Osteria

The calamari steak is heavenly. If you plan to go to this restaurant, do not make the mistake by ordering anything else. This restaurant is moderately priced and has a casual atmosphere. The tables are close together, so don't expect much privacy.

Osteria is great. The food is excellent, piping hot and very reasonably priced. I love the calamari steak, but you can't go wrong with any dish. We recently "split" a small Caesar salad and had very generous portions.

They don't have the best wine list for wine by the glass. We ended up getting a bottle of Thomas Fogerty Chardonay that was perfect with a great meal.

PROS: Great food, reasonably priced
CONS: a bit small and sometimes very hurried

Simply the best!
Food is great - fresh salads, pasta done just right. We like it our kids like it.
The service always is courteous and warm. They are very sweet to the kids.
The spinach salad and the spinach ravioli are a family favorite.
Reservations are recommended. Give yourself time to park.
A busy place but you have not tried it then do so.

Osteria is reliable in serving a great meal. Many waiters have been there for a long time and are very efficient. It is not a quiet setting, but a warm and crowded one (difficult to move around at times). The chairs are somewhat uncomfortable, but perhaps they don't want you sitting for too long since there are always more customers waiting! Location is great too.

I really like the whole package at Osteria. The food is great. I personally love the shrimp over green pasta with cream sauce (can't remember the exact menu item name). The cream sauce is very light, not thick and gooey like other places. It feels like a 'hip' restaurant, though I'm not necessarily a hip person. It does get crowded, but I think they take reservations.

Everyone who has been to this place leaves feeling really good. These people really know how to cook their Italian food. First of all you really need to start with a reservation, or you will end up waiting about an hour to get seated (yes, the poeple know its good so they keep coming!.) A dish of pasta is about $12 more or less. The waiters really know what they are talking about which really helps because if you are a person like me, you can never make up your mind! Free parking all around because this is down town palo alto. Also a good thing is that they are so versatile, they have food for every taste. for example I'm really into seafood but most of my friends hate it, we can go here with no problems.