Bellanico Restaurant and Wine Bar

This is one of my go to restaurants in Oakland- never disappoints. Pastas, apps are delicious! You have to try their malfatti.

I feel very fortunate to have this amazing restaurant in my neighborhood. The food is always amazing. The pastas are delicious and I highly recommend the “Casunzei Red Beet & Ricotta Ravioli. I often order the swordfish and it is so well prepared it melts in your mouth. They also have a great wine list

The service was good. I had the canolli appetizer and Duck Breast for my main course. They were delicious. Bathroom was clean. My only complaint is the noise level, but I know that cannot be helped. Prices are a bit high but we will be back for special occasions.

While Bellanica is usually packed, on Halloween Night we had the place mostly to ourselves. There were ample vegetarian options for my guests, and we had a surprise four-course Tasting Menu ($48) which was an amazing value. Excellent service and food! I plan to return soon!

Many interesting dishes from which to choose. I enjoyed the pasta with rabbit. Bruschetta topping was superb, base bread could have been crunchier. My husband liked the swordfish. The wine menu is good on reds, and reasonably priced. The setting is nice. The service was very friendly but we felt a bit rushed, with plates being cleared very quickly and servers hovering. They were not superfull so perhaps they were just being very attentive, but it did feel hurried.

A lovely neighborhood restaurant with excellent, innovative food and a creative cocktail and wine list. Their wine-based Negroni is fantastic. With tables both inside and on a heated patio, offers a lovely dining experience.

Wonderful food, very friendly and attentive service and a comfortable and welcoming ambiance. Highly recommend!

Bellanico is my favorite neighborhood restaurant! I love the variety of dishes they have for weekend brunches, and try to get here at least once/month to try new things. The staff is very friendly and the food is delicious!

Outstanding food. Great selection for vegetarians! The chairs indoors are a little uncomfortable.

When I think of a word that comes to mind in describing this place, so many fight for my attention. There is one, however, which stands out amongst the the bunch: terrible.

Everything we had was essentially flavorless, greasy, and seemed to be haphazardly thrown together. Except the sword fish. That definitely tasted like fish. But in the most unpleasant sort of way.

The rabbit stuffed ravioli came as 6 (or was it 7? Who's counting.) wonton looking pouches sitting in a dish of butter. They were stuffed with a dry paste which reminded me of what those fancy cats from the 90s used to eat - anyone remember Fancy Feast commercials? Yes, you say? Come here for the nostalgia. The sauce had clearly broken and no one in the kitchen noticed (or I suspect cared) to do anything about it.

As mentioned, the swordfish was noticeably fishy which was only partially covered up if combined with the dry potatoes and lifeless broccolini in a single bite. There was also some red colored accompaniment which reminded of cut up canned chilies doused in vinegar. This was then carefully slopped atop said broccolini. Truly the stuff of nightmares.

Before these plates came, we were treated to three greasy, poorly seasoned squash blossoms sitting atop some odd shredded zucchini and squash salad in a mystery dressing. Oil was the predominant flavor here, though intuition tells me they were going for something else. Someone in the kitchen may benefit from learning how to fry properly - just a suggestion in the event management is paying attention to this. And at 18 dollars, this was robbery which didn't even require my venturing down to international boulevard.

Our server was nice enough but left our empty water carafe sitting on our table the entire meal. There would be no refills to rid our mouth of the fishy aftertaste graciously left by the swordfish steak. Another food runner spilled a drink on my wife's foot, but hey, at least they apologized. Ambience wise, we didn't catch a glimpse of the inside as we sat out front. This allowed us to make awkward eye contact and fake smile as if to feign enjoyment as the occasional overly curious passerby would linger and sometimes inspect our table. If you looked beyond that forced smile, these eyes were saying run. Run very far away. And take me with you.

This place is a total disaster and absolutely something to avoid, particularly when you consider so many better Italian options around town. The prices would have been not terrible if the quality wasn't as it was. There is unfortunately not a single redeeming quality about this place and it is unworthy of your time, money, or attention beyond this review.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

We ate outside in the Parklet, so it was quieter and still had good service. I think they really improved the food over the last year which I have truly appreciated.

This place is a gem...great people running it, chef is skilled at his craft, servers are nice people and good at there jobs. I have been here many times in the one year i lived here. Never lets me down. Thank you to the staff here for always providing a great experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Gnocchi and pork belly was delicious. Phenomenal service! Still partial to Doritos in canon city, waiting to find a place to change my mind.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our favorite restaurant for celebrations. In this case, it was the 23rd anniversary of our first date. Food is always wonderful, and I'm surprised that their prices have not gone up that much compared to other restaurants in this class.

Located in the Piedmont area, if you are in the mood for Italian style, non-pizza dinner, this restaurant will be worth the effort. High-quality flavoring, with a carefully-crafted alcohol and a rich range of choices from the current menu will leave a positive experience from the beginning until the end. You can taste the freshly-made pasta if you select something such as the Taglioni Pepati and the salads and appetizers will complete the experience. The photos included are the potatoes and of course Taglioni Pepati. Stop reading and go try it for yourself!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5