Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in Peninsula

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Italian cuisine in Peninsula? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Cafe Pro Bono

4.9

4.9 (1426)

$30 and under

Italian

Palo Alto

About the restaurant

Cafe Pro Bono stands as Palo Alto's premier destination for exquisite Italian cuisine. With a legacy spanning over 30 years, we take pride in offering a diverse array of authentic and reasonably priced Italian and European dishes, each crafted with a dedication to freshness that is evident in every bite.

Whether you seek a romantic evening or a casual dinner, our menu features a wide selection of traditional dishes at accesible prices. From beautifully presented appetizers to homemade pastas, daily fresh seafood, quality meats, and indulgent desserts, complemented by expertly crafted cocktails we strive to ensure every visit is a memorable culinary experience.

Consider our Private Event Room for your next rehearsal dinner, birthday celebration, baby shower, family gathering or business meeting. Our full bar offers a variety of cocktails, including alongside domestic and international wines.

We look forward to welcoming you soon to Cafe Pro Bono.

Buon Appetito!!!

Top review

JoyceVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Once again, we had an excellent experience at Cafe ProBono. Service was superb, food delicious and timely, and ambiance delightful. My favorite is the gorgonzola pear salad and horseradish salmon, but all our appetizers, entrees, and deserts were wonderful. Strongly recommend Cafe Pro Bono!!!

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Popular dish

Rigatoni

888 Ristorante Italiano

4.9

4.9 (613)

$30 and under

Italian

San Carlos

About the restaurant

If you’ve ever enjoyed the 888 dining experience, you know it’s not like your average Bay Area Italian restaurant. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown San Carlos, 888 Ristorante Italiano brings authentic flavors of Italy to Laurel Street. 888 was created from a passion for Italian cuisine that’s deep-rooted in the Maddalena family. Owner Vince Maddalena and Chef Raul learned their craft through growing up in the restaurant industry. Specifically, Maddalena’s, owned by Vince’s dad for over 30 years in Palo Alto. When Vince’s dad closed shop, Vince knew he wanted to continue sharing his passion for food with the public. And so 888 was born! When it comes to cooking, we never take shortcuts. Almost all of our menu is made in-house and we keep things fresh by changing our dishes as seasons come and go. Enjoy our intimate dining experience with a significant other, family and friends or just let us know if you have a large group and we would be happy to accommodate. Your host, Vincenzo Maddalena, would like to welcome you to his restaurant for a unique dining experience of authentic Italian cuisine. Buon Appetito!

Top review

KathleenVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Excellent delicious food. Impeccable service. Lovely restaurant.

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Popular dish

Calamari Fritti

Divino Belmont

4.9

4.9 (1249)

$30 and under

Italian

Belmont

About the restaurant

Divino Ristorante serves delicious, authentic regional Italian cuisine, in a casually elegant and comfortable setting. Since first opening its doors on Ralston Avenue in Belmont, it has enjoyed rave reviews for its beautifully prepared and presented Italian fare and excellent service. Conveniently located on Ralston Avenue near El Camino Real, you can enjoy the freshest pasta, salads, seafood, veal, chicken and lamb dishes attractively presented with the experience of dining in Italy. Allow our professional staff to assist you in choosing the perfect wine from any region of Italy to perfectly complement your meal. For your next dinner with friends or family, or for a romantic dinner for two, you can count on Divino.

Top review

SylviaVIP

Dined 2 days ago

As always a wonderful experience. Good food, drinks and service. Divino is our neighborhood gem:).

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La Stanza Cucina Italiana

4.8

4.8 (565)

$30 and under

Italian

Menlo Park

About the restaurant

2020 We newly remodeled a warm and cozy Italian Sicilian restaurant we have two chefs owners in our kitchen preparing house made pasta and bread everyday please come and join us and taste our house made dishes. Angelo Cucco is from a small twon in Sicily and Miguel have ran a few kitchens in the peninsula come and let us make you feel a home

Top review

UnjiVIP

Dined 7 days ago

I had an absolutely wonderful dining experience here! The food was incredibly delicious—every dish was bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. The service was equally impressive; the staff were attentive, friendly, and made us feel truly welcomed. It’s clear they care about both the food they serve and their customers’ experience. This place has definitely earned a spot on my favorites list, and I can’t wait to come back!

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Popular dish

Arancini di Riso

Vivace - Belmont

4.7

4.7 (2376)

$30 and under

Italian

Belmont

About the restaurant

Translated from the Italian language, Vivace means "lively", which is exactly the ambiance at Vivace - Belmont where culinary creations join with excellent wines to celebrate the cuisine of Northern Italy. Highly regarded as one of the best restaurants on the Peninsula, Vivace Ristorante is located in the charming city of Belmont. The warm interior is designed as to permit the viewing of the talented chefs as they prepare an array of Italian dishes with emphasis in the regions of Piemonte and Toscana. With its exceptional cuisine, elegant ambiance, high level of service, and extensive wine list (2003-2019 Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence), Vivace creates a wonderful dining experience in which the gastronomia of Northern Italy is celebrated everyday!

Top review

BillVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Outstanding service and delicious Italian food. Vivace never disappoints! We love going there. Their wine list and bar are fantastic too!

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Popular dish

Skirt Steak

Experience

🥂 Brunch with Us! Enjoy $15 Bottomless Mimosas

La Lanterna Ristorante

4.7

4.7 (997)

$30 and under

Italian

San Mateo

About the restaurant

Open since 2001, La Lanterna is a family-owned business with Ramon Lopez as Executive Chef and Jennifer Villa-McGuffin service as manager. Prior to opening, Ramon and Jennifer were employed at various fine dining restaurants in the San Francisco Peninsula. With his own signature style, Chef Ramon has received numerous accolades and is honored to serve you at La Lanterna.

Top review

CarolVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Excellent food and Hector excellent server. We love eating there.

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4.8

4.8 (966)

$30 and under

Italian

Burlingame

About the restaurant

Sapore Italiano is a relaxed Italian eatery known for its tasty bread and hearty cuisine. The restaurant serves everything, from pizzas and salads, to veal scaloppine Marsala and tiger prawns with a basil and white wine sauce. Try Sapore Italiano's homemade meat lasagna or signature insalata Sapore with greens, chicken breast, raisins and sliced apples in a balsamic vinaigrette for lunch. Sapore Italiano's dinner menu includes irresistible antipasti like carpaccio Veneto with raw beef, shaved Parmesan, arugula, Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon. The restaurant's rigatoni with ground sausage and vegetarian pizza are both standout dishes. A large wine list includes a nice variety of Italian and Californian wines. Sapore Italiano also serves gluten-free and whole wheat pastas.

Top review

Aline

Dined on Dec 8, 2024

I love this restaurant, the best Italian food. Thank you again

Trellis Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (840)

$30 and under

Italian

Menlo Park

About the restaurant

Trellis, with the truly unique upstairs patio offers, "al fresco dining" along with it many other charms. Fresh Italian seasonal menu, the vibrant specials and the daily homemade bread, soups and desserts are tantalizing. A warm-comfortable dining room and banquet-catering facilities with 2 full bars - Trellis is the choice for any occasion. Banquet facilities are available for groups from 10 to 120 guests and the Chef will gladly consult on any special banquet catering needs.
We look forward to serving you!

Top review

RitaVIP

Dined on Dec 3, 2024

The food is wonderful and the servers are friendly as is the owner.

Luceti's on 25th Avenue

4.8

4.8 (925)

$31 to $50

Italian

San Mateo

About the restaurant

A taste of Tuscany and local treasure that is simply delicious. For over three decades, Luceti's has served Italian cuisine created by world class chef and awarded San Franciscan, Roger Bertola. Founder of the legendary Doro's, Ruggero's and master chef of Fior and the Iron Horse. Mr. Bertola was also the personal chef to generals Eisenhower and Paton. Today, Luceti's owners carry on the same tradition and cuisine that was started by Dr. Ron Luceti in 1984. Luceti's is a great place for private parties and business meetings.

Top review

Suzanne

Dined on Dec 14, 2024

A gem of a restaurant! Like traveling back in time to when dining was an event and the owners took extra care to make sure your evening was fabulous. The food and service was spectacular. It’s our new favorite restaurant.

Original Joe's Westlake

4.8

4.8 (4874)

$30 and under

Italian

Daly City

About the restaurant

After a two-year closure, Original Joe's, San Francisco’s quintessential Italian-American dining destination, revitalized iconic Daly City institution Joe’s of Westlake, and reintroduced it into the community as Original Joe’s Westlake. An anchor of Daly City from 1956 to 2014, Original Joe’s Westlake underwent an extensive two-year renovation, complete with a front-to-back interior remodel, including the kitchen and all dining spaces, and an exterior and landscaping overhaul. Following the Original Joe’s tradition, Westlake continues to prepare unpretentious, old-school Italian-American fare in an open kitchen for all to see. The menu is carefully crafted to reflect a past-meets-present hybrid of what Joe’s of Westlake used to be and what Original Joe’s Westlake is today.

Top review

SusanVIP

Dined 3 days ago

We had an early holiday dinner with my family. The food was great. The atmosphere and service were excellent from our waiter Ishmeil (sp?) to David, the manager, who helped us with our next reservation (we needed to add one and he accommodated our request). Joe's of W has always been our go.

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