Filippo's Pastaria

Actually we have eaten there at least 15 times and have always had decent and friendly service. We used to go at least every 2 months now we go every 4-6 months. The main problem we have is that the vegetarian choices keep changing or diminishing. They used to have several low-fat/ vegan choices now they seem to have none. Their veggie sandwich used to be made with roasted eggplant/veggies now it is made with cheese and tomatoes (pretty bland). Their salads and pastas are all quite good and the garlic bread is yummy. So if you are a vegan there isn't much to eat. Although the ambience is nice enough the acoustics are poor so when the restaurant is crowded it is very loud. But despite a few drawbacks,we'll eat there again. Pros: Great garlic bread!, Reasonable prices! Cons: Menu changes more

This is a nice corner restaurant on the Berkeley/Albany border. Atrractive decor, very good food, quick and friendly service, and good prices. The spinach ravioli is a standout on the regular menu, and I enjoy the salmon pasta with tomato when it's offered. Excellent value -- I'm surprised the prices are so reasonable considering what is offered plus the location on Solano. It can get a bit noisy at times, but that's the only drawback. Pros: Food, value Cons: Sometimes noisy more

Much like it's sister College Ave. restaurant, this place could use a course in how to wait tables. The food is always tasty: the pasta dishes are terrific, the salads are great, even the lemonade is really good. The wait staff is totally clueless on how to treat customers. On a few occasions, the service has been decent, but the bad experiences tend to overshadow the positive ones. The food is really good, and extremely affordable. Unfortunately, sometimes my husband and I are not in the mood to gamble on whether or not we'll get good service, so we pass on Filippo's and go somewhere else. Pros: delicious pasta, affordable Cons: indifferent waitstaff more