I came here for dinner on a Saturday night to celebrate with family and was able to get a last…read moreminute reservation. We enjoyed being sat outside on the patio and were very comfortable. The food and drinks were really great, everything was really fresh and flavorful. Although the restaurant was pretty busy we didn't have to wait too long for our food. Our server was very friendly and attentive. He answered all of our questions and made sure we were taken care of throughout our time there. I will definitely be back soon!

Service is extremely slow. It took over 40 minutes to get salads. Other tables nearby were seated…read moreand served before we got our food. In fact, a nearby table received the wrong order and it was corrected before I called the waiter over and asked about our salads. Our waiter never checked on us to see if we needed a refill of water or wanted anything additional. The ambience is lovely. The hostess staff were friendly. The food was fresh and the gluten-free bread rolls were great. They reminded me of Brazilian cheese, bread, light, and chewy on the inside.

Went for the Valentine's day prix and they were pretty busy, but we had a reservation. Seating in…read morethe main room, outside, or in the back room where it's quieter, but not as cute. Interior is interesting, it's like you're dining at someone's home? Street parking or there are lots nearby with the first hours or so free. Service was good  The Valentines prix consisted of an app, entree, and dessert, some of which are not on their regular menu!!  -bread and marinara (4/5): bread was great, thick slices and nice crust. Marinara was standard -potato-leek puree (4/5): came in a cute little cup to drink out of, good flavor -gamberoni (5/5): prawns were a good size and perfectly grilled. The sauce was a good addition -polette (4/5): meatballs were juicy and the pesto was flavorful and creamy. Interesting thing to have as an appetizer though -fettuccini carne (5/5): I always have an internal struggle about getting a red sauce or a cream sauce, so this was the perfect option as a creamy red sauce pasta. Serving size was good, and there was also plenty of meat and mushrooms, which I loved! Flavor was great! -lamp chop (4/5): good grilled flavor, but one was slightly too raw for our liking so we had to send it back to the kitchen to cook it some more. Our waitress was very understanding though! The mashed potatoes and veggies were also good. -tiramisu (3.5/5): good flavor, but there was wayyy more cream than ladyfinger, so the textural balance was off. And I love cream! -peanut butter chocolate brownie (4/5): really good but also pretty sweet. Loved how thick the whipped cream was, but didn't taste as much peanut butter as I would've liked Overall, I had a great experience for their valentines day prix menu. Food was great and I would definitely go back to try their pasta!

Food: Warm bread to start. We ordered the roasted cauliflower, which came with only six stems . The…read moreseafood pasta was decent--the fish was flaky, but the shrimp were on the dry side. The Italian sausage pasta, however, came out hot, flavorful, and delicious! Service: Six stars for the fantastic, enthusiastic service from Giuseppe and a lovely lady who seemed to be the owner. It's rare to come across servers who are this genuinely cheerful and enthusiastic--such a refreshing experience! I have to add this part, Giuseppe opened the door for us when we left the restaurant! Something we only experienced in Japan! Ambience: No background music, so conversations were quite audible. The restaurant had an older crowd and a more traditional, relaxed atmosphere.

We made a reservation for a party of six at 6:30 PM on a Thursday night, arrived on time and were…read morewarmly greeted and seated immediately. We were promptly greeted by our server, Jess, who was "wonderful and lovely" as described by one member of our party. She gave us a quick review of off-menu specials and recommended we order before a party of 20 fully arrived. We didn't feel rushed and appreciated her looking out for us. The pace of our dinner moved along exactly as expected. Service (Jess, et al) is friendly, professional and timely. Members of the service staff moved in and out efficiently to refill water, remove plates and keep our table uncluttered. The dining room is busy and loud (or maybe we're old), so there was quite a bit of "what did you say" in our conversations, but it did not diminish the experience. The wine list provides a great selection to complement the menu without breaking the bank. Menu prices are in line with what we see these days - and the large portions make dining here a great value. Our table ordered Pollo Scallopini, Vitello (veal) Scallopini, Melanzane (eggplant) Parmigiana, and the off-menu special Salmon Piccata. Everything was excellent. The veal was a big hit with the table. Strongly recommend making a reservation. Looks like they do a good job with larger parties without impacting smaller tables and couples. This place is a mainstay in Walnut Creek for a reason.

I called to ensure they would be open on Easter Sunday, spoke to the owner, he was so nice. Upon…read moreentering we were warmly greeted and shown to a great table in the corner. The place is fairly small, but tables aren't too close together so you can have a conversation without hearing other people. Our server, Alex (female) was amazing! She was so warm and authentic, the service was exemplary. The wine list is extensive, with a comprehensive list of old world wines and some new world faves. They feature Pride Mtn. Merlot, one of the best local reds. The food was on point, my Dad had the shrimp scampi, he said it was excellent. I had the pork chop, so good. The chop was pounded thin and had a crispy texture to it (yum). It was covered in demi-glace and mushrooms, just delicious. Overall, great experience. Highly recommend.

Personal favorite Italian spot in Walnut Creek. It's a great place for pizza and pasta, flavorful…read moreall around. The drinks were absolutely superb and definitely the unexpected highlight of the night. Service was great as well so definitely a place to check out if you're in the mood for Italian. If you're coming on a Friday and the weekends, highly recommend you to make a reservation as spots will fill up. The bar seating is open to walk-in and they do serve the full menu fwiw.

The place gets an extra star for the service. Otherwise it would have been one star…read more Decided to try this place for the family Friday dinner. Two adults, two kids (total bill was ~$450). Observations: 1) The place is very small. They sit you outside in a very windy alley. The food gets cold within 5min or so. Heaters don't help that much. 2) When you make a reservation on OpenTable you choose "Standard seating" - it doesn't mean inside. Inside capacity is about 50 or so ppl with 10 or so by the bar. So capacity is very limited. 3) We ordered lemonade for kids. They serve it in short glasses filled with ice to the brim (despite our ask for "no ice"), effectively reducing the liquid volume. We paid $35 for lemonade. 4) Food is very uneventful, nothing was remarkable. Their gnocchi with meat resembled Chef Boyardee from back in college times. Not sure why this place felt so pretentious with really no substance to back it. With so many options around like Montecatini, Doppio Zero, Benvenuti, La Fontaine, etc, not sure how they are still in business. Definitely not recommended for families, and have a hard time figuring out what audience they cater to.

We thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Massimo in downtown Walnut Creek last Thursday evening…read more On Thursdays, Massimo's features a delectable 32 oz. tomahawk steak for two. It includes two sides of your choice, two salads of your choice, and finally two desserts. Everything was scrumptious! The steak was a perfect medium rare and so flavorful. For sides, we chose the gnocchi carbonara and bacon-wrapped asparagus. We also got an extra side of their creamy mashed potatoes. We finished the meal with espresso martinis, tiramisu, and bread pudding. The Tomahawk Thursday dinner is $160 for the three-course meal for two.

From the moment you walk in the door, you can tell Massimo is a "regulars" type of place. Same…read morefaces, same stool, same drink, same food probably for the better part of the last decade. Food was nothing special, much better Italian in town, and while the staff was courteous enough (esp after the kitchen screwed up my order); though I did feel like more of an afterthought than a paying customer. The thing that really stuck with me though was the smell. Odor is more like it actually, sour, like the seafood had gone bad in the fridge or something. Very strange and vastly unpleasant.

Pasta was good, very well prepared and flavorful. Servers were attentive and friendly. Environment…read moreclean and quiet (the space is massive so the noise dissipates quite nicely). My only qualm, they charge for bread. I think it's an all time tacky move to charge for bread when the prices of your entrées are what they are. That said, be sure to stop in on Mondays, all day happy hour!

The biggest issue with this restaurant was the slowness of the service. We had an anniversary…read morereservation for 6 PM, and planned to catch a movie at 8:40 PM at a movie theater maybe 10 minutes away. Long story short - we were late to the movie. Our waiter left us sitting for very long periods of time between courses, and we actually had to flag down another server to get the check. For my part, I expected better than the food I received. My husband and I split the chopped Italian salad, which we both agreed was rather flavorless and definitely underdressed. I ended up pouring some of the oil and balsamic vinegar from the bread dipping plate into the salad, which made it a little better. I ordered the Tuesday Trio which was a sampling of three supposedly popular pasta dishes. The Tagliatelle with Ragu was OK but a little dry. The corkscrew pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto cream sauce was actually quite good, but my biggest disappointment was their rigatoni à la vodka, which is one of my favorite dishes. This restaurant's version was heavily flavored with smoky bacon, which, in my opinion really drowned out the lightness of a creamy vodka sauce. It was also pretty salty - I couldn't really eat it. However, my husband's Pollo de Toscana was delicious. Overall, I was unimpressed. I know there are better Italian places out there. Probably won't be back.

This is a very good Italian place. We went for dinner. We ordered crab cakes as an appetizer. They…read moreare very good, perfectly seasoned and light. As main course, we ordered gnocchi and mushroom ravioli. The sauce on the gnocchi is something from another world, hats off to the chef. A Italian place without a great sauce is not a good place! So this checks out. The ravioli also tasted very nice. We also ordered roasted potatoes as a side which were very good. The service was very fast and good as well. As dessert we ordered mango sorbet. The sorbet is perfect, light and has the shuttle taste of mango, nothing overpowering. Will definitely go again! Highly recommend.

Our second time dining at La Fontaine. Cozy ambience and service was prompt and attentive. Steak…read morewas cooked perfectly, chicken was so tender and juicy, fries were just the right crispy. Beef Wellington is a dish that I've never seen in other restaurants, probably because it's so hard to get the cook on the pastry AND the filet done correctly. But La Fontaine nailed it. They also brought out a complimentary tiramisu to celebrate my son's birthdays. Will definitely recommend.

There were three of us. The restaurant was rather busy for a Saturday night but we were able to get…read moreseated right away in the patio to enjoy the night cool air. Ambience - was very low key, comfortable. Tables were just a tad too close but it didn't feel crowded. Food - One ordered the Salmon on Pennewith sun dried tomatoes. The dish was very good. Sun dried tomatoes did not over power the flavor of the overall dish. Big serving to enjoy for lunch the next day. Will definitely order again. Steak Piadine - was huge! the Flatbread was just a bit chewy but the steak was tender, salad filling was bright and flavorful. Will definitely order again. I ordered the Pasta Trio which had the chicken Alfredo, meat lasagna and the pesto penne. to me, it was the perfect serving size for each dish; however, the price was a tad on the higher side. The meat lasagna was more like 3.large raviolis with meat sauce. All three were very good. We also highly recommend the garlic knots. a little pricey for 4 pieces but Soo good. they're signature cocktail Empress Princess was not for me but one of the guys in our party definitely loved it!

Tomatina of Walnut Creek was unfortunately a disappointment…read more My spouse and I came to Walnut Creek with plans to grab dinner. We originally planned to grab boba and eat at a different restaurant but when we parked the smell in the air called us to Tomatina instead. We originally came in and the older gentleman said they couldn't seat us right away and to come back in 20 minutes. We didn't mind and took a walk around the block and was seated right away when we returned and he brought us menus. A waiter came and was friendly, making sure he got the order correct. It seemed like he may have been in training. We decided to each get a lemonade, share the meatball appetizer, I ordered the pasta trio and my husband ordered the chicken parmesan. The meal started out nice with the drinks immediately coming out and the appetizer shortly after. The drinks were good, however they were out of pint glasses and came in a collins glass instead. The waiter mentioned the lack of pints and the smaller glass calling it fancy but didn't reference if we'd get a discount or a refill due to the smaller portion as a result of the glass switch. The meatballs were tender and had a good flavor. The sauce was nice and the bread was serviceable. After we finished our appetizer, there was a lack in service for at least 15 minutes. They did not clear the dirty dishes, offer water, or provide any type of check in. While we waited, my spouse had noticed a pasta entree (and a salad) was put up and was placed on top of a pizza box. He didnt think much of it until we started to realize we had been waiting longer than felt appropriate and noticed it was 3 different colors, like you'd expect for a pasta trio like I had ordered. Eventually the pasta was removed and we gave the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't my food that had been sitting out for at at least 10 minutes and they were just slow. A few minutes later, a waitress brought our entrees and they finally cleared the appetizer plates. I took my first bite and my food was cold. Not it cooled down but was still kinda warm, any food that was exposed to air was physically cold to the touch. My husband tried to flag the waitress down that delivered the food and her and another worker were talking and looking at their register with no awareness of the rest of the room. Given the service thus far, I just got up with the food and walked it over. I explained it was cold to the point where I said she could touch it (I proceeded to touch a noodle) and it's obviously too cold to be served. She apologized and said she talk the the cook/chef. My spouse watched as she went with my cold plate to the open kitchen and it was clear that she explained I said it was cold but they were not planning on remaking it and just reheating it. A trio of pastas with 3 different sauces would not be reheated in a pan so the assumption is there would be a microwave involved. My spouse got up and approached the cook and waitress that reheating the pasta was unacceptable because if we wanted reheated pasta, we could get something from a freezer section grocery store. At this point the waitress seemed shocked that we'd say anything about them choosing to just reheat the food. After a few more remarks they finally said that they'd remake my food. But that'd mean I had to wait while my spouse ate or my husband would wait and then their food was cold when we eat together. At this point, the service was so bad and they made it fell like we were inconveniencing them by wanting at least warm food, my spouse said we just wanted to settle up and leave. Again it took them a minute to process that we didn't want to stay there anymore and eventually said we could just leave. We left and have no plans on returning. I would consider trying a different location since it's a chain, but I will not be back to the Walnut Creek location. I give Tomatina a very generous 2 stars for the service at the very start of the night and the flavor of the meatballs.

If we want variety with a twist on things ... this is where we go! With a side of good drinks!…read more Great wine list and great seasonal menus. Everything from the biscuit, ceviche, cod, corn risotto , short rib, burger and Brussels are to die for! They usually make a killer shot soup which has been a win win for us!! We love this small place for date night! Service is so pleasant as well :))

I had read about Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar online, so we decided to give it a try for lunch. We…read moredidn't have a reservation, but we arrived in the mid-to-late afternoon, just before the dinner rush, and were lucky enough to get a table inside. We started with a Cacio e Pepe Biscuit and some wine. I was curious about the Spanish wines on their menu, so I decided to try all three, opting for the 3-oz pours instead of the 6-oz. We then shared the Beet Salad and Ceviche Tostadas. The salad combined golden beets, quinoa, and sherry vinaigrette, creating a delicious combination of flavors. The tostadas came with mahi-mahi, mango salsa, and avocado, and we both loved them. Unfortunately, I somehow lost the right to eat the third one to my wife! For our main courses, we ordered the Paella and Linguine Gamberi. The paella featured saffron rice, chorizo, shrimp, other seafood, and a few ingredients whose names I can't recall. The combination was excellent, and the Linguine Gamberi was equally delicious. After all that food, we somehow convinced ourselves we still had room for their Dessert for Two. It came with key lime pie and three other small desserts, all beautifully presented on a single plate. Finishing them proved more challenging than ordering them, but we managed to taste everything and even finish a couple! Throughout our meal, our server, whose name I unfortunately can't recall, was on top of her game. She was attentive, and our wine glasses were never empty for long. We never had to wait long before placing our next order. The rest of the staff were equally efficient, clearing our table promptly after each course. We enjoyed our comfortable indoor table, but I also noticed their lovely outdoor seating area, which looked like a wonderful place to relax on a nice day. With excellent food, attentive service, and a pleasant atmosphere, we had a thoroughly enjoyable first visit. Next time, I might save a little more room for dessert!

I've been here a couple of times for business events…read more Today we had the salmon and lamb, and both were excellent. The wines are always tasty, and the complimentary bread with herb butter is soft and fluffy. The strawberry salad was especially good, even better than the arugula salad. Lemon tart and tiramisu are both great.

The ambiance is lovely, our waiter was fantastic. As long as you don't eat the food, you'll have a…read morewonderful time. The prices only add insult to injury. Our pasta dishes were horrible...goopy and weird tasting. I don't know what the curly white stuff on top of the angel hair pasta was but it was certainly not Parmesan cheese. The abundance of fried garlic chips ensure that you can taste nothing else. The flatbread is, well, flat (and flavorless). I don't know how they can call the dessert we ordered tiramisu. It tasted like a slice of cake from Safeway. Having said that, the chicken and the Acme bread were fine. As someone who lived in Italy for several years, this is a terrible excuse for an Italian-ish restaurant.