Venezia
Venezia is located just blocks from UC Berkeley and the city's downtown area on University Avenue, one of Berkeley's main streets. The décor is reminiscent of rustic Italy, from the colors of the walls all the way to the clothesline of laundry strung across the dining room. The menus for both lunch and dinner change regularly. Some past offerings included ravioli stuffed with pecorino, ricotta, goat cheese and spinach with your choice of sauce, spaghetti carbonara, grilled Atlantic salmon with tobiko caviar butter, white polenta and asparagus, and linguine puttanesca. Venezia serves dinner every night and lunch Tuesday through Friday. Reservations are accepted by phone or on OpenTable.com.
Venezia
1799 University Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 849-4681
caffevenezia.com
Trattoria La Siciliana
Trattoria La Siciliana is located in the Elmwood neighborhood of Berkeley, where you can browse through upscale clothing and jewelry shops (and even a store of exotic birds) if you're early for your reservation. The extensive menu at this cash-only restaurant includes just about every standard Italian dish you can imagine, from antipasto misto, to linguine con vongole, to penne al pesto. There are plenty of unusual dishes here too, such as potatoes baked with tomato sauce, mozzarella and herbs, as well as spiedini alla griglia (grilled beef rolls filled with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, prosciutto, cheese, raisins and more). After dinner, take a short walk across Ashby Avenue and try one of the creative ice cream flavors of the day at Ici.
Trattoria La Siciliana
2993 College Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 704-1474
trattorialasiciliana.com
Giovanni's
Giovanni's is another downtown Berkeley restaurant. It's been open since 1960 and is a staple for locals, since most of the college students tend to shy away from the moderate prices. Whether you visit for lunch or dinner, you'll be able to choose from a broad selection of Italian dishes with a few other tidbits thrown in. For lunch, you can stay traditional with dishes like eggplant Parmigiana or a prosciutto calzone, or branch out with choices such as a Mexican burger (a burger with salsa and melted Monterey Jack cheese). For dinner, you'll be able to choose from various sandwiches and panini, pizzas, calzones, pasta dishes and more.
Giovanni's
2420 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 843-6678
giovanniberkeley.com
