07/03/08

Best Service and Food in Piedmont

by dtsanava

I love italian food. I love good Service. I love Good dinning atmosphere. Everything I just mentioned is at the very high level at Dopo. Me and my girlfriend god hooked after first time we went there. And to top everything I just said their prices are very very fair. Not expensive at all.

Their place is very clean, their weighters have very good manners, they smile, make you feel welcome. I have not since this kind of food and service in US yet. This was something I am used to seeing in Europe so I was very pleased to see such a cool restaurant in my neighbourhood. I will be definitely going there and calling it one of my favorite restaurants.

• Pros: Ambience, Servcie, Food, Everything

03/09/08

Jon cooks from the heart and it shows on the plates.

by 1253willyg

Dopo is the kind of restaurant I could eat at a couple of times a week. Simple, honest, inspired food served in an unpretentious, warm room with an open kitchen is truly inspired and reflects the ideals of market cooking. My favorite preparations include the salume, the pesce crudo, and the antipasti.

Some favorite dishes I've had (there's many) include marinated swordfish with pistachios, breadcrumb stuffed baked anchovies, fried veal involtini, and anything on the salume menu.

I'm a foodie- meaning I eat out quite often, and when traveling I'm obsessed with eating and learning about a local culture through food. In my trip last year to Rome and Sicily, I ate lots of delicious fish preparations, most memorably smoked tuna and swordfish. Jon cooks in the style of Italian food as it is eaten in Italy.

Dopo is my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area, hands down.

Naysayers on citysearch- small portions?, too pricey?, having to wait? Good things are worth waiting for, what is the big rush anyway? Dopo offers a great value for the level of food that they serve. You should probably go to pasta pomodoro or some lousy red sauce "Italian" joint and get your fill on overcooked, underseasoned pasta dishes and free refills on the sodas. Don't try to come off like you really know what's good when you might not be the best judge.

• Pros: truly inspired, market-driven food
• Cons: closed on sunday, could use some fish or meat entrees

02/21/08

Epic Service, Distinct/Amazing Flavors...well worth the wait!

by bennie27

Wow!! My father-in-law took us here for our first time two weeks ago and I've been thinking about it ever since. He remembered it from about 3 years ago and said it still hadn't lost any charm. We were greeted by Graham, the host, right away...who was super friendly.. We waited the 20 minutes outside in the cold, but it was definately worth it because we knew what to expect beforehand and enjoyed a really nice bottle of wine that Graham recommended we try. Once seated in the cozy dining area, our passionate waitress spent a lot of time explaining each and every item on the menu, down to each ingrediant. We tried about 5 things and loved everything!! The Octupus Spaghetti is nothing like I've had before and took me by surprise..the flavors are just so distinct and different, and well put together. The calzone was my favorite dish...very flavorful...Even the young Owner/Chef took time to come over and say hello..There was a hustle amongst the staff, but I thought it matched the demand of their popularity and success...can't blame them for trying to make everyone happy in such a small venue.. Overall I'd say if you aren't too pretentious, Dopo will become your new favorite restaurant in the Bay Area!! It's definately ours...and I can't wait to go back...love the food and the prices are much less than many others around who have nothing creative to offer!

• Pros: Knowledgable, Friendly Staff, no pressure to leave quickily, Great Unique Food, Charming
• Cons: The wait outdoors when it's cold..tip: order wine to hold you over

09/13/07

pasta made fresh daily

by chainsawtrio

Well eating all over nyc at some of the top restaurants it has to offer

I found my meal at dopo up there with the best ny has to offer as far as pastas and anti pasto go!!!! The price's are a joke! you get fresh made pasta's with a amazing sauce for under 16 dollars that is a crime I can't go any where!!!!!!!!!!! and get a decent plate of pasta for under 20 , I really mean decent not hand made not fresh, from a box . Anyone from the east will tell you that . Go look at Babo"s menu .

I read some of the reviews and I was shocked ,yes the line is long but it is worth the wait the service could be better but you are not paying for fine Dining look at the prices This place would have new yorkers going nuts. If they ever want to move nyc would love it .

• Pros: food and price
• Cons: wait

09/03/07

Disappointed and now very spectical of reviews

by provancee

Truth: Endless wait out on the sidewalk. No room to stand inside. The wait staff left tables uncleared in full view of people standing in line. Open kitchen. No interaction among the staff...unhappy cooks create unteresting food. And last but certainly not least, the price you pay for all of this ,never to be repeated experience, is a big bill!

• Pros: the free choice to never return
• Cons: long wait, cold unfriendly staff, very average food & big bill

08/04/07

Pricey ordinary italian fare

by foodie_guy

I am not sure why people like this place so much. The waits are incredibly long, the food is standard pizza, pasta etc, nothing innovative or something you have not had before. Sure the pasta was good, but was it worth the price and hype, certainly not. There are much better places that this without the wait and the over-priced pretentious precious food.

On the plus side, the ambiance is relatively good for the size of the place.

• Pros: Somewhat lively ambiance though not romantic
• Cons: Prices, Food, Wait

03/08/07

Avoid a busy night --- they can't handle it!

by dmtchl

Have been to Dopo a few times for lunch and dinner and find it to be inconsistent in terms of food and service. The portions tend to be small (very trendy these days) and the menu is limited. They have expanded significantly during the last few months, drawing more customers, but the service and organization of the restaurant has remained somewhat chaotic. No one seems to be "in charge" and the servers make up the rules as they go along and can be very arrogant at times. It's a loud place to have dinner and in very tight quarters. I'll probably go for lunch but not for dinner - and hope they get my sandwich order right!

• Cons: Service and quality of the staff. Poorly organized.

12/31/06

authentic italian pastas & excellent pizza!

by somen

dopo has definitely become one of my favorite restaurants. their pizzas never fail to please--really thin crust, yummy/fresh toppings. pastas are always freshly made and their ragu sauces are flavored perfectly. we'll usually split one pasta and one pizza between the two of us and are fully satisfied. sometimes the pizzas can be a little greasy, but the ingredients are always so fresh, the crust is perfectly done, and the toppings are always so tasty. it's a toss up as to whether dopo or pizzaiolo (another oakland pizza/pasta favorite...) has better pizzas & pastas, but in my opinion you can't lose either way!

• Pros: tasty pizzas & pastas
• Cons: kind of expensive, small restaurant

08/17/06

What a Find in the East Bay!

by dvliao

So excellent and right in Oakland. It's a tiny space so you'll want reservations. The menu is concise and perfect for 2. We started with an antipasti which gave us a great tasting of various things, then a pizza and pasta which we split between us. We opted to hop over to Fenton's for ice cream but the dessert menu looked equally concise and perfect for 2.

Ingredients were fresh and that sets the course for an excellent dinner b/c the sauces and herbs just bring out the fantastically fresh and simple food!

• Pros: Fantastic flavors, decent parking
• Cons: Very small space

06/16/06

A Wonderful Find !

by richard946

My wife and I had lunch at Dopo on June 15, and we were both very impressed and are ready to return for dinner. The service was attentive by not in your face. The atmosphere was very Italian. The lunch menu, while rather limited, had some wonderful selections.

We started with a pistachio with house made salumi and ricotta, rather like a cold tart of these ingredients. Good enough -- but the best was yet to come.

We both had the panino with niman ranch roasted beef and arugula, which was served with some green beans cooked just to the right degree and drizzled with fine olive oil and chopped flat-leaf parsley. The beef was extraordinarily tender and succulent. But what we enjoyed best about this panino was the wonderful overall flavor -- crispness with a succulence we don't often find in any restaurant.

I cannot tell you the name of our final course, but it was a wonderful chocolate and (I think) hazelnut confection that came in a slice that rather resembled a slice of pate in size and shape. But what a rich, chocolate flavor !

We highly recommend this restaurant.

• Pros: Wonderful food.
• Cons: Didn't find any cons