Reviews for Agrodolce Osteria in Berkeley, CA
This is the kind of Sicilian magic that only happens when you have someone's mom or grandma involved in the production or... recipes, and a staff that is well treated, and experienced at what they do. I had been wanting to dine here for a while, but asI travel often I didn't have the time. I was happy to see that they were open on a Tuesday. As I often do when eating at aplace for the first time, I will ask the staff to order for me. It was recommended that I start with the bruschetta pomodoro, areally special garlic crostini, and crushed tomatoes with ricotta, garlic, oregano and fresh basil with whatever olive oil it isthey're using, and whatever it, is it knocked my socks off. There were so many flavors, savory, tangy, sweet, unctuous, and allbalanced out in a bed of fresh arugula. A few minutes before that a plate of acme bread, and "Olio Della mama", which is quitepossibly one of the greatest olive oil melanges I have ever tasted. Finely diced garlic, peppers, herbs, and other secret stuff, which had obviously been sitting for a little while in this spectacular olive oil, and the combination, elevated this simpleside dish to superstar status. I was told they sell it by the bottle but I was having such a good time. I forgot to get one. Mymain course was Scottaditto D'Angello, ("burned angel fingers" some things just don't translate well. Lol) Roman styled Barolomarinated lamb chops cooked on a charcoal grill and served with garlic, chili, sea salt, Bagnomaria, (which I am assuming meansthey cooked this rangefed lamb Sous Vide, And then reverse seared it on the grill) It was served in a bed of organic spinachwith some garlic rosemary potatoes. The dish is simply spectacular. Peppery, perfectly tender and chewy. Just a very perfect andvery famous Italian meat dish done very well. During the course of the night being the wine novice that I am, I also asked forrecommendations on wine, My first glass being the Monte Antico 2018 (Old mountain), a stro Read more
We keep coming back to Agrodolce to try another amazing dinner! The minestrone, la Siciliana salad and the Lasagna were... delicious! (Sometimes the Lasagna is sold out in the evening so have an alternate ready) The food and the service were great! Ican't wait to try another dish from their menu! Read more
Absolutely phenomenal meal and service. Each course was better than the next, top notch staff and beautiful atmosphere. One of... the best places to dine in Berkeley, with a large (15+) group or just a few. Real Italian hospitality at its finest. Ask thestory of the car parked in front, you won’t be disappointed. La dolce vita, enjoy. Read more
The people that work here are amazing! It feels like home and an authentic Italian family essence! I absolutely love it! This is... MY place to go out for drinks or a delicious dinner! Thank you Azieb for being so great and always welcoming! Every employeehere really is so great and accommodating. Read more
Where do I begin? I should preface this by saying that we were looking for the original Sicilian spot owned by the family, but... unfortunately, that spot had closed down since the pandemic. Google had incorrect information, but it led us here instead. Thislocation for Trattoria la Siciliana is marked on the same address as Agrodolce, but again, it has since closed down. Agrodolceis owned by the same family. We are not experts in Italian nor Sicilian cuisine. We are humble college students, and myboyfriend wanted to take me out on a fancy dinner date before I left the Bay Area. We ordered the appetizer recommended by ourserver (Frittura Mista). It was basically a fried hodgepodge of artichokes, calamari, and prawns. It was pretty good and had asurprising depth for a fried dish. The sauce on the side + lemon gave it a nice refreshing punch. For our main dishes, heordered the RAGÙ DI MAIALE and I got the LINGUINI CON VONGOLE IN BIANCO. Those are Italian names for big wide pasta noodleswith slow braised pork stuff and linguini pasta with clams. I tried his ragu; it was very soft, came apart at the pinprick of myfork. The meat was very melt-in-mouth, with enough acidity to keep the heartiness of the pork at bay. My boyfriend commentedthat it was the right proportion of food, and not too heavy. My linguini pasta with clams was surprisingly generous with clams!The clams and pasta were incorporated well. Little tomato bits here and there gave the dish some brightness, and the clams didnot taste old or fishy. They were full of umami, and sea breezy freshness. Very light, but filling! However, the magnus opuswas the dessert. The cannoli was phenomenal; the outside roll was crunchy and satisfying, a little bit like a cookie, but notquite. It was very structurally sound, able to hold the cream inside. The cream was witchcraft; Agrodolce must know angels,because it was light and fluffy, like a cloud, with just enough sweetness and tartness. I was licking it off Read more
First time here was definitely big win for me. We came for a private reserved event that gave us 3 options and these are big... portions too. Little bit small on the inside without AC but you can eat outside. Not much parking on the street so I recommendtaking a Lyft instead. The bar though was great choices and drinks! It’s pricey but you get your money’s worth here! Read more
Speaking of Italian restaurant, this is it! Love the taste of food and hospitality so very much. It’s a typical family style... restaurant run by two brothers. The younger one, Angelo, open a restaurant named Trattoria La Sicilians on Shattuck Avenue 20some years ago. Like many other restaurants without outdoor seatings, they were forced to close it during the pandemic. I was sodisappointed when I first saw the note on the door cause that was one of my favorite places in the Bay Area. Luckily, theyfound this new place and provided the same quality of cuisines. Angelo and his brother really know how to make great dishes.Their mushroom ravioli is the best I’ve ever had. Angelo’s mom, mama rosa’s tiramisu is the best of its kind too. Highlyrecommended with two thumbs up! Read more
Since I came back from Italy I have made it my mission to find good, affordable Italian restaurants in the Bay. This one was... truly amazing! The pasta was fantastic and the desserts as well! The staff is friendly and the ambiance great (there was a greatjazzy band playing outside.) The food did take a while to be served but they fixed the issue by giving us complementarydesserts. I’ll definitely be coming back Read more