Cugini Manzone - Berkeley

We stopped in here for dinner before a local event and my wife was pleased to find gluten-free pizza on the menu. We each had a really good salad and then shared a pizza. I don't care about the gluten-free stuff yet found the pizza really delicious.

I really wanted to like this neighborhood restaurant. It has the potential to be a great experience due to its location adjacent to an alley where tables can spill onto the sidewalk for outside dining. Unfortunately it is a little expensive $250 excluding tip for party of 6 including 2 bottles of $35 wine) for a casual neighborhood restaurant and the food doesn't justify the expense. I would accept the prices if the food were better, but the food is only marginal. Nothing was bad, but nothing was really good either. 2 people at our table had the chicken parmesan and both entrees were overcooked, with the cheese on top noticeably darkened so its not as if the chef couldn't tell, but they served them anyway. The mussels appetizer was ordinary, the frutti di mare was substandard, and nothing anyone ordered really stood out as good. There are too many excellent restaurants to choose from at this price point to justify returning here, despite the convenience of the location. That is too bad, as I grew up eating at a neighborhood Italian restaurant almost every week and was hoping this could be that place, but it just doesn't deserve to be it. Still in search of good Italian in the Rockridge/Elmwood area to be a regular go to place.

Accommodating staff, good plentiful food though not an enormous variety. Bit noisy. Wait staff made one bad mistake, forgetting a dish and needing a forceful reminder. Has a section outside which might be quieter.

We've had a few meals at this place, with two to eight people. The welcome and service have always been very pleasant, almost every dish we've tried absolutely delicious with nice portions, the interior is very nicely done and great for any weather, any time of day. Always a pleasant experience

Salmon salad was nice presentation but salmon overcooked and lacked flavor. Our server was friendly.