Quality and flavor have decreased in the past year or so. Food is basic with less of the flavor and subtlety I've come to expect from this great restaurant. Disappointing--might give it one more try after some time passes, maybe not.
NhuV
I had high hopes, but unfortunately, dinner was disappointing. I took my 3 year old out for a solo dinner date. His fries and pizza were decent. But my chicken was clearly pre-made and not fired long enough. The center was cold when it got to me. It was also sitting on top of a pile of dull and greasy vegetables, which was disappointing for a $40 dish.
pickychickyinOakland
Very disappointing meal with friends. Service was good but didn't compensate for poorly prepared food. Hamburgers arrived well done in spite of being ordered as rare and medium rare. Pizza was soggy and had miniscule pieces of sausage embedded in great mounds of cheese. Plates for pizza were ice cold, as though meant for salad. Carrot soup was O.K. but bland. The wine recommendation (pinot noir from a local vintage was very good. The olives, bread and cheesecake dessert were all very good. Lighting was so dim that cell phone flashlights were required to see menu. Outrageous prices for overall experience. We won't return.
CMat
Three of us dined on a Wednesday evening. It was not packed and easy to have a conversation. Service was attentive, and very pleasant. My short ribs were excellent and my friend & husband enjoyed their pasta. Our desserts were all delicious. We had cheesecake, almond olive oil, cake, and tiramisu. We would definitely go back.
Lorahlove
I made a reservation in the downstairs cafe to celebrate a milestone, and the staff went above and beyond to provide personal service honoring this event for myself and my guest. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding, and the ambiance was cozy and comforting. Highly recommend.
ShariqY
The aviation and dirty vodka martini cocktails were outstanding Service was terrific The chicken with frites and the burger were great The pizza margarita was amazing But best of all was the soft serve ice cream with salt , enough for two or three to share
Oaklander
Service was poor for such an expensive restaurant. Waitress pretty much shrugged off any issue with an "I'll let them know for next time, but you'll just have to live with it" kind of attitude. Food was too expensive and not good enough for that kind of attitude.
Happy
Very friendly service but not intrusive. Excellent food. Lovely modern dining room upstairs. Not noisy. For birthday dinner a card with many signatures was given to my son. Thanks for a great evening!!
MaeG
Since the restaurant changed ownership, it has become one of our favorite spots for fine dining. The downstairs bar area was a little crowded when we arrived for our 7 pm dinner reservation -- the hostess might ask folk to wait outside when it gets jammed like that on a Friday night. We were quickly escorted upstairs to our table. The service was excellent, and the ambience inviting. I noticed that since the restaurant changed hands, the staff is more diverse, a welcome sight in Oakland. There's an extensive wine list and bar, although we brought a bottle of Champagne. As for food, the four of us shared the fried Crispy Catelvetrano Olives (sounds weird, but tasted amazing), the Pull-Apart Rolls and a couple of salads. I had the Foraged Mushroom Pasta, which was delicious, and my husband had the Patagonia Salmon, cooked to perfection. Our friends split the Wood Fired Chicken and Frites and gave it a thumbs-up. I didn't partake of dessert but it looked good. If you're looking for a nice place for dinner in Oakland, check out Acre.
We had a very disappointing lunch at Acre. The chicken Caesar salad was wilted with strips of dried out chicken, and doused in the saltiest dressing I've ever tasted. Will probably not return.
An unfortunate series of events. Food took a little while, no biggie. Then the chicken was cold. Ok, we'll get you a new one. Waitress returns to say no more chicken. Ok, I'll have the filet mignon. Sure thing, we'll get that right out to you. Meanwhile, everyone else finishes their meals, still no filet. Waitress comes by 3 times to assure us it's coming. Meal is long done and the filet comes out. The others order dessert. Desserts of "warm" brownie and 3 crème brûlées also take quite a while to arrive and all arrive cold. No warmth to the warm brownie. It's a bummer. I wanted to like this restaurant and understand that every kitchen and waitstaff has a bad night, but this seemed like a lot of problems to be purely circumstantial. For the $$$ I'd advise going elsewhere.
TeamRachel
Some of the best food we've ever had! The menu had so many choices and incorporated so many tastes and textures. The chef is a wizard! We were visiting the Bay Area and will be back and will make a point of booking a meal here again. All the servers were so wonderful. Appreciate that they all pitch in to get food and drink quickly to tables. We're glad we came a bit early (6:00) so we had our server's almost undivided attention while we were deciding what to order. It got very busy after 7:00 but all was well.
MaggieShell
This was my first visit to the new incarnation of the restaurant formerly known as Oliveto. What a great time my 3 friends and I had! The food was very good, the service stellar, and, while there was a lively crowd, we were able to hear our own conversation without trouble.
KaiDD
I'm so thankful for Acre! I've lived in or around the neighborhood for 30 years, so of course knew and loved Oliveto. The fact that some folks have established a new, awesome team providing outstanding service and food is such a cool transition and a gift to Rockridge.
ElliotW
Great food and service. Of particular note is that one of us was vegan and the restaurant was excellent at addressing that. I emailed in advance to confirm there would be dishes that could be made vegan and I received an email response immediately. There were several great options and the kitchen ended up making a great vegan pizza. Was a wonderful evening.
Quality and flavor have decreased in the past year or so. Food is basic with less of the flavor and subtlety I've come to expect from this great restaurant. Disappointing--might give it one more try after some time passes, maybe not.
I had high hopes, but unfortunately, dinner was disappointing. I took my 3 year old out for a solo dinner date. His fries and pizza were decent. But my chicken was clearly pre-made and not fired long enough. The center was cold when it got to me. It was also sitting on top of a pile of dull and greasy vegetables, which was disappointing for a $40 dish.
Very disappointing meal with friends. Service was good but didn't compensate for poorly prepared food. Hamburgers arrived well done in spite of being ordered as rare and medium rare. Pizza was soggy and had miniscule pieces of sausage embedded in great mounds of cheese. Plates for pizza were ice cold, as though meant for salad. Carrot soup was O.K. but bland. The wine recommendation (pinot noir from a local vintage was very good. The olives, bread and cheesecake dessert were all very good. Lighting was so dim that cell phone flashlights were required to see menu. Outrageous prices for overall experience. We won't return.
Three of us dined on a Wednesday evening. It was not packed and easy to have a conversation. Service was attentive, and very pleasant. My short ribs were excellent and my friend & husband enjoyed their pasta. Our desserts were all delicious. We had cheesecake, almond olive oil, cake, and tiramisu. We would definitely go back.
I made a reservation in the downstairs cafe to celebrate a milestone, and the staff went above and beyond to provide personal service honoring this event for myself and my guest. The food was delicious, the service was outstanding, and the ambiance was cozy and comforting. Highly recommend.
The aviation and dirty vodka martini cocktails were outstanding Service was terrific The chicken with frites and the burger were great The pizza margarita was amazing But best of all was the soft serve ice cream with salt , enough for two or three to share
Service was poor for such an expensive restaurant. Waitress pretty much shrugged off any issue with an "I'll let them know for next time, but you'll just have to live with it" kind of attitude. Food was too expensive and not good enough for that kind of attitude.
Very friendly service but not intrusive. Excellent food. Lovely modern dining room upstairs. Not noisy. For birthday dinner a card with many signatures was given to my son. Thanks for a great evening!!
Since the restaurant changed ownership, it has become one of our favorite spots for fine dining. The downstairs bar area was a little crowded when we arrived for our 7 pm dinner reservation -- the hostess might ask folk to wait outside when it gets jammed like that on a Friday night. We were quickly escorted upstairs to our table. The service was excellent, and the ambience inviting. I noticed that since the restaurant changed hands, the staff is more diverse, a welcome sight in Oakland. There's an extensive wine list and bar, although we brought a bottle of Champagne. As for food, the four of us shared the fried Crispy Catelvetrano Olives (sounds weird, but tasted amazing), the Pull-Apart Rolls and a couple of salads. I had the Foraged Mushroom Pasta, which was delicious, and my husband had the Patagonia Salmon, cooked to perfection. Our friends split the Wood Fired Chicken and Frites and gave it a thumbs-up. I didn't partake of dessert but it looked good. If you're looking for a nice place for dinner in Oakland, check out Acre.
We had a very disappointing lunch at Acre. The chicken Caesar salad was wilted with strips of dried out chicken, and doused in the saltiest dressing I've ever tasted. Will probably not return.
Restaurantji Recommends
An unfortunate series of events. Food took a little while, no biggie. Then the chicken was cold. Ok, we'll get you a new one. Waitress returns to say no more chicken. Ok, I'll have the filet mignon. Sure thing, we'll get that right out to you. Meanwhile, everyone else finishes their meals, still no filet. Waitress comes by 3 times to assure us it's coming. Meal is long done and the filet comes out. The others order dessert. Desserts of "warm" brownie and 3 crème brûlées also take quite a while to arrive and all arrive cold. No warmth to the warm brownie. It's a bummer. I wanted to like this restaurant and understand that every kitchen and waitstaff has a bad night, but this seemed like a lot of problems to be purely circumstantial. For the $$$ I'd advise going elsewhere.
Some of the best food we've ever had! The menu had so many choices and incorporated so many tastes and textures. The chef is a wizard! We were visiting the Bay Area and will be back and will make a point of booking a meal here again. All the servers were so wonderful. Appreciate that they all pitch in to get food and drink quickly to tables. We're glad we came a bit early (6:00) so we had our server's almost undivided attention while we were deciding what to order. It got very busy after 7:00 but all was well.
This was my first visit to the new incarnation of the restaurant formerly known as Oliveto. What a great time my 3 friends and I had! The food was very good, the service stellar, and, while there was a lively crowd, we were able to hear our own conversation without trouble.
I'm so thankful for Acre! I've lived in or around the neighborhood for 30 years, so of course knew and loved Oliveto. The fact that some folks have established a new, awesome team providing outstanding service and food is such a cool transition and a gift to Rockridge.
Great food and service. Of particular note is that one of us was vegan and the restaurant was excellent at addressing that. I emailed in advance to confirm there would be dishes that could be made vegan and I received an email response immediately. There were several great options and the kitchen ended up making a great vegan pizza. Was a wonderful evening.