Osteria Toscana

Originally my party was scheduled to be at Cafe Riache that night but the restaurant had to cancel our reservation very unexpectedly. Brenda, the owner, was kind enough to call and chat with me about what happened and offered to have us go to Osteria, the sister restaurant instead at the same time with a comped bottle of wine. My party was fine with the move to Osteria and was also blown away by Brenda's generosity!Alex was our waiter and he was responsive and honored our deal with Brenda smoothly and easily. The food was delicious and the portions decent for the price point. It's Palo Alto, so of course it's pricey but both I and my other friend had enough for leftovers without an appetizer being ordered. The desserts were all delicious and not too sweet, I recommend them all :)The only caution would be parking does get tough in that area so park at the city hall parking lot and walk over! I made the mistake of circling for 15 min for street parking before finding that lot with plenty of parking on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Don't order delivery. The food is so bland. I was trying to see the difference between Buca di Beppo delivery and Osteria and I will be going back to Buca di Beppo. I'm hoping the restaurant experience in person is better but if it's bland delivered then it's most likely bland in person. They gave me the wrong item which is labeled as Pappa alla Bolognese on pictures below.

Osteria Toscana is an absolute gem and a must-visit for anyone who loves Italian food. I ordered the gnocchi, and it was incredible--soft, pillowy, and coated in a rich, flavorful sauce that felt like true comfort food. Every bite was perfectly seasoned, and the gnocchi practically melted in my mouth.What made the experience even better was the outdoor seating area. Originally set up during Covid, it's now a permanent feature, and I'm so glad they kept it. Sitting outside in the fresh air while enjoying such a fantastic meal made for a relaxing and enjoyable evening.

Came here on a Monday night. Made the reservations through Yelp.Parking- it's either street parking or at the parking structure kitty corner to the restaurant. Accessibility- the restaurant is quaint and small, so it can be a tight squeeze if it's a wheelchair or walker. But, families with strollers were coming in, so I'm sure they can make it work. Service- excellent. It was very efficient. I usually ask for hot water as my choice of beverage and it was just the right hot without that coffee taste.Food- it really can't be beat in their pastas. - Gnocchi al pesto: full of creamy pesto sauce and the gnocchi was hot and fresh with just the right softness.- Linguine vongole: had it with the white sauce. The linguine was just the right al dente with perfect chewiness. Loved all the clams and garlic. Return Factor- YES! Because of that family atmosphere, where the host greets you warmly and one of the best authentic pasta restaurants.

Ok food and a cute restaurant but expected better quality and taste given location and price points...

All I can say is delicious! I ordered the lasagna for takeout. The portion was large an enough for two meals and it was so flavorful. I have dined in before as well for a private event. The service was great and the food and beverages were great.

The food was fresh but did not blow us away. The salad was not your typical Caesar, tasted more like balsamic not creamy at all. The pomodoro was basic, pasta slightly overcooked. The chicken was delicious but nothing exceptional, I wish it was more crispy. The service was great with friendly staff, although when they poured our red wine it got all over the glass and I had to pat it down with my napkin so it didn't drip down on my clothes while I drank. The receptionist or host stand's phone was set to the loudest alarm when someone called, like one of those apple preset alarms. It was interrupting our meal all night startling us. So for ambience this threw off the vibe

Regularly dine here for business lunches, and that has been a decent experience, but dinner was very disappointing. Arrived on-time for our reservation, hostess was busily playing with her phone, showing pictures or texts to a colleague - looked at us and continued to talk with her and no acknowledgment of us for nearly 2 minutes! We nearly walked out at that point. Hostess then was rude when we asked for an adjacent table rather than being seated right in middle of restaurant - and the place wasn't even 1/3 full upon arrival.Great waiter, but kitchen fumbled all night and it took nearly 3 hours to get through a basic salad course and entrees for a table of 3....didn't bother with dessert given the mediocre food and poor service timing...With so many other great options in downtown Palo Alto, can't say l'll be going back. Very sad as l've been a somewhat regular guest for years.

Came here with a Valentine's Day reservation. We were seated pretty quickly considering the very busy holiday for restaurants. The food was good. I will say that the waiters and the host (an older gentleman in the front) was very friendly, and polite. The customer service was very inviting. The only problem as to why the rating is not a four star for me is because when the reservation was made the customers were not informed that the menu would be closed to only a 3 to 5 course meal with limited options (meaning you pay $65/$85 per person). Forcing you to pick between those only options rather than any entree on the menu. There were no cocktails offered but lots of wine options (to be expected in an Italian restaurant). Due to the influx of Valentine's Day reservations they willingly took, dinner felt rushed through each course; as if they wanted us to hurry up for the incoming guests. It is very close tightly packed inside this restaurant, but the ambiance is very cozy with pleasant decor & lighting. Note for anyone who needs handicap accessibly: Parking in Palo Alto in this area on a busy night like valentines is expected to be difficult but regardless street parking in front or near the restaurant can be limited as well. Please be aware that you may have to walk in order to get there. They do have parking garages available in the area within a 3-5minute walk though! (Free for the first 3hrs for the Friday night we were there!)

I'm from out of town but come to Palo Alto to visit a couple times a year, and the lasagna at Osteria Toscana has always been the meal I most look forward to every time I'm here. Unfortunately, tonight was a much different experience than I'd had previously. The one positive light was our server, Cayley, who was very friendly and wonderful all night, but that is unfortunately where the positives ended. Tonight was the first time I'd been back in about 9 months or so and I've order the lasagna every time I've come here and it's always been excellent. Very fresh and generously portioned. Tonight's was a drastically different (and far worse) lasagna both in terms of looks and taste, not to mention the portion was nearly half the size. Aside from the recipe being completely changed in a very bad way, the lasagna was clearly frozen and there were certain spots throughout that were difficult to cut through (even with a knife!) because the noodles were so tough and dried out.It's such a shame that corners have been cut on this dish as it was absolutely INCREDIBLE every other time I've come here previously. I'm hopeful that it can just be chalked up to an "off night", but I'm honestly hesitant to return after such a steep drop in quality. I know nobody else in town will have a lasagna as good as this one once was, though, so it's genuinely very disappointing that what was once something I looked forward to everytime I came to town is now not only not the same, but truthfully not good at all.