The Most Delicious Italian in Newark

Sorelle Italian Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.4 (875) • $$

"We arrived for an early dinner and were able to park in front of the restaurant, but we noticed the small lot quickly filled up while we had dinner. Food was top notch- loved the bread, the fried artichoke was unique, and my lemon chicken risotto was delicious. Portions are large based on our entrees. We ordered the tiramisu and it tasted creamy and well-made. The servers were friendly and checked in frequently. We plan to stop by again soon."

Luigi's Pizza & Pasta

★★★★☆ 4.3 (847) • $$

"I was in the area and came across this restaurant while searching for "pasta"I'm so glad this place was recommended because the spaghetti and meatballs was delicious! Service was friendly and super quick. The place, the food, the ambiance, it all felt authentic Italian.I will for sure be back and try other menu items and the pizza as well."

Lo Coco's

★★★★☆ 4.2 (822) • $$

"What a quaint little spot for amazing Sicilian food. If I could describe the ambiance, I would say it is cozy and small, consisting both indoor and outdoor seating.The flavors are spectacular. My friend introduced me to this location yesterday, but I feel like I will definitely be back again, even though I live a bit far from this restaurant. Apparently they have another location in Marin County and also Berkeley! The service was wonderful. The host was on top of it, making sure we received our orders correctly, are enjoying our meal, and constantly ensuring that our drinks are refilled. FYI They also sell wine and other goods, located on their back wall."

iTalico

★★★★☆ 4.2 (785) • $$$

"I had dinner here with a couple of friends and it was my first time. We ordered the San Daniele pizza, paccheri, and the spaghetti di mare. The pasta dishes we ordered were perfectly al dente. The paccheri was a bit salty. The San Daniele pizza was cooked perfectly and was well balanced.The service here was friendly and attentive. The interior has a sophisticated feel with the slightly dim lighting."

Pizza Bocca Lupo

★★★★☆ 4.1 (815) • $$

"I am updating this review to a 3 due to the SLR (Service Level Recovery) of the owner. He reached out to me, we discussed the issues, and then he provided me a refund.I still will never eat here again, but the spouse did enjoy his pepperoni pizza."

Vito's Trattoria

★★★★☆ 4.1 (807) • $$$

"A welcoming place amidst office complex, sjc airport, 101 and Kaizer! Love the free parking around it and welcoming outdoor and indoor seating.As you enter, you are greeted by friendly faces! You can make a reservation at "open table" if you plan to be there between peak hours.In $55 (before tip), we got:- your choice of 2 topping pizza - 4/5 - we got jalapeño, mushroom, olives. Bell peppers. They charged $1 for each extra topping. The pizza was loaded with veggies on a thin but tender crust.- veggie primavera pasta - 5/5 - we swapped the sauce from creamy white to vodka sauce for an extra charge and it was totally worth it. Bomb pasta and heavy/ huge portion size. Good to share!- garlic bread with cheese - 4/5 - huge portion and good quality cheese. I wish they added some herbs/ etc too on it to add a kick- complimentary sour dough rolls 5/5 are served on request. Loved it! - garden green salad - 4/5 - side plate of salad with greens, carrots, a big tomato slice and vinegar drenched onions. Pairs well with the sour dough rolls.Service is impeccable :) and it's a pleasure visiting them! #supportlocal"

Palermo Italian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (765) • $$

"LOVEI went here for a memorial celebration of a lovely man. This was his favorite restaurant and I can see why. The food was excellent, as was the service. The buffet luncheon was wonderful. I liked the chicken, loved the potatoes and perfectly cooked vegetables, and of course the pasta, a lovely tortellini in cream sauce. The dessert buffet was epic. I especially loved the intensely chocolate cake.LIKEI really appreciated the covered open patio seating. As someone still trying to avoid Covid and all the other viruses floating around, the airflow helped me feel safer in a crowd of a few hundred people. I will return when I'm in the neighborhood."

Cafe Pro Bono

★★★★☆ 3.9 (873) • $$$

"Café Pro Bono - A Classic Italian Spot with a Loyal FollowingCafé Pro Bono is an older, classic Italian restaurant with a clear sense of community. The clientele seems well-established--by the time we were leaving, regulars were chatting with the owner, asking about his family as if it were a weekly tradition. It's the kind of place where everyone knows each other, which gives it a warm, familiar charm.When we asked for recommendations, we got the classic "it's all good" response. And while everything was good, nothing stood out as great.We tried Susan's Downfall, a delicious ravioli dish topped with a rich Gorgonzola-based cream sauce--easily the highlight of the meal. The Tagliatelle with Smoked Chicken was also excellent, with perfectly cooked pasta and well-balanced flavors. For dessert, we had Bertucci's Favorite, a simple but satisfying vanilla gelato with a boozy berry compote that was just the right way to end the meal. Although- we were brought a delicious port after dessert. What a kind classic touch!Overall, Café Pro Bono is a solid, classic Italian joint that delivers good food in a welcoming setting. However, to stay relevant long-term, I'd love to see them modernize the experience a bit or develop a signature dish that truly sets them apart. Every great restaurant should have at least one thing it's famous for--right now, they do a lot of things well, but nothing exceptionally."

Centonove

★★★★☆ 3.9 (855) • $$

"Centonove is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Gatos. It's our go-to spot for my friends and me. Our favorite drink is the Pear Martini--it's so delicious and dangerously easy to have too many!The first time I went, we ordered pizza, which was a great choice, especially since they offer gluten-free and vegan options. However, since then, I've become partial to their Fiocchi di Pera--pasta pockets with pear and cheese in a Gorgonzola cream sauce. Absolutely divine!The staff is knowledgeable and super fun, adding to the great atmosphere. I highly recommend making a reservation, especially on weekends, as seating--both indoors and outdoors--is limited. But even if you have to wait, it's definitely worth it!"

Siena Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.3 (694) • $$

"Came here 3/20/2024 for dinner. We decided to sit outside since it wasn't too cold and there was fire so it was cozy. The owner was extremely nice and welcoming. I believe he went to all the tables to talk to the customers, overall a friendly guy. Apparently, he's never been sick and works in the restaurant almost every day. Hey, I mean great staying healthy and strong!! The other workers were also very nice and provided excellent service. I ordered the Dijon Crusted Salmon ($34)The salmon was not dry and it was lightly covered in sweet Dijon Mustered. I like it a lot but I realize I like my salmon with lemon more. The veggies and mashed potatoes were perfect, wouldn't change a thing. French Vanilla Bean Gelato Single ($5) The owner told me it was going to be the best vanilla bean gelato I've ever had and hey it was delicious. I wished I had more, but I was too full from the salmon dinner. Overall, great dining experience, and the outdoor seating was a change of setting. Time to plan my next visit!"

Pranzi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (641) • $$

"Wonderful food and service! We sat outside , although it was a cloudy day. Their heat lamps were very hot. So much so, we had to ask to turn them down.The focaccia bread served at the beginning of our meal was soft and fresh!We are big fans of squid ink pasta and their rendition was very good. We appreciate how attentive the staff was. We will definitely be back!"

Mio Vicino

★★★★☆ 3.8 (757) • $$

"What a little gem located in downtown Santa Clara! There are so many chain restaurants in the area nowadays that it's refreshing to visit a small business like this. We've been a couple of times to celebrate special milestones and have enjoyed it every time.Their food always tastes fresh and their service is good. All dishes are priced appropriately (not expensive but not for every day dining). We will be back whenever we can!"

Creekwood

★★★★★ 4.5 (536) • $$

"I have not been there since they are first opened.Went on saturday night dinner.1) same nice decor, clean, modern look2) Waitress is attentive and nice3) Ordered Gaupacho cold tomatoes soupvery tasty4) ordered mushroom pizza, I have more high expectation, somehow, when they first opened, I felt their pizza is better than saturday.5) ordered Gnocchi in pesto sauce, very tasty according to my husband.6) dessert tiramishi's size is very big, good value."

Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.7 (790) • $$

"Very cozy, inviting and pleasant atmosphere. The food is really good and the pizza from an oven wooden is super tasty. The good thing is the happy hour has great deals! The service was excellent and super fast - no long waiting to be seated and served."

Marzano

★★★★☆ 3.8 (733) • $$

"Loved this place! Beautiful interior, excellent service, delicious food, quality wine, and fair prices. We ordered the meatball appetizer, polenta, chicken and potato pizza and were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food and freshness of the dough. Can't wait to come back and try the rest of the menu!"

Gumba's Italian Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (912) • $$

"We ordered the Linguine Pesto Chicken, Fettuccine al San Francisco, Sausage Polenta, and cannoli. Everything was delicious! The service was amazing and the servings were generous, not like other restaurants. We will definitely be back."

Lo Coco's

★★★★☆ 4.2 (517) • $$

"Everything was outstanding. Greeting at the door,wait staff and recommendations, food, vibe, etc. I had the special (linguine with clams, mussels and calamari) and my wife and friend had a pizza and salad and I shared a salad with my buddy who had egg plant Parma. Everyone raved about their dishes. Lo Coco has been at the Berkeley location 41 years!!! Only thing you should be aware of is they don't take reservations unless your party is 6 or more. We arrived at 5:30 on a Sunday and the place was full and stayed full."

Massimo's

★★★★☆ 3.6 (694) • $$$

"Massimo's is a Fremont classic. It's Fremont style fine dining and that's all good, especially for a family celebration. We recently celebrated my mom's 79th birthday with our group of 8 and it was perfect. Reservations are easy to make and modify on open table, which I had to multiple times that day due to changes in plans. Since my mom previously signed up for the birthday club, we used a voucher for a free entree (or take $25 off). Super easy and generous.My mom loved the halibut special and she's picky. The risotto with scallops and sausage is flavorful and rich. It's a must try. The eggplant parmigiana was good and not overly breaded. Cocktails were reasonably priced.I am a Fremont local and appreciate these well established spots. It's a cozy elevated restaurant (mood lighting and linen table cloths), but not stuffy. The bar area is somewhat casual. I have been here in then past for my own birthday dinner, mom's past birthdays, and a casual catch up with a girlfriend dinner. This may just be our go to for family birthdays!"

Ristorante Don Giovanni

★★★★☆ 3.5 (734) • $$

"Still very good Italian food in a more casual setting. I tried the spicy sausage pasta with red sauce and the butter lettuce salad. Also tried the pesto pasta the sauce is very creamy. Everything went well with a glass of wine. Service is great and they also have the payment system to use a QR code on your smartphone. Very good comfort food and value for your money. They don't have the antipasto platter anymore they should bring it back."

Rosie's New York Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.6 (693) • $$

"Do you need a quick fix for a slice or perhaps scratch that pasta itch? Rosie's will make it happen for you. The pasta portions are super generous (easily 2 meals for me). The pizza is definitely NY style, thin crisp crust that are large enough to fold and consume with much gusto. The dine-in vide is not NY neighborhood pizza joint though, more of a sports bar vibe.The garlic knots are delish but best eat fresh."

Italian Brothers Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (461) • $$

"My family and I lived in Los Gatos for 30 years and sadly moved 25 min away to San Jose the same summer the restaurant opened. And being how we are, we would never drive more than 10 min usually to go out to eat lolBut my sister now lives in LG and I was in town visiting everyone (I live in Hawaii now) and we decided to eat near her for once! I found this spot on yelp as one of the few with a good rating and $$ open on a Monday night. We arrived at 8 pm and the place was packed!! My whole family kept saying over and over how did we not ever hear of this place? The food was AMAZING and AUTHENTIC and we will definitely be visiting again!!I wanted a spicy spaghetti and the closest they had was spicy linguine marinara with meatballs - my dad tried everyone's dish and said mine was the best and I wholeheartedly agree!!The server was quick and attentive. And as I mentioned the place was packed, well it was also very loud! We probably would have eaten outside if it wasn't so cold!"

Aldo's Ristorante & Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (602) • $$

"Wow just wow I planned my graduation dinner of 20 people here on 12/20, Aldo and Barbara gave exceptional hospitality they met my needs communication was clear They were happy to answer any questions or concerns leading to my dinner, service by Many was perfect my whole party LOVED their food from the lobster ravioli, lasagna, my favorite everyone's favorite that THEY missed out on THE CLAM CHOWDER!"

John's of Willow Glen

★★★★☆ 3.7 (577) • $$

"Great people who work here, like seeing family and always greeted with happiness and love! Been coming here for years, and it just consistently keeps being great. breakfast is our go to here and the late bird croissant sandwich is a favorite as well as any of the Benedicts. They offer a chicken apple sausage Benedict that is delicious and comforting with a hollandaise sauce that is always spot on and definitely homemade. We highly recommend coming for breakfast at this neighborhood gem. And the remodel is still clean and inviting and we love the bar and outside seating area!"

Dino's Grill

★★★★☆ 4.2 (432) • $$

"Stopped by after a day at Arden farms. It was kinda empty but everything looked very clean. They didn't have any high chairs nor booster seats, just FYI.What we ordered:Pasta Alfredo with Chicken -10/10 portion was huge and the flavor was real good.Kids spaghetti - 10/10 portion was huge for a kid but it was real yummy. Greek salad - 9/10 I love when places add salt and pepper to a salad. The chicken was well seasoned too. The crumbles of feta w chunks of cut tomatoes and cucumber just really brought it together. I didn't even use the dressing because everything was so flavorful. 1 point off because the olives were not pitted, so be real careful when ordering this item.Cheesey bread - 10/10 wow this was real good!Funny thing is that each item comes with garlic bread so we had an overage but that's fine, we took it home. Really great experience and very nice workers."

Santoro's Italian Market & Deli

★★★★★ 4.5 (360) • $$

"We were in town for our son's water polo tournament at Encinal High School. During a break between games, we went out for a quick bite and found Santoro's about a couple minutes away.Santoro's is located on the corner of a residential area so you'll need to park on the street. However, the location is part of the charm as you feel like you've stepped back in time when you enter Santoro's. You're greeted by a friendly crew and asked to fill out your order slip. We ordered a couple of sandwiches which were bigger than we expected with layers of delicious roasted meat and all of the condiments. I had the chicken sandwich and highly recommend it.The staff was very attentive and checked on us regularly to make sure we were enjoying our sandwiches. You can tell this is the neighborhood spot as locals came in to grab their usual orders and have a quick chat with the staff/owners."

Luca Cucina Italiana

★★★★☆ 3.8 (470) • $$

"Great authentic Italian Food. I love this place!! Love watching them cook too!! I order to go too have a glass of wine and watch them cook"

Straw Hat Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.9 (444) • $$

"I reviewed this place about 2 years ago and loved it. Just thought I would re-up my recommendation as I had lunch here today - gluten free crust, light amount of cheese, veggies - perfectly baked! Had that with a salad - perfect lunch at a great price!!"

Benchmark Pizzeria

★★★★☆ 4.1 (370) • $$

"Excellent Napoli style pizza - thin crust and cooked fast. We're never waiting long to get food here. It can be on the louder side at times, so I think it's best for a meet up spot with friends. Will continue to come back!"

The Pasta Market

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (551) • $$

"One of the best Italian spots in the area. Service is quick and I haven't had any issues with my orders. Recently had lunch here and got the honey walnut salad with grilled chicken and clam chowder. The salad came with their delicious bread and cheese spread. Getting grilled chicken elevates the salad and highly recommend it. The restaurant has holiday decor. They're selling a variety of panettone by the register."

Rollati Ristorante

★★★★☆ 3.9 (368) • $$$

"Came in Valentine's day lunch because I saw they have special 3 course prix fixe for $65/person all day in OpenTable but when we arrived, was told that it's only for dinner and the chef wasn't willing to accommodate doing it for lunch. Pizza oven wasn't working either so were only left with rigatoni, lasagna, sandwich & burger from lunch menu, which was just significantly trimmed down this week. For some reason, they're willing to offer stuffed branzino and truffled fried mozzarella from dinner menu so we ordered the branzino and rigatoni with meatballs + crispy brussel sprouts. The branzino was super crispy but the sauce kinda ruined the bottom skin crispiness so maybe next time ask for sauce on the side :p Brussel sprouts are also good but the rigatoni is just alright. Also wish the tiramisu we had for dessert have rum for a bit more kick. Tips: You can park at 4th street garage across the street which is free for first 90min"

Belotti Bottega

★★★★★ 4.5 (264) • $$

"I am very late writing this review. This restaurant is superb. I cannot wait to go back. I am of Italian descent and I have spent time in Italy and I will say that this is some of the most authentic food I have had on this side of the pond.My friend who joined me for her birthday lunch was delighted. She is also Italian, and we both agreed that the food reminded us of Italy and we were already making plans to go back before we were even done eating.She had the gnocchi, which were like little pillow puffs -just the right amount of sauce, and it was a mouthful of heaven. I had the pasta with wild boar, and I was not at all disappointed. The last time I had that was in Italy and it reminded me of my trip. It was very, very good. Service was on point. They were very accommodating, even though we were late and we took a long time at the table."

Cafe Vitale

★★★★☆ 4.1 (311) • $$

"The restaurant is tucked in the Loyola corner in Los Altos. The ambience is very nice, clean, and tastefully decorated with holiday lights. At 5:30, the restaurant was already packed and we were left with a small table. Starting with the bread, it is very basic, warmed with a bit of crust at the edge. Tastes like bread machine bread; not the crusty European bread I was hoping for. I ordered the seafood linguini. The seafood, squid, salmon, clams and mussels were super fresh. The red sauce was light and flavorful, cooked to perfection. Linguini was perfectly el dente. My finance ordered the special beef stew. Beef was tender, potatoes were perfect , a classic beef stew. We also ordered sausage pizza to share. Classic Italian pizza , good crust and ample toppings. The wait staff is very friendly . Overall a great place for a nice dinner."

Cugini Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (395) • $$

"The food, ambiance and service is second to none. Jenny and I have had most of what Cugini has on their menu. We have never had a bad meal. Armando and Becka are always at their best, making you feel at home. Stephanie, Mia, Angel, Marco and Jesus work as a team in making sure all of their guests are taken care of. Thank you Armamdo for making the best Martinis in town. Simply fabulous place. Love you guys."

Pompeii Ristorante

★★★★☆ 3.9 (333) • $$

"We came here last night to meet up with my wife's cousin, who happened to be in town for the weekend for a business trip. Reservations are accepted, but need to be made via the phone. We were seated pretty promptly after arriving thanks to our reservation, and service was very attentive and friendly. We never had to ask for water refills as they were very diligent about filling water cups throughout the meal, as well as taking away empty plates. The food overall was pretty good, however the bread was served cold and was barely touched. It would have been significantly better and more appreciated had it been served warm. Located on a corner lot, parking is available both at the street level, as well as two public parking lots located out back on 4th St."

Vito's Pizza

★★★★☆ 4 (305) • $$

"Wednesday they have dine In only wings for $1 and they are amazing and big! The owner Robert is also very dope and chill and makes plenty of jokes which makes you feel like you're both close to each other! Overall cool spot to get some pizza and wings as everything is delicious!"