Arrogant/patronizing staff, claustrophobic restaurant, and bland food that made me sick. Not sure why this place is busy, perhaps because it is one of the only restaurants near the Rossmoore community. On that note, the staff seem to feed on the elderly that eat here that tip them well, and treat the "non regulars" like they do not exist. I personally felt very uncomfortable in the restaurant (I am almost 30 years old) due to the obnoxious staff and grimy smell, look and feel to the place. Furthermore, the restaurant itself is claustrophobic and dusty. The staff are awful (arrogant people who patronize their customers who are not "regulars") and to be honest the older male waiter we had made me feel very uncomfortable because he touched my shoulder while he was waiting on us. In terms of the food, I got a painful stomach ache after eating their dinner special here with calamari, salad, bread and lasagna. Good luck to anyone who eats here. read more

Worst dining experience of my life and my families. Sat us in a very cramped area in a sunken tight hallway space that blocked the outdoor exit for dinner. We were there for a special birthday celebration for our senior relative. W to go through the servers/pantry area to go to the other end of the table and restrooms! It was ridiculous. We waited 45 minutes for our appetizers. Another hour for dinner. Service was definitely not on par for the price we paid!! When i discussed with owner she said "sorry we were overbooked." So should that have been our problem?? Absolutely not. Don't overbook and ruin a family's special event! Definitely worst family dinner ever. Wont go back! read more

Il Pavone is a refined Italian restaurant with fairly typical Italian dishes on the menu (pastas, parmagianas, veal, chicken) No pizza here! If I was to sum the place in one phrase it would be: "Your Grandfather's Italian restaurant" Here's why, Il Pavone is on a local thoroughfare (ie not a main drag) in what is essentially a house at a corner lot. Most of the clientele come from Rossmoor, a local retirement community. We go there when we want to treat my Mom to something special - she lives in Rossmoor. The diners are almost exclusively 55+, if they are not they are kids of the 55+. Nothing necessarily wrong with this except 1) the food caters to older diets and so is somewhat bland. For the first time I can remember we actually added salt and pepper to our food to boost the taste. 2) I sure wouldn't take a date here if I were a young buck, and even though I am not, I would not take my wife here, too staid! That said the food was not bad - well prepared, fresh. But the main dishes are pretty much $25 plus so expect $35 per person before tip if you want a drink or dessert. We will still take my Mom here, but all things considered the place is a 3 star only. read more

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Amazing service & amazing food! This is a must try place! I can't believe I never stopped here before. Definitely one of the best places iv been in a long time. I only snapped one of the 3 items I ordered. All was delicious! read more

I had driven by this place many times and thought it was charming so my husband and I decided to give it a try. I made a reservation, they confirmed a couple of days prior but when we arrived, the hostess could not find it but sat us in the bar. Odd since there were available tables in the dining room. We waited quite awhile and finally one of the bartenders took a drink and food order. Drinks came right away but dinner was another long wait. Food was simple but good. We had a veal dish which came with a scoop of mashed potatoes and some veggies. Definitely nothing fancy... The crowd appeared to be Rossmoor residents and regulars. I'm glad we tried it but it desperately needs updating, food needs to be a little more exciting and service was ok. Will we go back? Probably not. read more

Great family place. Raviolis are the best. An institution in WC. Family atmosphere. There specialty is pasta. Not a fan of their pizza. Too expensive and not memorable. read more

First off, I wouldn't call it fancy or trendy and it's not downtown. It's a nice quiet restaurant off the beaten path, a local favorite among residents of Rossmoor and Saranap. It's been family owned and operated for many decades. By the way, Brian is a gem of a server whose loud humor is as much a part of the old-school charm as the oak-wood tables and chairs are. It's a clean restaurant. The food is well prepared from old family recipes. They do need to work on their pizza, though. Their pasta, seafood, and meat dishes are excellent, and they have great wines to pair with. The cocktail bar looks 1970's. It's a great place to go for a quiet, Italian inspired dinner out, and prices are reasonable for the quality you get and can taste. read more

These guys are our neighbors, so I'm a little biased, but if you're looking for a solid, reliable Italian restaurant this is your place. Their bruschetta is above average (which is good; generally, bruschetta is pretty meh; this bruschetta is good). I'm a vegetarian, so can only speak for their vegetarian pastas, but they're healthy portions of pretty good pasta. My husband has tried a few meat entrees and says they're good too. Ultimately, this place is a Walnut Creek institution, and a small business, and as such should be supported. Give it a try! Oh also, there's a small bar with four red leather chairs. I haven't been myself, but looks like a good time. read more

Pizza is yummy except we ordered double sausage and it seemed they skimped n it.Pizza temp wise was lukewarm but fresh.All they have to do is fix these small hiccups and their rating will improve.Quality of food is excellent ty chefs read more

We've been going to Il Pavone for decades. We're going to give it a good year break. Had internet reservations, but second time that failed, so did by phone. Waited 5-10 minutes at host desk. Man finally came, dressed like he'd just finished mowing lawn. In years past, we'd go coat and tie, dress. This time our sport coat and dress seemed way out of place. Most all in shorts, blue jeans. This is no longer a "have an anniversary dinner celebration restaurant". It's a very expensive Dennys (pardon me Denny's - I like your food). Last time, service was very slow. This time extremely slow, and hard to even find a waiter. They'd come out, drop off food and disappear. We could have comfortably eaten in half the time. This time, food quality not good. We both ordered rack of lamb, medium rare. Very good portion, but very rare, bland taste, in watery gravy. Rest of food average. Considering how fantastic past years have been, service and food quality way down, but price still way up. We bit the bullet, had our wine, meal, desert, gave good tip, made the best of it and left $180 poorer. Once every few months we decide to just dress up, go out to upscale restaurant and enjoy. For us, that is no longer Il Pavone. Clean up your act! read more

Service was great! Loved the ambiance! The food was awesome! Went for lunch and had the carbonara pasta, sausage pizza, bread pudding and tiramisu! My son, 6, had the ravioli which was really great too. He ate a whole order and scraped his dish for sauce! My husband and I were already planning a date night before dessert came! They have a very cool looking bar where I would like to check out the martinis that got such rave reviews! Best Italian food I've had this side of the Mississippi and probably the other side too! East coast transplants finally found a solid Italian restaurant!!!! read more

Il Pavone - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Terrible service, and from the owner's grandson no less. That young man needs to learn some manners before he's allowed to run the place. I don't have many regrets in life but dining at this place for a relative's birthday is definitely one of them. read more

I have lived for over 30 years within a 1-1/2 miles of this restaurant, and for that long my wife and I have said we should try it out.  Finally we did, with a takeout delivery.  When I arrived at my designated pick-up time, I gave my credit card for payment to the host who approached me (a male in his 40s or 50s).  He took my credit card, said the food was almost ready, and retreated toward the kitchen.  He returned a couple of minutes later, plopped the receipt and the food on the front counter where I was standing, and disappeared.  I filled out and signed the receipt, and then noticed that my credit card had not been returned.  I waited several minutes for someone that I could speak to, but no one again came to assist me.  Finally, I flagged down a waiter and explained that I needed to have my credit card returned before I could leave with my takeout food. The waiter disappeared in the back.  I waited another five minutes, as my food was getting colder, and still no one came to assist me.  Finally, getting more exasprested, I approached the same waiter and explained that I was still waiting for my credit card to be returned.  He disappeared once again into the back.  Another 5 or more minutes passed  (now a full 15 minutes since the takeout food was originally delivered) before the host who had originally brought the receipt and food again appeared and approached me. I again explained that my credit card had not been returned. He expressed some disbelief, but went back toward the kitchen.  He returned within a minute with my credit card in hand and explained that he had not been aware that it had fallen out of the receipt holder.  As I began to express to him my concerns to the host over the fact it had taken 15 minutes since my food had originally been delivered for me to be further helped and my credit card finally returned so that I could actually leave, the host (knowing that I was speaking to him) simply turned his back on me and walked away.  That act - turning his back  on me and walking away as I was speaking to him - is the most rude treatment that I have ever received in a restaurant in my life.  Because of that treatment, I will never return.  The shame is that the takeout food was very good.  So a "4" for the food, and a "0" for the customer service - and thus overall a "2." read more

Oh Il Pavone....I'm just not old enough to dine here...for like another 50 years. This place is hoppin' at 4:30 pm....and then completely dead by 7:00 pm. As a bit of a joke, we wanted to take my dad out for a retirement dinner near Rossmoor - enter Il Pavone. We'd been a few times before, but I really forgot how old the crowd was. You'd think age has nothing to do with it, but I think it impacts the service. The waiters are in a huge rush to get all the early birds out (as is probably their custom), but it inevitably means it takes forever to get your meal going if you're anywhere close to that beginning rush...which we were because we have a toddler. Our waiter was either in such a big hurry, or wasn't paying attention - but he only took the drink orders for half of our table before walking off to tend to something else. I actually had to flag him back down and ask if the rest of us could please place drink orders as well. It was a little odd. Dishes are okay at best. The lasagna wasn't shabby, but not anything you can't make at home. read more

They are ovviously cutting corners due to lack of customers... serving food soaking in sauces from the early morning or previous day. Been sitting around too long. My elderly father almost broke a tooth on the stale bread and the salt content is insane. Don't take advantage of the elderly! read more

Wonderful food but about your server Brian: loud, overbearing, forgetful, rushed and drunk. We heard him apologizing profusely to tables all the way across the room because he was rushing everyone. A lot of people would take pride in this job, please tell him to be mindful when he waits tables at a classy establishment. read more

I had been meaning to try this place for years. Several people spoke highly of it, so I went last weekend on my birthday. Had to wait 45 minutes for a table, so I figured it must be good. We waited at bar and had a lemon drop, that was small and average at best. Finally got seated and waited for about 15 minutes before we were waited on, and were told they were short staffed and that's why the service was bad. OK.. fine, still hoping for the best. Ordered a Ceasar salad, which was ok, the dressing and parmesan cheese was good, but the lettuce was brown and old. Next came the lasagna for me and chicken fettucini alfredo for my hubby. The lasagna was very blan with little flavor. The chicken fettucini alfredo was not bad, just small portion and the menu said it was 24 dollars and I was charged 29$, which I think is high for chicken fettucini alfredo. This was a huge disappointment for me. read more

Very popular Italian restaurant. When you have a hankerin' for Italian, this seems the place to go. Full bar. Prosciutto & melon appetizer was huge & quite tasty, as was the ravioli. Some of the pasta dishes can be ordered in half portions. Otherwise, plan to take some home. Was surprised that no EVOO came with the bread for dipping, only hard butter packets. Pretty off putting for an Italian restaurant. Menu is large & varied, except for fish choices. Service is attentive and efficient. Give me EVOO with my bread and do away with the hard butter packets, & I'll bump my review up to at least 4 stars. read more

Came across this gem of a restaurant on the way to an appt nearby. Great Italian food, great service and a local family restaurant that we now will continue to support! read more

This was probably the biggest disappointment I've had in a long time, maybe ever. The online menu was wonderful including the extra information about everything being made in house and locally sourced. We found out as we were ordering that that menu was 10 years old. Should have taken the clue then but this was a Family birthday dinner for my grandsons 16th birthday. The first problem was the waiter we had spoke so loud it was as if the place was on fire but since we were the only ones shocked by it I assume he has been there a long time. I won't describe each dish except to say that I sampled the spaghetti, the 2 veal dishes, the "capellini and the calamari. Nothing came hot and everything came tasteless. My 9 year old grandson said " my daddy makes better spaghetti. 2 in our party ordered the calamari which we were told "WAS A HOUSE FAVORITE" And no wonder it was the only thing that was past mediocre. 7 people $200 for what??? read more

The owner is highly aggressive and disrespectful towards its staff and it's customers. I noticed him screaming at one of his customers in the parking lot. Threatening the fight the guy. He said he owned the all the land that the restaurant was on. The gentleman was confused on why he was getting screamed at. The food was mediocre. It tasted as if the food was microwaved. I will never come here and neither do I recommend you come here. I took pictures of the food that honestly looked gross I was even afraid to take a bite. I even took a video of the owner screaming at the gentlemen in the parking lot. On video he states, "come on brother we can go outside right now" and was getting really aggressive with the customer, getting into his face etc. I am also pretty sure the gentlemen didn't speak English. This place is out of hand. If you want to fight than come to this restaurant. I don't know how to upload pictures and videos of the gentlemen. It also looks outdated. I've been to restaurants all over the world that have been around 50+ years that have better ambiance than this place. It has a weird smell in there almost like something is moldy. This is a LAST RESORT type of restaurant. You're better off getting fast food than some FAKE Italian food. read more

Food is ok and portions are on the smaller side, especially for what they charge for entrees. The fried zucchini is delectable.

Il Pavone provides the best comfort Italian food in Walnut Creek. The quality of the pasta with the taste of freshly made sauce makes you not realize how much you are eating until you hit that wall. Be prepared to do a whole lotta nothing after eating at Il Pavone, with huge serving sizes you need a break for your break after eating here. The staff are attentive with friendly attitudes, they do what they can specially when it gets busy. I like the management here as well, they are really friendly and show that they love what they do. read more

Good service & food. Very pricey though. They do cater to older people as it is close to Rossmoor.

Clearly one of the top 10 restaurants in WC Lafayette area. Service is excellent and the food is superb. The lamb is my favorite but the veal picatta is the best around read more

I've been to this restaurant five times over four years. Nice people, great food and an old fashioned vibe.

After passing this place for years, I had a great lunch here with my Mom. Aldente pasta with light tomato cream sauce, salad lightly dressed with housemade dressing... fresh warm Italian bread. It was all good and I'd return here again. The decor has an old dining room type feel that you can get over when the food arrives. read more

Il Pavone - Crisp, lightly battered tender calamari - some of the best I've had. See the battered jalapeños and lemon slices- beautiful and tasty. - Italian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Ordered spaghetti and meatballs, chicken fettuccine and garlic bread. All were amazing. Veal meatballs are tender and flavorful. Chicken fettuccine is not drowned in Alfredo Sauce....chicken is char grilled delivering awesome flavor you don't get from regular grilled chicken. Don't miss out on the garlic bread! The best ever. Fortunately, I had to share but, left to my own devices I would have eaten it all myself. Srsly :-) read more

What a cool, old school Italian joint. The bar has old leather lounge chairs and old family charm. Clam linguine is ridiculous, so are the sandwiches. read more

Ok food, decent portions. Caters to Rossmoor populace so it's not going for Michelin stars.

A excellent place for lunch and dinner. Nice variety of Italian dishes and very friendly staff. I recommend giving Il Pavone at try.,

BEWARE!!! THIS IS NOT A FAMILY RESTAURANT!! We are visiting family in California and we are from New York so we wanted to go out somewhere nice. This restaurant was chosen because of good experiences in the past. We have a 1 year old little boy who got a little cranky, as any child would get when hungry. We asked for a table a little far from everyone else for this specific reason. Not only did we wait for our child to get his juice but we had a very unpleasant visit from the manager asking us to get our child to "be quite" because he was being too loud. He then proceeded to mention that most people go outside until they can calm they're children down. And that if they don't calm down then it's when it starts to become a problem. Families, if you have children please do not come here. This is not a family restaurant. If I could I would give them a negative 100 stars. RUDE. UNPROFESSIONAL. RASIST. STAY AWAY!!!! read more

Well I did it. Finally tried Il Pavone. We've been driving by this place for 15 years and I'm embarrassed to say that I figured that this was just the hook-up spot for the good folks at Rossmoor. I was wrong. (I mean, yes they were there, but that's not all it was about!) Thanks to some very unfortunate malfunctioning kitchen plumbing, we've been forced to eat out more than we would normally like. As such I've been subjected to more than my fair share of pink-haired, overly-pierced millennials who dress in their underwear and insist on referring to us as "GUYS" when they greet us. Il Pavone is the antithesis to this and is a great reminder of what great table service really is. After binging on the last season of Soprano's I was strangely overcome with a desire for some authentic Italian pasta and gravy. I swear, after sitting in the restaurant for a little while I expected to see Paulie and Syl walk through the door. It's a throwback. But the food..... Yes, it hit the spot. In the words of our waiter, Alex, the food was "pretty not bad, right?". It was definitely pretty not-bad. Sorry it took me so long. read more

My husband and I lived around the corner from this place but we had never eaten here, always a little put off by the cheesy faux Victorian decor that had been the rage in the late 1970's. That being said, we were invited to join my mom and one of her oldest and dearest friends who lives in Rossmoor and her husband for dinner. (and really that is their main clientele) The couple eat there frequntly so we thought that we'd give it a chance. The absolute best part of the meal was enjoying their company and we hoped the food would be equally pleasant but alas, that was not to be the case. The waiter was evidently unaccostomed to new people as he kept trying to finish our orders as we were saying them, which was really annoying, especially when he was wrong. My mother had their porcini ravioli, my husband had scallops on pasta with a red sauce, my son had seafood risotto, and I had fettucine alfredo with a couple of prawns. My mother's food was cold, my son's food tasted fishy and the calamari was overcooked, my husbands dish tasted alright although it could have benefitted from a more liberal usage of salt and herbs, and my dish had enough nutmeg to choke a horse. My husband tasted it and thought it inedible but I ate it anyway and washed it down with a lot of wine. When I tried to mention to the waiter that there was probably double the amount of nutmeg in the dish than was in the recipe, he replied- oh really that's one of our big favorites! As we did not want to upset the couple, we let it drop and didn't mention the rest. The kicker though was when my mother, myself, and my husband all were sick for the next few days. Our guess is that one of the cooks is not washing his hands properly. When my husband called to let them know that we had all been sick and maybe the chef might want to review safety sanitation procedures with the kitchen staff, the person on the other end insisted that it wasn't due to their restaurant. Not even a sympathetic, gee I hope you all feel better. I'm glad to know that I haven't been missing much read more

I don't understand why being popular with old people and/or being near Rossmoor is a slam. When I go to a restaurant, I'm evaluating the quality of the food and the service and the ambiance. I'm enjoying the company at my table. Frankly, I could care less about the other diners. Caveat: loud obnoxious people are a turn off and slam at the restaurant if the restaurant is all about that. My husband and I have eaten at Il Pavone several times a year since we moved to the neighborhood in 1992. In '92 we were newlyweds in our late 20's and early 30's. So every time we go, we close the gap between us and the old people. Since we've been so many times, we've gotten to know a bit about the family. Marcello grew up cooking with his father, Marcello, Sr. (previous owner of Marcello's, Danville). He and his brother Nick spent most, if not all, their childhood summers in Italy (I think in Lucca, but I could be wrong) with their Italian grandparents. Their mom, who is the definition of warm and in control front-door host has retired, and we miss her. We are also avid cooks who make our own mustards, hot sauces, chutneys, jams, cured meats, etc. We appreciate Marcello's attention to detail -- he makes his own sausages and pastas, cures his own salmon and proscuitto, etc. Many "good" restaurants just buy that stuff. OK, but what about the food?? The food at Il Pavone is consistently great. Here are our favorite items (I scraped the PDF on their website to get the spelling): Salmone Marinato ai Tre Pepe - house cured salmon, people! Zuppa del Giorno - just order it. Whatever it is, it's going to be good. Capellini D'Angelo con Capesante Capellini al Crudo di Pomodoro Pollo alla Diavola Pollo al Mattone Animelle di Vitella con Funghi (swoon!) Bistecca al Pepe Nero (double swoon!) Calamari Dore` all`Agro di Limone They also have a solid wine selection. Just go. Stop checking out the other tables. There are pick-up bars for that. Yes, the decor is dated. So what? There are plenty of places in WC with killer decor, but the food and/or service stink (can you hear me, Vesu? Oh that's right, you've closed because your inconsistent food and bad service). Go to Il Pavone. Relax, spend some time, and have a great meal. read more

Came here once and I'd rather eat a budget TV dinner than return. We came in early evening for dinner, which I suppose is the rush hour of the clientele here. Service was far below par for the price, as our server seemed VERY inexperienced and didn't know the menu whatsoever. The restaurant itself looks dated, old and noticeably dusty. Perhaps this was high class old school dining in the late 80s, but it looks like a joke now. Perhaps this is why the customers are all geriatric. When we sat down to eat there was only one other table (it quickly filled up with elderly patrons). Of the four people at the other table one man was incredibly drunk and was either scream talking into his cell phone or yelling profanities to his other dinner mates. It made us very uncomfortable and he carried on well into when we were served our entree. I ordered chicken parmigiana as my entree and it was a disaster. It looked and tasted like bad leftovers. I didn't even eat half of it nor did I take it home with me. I asked to be served a small Cesar salad instead of the garden salad that was served with my meal and was charged $9. Dessert was an awful grey/taupe "chocolate mousse" that was an insult to the palette. I've had boxed Jello pudding that was better. In the end two people ate before 5 PM on a weekday with accompanying soft drinks got charged over $80. I will never return. read more

I had been to this restaurant at least twice before over the years, but after this visit, the food was so delicious and the service so attentive I had to write a 5-star review. The food has reached a whole new level of quality compared to the previous times I visited. In fact, on a Monday night, the restaurant was packed. We were lucky to get a table without a reservation. First of all, I really appreciated that the wine list had an extensive wine by the glass list -- essentially every bottle was also available by the glass. There is also a full bar if you want to have a cocktail. The menu shown above does not list 3 of the 6 items we had -- an indication of a good restaurant since they are cooking seasonally with what is fresh in the garden or available at the meat/fish provider that week. We started with the eggplant appetizer, which was exceptional. We followed with a fresh chicory and radicchio salad, lightly dressed to enhance the flavors of the salad. Although it's hard to choose, I had the best entree of the night: one of the specials, a whole quail with anchovy sauce. Our waiter explained that the anchovies basically melt away during baking, leaving a wonderful slightly salted flavor and sealing in the quail juices. The owner graciously stopped by to show me how best to slice my quail. The mixed vegetable accompaniment included delicious zucchini. My husband had the veal scaloppini which had a lovely rich sauce with delicious mushrooms. Last but not least, my mother-in-law had the meat lasagna, which nevertheless had plenty of cheese. The lasagna had clearly been baked individually in a ceramic dish. All the portions were generously sized. Two of us ordered coffee and unexpectedly, our waiter appeared with a complimentary slice of bread pudding for the table. What a nice gesture to share a complimentary dessert with guests who are clearly appreciating the meal! We didn't get to meet "Mama" who had already left for the night by the time we left, but clearly she and her son run a tight ship, which is certainly visible in the quality of the food and service. While the decor and clientele may not be trendy, if you go here you'll get an excellent traditional Italian meal from a family originally from Lucca, Italy in Tuscany. read more

Great family-run restaurant on Olympic Blvd. It looks pretty small from the outside, but can actually accommodate a good number of tables nicely. The inside is very quaint. Their food is excellent, as is their service. Our waiter was incredibly accommodating. Take my advice: Unless you're a small child, don't bother ordering a half-size entree here. You will be starving afterwards. Il Pavone attracts a lot of people from Rossmoor, so if you're a 20-something on a date here, you might feel a little out of place. Nevertheless, this place gets two (American-style) thumbs-up! read more

House-made prosciutto, people. How can you call yourself a foodie and not love a place which makes their own prosciutto? If the "older crowd" and lack of an overly modern atmosphere keeps away some bratty twentysomethings, I am just fine with that. This is classic dining from an old family kitchen, and the prosciutto isn't the only thing they make by hand the old way. As a San Francisco diner who comes out to Walnut Creek to visit family, I get all too many loud trendy modern overpriced restaurants, and a few too many loud trendy modern hipsters as well. Il Pavone means "The Peacock" in Italian, and the decor features peacocks on plates, lamps, you name it, in a charming old-world style. As befits a restaurant whose nearest and best clients are elderly, it features accessibility and comfy seating. (If padded chairs with arms sound tacky with you, I guess your body's fine with sitting on a metal barstool all night. Go have fun with that.) It's well-lit enough to read the menu, and the serves are happy to help accommodate folks who need a little extra help or room for their mobility gear. (Again, not unusual in Walnut Creek; I've seen several fine dining establishments with a row of walkers parked by coat check.) Our servers and manager were kind, cheerful, and generally delightful. They clearly know their regulars and treat them well, and are happy to work with this family-owned restaurant. They showed us photographs on the wall of previous guests, told us that the table we were sitting at had once been a famous guest's favorite table, and were clearly committed to doing a good job for the long run. There was a large family party in the back celebrating something, and while they were a little loud after their third classes of wine, we noticed no slowdown in our service. While we were able to walk in, I'd recommend a reservation on busy weekends. And the food! Oh my land, the food. If you love good old-fashioned Italian food, go here now. Homemade prosciutto! homemade veal sausage! Everything was good, but when in doubt, go for the house-made specials or ask your server. While I am rhapsodic about the prosciutto, everything else was equally good - classic meatballs, properly cooked veal in delicious marsala and piccatas, everything was delicious. The wine list was extensive enough and offered a nice range, and the cocktails met with considerable approval. The food is just terrific, a prime and classic Italian family restaurant that really cares about food. There's some good food in Walnut Creek, but this place has shot to the top of my list for its quality and service. We had a lovely chat with the bartender, and later the chef, and they kindly posed for photos with my mother's plushie peacock, who we brought along to his namesake restaurant. Everyone who worked there was clearly glad to work there, and cared about the food and drink and the restaurant, and the guests. There's real love going into that kitchen, and maybe that's why the prosciutto is so good. read more

Thought it would be a good idea for a chill dinner away from the downtown area...it's obvious when walking in that this place caters to a mature crowd of regulars. Plenty of schmoozing for the familiar faces though not so much for us "under 60" crowd. This is my first "yelp is waaaay off" experience. The decor is plenty dated though I was hoping it would add to the appeal of a home cooked meal type place. Imagine the restaurant in an old, caddyshack style country club. I started off ordering a Peroni only to be told they don't have it. Really? No Peroni in an Italian restaurant? Oh well. We shared the steamed mussels for our app and thoroughly enjoyed pieces of sand with each bite. 2 of our mussels didn't even have any meat in them, just the shell. After an hour or so our second course, Caesar salad came out. I almost started laughing as it was being put down since I love a $9 fistful of romaine with some Parmesan on top. I could have done a better job at a salad bar with one hand tied behind my back and blindfolded. Finally our entrees arrived. My GF had the veal with white wine sauce and I had the special lamb ravioli which I substituted their Demi glaze for a marinara sauce. I will post pictures but I'm pretty sure veal isn't supposed to be white. And made further inedible with a sauce that had the flavor of biting into a lemon. We each had one bite and left it. The ravioli pasta had a nice al dente texture but the filling was minuscule and lacked any real flavor. I was really in the mood for a red sauce though my substitution produced me a few scoops of crushed tomatoes. This is by far the worst dinner I have had in recent memory. We both left deflated by the miserable, laughable experience. Food was AWFUL, service not much better and the feeling inside of a funeral home with a pulse. I am shocked this place is in business. I am shocked fellow yelpers think this food is edible. An hour an a half later and $130 poorer, I am certain I will never set foot in this restaurant again. Perhaps my review seems a bit harsh but I have never been so disappointed in a restaurant. Stay away. read more

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