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Came here for dinner on a recent Friday night. Was surprised they weren't more busy (economy?).
The lounge/bar area up front had a good live band playing jazz. We sat in the back dining room, which allowed us to still hear the music and be able to hear ourselves!
Service was fine - extensive menu & wine list - pleasant ambiance by the water.
I had the chicken parm - was tasty, but not the best I've had. Everyone else seemed satisfied with their dishes - heard rave reviews of their gnocchi coming from the others.
I think I'd be willing to give it another go, if not for the food, for the live music :)
You know what I loved about this place?
(Awkward silence)
You know what was decent about this place? The view of the SF and Angel Island. And the fact that you and your boo can split a pepperoni pizza and french fries.
You know what was not cool? The prices, the hostess who had a little attitude, and the waiter who continually asked us if we wanted anything besides water. I know your percentage of the tip relies on me adding up the bill, but stop asking! I'll tell you if I want some mutha f'n vino!
Wow was I underwhelmed. Thought it would be better from the location if nothing else. Smells like mold and dirty carpet inside, and the food is totally mediocre.
The only reason I give it two stars instead of one is that our waiter was a total sweetheart.
Great location to get away from the hustle and bustle of SF and not a too far of a drive. Nestled in the heart of Tiburon, a pier restaurant that serves solid fair.
Misto de Crostacei~ a great platter of assorted shelfish, prawns, and delicious oysters
Bistecca e Patatine~ perfectly cooked to order, tasty, and the chianti reduction was a great balance. No steaksauce here
red Servino~their house wine was very good...bottled from borrowed grapes all over the sonoma area..
3/5 judochops
Natale Servino and all the rest of the staff at Servino Ristorante our AMAZING. I had my wedding reception here and it was perfect and I mean perfect! I made all arrangements via email with Natale and he never missed a single detail. The Bella Vista Room above the main restaurant where we held our event, is absolutely breathtaking and the food was delicious. Natale and his family's restaurant helped make our wedding day amazing and something we will never forget and neither will our guests, who have not stopped raving! Thank you Natale, thank you Servino Ristorante!
We had lunch here and sat outside the patio area. I'm surprised -- the water by the wharf did not stink!
Beware of pigeons and seagulls gnawing/attempting to peck at your ankles for crumbs and food!
Crab Cakes with Lentil Aioli - Nothing special. $13.95
Pasta with Capillini and Chicken $14.95.
See my photos.
There is an upstairs private patio area looking out to the bay. It's quite nice with dreamy lined and flowly curtains.
I would like to comment on the food at Servino, but given that the waiter ignored me for 20 minutes (despite making eye contact a couple of times), that will be impossible. So I just walked out without ever getting beyond the bread-basket-and-water phase. Inexcusable, because they were certainly not busy.
At least the view of the bay is a pleasant diversion.
Completely Wonderful. Trip to Italy...Why Bother...Servino Ristorante has brought a little bit of Italy to you.
First off the location of this place is great. It sits right on the water and is surrounded by quite a few unique boutiques, cafes and candy shops. A great place to spend the day taking in beautiful views of SF and the East Bay!
All of the staff was friendly, attentive and spoke English! Major Plus. The food was delicious, I had to snag my Beau's leftover pizza before he went home. And I must say it was GREAT even reheated!
I had the fish of the day. Red Snapper pan seared w/ olives, peppers and capers w/ sides of mixed veggies and garlic mashed potato's. I also had a cocktail Rosa Limonade...very refreshing.
My Beau had a pizza w/ Roasted chicken breast with mushroom, basil pesto, fresh tomatoes & mozzarella. My Mother had Crab and Asparagus stuffed ravioli (sounds good, but I hate asparagus!) My Moms Beau had a pizza also but it was topped with Italian mild sausage, mozzarella & a fresh tomato sauce.
I would definitely eat here again, if i am ever in Tiburon again. Also they have music on the weekends, seems like a nice place to hang out an meet people!
Totally completely great place to throw a party.
I worked via email with Natale Servino to organize my graduation party in May. It was a luncheon from 1-4pm (-ish) with a total of 40 people (I think).
The space is great because my size party worked very well, but I could also see two or three times as many people also fitting comfortably.
The food was very yummy. We started with three passed appetizers, moved on to their house salad, then three choices for main course (chicken, salmon, or pasta), and finished with chocolate dipped strawberries, biscotti, and tiramisu.
Service was impeccable.
View was astonishingly clear and gorgeous.
The deck was a great place to be on that nice sunny day.
I loved the decorations, which were elegant and funky at the same time.
And compared to the other (several) places I checked out-- from San Rafael to Sausalito-- this was my top choice.
Everything worked out really well, I very highly recommend it!
I came here last weekend for a friend's wedding reception. It seems very casual from downstairs, but upstairs is very romantic and cozy. They had tables in the middle for assigned seating (3 rows of rectangular tables) that sits approx. 100 people. There are a couple of couches along the wall, and a lot of seating out in the balcony, which gives a plenty of space for mingling. Oh, and the view of the Bay from the balcony is so beautiful! We had buffet dinner, which was pretty good, but nothing exceptional.
Oh, and I'm so convinced that they need to build a bridge between Tiburon and SF! We paid 80+ bucks for a cab ride back to SF! Geez!
Setting: Very nice! A bar inside for you hardcore sports fans. Recommendation: eat outside! On a gorgeous day you get the view of the Bay and Angel Island.
Food: It was ok. It wasn't too impressive. The complimentary bread is very good though, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The pizza and the calamari were so-so. I like thin-crust pizza, but this pizza crust was too thin. The calamari tasted rather bland...you really gotta dip into the cocktail sauce to get some taste. I was also surprised it didn't come with tar-tar.
Service: Other than my calamari taking long to get to me, the service was good. I guess sometimes it happens...and it happened to me that day. :) They were all very nice folks. The guy who took our picture for us was very funny too.
*Wedding Reception Review*
The boy's family friend (groom side) had their wedding reception here this past weekend. It was our first in the restaurant so we didn't really have anything to go for besides the other yelp reviews. I told the boy that most of the reviews were mediocre and that we should keep an open mind considering it won't be the full restaurant.
We arrived probably before 6 pm and the place was just getting busy (downstairs portion). The reception was upstairs and the view was gorgeous. BUT, the bartender (old guy) was such an ass! Why in the world, would a restaurant have an old guy, who I think barely speaks English, who really looked like he hated his job (he should be glad he has one considering its freaking recession) and he was giving people attitude left and right!? WHY? It's a freaking wedding, you know, JOYOUS occasion so at least give a smile here there old man!
Eww, after dealing with him, I made the boy or his brothers deal with him and even then, they hated him. He was pretty much the main attraction of the wedding!
The decor of the wedding was really chilled, more like a lounge. The whole setting was nice...just the waitstaff + the food sucked! The table settings were all wrong (there would be 8 names in the table listing and only 5 settings, hmm?!)
In the end, it was an experience to go there for the wedding itself and the view but to eat there again with that kind of a waitstaff rather not.
* VIEW: 5-stars
* DECOR: lounge/bar
* FOOD: eh...thank goodness I ate a sandwich before the ceremony!
* bartender: -100 (sucks...really!)
* waitstaff: -100 (they seem to hate the guest and the bride + groom! like they hate them for having a wedding there!)
NOTE: For all you lovebirds thinking of having a reception held here, or for any kind of reception, I would suggest asking for a better, HAPPIER bartender and friendlier waitstaff to really make that special occasion stand out to all your guest. You are paying/investing in them to make it an occasion so really, you have the right to ask for what you want.
I got married here. Food is excellent, staff is great and the owner is a really nice guy. You cannot beat the location either. Maybe its my emotions attached to this place, but whenver we have family who flys in we take them to this place and they seem to love it as well.
Check it out, it beats out sam's in my opinion.
The food was great, but the service was mediocre. Our waiter seemed to be more interested in the basketball game on TV. It was pretty disappointing.
I greatly enjoyed my work lunch at Servino Ristorante today. We easily made our reservation for 9 since the restaurant was not busy at all for lunch time. We were seated at a great booth right by the view of the water and boats. Italian rap music played somewhat loudly in the background.
We started with appetizers of the grilled shrimp salad, calamari, and brushetta. All were good but I especially loved the brushetta with fresh tomatoes. The table bread was fresh and delicious too!
Next we ordered a variety of main dishes. I tried the salmon sandwich ($12.75) which was pretty good though the bread was covered in mayo. It was served with potato chips that tasted like they were homemade. Two people ordered the crab cakes which they complained were a bit too oily though alright. Two others ordered the angel hair pasta which looked great to me as it was filled with tomatoes (bad for the one who doesn't really like tomatoes though!). Someone also had the veggie pizza which was huge and he seemed pretty happy with it.
For one of my co-workers birthday's, we ordered a chocolate moose cake and chocolate gelato to share. Yum! Definitely my favorite part of the meal though I might have overdone it on the chocolate a little...
Those of us who ordered sandwiches and pizza took 1/2 in a doggy bag but everyone else simply parted with their large amount of left-overs.
We parked in the lot nearby and unfortunately the validation just meant $2 off so we still owed $4. Make sure you bring cash because the lot doesn't accept credit cards!
I love weddings. I'm a wedding hound. I would wedding-hop if able, but have yet to find a row of wedding chapels on one street anywhere outside of Las Vegas.
There is one exception to my undying love affair with nuptials. The Catholic wedding. In my opinion, if the bride and groom have chairs and will be expected to SIT at some point during the ceremony, the wedding is way too long.
I went to one such wedding last weekend. After sitting patiently through the whole hour, I was greatly rewarded by the reception, which was held at Servino. I cannot vouch for their everyday restaurant dining, but their upstairs venue for parties is amazing. With a view of the entire San Francisco skyline and crab puffs to die for, Servino won a spot in my heart forever.
Four stars because, though I am aware that I'm judging only buffet wedding food, flavor and texture left quite a bit to be desired. The chicken was nearly rock solid because it had been cooked far beyond necessary, and the pasta was squishy penne.
Nobody likes a limp penne, if you know what I mean.
So, go for the view. Or, even better, try to get your friends to have a party here and invite you. That way, you can take in the view for free without worrying that you spent too much on mediocre food, if the regular food is, indeed, mediocre.
(Disclaimer: If you are Catholic, I'm not judging your faith. Some of my best friends are Catholics. I'm just saying your weddings aren't my cup of tea. I do like your wine, though.)
Tourist trap - DO NOT order pasta ! I was craving linguine with claims. They were delivered in 10 minutes (really??) barely warm and way overcooked. Actually this is the technique they use in 1 star restaurant (olive garden etc). They cooked pasta in the morning, the rinse it under cold water and reheat as needed during the day. Not only the pasta was basically glue served at room temperature but the sauce was water mixed with butter and few cold claims. Horrible tourist trap ! too bad that I live in the area and I won't go back anymore. I only tried breakfast there before and it was OK.
We came here last night for the Tiburon Block Party. We decided to eat here since they had great seating outside.
The place seemed understaffed..as we waited at least 10 mins to order and another 20 mins before our wines arrived. By the time the food came it was dark outside.
The food was pretty aweful. We ordered the fried calamari, pesto pizza, penne pasta with meat sauce, and the salmon. There was not one decent dish. We could have had way better food at Chili's or TGI Fridays.
Not worth going back..at least not for dinner.
Downtown Tiburon is so close to San Francisco, but such a world away. I traveled the short distance across the GG bridge and ended up in a woodsy and beautiful area. The whole ambiance of the area makes you feel like you are on vacation, its so clean and well kept.
So onto the restaurant review... we arrived for a midweek dinner out at Servino, after randomly selecting it cause it was one of a few restaurants still open at 9. (Those small towns, they always shut the party down early.) After being seated quickly we had a view of the bay, kind of. Well, we had a view of the sides of boats in the bay.
We ordered the Affettati, or meat plate, to start with and I stuck with the Italian theme and enjoyed a Moretti. The meat was very good and I loved the olives that complimented it. I wish there would have been more crostini, but the bread that came at the beginning served a similar purpose. For my main I had a "lazy man's salad" - Insalada Cremosa - with gorgonzola and pancetta. It was very good and refreshing. My date for the night had the margarita pizza and it has a great thin crust and was good as well.
Tiburon is such a fun place to visit if you need a night away from the city. Servino was a fun place to try with good food and friendly service.
Failed Date number ?
Haha.
Note To Readers: This is a blast from the past, not to be confused with my current path of life. HEHE!
I was reminded of this location only recently because I had taken the Angel Island ferry out for a hike with my sweetie last weekend and of course, Servino's was right there, in my face.
And then, Boom! I totally remembered a failed date.
But, since my memory is so inclined, I will retell the tale of this failed attempt made even more so by the stop here.
Once upon a time, long ago, in the fabled town of Sacramento, I was asked out on a date by a budding actor who was a mix of Italian and Northern European blood, who surprised this little country mouse off of her stable rocker with the very first date and sadly, no other dates leapt from this spur of the moment date.
So, let's step back a bit. The country mouse, shows up at Pier 39 upon the bequest of the blind date. Shocked is she, to see the handsome young man, replete in a stylish dark brown weathered leather coat by Armani, jeans and Italian leather shoes. Wavy dark brown/Auburn hair and green eyes.
Dost my eyes deceive me? Who is this??
He had purchased tix beforehand for a ferry departing for Tiburon and that we had dinner reservations at Servino's. The country mouse was impressed but a little taken aback by this. A first date, come on now!
Servino's has a cute location on the Tiburon, next to Guaymas. Great double deck view of SF as well as the docking/departing ferry. It was a nice and warm environment with friendly waiters and nicely linen covered tables. The food, for the most part, was typical tourist fare and something I would not truly comment as fantastic. I elected for the Chicken Parmigiana since I've learned from the book of dating to never order pastas where flicks of questionable sauces and origin may inadvertently end up on your shirt or skirt/outfit.
The chicken was slightly rubbery, but it was okay. If I recall correctly, most of the date was highly uncomfortable since his good looks were interfering with my verbal capabilities and competing at the same time; that our conversation pieces had no correlation or parallel with each either at all.
D O O M
My date paid for dinner and on the ferry back, the sun was setting and the bay was absolutely gorgeous, in addition to the gorgeous date sitting next to me, his hair waving in the wind.
Sigh. One date down for this country mouse.
Next.
Servino is a charming Italian restaurant that makes you feel like you're in a town in Italy where Sia S is the mayor. Seriously, he's like a celebrity in this town - people are always coming up to him, stopping him on his way in or out to shoot the breeze, getting their photo taken with him, etc... Sia is THE Man in Tiburon. He's also very humble and generous, which is why his girlfriend should never break up with him. Anyhow, after our 5 minute tour of Downtown Tiburon (which is really how long it takes to walk the entire downtown area), Sia invited J-To and I to have some drinks and food at Servino.
There was live entertainment that night, and things were pretty lively around the bar area. We got seated at the table next to the window, and it was nice and cozy. We ordered some drinks and decided to get a prosciutto and arugula flatbread pizza to share. I think between Rachel C and I, we filled up on 2 baskets of the wonderful bread with balsamic vinaigrette dipping sauce. I was completely content with just eating that bread all night long. The servers were very friendly, and I'm sure it was because we were with regulars, and brought us bruschetta on the house. Along with the pizza, my carb intake was at its max. I only managed to have 1 slice of the pizza, which was good, but the bruschetta and bread were actually better.
I'd love to come back to try some of their entrees and pastas, which looked delicious. There's also an upstairs private area, which would be great for events, as well as a nice dining room in the back, along with the deck area, which of course is what makes Servino and so many other places on Main Street so special. The view of the city across the bay is just breathtaking.
P.S. Sia S and Rachel C are the awesome Elite yelpers behind the entire Tiburon Film Festival. You guys rock!
Atmosphere is beautiful! Food and service a 2 star. I can't even remember what we ordered as it was 2 weeks ago and it was not very tasty. I'd say mediocre at best. We were exhausted from hiking which made it worse, but the waiter forgot about us 2 times! We sat down and it took him a good 10-15 to get our drink order, then we finished and had to wait a good 10 -15 for him to bring the check....
We were seated outside and there were not a lot of people outside so during that time there was no staff to be seen anywhere. I love Italian food and this was not a place to suggest for great Italian food. Oh and just a bit pricey too and I would never complain about $$ if it was worth it. I felt like we wasted our $100 on dinner.
The service was startlingly unprofessional, I can't even muster the impulse to try to be witty about it for this review. Our waiter was surly, unpleasant, neglectful and abrupt. The dishes all arrived at different times, one appetizer actually after the entrees. Honestly this would have been considered poor service even at inexpensive greasy spoon diner prices, which Servino most decidedly is not.
The food itself was fine albeit overpriced. The view was the saving grace, the textured maritime beauty at least provided a soothing scene for my eyes to alight on and transport my attention away from the ugliness inside. The martini didn't hurt either.
Great experience here. I am giving my review from the perspective of a guest at my friends' wedding here. From the street view, it doesn't look like much but the area where they had the wedding reception was perfect for approx 120 guests. They have a large balcony where we had drinks and appetizers and it had amazing views of the bay. I was very impressed with the food, my expectations for food at weddings is pretty low but this was really, really good. They even served a pasta course - delicious gnocchi. The service during the entire wedding was great, my wine glass was always full! All the guests enjoyed themselves, loved the food and raved about the views. Great venue!
When arriving to Servino on a Friday night in summer, when Tiburon has their weekly evening "block party," the first thought that came to mind was, "White people scare the crap out of me."
Much like the many other places in the bay area with amazing views, locations on the water or both (Sausalito, Jack London Square, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.), Servino doesn't really need to rely on quality food or good service. Location location location.
It's too bad, because they have the clientele, the manpower, the money and of course, the location -- it just goes to waste here. There are SO many other places in the area where a $23 entree will get you possibly the most delicious thing you've ever had, so why at places like this must we suffer with sub-par meat and defrosted vegetables?
Don't get me wrong, it's not like things were inedible, but I must say that I would most likely have felt differently had I not started off ravenously hungry.
Also, our server was great, as well apologetic for all the craziness, which definitely helped. The entire front section of the restaurant was filled with people dancing after the band moved inside around 9pm, so the level of hectic kicked up a notch. Again, it was a tad bit loud even in the back where we were, but no complaints -- it was that it took 15-20 minutes to get someone to bring some more water (the one job the waitress did not have to do, so she's totally off the hook... that "I'm sorry it's so crazy in here" went a long way, thanks, Sarah!)...
Long story short, if you're going to charge "nice restaurant" prices:
1.) have unbelievably tasty and quality food
2.) ramp up the service
Pretty simple! I don't mind paying for the location, but that can't just be it. Hear that, Horizons, Scott's Seafood and Kincaid's? Come on, now! You're like 2 blocks from the Farmer's Market and have no excuse for mediocrity!
If there is one thing all of us SF/Bay Area residents share, it's the MAGNIFICENT views. Whether you're rich/poor, young/old, stupid/smart, ugly/good looking, Christina/Britney...no one can deny the jaw dropping juxtaposition of sea, mountains, sky, sometimes fog.
The back patio at Servino Ristorante offers such a view. They also serve possibly the BEST eggs benedict I've ever tasted. Proscuitto is substituted for canadian bacon here. This IS Tiburon, after all.
The hostesses here are HOTTER than Georgia asphalt.
After strolling around Tiburon, and checking out the sights we were pretty hungry, so we thought we'd check this place out. (Sam's was closed due to a fire!). The hostess greeted us with a pleasant smile, and offered to seat us right away (Sunday @ 2pm), in the dining room. Being that it was a bit crowed, we opted to sit outside under their heat lamps, as it was a bit windy and cloudy.
Our waiter came over pretty quickly to check on us, and take our order for drinks. He later brought bread and butter, and olive oil & vinegar after we requested it. Moments later, he took our food order. It appears that their lunch & dinner menus are one and the same ... a bit pricey for lunch, but standard for dinner. The day that we were there they had a great selection of pastas, a decent amount of salads, a soup, several meat dishes, and maybe 8 different pizzas. Not a bad selection at all.
I ordered a blue cheese salad of some kind, and split it with my girlfriend. Maybe it was because we were ravenous by that point, but we killed the poor little salad, and were ready for more. There were 4 of us, and we all ordered some sort of pasta, with two of us ordering their cheese tortellini. I'm not the biggest fan of Italian food, but I really liked what I'd ordered and "cleaned my plate" as did by buddy. My girl friend did what she could to finish hers, and I did what I could to help her.
All in all, I'd say that it was a very good experience, that wait-staff was very attentive and punctual, the food was pretty good (though pricey for lunch - about $15 per plate for pasta), and they only had free refills on the iced tea. The view of the bay was spectacular, though because of the weather, it was constantly changing, but we did get some great glimpses of SF and Angel Island.
If I were ever in the area again, I'd definitely put this place on my list to visit.
I love the fact that the owners are always there, Bernard at the front of house is charming. The Staff is friendly and the drinks and food are great.
Great in the summer for outside events, they have live music too.
Had a very nice experience here. Had date night with my girlfriend this past Friday. We sat outside under one of the many heat lamps to stay warm.
The meal? Great!!!! Started with a caprese salad and the carpaccio. Both were fresh and appetizing. On our way in, we happened to see a lady diving into a large plate of chicken parmigiana(sp?) and both of us proceeded to order it. It was an excellent dish.
Dessert? Normally stay away but hit up the zabaglione (italian custard made with prosecco) and berries + Profiteroles with vanilla bean ice cream/ chocolate sauce. Both were fresh and amazingly good.
I was very impressed with this restaurant and would definitely go again and order the exact same thing.
The service was very speedy and our waiter was extremely attentive and polite.
The best thing about Servino is the back patio and how fun it can be if you go with the right mix of people. Great music - awesome back room bar, nice appetizer menu...
The area is pretty pretentious to begin with - so why would you want to go with anyone who already has an ego the size of Golden Gate?!
Which is exactly why I have only been with a select few close-ones because the drive back is a perfect way to either begin the evening or end the evening...
A very nice alternative to the madness otherwise known as Sam's a few doors down Main Street. You're pretty much guaranteed a patio seat.
While we waited for a sunny table (only 5 minutes, mind you) we enjoyed a glass of wine and a cigarette out front. I tried the NAPA GIRL chardonnay. I just had to order it for the name: twas good.
Get the NAPA GIRL, girl!
We were still out front when the hostess informed us that our table was ready. I asked if there was an ashtray close by to put out my butt. She said there wasn't and then proceeded to put out her hand so I could hand her my cigarette...NOW THAT'S CUSTOMER SERVICE! Of course I said that that was not necessary...and put the butt in my back pocket. Never before has anyone offered to disposed of my spent cigarette.
We had some more wine out back. I wasn't too hungry and only ordered the calamari app, which was okay - everyone else's' dishes looked good however....especially John T's eggs Benedict.
Oh, and a special little shout out to Stella, the french bulldog wearing the pink Red Sox shirt ...you rocked! Canine craziness...so damn cute ~ I could have just eaten you!
I'll definitely be back...with my own ashtray, and a dog biscuit.
The quick break down on this place is that the food is not so good, but they try. I've read reviews where people were expecting their Italian Nonna's cooking from this place. Hey, I love my fellow Yelpers, but, um, did you see where this place was located? It's TIBURON not MILAN. Still, they have a point. For the money you pay you would not be faulted for expecting the food to be better than it is. But it's not. Sorry, them there's the breaks.
But really, people in Tiburon/Belvedere aren't coming here for the food. They're coming here because it's close and it's Italian and it's got a nice view. They're willing to pay for these things, and hefty prices at that. If you're an exec with a few kids, or an aging exec living in Marin who wants to entertain out with a nice view, you go here. If you're looking for a drink in Tiburon and you don't want to deal with Sam's down Main Street you come here.
So, yeah, the food is blah, but drink the wine, sit back, enjoy the view and listen to the live band at night. It aint all bad.
Servino's has an amazing view of the bay, San Francisco, the stars, the water. It is set on Main Street in Tiburon. Very romantica.
For a restaurant with all those things in its favor, you would think that the food would be amazing right? It's certainly priced to be amazing.
I came here on Christmas Eve with my family, we had no problem getting a reservation, and since I was with them I got to try quite a few entrees. To sum it up, the crab soup was amazing, I could have gulped it down in one sip, I did not because I am a lady, but I could have. Lobster Ravioli, was great, gnocchi was great. Lamb, not so great. The thing with the food was that every thing needed salt. I am not sure what that means exactly, but maybe the food was too bland. With the price of the food, one would think that they would know how to properly season their entres.
Servino's earns its four stars in its upstairs parties. I'm not sure how often this happens, I've been on opening day, 07 and I think 06. If you get wind of one of those things, you should go. They clear out their upstairs to make it feel loungy, get a bar and a DJ. Also there is an upstairs patio that is very comfy. I bet you could rent this room out and have your own party...
I have eaten in Servino's on numerous occasions and the food has always been very good and the service has been excellent. It's not the really great Italian food prepared by my little Italian grandmother, but hey, if I want that food I'm not going to some restaurant. I'm headed to her house with the backyard full of rose bushes, doilies on the overstuffed chair arms, a 1952 Chevy in the garage that hasn't seen the light of day in 30 years, and plastic on the couch. That's where the great pasta is, with fresh tomato sauce and the garlic is bouncing off the kitchen walls.
When I go "out to eat" I want the food reasonably good and the service superb. Servino's meets that recipe. To me going out to eat is so that someone else can do the prep work, cook the food, serve it and then, best of all, clean up the mess afterwards. If I want to do all that work and have really GREAT food, I will just stay home and invite my friends and family over. Good, cheap food is at home, but so are the dishes.
Going to Servino's is a relaxing atmosphere, with someone else doing the cooking, serving and cleaning and doing it well. And I can just sit there, eat, drink and enjoy the view and my friends. Isn't that what a restaurant is all about?
Update on 9.26.07: Just had another great meal here. We sat in the bar because we thought we were only going to drink. Wrong! Hunger overtakes even alcohol. Great pasta and really good coffee. Yep, I still recommend this place for food and service. Nice friendly folks. Tonight was a 5er.
Solid Italian Fare
The food is simple and unoriginal but very good. They also have a yummy wine list. If you can sit outside, do. It's a lovely view. I like to take picky eaters there as it's hard to dissapoint and a perfect location. If you're coming from the city take the ferry in rather than driving - it's right there.
Also, the paintings on the wall are by the owner and some are quite good.
I'd love to review the food but, unfortunately, this review is entirely about the hosts. That's because I've never been able to get past them to taste to the food.
I live in San Francisco and have been planning my wedding up in Tiburon for the past couple months, visiting often. Twice, I've stopped in to have an afternoon meal and been turned away, rudely.
It seems odd to close down the kitchen in the middle of the afternoon, especially on a busy weekend day. While we were sitting at the bar, no fewer than five parties in the span of an hour came by looking for food. Seems like a bad business decision to me (the restaurant is open, the staff is there, people are hungry) but it's their prerogative.
However, it's how you handle your customers who come in during that period that matters. Both times we asked for a table, the hostesses looked at us like we were rotten spinach and told us the kitchen was closed until 5:30p. The better way to handle it would have been, "I'm sorry but our kitchen is closed until 5:30p. You're welcome to sit and have a drink. If you're hungry, there is a place down the street that has pretty good food. Let me give you directions."
The patio looks great, the food sounds good, but I can't recommend a place that sullies my taste buds with bad service before I've even sat down.
We had our 10 year high school reunion here and it was top shelf the whole time. The food was magic , the wine was ripe, the service was 5 star and the atmosphere is nothing like anything in Marin. They had a live band playing lite music and everyone was having a great time. I would do a weekend lunch here or on a clear night its one of the best views of San Francisco.
Mediocre Italian cuisine. The risotto special of the day lacked any kind of flavor. I had to ask for salt, pepper, and even think about Tabasco sauce for a second. Then our self-involved waiter didn't even bother to bring Parmesan cheese to our table. The calamari was actually OK and so was the bread; it came with an olive oil, vinegar, walnut, garlic dip. If I come back here it will only be with people from out of town; the views are nice. Maybe it's best to come here and just grab a drink at the bar instead of ordering food.
FANTASTIC venue for a holiday party. Gorgeous view and fun service.
I really loved this place. Though I've only been there twice, the service was great both times and the view is excellent.
The lobster ravioli was fabulous, and so was the steak!
Always a favorite when I am in Tiburon.
Wonderful tiramisu!
1/2 Price Bottles of Wine -…
Neighborhood: North…
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Neighborhood: North…
Tiburon, CA
Category: Local Flavor
Tiburon, CA
Category: Sushi Bars
Tiburon, CA
Category: Restaurants
Belvedere-Tiburon, CA
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Tiburon, CA
Category: Seafood
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