26 Best Italian Restaurants near Castro Valley

“I love me a good sandwich in any form and when I was in the area I was surprised to see not too many options in Castro Valley. I came close to giving up and driving away right before I found this Italian Delicatessen. Thankfully it met all of my expectations! These sandwiches are LOADED! They are not shy with the veggies or deli-meat. I tried 2 sandwiches, the Dutch crutch was amazinggg. The sourdough was a true sourdough bread. Loved this place and will definitely come back!“

“I’ve been coming to this place for 5 years and even though I moved to Tracy I still drive to Castro Valley when I’m craving pizza. This is the BEST pizza hands down. If you want the real deal you need to come here. Thank you and keep up the amazing work you do.“

“We LOVE this place!! The pizza is delish and their kabobs are my absolute favorite thing to chomp when it's a little chilly out. The owner is great, he knows my family and always makes our pies with love. I am the daughter of the family and I approve this message! ( The one typing before the daughter thing was my mom).“

“We wanted to try this place out since we pass by it frequently. The staff was super helpful with questions we had on the menu. We tried 2 dishes on the house specialty section, no substitutions, and they were so good! It was extremely flavorful, and the portion size was perfect. We are definitely planning to come back and try other dishes on the menu. The cheesy garlic bread is a must-have, btw!“

“Very happy to have Simply Pasta close by! Love the concept and the execution. Simple and customizable, very generous portions, good value, and--most importantly--fresh and delicious food! This is not like some fast casual joint where you sacrifice quality for price. Ordered takeout: - Penne with meat sauce, sausage, chicken, broccoli, mushroom. - Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. - Fettuccine Alfredo with sun dried tomatoes, olives. - Seafoods Galore: linguine with clams, scallops, shrimp in white wine, garlic, and butter sauce. - Pistachio cannolis. - Fruit tarts. All the pasta was nicely cooked, but not al dente, if that's your thing. Maybe they can do it upon request. The scallops and shrimp were tender and perfectly cooked. Everything was tasty and well balanced in flavor. Nothing was too salty, sweet, greasy, hard, soggy, or dry. Really can't fault anything about the food, which is pretty rare for any kind of restaurant! The desserts were excellent as well and not an afterthought money grab. I love food and consider myself pretty discerning. I'm really quite impressed by Simply Pasta and look forward to coming here a lot. It feels like they put a lot of thought and care into their products and business. I hope they never change and stick around for a long time!“

“Excellent place to host parties!! Spacious inside and out. Staff was super friendly and easy to work with. Food was excellent! I had my daughter's 5h birthday party here and had a blast! Would definitely consider this place again for large parties! Pizza was hot and crispy with a nice crust! Chock full of fresh ingredients! Potato wedges were huge, piping hot, and super delicious. Best dish of the day: their fried chicken. Sleeper dish, I'm telling you. Don't knock it til you try it! Super crispy outside and insanely moist and tender on the inside. And I'm talking about the breast! Come yell at me if you don't like it. Thumbs up!“

“We had a wonderful dinner last night. We tried everything from the snacks to the deserts. All pasta dishes were outstanding. The pork chop was excellent. And the dessert sampler is the way to go. Our service, from the owner, to the wine steward to the server were all great. Hope to return soon.“

“Pizza lately has been amazing!!! The crust is so perfect and fluffy. I've been eating here from hella but took a break for a while. Started ordering again and it's better then before! Shout out to their friendly staff as well! Give it a try they got some other foods too!“

“What a lovely evening we had, catching up with old friends. Our server was very pleasant and helpful. The late evening light was coming in at a fierce angle, and apparently nothing could be done about that. Once it passed a certain point in time it was better but then too dark for our corner! Odd ambience inside, but the food was great.“

“Our family favorite. The best Italian restaurant in East Bay. Fantastic service, love their lemon and tomato ravioli. Every single dessert is amazing, my favorite being Thiramusu. They have indoor and outdoor seating. You cant go wrong with this place.“

“Finally decided to check out as we normally go to Amy's a couple of doors down. After all almost 2 pm . We got coffee at Amy's. lotto Tix at OO LiquorsFor our first time we ordered a couple of slices of Hawaiian pizza, and the Greek Salad. 25 including tip. Pizza gets top marks. We'll be back to try other toppingsParking: Great strip mall. Old and still one of the best. Donuts, booze, pizza, lotto Tix, coffee, dry cleaners, bar and taqueriaKid-friendliness: Twi tablesWheelchair accessibility: ADA compliant“

“Most definitely best Italian food I’ve had very authentic the service is wonderful the stuffed mushrooms are amazing that’s my go to as appetizers I have always tried their specials of the day their seafood all is very fresh They have a very wide wine selection definitely recommended 100%“

“We had a lovely, quiet dinner. I started with an appetizer special, calamari in a yummy lemon/butter sauce, followed by the ravioli and prawns. My husband enjoyed the mushroom soup followed by the veal. We shared a tiramisu and a couple of espressos. The piano man, Bob, played a couple of requested songs. Delightful. Our server Nemo, was very professional and didn't rush us. We are the ultimate slow eaters!“

“We found them through Fremont restaurant week and were impressed with the food and service. The food was very tasty and the main course is a big portion. We liked their tiramisu because it wasn’t overly sweet. The staff was super nice and friendly. Overall, it was a very good experience.“

“We stopped in on a Monday for dinner. Apparently they host a charity each Monday with volunteer servers donating their tips and 10% of the bill to support a cause. A noble action by the owners to support the community. They serve a limited menu, but had what I wanted - pappardelle with pork ragout. Aldente pasta and a rich flavor on the sauce. I devoured the bowl. The portion seemed small, but was just enough.“

“Greatest pizza in East Bay since Tony closed his pizza shop Pyzano's in Castro Valley in 2008 or so. So worth a drive over, edges out the other spots like Bronco Billy's or Porky's if you know good East Bay pizza spots this place beats them all if you don't want to go all the way out to SF.“

“This place is so cute! The waitress was so nice and welcoming, the food was homemade and delicious, huge portions but she was happy to give a takeaway box to bring back the rest to our hotel, it would have been a shame to throw it out.Vegetarian options: There was a lot of veggie options.“

“The salmon stuffed ravioli was very good...bread for days...wine drinks place is nice to bring a date or just grab a bite to eat... calamari it was on point and so was the burger and no onions it was supposed to be well done but it came back pretty pink so other than that it was good. Wait staff was very nice and Josefina was always checking to see if i was in need of anything...wonderful staff..ice cold drinks on top.Been awhile since I came this place was great except I had an issue with my calamari.. they comped my item. Drinks on point“

“Went here for dinner with 2 older uncles. The restaurant is nice. We were seated immediately at a busy time with no reservation. The food was very good and plentiful. One server was nice enough to come over and serve the salad we ordered to split. Food came out pretty quickly. Prices are decent for nice Italian restaurants. They have some unusual cocktails on the menu, including make your own Manhattan. There was live music with guitar player, and it was hard to have a conversation close to the musicians. Would definitely recommend it but ask to be seated far from the music if you are with anyone hard of hearing.“

“This place looks like an old fashioned diner. The food was great and service was quick. I loved the fries. They’re the thick cut fries (but not steak fries) and they’re crispy, not soggy. They also offer local sodas! I’d definitely come back!Vegetarian options: My nephew is vegetarian and came here specifically to get their garden burger with fries.“

“My husband and I love to eat here. Everything is very tasty. The only thing I do want to say is that I ordered the Risotto with prawns and it was delicious but my only complaint is that I only received 4 prawns in my plate. For the price we paid, I feel It was not worth it. I think there should’ve been more prawns in it. Other than that, the service is great and the restaurant is very nice.“

“I love coming here! The service and food is fantastic. They keep guests comfortable dining outside with plenty of space heaters. Each time I’ve come here there has been a musician that contributes so well to the overall ambience. Always a lovely experience!“

“We tried lemon caper prawns linguine and chicken mushroom marsala penne and we love it! A bit pricey for $24 each but serving is huge and they don’t skimp on sauce. Make sure to dip the bread into the sauce. We couldn’t finish the meal since its a lot so we brought it home. We ate the leftovers for lunch today! Next time we’ll try their red sauce. ?“

“Another catering order well done by Melo's of Livermore! We used them for my daughter's birthday before ever even ordering from them and they did not disappoint. Literally everyone LOVED the food. So without any hesitation they were my first thought for what we could serve to our staff for the in-service training today. We picked up the order last night and placed it in the oven this afternoon. Even with being reheated it tasted just as good as it did the first time! Our teachers absolutely loved the fettucia con pollo. Thank you Melo's!“

“Excellent service and food. I had some with capers and a lemon sauce. Yummy! And since I can't eat dairy, they cooked it with olive oil. That's never been offered anywhere else. Mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes very good. Most restaurants undercook the carrots in mixed vegetables --they don't care that carrots take longer. But Il Porcino gets it right. Portions are just right. Great service and nice to have owner serve us. My husband loved his lamb chops too.“

“We ordered a small meatball grinder and a medium cheese pizza. The sandwich was toasted to perfection and large for a small portion. You can easily share with someone. The pizza will stretch for a couple nights and continue to taste great. Great atmosphere and great service!! Will be a regular going forward and can't wait to try the rest of the menu!“