Great food, nice vibe and will definitely be back…read more Probably the best place in Oakdale

After dusk turned to dawn after working in the high mountain sun the one thing we both craved was a…read morescratch made Italian meal that google promised us. As we drove into the parking lot bright umber kumquats welcomed us to old world Italy. Thee bright eyed host graciously showed us to our table even though we were tardy to our reservation - we had travelled a great distance winding through backroads lined with orchards of apples and almonds. Offered the choice of dinning room or neon lighted gladiator hall - we chose the former and fell into our seats in view of the chefs and gallant servers. After a mere 10 minutes water appeared at our table in clean glasses with cube of ice. Promises of bread were made. As dawn turned more to dusk and the moon rose over the sierras and orchards, neither bread nor server came to fruition. After beckoning the cheese boy we were able to request arancini, salad, two glasses of crisp Chardonnay , and Sean's special. More dusk came... The wine and salad arrived and appeased our hangry souls. Never has a Caesar tasted so Kraft fresh and then came the ten rolls. I swear you could taste the thawck and pop of the pillsburry tube in every biscuit-y bite. The cheese boy generously offered heaping spoonfuls of brownish minced garlic to accompany we don't know what? Perplexed, we politely declined. Finally as trumpets sounded and the leaning tower leaned a bit more our Sean's special pasta arrived. Never since the fall of Rome has Italy suffered a greater insult. We could've for $3 more, ordered the vodka sauce instead of the pink tinted cream. There was no cheese boy to save us. The redeeming ray of light was the in-dinner entertainment of observing two awkward teenagers on their third ( maybe second ) date. Silence...screen time ...silence. It was beautiful to see them wild and free in their natural habitat. One night with you Firenze will fill our hearts for a lifetime. Love, D and R

I will start by saying the food here is amazing. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the appetizers…read morewere delish. We ordered the asparagus and the Brussels sprouts as appetizers and split the New York steak. I'm giving a 5-star here because it's rare to find things up to this standard, but I have some points for improvement. The service was good, but my drink order was incorrect. Not a big deal or worth one less start. However, the ambiance is close but not quite. We had a reservation and, upon arrival, were seated between two full tables. One had two children who were loud and wiggly throughout our whole meal. (Nothing against children, they were totally appropriate for their age and very cute) But it would be nice if reservations had designated areas that were a bit farther away from the crunch of the walk-in crowd. Nothing we experienced took away from the great food, so the 5-star remains. Looking forward to another visit.

Food flavor, presentation, quality and price point 5/5…read moreService was adequate. 3/5. We came at 7pm and there was 8pm closing time so we were conscientious and had our order ready immediately. ALL the waitstaff and manager (I think- blue floral polo) were very focused on closure for the full hour. Unloading clean dishes, stocking the bar, a lot of watch checking. This is pretty off-putting when trying to enjoy food and feeling the pressure of closing time. No ongoing smiles or eye contact. Ambience: very cute, modern vibe. May need to look into some sound absorption material as there is quite loud reverberations from lively parties nearby. I also felt the employees were not very happy and I felt it was due to them being under extreme scrutiny of above-mentioned manager. Nobody smiled.

For context, I often find myself driving between San Francisco and Fresno. On one articular trip,…read moreI was craving prime rib (which happens every two weeks or so). I asked my favorite llm where I should stop by for prime rib going from Fresno to SF. It at first suggested I make a bee like for house of prime rib in sf, which I like but have been to many times. It then suggested house of beef and I'm so glad it did (cattleman's in Livermore was also a 3rd choice but I've been there several times too). Thankfully it was Fri eve and they had prime rib. I like mine rare and it was perfectly cooked, very marbled, huge, well seasoned and delicious. I pared it wth au jus and mashed with gravy. Then, what reminded me to write this review, was the tri tip from the meat counter and took to go. They were nice enough to pack it in ice for my 2 hour drive. I just cooked it on my grill in the rain and this is seriously one of the best tri tips I've ever grilled up. The meat tenderness/marbling/quality is on par with any prime grade/American wagyu I've bought and the seasoning is just super on point. Looking forward to smoking the baby back ribs I picked up as well in the next couple of days but I will definitely be back next time I'm in the area. Seems like other reviews had issue with service but the staff were exceptionally attentive when I was there. Seriously the only thing that wasn't top notch about my experience was the cocktails(mine was totally fine but I'm a bit spoiled when I'm in SF) but for my purposes passing through I just wanted the prime rib and meats to go to be delicious and house of beef certainly lived up to its name!

Small dining space, but it works. We came at 5pm ish and got seated, and by 5:30pm, it was very…read morebusy with all the tables taken. Service is fast and attentive, staff is apologetic about the wait, but the waiting time was not too late or rushed. Our server 10/10 service, even gave us extra bread to take home. Salad and soup bar were excellent and everything tasted fresh. We loved the tomato soup, but didn't like the french onion dip soup. The bread was amazing, and even tasted great as reheated leftovers. The prime rib and ribeye steak were cooked perfectly to our order, but couldnt finish eating dud to being full from the unlimited bread, salad and soup bar. Garlic fries were amazing and crispy, even after reheated for leftovers. Only a few things I didn't like was when we went to get our soup and salad, they cleared the whole table. I was warming up the butter in my hands for the bread to spread on faster, but they took it away like trash when we went to grab our salad and soups. They resetted the paper towel rolls to the side of the table when we moved it to the center, and they almost took away my husband's alcoholic drink, and then realized we were still dining. The lighting was definitely way too dark. I could see elderly people slipping if there was were liquids or food filled on the floor. The space is interestingly very small for a steak restaurant, but they seem to make everything flow well. Definitely would come again, enjoy the soup and salad bar, and then maybe share a steak instead of ordering two.

My favorite restaurant in the Oakdale/Modesto area. Imo. Great food which you can't get anywhere…read moreelse. Ahi Nacos is definitely a must try. Brazilian soup and Coconut prawns. Everything is very good and great specials! Service is friendly and professional. Great bar, sports and great cocktails, chips and salsa. Ambiance is very casual and comfortable too! Recommended #1. Oakdale

Excelent Yucatan salad and Cubano with grilled spicey vegetables. Friendly, expedient service…read more Good energy even when not full.

The staff was very friendly, the pho was phenomenal and the freshly squeezed lemonade is to die…read morefor! I ordered their #16 "Pho special" which comes with all the fixings. I also ordered their freshly squeezed lemonade and it was the best fresh lemonade I've had at any restaurant by far, it does take a little longer as it is freshly made as soon as you order but it's worth the couple of minutes. Food came out fast for it being a busy Friday night. Also I had to take a lemonade to go because of how good it was. 10/10 pho spot!

Came here with a friend for dinner on a Sunday. We wanted to check out a new place while we were in…read moretown and support a local business. My friend ordered the special pho large and I got the number 38 vermicelli with grilled beef and shrimp. The staff were friendly and pleasant. The food came out in a moderate amount of time. The food was fine, but not our favorite flavor profile. My friend really likes pho, so we get pho together fairly regularly. The broth and flavor of this pho wasn't the best and the serving size was on the smaller size for pho even though he got a large. The vermicelli plate was unusually sweet- both the beef and shrimp had a red sauce that was very vivid and unexpected. We both ate our food and enjoyed the meal, but will probably not be back any time soon. If you are in the area and craving pho- this was a decent place, the prices seemed standard, and there were limited food options when we were looking Sunday evening.

Great food and good portion! The service was really great! It's nice to support a local family…read morebusiness!

Really delicious, hot, freshly prepared meal! Highly recommend. Especially appreciated after…read moreexploring Yosemite National Park. No MSG in the food so wasn't sleepy as I continued driving Black Pepper Beef came on a sizzling metal pan and it was tender and so flavorful. Comes out piping hot steaming! Sauce black pepper fragrant and a bit salty and sweet House Chow Mein Noodles were excellent with a combo of beef, shrimp, cha siu pork, chicken and all the veggies. Nice wok hei flavor here! Bean sprouts were right texture not overcooked Veggie dish was sort of like a bok choy. Server recommended it and said it was grown on their property! Tasty with light garlic stir fry The server was so attentive and friendly. He is also so talented speaking English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish! We overheard him using all language skills across tables. He says he will be in some movies in the upcoming year, so wish him the best of luck doing that plus running this lovely restaurant!

We are long overdue in submitting a review for one of the finest restaurants we have ever had the…read morepleasure of visiting. We travel a great deal across California and visit many different restaurants, and we must say that L'Gusto Cucina Italiana, located in the sleepy little town of Riverbank, CA, receives an A+. As you walk in the door, the mellow Italian music in the charming little dining room sets the mood for an authentic dining experience. Whether it's a special occasion or a casual lunch on the way to our home in Sonora, this is our favorite place to go when we want to pamper ourselves. Dining is a social experience for us, and we always look forward to the warm and friendly staff who always make us feel at home. Lunch or dinner is always an absolute delight. Their wine list perfectly complements their delicious selection of menu items. As a seafood enthusiast, we can say the salmon is a melt-in-your-mouth pleasure, consistently cooked to perfection. The Lemon Chicken Soup... Oh my. Everything is freshly made, including their wonderful soft bread rolls and scrumptious deserts. Needless to say, we plan on making it back there very soon as it has become one of our favorite places to enjoy an exceptional meal with first rate service. Paul and Francie Snell

What a phenomenal meal ! It was hands down one of the best…read moremeals I have ever had, everything was perfect The service was great The servers were very attentive and the ambiance was delightful , sat outside and everyone was enjoying their meals and themselves. I highly recommend trying this place out. Salad was fresh, the dressing delicious and the chicken pomodoro over angel hair pasta was perfection the dinner rolls were so good and the house wine was a nice treat. Cant wait to go back soon

Great food and drinks! We came here to celebrate one of my cousins birthday on a Sunday afternoon…read more It was a great time and we always get our food and drinks in time! Thanks for great service and ambiance. I definitely recommend this place to everyone!

Went on st pattys weekend and there was a band playing on the back patio. It's what brought us…read moreinto the restaurant. Walked in just after 8pm. There was an older gal (floor manager or bar back?) that did the absolute most to not make eye contact or interact with us while we were waiting to get seated/order drinks/order food. It was comical. After being ignored I kind of hollered at her and asked when their kitchen closed and she looked confused for a bit and said, "I'm trying to remember what day it is". The bartender was the most helpful person. But we think they were all doing shots/kind of lit while working behind the bar. Would explain why the service was a little lacking. Will not be going back. We split a French dip, I don't think the bread was cooked. It was super soft but almost TOO soft, like it was the par baked stuff that you're supposed to throw into the oven for five minutes to finish. Two stars, because the bartender tried. She was sweet, but it was not a great experience.

We as a group of 9 with dietary restriction took the bet of eating at a non vegetarian restaurant…read more They cleaned the woks, spatulas, grill stations and serve us the food as per vegetarian-jain dietary requirements. Good serving quantity, great taste and quality of food and friendly staff.

Last week on the way back from Yosemite late evening, we're hungry and wanted to have dinner before…read moregetting home late. We searched on the map and we found this restaurant in Oakdale. It's in a huge parking lot that is easy to find a space, it was a Friday and quite a few people in the restaurant, good sign. This seems to be a family owned restaurant, the 2 brothers seem to take care of everything from busting the table to serving. They're both quite pleasant and attentive. Looking at the menu, the prices are quite reasonable, every dish is under $18. We're hungry and tired so we ordered the wor wonton soup to start, our favorite Chinese soup, we got the medium but quite large for both of us since we wanted to order something else. The soup is quite tasty although the color of the soup isn't as clear as other restaurant, the wontons are over cooked and the skin are falling off the meat, everything else is good. Mu Shu pork: it came with 5 chinese tortilla, quite large, a little thick but eatable, the stir fried ingredients are quite flavorful. It's also huge, I think it's intended for 5 people as appetizer. Beef Chow Fun (dry) which we like, came out very good and the portion is also big. It looks like we're going to take a whole bunch home. The Sizzling combo plate is quite sizzling and very tasty, but we could only try a few bites because we're full. This restaurant is quite amazing for the area. We're glad we found this place, everything is inexpensive and quite excellent. Next time if we go to Yosemite, we may stop by.

Ever since we moved to Oakdale, this place has been our to go to! They take pride and place is very…read moreclean! I love their sizzling rice and walnut shrimp. Service is phenomenal and fast, even to order go to. Must try!

You can tell there is pride in ownership or there was. The detail to the chair decor highlights…read morethis. It was also clean and tidy. I was the only diner there on a weekend around 3 pm. The waitress is an elderly lady and not there for chit chat but that's ok. So food wise, it's not the worst I've had but it's not the best either. I feel like it's lacking a sauce/seasoning and by no means am I an expert in Chinese food but I eat my fair share. You do get an abundant amount of food. Would I try it again? Yeah. I'm looking for a decent local spot since my go to changed owners and went downhill.