Siena Bistro

On their opening page "Willow Glen's hidden gem" is true. Located in an awkward spot behind the main street which makes it harder to find but worth the journey for this gem. The food is Mediterranean which is all around the Mediterranean Italian to Spain and in between. Chef is legit, he cooks in a way where he pays respects to the history of the food. Taste wise I've never had a bad experience here. Even when it was a birthday dinner the surprise of the night was the candle for the dessert, this was so over the top it even overshadows the food.Cocktail menu is nice, he even features Spanish gins which if you never had it's really great stuff. For a great dinning experience with an awesome chef that is very involved in his restaurant you got to go here and see how this is truly the hidden gem of Willow Glen.

First..there is a parking lot behind the restaurant on Minnesota. You walk through the covered patio. Very cute. The inside is pretty small. Sat right away at 1:30 on a Tuesday. One woman server and a great partner that helped her out. Get a roll, butter and some olives to enjoy while you look at the menu. The roll was soft and warm. Did not try the olives. The crab cake sandwich special sounded great, but went with the chicken and goat cheese sandwich. This sandwich was amazing! The chicken has a great crispy outside. It does make a bit of a mess with the vinaigrette. I am always afraid of ordering a chicken sandwich because the pieces are normally too large to eat. This was perfect. I got my side of broccoli grape almandine. I really liked the flavors but the pieces were too large to eat in one bite. One star lost for residual at the bottom of my Chardonnay glass.

Just had a fabulous lunch at Siena Bistro today. Walking we were greeted with a huge smile. A nano second later we sat down and had water, bread and menus. The owner introduced himself and gave us plenty of time to decide. I had the Dijon crusted salmon and my friend had Real Almandine. Both were delicious! Both were served with mashed potatoes (yummy) and vegetables. They didn't even bat an eye when I asked to substitute a Cesar salad for the vegetables. The ambience is very pleasant with indoor and outdoor seating. I'm really looking forward to going again. There is of other dishes I would like to try. Wine list is good. Great experience.

It's been a while since I tried a new spot and was super impressed...Siena Bistro is a winner!Nice atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food, generously portioned.My group ordered the following:Angry "Arrabiatta" Pasta $30trivelli pasta, spicy Italian sausage, wild mushrooms,spicy tomato saucePork Porterhouse $35lightly breaded porterhouse, tomato thyme sauce,garlic mashed potatoes & vegetablesChicken Marsala $28mushroom Marsala sauce, garlic mashed potatoes &vegetablesRoman Style PizzaItalian Cured Meat $29Spicy soppressata, dry salami,hot capicola, pepperoniClassic Caesar $15romaine, house-made croutons, parmesan cheeseAll plates were beautifully prepared, generously portioned and delicious!Nice signature drink menu $14.50, wine list and some good beers.And of course, a great selection of desserts.My dining experience was excellent and I appreciated the friendliness, warmth and welcoming of the staff...5 stars

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!

Came in for Friday night dinner and this place was packed and rocking! Even for a rainy, blustery night, even the outdoor seating was full! Dave and Eduardo are legends and such gracious and wonderful hosts! Not to mention Eduardo is a wizard at the bar making drinks!Ordered the Sole Almandine and this was spectacular. Crispy outside yet soft and flaky in the middle and with a squirt of lemon, AMAZING! Dave also looked out and replaced the rice with fluffy and creamy garlic mash!I cannot say enough good things about this place and these people. Parking is somewhat easy but on the weekend the parking lot can get full with all the hustle and bustle in DT Willow Glen! Thank you Dave and crew!

They serve authentic Italian food. The owner is very nice and he creates a lot of items on the menu.

My husband and I enjoyed this restaurant on the vacation side of his business trip to San Jose. We sat on the patio, and Dave, the owner, waited on us on a Thursday night.He was extremely attentive, answering all our questions and explaining how he created his recipe for paella, which began with a visit to Barcelona.We settled on the paella with fish minus the sausage since we don't eat red meat. It was delicious.He also helped us choose between the kale and Brussels sprout salad (his favorite) versus the beet salad (his wife's favorite). After being familiarized with the ingredients, we chose the former. For me, the salad was the highlight of the meal. The wonderful dressing takes something like 40 hours to make.We enjoyed the quietness of the restaurant, too, following a dinner the previous night on very noisy Green Street in San Francisco.If we have a chance to come back on a different trip, I will try the chicken marsala.

Great spot! Glad we tried it! Had the burger which was flavorful with a tasty, light bun. The beet salad was very good. Recommend. Also great staff and friendly service.

It's been a few years since we last visited Siena Bistro. We went for Valentines. The butternut squash ravioli was delicious. My husband enjoyed the short ribs with polenta. The service was attentive and not overbearing. The only quip I have is with the bar. I asked for a regular Old Fashion. Instead of a cherry they added cherry syrup. Not a fan. My husband enjoyed his margarita.