Today I decided to try this place based on the 5* reviews and ordered their Vesuvio pizza . This is absolutely the most mediocre pizza I have ever had . Makes me miss my student days the tasty Dominoes pie for $ 5.99 . May be it's an off day . read more

My son and I went here to grab a pie last night because we've been wanting to try different places around Berkeley. We normally hit Bobby G's for thin, or Zachary's (occasionally Little Star) for Chicago style. We also tried Nick's on Shattuck almost into Oakland a few weeks ago and thought that was great. I had been here perhaps back in 2016-2017 and thought it was a delicious, traditional, Sicilian style place where the staff is friendly and welcoming. Back then, we didn't order any pizza, but I do remember thinking it was a tad pricey, but I am admittedly a value guy haha. That didn't really cross my mind last night with the crazy food/restaurant price inflation we've experienced over the past few years. If you want your local food establishments to be able to stay in business, turn a decent profit and pay a fair wage, that's just what it costs. We ordered the large Lo Coco's special, which is pepperoni, green onion, artichoke, and anchovies. This pizza was an absolutely wonderful mix of flavors and cooked perfectly. My son, who can be prone to hyperbole, said it might be the best pizza he's ever had. I must say the anchovies were very subtle and I can't say I actually tasted any in the first bite, but then you would catch a hint of it in the next bite that blended so well with the rest of the pie. The pepperoni was also unique tasting in a good way. Since I had eaten some of their wonderful bread and part of a fresh green salad, I was only able to eat a couple of slices. Looking forward to next time. read more

I felt inclined to bring my family here after smelling the pizza and garlic aroma walking by one night. Service was wonderful, came for an early dinner. Love the focaccia fresh out of the oven (free including refills) with great olive oil. They had vegetarian and gluten free options. All the pasta was great. I had the pesto tortelli. Hope they come out with a lunch service too. read more

We've tried many, many times to eat here but it's always a very long line and they do NOT accept reservations (very challenging) so we arrived on a recent Saturday afternoon at 4pm knowing full-well that they don't open until 4:30. We brought our own spiked seltzers to pass the time and the management did not mind one bit, in fact at about 4:15 or so they brought WATER and BREAD (&butter) out to us to help slake our appetites. After some very pleasant small -talk with the owner/chef and the very nice wait person we were able to order a light supper (it was a very hot day) : a caprese salad (variation: not Buffalo Mozzarella but Burrata) and a light Scallops and pasta which was FANTASTIC in flavor without being heavy on sauce. Our meal was delightfully improved by our Rose. In all, a perfect-if light- meal on our very rare date-night (and 24th wedding anniversary). We can't wait to go back, even if we might have to wait in line! read more

The special of the day was undercooked or rewarmed risotto, it was hard to tell what the issue was with this soupy mess that was presented in a bowl with guanciale, which was tasteless. Not much effort went into this dish. The hostess was lukewarm at best and we skipped coffee and dessert which we always order after a good meal. This was not a good meal. Disappointed, as we have dined here a few times and also had a party for 15 at the Berkeley location a few years ago. It is sad to see an old favorite serving up fare that is subpar and the service ever worse. read more

Went here on a whim on a Saturday night around 7pm! No wait for 2, the service was incredible and the food was delicious. We had the bolognese and the fettuccini - so YUM! Everyone in the restaurant (staff wise) were helping each other out which resulted in little to no wait time between finishing our meal, asking for the check, paying, and walking out the door. Not to mention we walked out of there with full tummies for $50! read more

Food was good but service was poor. 13 professional African American women gathered together to celebrate the retirement of one of Oakland's finest doctors. Reservations were made a month prior for the large group and staff said they could accommodate us. We were told no separate checks and outside cupcakes were fine with no charge. We brought cupcakes to celebrate this joyous occasion and were told an additional charge of 2.50 per person would be added to the bill, if cupcakes were eaten at the table. The restaurant was extremely hot, staff opened one window in our area, but we observed additional windows opened after we left. We were asked to leave before everyone was finished because other people waiting for tables. We paid our bill and left a 20% tip, and gathered outside. We continued to honor our retiree & had our cupcakes. Everyone complained about the poor service received and decided as a group that we would not return to Lo Coco's restaurant.. read more

I liked this Italian restaurant. Its a cozy little place great to go with a group or family. When I was there several families with children were also enjoying their dinner. The wait staff was great with all the customers and even engaged the youngest of their guests. This is one of those places where you could go dressed up or casually dressed. The food was great. I really liked their little bread twist thingies. The pasta dishes were seasoned well and the portions were nice. Will go again! read more

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If you like local businesses and family-owned restaurants, this is a great place to support. The pizza is the best in town. We took some out of towners there last weekend and it did not disappoint. The con sugo was incredible. Had pest pizza and sausage mushroom. Amazing. Bolognese was superb. I love this place. read more

Lo Coco's is a long-time family business, with delicious Sicilian food year in and year out. We eat mostly vegetarian, and are very happy here. The Pennoni Norma is worth coming back for over and over, it's just perfect. There's often a pasta Puttanesca special we like too. The pizzas are superb; crust rides the edge of crispy, soft and chewy just right, the sauce is delicious. We tend to keep it simple and just get kalamata olives on top, and we're happy with that. This is "restaurant" pizza, not the cheap stuff, but in our experience kids love it too. I've eaten salmon dishes here a number of times, and they've been quite good, but the Norma and the pizzas are the stars in my book. The ambience in the small room is homey, and it's typically full. They have a few larger tables but you can't expect to bring a big party there without a reservation. There's a small waiting area indoors. Once seated, fresh baked breadsticks and olive oil make a welcome appetizer while you wait for your food. They're patient with kids, offer crayons for the paper table covers. If I had to name our family's favorite restaurant in Berkeley, it would be LoCoco's. They won us over years ago and we love coming back. read more

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in the Bay Area. My old co coworker always raved about them and I can now see why! We arrived a bit early so we were seated right away. I advise arriving on the earlier side because their restaurant is a bit small and they get busy quick! We were greeted right away and started with one of their special appetizers of the night, which was a beautiful Prosciutto and Burrata platter. Presentation was great and tasted fresh and delicious. For my entrée, the Fettuccine Campagnola. SO good with just the right amount of sauce and prosciutto. Steaming hot and so tasty. My boyfriend ordered the Tortellini con pesto crème. Also very good! We will definitely be back! read more

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Friend in town wanted Italian so we Yelped and decided to try this place. Looked like it was very cozy and comforting from the reviews. We found it easily enough and were seated right away. They soon asked us if we would be willing to move tables because they had a big group coming and they wanted to push our table with the one next to it. We were just fine with that and they were very polite. I ordered the Bolognese and my friend ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. Both were very excellent! The sauce was just right, the texture was just right, and the flavoring was spot-on. However they never brought us the bread until the very end which they apologized for but after a few different people coming to the table you could tell they were a bit scattered that night. It's not really a big space so I'm not quite sure how they were able to be so scattered. so definitely good for the food! Would definitely come back. They just lost a star for a little bit of disorganization. I get it, it's a college crowd but I could not in good conscience just give it five stars. Definitely would go back though! read more

We are so thrilled that Lo Coco's is open again for indoor dining! (Perhaps it's been this way for a long time now -- it just slipped our attention.) Our dinner there was absolutely delicious: pizzas, pastas (old-fashioned spaghetti-with-canned-clams, my all-time favorite, perfectly prepared), and can't remember what all else, but it was all great. The staff we interacted with were so nice, too, from the hostess to the manager to our server. We'll be back again soon! read more

How did I drive by Le Coco's for all these years and never know what I was missing?? In the past year, we've done LOTS of take out, and this has been one of my favorite finds. First, the staff are always very friendly, professional and seem to be following Covid safety protocols. Now, and most important, the food. Considering how good everything tastes now, after picking it up, and driving home before eating, I can't wait for the day that we actually get to dine IN! We've tried many of their pizzas - Vesuvio and the Napolitana are a couple we've enjoyed more than once. The crust is crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Their pasta is what gets me, though. It has that texture of perfectly cooked, fresh pasta that makes me want to take a cooking class in Italy. Our go-to is the Ravioli con pesto (creamy), and I also appreciate the simple, but just right Pennoli Alla Napolitana. Their bread sticks- yum! The only salad I've gotten is the green salad, but I love how they have sprinkled herbs. I can't wait to try dessert one of these days. read more

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Excellent food and great ambience. Wonderful service like a family run restaurant. Consistent

Always game to try a new restaurant, our friends arranged a dinner at a favorite of theirs, Lo Coco's. It's a family run restaurant that's run by the wife and children of the founder. A truly family establishment. It's located on Shattuck in North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. At 5:00pm on Sunday, we had no issues with parking as scored a space right in front. We were seated at window table near the open kitchen. We checked out the menu and our personable waitress, a Warriors fan, answered questions we had on some of the dishes. After ordering, garlic buttered bread sticks were brought to the table. Warm and tasty. Started with the Mussels Parmigiana appetizer. The mozzarella covered mussels were baked in a delicious marinara sauce with fresh basil. So tasty and wished there was bread to sop up the deliciousness. Fettuccine Campagnola - with parma prosciutto and green peas in a light cream sauce. Pasta tastes homemade and the light cream sauce did not make this dish heavy. Prosciutto gave it a perfect savory taste. Fettuccine Alaska - with smoked salmon in a light cream sauce. This would be a nice less savory option to the Campagnola. Pappardelle Bolognese - Hearty Bolognese sauce with homemade pappardelle. Giovanni's Special pizza - sautéed eggplant with garlic. Crust was light and airy with a slight chewiness. Tiramisu - Tasty and amply soaked in coffee. Very good. Cannoli - The cannoli was generously filled with ricotta that it was oozing out of it. A pleasant surprise! Food was very good, friendly staff in a nice atmosphere. A neighborhood gem. read more

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I originally went to the other location in Oakland and found that they were closed for awhile. I saw that they had another location in Berkeley and decided to give them a call. I found out they were open and the guy on the phone also told me they were closing at 9:30pm although their door says they close at 10. He also told me that I should come in earlier and not at the last minute. I called at 7:45pm, by the way, and I never walk into restaurants at the very last minute. I was a little annoyed by the comment and the falsely verbalized or posted times but I was determined to eat here. Ten minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant. They only had two other tables at the time and we were immediately given a table. We decided to go with a small pizza and an order of eggplant parm. They were out of tortellini that particular evening. We were given complimentary bread which was tasty and warm. The pizza was rather large and could definitely be shared between 2 people. The eggplant parm was also tasty. I just didn't know that spaghetti wasn't included. Service was decent and the food came out in a timely manner. I probably won't be back. read more

Lo Coco's pizza has some of the best meatball pizza I've ever had, and their wine selection is top-notch. A perfect spot for a cozy night in with delicious food and drinks. read more

Wait time is long so be patient, the server who calls your name will not make it a point to step away a couple feet from the door way so stay near. The young lady who checked us in was rude, she found out we were a party of 6 and scoffed as if it's trouble. Once we finally sat down it took us a while to even get water to the table and clearly others who came after us received their water and service first. I asked for the restroom key and the older woman was slightly dismissive until another lady tried to help me find the bathroom key. Once we got our orders in the food came out fairly quick and it was delicious. I know I won't be coming back but if I had to I would at least order for pick up since it was good food. The only person who we all enjoyed was the gentleman who looked to be in his late 30s early 40s, now his customer service skills are amazing; he should give the rest a lesson or a recap of how to act and treat their customers. Lastly it was once again difficult to get the check, finally we paid and got out of there. I recommend they think about making reservations instead of packing everyone in there like sardines and giving half ass service. Once again food was delicious though!! read more

Michelangelo' s special & tiramisu. OMG. Visiting from Louisiana & OKC. Best pizza I have had in my life! Wonderful family that owns this...great service! Tiramisu was excellent. Again this pizza was to die for!!!! read more

Superb family restaurant. I wish I lived here so I could eat here often. Great service. Even though they were understaffed this evening they still took great care of us. They even gave us free meat balls which were absolutely fabulous. And Frank who generally works in the kitchen took care of us. I can't wait until I come back out to California and come back to this restaurant. read more

This long-standing old school Italian place has sadly deteriorated. There are still some good choices on the menu, like linguini with clams Provençal, which hasn't changed in decades and still hits the spot. And the homemade bread is still fantastic. But the manicotti and eggplant Parmesan disappointed and the portions have been drastically reduced. More red sauce than substance in both cases. The emancipata salad used to be a revelation, chock full of unexpected goodness like blue cheese, olives, and currants; but it is now barely a whisper of its former self where you need to dig deep into the lettuce to find any goodies. The service was ABYSMAL. ThE older woman with gray hair in a ponytail was terse, rude, and incompetent as a server. She became irritated when asked what dishes bread comes with, she abandoned our table abruptly mid-sentence to greet and chit-chat with friends of hers who walked in while I was asking for something for the table, and she did not know how to work the cash register. She had the wrong orders on the bill at first. Then, after trying to re-do it, she told us she would be comping the eggplant Parmesan because she couldn't make it show up on the ticket. Then she grabbed it out of our hands and tried again. She then re-offered to comp the dish. When we showed her that the eggplant parm did in fact make it onto the ticket each and every time (even when other dishes were wrong), she took back the comp offer and made us pay for it. Then she didnt/couldn't figure out how to get us a receipt but kept getting distracted from trying by chitchatting with her friends. We couldn't stand it anymore so we left sans receipt. We had been trying to get out the door for 20 minutes at that point. To put a cherry on top of this whole cake, she also chided us for not FINISHING the bread after having asked her questions about it earlier. We had been loyal customers for decades in the past. Never again. read more

Consistently magnificent pizza. This place deserves accolades for their wonderful food. This is our go-to for take home pizza.

Not much ambiance, but the pupusas are amazing! The women who run it are also very nice.

Fantastic Sicilian cuisine. Not too expensive and very friendly service. Been here a few times and never let down.

This cute Italian restaurant is located in a little alleyway off of Shattuck. Walking in, you could tell this place has a lot of loyal returners who go there quite often. There were lots of families as well as couples. The ambience would be great for dates! The servers are very attentive and very kind. I ordered the Fettucine Alaska and my friend ordered the Broiled Salmon. The Fettucine Alaska had an interesting flavor to it. I did think the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste and it was hard for me to really finish it. I couldn't really pinpoint exactly why I wasn't that big a fan of the sauce but you could tell the dish was made very diligently. The salmon my friend got was very juicy and was really well made as well! read more

Lo Coco's - Fettuccine Alaska - Italian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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First, the food! It's amazing! Try the ravioli pesto, but be warned... the pesto is VERY rich. A good dish to share. The tiramisu is out of this world- best I've ever eaten. The ambiance is warm, cozy, a neighborhood treasure. Service is great! I'll go back again and again. read more

It is a fine and light Italian dining restaurant! Came in with a party of 4 during Saturday night. Wait time is less than 5 min. Special menu items are great! Tried their clam pasta and black cod pasta, absolutely delicious! Their fried calamari is a must try! Very different from other restaurants! Had a perfect dining experience with this restaurant! Light and tasty food and desert! read more

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Who ever knew so many varieties of tomato sauces could exist. My wife and I hadn't eaten Italian food in ages, and this was our first spot since moving to the Bay Area. We don't need to search anymore. The restaurant is cozy with a bustling kitchen. We were surprised to see the diversity of the customers as there was every mix of person enjoying the food- proving that this place has the solution to world peace! The flatbread that came before the entrees was garlicky-good. We ordered the mussels as an appetizer, and some tomato-based gnocchi and cannelloni as our main entrees. The muscles were out of this world. The other pastas were great, and the gnocchi's eggy-potatoey texture indicated homemade. They were out of tiramisu, but the cannoli blew us away, as the ricotta was as smooth as whipped cream. read more

Lo Coco's - These were the best mussels I've ever had. - Italian Near Me - Berkeley, California

5 Stars. The quality and authenticity of the food supersedes any hit or miss service. Some servers are great, others are serviceable. You want consistent great service go to another place with lesser food; where a non Italian chef thinks al dente means undercooked pasta. You want real delicious Italian food, your search is over. Have yet to find another Italian restaurant in the Bay Area to rival Lo Coco (we've searched). One of the days we went, they cooked a mushroom dish for my wife that was no longer on the menu. Even if the service that day was a miss, nothing will keep me from going back because the food is too good. read more

Hectic. Disjointed. Long waits. Missing items. Busy. Warm. Kind. Delicious. Family feel. Perfect.

Gourmet Ghetto...I'm sold. I definitely believe the hyper after having an amazing experience at Lo Coco's. Not only was the service up to par, the food was delicious and plentiful. I cannot believe the prices compare to Olive Garden...yuck. This place definitely has quality Italian food. My friends and I ordered: 1. Fettuccine Alaska: With Alfredo sauce and smoked salmon. As expected, smoked salmon is always a bit salty, but the dish was very good. A bit too much black pepper, but other than that I loved it. 2. Clams in white wine sauce: Probably would skip this because there were more empty shells than anything. 3. Gnocchi con sugo: Sugo means with tomato sauce. This was one of the best gnocchi dishes I have had. The texture was perfect of the gnocchi. Even though it was a simple dish, it was one of my favorites. 4. My friend ordered a mozzarella and basil pizza and a eggplant one. I am not big on pizza so opted out. Everyone agreed that it was good, but still compared it to cheeseboard. All in all, I loved this place! I definitely will be coming back ;) read more

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I've been going to Lo Cocos all my life. First time I ate there was in the 80s and the food hasn't changed a bit. I LOVE their linguini Sugo and the bread. I don't know what exactly gives the pasta its flavor, but it's incredible. I've never tasted anything like it anywhere. It's delicious. I highly recommend trying it. I don't live in the bay anymore but whenever I am in town I try to eat here. Berkeley is very lucky to have this restaurant. read more

Great family authentic Sicilian restaurant. No fake watered down American version of Italian dishes. A local treasure for sure. Great service with a cozy ambiance. read more

We LOVED Lo Coco's! The food is to die for! The staff is WONDERFUL! Francesco was our waiter and was so passionate and knowledgeable about the menu it made me want to try everything! We will definitely be back to try some more! :) read more

To me, this is real Italian. They're like family! We won't get the crazy busy pastas, instead something light. The lights are dim and breadsticks and olive oil arrive with your drinks. Yum. Their fettuccine alfredo was airy. Their Broiled Salmon was served "Palermo" style, very simple. I asked for some lemon! They brought out some penne as well. Gluten free friendly... they have a great gnocchi. 5/5 because it's not your average Italian American spot. Service is always great, and there's something for you no matter what mood you're in. read more

Lo Coco's - Light with some rly good olive oil Simple - Italian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was so disappointed! We thought the pizza was just okay. Our pasta was overcooked and two of the sauces we had were just okay. The pesto was the better of the dishes. The noise level the night we were there was unbearable. I hope it's not always that loud. read more

Would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for authentic Italian cuisine and a great environment. I went with my son yesterday and ordered the pesto gnocchi which was delicious. Our food came quick and the waiters and other staff were very friendly and gave outstanding service. We will definitely be coming back here with the rest of the family! read more

A great old-school Italian restaurant. Great pasta and pizza! Service is typically very good.

I really enjoy everything about this place, The people who run it are great and the food is top tier. Looking forward to my next meal here.