The Grotto

My mom and I love Italian food and were heartened upon learning that the Grotto would be making Rio Linda its home.This afternoon, my mom and I went to the Grotto for a very late lunch/early dinner. For an appetizer, we enjoyed the oven-baked ricotta. It was rich and not too heavy on the lemon, which was a perfect compromise for my mom (who doesn't like an overabundance of lemon) and I (who could eat several lemons, rind and all, if left to my own devices). Both the bread and chips were excellent, but the bread was top notch.My mom ordered the limone barramundi (sea bass) and I ordered the pork dolce. Mom enjoyed the tender and flavorful barramundi, exclaiming repeatedly that it was cooked and seasoned to perfection. I love cranberries almost as much as I love lemons, and the cranberry apple compote atop the pork dolce did not disappoint. The pork was tender and juicy and impeccably seasoned - I can't even cook it that well, and I do some great pork myself. The green beans had a delightful, snappy, fresh crunch. The smashed potatoes were excellent - I love potatoes smashed with skin still on; my mother typically does not, but she enjoyed these and we agreed that they were seasoned well and outstanding. (Pork dolce pictured; limone barramundi not pictured).Mom had the That's Amore cake, which was very delicious, rich, dark chocolate flourless cake with berry sauce. I had a taste and it was fantastic! I chose the vanilla bean cannolis (Three per order; two pictured - forgot until after one had been devoured) Our magnificent and gracious waitress, Kesha, was a joy to interact with. We had a wonderful conversation with Cody, who helped us pack up our leftovers, even helped my elderly mom up from the booth, and held the door for me as I pushed my mom's wheelchair. The kind, wonderful, warm, welcoming atmosphere adds a great deal to the dining experience at the Grotto.My mom and I are thrilled to have a nice, upper-scale, sit-down, Italian (or Italian-inspired) restaurant in the immediate Rio Linda community. We are glad to have another wonderful place with wonderful people to support. The prices on the menu might make some think twice, but I urge you to absolutely check out the Grotto. We are lucky to have this gem in our little community. Their combination of quality, their craft, their beneficence, and kindness is a rarity and is unmatched. GO, with bells on - and enjoy!

Cute new little spot in Rio Linda! The food was really good and fresh. It's only been open for 3 weeks but they are making a lot of headway. The service was a little slow but the staff were very friendly and personable. The decor & cutlery could be upgraded a little. I feel like the restaurant could also benefit from some live music on the weekends :) Overall you will get treated right and leave being full. If you are in the area I'd recommend you give it a try.

The Grotto is a tasty addition to Rio Linda- a place many might consider Sacramento's backwater. As of this writing, The Grotto has only been open about a week... so while they are still working things out, the food really shines. THE PROS: The ambiance is like a fine dining cafeteria. Linens and real table settings in a large casual space. Not stuffy at all, and no paper napkins or plastic forks. The food was delicious. All the food, including the pasta was fresh. Sauces were on point. . Our pasta came with an oversized hunk of crusty garlic bread. The prices were in-line with any mid-town eatery, each of our entrees was in the low $20s. A nice touch is that a cup of hot fresh "cowboy" coffee is only $2THE CONS: While not really an issue, the staff is new and still coming up to speed, so for now allow a bit of time and grace with your meal. Deserts were quite tasty, but they due run about $10 apiece. THE BOTTOM LINE: Yes, eat here. If you are anywhere near Rio Linda, it really is nice to have a place that knows the locals actually do appreciate food that you don't eat in a car, but that jeans and a hoodie are not a problem. There really is a little something for every taste, and it should only get better over time

The food was fantastic and what they have done with the space is a nice transformation into a relaxing place to be. Service was great and although you can tell they are new, the exceeded my expectations. Great new spot!

Food was really good, service was great. Just what we needed in our little town. Deserts were excellent as well. Definitely will be going back to try everything.

Had an amazing lunch today. 2 friends & I met at the Grotto for lunch at 11:00. The Tomato Basil soup and the Grilled Brie & Apple sandwich were delicious. One friend had the Fettuccine, with creamy garlic sauce and chicken. My other friend had the prime rib dip and gave great reviews. Then they shared the cheesecake & berry compote dessert. We will be returning soon!Thanks Natalee for the great service!

The food was wonderful! I had the fancy bacon I had bacon wrapped shrimp. We had the tomato bisque., my husband had the prime rib french dip and my brother has flat bread pizza and Ihad a creme soup with sausage, and potatoes!! our server was super nice. Her name was Hannah and everybody was very welcoming!! I definitely will be going back..

Came back again and was not disappointed. Had the stuffed mushroom appetizer, the tomato basil soup, and the brie and apple sandwich. Got prosciutto on the brie and apple sandwich this time and it was excellent as well. Staff are great and remembered us from last visit. Definitely going to be a regular stop for us.

I really wanted to love this place but my partner and I both disliked our dishes. What they claim is "bolognese" sauce is not. It was entirely too sweet and tasted like jarred sauce with some ground beef thrown in. I ate some of it so as to not offend the owner. My partner had the spinach and garlic rollatini. It was a piece of lasagne pasta with a bunch of mozzarella and very little spinach. As a homegrown Italian, I would suggest that the owner make a real bolognese sauce and stop using the canned pasta sauce, if that's what they used, or stop adding sugar to the sauce. Oregano does not belong in bolognese sauce nor does sugar. I would also suggest that they mix the spinach with ricotta cheese and use less mozzarella in their spinach rollatini. I don't mean to offend but to offer hopefully useful advice.

Fam was too sick with colds to try this place in person but we were in the mood for comfort food so we had it delivered. Delivered food is never quite as good as in person but nonetheless the order was delivered fast and hot, and everything was delicious. We had the cottage pie, poultry pie, pork sammie, and spinach garlic lasagna roll, which unfortunately unrolled (delivery!) so was cheese and sauce on a flat noodle, but still tasty. All ingredients were fantastically fresh and the portions left us saving a bit for leftovers. We also shared bites of a grilled cheese sammie (because who doesn't have to try that?) which was loaded with cheese on thick sourdough. The smashed potatoes were a hit as well. I bet these folks could make a bangin' 3-cheese baked mac & cheese! All in all, a great first experience and we look forward to going in person when we can.