Trattoria LA Siciliana

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2993 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705

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(510) 704-1474
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Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Trattoria LA Siciliana - Berkeley, CA
Reviews
( 12 )
( 13 )
( 4 )
( 0 )
( 10 )

Best

Exceptional. My favorite is Penne Ariabata. Folks, this is a guaranteed winner if you have some family or friends in town for dinner. The atmosphere is lively and fun. I've liv...

Worst

I was a loyal fan for the years after this place first opened and the brother's sister Julianna worked there. I hadn't gone in several years and lately went four times. The wait...

sicily's greatest 11/28/2006

When you think Italian food has been overdone, come to Trattoria! My friend and I discovered this while... more
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sicily's greatest 11/28/2006

Peter Provided by Partner
When you think Italian food has been overdone, come to Trattoria! My friend and I discovered this while randomly driving down College Ave. I prais... more
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Great Food, very hospitable, worth the wait 11/27/2006

We've been to T la S many times and always have enjoyed good food and service. We're prepared for a relaxed, slow paced meal so we're not unused to dinner taking up to 2 hours on weekends. We've hired Jerry and Angelo to cater our company party last year ('05) and they were wonderfully received and commented upon. We're using them again this year, '06 and are looking forward to more rave reviews. I've read the negative reviews and the positive ones and they seem like they're written about different restaurants? As I said, we continue to love the place and take friends there for their first time and have only had positive responses. Pros: Good Sicilian food, served fresh and hot Cons: If you're ready for a relaxing meal, then a bit of a wait is o.k. - go early for faster seating more
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Excellent Food, Poor Management 1/10/2006

I love the food but hate the service. It's not so much the waiters; they are friendly and helpful. The problem seems to be getting seated promptly with or without reservations, and obvious favortism of regulars. more
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Appalling service 1/8/2006

Having been here once before, I brought my aunt here boasting how great this place is. Unfortunately this time was far different. Our service was deplorable. We were routinely ignored while others promptly received their dishes. We got there at 4:45 and were the very first people to be seated for dinner. We ordered an appetizer and two dishes. Our simple appetizer of sliced cheese took an hour to make its way to our table. We didnt get your dishes until 7:15. Well over 2 hours after we were seated. During this time everyone else around us received their food promptly. Almost all had even finished and left before we got our food. Even people who had entered the restaurant more than an hour after us were getting their dishes. I have never had a worse experience at a restaurant. Pros: good food Cons: Bad Service, Inattentive staff, Unapologetic service more
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favorite italian restaurant 12/16/2005

i think that trattoria la siciliana has some of the best pasta and flavors in the bay area. they are really nice people, but it takes a long time to get your food because there are only two people cooking. the price is reasonable, but they force you to eat family style with parties of four or more, and that really limits your selection. my recommendations are: the linguine with prawns in zesty garlic red sauce (delicious sauce!), the penne a la carbonara (cheesy white sauce, lots of chopped bacon), and the porcini ravioli. oh, if your party is three or more, CALL FOR RESERVATIONS. once three friends and i waited THREE hours for our table - sure, it was at the end of may, around berkeley's graduation, but still, the wait was long... and i guess the most important take-away: we waited and have been back many times since. more
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My Last Meal 12/9/2005

My wife and I were going to eat here as we have many times before. We knew we would have to wait but the food would be worth it. We arrive and there was 1 table ahead of us and we are told the wait will be quick. As we wait and watch the owner cook, some friends of the chef/owner show up, state they need to make it to a movie, and the owner gives them free wine, and OUR table, right in front of us. Seeing that we knew what happened, he tried to appease us with a single 1/16th full glass of wine. We ended up waiting an extra 23 min(total:55min) until we were seated. At what point is great food no longer worth it, right here. Couldnt have felt less important. Pros: great food Cons: long wait, poor service, cramped more
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Dont go there 10/4/2005

Leave it for the regulars, like me. Its too good for you! more
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Try Upstairs 6/16/2005

I have a hard time with the negative reviews. Every time I've been there (5 or 6 times), I've been transported to wonderful place and come out with a smile. Try getting a table upstairs, maybe that will help. I know it can be cold by the front door. Pros: food, service, atmosphere more
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Best Italian Outside of Italy 3/15/2005

Trattoria la Siciliana is me and my fiance's favorite place to eat! The restaurant is small and intimate, has a fun atmosphere and a great staff. And then there's the food! I haven't tried anything I haven't liked! All the dishes are amazing! Then to think the chef makes each dish fresh! This isn't the Olive Garden where they heat up some pre-cooked pasta and throw on some sauce that's been sitting around all day. This is the real deal!We take everyone we know here. We love this place so much we're even having our wedding reception dinner here! It's the kind of place you can take a big group and order a couple bottles of wine and some great food and sit back and relax and be loud and happy and no one is going to get uppity about it. We love it and wouldn't change a thing! Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Great staff Cons: Parking more
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Great Food, But Not Without Some Gripes 2/2/2005

This is my favorite Italian place ever, and I am a regular there. But it has its drawbacks. The wait, while long, is made bearable due to the garlicky olive oil dip they serve with their bread. The food is excellent, no matter your selection. I would recommend the linguini a la vongole with clams & white wine sauce, and the veal rolls. Their pastas are just out of this world. However, a few items on their menu seem to be never available because of their small kitchen (why not just take it off the menu?), and their servers can be very very pushy when it comes to deciding on what you want, especially if you have a large group. That said, I take all my foodie friends to this place whenever they're in town, because it's that good. Pros: Food Cons: Parking , Crowded , Pushy Service more
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Italy on College 12/27/2004

The wait is frustrating, the food is incredibly expensive and the ambiance is average. That being said, I can't wait to go back. The food is incredible. If you truly love authentic italian food this restaurant is a ""can't miss."" Bring lots of cash though, no credit cards. Pros: Food, Food, Food Cons: , crowded, ambiance more
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Excellent Food 10/2/2004

Basically, this restaurant serves the most authentic Italian food. I was there last night. There was an unbelievable long wait. As soon as we got sat and had dinner, we realized why so many people wait to eat at this restaurant. We had the most amazing sausage and peppers, risotto with clams, mussels, and shrimp. We also had one of the specials, a buccatini pasta with cauliflower, pinenuts, and raisins. What an amazing dinner!! It's unbelievable that there is just one chef in the kitchen cooking all of the dishes. After last night, I am a full fleged regular. Pros: EXCELLENT FOOD more
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HERE'S THE TRUTH . . . 12/28/2003

I know you see a huge range of good/bad reviews of Trattoria - but here is the real truth: Trattoria truly serves some of the most excellent Italian dishes around (Angelo's gnocci, Mama's pesto), but this kind of cooking takes time and you have to be willing to be patient for it (everything is made by this small staff!). Anyone who cooks can understand this. The service is average, but once you get to know the D'Alo Family, you'll come to love this place even more and understand that a family-owned place has its own special and warm kind of ambiance. Be willing to be close and warm to those around and just relax, have a wonderful Italian wine and soak it all in. Pros: homemade everything!, warm ambiance, scrumptuous fare Cons: cash only more
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Worth the wait!!! 3/25/2003

Don't be put off by the line out the door because the food and atmosphere is worth the wait (but make a reservation if you can!)! A great place to have a casual family-style dinner where you can catch up with friends over a delicious feast of crab, gnocchi or whatever you fancy! more
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Among the Best 1/30/2003

This restaurant is among the best italian restaruants I've been to. Fantastic food, friendly waiters, and a comfortable neighborhoody ambiance combine to make Trattoria La Siciliana a great place to spend an evening. The herb and garlic olive oil bread dip is complex and flavorful; you wonder how the pasta could taste any better... but it does! Our party of three had the lobster linguine, tiger prawn risotto, and linguine with olives and anchovies. All were unique and delicious. They only take cash and it takes a while for the food to come out, but it's definitely worth the wait. Pros: Excellent Food Cons: Cash Only more
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better off staying home 12/17/2002

Your table being jostled every time the waiters run by, busboys dropping utensils on you, cold entrees... you get the picture. And despite the restaurant only having a 2 feet aisle between tables, they put a group of five across from us so that the waitstaff and every person going to the bathroom intimately joined our meal! we had a bottle of wine and wanted to eat our dinner in peace, but couldn't with everyone running around. everytime my dinner partner was about to take a bite he had to look around to make sure that he wasnt going to get bumped into and get pierced with his fork!!!! as for the food, my entree was good, but the other entree was straight out of the frig cold. we wound up splitting my pasta and eating extra bread. more
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Delicious food, plain and simple! 11/20/2002

I had read rave reviews of this restaurant on citysearch and zagat, but was more than pleasantly surprised that my own dining experienced exceeded my expectations. The tomatos in the insalata caprese were full of flavor, even at this late season. The mozzarella was light and fresh. However, my main course was beyond compare. I had the special raviloi with porcini mushrooms. AMAZING!! I think it was the best pasta I've ever had in my life. One complaint was the service - our waiter did not come to our table until 15-20 minutes after we sat down. He was quite overwhelmed and rushed. They should be themselves a service by hiring just one more server. Pros: Delicious food, Good value, Convenienet Cons: Rushed service, No Italian sodas more
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Menu for Trattoria LA Siciliana


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Editorial

  • Bustling restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine and offers an extensive wine list and attentive service in a charming atmosphere.

  • 1/31/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Monday To Sunday From 11:30 AM To 02:30 PM Monday To Sunday From 05:00 PM To 09:30 PM
  • Payments: Cash
  • Neighborhoods: Elmwood
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