A staple in downtown Saratoga (but maybe not the most amazing Italian food I've ever had). This was one of my favorite places to eat at growing up, so I was excited to visit it again recently. I stopped by on a Friday night, and it was busy but not outrageously so. We wanted to sit outdoors to enjoy the warm weather, and after maybe ten minutes, we were seated. I really enjoy the setup of the restaurant. The interior feels like a classic Italian spot, and the exterior is romantic and inviting. The food was okay but not life changing. We started out with warm bread and an interesting cheese sauce that kind of tasted like spray cheese in a spreadable format. The pastas were good, but I prefer a more al dente texture, and their pasta is extremely well-cooked. So expect a soft, almost mushy pasta. The tagliatelle bolognese had a delicious, flavorful sauce. The linguine pescatore featured a creamy sauce and plenty of well-seasoned seafood. The gnocchi margherita was extremely okay - the taste of the dough overpowered any semblance of sauce. I will mention the portions were definitely controlled - it wasn't a particularly filling meal, and the prices weren't cheap. The general ambiance of this restaurant was the highlight, and the food wasn't bad either. read more

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This is our first time at this Saratoga location. We have been to the Cupertino location when it was still open. I had a Rigatoni pasta with their house made Italian sausage and I had them add mushrooms and it was delicious. My side of Caesar salad was delicious as well. We ordered a number of other pasta dishes such as the Half Spaghetti/Half Ravioli, Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp and Gnocchi Margarita. The restaurant's fresh baked bread with the cheese spread is a reason to come in itself! We all enjoyed our dinners! The one negative thing and it isn't anything about the quality of the food as it is about the quantity of it . We were all joking forget about leftovers for lunch the next day! The portions are not very adult size as it is closer to a child size. Service was very attentive! Restaurant had plenty of seating. Also, there's plenty of parking around the downtown. read more

Florentine Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

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I live about half a mile from this place. In fact, I've lived close to it for over 30 years and haven't been to it in over 20 years. This visit was to celebrate a visit by some church members who moved to Wisconsin and were in town for a few days. We were able to walk here from our church (Menlo - Saratoga) and were seated with our party of 14 at a nice table. The staff is efficient and friendly. They know all about the menu. The environment is all pleasant and comfortable - super clean too. I was already wondering why I had not been back earlier. Then, we got our food. I had the Tortellini Carbonara. Amazingly great! I usually purposely eat only half of any restaurant serving but was unable to control myself and ate the whole plateful. The sauce is so smooth and buttery. The taste is well balanced and not too salty like these dishes can sometimes get. The tortellini were perfectly cooked and tasted wonderfully of the cheeses and had the right bite. My wife had the linguini Leonardo and was also pleased, but found she had to add some salt to make it right. Although this was a bit of a surprise, it was correctable so she still gave it good marks for the nice job on the chicken in the dish which was nicely seasoned and tender. My friend who was visiting had the day's special rigatoni with house made sausage which he thought was spectacular. It had a bit of spice in it (OK, take that in with the note that he's from Wisconsin) and was perfectly cooked for texture. Almost forgot to comment on the wonderful, house-made bread! It is served hot and fresh with the cheese butter spread that they also make in-house. This is dangerous stuff because I will just sit and eat it up. They will refill your basket on request. Yow! We heard similar positive comments from the other friends who were there - zero complaints! Putting this together with the great service makes this a solid five for me. read more

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Upon hearing that the pasta dishes were really good, my buddy and I ordered Linguine Leonardo and Tortellini Carbonara. While both pastas presented well, I felt the Linguine Leonardo was lacking in salt. In fact, a friend ordered the Linguine Leonardo, as well, and we were fighting over the salt shaker. I was surprised by how much salt I needed to add. As for the Tortellini Carbonara, the dish was perfectly seasoned and was the star. Everyone at our table enjoyed the garlic bread with the cheese spread. read more

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Always great. Love stopping by or getting it to go. Fast and efficient service. Great Italian food of course. Jovana is wonderful. Never a long wait and they are so on top of everything. Waters always full, drinks topped off and food out quickly. Look forward to coming back. read more

From the fresh baked bread to the vibrant red marinera sauce, florentine trattoria has some unique and very good food. This isn't just about getting some meal, it's about getting consistent excellence. The kitchen really has mastered its art of a forever recipe and everything I've ordered has always been good, you can tell they really like serving the best of quality and this is why I keep coming back. The staff here are always friendly and attentive and show warmth and consideration when you step into the restaurant. If you're looking for authentic Italian comfort served with genuine hospitality, skip the local chains. Gas up the car, brave the traffic from your location, and head to Saratoga. Your taste buds will thank you for the extra miles. read more

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There was no one at the Front of House station. All service staff were staring at our party of 4 like we were out of place... So that pretty much set the tone for our experience for this evening. When we were finally seated, our server flopped the menus down and offered nothing. Not even non alcoholic drinks to start. Whatever. Fine. People are people and have bad days. They left us alone to explore the menu (possibly in peace). The server came back to take our order, and I was slightly confused. Normally, shouldn't restaurants have specials in at least 2 proteins and a vegetarian option?... well.. We ordered: Gnocchi Margherita + minestrone soup. Half Ravioli/half Spaghetti Chicken Alfredo Chicken Piccata with cappelini / angel hair pasta. We also asked for drink options that were non alcoholic specifically and got an actual answer! Hurrah! We got our food and this is the situation: Minestrone soup: Absolutely no seasonings. The pasta in the soup was very obviously from a can (as was the rest of the dish). Un-appetizing. Dish was also messily brought to our table. I had to add copious amount of salt and pepper. Gnocchi Margherita: Usually a fairly simple but flavorful dish at any Italian restaurant worth their salt. But alas... The dish was not hot. The cheese was forming a crust, and the gnocchi was covered in a sauce that also has no seasonings. So much pepper was added for some semblance of flavor that it desperately needed. Still did not save the dish. HALF/HALF: WHY WAS THE RAVIOLI PREVIOUSLY FROZEN? WAS IT THAT HARD TO MAKE THE RAVIOLI FROM THE "FRESH HOUSE MADE SAUSAGE" AND RiCOTTA?! MAYBE SOME SPINACH MIXED In? Chicken Alfredo: Where was the cheese sauce? Where was the seasonings? HOW DID THE CHICKEN HAVE NO TEXTURE OR FLAVOR??? The gnocchi had more seasoning and texture. WHICH IS SAYING A LOT. Chicken Piccata: This dish is supposed to be pan seared chicken breast that is thinly sliced, served over cappelini pasta with a sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice, white wine (and/or chicken broth), capers, flour cooked in to thicken the sauce (-which can be from deglazing the pan that the chicken was cooked in-*if said chicken was dredged in SEASONED FLOUR BEFORE BEING SEARED*- so that it properly clings to/ coats the pasta and chicken [which is usually finished in said sauce before slicing], finished with a knot of butter and fresh parsley to add richness and reinforce the brightness of the citrus to the entire dish. The sauce is supposed to be slightly tangy forward from the lemon juice and white wine reduction, with a little funk from the capers. Wee bit of fresh ground black pepper to add a tiny kick of warmth. No salt, because the capers are salty, and you let the customer adjust to their tastes at the table. This is what was supposed to happen. What we were served was a flavorless, overcooked (versus barely cooked for the alfredo) chicken breast meat over a bed of cappelini pasta in a flavorless sauce that had already separated into a pool of oil and grease. There were no capers. No parsley. No sign of pepper. Or salt. THERE WAS NO LEMON FLAVOR. THERE WAS MORE LEMON FLAVOR IN THE WEDGE OF LEMON SERVED WITH THE SAN PELLEGRINO SPARKLING WATER THAN THE PICCATA. Getting one dish wrong, forgivable. 2, was the kitchen understaffed...? But ALL 4??? WE EVEN TRIED TO ASK FOR CHILI FLAKES TO ADD FLAVOR. THE SERVER DIDN'T HEAR, OR IGNORED US. THE TABLE IN FRONT OF US HAD CHILI FLAKES... No. We will not be coming back. read more

Florentine Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

What a disappointment!! Florentine Trattoria used to be a really nice restaurant, but our last visit showed us that it has really gone downhill. Food quality is way down. Service was painfully slow, despite few customers in the place. Another formerly good restaurant now off our list. Save your hard-earned money and choose another restaurant. read more

Mediocre quality and slow service. Pasta dishes at an Italian restaurant should be incredible and they're just bland now. Heard it used to be good years ago read more

Was looking forward to flavor town but was disappointed. The bread was good though - really liked the light airy texture it had.

Service saved them from a lower rating. Went in for lunch. The minestrone was watery, the calamari was greasy and soggy, and the salad looked tired and very sparse. I've eaten there many times over the years and this was by far the worst food I've ever been served anywhere in Saratoga. read more

Wow First time there and it just goes to show you if you have a good waiter or waitress your experience is gonna be much better and this time we hit the jackpot with Arlem, she was superb and her service was exceptional, very sweet lady. The whole atmosphere is friendly and inviting.. the food is good, pasta with salmon was tasty and my friend had the gnocchi with pesto sauce and as other people have said the cheese bread is fantastic. Prices are fairly reasonable considering it's Saratoga.I will definitely look forward to coming back here. Can't believe some of the negative reviews. This place is a throwback to the good old days when family friendly places were everywhere. read more

The drop in one star was due to the clam chowder which I found too heavy on al dente potatoes and carrots... luckily the steamed clams brightened the meal and were excellent. I chose the linguine pescatore which had calamaretti, scallops and prawns, capers added which brought out a bit more taste ... I added salt which I found unusual. The squid was a little rubbery... would I visit again ... yes but I'd order the clams again but something different to compliment them. Glass of pinot Grigio and sparkling San Pellegrino water which matched the Italian choices. As a dessert I had the affogato... perfecto read more

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This is the best Italian food in the Bay Area! We love the outdoor patio-- and most of all we love their pastas and cheese sauce! Thanks for the wonderful service. :). read more

My family has been going to this restaurant for years and years and years... Back when there were Florentine restaurants all over the South Bay. We love the bread and the cheese bread and the food is always good. We love to come here for special occasions, and I hope it sticks around forever. read more

i don't know why i bypassed the stars/reviews for this place because they are absolutely correct. save your your money and go elsewhere. my party of two walked in and checked in. i made reservations hours before and they told me there's no reservations for me but it's ok, we can seat you. we were seated in the back near this cute little old couple enjoying their dinner. (you know they're regulars, so cute!) it took a long minute for someone to come to our table. and when someone did come, it was a gal with a pitcher of water .. poured some water into our cups and walked away. no acknowledgment, even when we said thank you. #WILD! another 10 minutes pass and a lady comes to take our offer. we place our order of half & half (half spaghetti & half veal/pork ravioli) and gnocchi alla genovese. once our order was placed, they dropped some rosemary bread + 1 oz cheese at our table. another 10-15 minutes pass and our entrees come. we dig in and are just shocked at how BLEH the food is. i think i honestly at 4-5 pieces of gnocchi from my plate and called it a day. my friend who ordered the half and half stated that we could have had better food had we gone to olive garden. how sad is that?! and i can honestly say i agreed with him. we did not stay long because we were just over the meal and get out. the bill came and we were a little surprised that they charged us for the bread. it was never told to us nor did we order it. it was placed at our table automatically after we ordered. that was deceiving for sure. did not like that one bit. but honestly, the bread was the only good part of the meal. how sad is that? neither one of us enjoyed the food and the only highlight was their bread. i just have to giggle a little reading that back. we for sure will not be going back to this establishment. not worth the drive nor the money spent. GO ANYWHERE BUT HERE! you have been warned. read more

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WTF? I to order meat raviolis and got spaghetti the driest raviolis suck suck suck Over charged on the beard too read more

Downtown Saratoga staple! Two of us ordered: -glass of sauvignon $13 -florentine cobb salad $17.95, was charged another $0.75 for a different dressing since the vinaigrette was too salty -burrata $13.50, was good -1 large 6 piece bread $3.50 The 1st round of bread is complimentary (2 slices each person I believe). I always love eating the bread here. Both orders of bread came out piping hot and it was delicious! Staff was friendly and attentive. Parking available in the back. read more

This is the best Italian restaurant I've been to in the Bay Area! We live about 30 minutes away and the food is so worth the drive. We were here with a big group last night, and the service was prompt and friendly, and the ambiance was cozy and welcoming. The lemon sorbet in a lemon, and the grilled salmon and seafood pastas were a big hit! There were so many things that looked delicious on the menu, we definitely want to come back and try more! We also brought home 2 packets of frozen ravioli-veal and spinach, and they were both delicious! read more

The Florentine Trattoria is one of our favorite restaurants and we eat meals here often. First of all, the place is lovely indoors and out. The outdoor seating is within a patio and not on the street. It is very peaceful and floriferous. The servers are excellent. They make us feel welcome and appreciated. We are never rushed and often enjoy a martini before dining. We have eaten just about everything on the menu! We especially enjoy the veal dishes. The Friday clam chowder is particularly delicious. And the salads are robust. I often order the eggplant parm... all the parm dishes are excellent. I have also greatly enjoyed the linguini with mussels or clams. And of course the house made bread with spicy cheese spread is very good always. Easy to fill up on! Leave room for the dessert! One that I enjov is the frozen limoncello, another is lemon sherbet served in a lemon! This dessert is actually flown in from Italy! The owner is from Calabria. If you enjoy eating Italian style like we do, we often order a pasta dish to split, followed by a meat dish to split. The restaurant is sparkling clean as is the restroom. Parking is on the street or in the free lot behind the restaurant. Enjoy! read more

We've been coming here for years but our last visit may end our patronage. I have usually ordered meat lasagne but this time it was quite different, not nearly as good and was not properly warm in the center. It looked like they purchased a tray somewhere, cut out a square and poured some sauce on it. I also ordered minestrone which was very watery and flavorless. read more

Service. The service was terrible. We waited around 40 minutes just to place our order, and then another hour for the food -- despite the restaurant being half empty. To top it off, they added a 20% tip without asking and even had the nerve to request an additional tip. read more

A friend hosted her birthday dinner here in their private room off to the right of the dining room. This review is based on the set menu we had. Overall it was very good. I don't know that the staff handled our large party as well as they good but overall it was not bad. They were not very good about taking drink orders for those that did not want the pre-chosen wine. And the appetizer portions were very small for such a large group. The appetizers were the Calamari Fritti and Mozzarella Caprese. Both had good flavor. The calamari was nicely fried. I also had their House Green Salad. This was tasty. Liked the dressing on it. For my entree, I had the Veal Marsala. This was very tender veal. Had a good flavor and was a nice sized portion. Liked the side veggies and pasta with it. Also, their bread and cheesy spread is delicious. We did not get enough of that. Overall a nice meal. read more

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Very good place to eat. It is family owned and the really take good care of you and always make you feel special when you done in there.

We had a great experience at Florentine Trattoria. I ordered Crab and Shrimp pasta and it was the best seafood pasta I've ever had. I asked Alexandro why shrimps tasted so fresh. He smiled and answered: because they are fresh! Bread and pasta also were outstanding! Friendly fast service, elegant ambiance, good prices and delectable food make Florentine Trattoria one of the best restaurants in Bay Area! read more

We really enjoyed having dinner at Florentine. We went there on a weekday so it wasn't crowded. The service and food was good. Everyone enjoyed the appetizers and entrees. It has a cozy feel and we definitely would go back. read more

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This is what the minestrone soup looked like. It was so bland no vegetables except cabbage and maybe a tiny carrot. Just water downed tomato juice and some macaroni. I do not recommend this at all. I just called the restaurant and the gentleman was so apologetic. Offered me something the next time I come in. He appreciated the comment. He likes to hear from his customers. I'm glad I called. read more

Florentine Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

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Delicious food and amazing prices. I offer the ravioli in meat sauce and had to order the soft puffy bread. All was delicious

Service and food was amazing! The outdoor patio is cute and comfortable. I have been there before and will continue to do so

Another great meal at Florentines. You can't beat the bread, it's the best. Also, I can't find a creamy Italian better than Florentine's. read more

Florentine Trattoria - Cheese tortellini and Alfredo sauce with bread. - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

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Had a lovely lunch today. The food, service, and ambiance were great. Sat outside surrounded by flowers. Had the warm spinach salad with scallops and prawns. It was delicious. Met the Chef, Rafael.. so friendly as were all the servers. The bread was warm and wonderful too. read more

Delicious lunch with my daughter today. Rainy day, cozy perfect! We love this little place! read more

Florentine Trattoria - Beautiful rose on our table! - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

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I have been coming here since the 80's. I love the food. the bread and cheese is to die for. the ravioli is a favorite of mine as is the chicken parm. The service is great and very accommodating. You can sit outside if the weather allows and inside is big and bright. Highly recommend as this is a place in Saratoga worth the prices. read more

Food and service at Florentine Trattoria is excellent. They have a good selection of California and international wines. I have had many delicious meals and tasty desserts. They are located in a quaint open air patio with other interesting shops and food choices. read more

The service here is extremely slow and lacking. The burrata and steamed clams were good, but the pasta was mediocre. The crab cakes were filled with cheese and tasted more like mozzarella sticks than crab cakes. Service was disappointing as well. Even with reservations, our table wasn't ready for another 20 minutes. After ordering, we waited over an hour before any appetizers came out. We wasted so much time waiting, that dinner took 3 hours and we didn't even stay for dessert. Both the food and service here were disappointing and unfortunately, I will not be returning here. There are better Italian restaurants in the area to dine in. read more

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Florentine Trattoria is another restaurant hidden in this comfy nook in downtown Saratoga with a few other restaurants. They have indoor and outdoor seating. I initially chose indoor seating but changed my mind since it was too hot inside. The service was nice but a little slow and casual. The margarita pizza, spinach salad, spinach ravioli, and tartufo for dessert were all good. Don't see myself striving to come back but won't complain either if we had to. read more

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Everyone in our party liked their food but the pasta fasul I was served was bland and disappointing. See photo below read more

Florentine Trattoria - This is the pasta fasul I was served last night. Where was the broth, pasta, veggies, taste. Very bland and disappointing - Italian Near Me - Saratoga, California

We are on the lovely patio. My husband had the lamb special and I had the eggplant parm. Both dinners and our drinks were delicious!

I post as many good reviews as I do bad and with that said, my summer visit to Florentine Trattoria was a good one, however this last stop was way below standards. The service was poor, the food so/so and my calamari appetizer was terrible. When I notified the waiter, who was a very nice guy apparently taking over for our waitress who disappeared into thin air, he apologized, but did not offer to take it off the bill. Lets just say, I'll be finding a new place to dine before a show at the Mountain Winery. read more

Just go! I am from out of town and was in the area for a weekend trip. I would do the 1.5 hour drive to eat here again! Large and spacious restaurant with small Italian family vibes. They even had a banquet space for large parties up to 45 people! Service was exceptional, warm and welcoming staff. Even got to speak with the owner, Raffaele. To start, they bring you complimentary bread and cheese spread. The cheese spread was good, but the bread didn't need anything added to taste better! Hot and fresh out of the oven and seasoned perfectly. I ordered the Penne Arrabbiata with a side salad. The dressing on the salad was homemade and very tasty. Best Arrabbiata I've ever had! You could tell the pasta was made fresh and prepared to order. For dessert, I had the Limoncello sorbet and it was the best sorbet I have ever had. I could eat this every single day. The owner even said it is flown in from Italy! I loved everything and I can't wait to come back. read more

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