Bianca by Giovi is the newest ristorante from the Giovi Fine Food family, set in the heart of Arrowtown on historic Buckingham Street. It is a cozy, welcoming space where the authentic flavours of Italy come to life in every dish — the same beloved Italian cooking that made the group's Queenstown venues a fixture, crafted with care, tradition and only the finest ingredients.
The menu leans on the fundamentals: pasta and focaccia made fresh daily with high-grade flour, free-range eggs and extra virgin olive oil; handmade pasta and ravioli; a classic lasagna built on a rich sauce of slow-cooked Angus beef; and perfectly baked pizza. Everything follows the group's philosophy — always fresh, in season and authentically Italian — with premium imported products from Italy alongside the best local produce.
To drink, there is a carefully curated selection of Italy's finest wines and beers, including fine Italian wine served directly from the founder family's own vineyard, La Montina. The team's work has been recognised in the Michelin Guide.
With its spacious outdoor seating area, Bianca is the perfect setting to unwind in the square — a crisp glass of wine, a cold beer, a plate of fresh pasta as the charming streetscape goes by. Bookings are highly recommended. Bianca is open Thursday to Monday, 12pm–3pm and 4pm–8pm, and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Bianca by Giovi sits on Buckingham Street, the historic main strip at the heart of Arrowtown's charming streetscape. It is the newest ristorante from the Giovi Fine Food family — a cozy, welcoming room where the authentic flavours of Italy come to life in every dish, paired with one of the town's most inviting terraces, spilling out onto the square.
The promise is the same one that has carried the group since 2020: comfort dining, relaxed and delicious, made from the finest ingredients and, as they put it, love. Bianca continues the legacy of Giovi's venues, offering the same beloved authentic Italian dishes in a smaller, Arrowtown-sized setting.
Bianca is the work of Giovanna, founder of Giovi Fine Food, who grew up in the food and hospitality industry. Her family ran a successful food business dating back to the sixties, and many of her close relatives own and operate successful food and wine businesses throughout Italy today. That inheritance shows in everything here — traditional methods, extra time taken, and great attention to detail.
Giovanna opened her first shop a few months before COVID-19, a challenging start she weathered with a dedicated team and an unwavering focus on quality and service. The group has since grown to four restaurants: Giovi and Farelli's in Queenstown, Bambina in Wānaka, and Bianca in Arrowtown — each showcasing the freshest local produce alongside premium imports direct from Italy.
Pasta is the backbone of the menu, and it is the real thing. Pasta and focaccia bread are made fresh daily with high-grade flour, free-range eggs and extra virgin olive oil. You'll find handmade pasta and ravioli, a classic lasagna built on a rich sauce of slow-cooked Angus beef, and other specialties prepared with recipes rooted in tradition. Pizza earns its place too — authentic, perfectly baked, and very much at home on an outdoor table beside a cold beer.
The kitchen's philosophy mirrors the group's: always fresh, in season and authentically Italian. Sourcing the best ingredients takes time and dedication, and the team handles that with passion, complementing local produce with premium imported products from Italy.
Drinks are no afterthought. Bianca pours a carefully curated selection of Italy's finest wines and beers — and among them sits something genuinely personal: fine Italian wine served directly from the family's own vineyard, La Montina. Ordering a glass is about as close as most of us will get to drinking at a vintner's own table in Italy.
The quiet work in the kitchen has drawn attention well beyond Arrowtown. The Bianca team has been recognised in the Michelin Guide — a distinction that sits comfortably beside the loyalty of regulars, one of whom put it simply: there's no need to go to Italy for authentic Italian food.
Bianca serves lunch and dinner across two sessions — 12pm to 3pm and 4pm to 8pm, Thursday through Monday, closing Tuesday and Wednesday. Bookings are highly recommended: the indoor room is cozy rather than cavernous, and it fills. When the weather is kind, the spacious outdoor seating area is the prize — one of the roomiest perches on the street, and an ideal spot to unwind in the square with a crisp glass of wine, a cold beer or a plate of fresh pasta.
Between the historic setting, the handmade pasta and the family wine, an hour at Bianca tends to stretch pleasantly into two. That is rather the point: this is a table built for savouring, and a true taste of Italy in the middle of Arrowtown.