad quality from the pictures on my iPhone don't really give the food justice, the stuffed chicken was very juicy and flavorful. The seafood risotto was tasty as well and had a good ratio of rice and seafood. The seafood gumbo was a too salty for me but there was a good amount of seafood in the dish. 

Special Stuffed Chicken Breast over Seafood Risotto and Gumbo: $21

Everyone else really enjoyed their meals and the portions were very large. Leftovers for another meal were taken home by everyone. I would definitely come back to GianMarco's to try out different dishes.

GianMarco's Restaurant 

721 Broadway St
Birmingham, AL 35209

(205) 871-9622