This is a well established Italian restaurant that offers authentic food. We had a very friendly server and she was very professional. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Personally, I think inside of the restaurant needs some remodeling. It looks tired and outdated. However, the food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taglierini Verdi Con Gamberetti, Spaghetti Carbonara
Dante Guevara
I just left this restaurant moments ago so this review is hot off the press!I came here for my 9 year anniversary with the old ball and chain. The heavy set old school guy tells me that he gave my table away as soon as I walk in. Granted, I was a little on the late side because parking downtown Palo Alto is horrible. He makes up for it by getting us a table smack dab in the middle. Cool, I’ll give him some points there. Mind you, these points will be taken away at the end of this story.Or servers name was Violet. I only know because this is what our receipt had printed on this not because she built any rapport with us and introduced herself. She didn’t even acknowledged that we were there. After a few trips to the tables surrounded us, she came up to our table to take our order. No introduction, no “any drinks for the table?” spiel, nothing. She whipped out her dinner notepad like something you would see at a diner and said “You ready?” I knew from this moment is was all downhill. It was impossible trying to wave her down to get another Pinot Grigio. Our appetizer and salads came out in a timely manner but we waited over an hour to get our main pasta dishes. It felt like we were invisible. Other tables were getting their food way before us and they sat down way after us. I knew I was getting absolutely smoked on my 9 year anniversary.I gave the old school guy a shot in the front. He looked like the owner/manager on duty based on the way he held himself. We cracked some jokes about how my table was give. away and how my pasta was taking over an hour. I jokingly said “Hey man we’re STARVING over here!” I thought maybe he would take care of us. Our pasta finally came out, the waitress saw me escalate the issue to the head honcho. Suddenly, she was hovering around our table giving us some extra TLC. Or so I thought…She asked us if our food was ok and if everything was fine two times. She didn’t really care before I escalated the issue. She knew her goose was cooked. I go up to the big boss in front and told him about our experience. He said and I quote “Don’t worry about it I’ll take care of you.” I got the receipt back with nothing being taken care of. I paid the bill in full.This place thinks the world revolves around them because they have a corner spot in Downtown Palo Alto and they get some good foot traffic. Pasta was whatever and service was hot garbage.TLDR; I got smoked on my 9 year anniversary. I was invisible to the restaurant. My pasta came out 1 hour and 13 minutes late. I was told we were going to get taken care of and received $0.00 when the bill was due. Never going back again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Linguine Tutto Mare
B F
Watch out for extra tip added AFTER you sign the bill!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Leo Miao
the service is terrible, the waitress told us it's not appropriate to not order wine in the Italian restaurant. ??? And very rude when we were ordering the food.
Jim Burrmann
Excellent food and service as always!I should have ordered the Petrale Sole with the lemon and capers sauce "on-the-side". It's such a delicately flavored fish to be so overpowered and smothered.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Noel Kong
Great food, great service! Grazie :)Affogato was delicious! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carpaccio, Taglierini Verdi Con Gamberetti
Artemis Tadjiki
Exploring the town and went to try a new place. The girl at the front didn't acknowledge us waiting for a table even though she clearly saw us. Asked us what we needed as if this was a first time she ever saw ppl waiting for a table. We asked for a table and then it just went downhill from there with her rude attitude. Long story short, we didn't eat there. If the hostess doesn't make you feel welcome, we don't need to eat there. Found another restaurant across the street called Nola where we were greeted warmly and were happy to spend our money there on a big dinner! Welcome to palo alto I guess?
Service: 1
EatOutTooOften
Food and service were excellent! Francesco was our server – very attentive, timing was perfect, never felt rushed, and great personality/perfect temperament for a server. We started with the Insalata Osteria, and Francesco offered an alternative to the dressing to accommodate my food allergy. For our main dish, I ordered the Linguine Tutto Mare and my husband ordered the Linguine alle Vongole, clams with red sauce. Both dishes were flavorful and very generous portions. I couldn't eat all of mine as it was a lot of food! We shared the Cream Caramella flan for dessert. It was just the right amount of sweetness and a very light custard to finish off the meal. We would certainly go back if we were in the area again.
Elena Baruah
Great atmosphere, but disappointed with the food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Steve Faust
Osteria is a restaurant that we have been to many times, but have not been to for a number of years. We ate there early on Valentines Day to avoid the rush. The Pollo al Marsala, Agnolotti di Manzo and Cream Caramella were all excellent. The Insalata Caesar was mediocre at best (way too much vinegar), and the minestrone soup disappointing. Service was attentive and friendly, but the proposed corkage fee of $45 seemed totally inappropriate. Parking is convenient at the City structure across the street.
The staff were all so personable, helpful, and fun! The food and ambience were amazing! Like a small authentic restaurant in Italy! Had the pesto gnocchi, chicken marsala, and tiramisu. All were fabulous!
Anthony
Went for my partner's birthday dinner/date night and it was really nice. The service was really good and the food was as well. It's a smaller restaurant which made it feel more intimate as well. Staff was very attentive and the price felt fair given the quality and proportions.
Dandana57
Food is very good, but the tables are too small especially for four people. Attitude of the staff was exceptionally pushy wanting to move us along and remove our plates while we were still eating. Most pushy was the hostess who literally wanted to force the desert menu on us before we asked for it. They were in a hurry to turn over tables and very aggressive about it. There are plenty of good Italian restaurants, I won't go back.
LizA
Osteria has been a favorite of ours for many years. The food is always delicious and very consistent. At our last visit the service was slow and it seemed the focus was on delivery, but this time the service was exceptional. You need to make a reservation now which requires a deposit. That's is fine since we know we will always enjoy the meal. The manager is super friendly and we believe he has made a positive difference in the service. Delicious food no matter if you order the special, pasta or a main entree, is always perfection.
Foodie
This is a lovely authentic Italian restaurant. I had the ossobuco, it was delicious! During the summer we love sitting outside. Definitely one of our favourite restaurants in the bay area!
This is a well established Italian restaurant that offers authentic food. We had a very friendly server and she was very professional. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Personally, I think inside of the restaurant needs some remodeling. It looks tired and outdated. However, the food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taglierini Verdi Con Gamberetti, Spaghetti Carbonara
I just left this restaurant moments ago so this review is hot off the press!I came here for my 9 year anniversary with the old ball and chain. The heavy set old school guy tells me that he gave my table away as soon as I walk in. Granted, I was a little on the late side because parking downtown Palo Alto is horrible. He makes up for it by getting us a table smack dab in the middle. Cool, I’ll give him some points there. Mind you, these points will be taken away at the end of this story.Or servers name was Violet. I only know because this is what our receipt had printed on this not because she built any rapport with us and introduced herself. She didn’t even acknowledged that we were there. After a few trips to the tables surrounded us, she came up to our table to take our order. No introduction, no “any drinks for the table?” spiel, nothing. She whipped out her dinner notepad like something you would see at a diner and said “You ready?” I knew from this moment is was all downhill. It was impossible trying to wave her down to get another Pinot Grigio. Our appetizer and salads came out in a timely manner but we waited over an hour to get our main pasta dishes. It felt like we were invisible. Other tables were getting their food way before us and they sat down way after us. I knew I was getting absolutely smoked on my 9 year anniversary.I gave the old school guy a shot in the front. He looked like the owner/manager on duty based on the way he held himself. We cracked some jokes about how my table was give. away and how my pasta was taking over an hour. I jokingly said “Hey man we’re STARVING over here!” I thought maybe he would take care of us. Our pasta finally came out, the waitress saw me escalate the issue to the head honcho. Suddenly, she was hovering around our table giving us some extra TLC. Or so I thought…She asked us if our food was ok and if everything was fine two times. She didn’t really care before I escalated the issue. She knew her goose was cooked. I go up to the big boss in front and told him about our experience. He said and I quote “Don’t worry about it I’ll take care of you.” I got the receipt back with nothing being taken care of. I paid the bill in full.This place thinks the world revolves around them because they have a corner spot in Downtown Palo Alto and they get some good foot traffic. Pasta was whatever and service was hot garbage.TLDR; I got smoked on my 9 year anniversary. I was invisible to the restaurant. My pasta came out 1 hour and 13 minutes late. I was told we were going to get taken care of and received $0.00 when the bill was due. Never going back again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Linguine Tutto Mare
Watch out for extra tip added AFTER you sign the bill!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
the service is terrible, the waitress told us it's not appropriate to not order wine in the Italian restaurant. ??? And very rude when we were ordering the food.
Excellent food and service as always!I should have ordered the Petrale Sole with the lemon and capers sauce "on-the-side". It's such a delicately flavored fish to be so overpowered and smothered.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, great service! Grazie :)Affogato was delicious! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carpaccio, Taglierini Verdi Con Gamberetti
Exploring the town and went to try a new place. The girl at the front didn't acknowledge us waiting for a table even though she clearly saw us. Asked us what we needed as if this was a first time she ever saw ppl waiting for a table. We asked for a table and then it just went downhill from there with her rude attitude. Long story short, we didn't eat there. If the hostess doesn't make you feel welcome, we don't need to eat there. Found another restaurant across the street called Nola where we were greeted warmly and were happy to spend our money there on a big dinner! Welcome to palo alto I guess?
Service: 1
Food and service were excellent! Francesco was our server – very attentive, timing was perfect, never felt rushed, and great personality/perfect temperament for a server. We started with the Insalata Osteria, and Francesco offered an alternative to the dressing to accommodate my food allergy. For our main dish, I ordered the Linguine Tutto Mare and my husband ordered the Linguine alle Vongole, clams with red sauce. Both dishes were flavorful and very generous portions. I couldn't eat all of mine as it was a lot of food! We shared the Cream Caramella flan for dessert. It was just the right amount of sweetness and a very light custard to finish off the meal. We would certainly go back if we were in the area again.
Great atmosphere, but disappointed with the food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Osteria is a restaurant that we have been to many times, but have not been to for a number of years. We ate there early on Valentines Day to avoid the rush. The Pollo al Marsala, Agnolotti di Manzo and Cream Caramella were all excellent. The Insalata Caesar was mediocre at best (way too much vinegar), and the minestrone soup disappointing. Service was attentive and friendly, but the proposed corkage fee of $45 seemed totally inappropriate. Parking is convenient at the City structure across the street.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Marsala
Restaurantji Recommends
The staff were all so personable, helpful, and fun! The food and ambience were amazing! Like a small authentic restaurant in Italy! Had the pesto gnocchi, chicken marsala, and tiramisu. All were fabulous!
Went for my partner's birthday dinner/date night and it was really nice. The service was really good and the food was as well. It's a smaller restaurant which made it feel more intimate as well. Staff was very attentive and the price felt fair given the quality and proportions.
Food is very good, but the tables are too small especially for four people. Attitude of the staff was exceptionally pushy wanting to move us along and remove our plates while we were still eating. Most pushy was the hostess who literally wanted to force the desert menu on us before we asked for it. They were in a hurry to turn over tables and very aggressive about it. There are plenty of good Italian restaurants, I won't go back.
Osteria has been a favorite of ours for many years. The food is always delicious and very consistent. At our last visit the service was slow and it seemed the focus was on delivery, but this time the service was exceptional. You need to make a reservation now which requires a deposit. That's is fine since we know we will always enjoy the meal. The manager is super friendly and we believe he has made a positive difference in the service. Delicious food no matter if you order the special, pasta or a main entree, is always perfection.
This is a lovely authentic Italian restaurant. I had the ossobuco, it was delicious! During the summer we love sitting outside. Definitely one of our favourite restaurants in the bay area!