Some of the best Italian food in Sonoma County. We used to dine here regularly, but now stick with takeout after two separate dinner reservations were lost. Incredibly awkward to walk into the restaurant with family from out of town to be told we never made a reservation. They were able to accommodate us on both occasions, but it's truly a jarring experience to try to pull up phone logs to prove you called and spoke with someone. Did I mention this happened twice under two different names? Long story short, takeout is the way to go here. You won't be disappointed with the gnocchi with meat sauce (plenty of other delicious sauces to choose from), bruschetta, salads, and desserts. Some of the specials are hit or miss. As for the ambiance, it's in a strip mall next to Wilco. If you can look past that, it does feel like a cute small Italian restaurant on the inside. The dealbreaker is the service, unfortunately. read more

3.5 stars, but rounding up. :) Unpretentious high quality Italian American food in an unassuming strip mall location. Cozy atmosphere. Service was fine. The linguine with clams were terribly gritty with sand. Couldn't finish it,. despite a great flavor balance in the sauce. The Lasagna Bolognese was very good. Rich meat sauce with bright tomatoe flavor. Good balance of cheese to pasta. All in all, a very enjoyable entree. The Fettuccine Alfredo is my 9 year olds newest favorite pasta. We'll have to come back just for this to keep him happy. Next time I'd like to try an appetizer or salad, but we were in a bit of a rush. They did a decent job dressing up a strip mall store front with some Italian American ambiance. The indoor red striped awning spanning the kitchen window is a nice touch, but it wouldn't kill them to dust it once in a while. The complimentary mixed bread basket and cured olives were nice to nibble on while we waited for our entrees. The olives in particular had a nice chili spice to them. read more

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Great Italian restaurant. It was recommended to me and we really enjoyed it. The restaurant its small but offers delicious food in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Good food portions and reasonable price. Service was good. Definitely coming back again for the food. Plenty of parking around this strip mall. Until next time, Chao! read more

Comforting Italian food at this little restaurant. There isn't a ton of seating, so it's a good idea to make a reservation. I called around 4 on a Saturday and left a voicemail requesting a 5:30 reservation and was able to secure one. I was pleasantly surprised because it was so last minute! When we got there, we saw a group get turned away because they didn't have a reservation. I heard them being told they could get a table if the reservation didn't show up, but we showed up, so they were out of luck. I ordered the seafood risotto special. It was excellent, and they didn't skimp on the seafood. A huge prawn, a bunch of good sized scallops, complemented with asparagus. I finished my plate and wanted more! Two types of bread for the table, both very good. Service is a bit slow, but the kitchen seemed small, so not surprising. read more

Caffe Giostra - Special- seafood risotto with jumbo prawn, scallops, asparagus - Italian Near Me - Petaluma, California

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They were packed on a Tuesday night and they were there for the food. The space is small, but they have used all the space that they have very well. I started with Butternut squash soup, was very good. Came hot, and smelled lovely while I let it cool. Was worth the wait, and gave me sometime to catch up with friends. The Sol was very good as well. All the desserts were really yummy. Our waiter sang to us a lovely Italian song. Will be going back again soon. read more

Caffe Giostra - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Petaluma, California

This family restaurant really brings fine dining quality food to Northern Petaluma, à tear which is usually only found downtown.

Food was delicious. The carbonara very tasty and bread to sop up the remaining sauce. The fresh sliced tomatoes with cheese were and tasteless. They were likely refrigerated. Lists of local heirloom tomatoes available as an alternative. The side of meat balls with sauce were good. Service efficient and not pushy. The neon light from the display case shined directly into my guests eyes and mine. We sat at a front table next to window. That needs to be shaded is some way. Really kills the vibe. And a little sound reduction would up the positive vibe considerably. The down sides are easy to address in short order which would make this a four rating. Yes I recommend. read more

Great food and service!! Very unassuming location and interior. Give this special restaurant a try.

A favorite, we all love this restaurant The service is great, friendly waiters, and the food is 'Delizioso.' Good atmosphere too! read more

A friend shared this..... Ron's birthday was Sunday. We had a great visit and dinner at caffe Giostra in Petaluma. We go there for special occasions. I want to show how out of control restaurants have gotten. Our bill for 4 meals was $144, ok 2 drinks $24 for both, ok $167.00 for nice dinner ok BUT we were charged $268.00? Why we'll tip for back kitchen $7.10 , rice instead of potato 2 of them $6.95 for small amount, 2 times, split a salad $4.00 , split a $49.00 meal $4.00, oh 2 small ice cream $21,90 for both, best part we brought a small chocolate cake we paid $12.00 for I asked if they would bring out after dinner nothing said about a charge $18.00 charge to bring out with plates so our $12 cake was $30.00. So beware they nickel and dime you actually many hidden $$$$. We won't be there again. read more

Good food but watch out for hidden charges they don't tell you. Switch potatoes for rice $6.95 for small tablespoon. we brought a very small cake for a birthday and asked if they would bring it out, they said yes but did not tell us our $12 cake would be charged $18 to bring it out with plates. Over $7.00 tip for back room added. $4.00 charge to split a salad end truly a dinner for 4 with 2 drinks cost $167.00 but ended up with bill of $268.50 out of control, we are not going back. Other places have good food with out hidden charges! read more

Went there for an early (6pm) dinner recently and they seemed a little disorganized for outdoor dining at that time - tables not set, bread not served with meal, busboy who didn't understand why we wanted butter with bread, etc. But the food was excellent and we left pleased read more

I love this place. The owners and staff are all so friendly. The food is all amazing.

I have been going here for years. always a go to for family celebrations or just a casual date night with my husband. The staff is amazing. Marta and her husband are very attentive and endearing. My favorite is they that retain the same staff which is a very good sign. My favorite waiter starter began working there as a busboy years ago and has worked his way up to an amazing waiter. I am always greeted by name when we come in the front door. The food is the fantastic and be sure to get the tiramisu. read more

A great dinner once again here at Caffe Giostra!! We love this great little restaurant in Petaluma. I ordered the prawns in a lovely garlic sauce with mashed potatoes and fresh summer vegetables. Our two guests had a fantastic meal as well. Hubby enjoyed his tender veal dish. We when visiting Petaluma will always come back. Our wait staff was marvelous and watching the cooks in the kitchen is always fun! read more

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It's a very good restaurant, real Italian vibe very good food, good service. Must beran by the sweetest little lady I've ever seen.

Every single time we come here we drive home raving about every single detail of the experience. The staff is first class all the way. Timing is perfection. The meals are beyond expectation. He had veal Marsala and I had salmon piccata. FABULOUS!! Tonight we celebrated my husbands birthday, just two of us, and were treated so special. I can't thank them enough for always offering the best dining experience. read more

We have been going here since they opened, but after last nights dinner I thought I needed to post this. I called and made a reservation for 7:30 and when we arrived at 7:15 they had no record of me calling. They did find us a table but no one even came to the table until 8:00. They finally brought water and very dried out ends of bread. We shared a salad and it was just a few romaine hearts with dressing and blue cheese. My wife had the seafood pescatoty and she said it was as great as usual, I on the other hand had the seafood risotto, the prawns were overcooked and were rubbery and the risotto had no flavor at all, the chef needs to locate the salt shaker because it was flat a lifeless. The service was terrible, our waiter had 4 tables and couldn't be bothered to ask us how we were doing or if we needed anything, the attention to detail was completely missing. read more

The food was good. Free parking. Inside and outside dining. Take-out food seemed popular. Service poor: After being promptly seated, we waited beyond 5 minutes before being acknowledged by our waiter (we were on the verge of walking). Service did not improve. BTW: Wouldn't it be nice if we were checked in with shortly after the main course is served? A rarity of most restaurants in America now days. Our biggest gripe: hidden fees. Aside from being charged $50 for a glass of wine (it was corrected), we were hit with a "B.O.H" fee of 3%. No mention of additional fees mentioned on the menu and the manager states they don't have to, because "all the restaurants are doing it." read more

I haven't eaten inside, but we've done takeaway several times over the years. My daughter gets Bolognese, which we have called "fancy spaghetti" since she was 4 (now 13). My favourite is the lasagna and husband's is just about anything on the menu. This is our go-to for comfort food! read more

Best Italian food besides Italy. Wife and i have gone to Cafe G for over 20 year, quality has stayed the same, service is amazing and the food is other worldly. read more

Wonderful restaurant for family, dining, and for takeout. The veal piccata is my fave! Service is excellent. read more

Great dinner and charming ambience! Our dinners were excellent, and service was great. The owner was there greeting guests as they arrived and also working. Very nice lady. This restaurant has been there a while and deserves all the compliments! Highly recommended! read more

I've been going here 20 years, since it opened and I've never been disappointed everything is delicious! read more

Caffe Giostra - Spinach and cheese ravioli-delicious! - Italian Near Me - Petaluma, California

The calamari steak was under cooked terrible. Two other dinners good.. Waiter argued with me about the calamari.. A little too cocky and very rude, no class. he read more

Always good small family run Italian place! Been coming here for years.... For some reason, we stopped. We will start again!

Went with a party of six to an old favorite. This same group has been to the restaurant before and several of the couples have eaten at Giostra multiple times over the past few years. But no more. Things have really changed. Be aware of extra charges. We were charged $3.00 to get an extra plate so we could share our salad. Ok, fine, we split a salad. But then we were charged $9.95 to get pasta as a side instead of potatoes. Three in our party did that and we were shocked to see the extra $30 on our final bill. The waiter never warned us. The kicker was that since we were a party of six the gratuity was included. All around we felt like our meal was rushed, and we didn't have the best service, so we did not add an optional gratuity on top of the 20%. Guess what -- when the credit card bill came in they added more to our tip. We have the receipt to prove it. We spent a lot of money -- multiple bottles of wine, appetizers, entrees, and desert drinks. The service and unnecessary extra charges really ruined any desire to return. read more

Great Italian restaurant. Excellent service. Worth every penny. The waiter was well versed in all the dishes and their paired wines. If you don't know what to get just ask for the best house recommendations read more

Went here with 2 friends after a long horse show day and it didn't disappoint. I had the Fettuccine Gamberi and it was delicious!!! I would order it again! My friends had Chicken piccata & Salmon piccata - both said it was excellent! Fun staff too. read more

This place is absolutely amazing!! Hospitality and service were above and beyond. Restaurant was cozy and food was authentic and delicious! Will definitely be back!! read more

From the carpaccio to the Limoncello and everything in between (Caesar salad and veal saltimbocca), the food was delicious. The Chianti was flavorful and complimented our meal well. The service was excellent and the ambience was good. We will definitely be back! read more

What a major disappointment. This restaurant has been in business for years and has had a good reputation. We haven't been there in a long time and decided to try it again. It took us 45 minutes to get our food after we ordered. I ordered the calamari dore and it was lukewarm at best and mushy. It came with a tiny serving of mashed potatoes and vegetables. The waiter was rude and indifferent. He refused to do separate checks stating that it was restaurant policy. The cashier (the owner?) finally did it for us but was exasperated at having to separate our bill. What a total waste of money. We will never patronize this restaurant again read more

I don't eat Italian much and would never expect an amazing Italian restaurant to be located in sortve of strip mall. The ambiance was very old school Italian and the food reminded me of how good Italian food can be. The gnocchi were like soft pillows of goodness, the pollo piccata was so moist and tender with the perfect lemon sauce. read more

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I have a long history of eating here. Way back in the day, I considered Giostra to be one of sonoma county's fine dining- and I was especially wow'ed by their grape shaped oil and vinegar table condiments. Peak of sophistication! Now, after giving them some time (about a decade) I came back and tried them again. Sad to say, they have gone downhill. Nestled in the back corner of a pretty sleepy business complex, Giostra had its heyday years ago. I remember the best thing we ate *vividly* was their bruschetta, and I also remember always being packed into their table service area with people jostling and bumping elbows as waitresses squeezed by with orders. Last week, we decided to give them a try and see how they have stood up to the test of time. I ordered the bruschetta to start ($9.95), the spinach salad ($9.95), and the ravioli of the day which they told me was crab in a lemon creme sauce (didn't get the price). Hubby opted for the pesto tortellini ($17.95) and dad ordered the spaghetti with meatballs ($15.95 + $9.95 for two meatballs. The items came with a large bag of breads, copious sides of parm, and a cute container of some mixed olives. I can tell you this-despite being really close to this restaurant, these meals did not travel well. Everything sloshed out of its containers, and it was extremely messy. All the containers were slimy and we planned to transfer the items to plates, but the bags were so full of sauce, we lost the motivation to get in there and move anything. Thankfully, the bruschetta was as good as I remember. Everything else however, was lackluster. My crab raviolis tasted very metallic and not very fresh, and the sauce which they told me was a lemon creme sauce was something else entirely and tasted very fishy but not in a fresh seafood kind of way. I ended up trying a bite of a few different raviolis in hopes maybe I just got one or two bad ones but they all tasted like the inside of a tin can. Hubby's tortellini were ok but nothing special, and dad's spaghetti was firmly average. The breads on the side seemed a little stale and tough, but the side of olives were fine. The salad was what I was hoping for redemption, but it too was topped sparingly, with an overly acidic dressing, and far too few walnuts, cheese bits, or flavor. The people on the phone who I ordered from were delightful, and ordering was a breeze. Prices were high in my opinion given the overall lack of real flavor or any authentic tastes in regards to their sauces or spices. Parking is plentiful and free, and selection is pretty good, but what you get for the price is not worth it. Pretty huge disappointment from what I remember, and definitely not where I will be returning for my Italian fix in the future. read more

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Been eating her for 30+ years. Will never disappoint. Always fresh, amazing staff & food. Highly recommend.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Petaluma! Been going here for years and have never had a bad meal. Marta & Hector are lovely and always gracious. Scrumptious! read more

People who own and work at Giostra are wonderful! Always great food and great service! Thank you Hector, Marta and staff!

We had our anniversary dinner at Cafe Giostra. The food was great, and the service was tremendous. We had not been there in awhile and we were very pleased that it still is the place to go for our Italian cuisine. read more

This is a gem and was an absolute pleasure dining there! The menu reflects the creativity in the kitchen and we had a hard time deciding what to order. The older gentleman greeted us at our table and proceeded to give us an extensive list of specials....ultimately we ordered two of the specials (Rack of Lamb and their Filet Mignon/Prawns aka the Surf and Turf). We even had their Tiramisu and an Affogato for dessert. We left knowing we just enjoyed a special evening at a wonderful restaurant!! read more

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We walked in on a Saturday with no reservation and they got us right in. We did have to sit in the heated tent outside but it was still a wonderful experience. The food was definitely homemade. The owner was very wonderful and made sure we had everything we needed. read more