Filippo's Pastaria

02/14/03

Too many menu changes

by Meower

Actually we have eaten there at least 15 times and have

always had decent and friendly service. We used to go

at least every 2 months now we go every 4-6 months. The main problem we have is that the vegetarian choices keep changing or diminishing. They used to have several low-fat/

vegan choices now they seem to have none. Their veggie sandwich used to be made with roasted eggplant/veggies now it is made with cheese and tomatoes (pretty bland). Their salads and pastas are all quite good and the garlic bread is yummy.

So if you are a vegan there isn't much to eat.

Although the ambience is nice enough the acoustics are

poor so when the restaurant is crowded it is very loud.

But despite a few drawbacks,we'll eat there again.

• Pros: Great garlic bread!, Reasonable prices!
• Cons: Menu changes

11/12/02

Good food, service, decor, great value

by abcdefz

This is a nice corner restaurant on the Berkeley/Albany border. Atrractive decor, very good food, quick and friendly service, and good prices. The spinach ravioli is a standout on the regular menu, and I enjoy the salmon pasta with tomato when it's offered. Excellent value -- I'm surprised the prices are so reasonable considering what is offered plus the location on Solano. It can get a bit noisy at times, but that's the only drawback.

• Pros: Food, value
• Cons: Sometimes noisy

09/01/02

Food: A, Service: D-

by cha_cha_heels

Much like it's sister College Ave. restaurant, this place could use a course in how to wait tables.

The food is always tasty: the pasta dishes are terrific, the salads are great, even the lemonade is really good.

The wait staff is totally clueless on how to treat customers. On a few occasions, the service has been decent, but the bad experiences tend to overshadow the positive ones.

The food is really good, and extremely affordable. Unfortunately, sometimes my husband and I are not in the mood to gamble on whether or not we'll get good service, so we pass on Filippo's and go somewhere else.

• Pros: delicious pasta, affordable
• Cons: indifferent waitstaff