Based on 28 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.7 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
1602 Lincoln Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415) 459-6161
Hours
| Friday | 11:30 AM–2 PM, 4–9 PM |
| Saturday | 4–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed |
| Tuesday | 4–8 PM |
| Wednesday | 11:30 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM |
| Thursday | 11:30 AM–2 PM, 4–8 PM |
Menu
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Photo Gallery
Reviews
Emi Abe
My parents and I came here last week on a Wednesday night for the first time. I’ve driven by plenty of times, but after my mom found it online, we decided to go for a chill birthday dinner. The restaurant was pretty empty, so it had a nice and quiet ambiance. The server (brandon?) was really friendly and knowledgeable. We ended up getting the chicken Parmigiano, the pappardelle, and the local rock cod dishes as our mains, along with the truffle fries and crispy brussel sprouts. I highly recommend the brussel sprouts and chicken Parmigiano as the Alfredo was so good and light! The staff were also very kind and gave us a pot de creme dessert for my birthday and it was soooo tasty and light!
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Brendan Buhler
Superb and authentic Italian food in a funky retro atmosphere. The pasta is delicious and the owners are so kind. When they noticed our kid was bored, they brought them out some delicious house-made chicken tenders that they devoured.
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Bruno Giusti
This is def a hidden gem. Best italian restaurant in the US so far. We came here for lunch and dinner, tried the carbonara, squash ravioli, and papardele (the best). All extremely tasty. Fair prices and great service too!
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Sophia Zimmerman
My boyfriend took me here, it is a little unsuspecting restaurant adjacent to the motel. However, the inside as well as the food do not give “motel vibes”. The inside is nice and bright, great for lunch. We were greeted by such a friendly waiter (unfortunately did not get his name) who sat us down immediately and introduced the menus. We ordered the little gem caesar salad and the truffle fries for our appetizers. It came out very quickly and it was all so fresh. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. Shortly after came our entrees. We got the tuscan chicken club and the pappardelle with brisket ragu. The first bite rendered us speechless! We were not excepting it to be as amazing as it was. Again, everything was so fresh and you could tell a lot of effort was put in. The brisket ragu was melting in your mouth, and the club was perfectly crispy with amazing flavors. We had such a pleasant experience and are hoping to come back soon.
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David C
Enjoyed a great lunch with friends. The full bar is excellent and prepared drinks to our specifications. I highly recommend the short rib and brisket burger cooked to perfection. I added avocado on mine.
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D H
Went to see the happy hour, dinner menu looked good so we ordered some items from that. Food was underwhelming. Chicken was undercooked but the chef tried to say it wasn’t and sent it back to me. I’ve bit into undercooked chicken before, I know what it feels like. It also did not look totally cooked through. Got the burger that my friend had instead and it was ok. Service was not attentive despite the place not being very occupied. Manager was nice but I would never try to bring back an item that someone didn’t like to try and convince them to eat it. Especially if they said it felt undercooked. Would not recommend and won’t return.
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Steph Tavares
Came for a group function and the food was delicious. The service was great. They even made chicken tenders for my kid. Don’t be fooled by the parking lot; this place is top tier. Come before the crowds find it.
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Mr. Black
Hidden gem with amazing food. We ordered the spicy shrimp bucatini and eggplant parm along with the brussels sprouts appetizer and they were all so delicious we can hardly wait to go back! The staff are all welcoming and service was perfect. We highly recommend!
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David Gunderson
The gf and I had gotten tired of our usual haunts and picked Cafe Villa almost at random, what a great find!!! We had amazing dishes, she had a cod sandwich and I had a squash soup followed by steak and potatoes. The squash soup is one of my favorite restaurant dishes in years, the steak was perfectly cooked and I’m told the sandwich was phenomenal as well. The staff performance beats some Michelin-star places I’ve been to, everyone seems to sincerely care that you are having a great experience. We never wanted for anything, and chatting with the manager and bartender when they came by our table was a pleasure. My only suggestion would be to install some noise-dampening material, the hard surfaces echo the noise so it gets a little loud. But this doesn’t detract from the 5-star experience.
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Dianna Moore
Just passing through town and stopped at Cafe Villa. Small but amazing. The food was fresh and delicious. The clam chowder was second to none. Service was great and the chef to our table and asked if we would like to try the crust less cheesecake. It was terrific. Wish we had somewhere like this at home. Stop by, you won’t be disappointed.
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