Our party of three enjoyed our experience at Caffe Riace. We were surprised that it wasn't that busy for a Saturday night, but it was rainy. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are inviting. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. I highly recommend that you try this restaurant for delicious Italian cuisine.
VesnaM
Cafe Riace is the best Italian restaurant in Palo Alto. The food is amazing and the outdoor seating is very romantic. Great for date night or family time. It takes you away to the heart of Europe ❤️ ?? ❤️
sandhya rao
We ordered Penne Pasta for Entree and the taste was not good at all. Appetizer was good --- we ordered a dish with fried eggplant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
BobMc
We had first been here about 12 years ago and loved the place. Wanting to FINALLY return, we checked out the reviews. While Open Table had them at 4.5, other services (Yelp, Google) were less favorable. So we weren't sure what to expect. The outdoor patio was as beautiful as ever, although it was too cold to eat outside. We ate in a beautiful and, sadly, uncrowded, interior dining room. The food was excellent and the service perfect. Highlights included a great Caesar salad, perfectly chilled and dressed, with nicely and very much present and balanced anchovy. Raves went to a falling-off-the-bone lamb shank as well as to the chicken picatta and scampi pasta specials. The complimentary foccccia could NOT have been more delicious. Lots of indoor seating was available for a Saturday night (clearly the outdoor setting in more favorable weather is a place to be). We'd suggest you take advantage of it! One piece of advice: Don't hesitate to ask someone to ensure the door to the patio, which the servers unfortunately have to use, remains closed as much as possible when it's cold out. Staff are happy to comply! Oh, and no cocktails, but very reasonable wine by the glass offerings.
GFOOD
Food is great at Cafe Riaci. Soup appetizer was really delicious and that was on the house. But the beet salad and other appetizers were great especially the eggplant. The entrees of salmon and veal were excellent. Portions are nice. It's a beautiful restaurant. But the server has to you outside to the kitchen. They should have an internal passageway to the kitchen from the main dining room. Overall Cafe Riaci is a great and beautiful restaurant.
JAM0
I'm so glad Cafe Riace is again open for lunch. The waiter was absolutely wonderful and brought us a free bowl of delicious minestrone soup to warm us up on a cold and rainy day. Very considerate and much appreciated. My friend and I both had pasta dishes which were excellent. We split a salad which was also good. The wines the waiter recommended were great and they had a nice selection of Italian wines. ' We both noted how much more reasonably priced Cafe Riace was vs other similarly nice restaurants. We'll certainly be back and are looking forward to being able to dine outside again in their beautiful courtyard.
Chloe Taylor
Nice place to dine with lovely options. The entrees are a little small though, so be sure to load up on appetizers!Vegetarian options: There were several vegetarian options and they were well labeled and very delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
VickiB
Three of us went for lunch. Be prepared, because the portions are enormous, especially the specials. If you order a special you get soup which is enough for two people; the minestrone is excellent. Delicious gnocchi which is difficult to find. Exceptional. One sister ordered it as an appetizer and it was enough for 5. I had a special pasta with prawns which was light, light pasta sauce with prawns that had been seasoned perfectly. One sister had the special lamb shank which she loved. My other sister had the chicken marsala and took most of it home for dinner because she had why too much gnocchi. We had cannoli, and loved the filling. They could dispense with the chocolate sauce because we just love the filling without the sauce.
Fred S.
The free bread and the salads were excellent. They were out of one of the wines and one of the dessert. My wife asked to substitute shrimp for clams in the pasta and uncharge was $6 per shrimp, right per shrimp. She opted for the standard, vongole, which was fine. The main courses were all good, but a bit too oily. Still we had a great time.
Pauline P.
If you're going to this place look for Sean! He is the best! Great customer service and he will definitely take care of you. Amazing food as well!
Nice place for dinner.Must try the penne norma, our eternal favorite. Love the people and the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rita A.
Caffe Riace is a terrific find. It's hidden on a quiet street close to downtown Palo Alto, with dedicated parking right across the street. We hosted a dinner for 10 guests. To a person, everyone was wowed by the evening. The food was nothing short of terrific -- delicious and generous. You could taste the freshness of their ingredients. I'm Italian and have annoyingly high restaurant standards, which Caffe Riace exceeded. The courses just kept coming, all excellent. The servers were knowledgable and very pleasant. It was a great evening we won't soon forget.
Jason M.
I was at Caffe Riace for a group function. The setting is fantastic. The food was excellent (I had the gnocchi al pesto...delicious, though nobody could possibly surpass my nonna's gnocchi). The service was very good. A delightful experience as a background to a great event. Mille grazie!
Always LOVE this spectacular restaurant. The ambiance, food and service is always outstanding. The food portions are generous and beautifully presented. Delicious, fresh food and lots of options on menu. We will keep coming back again and again!!
Amanda R.
The lasagna here is heavenly! We ordered this after it was recommended by the owner and it was fully devoured despite its large size. I also really enjoyed the arancini appetizer. The calamari appetizer was okay, I'd rather eat more arancini or try another app next time. The service was great, we asked to make a pasta dish spicy and were brought a side of a family recipe spicy oil that my husband loved. There's also a beautiful fountain and patio dining area outside if the weather is nice enough.
Our party of three enjoyed our experience at Caffe Riace. We were surprised that it wasn't that busy for a Saturday night, but it was rainy. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are inviting. The food was delicious and the service was top notch. I highly recommend that you try this restaurant for delicious Italian cuisine.
Cafe Riace is the best Italian restaurant in Palo Alto. The food is amazing and the outdoor seating is very romantic. Great for date night or family time. It takes you away to the heart of Europe ❤️ ?? ❤️
We ordered Penne Pasta for Entree and the taste was not good at all. Appetizer was good --- we ordered a dish with fried eggplant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
We had first been here about 12 years ago and loved the place. Wanting to FINALLY return, we checked out the reviews. While Open Table had them at 4.5, other services (Yelp, Google) were less favorable. So we weren't sure what to expect. The outdoor patio was as beautiful as ever, although it was too cold to eat outside. We ate in a beautiful and, sadly, uncrowded, interior dining room. The food was excellent and the service perfect. Highlights included a great Caesar salad, perfectly chilled and dressed, with nicely and very much present and balanced anchovy. Raves went to a falling-off-the-bone lamb shank as well as to the chicken picatta and scampi pasta specials. The complimentary foccccia could NOT have been more delicious. Lots of indoor seating was available for a Saturday night (clearly the outdoor setting in more favorable weather is a place to be). We'd suggest you take advantage of it! One piece of advice: Don't hesitate to ask someone to ensure the door to the patio, which the servers unfortunately have to use, remains closed as much as possible when it's cold out. Staff are happy to comply! Oh, and no cocktails, but very reasonable wine by the glass offerings.
Food is great at Cafe Riaci. Soup appetizer was really delicious and that was on the house. But the beet salad and other appetizers were great especially the eggplant. The entrees of salmon and veal were excellent. Portions are nice. It's a beautiful restaurant. But the server has to you outside to the kitchen. They should have an internal passageway to the kitchen from the main dining room. Overall Cafe Riaci is a great and beautiful restaurant.
I'm so glad Cafe Riace is again open for lunch. The waiter was absolutely wonderful and brought us a free bowl of delicious minestrone soup to warm us up on a cold and rainy day. Very considerate and much appreciated. My friend and I both had pasta dishes which were excellent. We split a salad which was also good. The wines the waiter recommended were great and they had a nice selection of Italian wines. ' We both noted how much more reasonably priced Cafe Riace was vs other similarly nice restaurants. We'll certainly be back and are looking forward to being able to dine outside again in their beautiful courtyard.
Nice place to dine with lovely options. The entrees are a little small though, so be sure to load up on appetizers!Vegetarian options: There were several vegetarian options and they were well labeled and very delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Three of us went for lunch. Be prepared, because the portions are enormous, especially the specials. If you order a special you get soup which is enough for two people; the minestrone is excellent. Delicious gnocchi which is difficult to find. Exceptional. One sister ordered it as an appetizer and it was enough for 5. I had a special pasta with prawns which was light, light pasta sauce with prawns that had been seasoned perfectly. One sister had the special lamb shank which she loved. My other sister had the chicken marsala and took most of it home for dinner because she had why too much gnocchi. We had cannoli, and loved the filling. They could dispense with the chocolate sauce because we just love the filling without the sauce.
The free bread and the salads were excellent. They were out of one of the wines and one of the dessert. My wife asked to substitute shrimp for clams in the pasta and uncharge was $6 per shrimp, right per shrimp. She opted for the standard, vongole, which was fine. The main courses were all good, but a bit too oily. Still we had a great time.
If you're going to this place look for Sean! He is the best! Great customer service and he will definitely take care of you. Amazing food as well!
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice place for dinner.Must try the penne norma, our eternal favorite. Love the people and the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Caffe Riace is a terrific find. It's hidden on a quiet street close to downtown Palo Alto, with dedicated parking right across the street. We hosted a dinner for 10 guests. To a person, everyone was wowed by the evening. The food was nothing short of terrific -- delicious and generous. You could taste the freshness of their ingredients. I'm Italian and have annoyingly high restaurant standards, which Caffe Riace exceeded. The courses just kept coming, all excellent. The servers were knowledgable and very pleasant. It was a great evening we won't soon forget.
I was at Caffe Riace for a group function. The setting is fantastic. The food was excellent (I had the gnocchi al pesto...delicious, though nobody could possibly surpass my nonna's gnocchi). The service was very good. A delightful experience as a background to a great event. Mille grazie!
Always LOVE this spectacular restaurant. The ambiance, food and service is always outstanding. The food portions are generous and beautifully presented. Delicious, fresh food and lots of options on menu. We will keep coming back again and again!!
The lasagna here is heavenly! We ordered this after it was recommended by the owner and it was fully devoured despite its large size. I also really enjoyed the arancini appetizer. The calamari appetizer was okay, I'd rather eat more arancini or try another app next time. The service was great, we asked to make a pasta dish spicy and were brought a side of a family recipe spicy oil that my husband loved. There's also a beautiful fountain and patio dining area outside if the weather is nice enough.