The last time I ate at East End was back in 2014. The Carbonara with vermicelli pasta and whole egg was the best Carbonara I've ever eaten.
Last Sunday, I ordered the same dish to go. It's been over 11 years since I've eaten this dish so of course I expected nothing but the best and had high hopes. The Carbonara was nothing like I remembered it being. The pork pancetta was overcooked and lacked flavor. It was really hard and chewy. It didn't taste good at all. The vermicelli noodles were clumped together and plopped out like a solid hard brick when I went to go reheat it. The sauce was spicy and peppery which was different and I don't remember the sauce being that spicy back in the day. It definitely had a kick to it but not in a good way. The pasta was dry. Overall, the Carbonara pasta dish failed in many ways. Maybe the Carbonara would taste better if I ate at the restaurant instead of ordering it to go. I would never order this pasta dish to go and I don't recommend you doing so either. Look at the pictures of the pasta dish and be the judge for yourself. BTW, the Carbonara was close to $30, which was outrageous considering the fact that it was way less than perfect.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Kealiiokekai K
So I live across the street from east end had went in once with my family 4 months ago . The service was great and the pizza was just awesome but I had not gone back only because of a busy life so tonight I was feeling a pizza but not the basic out there chain food pizza I wanted something different so I thought I would order and I was not disappointed.the flavors are just so good it’s not a dry crust thick pizza with everything just thrown on top and baked. The toppings are flavorful the crust is thin and it was just the best pizza I have ever had . Place is my new spot for pizza . They have allot of options. I try not to eat pizza allot so it will be hard not to order everyday lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Roger Le
One of the best gourmet pizzas on the island of Alameda. Happy Hour oyster is $12/dozen. Either Olympia or Kumamoto from Oregon. 1 lb wings tossed in Calabrian chile glaze with garlic buttermilk dipping sauce was my favorite. Pappardelle with lamb & pork ragu was a signature dish, the pasta cooked al dente, just like in Italy. Oxtails risotto and wood oven half chicken were outstanding. My service professional Anne well-trained from the old school with attention to detail, very attentive, and courteous. The menu changed often. Kids friendly!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ebbett Abraham
The food was outstanding, the service was outstanding, and the vibe, you guessed it, was outstanding. Everything I had here was so amazing. The waiter was very, very nice and helpful. The pizza was by far the best pizza I’ve had on the west coast. If you are in Alameda go to this restaurant, you won’t regret it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel
Service was on top, food was excellent, prices were reasonable. A great dining experience for the cost. Most everything made from scratch, including the pasta. Only complaint is it was a bit bare inside. Make it more cozy and I'll give ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Artemis Huntsman
Wow, this was the first time in a long time we've really had top notch service! Came on a Friday night with reservations (they'll give you a better table if you get reservations) and really enjoyed the food. Everything pictured was $90 with tax + tip
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela Sato-Anderson
We came to East End on a Thursday evening. There was no wait and we were welcomed graciously. The interior is very charming. Hard seating which isn't my favorite but I was able to endure. It's a large open space, high ceilings, and rustic decor. The tables are placed so that they aren't right next to each other and angled so that they aren't side by side. You can see the wood fired oven from your seat but the ventilation is so great you don't smell any smoke at all. The cocktails were so well balanced you can hardly tell there's alcohol. They were very tasty and super smooth. Hats off to the mixologist, she really did a great job.
We had the warm herbed olives with honey and they were fabulous! Such a great difference from a cold olive plate. Highly recommended! The honey with the salty is a magical pair. The meatball appetizer was also great. Nice portion for an appetizer, the bread was crunchy and smokey, and the meatballs had great texture and flavor. They weren't packed with bread crumbs to dilute the flavor of the meat. The little gem salad was nice and crisp. The fried capers were a great touch. The dressing needed a little more zing. It was nicely dressed but couldn't taste much. The mushroom ragu pasta was creamy, al dente, and had great delicate mushroom flavor. Nicely done! My friend is from Rome and she definitely approved. The pizza was phenomenal! We ordered the Diablita and it was probably the most simple pizza I've ever tasted but the flavors were crazy! It is definitely spicy and a perfect pizza! So good! We also got Mr. Terranova and added arugula (even though the menu says it isn't allowed). The crispy shallots added a great texture and flavor. It was a tasty pie for sure but the Diablita stole the show. We look forward to trying the other pizzas soon! The staff was wonderful, our main server Anne was the nicest lady. We appreciated her friendly persona and cheery smile. We did not have room to try the dessert but imagine it would be just as great as everything else. We highly recommend dining here. We will be back! ❤️
Arianna Moore
Good food and good service. Will go back.
Dana Kee
Fantastic service! Great menu selection too it a nice balance of comfort food with just the right amount of upscale. Happy hour has some nice specials and all the draft beers were local craft.
Jaci Smith
The pizza was incredibly good. The waitress was very sweet. The vibe was mellow.
As part of my Alameda Restaurant Week exploration, I spent time at East End documenting their offerings. They maintain a friendly, changing menu that keeps things interesting. The pizzas feature great toppings, but they also serve interesting and authentic pasta and meat dishes worth trying. Paul, the owner, is an artist with food - you can see his creativity throughout the menu. The non-pizza items are definitely worth checking out. It's upscale, but in a distinctly Alameda way that remains approachable.
Norma Bongiovanni
Great experience. Food and drinks were great, and service was exceptional- especially for a busy Valentine's Day!
Adrian Merry
Great spot. Super cocktails.
Juls Vale
Great selection of oysters & awesome pizza for California
Shiv Parikh
Food is pretty much average fare but overpriced. Service is uppity as hell, which is so weird. You're not in SF stop acting like it.
The last time I ate at East End was back in 2014. The Carbonara with vermicelli pasta and whole egg was the best Carbonara I've ever eaten.
Last Sunday, I ordered the same dish to go. It's been over 11 years since I've eaten this dish so of course I expected nothing but the best and had high hopes. The Carbonara was nothing like I remembered it being. The pork pancetta was overcooked and lacked flavor. It was really hard and chewy. It didn't taste good at all. The vermicelli noodles were clumped together and plopped out like a solid hard brick when I went to go reheat it. The sauce was spicy and peppery which was different and I don't remember the sauce being that spicy back in the day. It definitely had a kick to it but not in a good way. The pasta was dry. Overall, the Carbonara pasta dish failed in many ways. Maybe the Carbonara would taste better if I ate at the restaurant instead of ordering it to go. I would never order this pasta dish to go and I don't recommend you doing so either. Look at the pictures of the pasta dish and be the judge for yourself. BTW, the Carbonara was close to $30, which was outrageous considering the fact that it was way less than perfect.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
So I live across the street from east end had went in once with my family 4 months ago . The service was great and the pizza was just awesome but I had not gone back only because of a busy life so tonight I was feeling a pizza but not the basic out there chain food pizza I wanted something different so I thought I would order and I was not disappointed.the flavors are just so good it’s not a dry crust thick pizza with everything just thrown on top and baked. The toppings are flavorful the crust is thin and it was just the best pizza I have ever had . Place is my new spot for pizza . They have allot of options. I try not to eat pizza allot so it will be hard not to order everyday lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best gourmet pizzas on the island of Alameda. Happy Hour oyster is $12/dozen. Either Olympia or Kumamoto from Oregon.
1 lb wings tossed in Calabrian chile glaze with garlic buttermilk dipping sauce was my favorite. Pappardelle with lamb & pork ragu was a signature dish, the pasta cooked al dente, just like in Italy.
Oxtails risotto and wood oven half chicken were outstanding.
My service professional Anne well-trained from the old school with attention to detail, very attentive, and courteous.
The menu changed often.
Kids friendly!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was outstanding, the service was outstanding, and the vibe, you guessed it, was outstanding. Everything I had here was so amazing. The waiter was very, very nice and helpful. The pizza was by far the best pizza I’ve had on the west coast. If you are in Alameda go to this restaurant, you won’t regret it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service was on top, food was excellent, prices were reasonable. A great dining experience for the cost. Most everything made from scratch, including the pasta. Only complaint is it was a bit bare inside. Make it more cozy and I'll give ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow, this was the first time in a long time we've really had top notch service! Came on a Friday night with reservations (they'll give you a better table if you get reservations) and really enjoyed the food. Everything pictured was $90 with tax + tip
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came to East End on a Thursday evening. There was no wait and we were welcomed graciously.
The interior is very charming. Hard seating which isn't my favorite but I was able to endure. It's a large open space, high ceilings, and rustic decor. The tables are placed so that they aren't right next to each other and angled so that they aren't side by side. You can see the wood fired oven from your seat but the ventilation is so great you don't smell any smoke at all.
The cocktails were so well balanced you can hardly tell there's alcohol. They were very tasty and super smooth. Hats off to the mixologist, she really did a great job.
We had the warm herbed olives with honey and they were fabulous! Such a great difference from a cold olive plate. Highly recommended! The honey with the salty is a magical pair. The meatball appetizer was also great. Nice portion for an appetizer, the bread was crunchy and smokey, and the meatballs had great texture and flavor. They weren't packed with bread crumbs to dilute the flavor of the meat.
The little gem salad was nice and crisp. The fried capers were a great touch. The dressing needed a little more zing. It was nicely dressed but couldn't taste much.
The mushroom ragu pasta was creamy, al dente, and had great delicate mushroom flavor. Nicely done! My friend is from Rome and she definitely approved.
The pizza was phenomenal! We ordered the Diablita and it was probably the most simple pizza I've ever tasted but the flavors were crazy! It is definitely spicy and a perfect pizza! So good!
We also got Mr. Terranova and added arugula (even though the menu says it isn't allowed). The crispy shallots added a great texture and flavor. It was a tasty pie for sure but the Diablita stole the show. We look forward to trying the other pizzas soon!
The staff was wonderful, our main server Anne was the nicest lady. We appreciated her friendly persona and cheery smile.
We did not have room to try the dessert but imagine it would be just as great as everything else.
We highly recommend dining here. We will be back! ❤️
Good food and good service. Will go back.
Fantastic service! Great menu selection too it a nice balance of comfort food with just the right amount of upscale. Happy hour has some nice specials and all the draft beers were local craft.
The pizza was incredibly good. The waitress was very sweet. The vibe was mellow.
Restaurantji Recommends
As part of my Alameda Restaurant Week exploration, I spent time at East End documenting their offerings. They maintain a friendly, changing menu that keeps things interesting. The pizzas feature great toppings, but they also serve interesting and authentic pasta and meat dishes worth trying. Paul, the owner, is an artist with food - you can see his creativity throughout the menu. The non-pizza items are definitely worth checking out. It's upscale, but in a distinctly Alameda way that remains approachable.
Great experience. Food and drinks were great, and service was exceptional- especially for a busy Valentine's Day!
Great spot. Super cocktails.
Great selection of oysters & awesome pizza for California
Food is pretty much average fare but overpriced. Service is uppity as hell, which is so weird. You're not in SF stop acting like it.
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