Our valentine's day extravaganza ended with a bang at this Italian spot. It's nice and cozy a bit away from downtown Burlingame and it is THE PERFECT date spot. We had reservations and were seated right away. They seemed t be super busy and served us right away. They did take a while with the water and bread refills. We ended our meal with Tiramisu and it was delicious. The coffee taste stood out. We were trying to take a selfie and the hostess offered to take one for us. Such a happy restaurant with happy employees! read more

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A nice neighborhood restaurant that has a classy ambiance yet comfortably casual. They have a small bar area and a couple of bar seating available. A good selection of wine but is still waiting on their liquor license to serve beer and other cocktail drinks. Service was a bit slow. Though the place was not packed, it took a bit for our food to be served. It helped that the bread came out quickly. The dip for the bread was very good. That was really enjoyable. The heirloom burrata starter was a missed. Although good portion, it was bland and poorly seasoned. Our entrees however, were delicious! We had the Octopus Spaghetti and the Linguine Vongole. Each dish had very distinct flavors and tastefully pleasing! We ended the meal with the tiramisu. It was simple, light and homely. read more

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Loved my experience, everything was super delicious!! Came in on a Friday at around 5pm with a group of 2, no reservation. At this time there's lots of tables out reserved for bigger tables - if you are coming for a special event I would definitely recommend reserving beforehand so there's no risk of not getting a table. The staff was very kind and prepped a small table for the 2 of us even though they were pretty full. The food is amazing!! We got the Octopus Pasta and the Halibut Special. Everything was cooked perfectly - the fish was super crispy outside and so tender on the inside, couldnt have been cooked better. It was well seasoned and went great with the lemon sauce. The pasta was very generous with the amount of seafood for the price, and the sauce was super creamy. Delicious and definitely hit the spot for us! The desserts were also amazing, we had tiramisu and affogato, both delicious no notes. Perfect end to the meal! Service was awesome, we got multiple check-ins throughout the meal and never ran out of water. Such a wonderful dinner! Seems great for big groups and special dates. One of my fave Italian spots to date actually. Highly recommend a visit! read more

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We parked on the street and walked into the first restaurant that was open, which was Bistro Arancini. We were seated quickly because a little more than half. The restaurant was empty. The bread presentation was beautiful. We enjoyed the tomatoes and olive oil. I ordered the bouquet and my friend. She ordered the chicken Parmesan. Both of us were not impressed with the flavors although we were super hungry because we were walking around all day with heavy backpacks. I asked the waiter for hot sauce or any pepper sauce and he said yes, but never came back with any so I was using the salt and pepper on the table to try to give my meal a little bit of flavor. My friend, she just decided to pack up the rest of her food and add spice to it when she came home and maybe it'll be a nicer experience. Overall, the restaurant was really clean and the presentation of the food was nice. read more

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Bistro Arancini is the kind of restaurant that immediately makes you feel at home. From the moment you walk in the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed with a cozy charm that encourages you to settle in and enjoy the experience. The staff greets you with genuine warmth and their attentiveness throughout the meal adds to the feeling that you are in good hands. The menu highlights fresh ingredients and beautifully balanced flavors and every dish arrives with thoughtful presentation that never feels over or under done. Every plate was packed with flavor and just enough to share bites around the table while still enjoying your meal (if you're into the share). Whether you are sharing a leisurely meal with friends, coworkers, or enjoying a quiet dinner for two this restaurant delivers a comforting memorable dining experience that invites you to return again and again. read more

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It was another spectacular dining experience here last night (Friday) at Bistro Arancini. We brought two bottles of wine (corkage $25 per bottle) and were served delicious in house bread with warm olive oil and garlic. Ordered 2 Caesar salads for 3 people and I ordered the Pasta Linguini w class, my friends ordered the Chicken Parmigiano and the fresh Halibut fish with sautéed spinach and vegetables with fresh lemon to squeeze. Desserts were so good, one chocolate lava cake and one bread pudding. This is one of Burlingame's epic Italian restaurants. It's a jewel and you need to find out for yourself by having dinner here. I applaud the service where servers actually know how to do their jobs. read more

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Bistro Arancini serves up some delicious Italian food in an elegant setting. For a table of 3, we shared the heirloom burrata as an appetizer. For entrees, we had the branzini served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, seafood lasagna, and the seafood paella. For dessert, we shared the bread pudding. All of us agreed the food and service were excellent. My friends enjoyed their red and white wines poured by the glass. For a Monday night, the place rather quiet. We would definitely come back. read more

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Cute, nicely decorated restaurant on Broadway. Seating inside and to the front along the sidewalk. Service was good. Not busy on this Tuesday night with only a sprinkling of diners. Couldn't decide between the pesto ravioli or the chicken parm. Asked the waiter and he excitedly said the chicken parm. I couldn't pass it up with that kind of response. But, sadly, I was underwhelmed. Sauce is a light, watery type and I prefer a darker, but that doesn't make it bad. The chicken was the disappointment here. It came with two cutlets that were pounded flat and perfectly oval shaped. This made it tougher than I like. This gave it a TV dinner appearance and feel. Too bad. Comes with a good amount of spaghetti which was good. Wouldn't order this dish again but would try the restaurant again. Cream brûlée was good. read more

Bistro Arancini - chicken parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Stopped in and ordered the crabcakes, bucatini, and octopus spaghetti. The crabcake tasted better than it looks, but it was a little heavy on the filling. The two pastas were good enough to eat but neither that memorable. Finished our meal with bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and creme brulee. I enjoyed the bread pudding more of the two but both were solid. read more

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We went here for dinner for a girls night with my nursing co-workers who became family. We ordered espresso martini, raspberry mojito, and a house Zin. The appetizers were delicious the calamari, bruschetta and the tomatoes with mozzarella . The bread was perfect with the olive dipping sauce.!we all ordered pastas. The spaghetti with meatballs, the octopus pasta, and the bucatini gamberoni. Everything was delicious.Our server Faith P was very attentive and checked on us often.'the atmosphere was great. Definitely will be back!!! read more

I came here for a dinner and our large party was seated inside on the left. Unfortunately there was no ac in the restaurant since the windows were opened and it got pretty warm over the course of the 2 hr dinner. Highly recommend sitting by the window or outside because of this. First off, there's a single server who spoke English who seemed pretty overwhelmed by al the requests everyone made. The other servers didn't speak English and always had to request the main server, even for chili pepper flakes or bread. It took quite awhile for our apps and then main dishes to get ordered. The server tried pushing a lot of appetizers on our large party. An olive and oil dip was brought to our table but we had to ask for bread. The bread was cold and a little stale - it would have benefited from being warm. Appetizers were all ok, we had ordered a variety - brushetta, salads, arancini. All were sub-par, and could have used more seasoning. After the appetizers, we had to wait quite awhile more for the main dishes to arrive. Again, all were sub-par, and I felt I could've made these better at home myself. Overall, if you want a very casual, slow dinner than stop by. But if you want a tasty meal that satisfies your hungry stomach, then I would suggest to look elsewhere. read more

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First visit to this wonderful little Italian restaurant. Currently it is beer and wine only, pending approval of their liquor license. No problem.... We enjoyed a nice Brassfield Sauv Blanc..... The Great Gal ordered the Arichette (sp? .... No longer have the menu in front of me. I went with Alfredo tonight, which I loved, however it did not have the taste and texture range that the GG enjoyed. Her dish had pasta shells, sausage, spinach, tomatoes, assorted spices .... And yes, part of it ended on my plate. I would like to have taken her dish home. We have an early flight tomorrow, so took Tiramisu to enjoy at the Hotel. Service was friendly, attentive, and totally customer focused. Sergin was just one of the servers that visited our table to provide superb service. We also met Mehmet, the owner, a most gracious host and proprietor. This is a quaint and romantic oasis on one of the main streets (Broadway) in Burlingame. Return visit for sure!!! One FYI! While is parking on the street, this is a busy venue street, so finding parking can be a challenge. read more

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Wow!! We went as a work group to a place we had never been to since we're from the other side of the country. All 5 of us were absolutely happy we choose this place. Every single bite I got to taste was seriously perfect I promise. Not a single thing was blah nor boring nor just plain. Every single bite was delicious and legit. My favorite thing at any restaurant is always how the servers are and how the vibe is. This place was absolutely perfect in the vibe and the server we had was seriously super nice and was a perfect server. This was a great place to go to if you're in San Francisco near it. read more

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A nice place for lunch with a solid variety of options. I started with the crispy shrimp rolls, which were really good, the sweet chili sauce they came with was a perfect match. For my main, I had the ravioli carbonara. It's definitely on the heavier side because of the creamy sauce, but it totally hit the spot. Rich, comforting, and very satisfying. I also tried a slice of the gamberoni pizza that my friend ordered. It had a nice balance of shrimp and veggies, and I appreciated that it wasn't overloaded with sauce. read more

Romantic ambiance Delicious food. Loved my vongole & pear salad! Attentive service Street parking Wine list was not bad A little pricey for portion entire meal $85 for just me, but i enjoyed it. Thank you! read more

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Felt like a classic old Italian restaurant but this one has only been open for a couple of years...although many Italian restaurants in Burlingame, our friends picked this and looked forward to giving it a try. However, it didn't live up to the reviews, for me. Food was okay and service started off well but then got very slow. Dinner on a Sunday night at 7pm when only 4 tables being served shouldn't really take 2-1/2 hours for appetizers, drink and entree. We had arancini balls, fried calamari and 2 salads (beet salad and pear salad) to start. Not bad but nothing special. Dishes were also a bit small...designed more for 1 or only for 2 people to share. We had a party of 8. Server did mention, however, that we should double the arancini balls and cut in half since only 2 per order. As for entrees, server really recommended specials including the lamb shank cooked for 4 hours. One person ordered that dish and it was fine, maybe one of the better ones. I, on the other hand, really wanted beef short ribs on polenta and was disappointed...meat was not tender and a bit too stringy and dry, so not sure if it wasn't good quality or not cooked properly....should be fall of the bone moist and tender!! Polenta was also clumpy, and not smooth and buttery tasting. Dish overall lacked flavor and any pizzazz for a $42 entree. To top it off, our server was chatting with another patron at the bar for quite some time (maybe he was the owner/manage or a friendr? Who knows or cares?) and he seemed to have forgotten about us after the entrees were served. The bus boy tried to help us but his English was very poor. About 20 minutes after we finished our entrees the server finally checked back in with us and brought dessert menus then didn't return for another 5-10 minutes. He did realize there was a birthday guest, however, and even though we were going to skip dessert, he brought a complimentary cheesecake with candle and some forks for us all to share. After another 5 minutes he brought the check and then took another 5-10 minutes to collect it and finally bring back for signature after chatting for a few minutes further with the bar patron again. Overall, we got to try a new place for us, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations. Perhaps the pace is normal in Italy, but if this is their best on a slow Sunday night, I would not want to come back. read more

Food was delicious and fresh. We had a birthday lunch and everything we had was very tasty. Service was good and we definitely will come back. read more

Bistro Arancini - Pasta Carbonara was super delicious - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Came here for lunch with my sister as we were randomly craving pasta and in the area! The restaurant was slow and we were seated right away. We got a Caesar salad to share and I got the linguine vongole and my sister got the rigatoni. All the dishes were great! My linguine had clams with shell but also clams cooked into the sauce. Pasta was al dente. The table next to us got a sorbet that looked delicious, so that's definitely on my list. Our server was nice and attentive. Will definitely be back! read more

Bistro Arancini - Rigatoni Al Forno - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Was craving a classic salmon dinner (with potatoes and a veggie) and their menu looked super enticing -- great mix of Italian / American classics. Ordered: *King salmon entree w/ couscous and veggies *Black truffle risotto entree w/ mushrooms, peas, and asparagus *Mushroom Arancini (didn't try any) *Caesar salad *Bruschetta *Sides of mashed potatoes and vegetables *Lemon cheesecake *Complimentary bread with balsamic/oil/herb dip. Salmon was impeccably cooked and the creamy, light lemon beurre blanc complimented all the other items on my plate well. Had to get the side of mashed potatoes for the salmon to complete my vision lol.. Risotto was a gluttonous dream for my partner. What a mouthwatering combination of ingredients there. The dip for the bread was pretty addictive, as was the bruschetta. Veggies could have been sautéed a bit better w some seasoning, and the lemon cheesecake was great but not very lemony. I'm a caesar salad connoisseur (I say that unpretentiously) and theirs was lacking: didn't have high quality romaine, parmesan, or many croutons + the dressing seemed anchovy-forward at first taste but was actually very one dimensional and needed more lemon juice or something to give it a punch! Overall a fantastic dinner read more

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Ordered the rigatoni and it was delicious. For only $24 before tip it's very reasonable. I quite enjoyed the bread with olive oil and garlic as well. You will have more than enough food. The waiter is very nice, offering extra parmesan and pepper, and all around good. We asked for hot water and I have officially found the fanciest hot water at a restaurant, in a stylish cone shaped glass with a lemon wedge. The restaurant as indoor and outdoor seating and both are very nice. Overall a great meal at am affordable price. read more

Bistro Arancini - Rigatoni Al Forno, bread - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

Came here for a Friday lunch around noon and the place was empty. The ambiance is lovely and the big windows bring in a lot of beautiful sunlight. The service was very friendly and attentive. Food was delicious, cooked well, and came out as expected. We got the ravioli carbonera, the penne puttanesca, and a side of Brussels sprouts to share. Everything was good, including the free bread with dip. A little on the pricier side, but you can taste the quality. Feels like a reliable spot we can keep coming back to! read more

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The ambiance was perfect, there was holiday music playing which gave it a joyous environment. Christmas music always makes me happy. Our server and the rest of the staff were so nice, especially when walking in. We felt very welcomed. There is also nothing better than getting our bread refilled. I love the oil the bread was served with, super flavorful and something I haven't tasted before. I ordered the Chicken Cotoletta. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the pesto linguine was ahhhmazing! It looks like it didn't have much sauce, but it was packed with so much flavor. We didn't get to take photos of our appetizers, but the calamari was super crispy and was so yummy and so was the burrata! My family and I would definitely come back for the excellent service and delicious food! Thanks for an amazing experience here at Cafe Arancini! read more

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We had a party of six last night. If you have not been, it's a must try. The food was excellent. The service was superb. I have been there several times and always a superb meal and experience. read more

Excellent food and great service. The whole staff will make you feel like family. Fresh seafood and great pastas everything we had was great and came out fast. 10/10 will be back soon! read more

This place is a new gem in Broadway. I had passed this place before while jogging and walking and wanted to check it out for a while. It's very cute and chic inside. The tables are lined with white linens so it has a nice aesthetic. We came here for my birthday and we started with arancini and the poached pear salad. Both were phenomenol. I love arancini so I was excited to see this on the menu. The bread they bring is fresh and it seems it's homemade. They pair it with an olive oil vinegar combination that comes with herbs. Delicious! The poached pear also had some nice hints of cinnamon. They forgot the cheese in the salad but it still tasted good. I loved the candied walnuts. I got the Halibut to try and this was done well. The risotto was very creamy and delicious! This was not on the menu as it was a special. I enjoyed that it was piping hot and the fish was lightly pan fried. Lastly the tiramisu was light and perfectly sweet. I liked the strawberry but the sauce tasted a bit like raspberry. My senses were slightly confused with this, but nonetheless enjoyed it all. We shared a bottle of wine and it was a divine night! Service was great. Our waiter was very attentive. read more

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I had a large group event that I was trying to find a restaurant that had great food and ambience. Bistro Arancini did not disappoint as a matter of fact the food was amazing. The space was quiet so we could hear each other talk. What was unexpected is that the service was equally as good with Mehmet and Kadir were very attentive! I also changed my reservation once going from 12 people to 14 people and they were able to accommodate without any issues. I'll definitely be back even with a small party it can be quite romantic. read more

We were staying nearby at the Hilton and wanted to try a cozy Italian restaurant close by. We had just tried another Italian restaurant the night before in SF after the Lunar New Year parade. Bistro Arancini was a cozy Italian restaurant with warm colors in a downtown shopping area. We tried their polenta appetizer (Grigliata di polenta verdure) which was so delicious and moist. We tried the Orecchiette Salsiccia (pasta shells with Italian sausage and Bacatini. Both pasta done just right with great flavor. For desert we shared the spumoni gelato. Love the quiet atmosphere with Italian music playing. You can carry a low voice private conversation here. A very good romantic spot. Service was warm and friendly. Will come back again. read more

Bistro Arancini - Orecchiette Salsiccia - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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My brother in law loves Italian. Wanted him to try it because we really liked the food and their awesome service. We ordered to share: Calamari and pizza Margarita. We each ordered: linguine Vongole, orecchiette Salsiccia, Chicken Cotiletta, the Halibut (fish of the day) and chicken Parmesan. To drink: we ordered a bottle of Malbec. Very good. And for dessert : we ordered to share: Tiramisu and cannoli. This location is becoming my favorite Italian location. We definitely will be back. read more

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I did not know that this was a pretty fancy restaurant! It has cloth tablecloth, pretty interior decorations that I felt out of place in my regular Sunday sweats. The service was rather straightforward, nothing to comment on that end so let's get to the main course! Margareta Pizza: we ate it as an appetizer for 7 people and everyone had one slice and there were three extra so it is a decent size! It also had amazing flavor! so I would definitely recommend getting one to share (or eat on your own!) Minestrone Soup: it was... ok. I LOVE minestrone soup but this did not knock my socks off. It was just decent! Ravioli Carbonara: It was pretty good! Extremely filling as the sauce is quite heavy. It didn't taste like CARBONARA ya know and had more of a creamy-like sauce (still good!) Rigatoni: It was ok! The meat was good and the noodles were good! I wasn't a HUGE fan of this particular dish (I tend to like more saucier noodles) but the person who ordered it enjoyed it! read more

We came here for my wife's birthday. The restaurant is fairly new and had only been open for 3 months as of the time of this writing. For appetizer we ordered the restaurant's namesake, the Arancini. I absolutely loved it. Each rice ball is filled with mushroom and pistachios and garnished with potato chips. Very interesting but delicious combination! Next we had the poached pear salad. The pear was fresh and moist which gives each bite a refreshing feeling. They used my favorite leafy green arugula. The star of this dish had to be the candied walnuts. The sweetness perfectly complemented the arugula's smokiness. For entree I had the chicken cotoletta. I never had anything cotoletta before but this reminded me of chicken parmesan, only less breaded and sans the tomato sauce. Both for the better imo. The 2 pieces of the chicken breast came with a fairly generous side serving of the linguine in chili garlic and olive oil. Amazing! For dessert we shared a slice of tiramisu. It was very smooth. I could do it without the raspberry purée as I think it didn't pair particularly well with tiramisu's coffee and cocoa flavor, but ymmv. Our waiter was super attentive, paced the timing of serving each dish perfectly and checked up on us at just the right frequency. I'm glad that we found this little gem on Broadway Ave. Since we live closer to the Burlingame Ave downtown, we tend to visit there more frequently than Broadway Ave. Now we have one more reason to explore this part of Burlingame. read more

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What a gem! My son decided at 9.00 pm that he wanted good Italian food and I found this place on Yelp - the fact that it had a 5-Star rating baffled me - I haven't seen that many places with such a high rating. The service was impeccable, the decor was cozy and chic. Their complimentary bread was really good with the dip. We shared a margarita pizza which was hot, cheesy and soul-satisfying. The Capellini Pomodaro had the right bite, tonnes of garlic and was spicy! The sautéed spinach was a great side! We loved this quick meal at this wonderful homey Italian place and will be back !!! read more

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Nice little Italian place in downtown. We went on a Wednesday night and it was pretty empty. Not sure why as the food was great. Had the cheese appetizer and then calamari which was awesome. I had the seafood spaghetti which was fresh and flavorful. Service was good given it was empty. Nice local place for a quiet meal. read more

I came here last night for dinner with my daughter after a long flight home and the staff were so welcoming and friendly. Our server was so sweet and did a wonderful job recommending specials and wines. She was great with cleaning our table as soon as we finished our plates. Everything from the complimentary bread to the calamari to the pasta was so good. The restaurant had intimate lighting and the atmosphere was cozy and relaxing. This was a lovely place to wind down. read more

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Celebrated my mother's birthday here tonight with a group of 9. Lovely little Italian place with excellent food and service. We enjoyed their minestrone soup, Caesar and house salads, rigatoni al forno pasta with short rib, king salmon, marinated teriyaki skirt steak, and margherita pizza. Their staff was great with the two bottles of champagne and wine that we brought also and the corkage fee is reasonable. They also brought out a strawberry cheesecake for her birthday. Lovely decorations for the holidays and their bread and dipping olive oil was a delicious starter. All the staff were very friendly and service was excellent. Highly recommend this place for Italian food. read more

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Service was impeccable. Everything on the menu sounded so good I had trouble deciding. Finally opted to get a couple of appetizers instead of a full entree so I can fit a dessert in (more of that later). Polenta with a creamy mushroom sauce - the polenta was lightly fried so it's a bit crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The mushroom sauce paired well with it, but the figs were a nice surprise. The crab cakes were good and the salad that went with it was lightly dressed the way I like it and fresh. Ended my meal with an affogato for dessert. The espresso was very strong and the gelato was creamy with a hint of stretchy goo. Most people probably wouldn't notice, but I eat a LOT of ice cream on a regular basis. read more

Bistro Arancini - Crab cakes - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Tried this place for her bday lunch. Wished the Margarita pizza had bigger basil and that the tiramisu had more chocolate powder, and brighter colors to the layers. The restaurant location was nice. Little shops everywhere. read more

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I made reservations for a party of 3 on a Friday night. Within the reservation I noted that the dinner was to celebrate a birthday and the restaurant was kind enough to acknowledge this by coming out with a slice of cheesecake topped with a lit candle at the end of our dinner and the staff sang Happy Birthday to the guest of honor. From beginning to end, it was an enjoyable experience at this restaurant. The friendly host greeted us immediately and seated us promptly by the window. From there, the staff was consistently attentive: refilling waters, checking in with us for any more food or drink requests and just making sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our dinner. I believe the pricing to be fair for the dishes we ordered and they all came out in a timely manner. Although we weren't big fans of the arancini starters (2 rice balls cut into halves and topped with potato chips) we did enjoy the risotto, butternut squash ravioli and the Alfredo pasta. Dessert was also delicious. It was an enjoyable celebration as we never felt rushed or ignored. The restaurant was lively with other patrons but it did not feel crowded and we were able to sit comfortably in our corner table in a very relaxed setting. I would visit this restaurant again when in the neighborhood. read more

Seated our party of 6 promptly. Good service, great food, and familial ambience. Clean restrooms as well. We had a little bit of everything, the vegetarian ravioli and the arancini were excellent. Will be back. read more

Wonderful in every way. They go above and beyond. Food is tasty and service is personal. No BS thing to scan. It's now my #1 dining choice. read more

Bistro Arancini - Dining area - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

The food was delish! The arancini balls appetizer was the highlight of the meal, although the pesto ravioli was pretty great too! Would definitely eat here again if we are in the area read more

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