Another great date night at Bene Ristorante! The owner made us a special dinner. When you visit this restaurant, they treat you like family! It is heart warming to see the staff hugging patrons. This restaurant is truly unique!!! If you have ever watched the Cheers show, you get that same feeling. Patrons have so much in common. A lot are from the Bay Area. We sat next to a lady who graduated from the same High School as our kids! Take your honey for a night out at Bene Ristorante. You will meet new friends, have fun and feel like family! Can't wait to meet you!!! read more

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I recently dined at Bebe and unfortunately had a rather unpleasant experience that I feel compelled to share. While enjoying a meal with friends, I ordered a full iced margarita, only for the bottom of the glass to suddenly detach and spill its full sticky contents all over me and side seated companions. Not only did this ruin our shoes, leave us wet and sticky but it startled all of us and completely disrupted our meal. When I brought this to the attention of the management, I was met with a dismissive attitude. They simply shrugged it off, saying, "this happens," and refused to offer any form of compensation or even an apology. They mentioned that they had witnessed similar incidents with two other glasses, suggesting that the issue might be tied to the glasses coming out hot from the dishwasher and then being placed directly on ice. Instead of addressing my concerns seriously, the staff made light of the situation, which felt incredibly rude and unprofessional. It was disappointing to see such a lack of care for customer experience. I expected better from a restaurant and found it rather disturbing that even the waitress was afraid to bring it up to the owner telling us that he was extremely scary and would likely fire her for this if he was disrupted from making pizzas in the back. Furthermore, a few of my friends at the table also heard that the owner is really unprofessional and rude. It's unlikely any of us are I'll tell you in a will return, and I would advise others to exercise caution when ordering drinks here. A simple acknowledgment and willingness to rectify the situation could have made a significant difference in our experience. It's a shame that a fun night out was overshadowed by such poor management. Go elsewhere. read more

busy restaurant with waitstaff and maitre D running around filling all front positions, taking orders, busing tables serving orders. even though i did not ask the waitress checked and I thought for a moment that the waitress went to the back to make my salad when it did not arrive before the main course. They did the best they could. We both ordered lasagna. the bread was house made and was good with a nice crust, firm and a nice chewy body. the pasta used in the lasagna was also house made and fit the casserole dish. the sauce, used fresh tomatoes, good ricatta cheese with a distinct pleasant taste and texture, the Italian sausage was a perfect blend to the sauce and there was a nice topping of cheese that did not overwhelm the dish. Our waitress worked so hard to make our lunch experience the best possible that I left a 40% tip. read more

Spent 20 minutes waiting for someone to come to our table. Asked twice if anyone was going to wait on us. No one ever showed. Offered nothing but excuses while others were sat and waited on. I'll never go back. Terrible experience. read more

Terrible service! We were left with nothing but water and menus for 20 minutes. We repeatedly tried to get anyone's attention to place our order- nothing! We felt invisible- because meanwhile the hostess sat two of her friends and had no trouble bringing them drinks and appetizers. No one seems to give a rats ass - even the chef/ owner drinking a beer with no sense of urgency. Very unprofessional- change your name Not Bene!!! Very bad!!! read more

The service sucks and the owner is a complete asshole who drinks on the job! They also use way too much butter in their dishes.

The food is good. Wonderful bar. Cozy place. It can be very loud but that's ok. The dining room and bar staff dress like slobs. The bartender should concentrate on his work and not be so flirty with the ladies - especially avoid the sexual innuendo. This was tasteless. The hostess should wear a long sleeve shirt to avoid customers seeing her scratch-pad tattoos. Also, she greeted me with "w'sup" when I entered. I almost turned around and immediately left without saying anything. But I stayed. The waitress wore a half shirt. So they lose a star. read more

We stopped here on a Saturday on our way back from South Lake Tahoe. The restaurant is on the smaller side, so when we arrived for dinner with our party of eight, there was about a 25-minute wait. Once we got seated, it was pretty hot inside the restaurant. Midway through our meal, they opened the door to let some air in, even though it was December, which was a little surprising. The pizza was good! We tried the Carnívoro and the Chicken Alfredo, and both were tasty. Our server was super nice; I wish I had gotten her name to give her a proper shoutout! Overall, it's a cute spot with good food. read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

When you walk in you can tell right away you're walking into an authentic Italian Ristorante! The service was great you feel like you're being served by family. We really enjoyed our pizza, fettuccine Alfredo and minestrone. Highly recommends read more

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The homies that reside down river below the dam in the town of Represa Ca speaks of rumors of lynching happening to my kind up the hill. They said never veer off Hyw 50 when heading to Tahoe. -My ancestors was here. - 1848, when somebody out here whispered "gold" and triggered one of the larger mass migrations in history, the Chinese were among the first to arrive. - after a epic day floating down river nearby, we're hungry. My appetite suppressed all thought of making a "Wrong Turn " and venture into the heart of old Hangtown. Italian sound's good and the only street parking available was right in front of restaurant. LOL. My thoughts; -Staff: super nice and unthreatening. Was very attentive (water was always full. She was like a live Pasta Progress Tracker App. -kept us updated on the prep, cooking meal progress. -Spaghetti & Meatballs: family said it was good. Homemade sauce. The waitress gave us extra sauce on the side to kick things up a notch. -Seafood Linguine: shrimp and clams was good. Mussels were questionable. Sauce was lacking. OVERALL: food was ok, but service was Good and earned an extra star. "We didn't get lynched, will visit Hangtown again to push our luck". read more

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We came here on a Saturday around 3:00 and were surprised to find them open. The locals we ran into thought they were closed until dinner time. They were only serving off the happy hour menu only, which was perfect for us since we did not want a huge meal. We had a slice or peperoni pizza, the meatballs, the garlic bread and a filet mignon slider. They were all excellent, the slider maybe a little overpriced for just one. We sat at the bar and beers were $1 off, the bartender was nice, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. read more

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Pizza Bene was one of me and several of my friends absolute favorite places to dine. The food was always great ( I'm a NY Italian-I should know!), the service was superb and friendly, the drinks were great! Unfortunately, the most recent visit, less than a week ago, was a disaster. My date showed up a few minutes before I got there. She told me with near tears in her eyes that the hostess doesn't want the manager to let her be served. So I said " well let's see if we can straighten this out." When we went back in, to make a long story short, the hostesses response didn't make much sense. Then, she let us sit at a table, and we started to drink the wine I brought from home from glasses they provided. Then the hostesses response didn't returned and said " the manager doesn't want you to be served." I asked why? She said that my date said an unkind thing to her ("she said " I don't think I want to come back here again.") Apparently the manager's temperament has worsened over time, becoming irrational toward others ( including the help, which are apparently afraid of him). It's really a shame. After years of this being one of our absolute favorite spots in Placerville, we now need to avoid it completely. Check It out for yourself....but I couldn't help being being reminded ( later) of the Sienfield episode " The Soup Nazi". Only this wasn't really funny. read more

Never had a dish I didn't like. The food is always worth it. Absolutely delish. Been coming here since they opened and it's one of my local favs. Every now and then the wait staff are short staffed or new staff are in and training. So things might be a little "off". But it's never bugged me because I know the food is worth it and always superb. read more

I never write reviews, but feel I must with regard to Bene Ristorante Italiano. I love Italian food and when I travel, I look for Italian restaurants. This is by far the worst Italian food I have eaten. It is sub-par and over priced. When I mentioned to the waitress some issues with our tables food, she appeared nervous and said, our owner is temperamental and doesn't like his food criticized. The owner is rude and doesn't want any negative comments, but this is what this establishment needs. Very poor excuse for an Italian Restaurant. I would advise to go somewhere else, and save your Italian eating experience for somewhere else3. read more

The absolute worst service. The absolute worst client experience. And Your Employee Frannie made a facebook post with lies and slandered me and my girlfriend for something we weren't even a party to. She even had the audacity to use our names and steal pictures from our Facebook pages and post them. This is BEYOND the pale of unacceptable and childish behavior. Frannie was rude, unprofessional, intrusive, and also decided to post lies about us on facebook. The way that she spoke to my girlfriend, antagonized people that weren't even a party to the issue that was created by coke head bartender Chadrick Scott who couldnt leave a personal matter alone. I didn't even finish my ONE BEER. Paid my bill and left. Frannie, you chose to follow us outside and antagonize and berate my gf....and even continued further to try to enlist the help of some homeless dude. We left...we paid our bill...we were outside. Management 101 is to desesclate, not enflame. If Bene had any balls he would fire you immediately. So post away Frannie. I have free time. read more

i have not even left the restaurant yet and i'm giving it 4 stars great ambiance friendly vibe walked in at 7:50 only had 10 min to order so a lil per pressure but so far so good i ordered the house salad extremely delicious also vegetarian alfredo with prawns. I took a picture of someone's else pizza but it also look amazing i can't wait to come back here and try different foods . It's giving godfather vibes loved it . Only wish the kitchen was open a lil later especially since the sign says they close at nine read more

Fantastic service from the greeting at the door to table service. Fast with big smiles, spotting things and addressing them proactively. Bar is just okay. Food by and large is very good for a place like this. It is not fine dining, but does not try to be. The pastas are good. (Avoid the ravioli which frozen. Some wait staff refuse to let customers order it.) portions are generous. Atmosphere is warm and a touch noisy making things feel like a large holiday gathering. read more

We've been locals for 30+ years and have supported Bene Ristorante Italiano since they first opened as Pizza Bene. We've occasionally seen the owner be short with customers over the years, but until now, we had never experienced it ourselves. Tonight, on our fifth day without power, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves and dine in to share a salad and a small pepperoni pizza, not a sophisticated order. Unfortunately, our order was misplaced, reheated, and then the pizza arrived soggy and cold. When we pointed that out, it was suggested to be reheated a second time, not to our satisfaction. At that point, our bartender/server became defensive and aggressive. When I asked to speak with the owner, I was told "no." I then went toward the prep area to speak with him directly. When he came over, I extended my hand and introduced myself. He ignored my hand, and his response was, "What do you want? I'm busy." I calmly tried to explain the situation, and he repeated, "What do you want?" I said we just wanted our order corrected. His response was, "F*** off." After being loyal customers, we were shocked and deeply disappointed by how we were treated. Mistakes happen -- we understand that. But hostility and profanity toward longtime customers is unacceptable. Sadly, we won't be returning. I do not recommend this restaurant. Read the one-star reviews. Our experience is not unique. read more

I called to make reservations for Thursday night dinner. I was told it was "first come-first served, no reservations". My wife and I arrived before 5:00 p.m. All of the two-seat tables were full, except one. This one was the one that's about 5 feet away from the bathroom door, WHICH WAS STANDING OPEN. After being seated there, I noticed that there were at least 4 open booths. I asked the woman who seated us if we could be seated in a booth, away from the open bathroom door. She said that the booths were for 4 people. Upon returning to our table, we decided NOT TO DINE JUST OUTSIDE THE OPEN BATHROOM DOOR while there were 4 tables not in use and we were "FIRST COME". Not to worry, we won't darken their doorway again. EVER! read more

Excellent food, excellent service... Sara was the best and don't pass on the pear martini! Highly recommend you check this place out in Placerville!!! read more

I had an amazing experience at this quaint and hospitable restaurant. Our service was incredible, we wanted for nothing. The staff here is awesome, especially our server and "Ben" the owner who took the time to chat about the journey to his PERFECT lasagna. The food taste, quality and portions are spot on. I took my Son for his birthday and we have another great memory to reflect on. This restaurant is clean, charming and welcoming, I recommend you stop by and check it out. Thank you! read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Lasagna and garlic bread - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

I've been enjoying Pizza Bené for a million years. Ben has done very well keeping the Italian dream alive in Placerville. Thank you for hiring amazing staff we're having amazing food amazing beverages long hours and a clean facility with a chipper environment with smiles and laughter and engagement. Thank you, Ben. read more

Seated right away outside. Beautiful street-side Main Street and directly in front if the historic Bell Tower! Our server was Vanessa, professional, friendly and extremely attentive. Her recommendations off the menu were spot on! We enjoyed the lasagna and some cocktails. Highly recommend! read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Look at this portion size! Wow! - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

We came here to celebrate a birthday. Food was delicious. Service was friendly and helpful. Dessert was great! Only complaint is the stuffed mushroom appetizer. For the price I'd expected at least double the amount of mushrooms, especially considering how small they were. Otherwise Bene was amazing. read more

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We've been here a few times and customer service was great both times. Very family friendly environment and you can tell the food comes out with love. The food was great! Definitely recommend! read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

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I used to love Bene, a little pricey, but in Placerville does not much to choose from. I went there the other day for some Parmesan chicken. They did not bread the chicken. It tasted like some boiled chicken with cheese and sauce on it if I wanted to eat keto, I would've stayed at home and not paid $37 for something that wasn't even Parmesan chicken. Maybe you should write that on the menu that you don't bread the chicken anymore. And the waitress didn't know anything about how our Parmesan chicken should be made. Didn't even offer us Parmesan cheese, most Italian restaurants with great Parmesan cheese on your food. Totally forgot to bring me my salad. I do believe that a server should know something about the food they're serving. read more

Staying at Camino for the weekend w my best friends and we picked this place for dinner. When we got there there was a bit of a wait for a table but no problem, we were allowed to hang out by the bar and we ordered a bottle of red wine. Our table was ready within 15 mins We ordered an appetizer to share, a pasta dish and pizza to share. Everything tasted so good and huge portions! The service was pleasant even though they were very busy. Would def come back here again when in the area and craving Italian food read more

If you like burnt pizza, this is place is great then! I was wanting an authentic brick oven pizza. But was sad to have this. The crust was floppy and chewy and really thin. Not a big deal for me, but the charred bottom of the pizza really ruined the taste. All I tasted was char and cheese. Almost hard to eat two slices. My husband ordered their lasagna which also was sad and flat. We ordered their garlic bread and it had sooooo much garlic. My husband says there's no such thing as too much garlic, took a bite of their bread and instantly regretted even coming here. Maybe we went on a night the B team was on. But our first and last visit. read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Charred pizza - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

The ingredients used in cooking are top-notch. I enjoy the attention to detail and quality. Seating arrangements can be weird. The owner has rules for booths. The bartender makes an amazing Espresso Martini. My personal favorite dish is the Filet of Beef Marsala. It's prepared with cremini mushrooms, tender pieces of grilled filet, fresh cream, Marsala wine imported from Italy, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, and topped with grated Parmesan. It's served with housemade bread and served over locally prepared pasta. Come for the gourmet food; the idiosyncracies of the owner are just part of the experience. read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Filet Marsala - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

very disappointed, my husband and I went for our anniversary and when we arrived on a Wednesday evening for dinner they were seating us at this extremely tiny table in the middle of the restaurant. My husband asked if we could sit at one of the open booths and we were told that the owner reserves the booths for 4 or more only and that he is a "Stickler" for his rule. There were two booths available and it was 45 minutes before closing on a Wednesday night. When we let the hostess know that I recently had 3 spine surgeries in the last year and it was difficult to sit on hard chairs the hostess was passive aggressive and said she would go get the owner. She made me feel terrible for even asking. The owner never came and we just ended up walking out. We ended up going to the Independent and spending our $$$ there. They lost a lot of money because they would rather leave booths open than serve customers. We had a wonderful dinner at the Independent and will never go back to pizza Bene. read more

Tasty margherita pizza pie, cozy atmosphere and a world class wait person! After traipsing around Apple Hill on a very brisk day my crew was ready for some hearty chow! While wandering and window shopping on Placerville's Main Street we came upon Bene Ristorante Italiano. It looked so... well Italian!:). Peeking through the window, we could see red and white checkered table cloths in a fairly small setting with a very nice bar. And the low lighting was so inviting. Best of all it was opening in just minutes at 4:30. Practically being the first ones thru the door we opted for a private booth with a great view of that beautiful bar. Again, this is a small restaurant which lends itself so nicely to such an intimate dining experience. We were surprised how fast the place filled up and came alive. Wow! Not long after arriving it was packed and the bar was humming. Looked like mostly locals to me. May I say our server, Juliette, was awesome! So sweet and patient. She just left such a nice impression that made me like Bene all the more. She did not raise an eye brow when I asked to taste a few wines. I (finally) settled on a Sonoma zin which ended up pairing very well with the pizza. Yes the pizza was fantastic. Simple like you would find in Italy. Ingredients which tasted so fresh! The perfect crust, delicious sauce and just the right amount of cheese. It was quickly consumed. Others had the minestrone and a pasta with vodka cream sauce. Not your traditional vodka sauce. More of a marinara. I had a taste and liked it. If you find yourself in Placerville hungry and wanting Italian, I definitely recommend Bene. I must apologize for no pizza or pasta photos. Blame it on the lip-smacking food!:). Ciao! read more

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We love coming here on a nice day in PVille (but CLOSED ON TUESDAY!) . The service is friendly and accommodating but it's the food that keeps us coming back. It's some sort of authentic dough that they use. Absolutely the best pizza in Gold Country! We get the carnivore's pizza, or else the pesto on days when we're feeling zesty. The pesto is worth Asiago cheese. Part of why we keep coming back is to see which cheese we like better- vs the mozzarella on the Carnivore's! And the menu recently expanded with cocktails of that's your fancy. Just watch out for the split-plate charge. It's done with class if you want to split a big pasta dish. BUT who really wants to be charged extra for that? That's the one thing keeping this from a six-star review. ;) And they no longer do lunch, but perhaps in the future! read more

We haven't frequented Italian food places for some time, as most won't let go of the 80s & 90s, when they were so common. Had an itch we had to scratch and decided to try Bene after someone recommended them to us years ago. We were not only not disappointed, but quite surprised at how good they are. We had the spaghetti, lasagna, carnivore pizza and bolognese. The accompanying bread alone is almost reason enough to come here. Also, the tiramisu, cannoli and gelato were very good. This will become part of our normal rotation. read more

The pasta dish I ordered was the best I had enjoyed in a very long time! Everything is prepared from scratch from the pasta to the warm Italian bread. The service was impeccable. Can't wait to go back for another bowl of steaming lunguini, maybe with clams next time! read more

This is my favorite place with great portions of Salad the lasagna was great and people watching/ chatting it up is on read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Lasagna - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

This is my favorite pizza in town! My go-to is the garlic, garlic and more garlic pizza with pepperoni and olives added, so good. The salads are big and fresh, the homemade dressings are amazing. The pastas I have had there have been really good. On the weekends they have a filet special that is absolutely perfect. We love to sit at the beautiful bar and visit with Molly and Alisha, the bartenders. They make great drinks, I love the pear martini and the espresso martini is one of the best I've had. Ben, the owner always greets us with a hug. The whole staff is always warm and inviting. If you are there late night once in a while, you might catch the disco ball being turned on! Truly a gem for Placerville! read more

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We've been to this restaurant so many times and sadly doubt we will return. Last night a group sat down (5/30 about 7pm, back right corner) who were VERY loud and joined by the owner who didn't care that they were making it a horrible experience for everyone else. Our plan was to have dinner and dessert with an after dinner drink. But after being service penne pesto pasta without any pesto and as bland as ever, a calzone the size of a TV remote, and a woman who the owner continued to engage in this horridly loud conversation, we couldn't wait to get out of there. The $100 spent left a bad taste in our mouth. read more

This place seems confused. My husband ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs with meat sauce. The waiter looked at him like he had 3 eyes. Waiter then tries to sell him on the linguini, husbands says "no I want spaghetti, specifically. Waiter says okay I'll see if it's a problem. Waiter never returns, food is delivered and it's Linguini? What? So we say something and the response is we don't have spaghetti here at all! Umm okay: 2-waters, 1 side dinner salad,2 bowls of pasta and $96 later, we won't be back! Said they were short staffed in the kitchen again also. Why does this restaurant have such high turnover over? Bummer read more

The food is very delicious and the Garlic pizza and Linguine & Clams were amazing! The flavor of the roasted garlic on the pizza and the wine butter lemon sauce on the clams just melted in your mouth. All the flavors together were marvelous. Simply the best! It really is the best Naples pizza outside of my father-in-laws whose family is from Naples. Excellent, professional and courteous service. We will go back! read more

Bene Ristorante Italiano - Garlic And More Garlic & Carnivoro Pizza 1/2 & 1/2 - Pizza Near Me - Placerville, California

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How is this restaurant still open? DON'T GO HERE! I won't ever go back to this place, I still have bad dreams from going there, just because of the way we were treated. The food is another story. My husband and I came here, hoping to get a good plate of spaghetti, which we were both having a craving for, and dreaming of a nice Italian family who took pride in their food, to take care of us. I would have paid $75 just for my plate of spaghetti if I knew it would be good. It turned out that the cheapest thing on the menu was spaghetti at $11 a plate. That was a while ago. It said that we were to have a piece of garlic bread with it. What we got (my husband and I), was a piece of toasted, thin white bread with no butter or anything else on it! The spaghetti was a small amount, with very watery tomato sauce, there wasn't an herb to be found in it! Plenty of water drowned out the sauce, which needed draining off our plate. The spaghetti didn't look like there was much of a red color to it, which spaghetti is usually covered in a red sauce. I asked why our dinner was so horrible and the table next to us was so extravagant and impressive! The waiter/owner(?) told us that we ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, so we got what we paid for! He told us that "why should he put extra things on our dinner if we were not willing to pay very much," and he could tell that "we were not able to pay very much of a tip!" There was nothing low-grade about us! First of all, the menu said that we should get garlic bread, so they should be willing to provide that (what the menu says). He reluctantly replaced my bread with one that had a little butter and very little garlic salt (no real garlic). It really wasn't much better. The thing I did wrong was to stay there and accept the horrible food, and treatment. He purposely compared us to the table next to us and said that the reason they received more attention than we did (which I complained about) was because they ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu, and they were going to have more attention because of it, and that they obviously could afford to give a good tip afterward. I can't believe the things he said and thought it was okay! I really wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't spit in our food, with the kind of treatment we had and judgement. He kept going to the bar, stood behind it and obviously complained about us to a female employee there, while the both of them stared at us the entire conversation they had, with an unpleasant look. What he doesn't know is that if the food is really good (and they are nice), I usually order the most expensive dessert and another plate or two of what is good, to take home, so I probably could have had a bigger bill than the prized customers he had. I honestly doubt that this waiter/owner had as much in the bank as we did, not that it should matter, but the restaurant was too cheap, themselves. I would have never run a restaurant that way, or I would shut down before my food and treatment to others got so bad. He did another thing wrong which he really should not have. He was completely stuck up as he told me about the integrity that this family (his family) restaurant had and that they would rather serve high class people there. What unbelievably rude comments to us! What doesn't make sense is that we were very well dressed. My husband had on an expensive business suit and I had a very nice dress, with a fur-edged coat due to the weather, and an updo + mink neck wrap. We asked to move outside to eat because it was getting very noisy in that tiny eating area, and if it hadn't been for a new waiter, who just arrived at work, and treating us very well, l would not have given such a large tip for our meal, but I appreciated his kindness. I have him $35 in cash, more than our entire disgusting meal cost. I think that I was just so grateful to finally be treated with respect and curtesy. I hope this place shuts down, they really should not be in business and treat people this way! Now I wish that I had taken photos of the horrible sauce-less spaghetti, and so-called garlic bread! read more