Osteria
(650) 328-5700
247 Hamilton Ave
Palo Alto,
CA
94301
37.4446
-122.1613
Neighborhood: University South
What People Are Saying About Osteria
User Reviews
bebes
October 08, 2007
Went here for the first time this weekend with my husband and seven-year old son. Was initially put-off when no one greeted us and our first interraction with the host was a hand-in-the-face as he walked past us to sit a regular who entered after us. All was forgiven, however. The host, perhaps knowing his faux pas, was extremely gracious thereafter. Our server was wonderful -- after admitting our ignorance of Italian wines, he didn't talk down to us but recommended a wonderful bottle that paired perfectly with our meal. And our meal!!!! Everything was delicious!!! We started with the artichoke bottoms with shrimp and a glass of presecco -- palatte pleasing to the extreme!. Next, the melon and prociutto was simple and perfect. My husband had the spinach pasta with bay shrimp, I had the spinach pasta with chicken and my son had a half-order of the tortellini with prociutto, peas and cream. We were all fighting over who's was best. We were drooling over the carpaccio delivered to our neighbor and have promised to order that next time. We sat towards the back of the restaurant in warm/cozy table. It was a fabulous family meal. We couldn't believe our tab when the check came!!! It was the deal of the century. We will most definitely return and cannot wait until our next meal at Osteria.
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toby777
July 21, 2007
Reviews of Osteria fall into one of two categories-either they loved the food or they hated the terrible service. And that's the thing about Osteria, both are right. The owner, a short man with curly hair, is horrible. He is drunk a lot of the time and is mean and rude to customers on a regular basis. So, while his staff are generally not bad, they know that if they're rude, whatever they dish out won't be nearly as bad as what the owner will say to you. The customer doesn't have any recourse and everyone knows it. You want to speak to the manager or owner? Good luck. Case in point. We were there about a week ago and the two guys next to us complained that there was a hair in one of the dishes (a gray hair, this guy had brown hair). The waiter apologized and took the dish away to replace it. A few minutes later though, the owner came wandering over saying that "he could order anything he wanted as long as it's not the same dish". When the customer said that he really liked what he originally ordered, the owner, I kid you not, said "why are you being such an a**h*le?". The guy was STUNNED(and so were we)but held it together pretty well. They went back and forth for a few minutes in which time the owner also called him a d*ck. Finally, and without apology, the owner wandered off and started randomly talking to people and picking up their kids. It was WEIRD. The waiter tried to apologize saying "you know, Italian temper" but clearly the staff have no control over him. We knew this guy had a reputation but it was like nothing I've ever seen before. He was also answering the phones and since he was so clearly drunk, that would explain the lost reservations in past reviews. Regardless, the place is packed every night. The food IS good so, apparently at the end of the day, he can treat people any way he likes and he still packs them in.
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mrazlee
February 17, 2007
At first when we entered the restaurant, we had a 7:30pm reservation, but still had to wait 'till 8pm to get seated. We sat down at the table and they did not even ask us for our drink order or if we wanted any wine. Lucky for us we didn't order any wine or we would be very upset that they didn't ask us. We started right away with order our main dishes and the dishes came out hot. The food was excellent here at Osteria. I had the Spinach Fettuccini with shrimp in a cream sauce. The sauce was not too creamy, the pasta was delicious because it was just right being not too soft and not too hard. Don't expect to get more water because they never filled our water again. Guess that is the treatment if you don't buy wine... Overall.... great food, but don't expect great service...
read full reviewThe Details on Osteria
The Extras:
Nominated for best Italian restaurant for its good-times atmosphere and snazzy Cal-Ital favorites.
Know Before You Go:
Osteria is a great place to have dinner before a movie at the nearby Aquarius.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
People Watching, Local Favorite, Romantic Dining, Group Dining
