We thoroughly enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Massimo in downtown Walnut Creek last Thursday evening. 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. read more

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From the moment you walk in the door, you can tell Massimo is a "regulars" type of place. Same faces, 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. read more

We came for tomahawk Thursday and it's a great special. You get two salads two appetizers you share a tomahawk and then you get two desserts. It's a lot of food. They also have parking next door with a meter read more

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Our server was lovely, but the entrees were a sad disappointment. Bring back the old menu. Why fix what wasn't broken? read more

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Had an excellent meal at Massimo. The food was excellent! Was a little uncomfortable when check in. The restaurant had lots of empty tables as it was around 5p Sunday. We were asked if we had reservations, which we didn't. The guy says, ' no problem', then walks us through the 2/3 empty restaurant to a side room. Really didn't appreciate that, but there was a large party also sitting in the side room. The service was good, but I think our waitress may have been helping guest in the main dining room. We didn't see her nearly enough. Thankfully, the extended staff kept the water glass covered. Side note, there were a few misses between request not actually making it to the table. At the end of the day, we just reasked the busboy and continued enjoying our food. Definite communication ussues between the waitress and the bus staff. I'm pretty sure at least two of our request went to the other party. Then when paying bill, had more circle communication just trying to break a $20. We wanted to leave extra for the busboy, but he was literally scared to touch the money. ‍ At the end of the day... will try another day.... the food really was excellent. read more

Massimo Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Massimo is our favorite before a show at Dean Lesher theatre. The charming, romantic, restaurant is elegant. Each table is adorned with a candle. Tables are covered with white linens that bring us back to days where nice restaurants all had linens. Service was excellent. Our server regularly asked about the courses he delivered. The sea bass with mashed potatoes and asparagus was extremely tasty. The burrata had great texture and flavor. The Sbriciolata lemoncello dessert was a very pleasant surprise. We strongly recommend you giving them a try. Updating to re-add photos read more

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From our reservation time to receiving food was over 1 1/2 hours. First dish delivered to last dish delivered was another 10 minutes. When the food arrives the 2 Mother's Day Crab Benedicts arrived looking completely different. One had paprika and parsley on top, the other was plain Hollandaise. One had barely cooked eggs, completely runny whites and yolks. The other Benedict had basically hard boiled eggs. See pics. This was a horrendous experience. Also, the kitchen was not really busy from my observation. read more

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Beautiful location and fantastic service! Every week we try to check out a new restaurant, and this spot came highly recommended. We started with their amazing cheese bread and homemade meatballs. I'm usually super picky when it comes to meatballs, but these were so good--and dipping the cheese bread in the sauce? Game changer. I ordered the Mango Tango martini, and honestly, it tasted like vacation in a glass. I could've easily had three more! My girlfriend got the cucumber cocktail and thought it was okay, but not nearly as good as mine. For our entrees, we ordered the Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Marsala, and the Pasta Massimo. Everything looked beautiful and was cooked perfectly, but we all agreed it could've used a bit more seasoning. That's really my only critique--flavor-wise, it felt a little underwhelming. Service was excellent--our waiter was super friendly and attentive--and the restaurant itself was spotless. I'd absolutely come back for appetizers and drinks. Definitely worth a read more

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Great food, friendly staff with good service and a wonderful menu. However, I do wish that they would consider adding some gluten free options. read more

I'm going to give Massimo 5 stars, not necessarily because the food is the best thing I've ever had but for a few reasons. I had a good well rounded experience here. We went on a slow night before July 4th. 1. The service was strong and they are super attentive. 2. The bang for your buck. The menu is fairy priced the food is solid, not spectacular but solid. But the amount of food you get for the price is some of the best in Walnut Creek. Normally I feel like I get overcharged when I eat out in Walnut Creek. This I felt like was great value. I do wish the corkage fee was slightly cheaper or you could get a deal for bringing 2 bottles. Some of the food.... -The cheese platter was only $23, I didn't get a photo of that but it was super filling and you got a good amount of food for the price. At most places I think this is a rip off, I 100% would get this again here. -Soup of the day only $9 and it was lobster that day, absolute steal. -Crab Stack $28, very good, I wanted to-try this I did like it but probably wouldn't do that again. -Shrimp Capellini $33 my wife really liked this. -Rib Eye steak $47 - This is one of the only things I think maybe I could do better, I would get steak here again but probably something different for the price, it was good still for the price but I just prefer my own. -Parm Fries - they had really really awesome fries. -Blackberry chese cake..... I don't normally get desert but so so so so good!! One of the best values in WC, would return. read more

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Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 Value 10/10 We came as a large group for NYE late seating and although it was raining cats and dogs outside, dinner was magical. This is our second year here and I was floored. I started off with a new cocktail for me the French 75 with vodka vs gin and my husband had bourbon neat. The lady bartender was so good, friendly and easily took care of our crowd with wonderful cocktails. The menu and the food quality is exceptional. Stephanie MA, was our server and she was friendly, met our table of 12 every need which is hard with a big group. The menu is pre fix and we couldn't been happier I started with grilled oysters topped with butter and caviar. My husband had focaccia topped with crap and prawns. I had seared scallops and my partner had the fig salad and a huge portion of filet mignon topped with crab and prawns. I had the seared duck breast and for desert chocolate lava cake for me and a lemon foam concoction. Each of the food offerings were plated beautifully and our group was happy with everything. We finished our meal and at midnight we had a champagne toast, a balloon drop and old school dj music encouraging all of us to join on the dance floor. Massimo's outdid themselves and I intend to come in for dinner throughout the year as we live close. It is without reservation,I encourage you to dine here. I'm definitely coming next year for NYE. Bravo! read more

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Went for a Father's Day dinner treated by my kids. Must say I was very disappointed compared to the Massimo I remembered. Gone were the elegance and class. I ordered chicken parmigian which was under seasoned and the pasta under it was cold. Had to apologize to my kids for choosing the place. read more

Best medium rare burger that we have had in a long time without having to send the burger back to the kitchen multiple times. Today, we ordered the Massimo Burger, Fish and chips and a Cabernet. We were so happy with our choices. I rarely eat fish and chips, but I was looking forward to carbs so that ordered fish and chips as my meal. We were so happy with our meals. The service was amazing and the restaurant was clean! read more

Massimo Ristorante - Fish and Chips - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Some of the worst Italian food I have ever had. A very nice staff that will do their best to play it up.

Loved Massimo's! Called the place and luckily they were able to save us a seat of 4 on a Friday night! Food tasted delicious, there was a live piano playing in the background and overall a nice stay. Our food did take awhile but our waitress always checked up on us and updated us so it wasn't bad. Went during my birthday weekend and got their complimentary dessert and our waitress gave us an extra one as it was a double date. Absolutely loved her! She definitely made our night special. Steak was juicy and medium rare, pastas were nicely al dente and our drinks tasted great! Would come here again. read more

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Mediocre: service and food Chicken Marsala on a bed of risotto. Marsala sauce was a heavy reduction with a ton of salt. Risotto was dry and pasty. Both Tasted like the seasoning was from a knorr swiss packet. Stale bread. Best service provided by buss boys. read more

We rarely do other Italian spots in Walnut Creek, but Massimo Ristorante serves lunch and had covered outside seating during the rainy weekend, so we decided to try them out. Everything but my caesar salad was delicious. The affogato was rich and the ice cream decadent, the sides of veggies were cooked perfectly and seasoned well, and the tiramisu with caramel and cocoa powder was light and sweet without overpowering. That being said, my salad had about the same price point as the amazing salad at Chataeu, however Massimo's was average. The dressing didn't feel fresh and the chicken tasted dry and bland. It wasn't bad, but felt inexpensive. The service was spot on, friendly and prompt, and they have quite a bit of covered outside patio seating with heat lamps that also boast fresh flowers on the tables. I just wish my salad had been better. All in all, I'd absolutely return but order the pasta next time. read more

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Sunday dinner, service was good. The good: Grilled octopus was phenomenal, tender on the inside and yet had a slight crisp to the outside from the grill. Linguini Massimo was also very flavourful with fresh seafood. The bad: Prime Rib special was bland and tough and the Paella Mixta had undercooked rice that was too hard for our liking (had to send it back to be cooked more). Overall a decent experience, but some entrées are definitely a hit or a miss. read more

We snagged a last minute reservation for 9 for my daughter's 25th birthday. The staff was amazing! Food incredible! Piano lovely! Drinks fantastic! Thank you for making her night special! 10/10 will dine again! read more

Was there for 7:15 dinner. Greeted and seated... Our very charming waitress..Stephanie...came and introduced herself What a darling and sweet professional waitress Impeccable attention and service. Had lobster...was pinch smaller then advertised.. But delicious. And a salmon plate The rest was just right..specially the garlic bread and Stephanie recommended just the right wine. Will return for the lambchop plate. Hope management is taking good care of staff... They all were great...from busboys to Stephanie Ty mossimo/walnut creek Ms Dona/ Joe Walnut creek read more

Massimo Ristorante - Award winning waitress Staphany and customer ms dona...saturday nite at mossomo's/walnut creek for delicious salmon plate - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Came here for a holiday dinner outing with my team from work. After being seated, we were informed that a lot of the items on the menu were out due to the rush that happened a few weeks prior- which was very disappointing. The dining room was pretty empty and we ordered shortly after being seated. However, the food took an unusually long time to arrive. There were a few stand outs when it did arrive- the cauliflower and the garlic bread were great. However, I ordered the salmon dish and the plate looked like it had water in it, as well as the salmon was overcooked and dry. I was disappointed in this meal as Massimo Ristorante has a lot of great reviews but it fell short when dining in. read more

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Enjoyed a late brunch and sat at the bar since I'm solo. Service was excellent. Beautiful decor and more of an upscale ambiance. Started with the Caesar salad . Lettuce was nice and crisp and the dressing was tasty. Had Carbonara which had crispy pancetta, mushrooms and peas. The sauce was not as heavy with cream that most carbonara has and I enjoyed their interpretation of this dish. Requested bread and glad I did! The bread was fresh with a crunchy crust and soft in the middle. What I really appreciated about this was the butter was soft!! I don't like butter that is hard as a rock so this was so nice to be able to actually spread the butter! Most of their pasta is dry with exception of ravioli and that is not on their brunch menu. I'll be back to try their dinner menu. read more

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Went here for a nice dinner with my best friend, such a cute little restaurant! We got some small plates and shared some dessert. Tried some wine, cocktails, espresso martinis were perfect. Service was friendly, would totally come back here, great place for a date night read more

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Would definitely come back. Beautifully decorated for the holidays. The pomegranate martini was 10/10 my favorite thing here followed by calamari. Garlic bread was a recommended app which was fine, but they bring bread to the table so would skip next time. Beet burrata salad was meh. I had the Linguine Massimo and it was decently sized and good (but not anything amazing). Friend had the osso buco which was on the smaller side. Overall I would say the food was good and decently priced. read more

I walked in to place a casual to-go order for clam chowder while my daughter and her friend were walking around Saturday evening in Downtown Walnut Creek. I was told to take a seat at the bar while I waited and my order was ready within 10 minutes of waiting. However, when I opened the bag I noticed there were no eating utensils or napkins. I asked the bartender for utensils and a waited a bit and out they came with a small clear bag with 1 napkin and utensils. I left and walked all the way to the third floor of the parking lot and when I got into my car to open the soup I realized the bag didn't contain a spoon, only a knife and fork. I had to go all the way back to the restaurant and then I was told they were completely out of to-go spoons! The bar tender had to go to the restaurant next door to retrieve one. Make sure if you are placing an order to-go that you are given the appropriate silverware and napkins. read more

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I don't know why I'd never been here but I realized that was a big mistake, and I've now been twice in the past two weeks. Both the food and the service is excellent. Everything we've ordered has been good. read more

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Overall, a really good experience with delicious food. Everyone was super welcoming when we arrived, and we were seated promptly. I'll quickly summarize that the food was great, but the only issue was that our waiter seemed kind of forgetful and clearly not quite focused on this particular evening. I'll definitely be back, but I felt the service was not quite on par with what I expected. I'll start with the good: the food and (most of) the drinks. Things we got: *Roasted cauliflower app - these were good, though they are less roasted than coated and deep fried. *Scallop app - my friend got this and loved them, and especially the risotto *Cacio e pepe - I really wanted pasta and this definitely hit the spot! Absolutely delicious! *Salmon - my friend got this and loved it *Penne - my other friend got the penne and loved hers as well *Oaxaca Old Fashioned - very decent drink! *Limoncello spritz - I ordered this and it was awful (I sent it back, just not my thing) *Chocolate martini - I replaced the aforementioned spritz with this and it was yummy! For dessert, we ordered a tiramisu (it needed way more espresso and brandy, as it was kind of flavorless), and the chocolate mousse cake, which was delicious! Now for the lacking... Our waiter came over as soon as we were seated, and we were ready for drinks. He took our drink order (three drinks total, one of which was a beer), left and then came back a couple minutes later because he completely forgot what I had ordered. No biggie. He then came back with my friends' drinks, but not mine and asked again which drink I ordered, before going back to the bar. He then ran back over because he had given my friend someone else's drink. Eventually, my drink arrived. He then took our food order, and then had to come back and ask what I had ordered again. And then to add the cherry on top, my friend ordered an espresso and he completely forgot it, and we had to ask and remind him. All that to say, the service was just off. I'm going to assume it was just an off night for this waiter, and the food definitely hit the spot enough that I will absolutely be back! read more

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Wonderful Italian restaurant located in the heart of Walnut Creek downtown. There is a nice outdoor patio for pet lovers. The interior is nicely decorated and have amazing ambiance. I ordered my usual spaghetti bolognese and a beer..... delicious!!! The staff was super friendly and great service. Will definitely come back. read more

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Massimo's, a favorite with the theater crowd, is a lovely, welcoming old school restaurant, with excellent food and attentive service. We went for dinner on a Friday, when a piano player added to the atmosphere. My husband had clam chowder and the lamb chops and I had seared scallops, and not a speck of food was left on our plates. For dessert, we had tiramisu and panacotta. We've eaten lunch there too, when my husband had the best hamburger he's ever eaten and I had a delicious eggs benedict made with a lemony Hollandaise. To accommodate my gluten-free needs, they served it on a bed of spinach. This is a great place for a date night. read more

The ambiance was very nice and they have a pianist playing. The music was kind of strange switching between classical and jazz standards. There were 8 of us for a birthday dinner that night. The food was well presented and good, but not fantastic. I will say that the person who ordered the osso bucco raved about it, but the salmon was a little dry and under seasoned, and the risotto good consistency and flavor. Everyone also commented on how well they liked the cauliflower appetizer. The waiter seemed very distracted. He asked that he take the food and drink orders going around the table in a clockwise fashion from the head of the table, but could not figure out who got what when it was delivered. He also forgot to order one of the cocktails and had to go back to the system and put it in. I would likely go back and try it again, but would not make it a regular spot. I would give it a 3.5 but since yelp does not allow half stars and the service was a little too distracting, I had to lean toward three. read more

Enjoyed a delicious meal before going to symphony at Lesher theater. Salmon perfectly prepared. Luke was a very attentive server and made sure we were served promptly. We returned back to the restaurant to have coffee and dessert after the symphony. Stephanie was wonderful. Ambience simply beautiful. We will definitely return. Highly recommend. read more

Massimo Ristorante - Happy customers - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Had a lovely time here celebrating our anniversary. Booked a reservation ahead of time and the restaurant was very accommodating of our celebration. Very popular spot as well, especially on Saturday night for dinner. My favorite was the crab cake appetizer and crab ravioli. Pasta portions are quite generous, and we paired our dishes with some of their seasonal cocktails as well. Lovely interior space and great vibes. Would definitely recommend for a birthday or other celebratory meal. read more

Massimo Ristorante - Appetizers - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Unbelievably terrible. Ordered mushroom ravioli that was heated in the microwave the ravioli was hard on the outside and the stuffing was lava. Ordered lobster risotto to go . Very strong smell like old fish. When we tried to heat it up at home It was so overwhelming fishy had to open the windows and light a candle.Very bad fishy taste. Disgusting. I asked about the ravioli in the microwave the waiter lied to my face. Complete waste of almost $200 complete waste. . I don't know what the heck has happened with this place. read more

Had a great lunch today at Massimo. Not very crowded at all as there there only about five or six tables filled. Service was courteous and prompt. I got the steak Cobb salad which was fantastic. I haven't been here in 15 years but realized that I need to get Massimo into our rotation regularly. read more

The Food was Amazing , and the Service was Excellent - Very polite Friendly Helpful in every way. The Ambiance is very social and respectable . I will definitely express and share with all my family and friends and be back for many times More. It was a Birthday Good Time read more

Massimo Ristorante - Very delicious Caprese Salad - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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We had an awesome dinner, Nice Cab, Garlic Bread with Crab 10+ Cheese Sticks were Huge 10+ Big Wedge Salad 10+ and the Prime Rib was Huge and Cooked Perfect 10+, couldn't eat it all. Haven't been here in some time but back on the Rotation. Great Staff. read more

"Massimo in Walnut Creek is a true gem. The elegant atmosphere immediately sets the mood for a fine dining experience. The service was impeccable--attentive but not overbearing--and the Italian-Mediterranean cuisine was out of this world. Highly recommend it!" atmosphere, wonderful food, and great service overall a 10 out of 10 read more

Food was mid. Lovely ambiance and friendly staff. Drinks were ok same for desserts nothing spectacular. Clean bathrooms and plenty of seating. They have a bar area too. Price does not meet my food expectations that is for sure. read more

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First class experience. From the moment we arrived. We were greeted and seated in a very pleasant area. The attention to detail was something we haven't seen in a very long time. The setting was beautiful, the whole vibe was excellent. Our food tasted wonderful, perfectly cooked and served hot; the wine list was excellent. It was an excellent dining experience and we will go back read more

Today, Saturday May 9, 2026 from 4pm - 7:15 we were a table of 8 , excited about dining at Massimos. Our waitress was wonderful. Very attentive to our needs and individual orders from the cocktails to the appetizers and entree order. The appetizers were exceptionally, especially the octupus. it was cooked to perfection. However, the entrees were a disappointment. The lobster risotto was too adente. The sea bass had bones. The paella bomba rice was uncooked and hard. The osso buca was underwhelming. However, the service was wonderful, until towards the end of our time we were asked to leave our table " because there was another large party that needed the table. In all our years of eating at Massimos, this was a FIRST. If, you want patrons to finish the meal in a certain amount of time, then it should be noted on the menu. But we spent almost $900.00 for our party of 8; and, no one in our party had ever experienced this type of treatment. And we will never experience that type of treatment again. Massimos does not need our patronage. read more