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    La Ginestra

    3.8 (230 reviews)
    ModerateItalian
    Closed 4:30 pm - 9:00 PM

    La Ginestra Photos

    LA GINESTRA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    5 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food and wonderful friendly staff. We will return often. Love to see the restaurant open early at 4;30.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Outstanding food and staff. Local gem, looking forward to enjoying many meals here for years

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    2 years ago

    Food here is just OK but not worth the price. Pizza w bland crust. Decent cocktails. Would not go rushing back.

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    3 years ago

    Lovely Italian family restaurant. Consistently good food and service. Off the beaten path but well worth the short walk from the plaza.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Been coming here my whole life. The food is superb. The family who owns and runs it is so kindest. Get the house ravioli. Trust.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great little Italian restaurant m, family owned. The menu has a wide variety and all very good. It's a classic Italian restaurants.

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    Piatti - SECONDI

    Piatti

    (620 reviews)

    $$

    Piatti is honestly a wonderful place for dinner, drinks, or to meet up with a friend…read more Each time I have been, I am impressed by the wonderful ambience, the water views, the kind and welcoming service, and the elevated but comfortable feel. How can you beat a glass of juicy Sangiovese with those beautiful views?! The food is very good- my favorites from my most recent visit were the polenta (I know, random, but it was amazing, ok?) and the Torta di Mandorle- a delicious almond and lemon cake! (I would recommend the almond cake over the chocolate cake- we tried both and we were not as impressed with the chocolate one!) Hoping to come back soon for happy hour!

    I recently visited this restaurant and had a disappointing experience, mainly due to the…read moremanagement. The manager (name sounded like "An-Gloria," based on what I was told) came across as unprofessional and visibly overwhelmed. Instead of supporting her staff during a busy time, she was speaking to them in a harsh and dismissive way, which created an uncomfortable atmosphere for both employees and guests. It's never a good sign when staff look stressed and unsupported. On top of that, when I asked for a wine refill, her response felt rushed and came with unnecessary attitude. I understand that restaurants get busy, but how you handle pressure is what defines good management--and this wasn't it. The food and setting were fine, but the service experience, particularly from management, really took away from the visit. I hope this is addressed because it impacts both the staff environment and customer experience.

    Restaurant Picco - Lemon Tart ($13)

    Restaurant Picco

    (788 reviews)

    $$$

    Penne for Your Thoughts…read more Cal-Italian restaurant in the quaint town of Larkspur that's celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. Picco blends the best of California with locally sourced and fresh produce with classic and modern takes on Italian dining. They are also Michelin recognized, as they've been Bib Gourmand winners ('21-23) in the past, and are currently "Recommended." The Good: * Reservations via OpenTable * Free street and City-owned lots available but there are time limitations, so check the signage. * They also run a pizzeria (Pizzeria Picco) literally right next door if you'd rather have a pie than pasta. * Outdoor dog-friendly seating * Waitstaff was fantastic and friendly. * Also has a bar if you just want to come in for a drink or three. * Local brews on tap, as well as a full oeuvre of alcoholic beverages. * They're known for their changing seasonal risotto, and after one bite, it was easy to see why! It was simply fantastic, as the rice was cooked perfectly and the fresh spring flavors in ours shone. * Carissa loved her King Salmon and veggies, as the fish was cooked perfectly. I ordered a daily special with house-made pappardelle noodles and smoked beef short ribs, and while it looked like a hot mess, it was fantastic. The noodles were thick and held up well to the assertive smoke and flavor of the beef--just a perfect dish in my opinion.. The Meh: * The Polenta-Crusted Artichoke Hearts appetizer was just OK. I liked the crunch and how they tried to present them as chicken wings, but they ate a little dry and the coating needed more seasoning. Fortunately, their concomitant aioli was able to save the day. The Ugly: * Not the biggest restaurant, and with the brick walls, it can get raucous in there fairly easily, especially if a large post-wedding party shows up to the bar to get sauced. Conclusion: Fantastic spot for a date night or any other occasion with great ambiance, service, and, most importantly, food. Highly recommended.

    Our plans for my birthday weekend got cancelled suddenly so we had to quickly pivot. We ended up in…read morethis area for the night and we spotted Picco on the Michelin guide. We grabbed an early reservation on a Saturday night but we always eat early anyways so it was a win for us. The service was outstanding. And the food was excellent. I wasn't a big fan of the crispy polenta but I'm also not big on artichokes. John loved it. My salmon dish and the vegetables that came with it was so good. I couldn't stop raving about it. Larkspur is such a cute little town. Wish we had more time to explore.

    Il Fornaio

    Il Fornaio

    (519 reviews)

    $$$

    Stopped by for Nee Year Eve dinner. We were lucky to get a table, because the night it's booked…read more We started out with bread and butter. And a bottle of Chardonnay by II Fornaio. The Chardonnay is flavorful and crisps. We had fried calamari as appetizers, it was very delicious, the calamari is fresh. I had the parmesan chicken with spaghetti. The chicken was well seasoned, pairs well with the spaghetti. The seafood dish is delicious as well, all the ingredients are very fresh. The service is great, they are on top of everything. Our Server is excellent. The place is well decorated with Christmas/ New Year.

    A big letdown! We went for Mother's Day and had a waiter who rushed us to order, had such a heavy…read moreaccent I could hardly understand him, he brought me the wrong varietal and then said that I didn't order what I said I did. We had Crostini with a roasted tomato spread, and some olives, it was very underwhelming. The olives had pits in them; they were not a spread. The roasted tomatoes in olive oil were flavorless. I thought the olives would be like a tapenade to spread on the bread. We both had pear salads, which sounded wonderful, but I thought the pears would be thinly sliced perhaps crisp Asian pears, but, they were cooked with a sweet sauce and soft, and then serve served with very sweet red grapes and a sweet pomegranate dressing and sweet candied pecans, even though it was on a bed of Frisse, the salad was too sweet. It was served with a couple little tiny pieces of Gorgonzola cheese that was so soft that I couldn't divide it up to eat it with the rest of the salad, that would've been a better spread for the bread! I had grilled mixed seafood misto that had been fried very lightly.. The swordfish was overcooked and dry and flavorless.. The shrimp and scallops were cooked fine. The salmon was a tiny little piece with a lot of fat streaks in it. The wedges of Yukon gold potatoes were roasted, but were drenched with olive oil. I could only eat the scallops and shrimp. The carrots were so al dente when my husband went to cut them they slid off his plate, I had to nibble on them by hand by the green tips. For dessert, my husband ordered spumoni which was sliced ice cream and very thin slices. Kind of like a bombe. The flavor was really great, but there really wasn't enough to share. I was very disappointed with the food quality and for the price of the wine-- it was marginal. It may have been better it I was served the wine that I ordered. All of this for $200 before tip. Not worth the price. The music was loud, it was set for the staff, I think, not older patrons and families--the ambience just wasn't nice or calm or celebratory for mothers. No special flower was handed out, not a dessert, not a glass of wine, not anything special for Mom. Oh yes, my husband's "special" fillet of sole was dry and was served on the skin. Not good. I was just so disappointed, it was supposed to have been the highlight of my day since my son lives far away, it wasn't.

    Tam Tavern - Fried chicken!

    Tam Tavern

    (297 reviews)

    $$

    Wish I had taken more pics of the food but we were hungry and everything looked/smelled delicious!…read more Service was friendly and fast. We started with the Brussel Sprouts and Hushpuppies. My hubby and daughter had never had (or heard of) hush puppies before, but loved them. (Oh- and we loved the honey butter and pepper jam that came on the side!). We then shared a margherita pizza and flat iron steak. We finished with the strawberry streusal cake. We will definitely be back.

    My partner has been wanted to try this place for a while and we both absolutely love East Brothers…read morebeer. We typically go to Richmond. We decided a Warriors and Lakers game would be the best time to try it out. It was busy and the Saturday before SuperBowl, so we knew it would be busy. We immediately walked up and sat at the bar with open seating. However, quickly realized we would rather enjoy a table. I walked back to the host and asked to be put on a list for a table (there were 3-4 open). I knew they accepted reservations and we may not be sat immediately. However, we were completely forgot about. No text, no call. By half time, the place was pretty open and we were disappointed we hadn't been contacted. I didn't feel it was my job to double check if we had been forgotten. By the time we left, we still didn't receive and recognition from the hostess (2 people working the stand). I know we were forgotten because I watched her write down my name and phone number on a paper, and as a customer, it sucked. We wanted a table to order dinner and have more room, but we just ate at the bar. I will be honest, I wanted to leave at half after this, but my partner was hungry, and that is the only reason we stayed. The beer is always good. The food is okay (too pricey) in our opinion. The French dip lacked flavor, but the fries were amazing. My partner said the burger was ok (also lacked seasoning). We will probably be back for happy hour, and for the atmosphere, but other than that we may have gone in with higher expectations.

    La Ginestra - italian - Updated May 2026

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