Best Italian Restaurants in Oakland

Everything about Donato & Co was perfect from the lovely hostess who set a bright mood for our evening, to our thoughtful server Samuel, to Benjamin who was sweet and made sure to run our food to us on time. The food itself was super tasty and there were plenty of vegetarian options. We had Castelfranco (subbed vegetarian dressing); Scarpetta; Arancini; Tortino; and my favorite the Tortelloni. Overall, this place has top notch food and staff and I'm definitely going back next time I'm in town.

"And there it was, mountains of duck. And not fatty duck either, but juicy tender breasts of duck." -Elaine Benes, Seinfeld da Scene: Gotta give some love to the neighborhood joints. The everyday spots get overlooked sometimes... consistently good, with little twists thrown in. Whenever in the Glenview, ya gotta stop in. Me and my girls, Friday night AND the college kiddo picks up the bill?! It's a WIN!! da Grub: pro tip - book 5:45 on weekdays and you can squeeze in a Happy Hour order before dinner. We did the fried Meatballs, salmon Cannoli, and duck liver Pate with some white wine and a Negroni. Strong offerings, you can do some damage if you do the whole hour. LOVED all 3... but the pate is exquisitely decadent. Dinner was 2 orders of Casoncelli stuffed with rabbit, Gnocchi Cipollini, and the Duck confi. all went well w/ a Tuscan red. Where the Casoncelli and Gnocchi bites were delicate & light, the Duck over the black risotto was hearty & rich plus you get both breast & thigh to enjoy. Dessert? Yes please! Not an after-thought here, prepared with as much effort as the mains. Chocolate Souffle Tangerine Panna Cotta, and the Olive Oil/Squash Torta were perfect endings. I rarely get espresso out since I pull a great shot @ home, but they can work the $2000 espresso machine too! I asked for a short espresso, and got a deep, almost syrupy shot and perfect crema... had to get a 2nd one! da Service: Thoughtful servers, attention to detail and precision execution. You can hear the orders being expedited, I fully expected to hear "Yes Chef!!" Dishes timed correctly, never felt rushed, elevated but not pretentious. On the way out the gent in the Chef Whites asked if everything was good and if the espresso was to my liking, apparently he likes his the same way. RUN, don't walk to join them for either a happy hour bite or a lingering dinner, you won't be disappointed!

Went for Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes and did the full wine pairing— a splurge after a busy & draining day/week/year. The space was welcoming and festive, the wine pairings were interesting and thoughtful and the hospitality and service were impeccable from the moment we walked in to the moment we left hours later. Mistakes happen - especially on a busy holiday shift - but any minor hiccups were swiftly addressed. We felt treated like royalty but then also like old friends by the end of the meal.

We love the pizza and atmosphere at Marzanos. The food is good and the service is great

The Star is a comfortable, casual restaurant focusing on good service and friendly staff. We had a good time, neither of my friends had been there before so they really enjoyed the salad and pizza we shared.