Buon Appetito

Recommends

dbobby

Joined 6 years ago

In a word: Fabulous. Had to meet a couple of colleagues for dinner and selected Hayward as the "in-between" spot. I was struggling to find anything in the area not fast-food oriented. Decided to go with Buon Appetito and was not disappointed.

I arrived early and it gave me a chance to puruse the wine list while I waited. I can agree with previous reports that you will not be bowled over with some of the service, but if you are good at connecting and indicating you want some service, you'll do fine here. The bartender definitely wasn't there to "sell" you on coctails. I asked for recommendations on their red wines and really didn't get too far. I asked to sample one that looked interesting and he oblidged me with a taste. It wasn't what I like - too heavy on the tannins and super dry. When I explained that to him, he recommended I try their house Zinfandel. OMG - it was a fabulous 2003 Zin private labeled by Duarte Vineyards from old vines. I'm telling you - it was perfect for me.

My colleagues arrived and we were seated promptly. The service at the table was better than at the bar. All our entrees were very good and the house dipping sauce for the bread they serve is absolutely amazing. We also has the bruchetta appetizer and it was excellent.

With no room for desert, we enjoyed a cup of coffee to end our meal. On the way out, I wanted more info on the Zinfandel and noticed a different guy behind the bar. Turns out it was the owner/chef. After speaking with him it was obvious he has a great deal of pride in his restaurant and cares about the quality of food and wine offered.

I'll definitely visit again should I find myself in Hayward. I enjoyed it so much, I might actually take my husband and make the trip from the south bay.

Highly recommend!

Doesn't Recommend

bgroup1

Joined 11 years ago

Not worth it. When I dine at a small family restaurant I expect to eat good food that the staff knows how to prepare and to be treated well. The service at Boun Appetito is so poor that is is overwhelmingly evident that they care less about their customers. Some dishes are OK, a few even good, but the vast majority are bland. Avoid anything with seafood in it, as the ingredients are most likely old and starting to break down already.

Doesn't Recommend

iluv2eat4sure

Joined 7 years ago

maybe not. me and by boyfriend went in to have a nice quiet dinner a couple nights back and just as we sat down at our table the waiter started to ignore us and gave all his attention to a group of 40+ ppl who were sitting at the table next to ours, his lack of attention continued all night..the food was OK, but for the prices one would think the food would be better, i would rather eat at pasta pomadaro, or maggainos @ satana row, this place is way to stuffy with rude and ignorant waiters...i would never go back again.

Recommends

lord_humongous

Joined 10 years ago

Good Italian in Hayward?. If for some reason you find yourself in Hayward in need of some really good Italian food, go to Buon Appetito. They have excellent food. The fact that they are in downtown Hayward makes this restaurant even more astonishing. I will always recommend this restaurant to anyone in the vicinity of Hayward.

Recommends

kweltchek

Joined 8 years ago

kwelt. My friends and I have been going to this restaurant for years. The service is not the greatest and they could do with training their staff better; but the food has always been delicious--especially the pastas and risotto. We stick to the specials, a salad, calamari fritti appetizer, and plenty of scrumptious sangiovese and chianti. It's quiet, friendly, and fun. It's the kind of small business we continue to want to support. Neighborhoods need restaurants like Buon Appetito.

Doesn't Recommend

melissankris

Joined 9 years ago

Bad Food. I went there on my birthday for an early dinner with my mother and my sister. Being the only table in the restaurant we expected to see our waiter more than four times. Once to hand us the menus, second to take the order, than he gave us our food and about 15 mins later gave us our check. He never asked us if we needed any water or if the food was ok which it wasn't. The shrimp in my pasta was so fishy that I couldn't even eat it, the pasta was over cooked and the cream sauce was bland. Save your money and go somewhere else.

Recommends

darkmlnd

Joined 9 years ago

You will be surprised .... Surprised that this gem is tucked away on a non-descript part of A street in Hayward.But once inside, wow ! Let the fine dining begin.The bread and spread they bring is ADDICTIVE and the service is excellent.The mural on the wall looks great.The food is everything Olive Garden should be but isn't.The Moretti Italian beer is a nice touch and the desserts are unbelievable .The hot apple tart is awesome.All of the desserts are .Great dinner place, probably better to leave the kids at home for this one.You will want to be alone with your significant other.