I've lived in Rockridge for 5 years and have been to pretty much every restaurant on College Ave except this one. Finally went here last night with a friend. Every time the waiter left the table, we would look at each other and just laugh because of how rude he'd been to us. Our request for a wine recommendation? Met with cold indifference. I let him know that I received the wrong dish? Met with cold indifference. Request for a plate so we could share our appetizers? Met with cold indifference. It really felt like our presence in the restaurant was annoying to him. In addition to the general attitude issue, our waiter also was just not great at his job. Our waters were empty most of the night. He never removed the menus from the table (I had to place them on the floor, he just put our plates on top of them). He never once checked in on us to see if we needed something. And to be clear, there were only 3 tables of 2 occupied by the end of the night, so I do not think it was an issue of the waiter serving too many people/tables. Luckily, I was with a good friend and we are so happy to even be in a restaurant together that we enjoyed our time and laughed it off. But I likely will not be returning to Enoteca Molinari. Really too bad, because the food was good, the restaurant has a clean and warm aesthetic, and the food prices were reasonable. read more

This restaurant is so awesome- they have the lightest touch when it comes to calamari. I am a sure fan after the excellent suggestion for a wine la vigne de eli. I had the pork my sweetie had the swordfish, both were exquisite. The deserts were tiptop, subtle and slightly sweet - perfect! read more

Enoteca Molinari - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

2 stars due to very slow service (over an hour to get main dishes after ordering) and over salted main dish (1 of 2). Place seemed to be under staffed (wait and kitchen) for how many tables they seated. Positives were the wine selection, beet salad appetizer, and ragu pasta dish. Waiter was friendly - just stretched too thin. Hope this place can get it together, they have the basis for a good experience. read more

Calm, quiet restaurant with extremely friendly and helpful staff! My wife and I came for date night. The 5 hour meat sauce is insane, so much flavour, and the gnocchi had the perfect texture. read more

What a wonderful little place. We weren't expecting this restaurant to be so tiny, but dang they fit a lot of people in there! It felt very homey- servers and bartender said hello to everyone and seemed genuinely happy to be there. We loved our wait staff- so sweet! They were on it the whole meal. Awesome service! We ordered the Arancini and asparagus with prosciutto for an app. The Arancini is to dieee for!! Delicious. Generous portion as well, which can be hard to find with this dish. The asparagus was yummy- very Smokey. My partner loved this, I wasn't crazy about it. It's a cold dish which I didn't expect. The prosciutto was beautiful. For our entrees I had the tagliatelle with ragu and he had the swordfish. Both were divine! Loved the generous portion of pasta, and the ragu was beautifully done. So good! He loved his swordfish dish. It was well-cooked and well-seasoned. For dessert we tried the sorbetto with prosecco- royalty! It was a very interesting dish- strawberry with fennel and then prosecco on top. All dishes came out in a good amount of time, staff made us feel like family, and the food was delish. Definitely a 5 star experience! Yum! read more

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This is the first time I have been to this restaurant. My son picked it for my birthday and also because I love Italian food. I was not disappointed. We started with the Arocini which was a small delicate perfect texture. It was followed by a salami cheese plate. The cheese they selected which I think was pecorino was firm and delicious the salami was bigger pieces that were tasty with the olives that also accompanied the plate. We all had a salad and they were all perfection. The pasta dishes were incredible. Our favorite was the gnocchi, but all the other pastas were delicious. I know they put a big investment and expanding this restaurant. It was large and airy and modern. We will be back read more

Enoteca Molinari reminds me of a restaurant straight from Italy. The food is great, their wine list is superb, and the service is fast! My husband and I came here for a date night a few weeks back and just adored this place. I had the gnocchi and my husband had the tagliatelle, both dishes were full of flavor and were delicious. We ended our visit with the Panna Cotta; all I can say is YUM! I highly recommend trying a glass of wine here as majority of them are Italian. We will definitely come back again in the future! read more

I worked here for a little while. The owner Joe is the mad scientist of wine and authentic Italian fare. The restaurant is very tiny and intimate. I tried the pasta and it was artisanal, handmade and tasted like a fresh dough like pasta with a rich wine flavored meat sauce. I also drank wine at the bar after work and Joe would fix us up after a busy night. I liked the wine very much and I am not a wine person. I am going to try the squash blossoms but they are very special, only in season in summer and not always available. It's in my list. This was a very cool experience to be able to learn more about wine and Italian food. read more

The food is very good. We have had bad experiences with service the past couple of times we have been there. A few weeks ago, we went and dinner started off very nicely. But then it took at least an hour to get the main course. I had gnocchi - it should not take that long. We were trying to let them know it was taking so long, seeing others who arrived after us, get their meals before us. Finally it was acknowledged that we should have gotten our food. When it finally arrived, the person who brought it asked if it was worth the wait. No. It was good but not that good. We will be taking a break from Enoteca Molinari. read more

Fantastic wine menu. We shared a bottle of rose. The fried artichoke hearts left a lot to be desired, the dough had little flavor. The salads were both delicious and unique in their own way. Now for the real deal-the pasta dishes. The homemade gnocchi and the bolognese were sooooo good! We also had a pudding for dessert that was a little slice of heaven. This place is tiny and we were thrilled to get in on the same day. The rumors are true that they are expanding into next door. Service was great. I wish they provided fresh silverware with each new dish. That is a preference of mine. Worth checking out, especially while it is still an intimate setting. read more

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This is a hidden gem! The service here can't be beat and everything on the menu is wonderful. The ragú is one of my favorite pasta dishes and the portion is very generous. read more

Bravi! Ragù and orecchiette were 5 stars. We took our kids here and it's more of a quiet date night spot at 6pm but they did have a kid special and they were very kind to our lively table An authentic Italian spot - my husband is from Livorno in Italy and it hit the spot. Grazie! read more

CAUTION in those with Peanut and Tree nut allergies. My boyfriend has a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts (anaphylaxis). Upon ordering we let our waiter know of his allergy. The waiter assured us that the kitchen did NOT have any nuts and their dishes did not contain nuts. To our surprise, when the cheese plate was brought out it had ALMONDS. Unfortunately we quickly lost faith in the place. How can you forget the cheese plate comes with almonds? We canceled the rest of our order due to possible cross contamination. The staff did not handle this well, the waiter that made the mistake never came over to apologize. We were charged for the bottle of wine we ordered and two appetizers (one of which we did not touch). Fortunately, they called us back and let us know they canceled the charge to my card and apologized for "not have many ingredients" on the menu (they were out of fish, calamari, unable to make 2 other dishes). However, they NEVER apologized for serving us nuts which was the most disturbing considering that was the scary, life threatening part. read more

Terrible service. Being a part of the industry for many years, and prideful for what I do, I understand the grind. I made a reservation and waited awkwardly at the entrance behind other guests with no acknowledgment. Got seated and waited about 20 min before anyone took our order. Ordered a Lambrusco bottle that was followed by a slightly offensive comment about how it wasn't "expected" for our order. About 20 minutes later our order was taken. Another 30 minutes went by and still no appetizers, which we ordered. Never got checked on or water filled. We received our appetizers and waited another 30 minutes for our entree. My friend, who is a GM, in the industry, went inside to kindly ask if our food was fired and if not, we would like to cancel, and asked for the bill. They said it was fired and a few minutes later our pesto gnocchi came out a bland overcooked. The gnocchi was slimy with a texture that is offensive to true Italian cuisine. All the while, watching the server service other tables seated LONG after us. IF your staff is incapable of handling 4 tables with ease, perhaps some support staff might be needed. Open kitchen, the chef was not wearing his mask, and seemed annoyed that "paying" guests were arriving. I take pride being in the service industry, and was really disappointed in the service I received, amongst other more "privileged" patrons. Being stereotyped ( I am Asian ) was extremely disheartening. I understand that service is very stressful, I really do, but in the time we are in currently, when guests come for a dining experience, it should be equally distributed in service and time. The only person who checked on us, was not our server, presented and poured our wine. Thank you for that, and I hope you were compensated for the actual service. I work extremely hard to be able to treat myself to a nice dinner. If you're trying to keep patrons, you might consider staff that is more service positive. Big thanks to the gentleman who poured my wine for the one and only time. read more

A top notch meal with one of my dearest brotatoes, Enoteca Molinari delivered from beginning to end on the cuisine. The salad of golden beets and burrata was derricious in its freshness amongst all the ingredients brought together by the gentle acidity of the champagne vinaigrette. Our main course came in the form of a tasting of the pastas that included the orecchiette with broccoli rabe, gnocchi with mushroom and tomato and tagliatelle al ragu. Each had its own strengths from the mellow yet firm flavors in the former to the pillowy texture of the gnocchi and heartiness of the tagliatelle's pork and beef ragu. To finish, our panna cotta was exceptionally light and creamy while the warmth and moistness of the almond cake was truly stand out. Finally, our affogato made with one of Temple's espresso roasts killed it with its contrast between the bitterness of that espresso and chilly sweetness of the vanilla bean gelato. On the other hand, service had room for improvement as our waiter was largely hands-off and not terribly attentive. Worked fine for us given the quality of conversation and food, but I imagine others might think otherwise. Overall, a high level of execution across all the dishes with the desserts being the most memorable. read more

Still my favorite on College. Food is always fresh, clean and tasty, with a delightful selection of Italian wines to compliment. Loved sitting at the bar this time. The new expansion to the dining room looks amazing, the white granite bar top adds to the clean new lines. Looking forward to next visit. read more

Came here for the first time last evening. Had an exceptional meal and wonderful service.

After a spontaneous dinner at Cheeseboard, my honey surprised me by taking me to a wine bar. We got the corner table near the window and was able to cozy up and listen to the rain fall outside while wrapping up our Friday night date night with a glass of wine. The service was friendly, the wine was amazing and the list of wines they had was impressive. Mostly European wines and plenty of organic choices to choose from. Our 2 glasses costed around $27 total which I deemed a bit on the pricey end. The inside decor was interesting. A mixture of modern and organic seemed a bit clashing for me. If it was me, I would tone down the shiny metal feel in the bar area and dim the lights. Voila, now you have ambiance. Overall a great little place to stop by and have a glass of wine. I was delighted to find that it's next door from my favorite restaurant in Rockridge, A Cote. Will have to stop by again when I'm in the area. read more

I dine at À Côté on a regular basis, and Enoteca Molinari is right next door. As such I've been curious about this place ever since it opened, but never had the opportunity to try it out. Well, at long last this past Sat night we finally did. And it is a gem...such as that I wished I hadn't waited so long to try it. First, EM characterizes itself as a Wine Bar, but I would add that it is more of an Italian Bistro, with cool, clean lines, intimate atmosphere, and cordial, charming staff. As such, the wine list is worth a mention. A long list of tuscan, sardinian and sicilian (among others) varietals. I started with a sparking rose that was super dry. I moved on to a piemonte which was cloyingly fruity...almost tropical, and then settled on a tuscan sav blanc which was just right. As for vittles, we started with cheese and salumi. I'm a sucker for preserved meats and offal, so we ordered the "all meat" plate. Both cheese and prosciutto / salami were excellent. But one of the cheeses was worth a bold mention - the Moliterno al Tartufo, a semi-firm goat cheese heavy with truffles. Addictive. We ordered a second plate. For entrees, or primi, the lady had the arancino vegetariano (rice ball with mozzarella)...good, but slightly bland. We also had the Braciaole di Maiale. The pinnacle dish was the Tagliatelle al Ragu which was perfectly savory and had the comfort food aspect that leaves you wanting more. So...if you find yourself on College and in the mood for some vino and authentica italian fare check out Enoteca Molinari....don't wait as long as I did! read more

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PLEASE DON'T TELL BAUER....SHHHHHHHUSH!!!!!! I wandered in Enoteca shortly after it opened and found a perfect little jewel of a micro-restaurant. The intimacy of this restaurant makes it like dinning with friends. You can kibitz with the chef, Steve Jaramillo (formerly of the late upscale Lalime's RIP). He has a very efficient way of cooking using just one stove to create his signature cooking style. Sitting at the bar watching Steve working the stove with a glass of wine and my GF, that's a good time. But, now it's jammed and the Yelp elites are posting and even the East Bay Express reviewed them. I could not get in last weekend! Whatever you do, please don't ask Michael Bauer to review EM. Just what we need, freakin' Palo Alto lawyers grasping the top 100 in one hand and taking pictures with the other. Good thing EM has expanded their hours. Tuesday through Thursday are very good days for us, the idle rich. The experience here can be a wine bar or a gastro-pub. But then you would miss a great restaurant. You will not find the typical olive oil soaked Mediterranean dishes found on the Left Coast. You come here to eat dinner (not bread) and the small plates simply allow you to vary how much you eat. The owner knows a lot about Italian wines (no spirits served here) and enjoys sharing samples with you, making EM a highly personal experience. You are likely to find yourself in a conversation with the diner next to you. I have not ordered the Salumi or Pate due to the caloric issues. But, you will do well to go directly to the cooked food. Don't miss the country style Ragu's over polenta and the swordfish with plump capers and green olives. The cooking here is done with a light touch, with minimal oil and spices applied with restraint. Many of the dishes are cooked in the oven and the proteins are completed to a tender and steamy doneness. Again the swordfish is unbelievable...extremely succulent (and I mean that in a good way). And...the deserts are excellent...again with a light touch. One Chef, one stove, 25 seats in a beautiful sleek space. One of the top 10 restaurants in the East Bay. And please, after you've eaten, move along and SHHHHHHHUSH!. read more

Enoteca Molinari - Enoteca Molinari! - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

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The food is tasty, but the portions are tiny. It seems that you need to order four courses to get full, but each course is pricey! The wines are the only items that are value plays. Service was really tired and when you ask for bread, they serve you 4 to 5 sliced pieces of a baguette. It's not enough. The water glasses are tiny, but they don't come around enough to fill them. I wanted to like this place, but found it subpar for the price. read more

This place is cute. Small, intimate, sleek. I came here wanting to try the 4 hour pork ragu. I felt a little pressured to get an appetizer so we also got a crostini with pork fat and seasonings. The crostini was quite good. Rich and well-seasoned with garlic and herbs. The bread was a bit soggier than I would've liked for a crostini, but overall a good dish. We got the 4 hour pork ragu and a vegan pasta (cavatelli). Prices are good, but partially because the portions are on the smaller side. The dishes were beautifully presented (especially the pork ragu). But when it came to taste, both dishes were pretty flavorless. Nothing stood out to me about either of these dishes, and I was left disappointed. Really wanted to like this place (I love pork ragu), but unfortunately, I just couldn't. I feel like it has promise, but as it stands, I can't give it rave reviews. read more

Enoteca Molinari - pork ragu - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Positives: I had screwed up my reservation and had made it for a week in advance, but they seated us anyway. Kudos and Thank you. Appetizers were decent including the calimari (not what you'd expect), cauliflower salad (also not what you'd expect), and the Arancini (Golden fried rice croquettes with San Marzano tomato, smoked mozzarella and pecorino), which was the best of the bunch. The deserts were awesome, especially the almond olive oil cake with strawberries. Negatives: The service was atrocious. It took 25 minutes to take our order. The appetizers came out fairly quickly, then we waited 50 minutes for our main courses, which were underwhelming. The swordfish was "OK", and their famous Saltimbocca alla romana (Pork tenderloin with prosciutto, sage, broccolini and fingerling potatoes) which previous reviewers raved about was a disappointment. It was bland and under seasoned. A little salt would have helped. I won't come back because the service was so frustrating and inattentive in so many ways. To all of you who wrote positive reviews and love the place, I hope you enjoy more good meals there. I have no intention of spending on money on this quality of food with such inadequate service. read more

Absolutely delicious! We've been wanting to try this restaurant for years and finally did last night. Completely worth the wait. The food was delicious - high quality ingredients used in unique ways. Also great wine selection. They had a burrata/butternut squash appetizer that was insanely good. Service was friendly and prompt as well. 10/10 recommend! read more

Great food and service. We loved that the staff had great wine and food recommendations.

We came for a quick dinner before a performance and were impressed by the high quality of the food, the attentive and gracious service and the friendly vibes around this small restaurant. I tried the salt cod (Baccalà in cassuola) and then the tagliatelle al ragù that was recommended by many of the yelpers who came before me. Both dishes were *excellent*. Joe recommended a barbera as an accompanying wine, and I loved it. I also tried their kerner, which I liked a lot. I'm sticking with four stars because my introduction to Enoteca Molinari was a limited one. I hope to come back and sample more of the dishes on the menu. The only serious downside to this establishment is the small size of the room. I felt like the other diners and the personnel at the bar were all breathing down my neck. Meanwhile, the room was very "bright," possibly because the sun had not yet set. The situation is completely different at À Côté, where you need a flashlight to read the menu. If I were a local politician looking to make a shady deal, I'd go à côté. read more

Came on a Tuesday night. Amazingly, found street parking a couple of blocks away. Enoteca Molinari is a tiny restaurant. It has five tables for two crammed together next to a larger table for six at the window. It also has quite a bit of counter seating, half of which face a wall. It's nice and updated inside, but with little or no decor. Very stark. We sat at the end of the rows of tables for two. Had we had another couple next to us, I would have been able to reach over and grab an appetizer from their table. So if it's crowded, you'll be packed in and it should be loud. I thought we had great service. We started with the sliced beets and burrata cheese, and these fried balls of rice and cheese. Appetizers were good. I went with their potato gnocchi with mushrooms. Thank goodness for the mushrooms because if they weren't there, the dish would have had little flavor. The pasta with meat sauce was pretty tasty. Good Italian restaurant. read more

This is one of our "go to" restaurants in Rockridge. The food is delicious. The atmosphere feels like a special night out. And we're always welcomed as if we are part of their community. Just my kind of place! I recommend the Saltimbocca - yum! read more

I took my daughter and her boyfriend out to dinner here last night to celebrate their move into their new apartment right up the street that afternoon. We were the first ones to arrive at 5 pm and were pretty hungry. We asked to be seated outside as the temp was perfect for outdoor dining and you also get really immersed in the surrounding Oakland city neighborhood vibe which is great. Fabiano served us and was super knowledgeable about the menu items and very robust Italian wine list. He took great care of us and offered some great insights on their food preparation and he's clearly fluent in Italian also. The calamari (sauteed, not fried like most places) was sublime with a light sauce, simple greens and garbanzo beans. The entrees were even better and we all shared. We will be coming back soon and often! Thanks to Fabiano for making our first dinner there so great. read more

Just ate here, very very good Italian food. Very nice small eating area so feels very cozy. They were able to accommodate our request for a vegan dish. Orecchiette pasta with san marzano sauce, broccolinis, and capers. Excellent. Very nice place, recommend if you're in the area read more

Wonderful people. Quaint and small. Food is tasty and seasonal. Wine selection is great, Amaro selection is great! They are generously comfortable offering you tastes of wine/amaro before you order. Definitely a local hangout. Great for a date or just because. Share small plates you you can taste and order different stuff. read more

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The food, wine, and service really make this such an amazing experience and I will definitely be coming back. Amazing! Quick tip: Reservations are a must if you have more than two people in your group because yes, this place is small. Thank goodness we did! read more

Enoteca Molinari - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

Reservation for 6, table set for 5, and it took them about 15 minutes to provide the sixth setting, and then only in response to a special request. Calamari salad was unimpressive, with tough calamari and minimal flavors. The supposedly wonderful pasta with ragu was less than wonderful. The gnocchi was good, but the cream sauce was bland. The desserts we tried -- an almond/olive oil cake and a chocolate budino -- were OK but nothing special. The final straw was needing to go to the cash register to request our check after waiting patiently for a few minutes. On the plus side, they have a short but interesting wine list of Italian wines with fair prices. read more

We went there for a dinner. The place is nice, and the service is fine. The problem is the food... The food is OK but nothing more than that! And being just OK, the price that they charge for the food is way too high. In addition, a bit more attention by the chef is needed. For example, if the client ask that the sauce will be without cheese, do not just take the cheese out- adjust it! The desserts were good. read more

Tonight I almost choked during dinner at enoteca molinari. I was gasping for air and my family tried to get the waiters attention. The waiter made eye contact and deliberately ignored us. We repeatedly requested help to no avail. We frantically waved our hands, tears were streaming down my face, and I was terrified. After the food was dislodged from my throat and after we explained the dire situation to the waiter, his response was " I'm surprised you almost choked on our food." Not a single apology. Not the response I was expecting to say the least when my life was on the line. Glad to have not choked but very disappointed in the restaurants lack of initial response and ho hum final response post incident. Before writing this review, I spoke with the proprietor and was given an equally unsatisfying response. read more

We had a nice weeknight meal here! Good food and wine, attentive service, and a warm, inviting atmosphere. My husband and I enjoyed our meal, which consisted of the following dishes (we shared everything): 1) Squid appetizer (our least favorite dish - I was not a fan) 2) 3 meat salumi plate (delicious! I especially loved the soppressata) 3) house made tagliatelle pasta with meat sauce (tasty!) 4) salted caramel budino (awesome!) The service was good overall, and our waitress was very helpful! Her wine recs were great and she was attentive and friendly. We were disappointed that they forgot to put the cheese on the side of our pasta after we explicitly asked (we explained that my husband doesn't eat cheese), but they were apologetic and fixed their mistake quickly. The setting is lovely - intimate, warm, and inviting. This is a great little spot! read more

Stopped in very late one night. So late I walked in just before one of the staff could walk out to close the door. Thankfully, after a question of the chef they decided they could seat me. An hour later I left, happy as a clam, having had a satisfyingly bright, savory and really hot orechiette con pesce e rappini. The pesce turned out to be anchovies, which added a nice saltiness. Along with two glasses of wine and a REALLY good cheese selection this gets added to the list of very good Italian restaurants in Oakland, in general, and along College Avenue specifically. Great price points, good service, nice small wine list, pretty no nonsense interior and good cooking to be seen right in front of you, what is not to like? read more

Lovely spot with great food, friendly staff, and a nice wine list. DO make sure you call ahead as the dining area is very small. That said, if you get a table you will love the intimate setting. There were four of us and we split a few of the appetizers including some of the salumis which were quite good. we ordered one of the daily specials which was a grilled swordfish that was perfectly cooked, nicely moist and deliciously finished. The pasta with ragu was also very good although it wasn't a best choice compared to the fish. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful, particularly with the wine list as we are not as well versed on the Italian wines. All in all a solid bet if you are up for some good Italian wine and food pairings; perfect for a date night. read more

Very homey, intimate setting with incredible service and food. Some of the best pasta I've had in the Bay Area. Great wine selection, our waitress picked the perfect combination for our entrees. The tagliatelle al ragu pasta will have me coming back repeatedly! Also get the fried zucchini flowers! read more

Enoteca Molinari - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

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We came here because the wait at another Italian restaurant down the street was too long. And I'm so happy we did. First of all, it's very cozy and welcoming just like an Italian Enoteca. We sat at the bar and ordered sparkling rose and a Belgian beer. The menu was simple but inviting. We had the croquettes (a must!) and an arugula salad to start. Delicious and fresh; it took us back to Italy. Then we ordered the gnocchi and the tagliatelle. Everything was delicious and fresh. We skipped dessert because we were full, but we are definitely coming back! read more