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.

02/15/08

don't order the ribeye

by vince30

soup was good,wine was good but the ribeyesteak turned out to be a greasy overcooked and battered piece or ordinary meat, definately not a proper steak... bummer

• Pros: not really expensive, nice venue
• Cons: the steaks arre worthless

01/11/08

Best I've had in the Bay Area

by jplaysinsf

I've been a customer at this restaurant for years and my experience has always been fabulous.

Sometimes the wait is a little long, but is it worth it? ALWAYS! Fact is, they are magicians working to prepare food for so many people, in such a small kitchen, so being upset about waiting is ridiculous.

Spedeini, Rusticana alla Gamberoni, and the Pesto are the absolute flagships in my opinion,

however I haven't had anything I didn't like either. The dipping Oil is hard to stop eating with the bread and I usually pick up a bottle if they have any left. Advice....If you're in a hurry let the chef order for you and you 'll

be surprised!

• Pros: Food, Dipping Oil

11/05/07

Reservations Don't Mean Much, but Food is Excellent

by grantkj

We had reservations for 6 on a Friday night at 8pm and did not get seated until 9pm. I understand that there was a large birthday party occupying much of the top floor which caused the delay in our seating. however, an hour wait is unacceptable when you have reservations and from what I hear, this restaurant is notorious for making people wait even when they have reservations.

that being said, the food was excellent: we had the ribeye steak, linguini alla silicinia, and rigatoni cosa nostra. all are highly recommended.

• Pros: Food, Price
• Cons: Service, Reservations Don't Mean Much

09/21/07

The Best Tasting & Sexiest Italian Food

by roxydoll

This cosy family run restaurant is set in an ideal Berkeley community on College Ave. They've been around for many years, are super friendly, and have many repeat customers. Now, the most important thing! It's a popular restaurant because the food is sensational! It has the best home made Aioli dipping sauce that they also sell for good reason.

They are great about recommending what is special for the day, based on the freshest ingredients or special home made features of the day.

The Garlic prawns are to die for! Enjoy the Food & check out the beautiful family! Angelo and Jerry D'Alo are the head family Chefs. It's a great experience. If it's busy, take it easy, it's worth the wait and they usually provide you with a free glass of wine as you wait.

XO

Roxy

• Pros: The Food, The Staff

02/04/07

Amazingly authentic Italian food, service is a gamble.

by ckyelland

I agree with the other reviewer that mentioned that the food is amazing, but service can be iffy depending on how the night is going. It does seem as though regulars receive preferential treatment (which is irritating due to the consistently long waits during peak hours), it can be challenging to maintain the attention of the staff, and the food can take some time before it gets to the table (keep in mind that everything is made to order, so expect something of a wait ? it?s worth it). That being said, the food is truly incredible. Their spicy olive oil for bread-dipping is to die for, and their gnocchi a la fumatore is one of the most luxurious dishes I?ve had the pleasure to put in my mouth. Their linguine with pesto and shrimp is one of my favorites as well. I?m usually pretty particular about the service aspect of a dining-out experience, but this is one place where I?m almost inclined to ignore it just to get to the food. Be prepared for potentially excruciatingly long waits, their cash-only policy, and they only offer dishes ?family style? if you show up with more than 2 people. As an aside, I?ve recently heard a rumor that Trattoria might be on the verge of closing at some point due to friction within the family ? I hope it?s not the case.

Editorial Review by Christy Buena

by Contributor

Bustling restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine and offers an extensive wine list and attentive service in a charming atmosphere.

12/30/06

Such Good Food, Such Bad Service

by yummyt

I have eaten here many times and the food is always really terriffic. There is always a wait for a table unless you eat really early, but that's ok. In the past the service was okay, and you could see how busy your waiter was, which made me think they just didn't put enough servers on the floor, but the food was great so it was still worth it. But recently, the service has taken a nose-dive. The waitress we had last time was really terrible, the only reason we ever got water refills, another glass of wine, boxed leftovers, dessert menus and finally our check is because we kept stopping the busboy, who was better at paying attention when he went by even if we had to spell out what we needed each time. I asked a different server if they were shortstaffed and he said they were not. On top of that, when we got our bill, we had been charged 7.50 per glass of wine (4 glasses), when the wine we ordered was 4.50 a glass. I stopped the busboy, who went and got the waitress. I pointed out that we had ordered a different wine than we got charged for. She said "oh, I never pour that wine because (blah blah)." She unilaterally decided to pour us a different wine than we ordered and charged us nearly twice the price!!! Then she acted put upon and huffily changed the bill to reflect what we had ordered. It was truly shocking. I have seldom had such poor service anywhere. If I have to sit in her section again I would not go back. There are other good Italian places. I wanted to tip the busboy directly and bypass the waitress entirely, but unfortunately I was not the one paying.

• Pros: great food
• Cons: awful service, noisy