Osteria Cucina Toscana
| Address: | 247 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-328-5700 |
| Site: | osteriatoscanapaloalto.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
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A Private User
Osteria is just another restaurant that claims to be serving authentic Tuscan/Italian food. The place is elegant but noisy and constantly crowded. After we ordered, the waiter brough us Moretti beers. I asked the waiter for proper glasses but he said that no other glasses were available. Instead of drinking beer with wine glasses and insult beer for what it is, I decided to drink directly from the bottle. The place pretends to serve authentic plates from Tuscany but frankly, since the menu doesnt list either the fiorentina or the tagliata, I really dont know what is Tuscan in the menu ... maybe the wines are. I went there recently and I had gnocchi, one of my favourite Italian dishes. The gnocchi were clearly hand-made. I know that because of the texture and the shape. The sauce was good but not excellent. It was meant to be a salsa alla bolognese but it was more in between tomato sauce and meat sauce. For dessert I had tiramisù which was a little thick and dry but very tasty overall. The place is always very crowded so make sure you reserve ahead of time if you want to eat there. Dont go there and hope to sit down unless you called before. Youd be wasting a lot of your time. Overall, the restaurant is decent but definitely not true Tuscan. I was myself born in Italy. I lived there for more than 20 years and ate in Tuscany. The type of food that is served at the Osteria is not Tuscan. Trust me: I know what Im talking about.
CA
Carl Dambkowski
Unless you want to be mistreated, AVOID THIS RESTAURANT. Generally, I dont mind so-so service and think that food is much more important. In this case, the food did not make up for the service. Throughout the night we were virtually ignored, which was not a huge deal. Then the bill came and was wrong. My fiance went to talk to the servers about the bill, and Chris, one of the waiters, although not ours, told her she was wrong, which she wasnt (all the charges on the bill were wrong). He made her cry before correcting the bill. COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. The rest of the staff didnt seem happy with what Chris did, but did nothing about it. Good fresh pasta, but unless you want to me mistreated by the staff, avoid at all costs. Plenty of other good Italian restaurants where you wont be mistreated/made to cry for pointing out that the bill they gave you was completely wrong.
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Lisa Chow
This place is an institution in Palo Alto i.e. It was here before the whole Silicon Valley took off. I came here again after a few years away. I was happy that while their menu offerings really havent changed the food was still great (they use polenta instead with some of the pairing) the entree to get is their breaded calamari. They seriously know how to make this nice and soft and delicious. I had also the poached salmon which could have been cooked better but the spinach and sauce were the perfect complement. We finished off with the flan which isnt a looker but sure taste good and hits the spot. Did I mention they give you a nice half a loaf of soft warm bread to start. All in all good.- Its not cheap but its Palo Alto
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A Private User
My boyfriend took my children and me to Osteria for my birthday. He and I ate the same thing and both got food poisoning. When I called to tell them my concern about the crab raviolli, they denied that their food could have caused the problem. I asked if they wanted my name, and they showed no interest. I told my boyfriend that I had called and had received a cool reception, so he called also. They showed a bit more concern, and said they would call him back, but they never did. I will never eat there again. My daughter reports that she enjoyed her meal and did not get sick.
CA
Carl Payne
The Osteria-Palo Alto is a nice little Italian restaurant which authentic Tuscan food, a friendly staff and huge portions. I ate here on a Thursday night and had to wait for a table as the place was packed. Service was good and the waiter knew the menu well. I had the oso buco which was excellent although all of the options looked great. The wine list is small but decent and the dessert menu looked good although we didnt order off it. Overall the food was good and the portions were huge. Causal spot.
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A Private User
Very Good Italian food- pastas, fish, meat, sauces are all well prepared. I am not a calamari fan, but my friends love it at Osteria. Food always arrives hot, seemingly within minutes of being done. Traditional Italian, but that does not mean just lasagna or basic pasta. Rather it means it is not chic-- plain white plates and no avant guard names for dishes. The side vegetables are seasonal and cooked perfectly, retaining their color.
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Scott Leatherman
A consistent gem in downtown Palo Alto. The food has always been good but the service has clearly improved. I never had any issues but it went from normal to note worthy. Rick helped myself and are international guest well beyond the call of duty. He made the experience. If youre looking for quality Italian food would a family style warmth in atmosphere and service -- then this is your Spot -- Ask for Rick!
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Monica Defilippi
Food is OK. Nothing exciting. Service is hit and miss as some of the staff are quite helpful and some make you feel like a bad kid at school. They can be quite grumpy. What I really dont like about this place and the reason why I havent been there in more than two years is the air conditioner blowing at full blast. We encountered that problem twice. It gave us all a headache.
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Steve Tjiang
A long time palo alto favorite. They are one of the few places that know how to cook melanzana (i.e. eggplant). They lightly batter and fried it before topping with tasty cheese and sauce. Its not soggy or undercooked as often happens at other restaurant. The tuscan dishes are good. Though not tuscan, their pesto (which is from Liguria) is good.
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Howard Sewell
Long time staple of downtown Palo Alto (we had our rehearsal dinner there in the 90s.) A little pricier than what I remember ($400+ for 6, and we brought our own wine) but otherwise, food and service give little to complain about. The green salad (seriously) is probably the best anywhere. The tortellini alla panna is also not to be missed.
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Jake Olsen
Love, love, love this place! Consistently amazing, simply delicious food in a traditional Italian style. Service has always been great for us, not sure why others havent experienced it. Highly recommend the Caesar, Carpaccio, and Carbonara (I like mine pink). Hard to get a reservation on prime nights, so plan ahead or eat late.
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Katja J
We live in Palo Alto and we always wondered why theres always a line. So many people wanna eat there. So reserved a table. The food was ok but too expensive. Dont know why the people are waiting for that restaurant. I think its not worth the money. Know better restaurants. Specially on University Ave which is close by.
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泳士
不怎么样！菜单上最贵的海鲜意大利面上桌时里面的海虹竟然是冷的，里面还有三文鱼腩？意大利面啥时候有三文鱼来捧场了？地中海也出产三文鱼了？
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A Private User
I love this place, it makes me feel like Im back in Italy at one of those locals only restaurants :) I found that I prefer Osterias simpler pasta dishes (ie the pesto, alfredo, ravioli, etc). The hazelnut flan is incredible-I know the combo sounds weird (hazelnut and flan?), but trust me, you wont be disappointed!!
