Chianti Cucina - Novato
We invite you to our table, offering a casual & memorable experience. At Chianti Cucina, you'll feel like a neighborhood regular, even if you're just visiting us for the first time. Our restaurant is a family friendly venue where you can feel equally at home as a solo diner, as a family, or as a small or large group of friends.
Popular dishes
Linguine Vongole
Fresh clams and chopped clams, olive oil, garlic, wine and parsley
1 reviews
Carpaccio
Thinly sliced raw beef with Dijon, shaved parmigiano, arugula, capers, extra virgin oil and lemon
2 reviews
Margherita Pizza
Roasted Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil and fresh mozzarella. Crispy thin crust pizza
2 reviews
Restaurant was nice and cozy. They were closing little earlier then their actual time because of covid 19 may be that’s why it felt like they were hurrying everything. Food was good
A truly exceptional meal. The Caesar salad is delicately flavored and well balanced. I had the salmon special with a lemon wine cream sauce and capers. The salmon was perfect with a lovely flavorful crisp crust. The cheese polenta is amazing! The chicken piccata is the best I've had in years! All of the dishes being served to neighboring tables looked tasty and were clearly well received. I'd go back every night if I could!!!
The food was superb and the service was outstanding.
Love this restaurant- go at least once a month😋 The food is delicious always!
Great place and great food.
This is by far the best restaurant in Novato. We moved to this area about a year and a half ago and haven't found much in the way of local eateries that we want to have dinner at. We have now found it! It felt like we were back in NYC in Little Italy!
We started with carpaccio, which was delicious. Next coming to our table was veal saltimbocca (one of my favorites) and linguini with clams (a favorite of my husband). Both were beyond what we hoped for! My veal was accompanied by polenta, creamy and heavenly, and sauteed veggies that were still crisp and done perfectly. We would have thought we were back in Little Italy, except the food was served by a lovely young woman instead of "thrown" at us by brusque Italian men. Our dessert was a ricotta/pistachio pie that was delicious and lovely to look at. The strawberries and blueberries that garnished it were the best we've had in a long time. There was attention to every detail!
We're thrilled to have discovered Chianti Cucina and can't wait to go back!
All the waitresses were awesome as well as the back waiters. Chicken farm was fabulous!
The dining room this evening was pretty busy and a bit challenging to hear my table mate, but it also felt very cozy and friendly. Service was fast and efficient. We each enjoyed our food - cannelloni and linguini alle vongole - and our wine selections as well. LOVE the fireplace!
A GREAT local restaurant! Happy to have it in Novato.
Arrived promptly, asked to taste a wine and was brought a serving so small I called it a sniff. The waitress then proceeded to make us feel pressured to order, then eat, then leave. Food was reasonable but the restaurant is cutting corners.
I won't be back.
As usual loved the food and service. Thank you Chianti!
Food is always delicious ! Love this place. Only request is that the bread be served with softened butter. It comes hard and difficult to spread
Valentines dinner. Exceptional service and food quality.
Always delicious. Love their chicken Parmesan
Hi, we have been to your restaurant a number of times...have nothing but praise for the waitresses and food.
We love this restaurant. Great wine list and great food and friendly and efficient staff. Always a treat.
We arrived at 5:30 to a near empty restaurant and were shown to the worst table in the place. We politely requested a different table and after a much too long consultation with the host, were told that, no, we will not seat you in one of the twenty empty tables. If we hadn't been with our 79 year-old mother, we would have left. As we predicted, at least one of the decent tables stayed empty throughout our two hour meal. Restaurants are more about hospitality than food. The staff at this restaurant needs to be better trained in customer service.
We haven’t been to Chianti Cucina in several years. We were pleasantly surprised!!!
Ambiance was great, service warm, welcoming and attentive. Food top notch- even the vegetables were spectacular.
Will certainly return often!!!
We have a lot of dietary restrictions and chianti was so accommodating. Good food, good atmosphere, and good wine made for a wonderful evening!
The food here is consistently delicious. We go here often.
We went for the first time to this restaurant in December and the steak was awesome. So...we had to go back. Went on a Tuesday night and I was surprised that eventually it filled up. Two of us had the NY steak and it was very good! Plus, the potatoes were yummy. Renee, our server, was very personable and attentive. If I had to give it one lower mark, it was that our food seemed to take a long time to get us after we'd ordered. Other than that, it was a delightful dining experience!
A very nice neighborhood spot. Table for 7 and everyone loved their food. Generous portions, great taste, friendly and attentive service.
Wonderful food and service. Just a lit too loud for my liking
Chianti Cucina is, most definitely, our go to place for dinner. When we get our favorite table...which of course I can't tell..it's near perfect. The kitchen staff are very accommodating. One friend is very particular and always pleased with the results. To complete the experience is Katya. She is the best......so attentive, so knowledgeable of the menu, just a pleasure.
The hostess that greeted us was very friendly and asked where we would like to sit. We asked our waitress about a couple of wine choices and she offered to let us have a taste. Our salads and dinner were fabulous. Definitely the best Italian restaurant in all of Novato.
We always enjoy our meals here. It seems this place is constantly improving, if that’s even possible!
New Year's Eve could explain a lot. Very busy and the noise level is high. The servers did an excellent job of juggling the party of 6's desire to split orders. The food was just OK; I had the Saffron Sea Food Risotto. The included sea food was cooked properly, but the Risotto was heavily cheesed up to the point of cloying. Not Risotto, but more like a Cheese Rice a Roni. My date had the Veal Picatta which was unevenly cooked.
The check came with a service charge applied, which was understandable. We did bring 2 bottles of wine and ordered one off their menu; the check properly noted their discount for corkage if, you purchased a bottle off their list. The pricing was reasonable and we will try once again under normal circumstance.
Always good food! We really enjoy going to Chianti.
Very accommodating. Able to sample mine before we made our decision. Also has gluten-free options for one of our party. Very friendly staff. Delicious food, and generous portions.
Good food, fast and friendly wait service. The caesar salad was good and could have been a main entree but we ate the entire salad before the entree arrived. Husband had cappellini pescatore. It was loaded with seafood. I had the dinner special, halibut with artichokes and tomatoes.
Nice ambience, great food, imeccable service. Our server greeted us at the door, was very attentive and made us feel welcome.
Dining started with bruschetta topped with flavorful tomatoes. Our main course was tasty seasonal pumpkin ravioli & carbonara. To complete our meal we selected creme brûlée, tiramisu & spumoni. A very tasty meal with excellent service... thank you Gita!
Enjoyed entertaining clients with great food and service. Good wine list too
Raviolis seem homemade food is high quality however bread is so-so & served cold, which is one of those overlooked detail.
This restaurant was on a recommended list and yelp as a great place to go, so we had high hopes. We made a reservation two weeks inn advance, received a call, email and text confirming our reservation. We arrived on time and our table wasn't ready so we had to stand at the front door for awhile. Finally a table in the bar opened up, so we just sat there. The food was completely lackluster and overpriced. $26 entrees should have been more around $17 at the very best. Definitely won't be back.
We had an excellent meal for an impromptu birthday dinner. The staff was able to accommodate a birthday cake that we brought in and brought it to the table at just the right moment candles and all!
Everyone really enjoyed their meal. Wonderful appetizers, salads, entrees, deserts. Charming little restaurant. My only problem with the evening was the noise level. Really difficult to hear our conversation. I would not go again on a Friday night. Can I just make a plea to people here: I don’t think it’s any particular restaurant as much as a culture of loud talking in restaurants. Bring it down a notch please!
I took an out of town friend for dinner on a Monday night. He had the salmon special and all but licked his plate clean. I had the Linguine Vongole, which was absolutely delicious. Generous with the clams and perfectly seasoned. I left a few strands of linguine, but mostly just so I could feel a little virtuous. I could easily have eaten it all.
We decided to share a dessert and since he loves bread pudding, that's what we ordered. I am not a huge fan of bread pudding, or so I thought, but this was to die for. House made caramel sauce, a little dollop of vanilla ice cream. Scrumptious. I could have eaten the whole thing by myself.
Our server also was totally delightful. Cheerful, friendly, accommodating. Could not ask for more.
The hostess on the other hand was a little snippy. My friend asked for a different table than where she was going to seat us and for some reason this seemed to really bother her. From that point on she never smiled, avoided eye contact and was just generally less than pleasant. That would be the only minor cloud on our otherwise perfect experience.
First time at this restaurant and it did not disappoint. The calamari appetizer was one of the best I have tasted and the Veal Scalopini was good, not the best I have tasted. Service was Excellent
Local. Delicious. Great menu. Highly recommend this Novato gem. A little on the loud side but not intolerable. Friendly staff.
FAQs
Chianti Cucina - Novato does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Chianti Cucina - Novato also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 878-0314.
Chianti Cucina - Novato is rated 4.3 stars by 755 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.