Trattoria La Siciliana

07/09/08

Absolutely Brutal!

by CaptainSal

Was part of a party of eleven last evening. We were told that we could not order individually due to the kitchen only having four burners. The waiter was rude and when we asked if we could order individually, he brought one of the owners. She gave us the same song and dance. Quite rude. When we finally ordered, the food was poor at best. Several mistakes were made as well. To top it off, the place only takes cash and adds 20% for large parties even though the food and service were brutal. The place was quite busy which proves that there is a large group of consumers that just don't get good food. Never again! Check out some of the other poor reviews.

• Pros: none really
• Cons: food, staff, owners

07/09/08

Gritty Pesto. I am not kidding.

by intlbonvivant

I have been going to Trattoria La Siciliana for years--it was my favorite Italian restaurant in the Bay Area. Three years ago, I moved overseas. I would dream of the Gnocchi Alla Norma and the Pesto Penne, and couldn't wait for my yearly visit to Berkeley to partake of the wonderful food there.

After three years of fantasizing, I took my European partner and some friends to the Trattoria. I found the food not just mediocre, but completely inedible. The creamy, garlicky, flavorsome pesto I remembered was reduced to something resembling a gritty pea soup!! It felt and tasted like I was eating sand. When I notified the waitress, she said that perhaps the basil was not properly washed (which completely grosses me out already), and nicely offered to replace it. The second portion of pesto was exactly the same--absolutely inedible. I again complained to the waitress, who then offered something completely different. The Gnocchi Alla Norma she brought was hastily prepared, watery, and bland. We felt that because the restaurant messed up three times, we should at least be comped that dish, but we ended up paying for the whole thing.

I was very disappointed--the food was definitely not what I remembered!. My partner, who spent every summer in Italy, quipped that after living in Europe, I now know what proper Italian food tastes like! Despite the nice service we received, I don't think we would be returning to Trattoria La Siciliana again. But I will always remember it for all the great times I spent there with my girlfriends, and for the former glory of its food...

• Pros: Friendly service, great atmosphere, eccentric chef
• Cons: Crowded, inconsistent food, not good value for money

04/08/08

Awful, Over-rated, Hard To Believe It Is So Popular

by atombee

I think all the five-star reviews must be made by either paid PR people or diners who traveled in from Walnut Creek and, as such, know nothing about food.

I go by this place all the time, live in the neighborhood. There is always a crowd, usually young, out front.

The other night I was starving, walked by, it was very slow, so I thought I would see what the hubbub was about. I ordered a Cesar salad and a braised/roasted (not sure) lamb shank.

The salad dressing was almost pure vinegar, over salted, and barely edible. The lamb was dry and tough - and that is hard to do with lamb! Lambshank should be falling off the bone. I am a very good cook, and I love eating good food, but it was nowhere to be found that night. I have a friend who owns a biz in the same block. She is a better cook and bigger food-lover than me, and she panned the place when I asked, laughed when I told her I ignored her and dined there anyway.

The bill, with a bottle of water, came to $40 ... absolutely ridiculous. Of course, the food was so bad, any price would have been ridiculous. Want a much better meal for less than half that? Try Filippo. Or a much better meal for 3/4 that price? A Cote.

Trattoria La Siciliana is a friggin' JOKE.

• Pros: can't think of any.
• Cons: Overpriced bad food. Long waits many nights.