Giant Artichoke Restaurant - Castroville, California

kv J.

This was our first pit stop for our great American trip, which started from San Fransisco along with our family.
Had proper American style lunch with club sandwitch and creamy soup.
The lady at the counter had pleasant smile and us served as well.
Portions were huge we had to pack half of it.
The place is neat and tidy and have clean washroom.
They also have plenty of parking in front.

Skill C.

This is a nostalgic place for us. It has diner food with some artichoke twists. We go for the fried artichoke hearts, and even 20 years later, they never disappoint!! If you dine in, ask to be seated in the covered patio. The orchids and hanging plants are gorgeous and you can bring your dog in there.

Town T.

First time trying our a variety of dishes from Artichoke, and they are all good! The owner is very nice, and he told us that as he was growing up, artichoke was not a popular dish in a Mexican community, but he managed to reinvent and create more delicious food from this vegetable.

Courtney M.

I wanted it to be amazing but it was just ok. I love artichokes. It was definitely kind of campy which I liked but the restaurant felt like it hadn't been updated since the 1980s. It reminded me of an old school pizza hut inside. I ordered the artichoke sampler which is where I went wrong. It seemed to have been previously frozen and most everything was fried. Thr fire roasted artichoke was my favorite. I probably should have just ordered that and cream of artichokes soup and/,or a steamed artichoke to keep everything as close to its natural state as possible. My family ordered chicken strips and fries and said their food was ok- all definitely frozen food that was friend to order. I'm really glad I came but would probably not come back, or if I did, would order very differently next time.

Donna L.

This was such a fun place to stop. We ordered a little bit of everything to try out. I really liked the artichoke soup and the artichoke bread. Everything else was a bit disappointing, but still okay. I would have liked to have melted butter for the boiled artichoke.

Overall, it was fun. The owner is so friendly. It is definitely worth a stop if you love artichokes.

Rob H.

Another visit another great bowl 🥣 of creamy artichoke soup 😋

Bring your jackets inside as it's a bit chilly inside, a bowl of hot 🔥 creamy artichoke soup really hits the spot.

Good food, service and prices, plenty of parking and seating, atmosphere is retro and needs some TLC. Artichoke heart ♥ soup was very good, medium thickness, not salty and a nice flavor.

Craig P.

This old diner felt like a must experience in artichoke country but the reality was tepid. The empty parking lot was a hint, the empty dining room was another hint. We were pleasantly greeted and encouraged to sit anywhere we liked and we reviewed the well prepared menus. We ordered a side of deep fried artichoke heart, angel hair pasta and artichoke cream soup. The soup was excellent, the angel hair in an oil and vinegar sauce was unimpressive and the deep fried appetizer was likely fried in old oil at too low a temp and swiftly led to an upset stomach.

A R.

Let's start with the positives:
The cupcake was great. I could have eaten another. The deep fried artichoke were pretty good, but lacking in creativity. It's just artichoke in batter, deep fried, and served with bottle ranch. The fire roasted artichoke was ok.
Now the negative:
The pizza and nachos... Bad. Let's call these "bachelor food". The pizza crust tasted IDENTICAL to totinos freezer pizza in flavor and texture. The sauce was...canned tomatoes? Canned olives, canned jalapenos. Lots and lots of cheese, but it didn't help. The artichokes were the only thing worth eating.
The banks were canned queso, canned tomatoes, canned jalapenos. There's no love in this dish. No thought.
Open can, pour on chips. Next.

Maybe I just got unlucky in what I ordered but I almost felt insulted at how poor quality the food was.