What a hidden gem! We were out for a leisurely Saturday drive in the Sierra foothills and wanted some good food - boy did this place deliver! The wood-fired pizza was one of the best we've ever had - how they get their crust so thin is amazing! We also shared an order of the chicken parm, which was delicious, with enough leftover for a meal the next day. The service was outstanding, and we really appreciated the owner coming out to say hello and ask how we liked our meal. We will definitely come back here again! read more

My family and I were exploring Grass Valley and came across this local Italian restaurant and saw that it had great reviews online. The restaurant was cozy and had lovely artwork. Once we had ordered I went to use the restroom and almost hit my head twice on the broken door hinge. When I came back we were served lunch and my waiter forgot to make sure my Fettuccine Alfredo had chicken as requested. I didn't say anything and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt since he was new. Once we concluded the meal it felt like they forgot about us and we were waiting an extended amount of time to pay the check. The owner came to bring out a dessert for me which was on the house because it was my birthday. I thought it was really sweet and so did my parents but we were also trying to hit the road on our journey. Overall the lunch was decent but I also hope they can make some improvements. read more

La Gastronomia - House Salad with arugula, tomato, cucumber, and balsamic dressing. - Italian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

See all

We were looking for Italian but this place had very little Italian choices. We had never eaten in a Mediterranean restaurant but we made good choices. I had the Chicken shawarma and he had the moussaka. The house salad had more olive oil and not enough balsamic for my taste. He had blue cheese which he was happy about. My chicken was/is so tasty. There was so much food that we had leftovers and even though I am still full I wanted to keep eating. The moussaka was still bubbling when it was brought to the table. The owner is a friendly guy and chatted with us a bit. It was a nice new culinary change. Oh, there were fresh flowers on each table. read more

It's a unique experience that includes your choice of Italian food and some Greek dishes. Their hummus and pita are worth the trip! The staff is incredibly friendly. read more

Let me start by saying, this was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. We ordered two ice tea and when it arrived there was no ice. My wife asked for lemon they brought lime. My wife ordered a 12 dollar sandwich and received a 20 dollar plate of food. I ordered a rib eye steak swarma and received a plate of rice with overcooked steak shredded on rice. The whole experience ruined my whole day. I could not wait to get out of there. Just awful. I almost never write a review even when it is so so. But I wrote this to warn others not to eat here. read more

We went there for a birthday dinner and couldn't have been happier. Delicious Food - all from scratch - meatballs, pasta, sauce, salad - Tiramisu, complex flavors. We will be back! Good service too! read more

Food was above and beyond and Georgie is one of the best restaurant owners you'll ever meet. Visiting from socal and this is my favorite restaurant in grass valley. Great Mediterranean food that features different cuisines across the sea. Ambiance makes you feel like you are in a restaurant you would see in the sopranos, Georgie made sure I was taken care of I had the ribeye shawarma and Americano pizza with onions this week, delicious. read more

Great food and service. Family friendly. Varied menu. Local beers on draft. Excellent wine selection.

Very pleased our local hotel The Pines recommended we try this restaurant and we are so pleased that they did. It did not disappoint, so much so that we went there twice during our four night stay in Grass Valley. The menu includes both Mediterranean and Italian dishes. The dishes are very tasty and clearly prepared with fresh ingredients. The first night my wife and I indulged in the Mediterranean dishes. I being vegetarian was pleased with the falafel sandwich. I never had a wrap with so many delicious, non greasy falafel balls before. Salad was fresh and crisp with balsamic dressing. My wife enjoyed her meatball sandwich. We went on another night and we decided to both "go to Italy". I thoroughly enjoyed the baked the Eggplant Parmigiana with a savory, sweet sauce layered with mozzarella. Very generous portion. Francesca my at the chefs suggestion ordered the lasagna. It was well prepared in a fine meat sauce. She appreciated that it was more meat than pasta. Unusual for her, she ate the whole. Not the usual partial take home for that meal. As side the note the owner/ waiter is extremely personable and makes all the customers feel welcomed and right at home. Clearly he takes much pride in his fine restaurant. read more

Nice little Italian/ Mediterranean restaurant! The food & service were good @ a decent price. We enjoyed our dinner visit.

Very friendly staff and owner. The food was awesome too! We had the chicken shwarma plate and lamb plate. Very tasty and perfect portion. Next time we visit we will definitely swing by!! read more

Not Italian at all. Mediterranean pretending to be Italian. They use bleach to clean the tables around you while you're eating. We heard nothing but great things about this place but clearly that was before the new owners. Very disappointed to order fresh bread and mozzarella to receive one mozzarella ball sliced up, oil, and cut up pita bread. Pasta had no flavor to it and the Parmesan cheese didn't melt a bit the whole time. Mostly dry. Pizza was decent but it's really hard to mess up pizza. Very sad we didn't get to try this place before the new ownership. Short staffed and unfriendly. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

My husband and I stopped in at La Gastronomia the other evening and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Wow! The staff were very friendly and attentive, the restaurant was comfortable, clean, and nicely decorated. The food was amazing! My husband ordered the lamb shanks and he said they were some of the best lamb that he had ever eaten-which is saying a lot. I enjoyed the eggplant parmigiana and it was definitely one of the top 5 eggplant parmigianas that I have ever eaten while dining out. read more

Under new ownership/management. Nothing like the great food it used to be. Everything is now obviously canned and microwaved and many dishes are not available. If you are a fan of the old Gastronomia, don't bother. You will be disappointed. Asked the new "manager" where he was from and he got cagey and asked why we wanted to know and never told is. Weird. Kind of a bummer because it used to be one of the best places in town. read more

The best! The owner is absolutely wonderful, charming, generous and passionate. We loved the chicken shawarma and the Americana pizza. I got gluten free and it was DEEElicious. We went here many times in the years past and the new owner has made it even better. Best authentic Mediterranean around with really good Italian food. Don't miss it!! read more

The new owner is very attentive. He takes your order and answers any questions on the menu. We asked for a mezza plate that wasn't on the menu and he graciously offered to make up one for us. It was delicious and gave us an opportunity to taste their different flavor profiles. We also ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich which was also delicious. It's wonderful to have a Mediterranean restaurant near us. We will definitely be back. read more

My husband and I chose to eat at La Gastronomia just to check it out, and oh, are we glad we did! I decided to try the moussaka, and it was DELICIOUS. My husband had the gyro plate, and loved his just as much. We were joking as we left that if we were ever in a 'last meal' situation, we now definitely know where we're going! read more

New owner has a new interesting menu reflecting Italian and Greek tastes. Great thin crust pizzas. Serving sizes are very large. Clean and nice family atmosphere. Good friendly service. Easy Parking, Highly recommend this place to take your family for a nice relaxing lunch or dinner at a reasonable price. read more

The lamb they served me was drizzled in honey to cover up the fact that it was extremely dry and looked inedible. I truly tried to eat it and I ain't a picky eater. The hummus was liquid. I heard this place was amazing before the old owners sold it. My boyfriend had hyped it up and apologized to me when we tasted the food because that's not how he remembered the food. read more

We were briefly in town for and looking for something for lunch. La Gastronomia pops up on Yelp so we give it a try. And we were damn glad we did. We had the swarma, and also a pizza topped with Italian sausage and arugala paired with some local craft beers on tap. The food was absolutely amazing and the beers were sublime. More importantly the owner/waiter/cook Georgie was fantastic. His recommendations were spot on and his personality brought the whole restaurant to life. If you happen to be in Grass Valley and are looking for a good meal, don't miss this place. read more

Now under new ownership the pizza is not the same. Too salty, too much cheese, dough texture is tougher, presentation appeared rushed with uneven distribution of ingredients across the pie. We are heartbroken as we used to love this place for its authentic high quality Italian pizza. read more

La Gastronomia - Veggie pesto - Italian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

See all

Such a nice Italian spot in Grass Valley! It was our first time eating here & we did a take out order. The restaurant itself is older but is really cute and you can tell they have put a lot of effort into authentic Italian art & decorations. It's sad that there wasn't anyone in there dining. I'm not sure if it was due to the weather but this place deserves more in person diners. Next time we will be dining in! The service was fast & they were all super nice. The food was amazing! Everything tastes very fresh and the quality is top tier. We could not stop being in awe on how delicious it all was. I would recommend giving them a try as your tastebuds will be really happy. read more

See all

One my favorite restaurants, changed ownership. Took home, my all-time favorite pizza and it was so salty I couldn't eat it! So sad to see this development read more

Just stopped in here for Lunch on a Thursday. We are glamping at Grass Valley RV just an exit away on 49. AMAZING! We would give it 10 stars. The sauces are all home made, you could taste the love and the flavor! We had a pizza and a meatball sandwich and some beers. Pizza was the star! Vegetarian add sausage. Thin crust, nice and crispy. Meatball sandwich with the softest freshest roll I have ever had. HUGE! I like that they slice meatballs in half. Had plenty for leftovers! The owner Georgie, came to visit us and insisted we have a canola and some baklava. Both good! :) Good parking, and an outdoor porch to eat at too. We will be back. read more

Excellent food. Wood fired, thin crust pizza. Homemade Italian dressing on the house salad was so good. We tried the baklava and cannoli for dessert and both were great. Friendly service and great value for the price. read more

So sad! Because the new owner has kept the same name of the restaurant (smart move on his part) his reviews look better than they really are. This little boutique restaurant used to have a great following with delicious food choices. Not so much anymore....read the reviews. Here's my take from two separate visits... First visit: I ordered the Lamb Shank....tasteless tough and dry. I love Mediterranean food but I've had better Baba and Hummus elsewhere. Not a draw here. Husband ordered Chicken Shawarma... ugh... he didn't like it shredded and tasteless. We've had lots of Chicken Shawarma elsewhere to die for so I trust his judgement. Ok, we thought, let's give it one more try with friends. Maybe the Italian would be good. Nope, the Eggplant Parm was lumped into a little soup bowl and drenched in cheese. Ugh....so SALTY! Almost inedible. That seems to be a them if you read other recent reviews. Vegetable Calzone....nope... burnt thin crust, hardly any cheese and NO Sauce...what? And tasteless!!! I passed it around and all of us agreed that no spices were used rendering it tasteless! Oh, did I write that twice? Save your hard earned money. Safeway sells great dough for a quick Calzone at home. Ooh, snap! In addition, the other peeps at our table received their orders before me and were DONE eating by the time the Calzone came out. REALLY? We gave them two visits...not going back. There are plenty of great Pizza places in Grass valley and Nevada City. Great Italian restaurants here... and a couple of really good Mediterranean restaurants so support the good places that deserve your dollars in this very difficult time. We don't want those places to fold. read more

Just went there for dinner for a pizza and gnocchi. A complete disappointment. We have been here multiple times but there was something weird this time. Apparently we found out, they changed ownership. Gnocchi were absolutely terrible, with fake Parmesan on top. Freshly grated Parmesan was La Gastronomia signature, just like we do it in Italy. Pizza margherita - the dough was good but they literally put 3 slices of mozzarella on the whole pizza. Everything else was tomato sauce. On top of that, I requested the Aperol Spritz, which is what I always order. The waitress didn't even know what I was talking about. Great. This place gonna fail in less than 3 months . read more

The food is just excellent! And George, the owner is warm and welcoming. The ambience is very homey, warm and welcoming as well.

This used to be one of my favorite place. Sadly, the owner sold it and the reviews are coming out, absolutely horribly. We just pray that Rita will be able to someday get another place. If you are going there and expecting it to be the way it used to be it is not. It's definitely not Italian anymore. And some of the reviews make me wanna throw up. la Cucina, Sergios, and Cirino in grass Valley are wonderful. read more

I'm always amazed when I stop in a town traveling and visit a place with such a high rating and such poor service. Maybe locals get treated better? When we entered we stood near the sign instructing us to wait to be seated, next to the sign telling us to not to dare touch the menus. Instead of being greeted and told that someone would be with us soon we were stepped around like some sort of obstacle. After a bit a server grunted to us that if we wanted to wait for them to clear a table they would let us sit there. While waiting for the table to be cleared I noticed the busser recorking a partial bottle of wine at the table he was clearing for us. I am going to hope that it was an unconscious decision and not an attempt to reuse a partially drunk bottle of wine. Our wait person used few words to take our order but the food came in short order. The lasagna was delicious. I was impressed with what was obviously authentic Bolognese. And the lasagna was baked perfectly. My wife's pizza pocket was a little low on flavor, the dough could use some salt. But it was topped with what was obviously another well made sauce. I did find the focaccia I received with my lasagna to be unusual. It had a very cake like texture. But maybe this is a regional difference. I am used to short and crispy focaccia that is dressed well with olive oil. But it was certainly edible. The ambience of the restaurant reads somewhere between an ice cream parlor and an ancient diner. But from what we could tell locals seem to be impressed. I'd not recommend it or intentionally return. But I would eat it again if my choices were minimal. read more

La Gastronomia - a pizza and a salad - Italian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

I'm so sad. I wanted pasta for dinner after work and La gastronomía used to have good pasta. This today is not it. First it is supposed to come with focaccia but came with pita. Second the sauce tastes like it's straight out of a can of tomatoes mixed with tomato paste. The meatball is almost hard and chewy not tender. The small salad is fine. Oh I'm so sad I spent $40 on this food. The man there was super friendly and nice but this is not what good Italian food anymore. I didn't know they had changed owners. And while I always wish new businesses to do well this was so disappointing. read more

La Gastronomia - Fettuccine with meatballs - Italian Near Me - Grass Valley, California

This tucked-away gem is a combo deli, restaurant and catering spot. While we've eaten here several times and love Rita's authentic Italian-style decor, pizza and lasagna, this review is for the catering. We had a mid-size family birthday gathering and ordered a couple of pastas, a large salad, bruschetta and bread. The food was delicious, ready on time, and Rita made it easy to order and pick up. All in all, a very happy experience! read more

I hope they make it... most of the food was good, some was just ok. At least three of the main courses were not available because they were out of food, and there were some substitutions as well that didn't match the menu. One example was the Greek salad was supposed to have Kalamata olives, but had canned black olives instead, like the ones you would find on a pizza . The portion sizes seemed a bit random. Service was VERY slow, but friendly. I suspect it was because there's one guy, the owner, George (very nice and friendly guy), in the back, running the kitchen and everything else with no help. Our food came out one or two plates at a time over the course of probably a half hour, there were seven of us dining. A few of us were done by the time the last people got their food. Something, anything to deaden some of the sound in the dining room would be a huge improvement, it was incredibly loud until most of the tables left and it was difficult to even talk to people at our own table. I would for sure go back and give it another shot, but there are definitely some things that need improvement with the new ownership. read more

Food was amazing! and not just one dish but everything we tried! service was excellent and the owner was awesome we will be back! read more

This is real deal Italian food. Absolutely delicious. Fresh, Organic, made with care and love by hand. The antipasto was gourmet. The wine was delicious. The service was friendly fast. Homemade gnocchi tasted just like I remember in Tuscany. The pizza was perfect. Even the cappuccino took me back to Italy with its richness and thick foam. If you've ever wondered what genuine Italian food tastes like, this is it. read more

See all

Called for a reservation an hour away and got it. When we arrived, they had a table for us with a "reserved" sign on it. Very nice touch. While our pizza was pretty good, our pasta dishes were "meh". The lasagna had a red sauce with béchamel sauce (which is a white butter sauce) mixed in. That really took away the "typical" Italian flavor, unfortunately. We had a pasta dish with half parmesan sauce, half marinara, but they mixed them! Again, not the flavor we wanted. Wines were well priced (under $10/glass) and service was excellent. read more

I'm pretty easy going however my experience was abysmal not only was the food absolutely loveless. The staff was incredibly rude and I could hear them cussing which made my dining experience super uncomfortable. I couldn't recommend this place in the slightest. Don't come here it's a waste of time and money. read more

The restaurant changed hands. The new owners are not organized and do not know what they are doing. They refused to hire servers, it's the owners that manage front and back of house and they have no experience in serving food. There is some big guy who just hangs out in the restaurant, cannot find menus, cannot seat guests and so you have to wait for the one inexperienced wait staff member to come seat you. Then it takes a l long time for them to get your order. Guests at every table had to flag down the wait person because he did not just come to the table. You have to request water, silverware and dishes. They do not just bring them. It takes forever for them to pull a draft beer. I mean a really long time. Then the wait person disappears and you are just wondering when they would come back. Same with the end of the meal. They do not remove plates, you have to ask for the check and only the wait person can do that. It is so haphazard it is a shame. It was much better before. The food is good, but it was exceptional before. The ingredients are good, at least they keep that concept of high end Italian food. But they added Mediterranean cuisine to the menu, hummus and baba ganoush and falafels. Not a good distraction. All in all, it was a disappointment and I would not go back there. They really need to hire a manager and proper servers who know what they are doing but alas, they prefer to do everything themselves in order to maximize profit, but the lack of service will decimate their future, I imagine. read more

The food is excellent. Service is fine. Even the ambiance is great. The three stars are for the hours, and this is a big issue. They open at 3:00 PM., missing the substantive needs for the lunch crowd. We have dropped by so many times to find it closed. I finally jumped out of the car and looked at the window sign. What restaurant opens at 3:00 in the USA? Their menu lends itself more to a lunch. Meatball sandwiches (to die for). Perfect lunch on a cold day. It's a lunch place, open for dinner, in an unpopulated area of town. I heard they are struggling. Try changing the hours and see if that helps. I love this place but their hours are wrong for me. Open 3:00 to 7:00 PM and I'm in. read more

lived in grass valley my whole life and this is hands down the best restaurant in the county. it's not even close you can tell the chef absolutely loves food On the pizza you can taste each ingredient individually and they perfectly blend together the wings are perfectly crispy on the outside as well as being juicy on the inside and the sauce is to die for absolutely phenomenal Love this place read more