We had a great experience here. Having been to there San Francisco location, I did not have high hopes, but was very pleasantly surprised. We tried the burratta, soft shell crab appetizer, the amazing fried olives. The stand out was the Corn and Proscuitto Pizza. I look forward to returning. read more

Service was terrible. We had a table with 8 people after about 10 minues of being seated the waiter finally came around to order our drinks, but she took one drink order then left. I can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant and experienced such bad service. I ordered the gnocchi expecting the typical soft little dumplings, but there four potato pancake looking things. All I could think was WTF happened to my gnocchi?!? You can't redefin gnocchi if you're going to call yourself an Italian restaurant!!! A giant WTF all around with this place. read more

good pizza. very limited menu pricey. expect loud and non cozy dining room large wine selection. my local hotel concierge recommend for dinner not bad but i'm not convinced i would return read more

After waiting months for a reservation we were a bit disappointed. The remodel looks great and it is a much nicer layout than the previous restaurants. The service was very good and the pacing of dinner was fine. We were seated right on time. The food was a bit disappointing. The appetizers were much better than the mains. I had a pasta dish which just didn't work - the homemade pasta was nice, but the strange flavor of citrus overpowered the mushrooms and it could have used more sauce. It is pricey for what you get - portion sizes are a bit small if you are hungry. Many wines to choose and they offer taste sizes if you want to explore. Next time I will just drop in for a glass of wine and an appetizer. read more

After hearing all the good press and reviews on this joint, I decided it was time to check this place out. I tried out the wood oven roasted ribeye (Saturday night special) and it was delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned. They served a generous portion of ribeye, which was very filling. They also provide a side of hot chili sauce, which is a great compliment to the ribeye. Their Italian authentic pizza is definitely the most popular item on the menu. I tried the salsiccia pizza which was good. However, if you decide to dine at this place, my recommendation is to avoid the pizza and try the other menu items. Good pizza is easy to find throughout this region, their pizza wasn't anything special besides the fact that it is authentic Italian style pizza. I'm not a fan of wine so I didn't bother with their extensive wine list. My favorite cocktail was "the perfect constable", I will stick to this drink next time I visit. read more

The smoked burrata is hands down the most amazing burrata I've had to date. The deep fried pizza dough with Calabrian chili oil is delicious. Hell, everything we had here was delicious! Can't wait to come back ! read more

Food is generally good, but pizza overrated and soggy. Service is well-meaning, but poor communication with the kitchen leads to bad timing issues - like apps coming to table before drinks and not all diners at the table being served at the same time. Too bad ... feels like management just doesn't care. And we've experienced this lackluster service more than once. Sadly, I think it's time for us to move on from A16. Note on back room: room is quiet (good for seniors), but poorly set up, so that diners in there feel like they're being hidden away and not getting the same experience as the main dining room. read more

Now we're talking pizza. This place has everything: ambiance, great food, and a fine collection of cocktails and mocktails. I've come here several times, and never been disappointed. Service is great, right down to the guy making the pizzas at the wood oven. Watch this guy. Talk about someone who takes great pride in his skill. Dude's an artist! And, it's just that level of pride and craftsmanship that permeates every minute detail in this restaurant. Everything from the drinks, to the appetizers, to the PIZZA is exceptional. Even their olive oil is amazing! Someday I'll have to try their entrees, from what I've seen they look awesome (a little out of my tax bracket!), but I'm so enamored of their pizzas that I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Do your taste buds a favor and avoid places like Forge. Burnt pizza dough from a wood oven does not constitute good pizza. If you want amazing pizza, try A16. You won't be disappointed! -Mr Sunshine *:) read more

Absolutely top notch! The wine list is extensive. After asking a couple questions and discussing preferences, we selected the Masseria Li Veli, 'Pezzo Morgana,' Salice Salentino Riserva, Cellino San Marco, Brindisi 2009. It was fantastic. Our server, Stephani, was very knowledgeable about each of the wines and was able to give nuanced descriptions of each wine we inquired about. For our antipasti we had the chefs sampler, which consisted of perfectly crisp and tender breaded beef tongue cutlets, creamy burrata with sundried tomato, and a tuna conserva. We also had the excellent roasted calamari with lovage-anchovy salsa verde, fried corona beans, and dried lemon. It was so, so good. I wanted to pick my plate up and lick it. I could eat that all day, every day. Our mains were the perfect king salmon and delicious, juicy brined chicken al'diavolo with crispy dry rubbed skin. A truly excellent meal. Thank you, Stephani, for your expert, warm and attentive service!! read more

Was excited to finally eat at A16. But pretty disappointed. We ordered the Calamari but only had 4 pcs of calamari in each plate. Majority of the dish were beans. Tasted good but for $18 expected to have more seafood then beans. Fish had great texture but bland and had zero taste. I also asked the waiter about the calzone and he mistakenly ordered it for us... calzone did not taste good and we ended up not eating it. I should have stuck to insisting that I did not order it. Side corn also had zero taste. For a minute I was worried I had Covid since Fish and Corn had zero taste. On a side note: One of the pizzas was very tasty (Spicy Sausage) and pasta was good, but the amount of pasta again was very skimpy. Each of us only had 3-4 small tubes of pasta each. Shocker. So $260 later (with no drinks) we were super disappointed and was not a very wonderful graduation dinner for my son. Sorry A16 for the bad review... but I have to tell it how it is. IF I go back I think I would only be ordering the spicy pizza. Spicy Oil was great BTW. read more

I've been going here regularly for the past couple of years. The food is delicious and I've never had difficulties with service as some suggest. All of the servers are friendly and efficient. My favorites are the pork chop, the roast chicken, and of course the pizzas for which they are known. Desserts have been excellent lately, especially the chocolate cake. The takeout during the shelter in place has been great. I love to get the burrata with a bottle of rosé, the meatballs, a salad and a pizza for our little family to share. They've just opened up some outside tables with dividers between them. Such a luxury to eat at a restaurant again. I am grateful. read more

Went several times for a drink and 2 times to eat. We were not disappointed any of those times. Bar people are so friendly and welcoming. Drinks are wonderful. Sea urchin pasta, mushroom pasta, fried potatoes with cicci, rice pudding for dessert and chocolate mousse, and italian cookies and ice for the birthday girl. I'd love to try the SF A 16 also to compare. Just wish it weren't so loud there. All else is wonderful. read more

My daughter was home from College, so this outing was a special event for us. I understand they (A16) had a large party to attend to (big deal), but our wait person follow up to us was short of terrible. Our food took the best part of an hr. (?) and she never returned once to check on drinks. Good thing I ordered my glass of wine upfront. I would have had 2-3 but was never asked. Oh, I got up and found the water pitcher on my own. 3 stars only to not be too cruel. read more

Love the food here. I crave their Montanara pizza all the time! The burrata is sooo good. The calamari is also delicious. Service is pretty shit tho. Don't come here extremely hungry because you will wait for an hour on weekends. My reservation was at 8:30 and it's 9:40, we still haven't gotten our entrees. read more

Not sure what happened to this former favorite of ours. Service was terrible last night. We were seated by 8:05 in a room you had to shout in to be heard. At 8:35, we still did not have our salads. The 6-top behind us, that was seated AFTER we ordered, on the other hand, was served their appetizers. We tried flagging someone, anyone, down to get an update but it was like we were invisible. When our server finally appeared, my partner was obviously frustrated (not to mention hungry) and let her know. The server blamed the kitchen, "I've been telling all of my tables the kitchen is backed up. It's embarrassing what a mess they are." So, a slammed kitchen happens but, 20+ minutes for a salad warrants a trip to the table (BEFORE we have to wave you down), with an update and maybe an offer to bring us some bread or to refill the empty water bottle. My partner questioned why the 6-top got served before us if the kitchen was so slammed - apparently they had to wait 45 mins for their reservation! He was a bit sharp in his tone - but his questions were certainly legit. Again, a heads-up on the status of the kitchen would've gone a long way. But instead of asking if they could do anything for us, we had to ask if we could at least have some bread while we continued to wait for our 1st coarse. Meanwhile, tables around us seemed to have no problem getting their food. When the salads finally arrived, it was the wrong order. After that was corrected, the rest of the meal was uneventful, as was the food. A manager delivered most of the food and checked on us but never once apologized or even acknowledged anything was amiss. When the server (Johanna) delivered the check, she also delivered a lecture about how she is pregnant and a person and has tons of fine dining experience and we disrespected her. Um...what? Telling someone they aren't doing a good job isn't disrespectful, and neither is sounding aggrieved. This is a customer service job so provide your customers with some service in the form of better communication, how about? I don't care about your service pedigree if your service is lacking. It felt like gaslighting - the crappy service was fine and we were somehow the problem. I could chalk It up to pregnancy hormones if management hadn't approved adding a 20% gratuity to our bill. WTF? I've never stiffed a server in my life, having been in the business for years. And I wasn't about to start last night, even with the terrible service. That both the server and management felt that she was entitled to more than 15%, or really, any tip at all, is outrageous. We'll never go back, which I would be more sad about the meal last night wasn't so mediocre. read more

Incredibly disappointing meal. Service was slow and all the wait staff seemed disengaged. We came with a group of five - meals were placed for half the group at once and then we waited more than 10 mins for the rest to come. We live in the area and have been frequenting A16 Oakland since it opened. Super disappointed about our most recent experience with no plans to return ... read more

This place is totally overrated. I ordered cheese and crackers (burrata), fried cauliflower and one drink and it was $50!! Never coming back here. Not worth it whatsoever. read more

Very mixed experience here, sadly. On the plus side the kohlrabi salad and vesuvio pizza were delicious. 4 star level. And we were steered to an excellent red wine from campagnia (though at $46, and one of the cheaper wines on the list, it was overpriced). The brussel sprouts were fine - unremarkable but not offensive. On the other hand, my wife ordered a lemon ricotta gnocchi in a sauce of nettles and onion that was just awful. It tasted like badly prepared gnocchi in unseasoned boiled spinach puree. She, who complains that there's always too much salt, had to ask for salt just to mask the flavor. At $146 for three (including tip) we will not be going back. If you do go - stick with the pizza. Service was a tad surly (or at best cool) to boot, and the room is very noisy due to the high ceilings and concrete floors. read more

Food was great, but SILLIEST ART EVER! They lost my respect on this point.

Some minor first-day hiccups but the food was great and the service warm and friendly. Sat at the bar and saw some interesting cocktails being made, including one with fresh myrtle (mirto). Fried baccalà polpettini ($11) was one of the best croquette-type dishes I've ever had. Creamy, nicely seasoned, crunchy. Shaved artichoke salad ($12) with shaved fennel, shaved pecorino, and mint was very much like similar dishes I've had in Italy. Roasted calamari ($14) with fried Corona beans and lovage salsa verde was like nothing I've had before. The beans had a remarkable texture and the lovage added a mysterious hint of Middle Eastern flavor. Rachetta ("racquet") pizza ($20) was an artichoke and green olive pizza with a ricotta-stuffed calzone-like handle. Think chewier than Una Pizza Napoletana. Pork and egg polpettone ($24) was a slice of meat loaf with an egg in the middle. Bright flavors. Roasted fennel ($8) with bottarga and lemon had a suprising touch of chile. Very good. We were pretty full so just split a Fernet gelato for dessert. Nice idea, I could taste various elements of the amaro that I miss when just drinking it (to me it's medicine for a sore throat or stomachache). Had a bottle of great Vermintino recommended by the sommelier and a Valle dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria, finished with an arugula amaro I've never seen before. Really great meal and a good time. Food's quite similar in style to the SF original but the place is much more spacious and not as loud. This is a great addition to the East Bay Italian scene. read more

Long overdue. My wife and I cross the Bay Bridge just for the buratta. Yes, cheese. Absolutely worth the trip every time. As for pizza, we enjoy the rachetta. The entire staff is professional, accommodating, friendly, and attentive. read more

Restaurant Week 2015 Review WOW!! We were really impressed with this place! I had been wanting to go here for a while and I am so happy that we chose Restaurant Week as the time to do it. First of all, you don't get a better deal than $20 for dinner here. Especially for three courses that are all so delicious. Let me give you the low down for what we ordered: 1) Burrata - NOT on the RW menu but we heard that it was good here so we got it. The burrata was great - it was dragoncello, pistachio, sea salt, crostini. So simple but so fresh and delicious. 2) Salad - roasted winter squash, farro, radicchio, smoked ricotta salata, red wine vinaigrette Best salad I have ever had! Our waitress explained that they smoke their own cheeses which explains the amazing smoked flavor of the salad. I found the cheese (ricotta salata) at berkeley bowl and am going to try to replicate this. 3) Pasta I got the squid ink troccoli -- dungeness crab, tomato, meyer lemon. My bf got the wild nettle capunti -- pork sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino riserva. Both were great. Perfect portions. I was so full but I willed myself to eat every last bite because such tasty food doesn't deserve to be thrown away -- or eaten as leftovers. You can just tell that the quality of the pasta is high from the perfect way that it is cooked. 4) Dessert - almond panna cotta - streusel, citrus, caramel, almond butter Oh Jesus, I can't say enough good things about this dessert. I loved it and ate all of it despite being two bites from exploding from over eating. Summary: They really brought their A game for Restaurant Week and it paid off! I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality of our meal. I would ignore the bad reviews and come check this place out! Tip: Order a drink. They have a great wine list - I got a white wine from Italy ($13/glass) that was really good and paired well with the squid ink pasta. The cocktail list also looked good! read more

A16 is very consistent in delivering great food and drinks for brunch during weekends. Excellent customer service from the waiter to the bartender. Lots of choices as well for vegetarians which I really like! read more

Excellent service and wonderful food and atmosphere. We started with the chef's antipasti selection, which included pork belly and salmon carpaccio. Tasty, although my friend thought the pork belly was too fatty, I loved it. For dinner, she had the squid ink fettuccine with clams, mussels, garlic, chili and white wine. I had the chicken alla diavola. We both loved our dishes. Wine selection was fabulous, and their cocktails were delicious. A great time for sure, A16 is a winner! read more

My absolute favorite place to eat in Oakland. Favorites include the burrata, the sausage & broccoli rabe pizza, the meatballs and the ever changing antipasti. The space is light and airy with a gorgeous selection of Kelly Tunstall paintings that give it a whimsical but sophisticated feel. Service is professional and friendly. read more

My boyfriend and I came to A16 on a Wednesday and we decided to pop in at around 6pm. We were quickly seated at the bar. We ordered drinks: Letter to Livy and Vecchio Stile. According to my boyfriend, his Vecchio Stile was very beautifully made. He ordered a margherita pizza and I ordered a montanara pizza. I loved loved loved the montanara pizza. The dough was fried! The staff took good care of us. It's been a couple of weeks since we've been. We're still talking about the pizza. read more

Met friends here for dinner, arrived at 6:30 pm. Since all reservations were full, we thought no problem we'll just get a drink at the bar and wait. To our surprise everything was booked until 9:30 pm, but host was great, seeing our looks of disappointment said give me a minute to see what I can do. She came back and said they did happen to 4 seats at the Chef's counter, so we hopped on that. Actually turned out to be perfect as we had first hand view of the cooking and pizza skills of the guy manning he wood fired oven. Everything appears to be cooked in these ovens, one for the pizzas and a second one for most of the other dishes. Since pizza is their specialty we went for that. My husband and I had the sausage pizza, which was wonderful and our friends had the one with fried dough, also amazing. We ordered sides of brussel sprouts and fried potatoes. The brussel sprouts were perfect, just the right amount of carmelization and seasoning. The fried potatoes were tasty as well, but came with more chickpeas than potatoes and those were rather dry, so not my favorite. We finished with the lemon sorbet, which was very tart, so probably not the best choice pairing wise, since we still had wine left, but delicious all the same. Service was wonderful, our waitress was great and when we asked for help with the extensive wine list, she brought over the sommelier, who directed us to an amazing Italian wine that we all loved. He had extensive knowledge of the region and the winemakers and helped us find the perfect bottle. Only downfalls I see are parking can be challenging in this area, as well as getting a table and its a bit pricey. Good news is they do take reservations. Overall everything was wonderful and we left happy. Nothing better than a good meal with good friends. read more

A weekday dinner in the private dining room. Almost full house but it didn't feel crowded (maybe it was the 15 foot ceilings). A nice relaxed atmosphere. The food was 5 star, as good as it gets. Superb burrata. Creative entree choices like trout on a bed of spinach and couscous, and a citrus salad with pea shoots, almond, shallot and ricotta salata. The roasted chicken and the fried potato + ceci dishes were spicy and complex. (Chicken and potatoes are usually bland foods but these were incredibly prepared, matched only by a tajinne I once had in Marrakech.) The Italian house wine was good and the cannoli was a pleasure. I usually don't say much about restaurant service, I just tip accordingly. But, I couldn't get any information except the name of the wine and when I pointed to my empty glass, the waitress acknowledged but never returned. Near the end of our dinner I took a bite of cannoli, turned to my neighbor to continue our conversation and to comment on how good the cannoli was, and when I turned back for a second bite -- it was gone. A waiter had taken it. No excuse for that. Price is expensive to splurge by yelp definition (price list is online), but worth it at least once. I'm a fan of A16. (But the service has to at least be civilized before a restaurant gets a "as good as it gets" 5 stars.) read more

This review is for delivery. We used to get takeout from Boot and Shoe a lot before all the madness over there. We had a bad experience and have not been back. It occurred to us to try A16 delivered when we had a craving for this kind of pizza. So happy we did. The funghi pizza is outstanding. Pair that with the margherita pizza and the escarole salad: perfect dinner delivered. read more

There are a few gems on this menu. 1. Fried Olives. If you aren't going to eat these, you might as well stay home. They are incredibly special. 2. Steak is really, really good. Ask them what cuts they have because sometimes they'll offer hanger even though they have a New York on hand. 3. Potatoes and chickpea side. I was majorly impressed, and I'm a chickpea connoisseur who is pretty meh about potatoes in general (read hard to please with this combo), but this dish was delicious. We also had the salmon, which was good (especially the veggies that came with) and the farro, which was way over cooked. :( Pro tip - they have Almanac sour beer here, which I thought was better than any of the wine we drank. Minus one star for not having moscato d'asti and for more or less meh desserts. Also, it's in Rockridge (too many older white people). read more

Absolutely amazing ambience.. The food was beyond delicious.. wine list superb.. and the service was nothing less that great. Definitely coming back! read more

When I think of Italian food, many images come to mind. One is of chef Boyardee's pudgy face. One is of the obese Mario Batale dripping sweat on Iron Chef. Lastly, I think of Giada, and her abnormally large head that makes her prime inspiration for bobble-head manufacturers worldwide. So, this restaurant was a surprise. No Chef Boyardee ravioli to order. No large italian men waddling nearby. And no small, raptor-like women to talk to. I was sad. Food network has been selling me dreams. What I got instead was a dose of modern Italian fare that was satisfying but overpriced. Food: +Chef's antipasti was a step-above Giada entertaining her fake food network hired henchmen "friends" with a selection of charturie from Whole Foods. +Trocolli Pasta: Upscale Chef Boyardee. Trocolli was as thick as Beefaroni. A shade too al dente. Tomatoes brightened the heaviness of the braised beef. +Watson Farm Lamb Chop: Roasted well, visually stunning, But more pretty than it was satisfying. Like Giada. I want more Mario and Less Giada. Like maybe Michael Chiarello. Mmm Chiarello. (Note: I do not want to eat Michael Chiarello). Ambiance: Not quite as "rustic" as Hagrid's cabin. But not as modern as the Hall of Mysteries. In between. Trendy. Wood + Metal + White walls + Candles....+ Italian Food. Service: I felt like I was Elizabeth Bennet visiting Pemberly for the first time. Welcomed, but not particularly appreciated. Waitress disappeared and the hostess had to take my order. Was nearly tipsy by the time I ordered by meal. (Which I suppose is normal. But Still). Would I go back? Surely. But a have a whole list of restaurants that I would go to first that are nearby (Trattoria, Dopo, Boot & Shoe Service) read more

The pizza is amazing and is some of the best I have ever had, and you'll understand why as soon as you sit down at the chef's counter and watch Dan do his thing. He's a true craftsman and the Testa with an egg on top is out of this world. Additional props go to the wait staff and bartenders for having high culinary and drink IQ's. read more

A16 - Dan's Testa! - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

I will go back for the calamari and the friendly wait staff. I'd like to try the pasta. I didn't like how the clams overpowered the pizza. The chocolate mousse was super yummy. Fried olives-- what a treat. Ho hum kale. Beware of the shiny floors-- it felt very slippery under my heels and my friend thought so too. (We were there last night). read more

I had a nice meal for my Moms birthday. We tried a lot of things, the fried olives were good, so was the burrata. I had the pizza with the smoky sauce- it was tasty but a little on the thin side with heavy sauce, I doubt it would have reheated well. The best thing I are was my nephews buttered noodles, not sure if it is a good or bad thing, but they were ah-mazing. The building is lovely, and decorated well. The food is simple and done beautifully. read more

My team had a retirement party / holiday party at A16. We were seated in a private room in the back of the restaurant. The overall ambiance is really nice. The servers were great -- friendly and attentive. The food overall was good, though we did get a pasta dish that was a little TOO al dente... Don't get me wrong, I love al dente and I think all good pasta should have a nice chew to it. But this was just undercooked. Cocktails were good, though I was a little disappointed when the server told me that their Lucky Charms cocktail doesn't actually taste like Lucky Charms... Maybe I set my expectations too high. But wouldn't you expect a cocktail named Lucky Charms to taste like Lucky Charms? :) read more

We did quite a few taste bits here and there. I don't remember everything but the one appetizer that stood out was the sea urchin. I usually love sea urchin as suchi but I've had some bad ones when chefs try to incorporate it in things other than sushi. I've had sea urchin appetizers from some really nice restaurants like Joel Robuchon and another SF restaurant, and they always screwed it up and made it taste weird. This uni here at A16 had a citrus and acid flavor to it which made it quite pleasant. For my entree i did the pork chop which was quite delicious here. For dessert we did a panna cotta. I don't think it was in the fridge for very long because it seemed like it didn't sent. it was a bit too soft and runny. read more

I'm going for all 5 stars. All around enjoyable dining experience. The Neapolitian flavors are reminiscent of Italian food back in New Haven. Everything we had was delicious; burrata, artichoke/fennel/arugula salad, squash blossom pizza, chicken with broccoli rabe. Our server was fantastic with helpful suggestions on wine and refilling our fizzy water without prompting. A little bit of a wait between pizza and main course, which allowed us to savor the atmosphere. We'll be back! read more

Seasonal Cal-Italian food and cocktails served in a lively atmosphere. I highly recommend anchovies with padron peppers and gnocchi with pork sugo-you WILL want to lick the plate, just sayin'. Corona beans that came with the roasted calamari (oh yum) creamy inside, crispy outside. Like rye? Try the About Thyme cocktail with rye, peaches and thyme, unbelievable. Justina served our food in three courses with extra plates so we could share. She also introduced us ro an after dinner drink-amoro (spelling wrong probably). Although ta les are clise together, i didnt feel crowded. Highly recommended for special celebrations. read more

Had an anniversary dinner here and it was generally good. Appetizers were mediocre (we had the Calamari and the Stuffed Squash blossoms) and overpriced for what they were. The cucumber pesto on the squash blossoms tasted interesting on its own but got lost and didn't do much to improve the dish. The pizzas were fantastic. We tried the Vesuvio and the Funghi and both were delicious. I slathered their homemade chili oil on as well and that was super tasty. Wines by the glass were tasty and unique but the pours were really light and the prices high. Service was excellent and the ambience in the main dining room was great but we were stuck in the back room which was not the most fun. Overall, with the plethora of regional Italian restaurants in the Bay Area and everyone stepping up their game, I think A`16 is good (especially their pizzas) but has some work to do to stand out from the rest. I'd rather go back to other spots like Riva Cucina, Corso, or La Ciccia. read more