C'era Una VoltaGreat place for a special date!I took the new lady in my life out for a nice dinner, and couldn't have been happier with this restaurant. OK, would've been happier if it was half the price, but hey, it's a swanky place and I knew what I was getting myself into.
Our waiter was great, very knowledgeable, gave us wine recommendations and even slyly prevented me from making the inferior choice of sauce for my pasta. Great, intimate ambience. Small, but not tiny. Quiet, but not empty. Excellent lobster ravioli (for me), butternut squash ravioli (for her), and really amazing caprese salad on special (for us).
Would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a nice dinner in Alameda. It is a little pricey, so probably better for special occasions.5/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWarm & InvitingWhat a lovely restaurant! A Great way to end the week, with a fantastic dinner. The menu is filled with many excellent dishes but the daily specials are outstanding! The waitstaff is friendly ,professional and helpful with the all Italian wine list. We highly recommend!5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a romantic lunch!Hubby and I stopped by for Sunday lunch. We were lucky enough to have live music during our stay. The food was so good I cleaned my plate completely! I had the spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce with cubed pancetta. Yummy!!!! DH had the filet mignon cooked medium rare perfectly! Great restaurant, we will be back again and again when we're in the neighborhood.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, great people.Great food, great people. The people are actually Italian so everything is authentic. Chef is from Livorno I believe.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWe really enjoyed the menuWe really enjoyed the menu with the possibilities for aranging a multi-course meal on your own with the salads, antipasti, prima piatti and secondi piatti. The small plates were meant for one person but we were quite full at the end of a meal in which we shared a salad, an antipasti dish and a prima piatti, then ordered our own secondi piatti and our own desserts. The ingredients were all within the realm of the expected but so well-prepared, fresh and flavorful, rich and satisfying. The fondue is dream-worthy. The service was friendly and comfortable, helpful but not overwhelming. I thought the seating could have been a little more private and a little more comfortable but it's not at the level of a complaint. We'll be back for sure.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Food and Even Better Service!This was my first visit to C'era Una Volta. it was lunchtime, and I had a side salad, the pasta of the day, a glass of chianti, and an affogato for dessert. The salad was a delicious mixture of greens and a light, perfectly balanced dressing. The house made pasta with spicy sauce and pancetta was amazing. And the dessert was delicious. Beat of all, the service was fantastic! Both the hostess and the server were polite, professional, and very helpful. I will definitely return.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMI made a Valentines Day ReservationI made a Valentines Day Reservation for my folks and they came back with RAVE reviews. Especially loved the wine list :)2/14/2013 12:00:00 AM