Pretty good option for Argentinian and Italian food. This may seem odd to some people, but there's a huge Italian influence in Argentina. I've spent about 6 months there over the last 2 years. The empanadas were great. The bruschetta was too and we enjoyed the choripan. Service was very nice, even though we didn't order a lot of food or alcohol, they all treated us very well. Will return! read more

For my son's 17th birthday, we chose Brava Garden Eatery because we loved the atmosphere and the handmade pasta. I had dined there twice before (without my family) and had wonderful meals both times, so I felt confident bringing a group of 11 to celebrate such a special night. It was a nice surprise to see they had expanded since my last visit, and we truly appreciated being seated in a private room without an added fee. Unfortunately, the evening didn't quite live up to what I remembered. My mom's entrée (risotto and steak) was served cold and had to be sent back to be reheated, and her coffee was lukewarm as well. Overall, the food just wasn't at the same level I had experienced before. The biggest surprise came when the bill arrived. The total was $649, including 20% gratuity. We ordered three appetizers, two bar drinks, a few sodas, and entrées ranging from $24-$40. I completely understand the cost of dining out has gone up, but for what we ordered and the overall experience, the total felt unexpectedly high. There were also a few facility concerns in the newer room- the bathroom toilet handle was loose and falling out, several ceiling tiles were missing as if work was underway, and an outdoor propane heater was being used inside the room, which didn't feel particularly safe. I don't typically write reviews like this, and I truly understand that restaurants go through growing pains, especially when expanding. I had hoped to recreate the great experiences I'd had before, especially for such a meaningful family celebration. I'm sharing this in the spirit of honest feedback, as I genuinely want local restaurants to succeed, but unfortunately, this particular experience didn't feel reflective of the price point or the special occasion we were celebrating. read more

Overpriced and terrible service. They forgot about us after seating our table of 6 and then when packing our stuff to go, not sure if it was a passive-aggressive move, but they gave us a used cup. It was a good thing we checked, how gross. Overall, just a terrible experience and we will never come back and would recommend others steer clear. Ugh. I really hope our food wasn't tampered with based on their attitude. When I read bad reviews, I always think that there's two sides to every story and maybe it was a misunderstanding. However my experience here was unwarranted. I can only imagine the timing we came in was inconvenient for them due to the changing of shifts but regardless, if that's gonna garner such terrible treatment and service, they should close during the transition hours like some of the restaurants nearby. In any case, I will avoid this place at all costs. What a disappointment and a total rip off. read more

The restaurant is cute, especially the patio. I made reservations to be seated inside the dining room, but we were seated on the patio. The service was pretty good. The flavors of the food were very good. I especially enjoyed the tagliatelle with bolognese. However, we were disappointed because all of the food was like warm. read more

The patio is cute and there are ample choices to satisfy everyone in your group. We were celebrating a colleague's birthday, so there were 8 of us for a weekday lunch. The service was good. The food was tasty. The pasta is handmade daily and you could taste the difference. Yum. Walking through the dark and dingy kitchen hallway to get to the actual seating area as well as the uncomfortable seats are what took a star off my rating. read more

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Came here for dinner on a weeknight, and we were promptly seated. Decent portions and flavorful food. Definitely recommend! read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Spicy mango margaritas - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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Rustic and cozy bruch spot with decent food, a garden patio, and friendly and efficient service. We tried the recommended short rib sandwich and empanada trio, both were ok. The fries were really good, and the empanada shell had good texture. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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I highly recommend this place for great service and delicious Italian and Argentinian food! I got the Tagliatelle shrimp and it was utterly amazing. Although it looked simple, the flavors were definitely not! The tomato butter sauce was so rich and creamy that honestly I could smother this sauce on anything, bread, pasta, meat, and it would immediately elevate any dish and food item on earth and make it taste 3x better. The shrimp was nice and succulent, the pasta was al dente and nice and chewy, and the cheese topped it off just right. The tomato sauce although rich, still managed to sneak in a tiny bit of acidity to the overall rich flavor of the dish as a whole. The dish was heavy yes, but the tomato in the butter sauce for sure lightened up the flavors to the point where the butter and cream wasn't overwhelming anything. Overall, solid spot! read more

Been going to Brava for years, our last experience was outstanding. The customer service was above and beyond. Maya the hostess was amazing. As always the food and service is a 10/10!! Perfect patio and food to enjoy Downtown Pleasanton! read more

I rarely write reviews, but this experience was so unbelievably bad that I feel obligated to warn others. My husband and I came here on a Wednesday night after seeing all the glowing reviews, expecting a nice dinner. What we got instead was one of the most uncomfortable and disappointing dining experiences we've ever had. We ordered drinks, a salad, meatballs, and steak -- and somehow every single item came out cold. Not slightly off, not "could be warmer" -- cold. It felt like everything had been sitting out for who knows how long before being served. Meanwhile, the staff stood around chatting with each other, completely disengaged, as if the restaurant wasn't even open. When I finally said something, our waiter was kind but shockingly honest -- he said this happens often. That alone should have been our sign to walk out. But then the situation escalated in a way I've never experienced before. The owner came over, and instead of apologizing or trying to fix anything, he was incredibly rude and dismissive. He told me I was no longer welcome there -- for simply pointing out that our food was cold. I've never been spoken to like that at any restaurant in my life. And just when we thought it couldn't get worse, the payment situation turned into a complete embarrassment. When we handed over our card, the owner loudly announced that it was "declining" and repeatedly asked if we had another one -- making a scene for absolutely no reason. Then he casually walked away and sat down to have dinner with his family. Moments later, our waiter came back with the POS system, tried the same card again, and quietly apologized, saying their system wasn't working. So the issue was never our card -- it was their system the entire time. Eventually, the payment went through with no issue. Cold food, inattentive staff, a rude and confrontational owner, and an unnecessarily humiliating payment experience -- this place managed to fail on every possible level. I truly don't understand how this restaurant has good reviews. This was not just bad service -- it was shocking. We will absolutely never be back. read more

Cold food, small portions, over priced, service okay. Nothing to rave about. You won't see this restaurant next year. read more

I'm still a Brava fan. I came with a girlfriend for lunch on a weekend morning and was seated in their back patio. Not as romantic during the day, but still super cute. I gave the empanada trio another try and they have definitely improved. Hot, flaky, and much better. Of all 3 flavors, I think the beef and cheese were the best. We also shared the Cobb salad and habanero fries- solid and nothing to complain about. Overall, still a good experience and somewhere I'd come back to for lunch or dinner. read more

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Wow this was more than what it looks like. The service was attentive and steak sandwich was huge, melts in your mouth. The chimichurri is wonderful bottle and sell that please. The outdoor patio is very comfortable and cozy. read more

My friends and I met to have lunch at this awesome quaint restaurant. We were seated upon arrival, ordered a few drinks and two orders of the mixed empanadas for appetizers. We followed by our meals: carbonara and the Argentina steak sandwich both delicious! Must try and experience! This place was also in the heart of a very cute walkable town-this place is a gem! read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Had lunch here last week , loved the ambience and the food is amazing. I would definitely recommend!

Wanted to check to see what all the buzz was about. Good ambiance, friendly staff. But the food was ok. Started with the brussel sprouts and the Buratta starters which were decent. I had the Chicken Milanesa for my main and it was very bland and a little tough to cut into. It was advertised as an Argentinian restaurant. Would have liked to see more Argentinian fare. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Chicken Milanesa - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

We were going to go to Danville but one of my girlfriends could not make to Danville in time so she suggested Brava Garden. There was a small parking lot next to it so I didn't have to circle for parking in downtown Pleasanton. There is also a small seating area outside in the front. As I walked in I realized there was no indoor seating, which was kind of hard as it was over 100F. There were some ceiling fans but I was hoping there was misting system to ease the heat. Happy hour ends at 5pm with limited cocktails and 3 food item with happy hour prices. We tried their mojito, Young Forever, Hibiscus Van Damme, and espresso martini. For food we got the habanero fries and Brussel sprouts for happy hour. The drinks were delicious but a bit too sweet for me. The espresso martini was not the best but decent. The habanero sauce for the fries did not pack any punch at all... I was hoping for some fireworks in my mouth but there was not even a spark. After we past the 5:00 mark we got more beer and one steak entry to share. The steak was okay, tender enough but not really anything to write home about. Maybe it was just too hot for me to enjoy. Despite the heat in the outdoor setting, the place was packed so the good must be good. I will likely comeback to try again on a cooler day. read more

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Food: good Service: very deceptive. Not only did our server lie about the bottle of wine (they served a different wine than what was on the menu), he actively told us it was "better", and that we were going to be luckily that he was going to charge us the same price. What a pile of . First of all, if the wine is not available, you just tell the customer. Honesty is always the best. (We would have known had we ordered a glass instead of a bottle.) Second, don't feed us some line of lie and tell us it's a better substitute when we know our wine and we know full well that it isn't. We are very familiar with both wines and know which one is the better wine. Third, really don't appreciate treating us like we are stupid, because you can't be bothered to be honest. Fourth, standing there until we are done tipping you is beyond low class. I have never seen a waiter hovering so hard to get his tip. Bottom line. Won't ever come back, and DEFINITELY making sure I leave as many bad reviews to equal the number of bad service mistakes you made. SHAME ON YOU. read more

Food: organic ingredients, decent cooking. We went for causal family style. Risotto is on the soft side, the bolognese is chewy. They have grappa! :) They are very attentive. They turn on the heater for our little gentleman. Only downside: the female waitress does not smile whole time. I don't think that's for our table only, maybe a bad day. read more

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The restaurant has a very cute back patio where we sat. I loved the decor and the aesthetics. We went during prime time so it does get a little loud. The food was amazing. We got the empanadas trio to share (cheese, chicken, and beef) and they were delicious. I ordered the squid ink pasta and that was tasty as well and the seafood was good. We also ordered drinks which were also yummy. The service was attentive but we did have to wait for our food to come out. The table next to ours got their food first and they were seated after us so that made us a lil hangry. Overall it was a good time and definitely recommend this place for a nice dinner and delicious drinks. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Linguini Black INK pasta - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

A few friends and I went to Brava Garden Eatery and it was lovely! The back patio is very cute and cozy on a Sunday afternoon. Get there early to get a table on the weekends! I had the sangria and the salmon power bowl with beets and it was delicious! Very fresh and the dressing complimented the golden beets. The other drinks were tasty as well. We had a wonderful time and I would come back again. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Salmon Bowl and Sangria - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Mother's day lunch. waited extra time even with reservation. We finally sat in the back patio. very crowded, hot and loud. the environment was not pleasant. waited 30 mins and only water served, not even the appetitzer. Food is average. the beet salad is not fresh, tasted like 90 degrees. empanadas was over cooked. paste is not tasty. service is not good. it was over booked. read more

Brava is my new favorite find, to share with others. I've dined here a few times, and finally brought Mr. M this past weekend. Their home made pastas are magnificent, and I love the Beef Milanesa so much. Luckily, Mr. M was willing to share two dishes so we could get a taste of both. The rib pasta was very flavorful. The servers are always good at helping me pick out a nice wine to go with my meal, from their good selection. Fabian was particularly helpful on Saturday night. read more

This is just an update. We came here again over the holiday time. It was like a reunion of friends. As always, the food was delicious and the server was friendly. We had a great time enjoying the drinks and food. We were plenty warm and the seating area was bright and open. I do sometimes wish they had more space between tables but I get it when a space is somewhat small you want to get more folks in. The place filled up fairly quickly too. read more

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Great vegetarian options, wonderful ambience, and great service. Cute outdoor patio, great cocktails!

Loved the food, the ambience and the location on Main Street in downtown Pleasanton...you should try it if you get a chance. We ordered the habanero fries and the empanada trio appetizers, followed by the main course which was shared family style by 4 of us...the Campanelli Mushroom and the Surf and Turf which I highly recommend. The cocktails were refreshing, Penicillin, served with ginger and honey was the best as were the spicy mango margarita and the mezcalita). We finished the meal with an apple tart which was pretty good too. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Habanero fries, empanada trio and arugula salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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One of the best Italian restaurants I've been to in a long time! Everything about this place was impressive--from the food to the drinks to the ambiance. They have an excellent selection of wines and some really great mocktails. I tried the mango margaritas and the peach old fashioned, and both were delightful. For starters, we ordered garlic bread from the specials, and it was absolutely delicious--rich and buttery, but I didn't mind since this was my cheat meal! Next up were the empanadas, which were packed with flavor, though a bit oily. For the main course, I had the mushroom pasta, and it was perfection--so hearty and satisfying. Every bite was an absolute treat. To finish off, we shared the tiramisu, and it was heavenly. I made the reservations before arriving and the place was quite packed on a Saturday evening. The ambiance was lively and full of energy, making it an ideal spot for a date or even just a night out. Everything about this place exceeded my expectations. Five stars all around--highly recommend! read more

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Cute decor and decent amount of seating! We got the bacon carbonara, rigatoni bolognese, burrata, and a red sangria. Carbonara had great flavor and the pasta was perfectly al dente. Bolognese was surprisingly super flavorful despite looking paler than ones I've had in the past. Burrata was super refreshing and loved the fresh tomatoes and stone fruit for a hint of sweetness. Red sangria was very smooth but not as sweet as I'd like Overall, a great spot and I'd come back to try other dishes! Only downside is there's no AC so it was pretty hot in their outdoor seating area. Service was great and our waitress was very sweet-- checked in on us multiple times! read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Carbonara, red sangria, rigatoni bolognese - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Cute little eatery in Downtown Pleasanton. Went here for July 4th with a party of 5 and got sat in the back corner. Nice little area and the interior is really nice. Got a couple appetizers to start and it was really good! The main entree was even better! We got a couple of pasta dishes and other entrees. My favorite was the eggplant lasagna and the spaghetti carbonara. All of the flavors weren't too strong and really flavorful. Service was excellent as well, and the servers were really nice. The only thing that bothered me was the heat- and I blame this horrible heat wave that has been happening in the bay area... But since we were in the back corner and we went at peak sun, the AC/fans weren't reaching us and the sun was directly hitting us, which ended up in all of us sweating and trying to block out the sun LOL! A very funny experience but great place overall! read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

2/29/24: Met up some friends here for early dinner last night. We had an early reservation at 4:30 and I was first to arrive. Great ambiance and vibe. Sat in the back patio and even though it was nice and sunny, it was cool in the shade. They have heat lamps as well. It got pretty loud with music and conversations as the night went on, but NBD. I feel like this place is hit or miss. Some things we ordered were good and others missed the mark. What we ordered: *Hibiscus van damme: my friend ordered this pretty drink, which she enjoyed. A bug flew in the drink and they gladly exchanged it for another one. *Empanada trio: We shared this appetizer and I don't eat meat, but had a bit of the cheese one and it was delicious! Lots of cheesy filling and the dough perfectly cooked and flaky! I asked my friend which one she liked best and she said the chicken. *Brussel sprouts: Delicious! We shared this as well. Great flavor and perfectly cooked. Get this one! *Burrata: I didn't try this one, but my friends thoroughly enjoyed it! *Eggplant polpette: This was my favorite! Soooo yummy and it was nice and cheesy! The outside breading had a nice crisp texture, almost like panko. Maybe they did use panko. Do not skip this! I got full off of 2 and it comes with 3 balls. *Lomo saltado: We were told the chef is Peruvian. My friend ordered this and she liked it, but she says it tastes like every other lomo saltado she's had, nothing special that stands out. Pretty standard, which isn't always bad. *Black ink linguine de mar: My other friend ordered this and she loved it! Her first time having squid ink pasta (me too). I tried a bite and I loved it, more than the dish that I got! I was happy to hear they don't use any cooking wine in this dish. *Campanelli Monterey mushroom: This was my order and I was so excited to try this after reading rave reviews. I love pasta and I love mushrooms. I didn't really enjoy this one. I would not order it again. The texture was off and I didn't really think the flavor was all that great. It was a bit too al dente for me, so the pasta ended up being chewy. If they would've cooked it a bit longer, it would've been better. *Dessert: We ordered apple tarts and tiramisu. I had an apple tart and this was my least favorite dish of the night. Never getting it again. I was expecting it to be warm and flaky with the ice cream melting, but it fell flat. It didn't come out warm at all and the pastry just wasn't flaky. The apple slices were very dry and I felt like I had to finish it just because I paid for it. I would've rather gone to Meadowlark or Flavor Brigade for dessert. I'm actually going to do that next time! Overall, it was my first time and I enjoyed dining there last night with friends. I also got another order of the eggplant polpette (that's how much I loved it!) and a chicken Milanese to go for my husband. He said it was just okay, but he loved the eggplant! I'll come back with my husband for a date night to try other dishes on the menu. The service was great and they were very attentive! Fabian was our waiter. Thank you Brava! read more

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Such a pretty ambience! The seating is mainly outside and feels as if you were dining in your backyard. The food adds to that atmosphere since all the ingredients feel homegrown. All the dishes felt fresh and light. The fruit and goat cheese combo was a great bite, especially with the spiced pears in the arugula salad. The carbonara had great flavor but was a bit heavy with the amount of cream. I would skip out on the empanadas. They were not worth it at all. The flavor was nothing special. The dish only comes with 2 which is not worth the listed price. read more

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Food was decent. Campanelli with short rib was the best dish, we also got the lomo saltado, Argentine steak, chicken Milanese, and empanada trio for apps. Service was good and the ambiance was nice with outdoor seating covered. I recommend coming here on a less busy day though since we came on Mother's Day and while service was good - accidents can happen. In our case a server walking by accidentally spilled chimichurri sauce and it splashed onto the sleeves of my shirt and the whole back of my shirt. Difficult to remove and ruined the experience by the end. It was also a fairly small table for a group of 4 read more

I've been here before when I tried the brava burger but this time decided to try the chicken milanesa which was the right decision. I recommend ordering this plate, it comes with fries and arugula salad on the side. Very pretty presentation and the chicken tastes super delicious. It also comes with three different sauces which all compliments the chicken very well. The backyard seating is nice and they provide a good amount of heat warmers when it's cold so no problem if it's cold. The staff is also very friendly and come around to check on you regularly. Definitely coming back soon! read more

We celebrated my daughter and nieces graduation here, we were running late and called to let them know. They were so kind and accommodating us arriving late! I really appreciated that since we didn't know when the graduation would end. We sat down in the back area, it was a beautiful night, and the ambiance was so nice. The food was amazing as well, we had: cheese empanadas, delish! Full of different cheese, served either 2 sauces Mushroom pasta - so good! Cream with lots of yummy mushrooms Carbonara pasta - again rich and delicious Beet Salad - good, but not my fav Forever Young cocktail - served first, so refreshing and delicious! Unfortunately this went straight to my head because I drank it on an empty stomach (my fault) read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Special meat and veggie platter, mushroom pasta (this was after we finished eating) - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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Recommend the chicken and beef empanadas! I like the two sauces that were paired: tomato basil & chimichurri. If you like goat cheese flavor, you may also like the cheese empanada. I wasn't used to the strong goat cheese flavor, so personally I wouldn't order again. The ricotta cheese outshined the other two cheeses of mozzarella and Gorgonzola used in the empanada. The surf and turf is a huge portion and perfect to share for 2-3 people. Sadly, they ran out of scallops today so ended up substituting with sausage. Potato, brussels sprouts and shrimps are good. The shishito pepper is oily and steak is a bit overcooked. Favorite of the night is still the chicken empanada. read more

Brava Garden Eatery - Wine Bars Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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I came here early for lunch on Saturday. This place got full up early. I had the homemade spaghetti, empanadas trio, watermelon salad and the homemade fries. I had high expectations on their food because this place looked busy all the time. But after the meal, I found the dishes that I ordered were just fine. The spaghetti is too sticky and dry, not creamy at all. The beef inside the empanadas was not juicy enough. The watermelon salad was not sweet enough. The dishes taste fine but just not what I expected. The service was good. The waiter who served us was attentive. The greeter was friendly and made me feel welcome. The place was lively. Overall, it was a good dining experience. read more

First time in & it was such a fun pleasant experience! Cute vibes inside the restaurant & the servers were all so kind and helpful! I had the Spaghetti Carbonara & haven't stop thinking about it since will be back! read more

Brought my family of four here on a whim, just because we like trying new things. It's a quaint place, and don't let the facade fool you. Most of the seating is in the back patio area. Good and bad though, since it's outdoor, it gets chilly in the fall and winter. This place rocks though during warmer months. Vibe is excellent. Bustling laughing loud energy. Maybe not the best for a family, but definitely a great place to bring the friends or a hot date. Got sat down in the corner, and ordered up a bunch of empanadas and a pasta dish for the kiddos. Add some vino for the adults and it wa a pretty nice time. We talked some, but we mostly gazed at the crowd having a good time. Food came out, and the empanadas were friggin amazing. It was full of flavor and the dipping sauces went very well with them. Just wish they were bigger. Much bigger. Kids liked the pasta. I'll come back with just adults next time and get the whole experience. Oh and I think the boss lady helped us. Or maybe the owner? But she was super sweet and friendly. Bravo! (full pun intended) read more

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Met a girlfriend here for an early dinner and we had such a great time! We walked in when they opened for dinner at 430 and got seated right away. It's only outside seating which was nice for a sunny evening. We were alone in the restaurant but around 530 it started getting really busy! Our server was super attentive and personable and offered really good recommendations. 1. Empanada trio: comes with cheese, chicken and beef. One of the best empanadas I've ever had! Especially the cheese, we had to order a second round of cheese empanadas! I believe the combo was Gorgonzola, mozzarella and ricotta. It was so gooey, and with but with the right amount of bite. The crust was crispy and delicious. 2. Goat and beet salad: good serving with plenty of beets. 3. Cauliflower: seasoned very well with a warm flavor profile. I liked the sauce it came with. Would love to come back for the vibes and the cheese empanada! read more

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Trying a new place is always hit or miss. This was by far a miss. First we were sat in a corner next to some construction. Not the most pleasant seating. The food though, looks great on paper. Burrata..I Love my burrata. Burnt toast no flavor in any of the veggies or whatever they tried to put on it. All I tasted was burnt toast. Asking for not burnt bread was also a looked down upon response from our server. Not good. Then the Loma Saltado meat dish, so salty, I guess it's in the name so we should have known, but it was a top pick when I yelped it, so why wouldn't I try it. It was So salty I took 2 bites and had to stop. The empanadas were okay. Nothing amazing. And lastly some alcohol, I got a glass of wine, the only thing I enjoyed from the Wood family vineyard. For paying over a hundred dollars for a lunch, this has to be one of the worst dining experiences I have had. read more

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