Very excited to see they use ancient grains for their pasta! It's so much better for the gluten…read moreintolerant. The service was excellent; everyone was both friendly and helpful. I'll be back!

I was introduced to this restaurant when i was a wee lad by my Sicilian grandfather. I still think…read moreits the best pizza in town. I make pizza and pizza ovens for a hobby. I cook. Why is their food so good? It just is. Ill keep working on my style. Delish. Love the staff! Thanks for existing Eric W

Delicious food, friendly service Nice gluten free selection…read more Next time will definitely try the gelato

With my friend in town, she wanted to try good Italian food. We came to Passione Emporio based on a…read morefamily recommendation. We were satisfied and left full. The restaurant is quaint and has neighborhood charm. It's a cozy space with a decent amount of seating for various party sizes, plus outdoor seating. They have fresh gelato and a wood-fire pizza oven you can see. The service was fine. Our food came out hot and fast, and our water was refilled, but we weren't checked on much. Their menu offers specialties and seasonal items. I had the Salmon Ravioli and my friend got the Lasagna Ragu. The ravioli was good; you can taste the creamy spinach filling. The sauce was light and bright. I wish there were more ravioli plus veggies. My friend enjoyed her lasagna. Their menu online can be a bit misleading compared to their in-person menu. I wouldn't mind getting this dish again. Passione Emporio is a nice spot for Italian food in West Berkeley. I'd come here if I lived in the area but wouldn't go out of my way. They're located off Fifth Street with free neighborhood street parking around.

Simply cheap eats with big portions. Ordered one of their pizzas the first time around. Obviously…read morenot going to be the best pizza of your life but it was cheap and stacked. Came back again and tried their chef's special. Portion size was amazing! Chicken was more on the overcooked side, but that saved me from diarhea I guess. Anyway, definitely going to be a long time returning customer! No awkward tip prompt when paying too so that was also a huge plus. Summart: great option for budget minded folks who still like to eat out.

I stopped into Gipsy with a friend after work for some pasta. They were rolling out a brand new…read morecomputer system that day, so ordering took longer than expected and the staff seemed a bit lost with it. We didn't mind waiting -- new systems take time to learn. What bothered me more was the execution. We ordered identical meals -- same pasta, same salad, and a margherita pizza to share. When the food came out, my friend's pasta had mushrooms while mine didn't. After trying his, mine tasted completely bland. Then the pizza arrived and it wasn't margherita -- just plain cheese pizza that didn't taste very good. It was a slow time of day with only a few tables, so it wasn't a chaotic rush. I didn't want to hold up our plans by sending things back, but the mistakes stayed with me. The pasta had potential, and I'd still give them another chance, but they really need to focus on listening to the customer and getting the orders right.

3of us arrived at 8:45pm. Dolly graciously invited us in and we ordered 2 Caesar salad es 2…read morespaghetti & meatballs & one shrimp & crab ravioli, soft drinks and a mascarpone. The food, hospitality, ambiance and service was excellent. There were 3 other jovial couples that ended up staying past closing with us. We ended up closing at 10!! Our only regret was that the place can only accommodate tables for 2 and seats at the bar. Dolly is a do

Made a recent visit here as I was looking to try cheese wheel pasta and I must say they did not…read moredisappoint. Inside is small, but fortunately we were able to be seated at the bar right away. The gentleman at the bar (Dolly's husband) couldn't have been a more gracious host. He immediately gave us menus and allowed us to sample the various wines before making our selection. We struck up conversation with him since it wasn't too busy and he told us how him and his wife met and got together, honestly a great story. As for the food itself, it was all amazing. We ordered a variety of things including the meatball and cheese wheel pasta and it was all very good. Dolly herself came out, who was also very friendly, and we were able to speak with her and meet their beautiful daughter. It was a great experience and I would definitely comeback and recommend to others.

Wow! We really enjoyed our experience last night. It was our first time at Belotti. A good friend…read moregot us a gift card, which felt like a good reason to make our way to the restaurant finally. My husband and I arrived around 6pm with no reservation. They told us it would be about 30 mins and they'd text. When it had been about 45 minutes, we headed over. While we didn't get a text, they did seat us outside around the corner within a couple of minutes. It was a beautiful, sunny evening and they have outdoor heaters. The olive oil and bread are so good! Our friend recommended the stuffed beef shank pasta, the duck pasta, and the burrata pasta. Instead of ordering apps, we went ahead with the three pastas: Agnolotti Di Lidia, Bigolli Al Sugo D'Anatra, and Spaghetti Pomodoro E Burrata. We also got a bottle of wine. Everything was delicious and Melissa was amazing! Can't wait to come back here to try other dishes!

This is my fourth stop on the gluten challenge tour…read more Parking is street and paid so it's variable depending on time of day. When we walked in they seemed to not understand service dog rules. We were informed that they're "not allowed" to ask if it's a service dog. I told them actually, you should be asking me at minimum if he's a service dog. You can also ask me what task he is trained to perform. The staff seemed confused and uneducated about the two questions. That makes me afraid that they'd let in pets because they're not screening each animal that comes in. Service was very enthusiastic and friendly. I ordered a pesto/basil pasta dish. The filling was so creamy and pesto-y, it was outrageously good. The food came quickly. The tiramisu was disappointing Compared to how fantastic my main was. The cake layers were thin and dense, not at all tasting of coffee, and the mascarpone to cake ratio was just way off. It was kinda just mascarpone in a cup. The table bread is semifreddis. It arrived to the table cold. The bread is good of course--semifreddis--but I just wish it had been at least room temp. The olive oil it came with for dipping had a strong "bite" to it that made my throat burn. I'm told this means it's high quality extra virgin olive oil so this is a personal taste kind of thing. One last note, two of the three plates on our table upon arrival were dirty.

I'm ready to take this street and head straight into the heart of Rome, or Berkeley so to speak,…read moreespecially if the food is this deliciously prepared as it is at Via Del Corso! Located in the heart of Berkeley's trendy North Shattuck business area that covers most of the northern part of the busy thoroughfare of Shattuck Avenue, Via Del Corso comes from owner Peter Chastain, a local restaurateur who made sure to save a longtime favorite local restaurant that was known as Corso, in a prine dining destination. Chastain did so by assembling an amazing team that guaranteed authentic cuisine that could be found not in just one but throughout many regions in Italy, much in part thanks to Chef de cuisine Massimo Orlando, who brings his heritage from northern Italy into all of their dishes. What brought me and two other diners here on a busy Saturday evening was the buzz that has been constant ever since they opened Via Del Corso in the summer of 2021 and we wanted to see what it was all about. Reservations on the OpenTable even a mere two days out were actually easy to make, as we arrived a few minutes late and they were still gracious enough to take our party and seat us with a view of their open kitchen, where no fewer than five chefs were cooking up a storm all evening long. The dinner menu at Via Del Corso is separated into categories including Spuntini, which are little bites; Antipasti e Insalate, which are their Appetizers and Salads; Primi Piatti or first course dishes; Piatto del Giorno or Dish of the Day; Secondi Piatti or second course dishes; Contorni or sides; and Dolchi or desserts. To start our meal we decided to order their Insalata di Polpo, which was their poached octopus served with Yukon gold potatoes, Gaeta olives, celery, sweet onions, and topped with lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Served with the perfect amount of umami and flair this starting dish was the perfect starting dish and made us eager for more of what Via Del Corso had to offer. As for the second course in our meal, we knew we wanted to share in their deliciously handcrafted pasta entrées, and it was recommended by our server Mike to order their signature pasta entrée, their Ravioli con Spungnole e Fave, which were their fresh pasta raviolis filled with sheep's milk ricotta, served with fresh morel mushrooms, fava beans and topped with Parmigiano cheese; and then we ordered a half portion of their Tagliatelle al Ragu which is their fresh egg pasta topped with Emilian meat sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano. For our main courses, we decided to split two entrées, their Petto d'Anatra con Ciliegie e Balsamico, which was their seared duck breast topped with their balsamico condimento, blistered cherries, and sautéed spinach; and their Bistecca di Manzo alla Griglia which is their Grilled Prime New York Steak served with rucola, lemon, and shaved Parmigiano. We also opted to have it served with Lardo which was a film of buttery garlic and cost an additional four dollars. The pastas would be presented to our table first and they were two of the most lovingly crafted pasta dishes we have enjoyed in some time. The real star recommended their ravioli as the were a meal unto itself with beautiful triangle shaped pouches filled with fresh cheese topped with unique mushrooms combined with an unbelievably tasty sauce. At 60 dollars our Bistecca was a wonderfully composed dish that was served with an elegantly composed arugula side dish and would have been a wonderful solo entrée to enjoy. The seared duck was a nice heavy dish that I most likely would not order a second time, as we saw the halibut being a nicely composed dish from a table far away, and nothing but good things about their signature pork chop. With a total bill of $194 for five dishes, a return visit would be a must to Via Del Corso, as we found this restaurant lively, in a good way, the service attentive, and most importantly the food prepared in a way that would make us come back for many more return visits. A neighborhood gem that everyone can enjoy!

Delicious food. I started with an olive oil infused martini. Perfection. I had the tuna carpaccio…read moreand then the pork chop. Both were great but the pork chop was the best I've ever had, ever. Perfectly cooked, moist and seasoned so well. Their service is knowledgeable yet not over bearing. I've been twice. There's one husky guy who's been quite bristly both times. Maybe he needs a fernet. I don't know. Hope to go back in the future.

For my birthday dinner with my bestie, I was craving pasta. We didn't know where to go, but landed…read moreon The Italian Homemade Company because they have numerous spots. It's a good place for a laid-back atmosphere. The restaurant is fast casual. When you enter, you can look at the menu and place your order. It's pretty much self-serve aside from them bringing your food. With that said, the limited interactions we had were pretty mediocre. What's fun is that it's a build-your-own spot. You choose your own pasta and sauce. They also have items such as sandwiches and salads. My best friend and I got the same thing--Rigatoni with Bolognese. I opted for no cheese on top. The pasta was al dente, but I definitely wish there had been a bit more sauce on the meat. The portion was decent for the price, but I do feel like I could make this at home. So if I come back, I'd opt for something else. The Italian Homemade Company has a few locations throughout the Bay Area. This one-off College Ave. is great for a quick pasta pick-me-up. You can find street parking in the area.

We visited here for lunch after shopping for my son's shoes. I had the day special of pappardelle…read moreand lamb ragu. My son had the meatball platter. The food came out quickly since there was no other customers ahead of us. I enjoyed the pappardelle noodles length and firmness. Each bite had a good chew to it. The lamb ragu was very lamb forward. It was the right amount of ground lamb to carrots in the ragu sauce. My son enjoyed the meatballs and the flat bread that came with it. He mostly ate the bread, dipping it in the marinara sauce. The size of each meatballs were like a good scope size ice cream. This was a good lunch to a relaxing day of shopping with my son.

Where the focaccia? My mother, (rest her soul) used to say:…read more"Focaccia is God's scourge on the world". And she was not too fond of Kenny G. She had some strong opinions. However, she would dig this cool spot. What a cozy, lovely, well appointed space this is on College Avenue in Berkeley. Beautiful aesthetic, terrific menu selections, and you can even get half a beer! What's not to like? There's nice music playing and the small space has every possible square foot utilized in a nice manner. And, absolutely delicious focaccia! Today I went for the pesto zucchini which is awesome. Very lovely staff members and an incredible neighborhood for other types of shopping. My mother would have become a focaccia fan here. However, Kenny G still makes John Coltrane turn in his grave!

I always want to like Barotti more than it warrants. I mean pizza on focaccia in gourmet…read morestylings?!? Soups and paninis?!? I'll keep giving it a shot but I just haven't had an experience here that goes beyond convenient, slightly different, speedy. But, maybe all that's just fine. Not bad, just not awesome.