My favorite restaurant in Walnut Creek! Benvenuti is everything I want in an Italian restaurant. amazing food, a great atmosphere, and genuinely awesome service. It feels like true home-cooked Italian food, and every dish we tried was outstanding. The calamari was incredibly fresh and lightly breaded, crispy without being heavy. The garlic bread had the perfect amount of crunch and just the right touch of Parmesan. The beef tagliatelle special was absolutely mouthwatering. Rich, flavorful, and the kind of dish you keep thinking about after the meal. And the tiramisu was homemade and so creamy. A perfect way to finish the meal. From the food to the atmosphere to the service, Benvenuti really delivers. Easily my favorite restaurant in Walnut Creek, and a place I'll definitely be coming back to. read more

Food: Warm bread to start. We ordered the roasted cauliflower, which came with only six stems . The seafood pasta was decent--the fish was flaky, but the shrimp were on the dry side. The Italian sausage pasta, however, came out hot, flavorful, and delicious! Service: Six stars for the fantastic, enthusiastic service from Giuseppe and a lovely lady who seemed to be the owner. It's rare to come across servers who are this genuinely cheerful and enthusiastic--such a refreshing experience! I have to add this part, Giuseppe opened the door for us when we left the restaurant! Something we only experienced in Japan! Ambience: No background music, so conversations were quite audible. The restaurant had an older crowd and a more traditional, relaxed atmosphere. read more

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Went for the Valentine's day prix and they were pretty busy, but we had a reservation. Seating in the main room, outside, or in the back room where it's quieter, but not as cute. Interior is interesting, it's like you're dining at someone's home? Street parking or there are lots nearby with the first hours or so free. Service was good  The Valentines prix consisted of an app, entree, and dessert, some of which are not on their regular menu!!  -bread and marinara (4/5): bread was great, thick slices and nice crust. Marinara was standard -potato-leek puree (4/5): came in a cute little cup to drink out of, good flavor -gamberoni (5/5): prawns were a good size and perfectly grilled. The sauce was a good addition -polette (4/5): meatballs were juicy and the pesto was flavorful and creamy. Interesting thing to have as an appetizer though -fettuccini carne (5/5): I always have an internal struggle about getting a red sauce or a cream sauce, so this was the perfect option as a creamy red sauce pasta. Serving size was good, and there was also plenty of meat and mushrooms, which I loved! Flavor was great! -lamp chop (4/5): good grilled flavor, but one was slightly too raw for our liking so we had to send it back to the kitchen to cook it some more. Our waitress was very understanding though! The mashed potatoes and veggies were also good. -tiramisu (3.5/5): good flavor, but there was wayyy more cream than ladyfinger, so the textural balance was off. And I love cream! -peanut butter chocolate brownie (4/5): really good but also pretty sweet. Loved how thick the whipped cream was, but didn't taste as much peanut butter as I would've liked Overall, I had a great experience for their valentines day prix menu. Food was great and I would definitely go back to try their pasta! read more

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A landmark of the East Bay and for good reason. Angela and the entire team work as hard in the front of house as Manny does in the kitchen. Food is terrific, service is friendly and the ambiance is warm and inviting. What else is there? Only one thing I can think of...Ring the dinner bell! read more

Benvenuti Ristorante - Happy Hour 7.16.26 Come and get it!!! - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I am surprised I haven't already reviewed this restaurant. The food here is so very good. Solid A+ every time, every dish. Staff is friendly. Its a really pretty restaurant, nice atmosphere! But the food is the star! Definitely get their focaccia & their Gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. That sauce is crazy perfect! Yum! read more

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March 2026, Friday night dinner, walk in without reservations, table was available outside which was lovely. Service was slow, but I enjoyed the patio seating. The complimentary bread was pretty good, did go through another round of bread since food takes some time. I wished the dishes were slightly larger for the price. Definitely get the arugula salad ($16). Capellini Rustica ($24) and had good flavor, more al dente noodles. Pollo Marsala ($34) was the most unique dish, a great umami richness from mushrooms, but could use a larger slice of chicken. Maybe an off day, although my table of 2 was ready to order, the server went to another table that sat after us and had taken order before us. Then, there was some disorganization since we ended up getting another table's salad and the check. So you may want to double check your receipt at this restaurant! read more

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Charming and romantic restaurant we found that turned out as a memorable savored evening! Each dish they warmly served was fresh and flavorful. Fare warning, it's challenging to not finish the entire portions, you will leave full. Dessert sent us over the top! Sweetest surprise. We will certainly be back. read more

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My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner in a Sunday night. Not too busy right around 6pm. The inside looks smaller in pictures than it is in real life. Plenty of space to sit, eat, and chat without feeling like I'm yelling across the room. Service was excellent and attentive to our needs. I have been craving seafood lately and the menu had a large seafood and pasta selection along with great wine pairings. I really wish I ordered some garlic bread for home too. The fettuccine pescadora is pricey, but there is so much food in it that you can split it into two meals. I ended up taking home so leftovers. For dessert, we ordered tiramisu and it also came with complimentary birthday ice cream! I don't always expect surprises like that, but something small like that always helps me feel just a little bit more special. I hope to return soon and try out more of the menu. read more

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I had an amazing experience at this restaurant. You walk into the restaurant and it's packed with customers, which is a good sign. The host greets you with a friendly manner. The restaurant is intimate and perfect for a date night or a nice dinner with family or friends. We ordered the Calamari Fritti for appetizer, Fettuccine Al Salmone and Fettuccine Pescatora for mains and Lemon Chiffon Cake and Tiramisu for dessert. The Calamari was well breaded with a nice crispy without it being too oily. The Fettuccine Pescatora was very good and it has a nice heat kick to it. Loved the Fettuccine Al Salmone as it was creamy but not heavy. Preferred the Lemon Chiffon Cake as it was light in flavor. read more

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Came here on a Thursday night and was pretty busy. Sat at the bar which was a little small, but no a big restaurant. Ordered olive and prawns to start. Prawns were okay, olives great. The complementary bread was fantastic. I went with the handmade mushroom raviolis and clam pasta. Raviolis were delicious hearty fresh clown pasta was average but still pretty tasty.. overall, great spot to go to in Walnut Creek. Most of it seems fresh and the service was stellar. I will come back here. read more

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We were looking for a dinner spot and stumbled upon this place. We waited for about 10 minutes on a Saturday . The customer service is really good. The salmon was cooked to profession. I could've tried something different besides the orzo but the spinach was good. The Garlic cheese bread with the fresh sauce --needs to be packaged and sold! It was sooooo delicious read more

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We came here for Valentine's Day when they had a prix fixe menu and a bunch of options for each course and it was all excellent! The Caesar's salad was huge with a nice amount of cheese and dressing. The meatball appetizer was 2 huge flavorful meatballs in a nice sauce. The chicken marsala main was a lovely marsala sauce with a bunch of mushrooms on 2 little chicken pieces. The lasagna was a giant piece of cheesy lasagna with a finely ground meat sauce. The tiramisu was a big piece and very flavorful and sweet and tasty. The peanut butter chocolate brownie was dense and gooey and decadent. We also had 3 cocktails and a mocktail that were all very well made and very flavorful and well mixed. Absolutely going to come back here more and try other stuff on the menu! read more

I found myself in Walnut Creek, and I wanted a nice dinner for my daughter and myself. Of course, I used Yelp to find a spot! Benvenuti looked to suit our desire for an enjoyable Italian dinner. We arrived with a reservation and were seated without a problem on a Sunday evening. She ordered an arugula and radicchio salad, I ordered chicken Parmesan. Initial ordering was a little slower than I liked. We had to ask for bread twice. The food came in record time after ordering. The salad was unique and delicious, the Chicken Parmesan was very garlic infused, especially with the accompanying angel hair pasta. The entire meal was generally pleasing. By the glass wine was somewhat limited in selection, but I found a Chardonnay that I liked. We shared tiramisu for dessert, which was delicious. I felt like the service was medium, the food was what I would expect from an Italian restaurant. The pricing was reasonable. Especially for location. The restaurant has an outdoor seating area that is small, small, and a fairly sizable indoor dining room. Unfortunately, we got seated next to a birthday party instead of the rest of the dining room which was more calm.. We left having enjoyed our meal, but I can't help, but thinking that I could've made a better choice for the evening. That's sad to say, but there was just nothing that really wowed me about this experience. read more

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My family and I dined here last evening. Have not been to this location since they operated as Salvatore. Parking is easy as you can drop your group off in the yellow zone out front and park across the street in the library parking lot up on top or down below. We started with a rounded drinks my son and I had Manhattans, up style with no ice in a martini glass. They were perfect. We all shared an order of the house specialty garlic bread which you should not pass up and also an order of meatballs which we increased to four. The appetizers and drinks were excellent as was the service from Dragana, a lovely person from Serbia, she did a great job taking care of us from start to finish, she made us feel very special. For my main I had the Pollo parmigiana, my mom had to fettuccine pescatore, my son had the papardelle ragu, and my daughter had the pasta salmon. All the dishes were incredible, I think the chicken parm came out on top. But you can't go wrong with any of these entrees. It was the best chicken parm I've ever had. We mixed it up with a few desserts the affogoto's are incredible along with the tiramisu and the dolce olio. They have a good wine selection by glass, and bottle. They also do some very cool custom cocktails that you can always just stop and have at the bar. Definitely a hidden gem on Broadway same side as the police station across from the public library. read more

This has been the favorite in a short series of Italian restaurants my family has visited recently. We went on Father's Day and my one small complaint about the noise level probably had more to do with number of children dining that day than anything else. I suspect it's not normally quite so loud, although the restaurant still feels a little more "family" than "date night." It's very attractive though and tended to by some of the friendliest and most efficient staff ever. I was impressed by how coordinated they were, on top of being so warm and welcoming! Food was outstanding. Interestingly, the dish I looked forward to the most turned out to be my least favorite--the roasted cauliflower. It was good, but blander than I expected. I'd recommend the burrata as a standout appetizer though, and definitely order anything else that comes with bread here as it's amazing (and I say this as someone who ordinarily doesn't like focaccia much). For my main, I had Vitella Romana which I would seriously get again just for the amazing sauce and those perfectly cooked fresh vegetables, never mind the veal. And don't pass on dessert either -- their cannoli were spot-on crispy, flaky, and creamy goodness garnished with many chocolate chips. I don't give 5 stars very readily and would really give this a 4.5, but compelled to round up as I look very forward to trying more of their menu in future! read more

Benvenuti Ristorante - Vitella Romana - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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My husband and I went to Benvenuti for date night last week, and my god....everything was fantastic! We ordered a bottle of Italian Moscato, because we take our dessert in liquid form, and it was stellar. The garlic bread was like a cloud. I don't know if that even makes sense, but I haven't eaten so much bread and still felt light since I was in Italy itself. The Arugula salad was so simple and delightful. We opted for the homemade gnocchi and the Mushroom Chicken, the vegetables were all seasoned perfectly, and the chicken was so juicy. The gnocchi was sooo tasty, like little potato pillows. We were too full for dessert but next time we'll give it a try! read more

Benvenuti Ristorante - Moscato, was yummy! - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We went here based on the reviews. I don't know if it was an off night but when you go on a Friday, you expect the A team to be on deck. I think this place must have been stellar at some point and is now on cruise control. It was not very good. My husband is all things lasagna. So I figured he'd be in for a treat. It was not good. I had the cesaer salad and chicken marsala. The salad was under dressed, romaine. The chicken marsala was two small frozen, thawed microwaved cutlets with a sauce that tasted very bland. I couldn't even chew the chicken it was so rubbery. We ordered dessert to go and laughed when we got home. I think we got the child's portion. It was, however, delicious. So after a bill nearly $300 we were pissed. I cook a lot so eating out is a treat for me. And I want food better than I can make at home. I was apologetic for suggesting this place. On the positive side, the service was outstanding. Our server was so gracious and kind. The setting is adorable as well. But c'mon Chef...do better. With that said, it could have been an off night. The reviews are stellar so maybe we just hit it wrong. That happens. Fortunately we recovered the next day with an amazing crab sandwich at Oracle. So let that sink in. The highlight of the trip was food at a ball park. read more

Benvenuti Ristorante - Frozen rubber chicken - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

First time customer tonight, and we were so pleased! The atmosphere was lively and warm without being overwhelming. The food was across the board delicious. The cauliflower was definitely a highlight -- that turmeric cream sauce is pretty divine. Our pastas (capellini rústico and salmon fettuccini) were excellent, the pesto dipping sauce for the artichoke was perfect, desserts (chocolate-orange cake, and caramel walnut gelato topped with honey and olive oil) were both so delectable, we couldn't decide which we liked more. The cannellini beans were not as savory as I'd hoped based on others' reviews -- maybe I thought they'd be in a red sauce? -- but they were still a nice, earthy balance to our richer dishes. The Caesar Salad was simple but exactly what we needed -- light, refreshing, crunchy. The wine was wonderful, and the service spectacular. So glad we finally tried this place! read more

We were running late for our dinner reservation but no problem. They were gracious and accommodating, even though the place was packed! Four of us ordered cocktails, multiple dishes from burrata, to salads, fish, ravioli, desserts etc. etc. Our favorite two items -sorry! - were the garlic bread and the Calabrian peppers! The dinner was made special by our server whose name was hard to pronounce but she was, I think, from Romania. Caring, attentive and not intrusive! read more

Great food, great service! Not to loud, easy to talk to each other. We ordered: Grilled Artichoke (4 stars) Perfectly cooked, then grilled to give some smokiness and service with a few dressed halved cherry tomatoes in the middle. The piping sauce was also really good. Caesar (3.5) Everything was fresh, good amount of Parmesan cheese and lettuce (mainly the heart, light green, hardly any dark green, the proper way) but needed more dressing. The dressing was more on the lemon side than anchovy, which I like, and a hint of garlic. The cuttings were homemade, seasoned well. Cannellini Beans (4 stars) Served warm with a hint of rosemary, garlic and onion. I wish the rosemary was stronger but still good. Gnocchi Pesto with Italian Sausage (4.5 Stars) the gnocchi was homemade pillowy soft and light. The pesto was good, but darker green then it should have been, but still good. The Italian sausage (brown bits) were added to the pesto as part of the sauce. Overall really good! Tiramisu (3.5 stars) very rich and strong espresso Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and pineapple (4 stars) I was weary of the pineapple in the frosting, but it turned out to be really good, nice touch! The carrot cake was perfectly cooked, moist, flavorful... Good stuff Until next time... Next time try: Calamari Roasted cauliflower Polpetti (meatball app) Minestrone Secondi dishes read more

Came here for a family gathering over the weekend. They were busy to be fair! It's cute dinning space with a full bar. Good was ok-ish? Portions on the smaller side I would say at least for appetizers. My biggest take away was the lasagna- it looked like it had been under the heating lamp for hours. Cheese crusty on top. Didn't look freshly broiled at all. The seafood pasta was a great portion but the sauce was too sweet I thought. Cesar salad was delicious. The lemon cake was just that. White sponge cake with a little lemon flavor. For some reason I envisioned a fresh lemon custard tart? Service was good, even for a busy night. Food was just ok-ish. read more

Food and service are always great Especially their cod platter and their cheesy ravioli read more

Really enjoyed my visit overall! The location is perfect (5/5) and super easy to find. Parking was just okay (3/5), but nothing too frustrating. The ambiance was a standout (5/5); such a nice, welcoming vibe that made the experience even better. For food, I'd give it a 3/5. I ordered the Linguini Vongole (2/5), and it just wasn't my favorite. I've had this dish before elsewhere, and this one leaned a bit too salty for my taste. I understand the clams naturally bring saltiness, but this felt a little over the top. On the brighter side, the special of cod bass with capers--was really good! It was nicely prepared, served with vegetables, and paired perfectly with wine. Speaking of which, they have a great wine selection. Service was excellent. They were very friendly and checked in on us often, which I appreciated. Overall, I'd give it a 4/5. Not everything hit the mark for me, but the ambiance, service, and other dishes definitely make me want to come back and try more from the menu! read more

My friend and I happened upon this place in search for Italian food for dinner. The customer service was so amazing, from the hostess to the busser. We asked the server what we should get, the way she lit up describing the menu we knew it couldn't go wrong. My friend and I both went with the salmon. We started with the garlic bread, it was the most delicious garlic bread I've ever had! She explained that the bread was Acme bread but everything else is made in house. The table bread came with this roasted tomato dipping sauce, that sauce needs to be bottled up and sold! It was so delicious, especially when we added it to the garlic bread. Chef kiss. Now, the salmon was the most perfectly cooked salmon I've ever had. The orzo was delicious, the Swiss chard was delicious...everything about that dish was delicious. Our server mentioned that they have regulars that come in once a week for the salmon, and I see why!!! Can't wait to come back! Food rating Garlic bread 9/10 Salmon 100/10! Customer service 10/10 Ambiance 9/10 read more

Benvenuti Ristorante - Salmon - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Meh. We wanted to like this place, but the food was only mediocre, which, for the prices, just wasn't worth it. I ordered a cocktail that was vodka and amaro, so I was expecting bitter and rich, but it tasted like artificially sweetened fruit punch (The Grand). Our $14 order of garlic bread was 4 small, narrow pieces. Dear lord. I can buy a whole loaf of fancy bread for less than $5 and throw some butter and parm on it and have a ton to share with family. This was probably the most ridiculous plate of the night. The strips were seriously small. There is no kids menu (which is fine), so we ordered plain pasta and meatballs. The pasta was fine. The meatball (only came with 1?) was not appetizing at all. At first I thought my kid was just being picky, but then I tried it and nope. It was crunchy! Uncooked onion and meat gristle/cartilage maybe from sausage? I don't know. But it was not tasty or texturally-pleasing at all. All of our pasta dishes were meh. Lasagna, chicken parmesean, seafood fettuccine, and a sausage pasta dish--sizes were decent and on the seafood pasta there was ample amounts of seafood. Problem was the Manila clams were dirty and full of sand, all but one. Hubby and I also split a beet salad. That one tasted great, but I found the size to be small for the price tag. It was plated beautifully, though. Our server was okay. Our sparkling water got lost in the hubbub, but that was minor. She was nice and I have to give credit to the hostess for flexing our reservation as our BART train ran late and we called in about a tardy arrival. They still accommodated us which was very kind. The place definitely was packed by 6:30 PM. Again, not terrible. Just pricy for the lack of flavor and some misses on certain plates. read more

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Delicious food. Tasty Gluten free options. Service is great and friendly. Calm and great place to relax and catch up with a friend.

The food was delicious, with attention to detail and presentation. Two members of our party had the pasta with fennel sausage, one had the ravioli with cream sauce, and one serving of lasagna. All were served piping hot with a smile from our server. All had Caesar salads which were excellent and the dressing appeared to be from scratch. Ambiance was very nice, full house so it might be a little noisy for some diners but our party was fine with it. Most enjoyable experience, will dine there in our future. Bravo! read more

Stopped by for a mocktail and some appetizers! I had them make a sparkly OJ mocktail to pair alongside the shrimp and meatball appetizers. The shrimp was okay. The meatballs and sauce and my drink were pretty good! The servers were also very kind and made my friend and I feel right at home. I'll go back for mains soon! read more

I have been coming here as long as I can remember and it never disappoints! The food is always so fresh tasting and delicious! Staff is what's so friendly and welcoming. They have a happy hour at the bar which is great! It's a bit more intimate of a place and not too loud when busy! read more

If you're in downtown Walnut Creek and in the mood for Italian, Benvenuti should be at the top of your list! Four of us walked in without a reservation on a Saturday evening, and were able to seated within about 15 minutes. The interior is cozy, with a modern, minimalist aesthetic. It's casual, but still feels upscale at the same time. For drinks, we ordered an aperol spritz, the alchemist gin and tonic, and a riesling, and we thoroughly enjoyed all three! The drinks were light, balanced, and refreshing. We had burrata and the cheese gnocchi for starters (in addition to the complimentary bread they provide), and they were wonderful. In particular, the cheese gnocchi was absolutely heavenly - the gnocchi was tender and perfectly cooked, and the cheesy cream sauce it was bathed in was to die for! I ordered the papardelle ragu with meatballs for my entree and loved it. The portion size was generous, the noodles were thick and tasty, and the sauce was rich and meaty with a slight kick. Everyone else enjoyed their entrees (the lasagna, chicken parm, and ravioli) as much as I did. Throughout the experience, the service was quick, attentive, and friendly. Everything came out much faster than we expected, and my water glass was never empty. I'd come back here in a heartbeat! read more

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The food is great everytime I go there, but what amazes me is their detailed customer service. A person in our party had food allergies and they were very attentive in accommodating our requests. They went above and beyond by bringing dessert not even on the menu so that he wouldn't be excluded during the dessert time. I would definitely go back here again! read more

Stumbled upon the coziest Italian restaurant for a spontaneous date night! My partner and I booked on Yelp a few hours ahead. Amazing spot to satisfy my pasta cravings. Highly recommend making a reservation-- upon arrival, the tables and bar were completely full on a Saturday evening. The staff are welcoming and exceedingly professional. GAMBERONI: Perfect amount of char :3 Garlic butter sauce is to die for. Even their frisée was just as delicious. CARCIOFI: Very rarely do we have whole artichoke-- this was A+. Loved the aioli so much I wanted to take it home in a cup ;u; LINGUINI VONGOLE: This is pretty much my go-to comfort dish at any pasta spot, and Benvenuti absolutely killed it. Love the flavorful broth and tender clams. The noodles weren't al dente-- pretty soft while still pliable (not mushy)-- but still tasted great. TIRAMISU: Softer than a cloud~~~ Must-try for tiramisu lovers. CANNOLI: The shells are as thick as the filling LOL. Didn't expect something this dense at the end of a meal. And a bit too much powdered sugar. Not for me. I just found Benvenuti Ristorante this week, but apparently they've been around as long as I've been alive (!!!), only recently rebranding from Salvatore Ristorante. Glad to see local biz continuing to thrive :-) read more

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Excellent across the board. My wife is from Italy before she'd take her mother and family to Benvenuti she wanted to try it out. We ordered the calamari for the appetizer and it was perfectly prepared with a delicious chili aioli. For entrees, our party of four ordered gnocchi, veal scallopini, ravioli formaggio and linguini vongole. All arrived quickly, were hot, and beautifully seasoned. For dessert we ordered a very nice portion of duo dolce and shared it. Again, delicious! The wait staff was extremely attentive and contributed nicely to the entire dinning experience. Definitely will be returning. Very pleased. read more

The service is outstanding. Friendly, attentive and easy to get the attention of someone when you need it. I would put service in to five out of five The food was pretty good. I had a pork chop special of the day. I would put it at a four out of five on food. The food was Hardy flavorful but the dish wasn't dramatically special. The environment's cozy we were able to have a nice dinner date and discussion. You didn't have to yell. I always appreciate that. If you're in the area, this is definitely worth the visit. read more

Finally getting around to using a gift card from 2 years ago and couldn't have been more pleased we did! We found a parking spot easily and arrived right at our reservation time of 6 o'clock. Good thing because the crowd started pouring in by 6:20p and there was a line waiting. We were promptly served water and then our order taken after taking some time to decide because there is a great selection to choose from. Once we ordered, we received our bread plate which comes with three slices of an outside crusty and inside light bread with a sweetish tapanade. We ordered the calamari, which seems popular, and split a beet salad, the fettuccine with clams, shrimp and cod, the tube pasta and tiramisu. I'd give the calamari a 3 because it was pretty chewy. Hubby said it was overcooked. Everything else was excellent! Salad had spilt into two with slices of red and yellow beets and a half of a strawberry, some walnuts and the frisee greens. Hubby's pasta was cooked and seasoned perfectly. A fresh tomato sauce and fragrant fennel sausage. My pasta had a perfect bit of chew , perfectly cooked shrimp and cod that had first been dredged in seasoned flour with lots of small manila clams. A very light tomato that was slurp worthy and dipping with the bread of course. The tiramisu is 5+ stars. The filling is so light and the espresso dipped savoiardis are just right. I asked if the pastry chef would share the recipe and our server said yes and no. I didn't get it so no. That was just weird. This place was happening and I can understand why. Great food, attentive service. I'm glad that they are busy despite being away from the main street where a lot of restaurants are. Please give this place a try. Make a reservation if going on the weekend. read more

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We ate here last night for a birthday dinner and had a lovely time, I give this place a 4.5/5 but will round up since I can't put a half star! I had a glass of Barbera wine and it was exactly as described in the menu and so delicious. We also had the Caesar salad with anchovies and it was delicious, the dressing was amazing and the salad was perfect to split. I had the tortellini special with a veal filling, topped with red wine au jus and cream and it was delicious, I really enjoyed it. Everyone else at the table either had lasagne or gnocchi and while their meals looked great I did notice almost everyone at the table added extra salt and pepper or noted their dishes were a little bland. I will note that most of the family except for me likes their food on the saltier side so this may not be the case for others as my meal was perfect! The tiramisu I had for dessert was amazing and tasted freshly made, I truly loved it. My boyfriend did order their affogato and he said it was good but it came with a lot of caramel that he didn't love and said felt out of place, the dish also came in a wine glass and it was hard for him to eat. Usually affogato comes in a bowl when we order it and we were nervous the glass wouldn't handle the temperature change well after having hot coffee poured over. The space is on the smaller side but so cozy and warm, the staff is absolutely lovely and I can't wait for our next visit! read more

What a beautiful Italian place located in downtown Walnut Creek! Stopped in Friday for my BFF birthday dinner!! It was packed. The restaurant itself seems so small! But the food was amazing! I got the ravioli which was the smallest dish but so good! It had mushrooms on it and tasted very homemade! I'm sure everything is homemade! We got a bottle of red wine from Lodi to share as a table! They give complimentary bread with sauce! Our waiter was friendly and helpful! My gf has a dairy allergy and he recommend dishes to her even things not on the menu! We were way too stuffed for dessert but everything we had was 10/10! Would be a super cute place for a date night! read more

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We went there last Saturday to celebrate my wife's birthday. It's good thing that I made an online celebration ahead of time for the line was too long. This place is a best seller. You will feel like that you are in Italy. It's an upscale but the place looks like it's not. The tables are close to each other. The foods are great from pasta to their steak. Our server knows what all the things in the menu and she even suggested some specials that night. I tried it and it was so good. We may not come back because of the waiting time and there's no parking space in the restaurant. You have to park across the street where the library is located. read more

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I'm so glad I finally tried Benvenuti. I was able to walk in; no reservation. The service was excellent: very friendly and welcoming. The ambiance is quite nice. No tablecloths on the table, but a classy, fairly upscale vibe. The food was very good. The bread and dip (olive oil & roasted tomatoes?) were very tasty. Excellent bread. I got the special, which was a homemade pasta with a boar ragù sauce. My wife and I both enjoyed our dishes. She ordered the chicken Parmesan. I ordered a glass of Merlot and it was definitely good. I ordered a second... We got the grilled artichokes for an appetizer. They were delicious, but not prepared as they are in Rome (which is what we thought might be the case). A little tedious to eat because you have to peel the leaves, etc., which I like to do at home but not necessarily out at dinner. In Italy they are usually prepared so that you can eat the whole item with a fork and knife. My wife also got the minestroni soup, and she thought that it was fantastic. For dessert we split an ice cream which had olive oil and honey in it. It was fantastic. I will likely return. read more

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Gayle and I were in the Bay Area last weekend to take in 2 very good plays at Berkeley Rep (Uncle Vanya and The Thing About Jellyfish). That Saturday evening, we joined our friends for dinner at Benvenuti. It's been awhile since we've dined here, with my previous review being around 8 years ago. After our excellent meal and restaurant experience, I reread that review and it's a testament to Angela's firm and friendly family hand that I could write a similar review today. The family vibe is still there including Angela's presence. She eventually came over to our table where if felt that she and Gayle picked up a previous conversation. Then there was our very professional waiter who worked for Angela during the Salvatore days and was working that night to fill in after his full time State job was done. It's a good thing we had reservations as the place was packed, and with folks occasionally waiting outside for a table. Yet, service was spotless, the food was excellent, and our night out was very pleasant. Our friends have lived in Walnut Creek for many years, but had not been here before. And we all agreed that we'd be back, but maybe a bit sooner than 8 years out. read more