Great sourdough pizza, fresh pasta, and the Caesar salad was spot on. Save room for gelato!

One of the best meals I have ever had! Actually two of the best meals, as we returned the second night that we were in town. Flavorful al dente pasta, with beautiful sauces, the type you savor! read more

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I got an egg bagel to go because the menu that is on yelp is not the most recent or accurate. Service was OK and the food was OK. For the price I could've made my own. read more

My husband and I had dinner at Rudolfo's for the first time tonight. It was delicious!! Cheesy bread was perfection, spaghetti and meatballs superb and carbonara yum!! Service was great, recommend calling in advance if you'd like an inside table. Very pleased and will return! read more

Delicious food. Great service, I highly recommend checking this place out. The hand breaded onion wings were a hit.

Food was delicious, service was great! We got the bolognese, the black truffle fries & the special of the day the brisket sandwich. read more

Rudolfo's - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Was looking for some good Italian food after visiting the lighthouse near by. Love going to local places and not chains.... this is no Olive ------.... service was good ... great ambiance . Had a side Ceasars salad ... really good . Not sure how they get that cheese so fine ... then I ordered lasagna and my wife had the fettuccine with chicken.... Both dishes hit homeruns ... sooooo good ... also had some cheese bread focaccia ... that did it ... this was our 10th anniversary dinner and we plan to revisit when we come back to the area .... would love to try some of the other dishes and maybe a dessert. Great portions also ... Thank you read more

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Service 5 stars Food 5 stars Vibe 5 stars Experience 5 stars We were introduced to Rudolfo's food at Pebble Beach Food & Wine and were excited to try his restaurant. Did not disappoint is the biggest understatement ever. I called late in the afternoon to make a reservation and was told I would be put on a waitlist and called if something earlier came up. Less than an hour later we got the call and we were in early! The service, from being greeted as soon as we walked in the door, was attentive, comfortable and excellent. Multiple table touches, water constantly refilled, orders taken promptly, food served at a perfect pace and table cleared regularly. Now for the food. My daughter and I love dining out and make the most of our experiences by ordering a variety. We started with the Cheesy Garlic Focaccia and Fried Chicken, then the Spicy Rigatoni Alla Vodka and Organic Beef Lasagna, and took home a Tiramisu because we couldn't eat any more but also couldn't pass it up. The food was divine. The focaccia was the perfect texture and came in handy to scrape up every bit of sauce from our pasta. The fried chicken was perfectly juicy and the batter was so good and crunchy. The rigatoni spice was perfect and the lasagna is the best one I have ever had. Honestly, everything we had was absolutely delicious and so cravable. My daughter had the Paloma cocktail that was pretty and pretty dang good. The tiramisu managed to last about ten minutes after we got home, and it was perfect. A highly anticipated experience that exceeded all expectations. Cannot wait to go back to repeat our 20 star experience! read more

Everything was fantastic! The ceasar salad was wonderful as well as the chicken parmagane and spicy pasta.

Following a friend's lead, we are trying to head out to new spots or spots we haven't visited in a while. Rudolfo's Cafe in Pacific Grove just happens to be one we have not visited in quite some time. The last visit was just after Cafe Ariana was taken over by its new owner. We had become regulars at Cafe Ariana since moving here so the whole sale was somewhat sad to us. I also believe it just took some time for the new owner/chef to make the place his own. Rudolfo Ponce has done just that! The restaurant itself has been refreshed. New awning outside with fresh paint and decor inside makes this spot cozy and inviting. The live edge table in the center with the vase of fresh flowers is just a beautiful accent. Gone is the dessert refrigerator that used to sit in the front corner by the window, replaced with a table for dining. Those two window seats are a great place to dine and watch people stroll by. Bonus when the Lighthouse Jazz Band is performing next door on Friday and Saturday evenings. I had all intentions of splitting an appetizer with Marty and then enjoying the Apple Smoked Half Chicken with Baby Portobello Risotto. However, the appetizer we ordered, House Made Rosemary Focaccia with Burrata, Fig Jam and Kalamata Olives, turned out to be much more than we bargained on. We were served six generous slices of delicious focaccia, a large burrata ball, along with melon, figs, berries, fig jam and the olives for only $16. I find that price more than reasonable considering we pay $10 for the burrata ball alone at the grocery. We devoured this delicious platter. Our bottle of Brunello was a perfect accompaniment! It was interesting to me how well the sticky fig jam complimented everything on the platter to include the olive. Who doesn't love salty sweet combinations. Had there been some prosciutto on this platter, I would have been over the moon. The appetizer was so filling there was no way I was going to enjoy a huge meal of chicken and risotto. I suggested splitting one of their Doppio Zerro Pizzas and Marty happily complied. I will admit the last time we visited right after the new owner took over, we were sorely disappointed in the pizza. It was burnt and toppings were somewhat sparse. However, I was eager to retry as he was now using the Doppio Zerro flour and had rehashed the recipes again making them his own. We chose the Paesano with sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms and caramelized onion. The crust, especially the outside edges were just delicious. The toppings were plentiful and fresh. I enjoyed all of the flavors in the pie. My one complaint, and I blame us for ordering a pizza with so many toppings, was that the middle of the pizza was somewhat soggy. Next time I might ask them to leave it in the oven just a bit longer to get that nice char (not burn) on the crust and choose an offering that did not have so many toppings that just add to the "soggy" factor. I would order their pizza again! I love that they have a build your own options and offer gluten free crust as well as pasta for those that can't tolerate gluten. We couldn't finish the pizza and ended up taking half home so no dessert for us. I will say the offerings in that case next to the register looked delicious as did the gelato. One of the cakes in particular caught my eye...a rich chocolate slice with a peanut butter drizzle. Next time! We will definitely return. Next time no appetizer and straight to the chicken and risotto. Maybe I'll even be able to splurge on one of the delicious desserts! Or perhaps we'll return for lunch and just share the Focaccia bread with Burrata. To be honest, that was more than enough for both of us. At any rate, a hearty congratulations to the chef and owner on changing things up and making this place his own! read more

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The restaurant is clean and staff was friendly. I stopped in on Friday afternoon around 3 and didn't have to wait for a table. While several menu choices caught my eye, I opted for the build your own pizza. It's very rare to see grilled eggplant as a topping choice so I got that with artichoke and tomatoes. I also asked for a side of Parmesan. The pizza was delicious and quite possibly the best crust I've had! It was fluffy yet crispy on the edges and thin on the bottom. There were plenty of toppings and melty cheese for the cheese pull. read more

Rudolfo's - Build your own pizza - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Our favorite PG spot. We love all the pasta's, pizza's, sandwiches, burgers, doesn't matter, it's all good.

Loved it so much we came back for more the second night! We came for the first time on Friday evening. Was pretty busy but we had a reservation. We ordered the chicken Parmesan, bolognese, and spicy rigatoni. Wow. Spicy rigatoni was the star of the show for me. We ended up ordering again for take out on Saturday. I opted to swap out the chicken Parmesan pasta (comes with bolognese) for the spicy pasta rigatoni and wow that is how I will order from now on. So delicious! My only "complaint" would be that I wish they were more heavy handed/consistent with the Parmesan like I've seen in other reviews. read more

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Excellent pizza. We ordered the make your own pizza with red sauce , and selected sausage, mushrooms, and caramelized onions for our 3 toppings. Fantastic! We also had the strawberry and beet salad which was excellent. read more

Nice small spot but very loud, even when only 1/3 full it felt awfully loud in there. I had carbonara which was good but unfortunately water based pasta. And server kinda looked at me funny when I asked for ground pepper on it and she never brought the pepper (which I love on pasta). My partner had a pizza which was great and portion sizes were perfect. read more

Food and service were excellent. I got a mushroom pizza and gelato. The marinara sauce is amazing and they use fresh house made ingredients for everything they cook. They also have the best gelato in town. read more

Food was absolutely delicious! I would give 5 stars for the food. Unfortunately the service was unsatisfactory for the most part. In addition to messing up our order, our server let our drinks sit empty the entire time we were there and never offered to refill them. For $100 bucks for lunch for two people, I expect better service. read more

Rudolfo prepares the most delicious Italian fare with large portions at a great price. We shared the huge Caesar salad, the handmade lemon ravioli, then the luscious meatball appetizer sitting in Rudolfo's recipe for the best marinara sauce with two large pieces of Italian bread with tasty olive oil and Sea or Kosher Salt.....we ordered the same bread to take home. Memorable!!!!! We will drive up from the Bay Area to Pacific Grove to enjoy his creations again and again during the year. Thank you Rudolfo!!! read more

Came here for a group dinner and was blown away by the hospitality! Such kind people and waiters. Loved the beautiful outdoor seating, and the food was great. Our table got a bunch of espresso martinis, the cheesy focaccia, and the Brussels sprouts. Highly recommend those. My boyfriend had the carbonara and thought the pasta was good! I got the pear arugula and loved it. read more

Rudolfo's - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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The food is so good, we can taste the ingredients are fresh. Service is good, the crew always check on us. Definitely I will come back to try other dishes in the menu. Highly recommended! read more

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We didn't have a positive and enjoyable and relaxing experience at Rudolfo's Cafe. Service was not personable and friendly. Lasagna was too salty. We had a smaller table, they brought the appetizers and salad and main meals all at the same time, there was no space left on the table for all these plates. Reached out to the manager to no avail, she was very ineffective. read more

Desserts are amazing amazing. Came for lunch and had bees knees pizza. Perfect amount of spice and honey. Salad good but nothing special. Want to come back for dinner and get pasta. read more

Delicious and great experience dining at Rodolfo's Cafe! We had Sandro Burger and Chicken Parmesan, and it was flavorful and authentic! Service was good, great welcoming vibes. Would highly recommend and will defiantly come back! read more

I ordered the Cesar salad with chicken and a side of focaccia to go. Focaccia was warm and delicious the lettuce was very fresh and the chicken was cooked perfectly. read more

Great food great service wonderful atmosphere. Everything is fresh love the restaurant and the people.

Super cute restaurant in Pacific Grove with excellent fresh food. The arugula salad, turkey sandwich and tri-tip sandwich were all delicious. The artichoke was ok- a little hard and not much meat. Excellent service. Definitely recommend. read more

We only went for dessert so I can't comment on the other food but the gelato and cake were fantastic! Our group got espresso bean, caramel sea salt, and rocky road gelato plus chocolate peanut butter cake and everyone loved it all. The place is super cute and the service was nice too. read more

Rudolfo's - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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The new fried chicken appetizer is amazing and so was the Spicy rigatoni definitely my new favorite spot ! read more

Rudolfo's - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

OMG, fresh, fine ingredients! The tastes we're on point! Definitely know what they are doing. Great staff, very friendly! You will leave satisfied. read more

I went here for my birthday and I was so excited. This was probably one of the most disappointing experiences I've ever had. I've worked in the service industry for years so I ALWAYS give benefit of the doubt. We sat down and one of the first things I noticed was how sticky the table was but I didn't really care because it happens and people are busy. The food came and I must say the portions are generous and looked beautiful. That was about it for the food. It was the most tasteless and bland thing me and my girlfriend have ever had. We are not picky eaters or above any kind of food. It just wasn't good and I tried to like it so bad. We always finish our food but couldn't do that here. I'm hoping it was just an off day but I can't even see myself giving it another shot to try again. read more

Melissa looks like she don't be needing to eat out. This place is awesome with unbelievable portions for the price.

The pizzas are all excellent - crunchy and chewy crust! The spaghetti, meatballs and lasagna are all perfectly seasoned. And the gelato is delish! There is a reason there is always a line out the door. A must try! read more

What can be said when you are lied to then refused service? Yesterday, I went inline to make reservations. You cannot do it online. I called at noon, was told by a young lady no reservations were needed. So, on a Friday night my adult daughter and I went at 5 pm to avoid possible crowds. The restuarant was 1/4 full and we approached the door. Was told by young man if we didn't have reservations the nearest time we could be seated was 8 pm. He apologized for the wrong advice I got but that was it. We left and went directly next door to a great Italian restaurant that we were very please with. As we sat in the restuarant next door I had a full view of Rudolfis patio. There were 4 open tables for the entirety in which we ordered, ate and enjoyed coffee. We left and took a walk. We walked past Rudolfos patio 20 mins later and those same tables were vacant still. Simple fact is we were given wrong information, met with a pretentious but polite young man and watched for 90 mins several tables go vacant. Good part was, we loved the next door restaurants food. read more

Service friendly; Ambience okay; all pasta dishes cooked properly (al dente). One dish, however, although tasty enough, was served over-sauced to the point of creating a soup. The pizza was flavorless - no taste whatsoever. Gelato not great. read more

We ordered takeout valentines evening & chose several recommended items. It was extremely busy but the order took less than 30 mins to prepare for pickup. Everything was incredible but The Bees Knees pizza & Short rib ravioli was by far the most flavorful! I wish we would have had the opportunity to dine in before our trip ended but we look forward to returning for the full experience. read more

Best little restaurant in town! Shared fettuccine Alfredo my daughter got focaccia bread. We will definitely be coming back as a regular.

4.75 Cute decor, casual, with delicious food! Service was also amazing! Definitely recommend read more

It's a lotta food... Had lasagna- very nice w/good sauce cheese meat ratio Onion rings nicely done - pretty much the whole onion Tortilla soup tonight, nice variation w/black beans Seems like they bake their own focaccia bread - nice light hand on the spice Had leg of lamb as a special item - delicious & delightful Prompt service Tiramisu is as it should be- light and creamy Indoor/outdoor seating available read more

Rudolfo's - Lasagna (about half) - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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We enjoyed our dinner at Rudolfo's. It is a comfortable, intimate restaurant. On a Thursday night, it was busy so a reservation is advised. The salad (an interesting onion dressing, lettuce with potato chips on top) we ordered was plenty to serve two. We chose the bucatini carbonara and short rib ravioli which were delicious. For dessert, the key lime pie was interesting and tasty (more of a cake texture). Service was attentive, and we will return. read more

The food is excellent! The Italian options are great but the fried chicken appetizer doesn't explain that it is bone-in and the sauce is over the to spicy! We loved the Italian food but the atmosphere is like a cafeteria - loud and very casual for the price. There is only one restroom and it is dirty and needs upgrades and also can be a long wait. It has potential but needs upgrades to the esthetics for the expense that it is. read more