Came on a Monday night with 5 other friends for a casual night out to catch up. Picked Arancini to try. Two in our group were vegetarian and the restaurant was very accommodating by placing cheese to the side to making sure they had options. We started with the namesake Arancini appetizer. Delicious. We also tried the Mediterranean meat filled version which was tasty too. Both were hearty and filling. Then we had the peach and feta salad. Light, refreshing. Great textures. For main, I had the salmon with Israeli couscous. It was light and tasty but preferred my partner's Tuscan chicken with bolder flavors. We also had a variety of desserts- crème brûlée and tiramisu. All were devoured. Overall friendly service, solid food, reasonably priced in this day and age. I hope more people patron Arancini so it can remain as a neighborhood go to. read more

excellent food and service. The waiter was a very attentive. this is my second time to the restaurant definitely will come back again.

Three of us went there the first time for dinner on a Saturday evening, in mid July 2024. Sat outside, and the table was lovely on a warm summer evening. The staff was excellent and very accommodating. We had Caesar salad (with anchovies that were high quality), which was good but standard. Margarita pizza was very good, but not superlative. The same goes for everything else we had: the butternut squash ravioli, and the chicken fettuccine Alfredo. The chicken was a little overdone and the Alfredo sauce was about as standard as you can make it. And we had the cannoli for dessert, which was probably the best thing in the meal. Also had a glass of their nicest white wine by the glass ($16], and it was likewise good, but not great. The bread was good, but plain. Effectively, everything was good but nothing was great or even particularly memorable. So it is certainly not a five star restaurant based on our first experience, and I think I'm being generous to call it four stars. Really 3 1/2, which is perfectly fine for a neighborhood restaurant, but not something I would call a destination restaurant or bring out of town guests to again. I am rounding up to four because the staff was very nice. I will go again and try to get deeper into the menu or try some of their specials, because so far the reviews are amazing, and that wasn't really my experience. Basically I had a standard middle of the road Italian restaurant experience, not anything particularly memorable other than the lovely outside table and the nice service. I feel guilty posting an OK review after so many glowing reviews, but frankly they need to do better to stand out from two other Italian restaurants on the same street, not to mention at least one great one on Burlingame Ave, and justify five stars. read more

Nothing we ordered would we order again. It wasn't bad but maybe we should have had their pastas. Best thing was the bread they brought to the table. Service while attentive was impatient. Atmosphere was pleasant. read more

I don't usually write a review. I wish I could give zero star. I made a reservation for a party of ten for the Valentine's Day (Friday) dinner ahead of time - on Monday. They called me on Wednesday and said they only had the "patio" available if we want to sit together. Otherwise we could have five tables, sitting in pairs (?). That sounded a bit weird but after confirming with them the big table wasn't facing the street and it would be warm, I decided to take it. They assured it would have a very nice ambiance. They had a thick accent in English and it was a bit challenging to understand them but I checked multiple times it was going to be a nice ambience and warm. Given their price point, I trusted them. I even asked them if it was a back patio and they said yes. No, it was a little den next to their entrance door with a couple heaters. No curtain, no space separator. Five chairs facing an open street. Gusty and cold wind. There is no way food will stay warm more than 2 seconds. There shouldn't have been a table. Period. We were left outside for more than ten minutes. We couldn't sit because it was too windy and the server didn't check on us during that time. Only after we decided to leave (I had to walk in, wait a couple more minutes to get our server's attention), they told me they could prepare a table for ten. (We left) They should have told us they couldn't accommodate a party of ten ahead of time, instead of scrambling a makeshift table, misinforming about it and subsequently leaving us without an option at 7:15pm on a Valentines day. People eat out for experience - it's more than just getting food and nutrients. I don't think the restaurant understands that. It was a big family dinner and everyone had flown in the town. I'm sure we would have had a much better experience if they had understood what it means to be in a hospitality industry, and if they'd had empathy for their customers - that It can be a very special day for some customers. read more

This was a wonderful restaurant that I will be going back to all the time. The service was outstanding. Everybody was warm and friendly. Everything, from the shrimp roll appetizer, to the butternut pesto raviolis, to the scallop and seafood pasta, was delicious. There was an excellent choice of wine from which to choose we had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back. A+! read more

This place is not meant for large groups. We came in on a Saturday night with a party of 8 and the host made a mistake with our table so we had to wait about half an hour after our reservation. I was fine with it though, glad to see any restaurant busy nowadays. Service took at least 30 minutes before taking our order and did not receive it until about an hour and a half after our seating. The food was in various degrees of hot to cold. I'm assuming the kitchen was too small. Food was just ok, definitely not worth the experience. Arancini wasn't even spectacular even though it's in the name. read more

Excellent food and service. A bit pricey but I guess that's California, every where seems overpriced.

Food, service and ambiance were all top notch. We had a long layover in SF and decided we wanted authentic Italian for dinner. We chose Bistro Arancini because of its name in hopes that the arancini was as good as in Rome and it was! Everything else was really good too including thechocolate gelato. The dipping sauce for the bread was beyond amazing read more

Bistro Arancini - Arancini and calamari for appetizers. - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

This is an amazing place with great food, pleasant, family like service and an impressive wine list, including great Brunello choices. The ambiance is really inviting and on the quaint side. Take their suggestions for the seared tuna in sesame appetizer. "Not to be missed" is what our server said. He was right. Very, very pleasant overall and worth many repeat visits. read more

We dined at Bistro Arancini for the first time. It's a nice restaurant and great menu. We ordered the Arancini appetizer which was interesting & good. Margarita pizza ok. Lemon Cheesecake & Vanilla Bean Gelato excellent. Service slow and Mehmet was distracted and wasn't too attentive. No eye contact when leaving our bill. The hostess was friendly! We will probably give it a second try. read more

I ate here for a holiday party with some coworkers for lunch and had the crab cake salad. The salad was about $25 and you get two little piece of crab cake and a handful of greens with it. The meal was good, but I started to feel nauseous a few hours later. Turns out I got food poisoning likely from the crab cakes since nobody else in my group was sick. I have been sick all the next day, unable to even leave my bed. I guess you should not order seafood at an Italian restaurant. On top of getting food poisoning, our waiter was also very pushy and encouraged us to get additional items on the menu. It was not a good customer service experience. The only thing I would say was nice about this place was the ambience. Never coming back again!!! read more

I am a bit torn between 3-4 but overall it is definitely worth seeking out despite a few hiccups that we experienced. Came here with the family excited to try another Italian in Burlingame. The feel of the restaurant was very nice, but a bit energetic. I would say more friends night out then date night. Nice inexpensive corkage fee at $25 which is always appreciated. Hiccup one was the calamari was way way overcooked (basically inedible). Hiccup two was the time between appetizers and mains was incredibly long. All that having been said, all of the other food was outstanding! and they made right on the hiccups - took back/off the calamari and gave us an unrequested free slice of cheesecake. read more

Excellent, better than most pasta places in Italy! Very flavorful, pasta itself done to perfection. I love mixing the lamb or beef pasta with carbonara, truly combines well. If you know Italian food, this is it. This is the best food I have had in the surrounding 5 mile area, just outstanding. I like cream based dishes, so I loved the ravioli carbonara. It was creamy and bacon and gently done pasta, the woman who didn't like it - can you give a reason why? It was beyond what I expected, but it is very rich. I have eaten here three of the last four nights, I never do that, but it's that good. Wonderful service as well. A+ read more

Wonderful food and friendly service. Loved the paella. What a great place to celebrate good friends and a birthday!!! read more

When I made my reservation to come here, where I had eaten lunch once, I specifically requested a table away from the door--it is cold here in the evenings and our reservation was not until 7:30 P.M. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find I and my guests had been assigned to the table absolutely closest to the front door, which meant whenever parties came in or out, we felt the full cold blast of winter air. Although the food was quite good and service acceptable (it took a while for the courses to arrive as the restaurant was quite busy), we will not be returning as the evening was uncomfortable because of the cold air from the door blowing on the absolutely closest to the door table. It would be nice if Bistro Arancini had honored my very explicit, detailed request to be at a warmer table location. Oh well. read more

Highly recommend for a cool and charming ambiance, amazing food, great customer service. Dont skip dessert! read more

Bistro Arancini - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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Great, friendly service and delicious food. The carbonara was amazing and they thoughtfully wished my mother a happy birthday when we told them we were there to celebrate. Upscale ambiance without feeling pretentious. We will be back! read more

I tried Halibut and Fettucini Alfredo, it was delicious, ambiance and service 10/10, I definitely recommend you to visit read more

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I love Italian food! This was delicious! The food is such a comfort. I would highly recommend.

Our party four had lunch at Arancini this past week. The wait staff was very accommodating in their table arrangement. Our wives ordered Caesar salad with chicken and arancini appetizers. Both were satisfied with their choices. We husbands ordered the steak paninis which ended up being inedible. The steaks were too thick, too tough, and poorly prepared. It was a great disappointment since we had heard good things about the restaurant. read more

Exceptional food,service, and ambiance. A great new addition to Broadway. I got the beef short ribs and my friend opted for the black truffle risotto. Both were delicious, and the service was excellent. So sweet and attentive. Can't wait to go back. read more

Food was delicious. Staff were friendly and courteous. Ambience was just right not too noisy. It was the old breakfast place IL Piccolo. Renovated and transformed to a Bistro, Lunch and Dinner place. We ordered the Tuscany Chicken, Lobster Bucatini and Pear salad Highly recommended read more

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Super delicious and inviting servers - would definitely come back. And it's a beautiful restaurant!

Food was amazing! Servings were a lot. The Waiter(Meh Met) and server Yusuf , were very attentive and very nice. Ambiance is first class. I would definitely come back . Thank you read more

My girlfriends and I stopped in for a glass of wine after pedicures across the street. We were welcomed immediately and invited to sit at the bar. The appetizers of bruschetta and calamari were outstanding. The homemade bread was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside with the most delicious olive oil accompaniment. I can't wait to go back. Thank you for a special afternoon! read more

Service was excellent and attentive. Really surprised that the food was great as well. I am not a pizza person and found their cheese pizza to be very delicious. Had the Branzino, it was well prepared. A solid Burlingame spot for date night/ family dinner. read more

Incredible food and service! Such a wonderful atmosphere. The alfredo is a standout. Highly recommend for all!

The bolognese seems to be made with ketchup, extremely sour and definitely not worth the price.

This place has great tasting dishes, the food has good seasoning and the serving sizes are good to fill you up. I went there for lunch and had no room for dessert because I ate every bite. We had the seafood spaghetti, the paella and the ravioli along with a shared Cesar salad. I don't give it 5 stars because the service was a little slow but they were attentive, it just seemed like they were short staffed. read more

Ate lunch here with 3 other people. Food was delicious. 3 of us had the one of the specials of the day which was pasta dish with scallops and shrimp. The 4th person had the petrale sole which she said was very delicious. The restaurant has their own tasty special olive oil mixture to go with their bread. We all shared a tiramisu and a molten lava style chocolate cake for dessert which made a nice ending for a great lunch. Service was excellent. read more

So the food here is pretty good but I'd say the portions are tiny (probably 50% smaller than comparable spots in the area) and pricing is probably 50% higher than comparable places which makes the value for money ratio terrible. Think $16 for literally 8 pieces or calamari or $18 for two smallish Arancini. I know inflation is real and this is Burlingame but ... let's not go bonkers and be greedy. Also service was very choppy and we had to ask for our drinks a few times. Finally -- read the reviews. Almost 10 of the ones here that are 5 stars are from folks who have reviewed 6 places or fewer (several just this 1 or 2 maybe) which is ... "suspicious" or "suss" as the kids say. Or FAKE REVIEW ALERT as others might say. Rocca and Cafe Figaro on the same block have been around for decades and have better food and better service for less money. Those will be my choice every time. read more

The food so good, i love the ambience.. also the service is perfect!!!! i loved I highly recommend this place if you want a family dinner with a good atmosphere. read more

Everything went well !!ambiance ! Service ! Food! All superb! We've been dining here several times but have not had a chance to review them ! Definitely coming back and thank you to the wonderful service and food recommendations Mameth and crew read more

That was a great surprise. Wasn't really expecting much but came away very impressed. The calamari fritto was exceptional. It was plentiful tasty and very tender. I had the octopus and scallop spaghetti which was very good which maybe a tad heavy on the sauce. My wife had the petrale with pesto mash potatoes....excellent. The bread pudding with ice cream was super crazy good. Nice place with friendly and efficient service. read more

Bistro Arancini is beautiful in all respects: food, service, and ambiance. They've only been open a couple of months and they are doing everything right. The minestrone soup with al dente vegetable; the black truffle risotto is amazing. A woman sitting at another table said she had hoped they would have chicken piccata on the menu (they don't currently) and so the chef made it for her anyway. This is the kind of neighborhood restaurant with warmth and spectacular food that Broadway Avenue needed. I cannot wait to come back again! read more

The food was amazing! Last night on our San Francisco vacation, and we found this gem! Would eat here any day of the week! The service was also excellent read more

Bistro Arancini - Beef lasagna - Italian Near Me - Burlingame, California

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First time here and was a great experience- great service and most of the food was very tasty. Ordered Arancini, pappardelle and short ribs rigatoni. The chicken pappardelle was plain and needed more flavor but the rigatoni was full of flavor. Highly recommend the arancini as the appetizer. Chocolate lava cake was delicious. Thanks- will definitely return since food and atmosphere is good. read more

I went there with 5 more friends to celebrate a birthday and we all had a great time. We were very pleased with the quality of the food. The service was also very good - the waiters were super friendly and fun. I really recommend this restaurant. read more

Beautiful atmosphere great food! The servers are fantastic and they have attention to detail with a thoughtful wine list!