Cafe Venezia
1799 University Ave @ corner of
Grant
Berkeley, CA.
(510) 849-4681
Dinner - Monday thru Friday 5:30 to 10:00 pm
Saturday - 5:00 to 10:00 pm
Sunday - 5:00 to 9:30 pm
Lunch - Monday thru Friday 11:00 am to 2:30 pm
( no lunch on Saturday or Sunday)
Open 7 days a week
Features Italian Regional Specialties
Menu changes every two weeks
Would you like to take a trip to Italy? Step
inside and you will think you are in a Piazza in
Venice with painted walls of buildings with real
balconies, a clothes line high above for fun, and a
real, honest to goodness fountain bubbling up in
the middle of it all, with a zillion bright pennies
throne into it with the wish to return again, like
the real fountain in Rome!! This is no small cafe (
it looks bigger on the inside than the outside) and
has been cooking wonderful food for their customers
for 25 years. You have to make reservations for
dinner, it's always busy. Seats up to 160
people.
This popular spot in Berkeley is noted for it's
"excellent pastas" along with other great dishes.
And is also listed in "Zagats Survey" guide. We
dined here one Friday evening and our table had a
view of the black and white tiled kitchen and we
watched the Chef and owner - Cindy Deetz prepare
the dinners. She has 2 assistant chefs and a staff
of 15 very friendly people!
We started with soup or salad. I enjoyed a bowl of
very nice bean & zucchini soup, followed by a
very good green salad, before my main dish of "Coal
Miner's Pasta. On the menu it's listed as
Spaghettialla Carbonara with bacon, egg, chili
flakes, black pepper and Reggiano. Very tasty and
just the kind of dish that I like. It could have
used a bit more sauce but Judy and I liked it
anyway, and the price was right, only $12.00. Chuck
had the Osso Buco - braised veal shank with
polenta, demi glaze, roasted garlic, grilled
peppers & sweet red onions (his favorite dish)
which was beyond his expectations - $17.50. Its
nice to have a man along to give his opinion and
who likes to eat too! Barbara had the Linguini Con
Gamberoni - grilled prawns on linguini pasta tossed
with garlic, extra virgin olive oil & chili
flakes. It was excellent but more than she could
eat - $18.50. For dessert there is gelato and other
tempting things. I finished my dinner with a cream
custard mixed with a berry sauce and it melted in
my mouth - $5.50.
This is a very good restaurant serving Berkeley and
the East Bay. I plan to go back for lunch soon to
enjoy another special dish or two. There is evening
parking next door after 5:00 pm at the AAA office
when they close for the day. Lots of street parking
during the day time, not a problem. So Ciao and
enjoy yourself!
This is your traveling taster,
Aileen
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