Recommended dishes: Papardelle Campagnolo, Cannoli Siciliani, Seafood, Mushroom Ravioli, Ravioll Porcini Trifoloji, Frittura Mista, Kale Salad, Bread and Olive Oil, Caesar Salad, Tiramisu Cake
Joshua Marantz
Nice space and service. Great bread and olive oil. Swordfish was decent but I was hoping it would be thicker and juicier. 2 of us got lasagne and were stained.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Brad Piatt
Hands down, our favorite Italian restaurant in the Bay Area. The inside is warm and inviting, the staff is friendly and efficient and the Sicilian food is outstanding. Every pasta dish is creative and delicious, and there are many other non-pasta options. This place is lively with vibrant conversations, yet you can easily hear at any table in the restaurant without raising your voice, and their outside tables are great on a warm day. Angelo, the owner & chef, and his family who run the restaurant deserve pride for the environment they have created. When we walked in, Angelo proudly showed us the Chantrell mushrooms picked from the Berkeley hills that morning by their professional mushroomologist (not sure that's a word) and the resultant fettuccine with Chantrells we had was superb. And on the way out, parents and extended family displayed in the classic photos on the wall are highlighted. This place makes for a memorable evening.
Food: 5
Oliver Zahn
Great great atmosphere and solid Italian fare!
J. Wright
The food was outstanding! Our service was great. We were there to celebrate our daughter’s 7th birthday. We saw several families with young kids and all of them were having a great time. Even though they didn’t have a specific kids menu, they made a kids pasta for our daughter without any issues (pasta with red sauce). We would absolutely return again.
Tip: Don’t skip the bread the dip. It was SO good.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Archer
Bad stuff first—The service is seriously bad. Bad because it is poorly managed and also because the wait staff is of low quality. (bussers and runners were good) Servers are not assigned to tables, instead they drift around the room and make guesses at where to go. You might not see a server for a long time. Or you might have two different servers come to take your order within a minute of each other. The other problem is most of them don't know much about food or drinks. I've had a couple that are one step above drone.
Good stuff— The kitchen does good work. Dishes are prepared with care and consistency. Specials vary and usually fit the season.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Linda
Plan ahead for (as always) lively, with fantastic food! We made a 6:30 res and the LAST table inside was open and waiting for us! Folks, it's just a reality in central Berkeley that you need a res these days. Last year, we sat in many of our usual places and watched oodles of orders going out the door while dining rooms always had some open tables. Now, no res has meant we had to try walk-in at 3-5 places over the past month. So we have learned to plan ahead. Plan on Agrodolce! The porcetta with roasted potatoes arrived and I immediately was more interested in other's plates. Hubby's pesto linguini looked more inviting, as did Nephew's risotto with seafood. But mine was so delicious! That plain Jane was too much for me to eat and although I had a few bites of theirs and both were prettier and delicious, mine was a def scene stealer. Eat here! Plan ahead.
Theresa
We were really excited to visit this restaurant, but left feeling meh. I would give our wait staff five stars as they did a great job, however I gave three stars based on our reception upon arrival. We waited for nearly ten minutes before being acknowledged despite having a reservation and making eye contact with several employees. The food was ok.
Elaine
Friends who had been to Trattoria La Siciliana and raved about it wanted to try this sister restaurant. They were not disappointed. The winners at our table were the Ragu di Maiale and Campagnola. Obviously, they know how to cook pappardelle! I appreciated the bread that came with olive oil infused with spices and herbs. I had never had bucatini pasta and was willing to try the Bucatini “chi Finucchiede,” a palermo specialty. The sardine sauce was interesting with some sweetness from the currants and a licorice flavor, but there was no crunchy texture from the bread crumbs or pine nuts. The bucatini was not a good match for the sauce. We'll definitely come back but I won't order the bucatini again.
Brigid
We enjoyed the overall experience very much at Agrodolce. The flavors were solid and memorable- octopus salata was very garlicky (not a problem for me, just a heads up) and my leg of lamb was perfectly tender. Our server was pleasant - and around when necessary. We didn't mind that there was a casual approach, it fits the style and was comfortable. She was confident about the food and we both enjoyed the other wine that was selected for us. The only reason I can't give full stars for ambience - is the lighting. This is not date night lighting, it's very bright and unpleasant. I also think candles and a little more space between tables would be nice. Maybe a reconfiguration of the tables? We were seated adjacent to the bar and were bumped into all night. My guest was having a harder time as he is tall and couldn't sit comfortably. Other than that, this is a solid Sicilian style restaurant with high performing dishes - I will be back! Thank you
We have been a few times here and it is always very good Angelo the owner is doing a great job with his food and welcoming to every customer
Tandori
The owner is so friendly and welcoming. It's a cozy charming brick wall place with old movies playing on the projector on the wall. It's super cute. I love it. The food is always on point.
roger
When I want Italian/Sicilian and I dont have the time to fly to northern New Jersey---I head to Agrodolce.
Alex
My wife and I ate here on a Friday night around 6:30pm for dinner before a show. It was a great atmosphere, excellent service and the food was fantastic. We would highly recommend this place and eat here again in the future.
Melissa Pearce
I was looking for Sicilian food and got the best recommendations from our terrific Sicilian waiter. We immensely enjoyed everything about this restaurant. It's a definite return for more place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cannoli Siciliani, Bread and Olive Oil
A great place for authentic Sicilian food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Papardelle Campagnolo, Cannoli Siciliani, Seafood, Mushroom Ravioli, Ravioll Porcini Trifoloji, Frittura Mista, Kale Salad, Bread and Olive Oil, Caesar Salad, Tiramisu Cake
Nice space and service. Great bread and olive oil. Swordfish was decent but I was hoping it would be thicker and juicier. 2 of us got lasagne and were stained.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Hands down, our favorite Italian restaurant in the Bay Area. The inside is warm and inviting, the staff is friendly and efficient and the Sicilian food is outstanding. Every pasta dish is creative and delicious, and there are many other non-pasta options. This place is lively with vibrant conversations, yet you can easily hear at any table in the restaurant without raising your voice, and their outside tables are great on a warm day. Angelo, the owner & chef, and his family who run the restaurant deserve pride for the environment they have created. When we walked in, Angelo proudly showed us the Chantrell mushrooms picked from the Berkeley hills that morning by their professional mushroomologist (not sure that's a word) and the resultant fettuccine with Chantrells we had was superb. And on the way out, parents and extended family displayed in the classic photos on the wall are highlighted. This place makes for a memorable evening.
Food: 5
Great great atmosphere and solid Italian fare!
The food was outstanding! Our service was great. We were there to celebrate our daughter’s 7th birthday. We saw several families with young kids and all of them were having a great time. Even though they didn’t have a specific kids menu, they made a kids pasta for our daughter without any issues (pasta with red sauce). We would absolutely return again.
Tip: Don’t skip the bread the dip. It was SO good.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bad stuff first—The service is seriously bad. Bad because it is poorly managed and also because the wait staff is of low quality. (bussers and runners were good)
Servers are not assigned to tables, instead they drift around the room and make guesses at where to go. You might not see a server for a long time. Or you might have two different servers come to take your order within a minute of each other.
The other problem is most of them don't know much about food or drinks. I've had a couple that are one step above drone.
Good stuff— The kitchen does good work. Dishes are prepared with care and consistency. Specials vary and usually fit the season.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Plan ahead for (as always) lively, with fantastic food! We made a 6:30 res and the LAST table inside was open and waiting for us! Folks, it's just a reality in central Berkeley that you need a res these days. Last year, we sat in many of our usual places and watched oodles of orders going out the door while dining rooms always had some open tables. Now, no res has meant we had to try walk-in at 3-5 places over the past month. So we have learned to plan ahead. Plan on Agrodolce! The porcetta with roasted potatoes arrived and I immediately was more interested in other's plates. Hubby's pesto linguini looked more inviting, as did Nephew's risotto with seafood. But mine was so delicious! That plain Jane was too much for me to eat and although I had a few bites of theirs and both were prettier and delicious, mine was a def scene stealer. Eat here! Plan ahead.
We were really excited to visit this restaurant, but left feeling meh. I would give our wait staff five stars as they did a great job, however I gave three stars based on our reception upon arrival. We waited for nearly ten minutes before being acknowledged despite having a reservation and making eye contact with several employees. The food was ok.
Friends who had been to Trattoria La Siciliana and raved about it wanted to try this sister restaurant. They were not disappointed. The winners at our table were the Ragu di Maiale and Campagnola. Obviously, they know how to cook pappardelle! I appreciated the bread that came with olive oil infused with spices and herbs. I had never had bucatini pasta and was willing to try the Bucatini “chi Finucchiede,” a palermo specialty. The sardine sauce was interesting with some sweetness from the currants and a licorice flavor, but there was no crunchy texture from the bread crumbs or pine nuts. The bucatini was not a good match for the sauce. We'll definitely come back but I won't order the bucatini again.
We enjoyed the overall experience very much at Agrodolce. The flavors were solid and memorable- octopus salata was very garlicky (not a problem for me, just a heads up) and my leg of lamb was perfectly tender. Our server was pleasant - and around when necessary. We didn't mind that there was a casual approach, it fits the style and was comfortable. She was confident about the food and we both enjoyed the other wine that was selected for us. The only reason I can't give full stars for ambience - is the lighting. This is not date night lighting, it's very bright and unpleasant. I also think candles and a little more space between tables would be nice. Maybe a reconfiguration of the tables? We were seated adjacent to the bar and were bumped into all night. My guest was having a harder time as he is tall and couldn't sit comfortably. Other than that, this is a solid Sicilian style restaurant with high performing dishes - I will be back! Thank you
Restaurantji Recommends
We have been a few times here and it is always very good Angelo the owner is doing a great job with his food and welcoming to every customer
The owner is so friendly and welcoming. It's a cozy charming brick wall place with old movies playing on the projector on the wall. It's super cute. I love it. The food is always on point.
When I want Italian/Sicilian and I dont have the time to fly to northern New Jersey---I head to Agrodolce.
My wife and I ate here on a Friday night around 6:30pm for dinner before a show. It was a great atmosphere, excellent service and the food was fantastic. We would highly recommend this place and eat here again in the future.
I was looking for Sicilian food and got the best recommendations from our terrific Sicilian waiter. We immensely enjoyed everything about this restaurant. It's a definite return for more place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cannoli Siciliani, Bread and Olive Oil
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