We have been ordering in from ROMA for a few months now and I've had good meals. My wife has eaten there several times and LOVES the food. I went in for the first time on Valentines Day. They were super kind to allow us to move our reservation back by 30 min on a busy night. The night out was fun, sharing dinner with close friends who are inside our bubble. I wanted to give Roma a 5-star, had expected to. But, our evening was 3-star level. They were busy, but not too busy to expect a delay. It took an uncomfortable amount of time between ordering to get out appetizers. This was matched by the blatant delay between appetizers and our main course. When one of the ladies ordered desert, I was a bit conerned. Another 15 min to bring out desert... And, did I tell you they forgot my meal? 3 out of 4 served. They had to ask me again to remind them what my order was, and then rushed my eggplant. It happens. But, when the meal came out, it was lukewarm in the middle. Interesting that my wife was disappointed that the pricing had been pumped up for the night. Hey, it's Valentines Day, of course it might cost more, and it would come with some special twist: a special menu, or a fixed 5-7 course menu, or valentines desert for everyone or something "special". Again, give us a unique experience, and please, charge for it. But to serve the exact same menu as normal, and to pump up the pricing, did not feel right. 3-star experience. BUT, we have had good meals here ordered in so willing to keep 4-star for now. Will revisit ROMA and update this review again soon. read more

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I understand restaurants can become busy and fall behind on wait times ... but when a reservation is set to 8:15PM (Outdoor) you shouldn't be seated at 9:15PM even after consulting the Manager countless times and he just shrugs you off. We were sat down finally with other parties but unfortunately did not receive any menus not even utensils yet everyone else did. Manager personally handed out the menus to 3 other parties and left us empty handed. Wish I could review the food but we left due to poor service - guess it depends a lot how you look like. Recommend Italian Bros. At Los Gatos instead read more

I have been wanting to try out this restaurant for quite some time but it is a bit of trek for me. That said, I found the perfect opportunity to do so - my wife's birthday. The restaurant staff was incredibly courteous in getting us a large table (8) and then when people canceled they accommodated and pared it down to (6) without issues (I called 3 weeks in advance to make reservations and this place does get busy - so plan ahead for larger parties). The food was outstanding, here is what we ordered: Apps * Fried Calamari: We got this for the table to start and they were very well seasoned (not too salty and not too bready). Mains: * Chicken Parmesan: My older son is super picky and all he eats at an Italian restaurant is this dish. He finished all of his meal but left his veggies which were cooked well and were tasty (I had them). The tomato sauce that came with this meal was EPIC (I had some)! * Seafood Paella: I made the mistake of ordering a Seafood Paella at an Italian restaurant like this (I will not make this mistake again). The paella was nothing to write home about - very fishy. Sorry but I would pass on this dish! * Grilled Salmon: My father-in-law gets this usually and his fish looked great and he said that it was cooked well. It was embellished with veggies which looked great. * Mediterranean Prawns: My mother-in-law ordered this dish and I was instantly jealous of her as it not only looked delicious but beautiful as well (very good sized portion). * Penne with Chicken (add broccoli): My wife got this dish as she was in the mood for something "simple" and she said that it was delicious. The tomato sauce at Roma is RIDICULOUSLY good... * Kids Spaghetti and Meatballs: My younger son got this and he finished it completed - that is a sign of a good Spaghetti and Meatballs in my opinion. read more

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Lovely Italian restaurant with good, friendly service. Found some gluten free options on the menu. Good flavors overall. Will come again. read more

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Great place to meet for an outdoor lunch. Food was nicely presented and service was attentive and friendly. They turned on the heat lamp for me so I spent a toasty time enjoying my spaghetti bolognese (extra saucy) and Prosecco. There was quite a number of tables for a Friday lunch, so it's nice to see them getting decent business during these tough times. read more

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What a great Italian restaurant! Seating was nice and not too crowded and the ambiance was nice. We had the fried calamari which was great because it also had fried artichoke and asparagus as well. The Caesar salad was also delicious! For dinner, we had Spaghetti Bolognese, Pesto gnocchi, and the seafood linguini. All pastas were incredibly fresh and tasty! Very delicious and will be back for more! read more

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We had Christmas lunch at Roma. We were upset that the building was extremely cold. When we asked about the heat they said it was an old heater and took a long time to heat the building. I would suggest turning the heat on way before customers arrive. The food was so so. The calamari appetizer was good. The eggplant parmesan had way too much breading and the pasta sauce had a strange sweet flavor. The linguine and clams was way too salty. We were very disappointed. We love Mezza Luna in Half Moon Bay. Perhaps this place could take some lessons from them. The waiter also forgot to tell us the specials. He told the people that sat at the table next to us and that is how we found out there were specials. read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant, the people are friendly, food is good, ambiance is nice. Unfortunately like many other eateries, they use a strongly fragrant solution to clean tables, and this overpowered the taste of my food. I was sitting outside on a lovely day and it was still overpowering. I wish restaurants would avoid fragrant cleaning solutions. read more

Very friendly service and beautiful al fresco patio dining with real ivy vines and a calming music. Loved that there's a sign in Italian at the front that says welcome, when you enter you are like family! We went early in the morning by chance and were fortunate to have the whole, clean patio to ourselves! The carbonara, while not authentic, was incredibly delicious with a runny yolk and creamy (wine-reduced?) sauce and the texture of the linguine were perfect. The mashed potatoes in the pork dish was so smooth and the crispy potatoes in the salmon dish were so tasty. I really liked the fresh burrata salad too! It was huge with plentiful arugula. This was a healthy and delicious start to the day! read more

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Went for a late afternoon lunch with friends and we had delicious meals. The service was fantastic.

My husband and I got very bad stomach pain after eating there last night. I threw up this morning and have been feeling sick. Got food poisoning here! read more

my favorite spot ever to visit when i do my treatments at stanford near by. the shrimp fettuccine is a must. the servers are the sweetest. i live in the east bay and when i come over anywhere near the palo alto i try so hard to stop here and get my favorite pasta. they have a beautiful outdoor seating on the main road and the staff are very friendly and service is amazing!!!! read more

Lovely spot. First the bread and oil.. bread soft and crusty. Oil is delicious. The mixture is sweet and tangy. Drinks were delicious Antipasto light, fresh and flavorful Chicken parmigiana nice portion Panna cotta creamy and tasty (birthday offering) Limoncello shots (birthday-offering) Service was on the slower side but allows you to converse with your table mates. Will definitely come back read more

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Popped in for dinner and asked to sit outside as it was quiet out there. As many places are in the Bay Area, the service was not great but this is very common here. The waiter forgot our drinks, then the food came out at different times so I had a salad in front of me for 10 minutes before my wife got her starter. Then the mains came out and again I got mine but hers came minutes later. The food was fine but nothing outstanding...just ok. read more

Roma - Food comes out at different times - Italian Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The place is nice and cozy. My favorite was the gorgonzola ravioli and the tiramisu (which they say they make there). Overall everything was pretty good, but nothing amazing. read more

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Stupefacente! (Italian for Amazing) This new discovery we came across in Menlo Park is Stupefacente! The pasta is really fresh. The sauces are mouth watering. The service is really good. But mostly... the Deserts. THE DESERTS!!! Get the panna cotta! It is so smooth. Make sure you bring your appetite. The portions are big. read more

Roma - Italian Near Me - Menlo Park, California

The ambiance is nice and very open air. They also have a full bar. The food is meh. The bread is just bad. The red sauce tastes like it is from a can. The pasta is packaged, not fresh. Much better italian restaurants for the same price or less. read more

I got a lemon drop martini and capadelli pomodoro with grilled chicken, it was really good. It gives an authentic Italian restaurant vibe which I love! Server Will was very personable and made our experience 10 times better. If you are around the area, I definitely recommend trying their delicious foods and drinks! read more

I dont eat at Italian restaurants but Dad wanted to try ( tables outside). I do love a standard Bolognese ( Spaghetti w/Meat sauce). It did come with alot of Meat ( more than il Fornaio) but I wanted to make suggestion? Im not Italian cook but I wonder if they sautee the ground beef first ( to give it a nice sear....or at least do that with half the meat...give half the meat a nice dark sear to give tons of flavour). Then do some type of sofrito ( tiny tiny pieces of Onion, Celery, Carrot like il Fornaio but il Fornaio did not give much meat and Roma (this place) gave more meat but i wanted to improve flavour)...So if you add a little Sofrito ( Onion,Celery) after saute the meat it might give layers of flavour. It was funny Dad wanted italian several weeks ago at Il Fornaio and although they had light sofrito, there was not too much tomato. But at Roma ( here) they had lots and lots of Tomato sauce but it was like almost too much Tomato. I like Tomato but it seem to miss somethng? Like tiny bit of sofrito? Otherwise ( with no sofrito) it comes out a little too Tomato like. Or if there is no time to make sofrito at least put some sauteed Onion? If I ever make spaghetti at home I sautee the onion with the meat and give it a good sear before adding the Tomato. Otherwise the tomato might be a little strong. Anyhow, maybe its just me. The waitstaff here were super nice. One man was super talkative ( I liked him) but we were not ready to order when he came but he did give us the specials ( which I highly appreciate). So Dad just needed time to look at the menu so the nice guy left us alone to study the menu. But later on...we needed more hot water ( we ordered 2 hot water) but nobody was around. But finally did give us the water. My suggestion is to give bigger hot water cup so you dont have refill just in case it get busy or put one extra teapot on table so waiter does not have to come by in case they forget. To make the Spaghetti Bolgonase more layer ( instead of just tasting like tomato only) maybe have super fresh pepper/salt on table. The Pepper on the table was hard to shake so I open the shaker to put more pepper but still did not have enough pepper taste. It would have made the Bolognese a little better? Again, I liked the staff so did not want to critque...later I ask another staff and he said something about the Chicken pasta ( I forgot which one..maybe cream? being really good). Dad had the Lamb Risotto. He really liked it. I liked it too ( I had one bite) but since Im picky, I think it needed Pepper. Again, if the pepper on the table had stronger pepper flavour would have made it great. The Lamb Risotto was one of the specials of the day for 35 dollars? Dad liked it. He also order the Mista salad..it was small salad but only 12 dollars. Maybe he should have tried another salad...it just seem super light. The best thing was the Flourless Chocolate Cake. At first, I did not want Chocolate but Dad wanted to try. It was amazing. It is not sweet....I mean, it is slightly or tiny sweet but the Chocolate was super rich, Dark and delicious. It was thick or texture very rich and almost like biting into pure chocolate. Its like Chocolate Mousse but super concentrated and just very Chocolately. I allow Mom to eat it. Even tho she is diabetic, since the cake was not too sweet, it was good for her. We all liked the cake, it might have been the more expensive dessert for 12 or 13 ( as most desserts or custards were 10 dollars). Dad also ordered Americano with cream. Im not sure they gave him cream. It was more like Steamed milk which would become like a cappucino. So Americano is kind of like coffee but maybe they just gave Dad steam milk instead of cream. I really want this place to do well since the staff were nice. BTW, one of them told me that the Flourless Chocolate cake did have Egg white (plus other secret ingredients) so it is super super healthy as Dark Chocolate has antioxidants ( its a super food). If we ever come back to Menlo Park, I want to try the Clam linguine or Clam pasta as it was only 26 dollars? if i remember correct. This italian restaurant seem to be reasonable and have cheaper options ( several weeks ago we went to Il Fornaio and it seem like all meat pastas were above 30, where as here at Roma, you can get clam pasta for only 26 ( and Salmon here is only 30 dollars so if you are into Salmon its cheaper than il Fornaio.) BTW, the lovely bread was free, it was a lovely sourdough, delicious. read more

We have been to Roma twice now. Both visits have been with reservations. The food and service has been good. Very clean and great seating outside. The wait staff is on top of it too. read more

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The hostess is really nice and there are lots of wait staff. However, the pasta on April 7th (friday night) was deeply disappointing! We ordered to go: bruschetta (impressive that they had the toasted bread separate from the wet ingredients to keep the right crunchiness) However, I felt they skimped on the balsalmic vinegar. Caprese was light, fresh, again, would've liked more balsalmic vinegar the problem with the pasta was that they all seemed to be the same sauce except "add garlic"(picante) or add meat "bolognese". For Capellini pomodoro, I'm used to a fresher sauce with just fresh tomatoes vs. this seemed like very cooked tomatoes from the same sauce as the bolognese and pollo picante. more marinara and less "fresh tomato sauce" For the pollo picante, there was nothing spicy about it. in fact, really unremarkable. the chicken was kind of off-putting with a rubbery feel. Didn't feel worth the $25. gnochhi pesto was good per my husband. appreciate the free sliced bread slices. Don't know if their usual chef was out? or what. read more

Try the gnocchi pesto best pesto pasta I've ever haddd. Restaurant is on the smaller side but doesn't take away from how nice everything looks! read more

Had a nice lunch here with family and friends. There are plenty of space outdoor, not crowded, and the food is pretty good. Good portion and fair price for the area. Service was good and attentive. If you want a nice and quiet meal, this is a good choice! read more

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Menu looked enticing and the establishment looks very homey vibes with indoor seating and outdoor seating. Pets allowed by the way on the patio seating (sidewalks of the restaurant). Immediately got greeted by the server assistant (busser) with water and bread service. Few minutes later server came by greeted himself, mentioned the specials, the soup of the day. We had him about my girlfriend's allergies. We were able to order things that we could share together. Sat down around 6pm. Ordered around 6:07pm. Received our appetizers at 6:28pm. 21 minutes for Burrata (literally a piece of burrata cheese, ramekin of pesto, and a few crostinis) and soggy, oily, flat disk crab cakes that looked pretty sad, see photos for reference. It literally tasted like I was eating day old corn beef hash it was that oily AND it was served to us knowing that we were sharing this and my gf can't have chiles. Received our entrees at 6:51pm. Coursing our meal was badly managed. The Sole Piccata looked like it had been waiting for the frozen seafood medley spicy linguine pasta as it was dying in the window. Fish drowned itself in broken lemon caper butter sauce. Flavor was fine, but definitely not to be desired. Restaurant was dead at the time that we were dining. Staffing was skeleton crew, 1 server, 1 server/bartender, and one busser. No manager to be seen. We happened to have what looked like it was the server/bartender. Fellow server checked on us once to ensure we had placed our order, after that, we were history. Teamwork flow was non-existent. Service was extremely slow and food was...let's just say, definitely won't be back. Didn't dare to try desserts nor even wait for it. read more

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Came to try this place last year in August and service did take a little longer than usual for our main entrees but luckily we ordered appetizers. Food was good, at least the ones we ordered. They serve bread with the dip that was really good. I believe it was olive oil, balsamic vinegar and something else. Came back again last month and service was better. Maybe because they had more staff ‍ read more

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* Food quality was very good, but the portion sizes were quite small for the prices charged. They should have been more generous. * Ordered online and the delivery via door dash was pretty quick. read more

Roma was able to take my team for a last-minute retirement party (the original restaurant we booked never put our reservation in their system, so I had to scramble to find another restaurant that could take 25 people within 24 hours). The ambiance of Roma can't be beat. It's charming, romantic & feels like your neighborhood spot in terms of familiarity. My team had the best time & raved about the service & food. They said it was the perfect location for an intimate team dinner & couldn't speak more highly of the menu & the staff. Thank you Roma for saving the day & for making our retirement event so memorable. read more

The food and service is superb. Their fettuccine is delicious! I would definitely go back. read more

The service was good. The ambiance was lovely. The two stars are for cutting corners. Let me explain: the fried calamari, Roma fettuccine, arugula beet salad, crab cakes, and the veal piccata were delicious, BUT since mom has celiac disease, there were a few surprising items she couldn't eat!! For example, mashed potatoes, gelato, cream brulee, and chocolate mousse, these 4 items SHOULD NOT have any kind of gluten in them! Our server, R. G. , asked the chef if there was gluten in these items and sure enough there was! So I asked about the gelato and he said that since the gelato isn't made in the restaurant, he's not sure if it would have gluten in it, but the cream brulee and mousse was made in the restaurant and for sure they have gluten in them! I feel that they use flour to fluff up the volume and cut corners in the more expensive ingredients. Word to the wise, celiac or not, ask about the ingredients used in certain foods and desserts at ANY restaurant! Make sure that they're being authentic! read more

Ate here for lunch. First of all if you are looking for a nice outdoor seating restaurant, this one has a beautiful setting. We shared a bruschetta appetizer and it was really good. My daughter had the Caesar salad and it was good. I got the skirt steak sandwich. It was a little above okay. My complaint with this place is I feel their lunch prices are a little high. Good food and ambiance, just pricey. I do recommend. read more

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Incredible dining experience. Highly recommend to everyone looking for the best Italian in the area. The appetizers were delicious, ambiance was just right, and the staff was super welcoming. We had pasta and salmon, they were all delicious, hot and cooked just right. My favorite was the carpaccio. Soft, tender, super pink and fresh, seasoned and complemented just right with e.v.o.o, lemons, capers, and arugula. For desert, the bread pudding was the ultimate top off for the night. Must try, any time of the week. You won't regret it. read more

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5 - Stars. Amazing Italian food and at a good price. Mind you this is normally a dine-in restaurant so I'm saying good price as $32 for Filet Mignon as opposed $50 and $27 for Linguine Seafood. The Linguine Seafood had a ton of fish , shrimp , scallops and muscles. The photos don't do it justice I had to remember to stop and the a photo. Bruschetta was nice the only thing that was different was the Shrimp Scampi had tomatoes in the sauce which wasn't expecting. Wonderful anniversary meal while taking our son to the Children's Hospital. read more

Roma - Had to stop early, had eaten a bunch already! - Italian Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Super friendly staff and very safe and nice atmosphere for outdoor dining during COVID. It was also the first time my 4-month old puppy tried outdoor dining. They were super nice and brought my puppy water and treats! Thank you for an amazing experience. Sorry, my puppy barked a lot!!! Oh the food was impeccable!!! read more

Roma - Italian Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Where to begin? This place didn't even have a chance to ever open their doors before COVID, hence the lack of reviews. Their prep time was remarkably fast and the flavors are Devine! We got the Gorgonzola ravioli, the sausage rigatoni, the chicken parm and the fried calamari. Everything was delicious and fresh! The seasoned veggies with the chicken parm- I could eat a whole plate of those! I can't wait to dine in in the future. Edit- we have returned since SIP orders have been changed and our server Burke was outstanding!! A beautiful patio set up next to the closed off road allows for a peaceful experience read more

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Took over 40 mins for them to deliver the bruschetta and the meatball appetizers. The bruschetta was tasty but the meatballs were totally not worth $18. 4 tiny meatballs. Took another 30 mins for our pasta to be delivered after the apps. The risotto was tasty but not spectacular and the other pasta was similarly decent. Given the high price point and long wait time, I don't think the quality of the food is worth those detriments. read more

They had lots of outdoor seating and staff were all wonderful and attentive! We had arugula salad, ravioli ( Gorgonzola) , mushroom risotto, and more. The flourless chocolate was so rich! Great new local place to go to! read more

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We found this spot on Yelp and decided to try it for dinner on Easter. Water, bread, and OO were served almost the moment we were seated. Our family ordered: beef carpaccio, warm cabbage salad, kid's grilled chicken and broccoli, kid's spaghetti and meatballs, seafood linguini, veal scaloppini, and their infamous panna cotta. All were very tasty. The service was phenomenal! Food came out quickly and plates were cleared in the blink of an eye. We will be adding this restaurant to our family dinners. Thank you so much for making our Easter even more special. read more

Came here to celebrate my partner's bday with a bunch of friends. It has cute outdoor seatings with nice lightings. The restaurant offered us complimentary chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream at the end since it's a bday celebration. The pasta I got was quite a lot and kinda overbearing so I had it for two meals. read more

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Of course what's important is the food, and it was DELICIOUS. The bolognese is one of my favorite comfort foods and the chicken florenzi had a tangy spicy sauce that was pretty addictive. However, everything else was a pain. We ordered our main courses around 5:10 when only two other tables were seated, but we didn't receive our food till 6:12. Not once did a waiter check on us, we had to grab their attention and couldn't even succeed in that. At first I was happy they seated us in the smaller side room for a quiet romantic evening with my date, but somehow they decided seating a large party of four adults and five young children in a small echoey room was a good idea. I've been here several times before and loved it every time, but will not come here for dinner again, maybe lunch on a weekday. No dig at any particular waiter though, I'm sure the whole system wasn't functioning tonight. read more

I may be biased since I have spend more than 5 months in Italy over the past 12 months... but... The outdoor dining area was nice. Lunch was not busy and service was good. The table bread was OK. The food was not enjoyable. We ordered Brushetta for appetizers. What was odd was that the dice tomatoes were VERY cold, like they had been pre frozen and prepared. The bread was also cold. I just thought this was odd, tomatoes should always be at minimal room temperature, and the bread for bruschetta room temperature or even warm, but not cold. My friend ordered the chicken parm- he said it was OK. I ordered the Sole- which should be a special fish. But it tasted like white fish, bland, and no texture or flavor from the sauteed cooking. It was very bland and not enjoyable, especially for the $28 price tag. All of the food overall was very bland. It was food, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't good either. read more