We did quite a few taste bits here and there. I don't remember everything but the one appetizer that stood out was the sea urchin. I usually love sea urchin as suchi but I've had some bad ones when chefs try to incorporate it in things other than sushi. I've had sea urchin appetizers from some really nice restaurants like Joel Robuchon and another SF restaurant, and they always screwed it up and made it taste weird. This uni here at A16 had a citrus and acid flavor to it which made it quite pleasant. For my entree i did the pork chop which was quite delicious here. For dessert we did a panna cotta. I don't think it was in the fridge for very long because it seemed like it didn't sent. it was a bit too soft and runny. read more

I'm going for all 5 stars. All around enjoyable dining experience. The Neapolitian flavors are reminiscent of Italian food back in New Haven. Everything we had was delicious; burrata, artichoke/fennel/arugula salad, squash blossom pizza, chicken with broccoli rabe. Our server was fantastic with helpful suggestions on wine and refilling our fizzy water without prompting. A little bit of a wait between pizza and main course, which allowed us to savor the atmosphere. We'll be back! read more

Food is great but service is AWFUL. Can you please explain to me why it is acceptable to be seated and wait up to 15 minutes for a server to even acknowledge you and then another 15 minutes to receive your first drink? I just don't understand this but this has been their "house style" for years. Other restaurants have a service standard of being greeted within the first 3 minutes - taking a drink order then and prompt delivery afterwards. I simply don't understand why anyone would go to a restaurant and SIT for 30 minutes to obtain their first drink. A16 has had many previous names but the restaurant service remains poor. I just don't get it. Can you please explain to me? Restaurant management is aware of the poor service levels. If you read ANY of the responses, you will see not ONE response from the company. Takeout is charged a 20% gratuity? Seriously? We tried that TWICE and guess what? "The kitchen was busy." We stood outside and waited for 30 minutes in the cold after our scheduled pick up time. A16 is so awful that they have a standard sign at pick up that says "we are running 30 minutes behind." They need to go out of business. Shame on you! read more

I was excited to try A16 Rockridge since the one in SF was great. Pizzas are great (we tried the bianca), but the portions are a bit small. Fried baccala polpettine (comes with 5)...it was good but nothing special. The pork shoulder was just ok and a bit heavy for my taste. I did like the summer squash. read more

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Delicious southern italian fare with a great selection of Italian wines from regions like Abruzzo, Sicilla, and Sardenga. Wine list also includes great wine by the glass selections. I've been to the A16 in San Francisco Marina district and I actually think the concept works even better in Rockridge. Great space in a lively neighborhood. read more

Went here unknowingly during restaurant week - place was packed. Looked promising as per reviews, was excited to check out the food. Huge sigh. The burrata was worth it and so was the squash salad. The steak was disappointing in terms of portion size (really, 28$ for 5 slices of hangar?) and flavor. The pasta was way too thick and the textures didn't match. Flavor profile was off. Brussel sprouts cooked to perfection. From what we could see, pizza is the go to here. The staff was a bit holier-than-thou, which I would have checked at the door. Decent for the area, but nothing stunning. read more

I am torn between a three and four star eating for A16, but the service pushed it to four stars. I came here with two of our friends and we were seated at the chef bar. FOOD: We started with the antipasta calamari. The bean was delicious and the calamari well seasoned. We then got three pizzas individually: patata, funghi, and salsccia. Put it simply, too much pizza! I think two pizzas would suffice for a party of 3. Each pizza we found to be delicious and well seasoned. The ingredients used are great! SERVICE: I saw some comments ding A16 about poor service, but our experience was positive. The waiter was nice and helpful, so no complaints. I found this dining establishment to be good. I recommend it if you seek a fine dining experience in the Rockridge area. read more

Recently had an outstanding dinner at A16 Rockridge. Kohlrabi Salad, who knew? It was delightful, refreshing and substantial without being super filling. Mushroom pizza was heavenly. That awesome pizza dough they make was topped with hen of the woods mushrooms and let's just say that pizza was consumed pretty quick! Also had Triccolo pasta with chanterelles, really flavorful and succulent. Kudos to the kitchen!! Great meal! read more

Summary based on one dinner: --good food with some inventive dishes --ok prices considering the target market --better than average, friendly service --ok noise level --ok street parking on weeknight (BART is a fairly long walk) --can be cool in the winter, especially near the front windows, though they provide space heaters. First experience with pay by phone through Opentable. Worked ok. The sociology of interacting with the staff after paying needs to be worked out (on the customers' part; the staff seemed fine. It's a bit weird to pay this way, though probably just because it's somewhat new.) read more

Love this place - always reliable food and fun atmosphere. Also appreciate flexibility when my birthday friend made us cancel dinner last minute. Thank you. read more

Food was pretty good, but too bad the service killed it: 1) requested a specific addition to the pizza that was on the menu. Didn't get it. 2) waiter couldn't remember our order. read more

Very disappointed with A16. Service was just terrible. They sat us in a room in the back that removed us from the charm of Christmas at A16. Waited 20 minutes just to order drinks. I had to ask the waiter if I was supposed to order and get drinks from the bar. Each time we had a discussion with our waiter we would not see him for another 15 to 20 minutes. We have eaten here before and never have we been disappointed as we were last night. The food was good but not to their normal standard. With all the great dinner houses in the area I am not sure we will be going back. read more

Excellent squash (salty, sweet, charred), salads (fennel & almonds was a standout), burrata (so fresh), and margherita pizza. Olives were only so-so. And they left out my garlic rolls from the order. Overall, quite good. read more

My boyfriend suggested I return because he thought my last review came after an off night. He was right. He is always right! Last night the service was on top of their game and the food was solid, per usual. I really enjoy watching the Pizza Man because he takes his works so seriously. Maybe some people think he looks unhappy when he is making pizza, but I think he looks focused and concerned. He seems like a conscientious person. And I have seen him laugh. Maybe once, but still. He's not ready for Vaudeville, but he is a character. And while the Pizza Man is a little stone-faced, I would rather have that than some insinuate that my brother and I are on a date! again, Ick! read more

Yummy food, nice ambiance, attentive service. My boyfriend and I were here during the 2016 Oakland Restaurant Week for their $30 pre-fixe dinner, which included: citrus salad (good), butternut squash lasagne (very tasty and filling)/polenta gnocchi (a lil salty, BF's entrée), and a scoop of the buffalo fig gelato. We added some grilled octopus for starters (loved the rock salt, but please use sparingly next time), drinks, and tiramisu. Overall, an enjoyable experience. We'd definitely go back to try their pizza and I'll have the buffalo fig gelato dessert again. read more

A16 - Rosemary vodka cocktail and red rice ale for drinks - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

The 2 of us were here for Sunday night dinner. Love the ambient, service and food. Our waitress Payton was very attentive, helpful and awesome. Will come back again as they change the menu all the time. oh, cocktails are good too! read more

Went here last night at had a great meal. Didn't have a reservation, but did go early--5:30. I think if we had shown up 15 minutes later we would be waiting about an hour. We were able to sit at the chefs counter. Calamari, braised greens with egg and the Zucca pizza--all GREAT! REALLY impressed with the pizza. It was delish. The only reason i'm not giving them 5 stars is because the pasta options were pretty weak. I love pasta, LOVE it, but nothing on the menu made me want to try it. The man next to me got the clam, mussel pasta and it was a small serving and I only saw a few pieces of pasta in it. So I'd work on that part of the menu. The service was really great too--nice people, all working hard. we will be back! And the main hostess said they are opening for brunch in the fall which is great for Rockridge! read more

Oakland better than San Francisco?!?!? Yes, I liked the Rockridge A16 even better than A16 in the city! We had an app-heavy experience, and in retrospect, a "fried" heavy experience come to think of it; and every dish was amazing! Started with oysters on the half shell, a hamachi crudo, grilled calamari with fried beans; orders of fried olives and arancini. Our "mains" were the fried pizza with burrata and prosciutto, and an amazingly pillowy gnocchi with mushrooms -- unbelievable!! Complemented by a wonderful Turley Zin; and capped off with a perfect layered chocolate dessert -- unbelievable!!! Hats off to the entire staff -- service was excellent, attentive and welcoming!! read more

My rating would have been 5 stars but we had to wait over 30 minutes, even though we had reservations AND got called two days strait asking to confirm. The food and service did make up for the wait! Oh wawaweewa!!!! We ate a little bit of everything. Squid ink pasta was rich and delicious! The bacon and white sauce pizza- yes!! Salmon and venison were simple but truly good. I loved that some of the food we ate that night was locally foraged!!! I would highly recommend their signature cocktails!! Great for date night night and also for a family/friends night out. read more

Absolutely fabulous! Everything was 5 star from the salads to the pasta to the fried crust pizza. Our server was incredibly professional. We will go back again and again. Thank you A16! read more

They have the potential to be better but all in all we had a good experience the staff was great & very accommodating the decor was also nice. I would have given another star if they were able to execute the meal better. There were allot of hits but a few misses also biggest misses were sadly a special pasta they made for us along with one that came highly recommended by a couple of the employees. We will definitely go back for another visit to see if the misses were a fluke or a normal occurrence. If your on the fence go ahead & give them a try! Check out the couple of photos I took we had a buck more food that I didn't photograph. Our favorite dishes were the Cauliflower, Antipasto & Monterey Sardines. read more

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We went here for the Feast of 7 Fishes night Christmas Eve, a night with a set tasting menu of 11 different dishes so no normal ordering and everyone around you is having the same thing so you would think it would be a seamless and easy night for service, right? After we sat down, a server came up and we ordered a bottle of wine. After getting our wine, we waited 30 minutes to receive our first dish (oysters). After finishing these in a minute, we waited another 30 minutes for our next dish. When I commented on how long it was taking, I got no apology from the server (a different server from before...there was no set server for our table or possibly any others). After each dish came out, the server gave no description of what it was so I had to literally google everything that I was eating. For the pizza, we asked for extra Calabrian chile oil and they brought out the wrong oil so we had to wait another 10 minutes to flag down the staff to get the right oil, again no apology. The food itself was ok but the service was awful. You'd expect on a special night of learning new dishes (there was a pasta that had sea urchin in it...how interesting would it have been to learn about that!) but it did not come close to meeting expectations. On top of it all, they automatically add gratuity so the staff get paid no matter how bad their service is. It was a very disappointing night on such a special occasion. read more

This is a great place--really a 4.5. Even if you're not in the mood for pizza, there are plenty of delicious Italian options here! My husband and I particularly enjoyed the wine list (the bottle list is HUGE yet carefully curated, and the glass list offers some lovely and lesser known Italian varietals). 5 stars for the wine -- and we are picky wine snobs who usually go for French wines over Italian. :) On our last visit (12/4/18) we ordered the salumi plate, which is basically a charcuterie plate of mixed meats with olives and pickled things (4/5 stars, loved the pickled veg that came with it -- but it needs bread or crackers!), roasted calamari (3.5/5 -- too oily for us, and not enough calamari), radicchio salad (5/5 -- believe it or not, my favorite thing here! -- with persimmon and pear that were perfectly ripe, and a nice acidic dressing to balance), salsiccia pizza (4.5/5, super thin crust, yummy sausage and broccoli rabe, not too greasy -- great with the chili oil they offer on the side), and for dessert, the famous chocolate budino tart (4/5, decadent but needed more caramel and sea salt to balance the sweet) and mint chip gelato (3/5, good, not special -- but eating it WITH the budino improved both desserts, in my opinion). It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. $145 for two of us before tip. Service was good, and ambience is very nice; I like the holiday decor. I am picky about service as well, and have nothing to complain about here. The place is quiet and is just generally a pleasant dining experience. We went for Feast of the Seven Fishes last Christmas Eve, and plan to be back for this year's! read more

I really wanted to like this place. It was just ok. The good: fried olives - delicious wine suggestions - both of our Italian reds were delicious tomato pizza - great tomato flavor and good crust The not so good: Funghi pizza - needed salt and tasted pedestrian Chefs choice dessert - I feel like I could get most of these cookies at Trader Joe's Cocktails - both of our cocktails were more juice than cocktail. I ended up asking for a splash more (he obliged) read more

So where to begin! The food would be 3 stars. I like the concept of having scissors to cut a pizza - but the pizza still has to be good. I like thin crust pizza but this was just thin dough that was a mushy. The toppings were blah. The melon and prosciutto were on point though as was the spritzer. Now for the bad. We were warned about car break ins at the library lot. Thought we will be out by 8:30 and opted not to move. Our dinner partner was relieved cause she had parked her Tesla across the street from the restaurant. Yep you guessed we left at 8:30 - and her car had two broken windows and stuff taken. So why am I writing this? Seems like with all these break ins and their food price points they should provide security to walk the streets - maybe join with other restaurants. So be warned - we won't be back read more

Our first ever and we selected this place bases on Yelp reviews and the food did not disappoint. We ordered raw oysters and if you are into them they were perfect as they were very fresh. The chicory salad was also fresh with crisp lettuce and the dressing was similar to cesear, but was refreshingly different. The homemade pasta was incredible. The cook it so the noodles are still chewy and the sauces have a definite spicy kick to them. Save room for dessert as we enjoyed the sweet, pumpkin and cheese cannoli, and savory, the cheese plate which was adorned with sweetly roasted nuts, sesame crackers, sweet bread and of course ripe cheese. Service and ambience was pleasant enough, but definitely go for the food and easy walk from Rockridge BART station, read more

This is a nice restaurant in the Rockridge part of Oakland, which means parking can be a bit of a challenge during prime times of lunch and dinner. The bread was fresh and tasty, but the olive oil dipping sauce was bland and bitter (I may not be an olive oil expert, but I know what I like). We had a group of 8 for dinner and I got to sample a range of appetizers and entrees. I liked the novelty of having scissors to cut the pizza rather than a knife and fork. The food and service were good and I had no complaints about any of the dishes, but there was nothing special about it either. I don't have any complaints other than the olive oil, but there was no wow factor to entice me back, thus 3 stars. read more

3/5 stars is "A-OK." If someone said, "Hey! I'll take you to A-16!" I wouldn't complain. The food is A-OK. And that's about it. Great ideas with mediocre execution. Average cocktails. Average calamari. Average salad. Average ice cream. But... ABOVE AVERAGE pizza and Chocolate Trifle. First of all, I don't like pizza. I am never excited to eat it. But A16 nailed it. Thin crust, fresh, soft, not overly cheesy. Some people like deep dish, some people like triple cheese, some people like suffed crust. But I LIKE A16's pizza! For that, they get five stars! As for the rest, just three. If I eneded the review here, it would be a 4-star review, but I have to mention a couple more things... Upon arrival the hostess was borderline rude and dismissive. Negligent. She basically sent us off to fend for ourselves at the bar after making a mistake in acommodating a single-person party before us at the bar. No scruples with the bartenders or servers. Average. For all this average, the price felt a little steep (if you care about good value). read more

I took my lady, and another couple to A-16 during Restaurant Week. We really enjoyed the Italian wine we ordered. The Som was super helpful and knowledgeable. The pizza I got was decent, but very limp and hard to eat. The disappointing part was the Citrus Salad. Basically this was a few slices of fruit and some arugula with vinegrette on top. Nothing to write home about. Also, there was a LOT of people in there. I don't like it when a restaurant packs people in, elbow to elbow. You could hardly walk in the place, the tables and chairs were so close. Also, there was a cold breeze coming in from the entrance near our table, so they had floor heaters setup nearby. A kind gesture, but a little odd. I would clasify this as a quaint restaurant, nowhere deserving of a fine-dining environment. Not Michelin Star, and fortunately, relatively low-priced. It's worth checking out. Once. read more

We had an 8pm reservation tonight for Valentines Day. We weren't seated until 8:40 and by 10pm had only received the appetizer course! We asked to have the rest of the prix fix meal to-go and were super bummed we wasted $95/person on mediocre food and terrible service!!!!! Usually a much better restaurant but they really fell short tonight. read more

I really like this location (been going to Marina one since it opened) and enjoy sitting at the bar. The hh is a bargain for the prices and quality. The only thing they can't seem to get right here is the macarenara pasta -- I'e tried it here 3 times and it always comes out greasy and just not like the other location. Please get this right! In the meantime everything else is fantastic. read more

This was our favorite foodie restaurant to celebrate special occasions when our daughter attended Berkeley. The appetizers are always Inventive and unique. The pizza's dough,sauces and cheeses are far from ordinary. The pasta's and salads are always farm to table fresh and seasonal. The servers are way above the usual cut. Any questions were answered with informed information and graciousness. We have reserved tables for parties as large as 12 to as small as 4 and we were always attended to with great attention to detail. This place honors the art of service and conversation at the table. A thoughtful wine and cocktail selection is also available. The desserts are worth saving room for. They are homemade and delectable. To top it off the ambiance is just lovely. We still go back every time we are in town. read more

Came with wife and cousins while visiting Berkeley. Waited no more than 10 minutes for a table for four, but grabbed cocktails before being seated. Thought it was odd that I was initially told I couldn't close tab at bar before being seated and that it would just transfer. Cocktails were my treat, meal would be split. Burrata cheese, pesto pasta with sausage and pizzas were the real deal. Fried prawn, calamari and peppers came without a single prawn, but waitstaff apologized and comped dish. Gotta give them props for addressing appropriately. Christina (som) recommended a nice bottle of Cab and chatted while pouring. 3 apps, two pizzas and a bottle came to $143+. read more

Part of the Rockridge culinary tasting tour available through Groupon. VIP option includes alcohol pairings. Highly recommend pizza, full bar, pasta, seafood. Aviento 5 estrellas. "A lora" read more

Whoa, get a wheelbarrow to push me out of here! We happily went back to A16, me for the roasted trout I had seen but not tasted on our last visit. We arrived early and sat at the bar enjoying a drink, as we waited for the restaurant side to open at 5:30. So many were waiting. This time the glaring sun was only an issue for about 15 minutes because the sun is so much lower in the sky in fall. Also the windows had see thru shades which I do not remember on our last visit. However, they did not seem to keep the glare out of our eyes in the first seats we had. We were served a complimentary order of arancini 8, fried rice balls filled with melted mozzarella. They were good. Then came a great dish of roasted calamari -- lovage salsa verde, fried corona beans 12, oh so good especially when served with their so soft bread to wipe up all the drippings. This could be a meal by itself. Next we had what was perhaps one of the best dishes of the year, potato gnocchi -- wild boar sugo, oven-dried tomato, grana padano 13|21. In the future I only have to mention this dish and my husband will be in the car on his way. In the first bite, I had the dried tomatoes, slightly chewy full of flavor and the light pillows of gnocchi and I was happy. Then the second bite from the bottom of bowl, was heavy with the wild boar sugo. I was soooo happy. So rich but not oily. Then we shared a second large pasta, calamaratta -- sepia braised in ink, bread crumbs 12|20. We really like this one too though my husband felt it was on the salty side. The calamaratta was perfect rings of pasta smothered in black ink. Half the dish went home. I was getting too full. Pasta is definitely the best here. In fact, next visit we will forgo their SECONDO dishes and concentrate on the pastas dishes. We had to wait too long for our pizza course and if we had not already been full, it might have been an issue. I assume realizing this long wait, we were served a dish of fried ascolane olives 6. They were tasty! The pizza, funghi -- chanterelle and king trumpet mushrooms, truffled pecorino, shallots 20 itself was a disappointment. The flavor was great but the crust was limp. Later our neighbors got the same pizza, and they too expressed sadness over the so limp crust. Perhaps because they were behind, they did not cook them enough. Today we had leftovers heated in the oven and it was great here, with a great crisp crust. I had big plans of ordering the roasted trout that had been so visually impressive at the table next to ours on our last visit But as we ordered my husband felt it would be too full of bones so I made a last minute switch. And as it turned out, our neighbor ordered the trout and this time it was not as beautiful to behold. Now so stuffed, we got our plate of lamb meatballs -- spicy peppers, cranberry bean ragu, bread crumbs 26 and a side serving of baked tomatoes filled with breadcrumbs. We each had a no think thank you helping. It was fine, nothing special. And we just ate the left overs and again, fine, nothing special. Last visit too, our main courses we not the hi lights of the meal. We can't wait to go back for their roasted calamari and pasta dishes. As we rode home, my husband told me to add A16 to our regular rotation. I will! read more

The last time my husband and I went to A16 Rockridge, it was for my birthday. We waited 45 minutes for our reservation. After expressing extreme frustration with the hostess and manager, we were seated and comp'd some appetizers. Although I was pretty pissed at the time, the food was wonderful. The smokey tomato sauce, lightly fried pizza was spectacular. As angry as I was, I knew I'd be back. Tonight I returned with my husband for a rare and special date night away from our 2 young children. I recognized the manager but hoped she didn't recognize me - I was embarrassed about our last experience. After we sat down, she immediately came over to thank us for giving them another chance and acknowledging the troubles we had the last time. It was a very nice way to be treated. Again, the food was delicious. My husband and I consider ourselves experienced fine diners (we've been to French Laundry, Per Se and most of the highly ranked restaurants in the Bay Area and NYC). Given that experience, we think the food and service at A16 Rockridge is top notch. Tonight, our particular favorite was the chocolate panna cotta. I promised the manager I would update the yelp review we both thought I had written earlier (though I wasn't entirely sure I had written one, and my account does not have a record of me writing one). In any case, I am leaving this one now. read more

First time and excited to enjoy the meal. The restaurant had two other tables with diners, and yet I sat wondering when the waiter would come to our table and take our order. Seemed unusually long wait time. Oh well, I didn't worry too much. Once we ordered, a person came around checking on our water. After filling up my friend's water glass I held out mine and asked for more. My glass was half-full, I drink a lot of water. The manager looked at my half-full glass and replied, "oh, you've got enough" and walked away. I then drank my friend's water during the meal as no one ever came back to ask about the food or the water. I just blew it off, but just weird. Seemed pricey, but the salad was great & pizza good...but the meal would have been really yum if I could have just had some more water and a smile. read more

I was craving a wood fired pizza. What I got fully exceeded and fulfilled my craving. I had a sausage pizza a few nights ago. The crust had a nice flavor and the sausage was delicious. I had the sardine appetizer too. Also incredible. They offer wine by the 3oz "taste" or a full pour. I had 2 glasses and two tastes. Mostly Italian wines that paired well with my food. Chocolate dessert was delicious too. This is my new go to spot in East Bay for wood fired Pizza. read more

I love this place. The most authentic Italian food in the East Bay. We had the Burrata, the calamari, chicken, short ribs and the bosco pizza and squid in troccoli. Everything was delicious and authentic. The wine steward recommended a bottle of 2012Agricola Punica Barrua Isola dei Nuraghi which was outstanding and a rocking good value at $72. Highly recommended. read more

I rarely leave 5 star reviews, especially since the Bay Area has so many exceptional restaurants but A16 has been consistently superb. Not only is every single dish cooked to perfection, especially the pizzas, but I almost always walk-in without a reservation and get seated. The service is excellent, the drinks are refined and well done and the atmosphere is good for dates, groups or family dinners! read more