 This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only. |
| Location |
| 1411 West Covell Blvd. #111 (In The Marketplace) |
| Hours |
| 11AM - 10PM Most days (9:30PM Sundays) |
| Phone |
| 530-753-0400 |
| Website |
| Website |
| Delivery Charge |
| $2.50, and $15 minimum order |
Rostini Italian Kitchen is an Italian restaurant that opened in the space formerly occupied by Strings Italian Cafe in The Marketplace. It has a fast-casual concept - you order at a counter, and runners will bring the food to your table. They have pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads and roasted chicken. They also serve beer & wine.
Rostini is founded by the family that owns Mary's Pizza Shack in Dixon and Roseville.
On March 12, 2011, Rostini had a "sneak preview" party to benefit the Davis Schools Foundation. The official opening was on Monday, March 14, 2011.
It appears that, for some unknowable reason, Rostini has decided to shut its doors. It has since been replaced by Krush Burger.
Yes folks, it seems they're permanently closed.
2010-09-18 22:31:37 Yay!! I hope it's good! —CovertProfessor
2011-03-14 13:01:41 Came here opening day for lunch and we loved it. I love that they had a kids menu. My daughter had the spaghetti and meatball and liked it. My husband and I both had the meatball sandwich and it was really good. The side salad was basic but yummy. While looking around the other food looked great. The pizzas looked yummy and the pesto chicken sandwich also looked good. The prices are resaonable. Our one complaint is they need kids cups. This place will be a regular for us for sure. —MsSteffee
2011-03-14 18:45:01 I had lunch here today and was undecided. I think they will improve with time. It is a lot more "casual" than I'd thought. It is like a upscale fast food restaurant. I took in to consideration that I arrived for a late lunch. (2:00)I had the roasted chicken. The price was very reasonable. The meal was plentiful and tasty. I just thought the veggies could be fresher. Like it was reheated since the beginning of lunch. I will try something more Italian next time. The service was very good. —Sherri
2011-03-15 00:06:32 So I ate lunch here today and well, it was just ok. I had the spaghetti with a giant meatball and she had the chicken caesar salad. The spaghetti was tossed in the sauce and looked softly pan fried, it was nicely presented. But that's the problem with this place; you walk in and admire the nice presentation, the open kitchen area and huge oven. The menu seems the perfect size so it can be easily executed but unfortunately they don't. The pasta was over cooked, al dente it was not. The sauce was on the road of being good but it came just a tad bit short, it needed maybe a tad bit of crushed garlic. The meatball had an assortment of herb seasoning but it was overshadowed by the quality of the meat; the meat had too many rubbery parts. The chicken was bland and was lacking any seasoning. The dressing was a tad bit too sour. Overall, the experience was not worth the buck. We had one soda and one water and it came out to around twenty dollars. —JavierDeLeon
2011-03-15 00:17:00 I ate here for the first time and have decided it is not worth my trip from the other side of town. FCasual is exactly what they serve, with no sense of priority at all. Waited for almost 20 minutes before being served water, then another ten waiting for a menu, ordered a very simple pasta dish and received overcooked, soggy noodles. Al Dente is soft with a slight chewiness to it, not watered down, overcooked pasta as was the case with the dish I ordered. The sauce tastes about the same as Ragu or Prego and would not surprise me if this is what they used(for those who love this sauce, this was not meant as a compliment). If I do return to this establishment, it will be several months from now, if at all. —Wes-P
- I believe you waited so long because you are supposed to order at the counter, get your drink glass, and find your own seat. JG
2011-03-15 23:30:53 I really love this place! The food is great and healthy and it is super cute. It is really different from Mary's and caters more to the fast/casual aspect as apposed to the a bigger restaurant. If you go you have to try the Drunken pasta, or Chicken Gorgonzola or Margarita pizza!!!! —NaomiRichards
- Drunken pasta is absolutely correct... You'd have to be drunk call it Pasta once cooked.. LOL — wp
2011-03-16 10:50:03 We had a delicious lunch there yesterday. Service was great, lots of friendly people working there! We ordered veggie skewer salad, pesto pizza and chicken gorgonzola salad. Everything was fresh and full of flavor. The pizza crust was light with a little char-flavor, pesto sauce was very good. Housemade lemonade was excellent too! I will be a regular for sure. Oh I almost forgot, we had the half chicken with roasted potatoes and veggies. I can't wait to get back there to order that again. I'm looking forward to summer lunches on their patio. —VincentJames
2011-03-17 07:26:03 Ate here yesterday with my boyfriend. Staff were friendly. I ordered the Lasagna Saltimbocca and he had the Chicken Alfredo. The food came out pretty quickly, which was nice. The presentation was good. However, both noodles were undercooked. My lasagna was really salty, and the marinara sauce was drenched with oil. His alfredo barely had any alfredo sauce. And the bread served with the dishes would have been better warm/hot, instead of pretty cold. Also, the portions are not what you would expect for the prices, considering it is a fast-casual restaurant (both dishes were ~$9). If the dishes were $7 or $8, it would be more acceptable. So overall, friendly atmosphere, mediocre food (at least their pasta dishes). We will give them another chance and try their pizzas. —JG
2011-03-17 19:15:50 The folks reported they were first customers on first day of lunch and that it was good and everything else (service, the place, etc) was solid other than what plagued strings: That view of that damn parking lot
I'm pleased to know this place is affiliated with Mary's, they are always legit —StevenDaubert
2011-03-17 22:02:32 I came here for lunch the first time and bought a 3.50 Cheese and pepercini fuccacia bread... it was very good. For about 13 dollars I got 2 meatballs that were very very filling and very tasty. Their chicken alfredo was very well cooked and the decor was cozy and inviting. I give this place 5 stars and 2 thumbs up —AryanSamar
2011-03-18 15:25:12 My wife and I ate here yesterday for her birthday, and we were very pleased. I had the pesto pizza with added italian sausage, she had the prociutto pizza, and a roasted onion foccacia. All of it was excellent. My pizza was great, it didn't need the sausage as the roasted tomatoes it comes with were plenty of topping (and super tasty).. I tried a slice of the my wife's pizza and it was very unusual (the sauce is fig preserves) but absolutely delicious nonetheless. An order of focaccia is huge (could be a meal by itself, tasty and cheap. They add a substantial amount of salt on top, so make sure to grab some olive oil and vinegar (in racks by the drinks), as this cuts the salt nicely. We will definitely go again. —RyanSandler
2011-03-21 21:33:25 I have to say I was not too sure how I felt about this place at first. Too casual? Fast food pizza? Today I had the mush. sausage pizza and it tasted very nice. Very different that the usual sausage. I liked that. I really enjoyed the charred bottom. I hope they continue to improve. —Sherri
2011-03-25 00:16:00 Went here tonight for dinner to try out the new digs. Not what I expected, but not necessarily bad. Very modern and hip was the first thing that came to mind. A little noisy for my tastes, but to be expected considering their layout and general business model. We walked in and obviously look confused. I asked the cashier how it worked as she pointed at the menu on the board and said, "Choose something and we'll bring it out to you." As it was our first time, I would have like a recommendation or a little guidance to what their specialty was. Since we had no help, we went with Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Alfredo, Roasted 1/2 chicken and Drunken Pasta.
Here's the breakdown: rated 1-5
Kids Spaghetti and Meatballs - 3... my younger kids ate it, but were not too impressed with the meatball Chicken Alfredo - 3.5... My son liked it, I felt it was good, but wasn't blown away Roasted 1/2 Chicken - 3.5... good flavor, but quite dry, side veggies were burnt Drunken Pasta - 2... bland and flavorless, even the "Italian Sausage" was pretty mediocre
Overall the food was overpriced and not that good. Customer service could have been better. The "bus boy" actually cleared my food before I was done, but it wasn't a big deal as I didn't like it much anyhow. I had high hopes for a good sit-down Italian restaurant... Oh well. —Aaron.Curtin
2011-03-25 10:50:44 My husband and I came here and ordered a pizza and chicken to go. Waited about +20 minutes & then noticed packaged food sitting behind the counter, which we came to discover was our order. The wait staff never called our name or alerted us that the food was ready. While the cashier was apologetic, our food wasn't as tasty since it had been sitting under the heat lamp for some time. The chicken was bland, yet there was an oddly overabundance of lemon flavor and it tasted like it had been cooked hours earlier. The pizza was quite greasy and also bland. There are many other restaurants in Davis for about the same price range with much better tasting food. Needless to say, we won't be back. —Dreas
2011-03-28 19:03:11 I ate here on a Friday night with my boyfriend for the first time. The atmosphere was nice and clean. The waitress rolled her eyes when I requested balsamic dressing instead of pomegranate for my side salad, but I worked in food service for 4 years so I get that things like that can be annoying. I had the mozzarella sandwich and my boyfriend had the chicken pesto pizza. I didn't try his, but he said his was good and mine was delicious. Our experience was great until about 3-4 hours later when I started to not feel too great and then ended up having food poisoning. It was the only thing I ate that day besides 2 granola bars, so I know it was from the sandwich. My boyfriend didn't get sick at all. He also went in the next day to tell the manager what had happened and the manager was very nice and gave us two gift certificates for free meals and beverages. I really did love the food and am sad it made me so sick. Everyone else I've spoken to really liked the food and didn't have the same experience as me. So my overall rating is that it's good, but maybe since they are so new they need to take a look at how they are storing their food and how their staff handles it. —A*Lo
2011-04-02 12:46:15 I ate here last night and I enjoyed the food. My one complaint is that they had a 20 minute line to order food and could have shortened it by having more than 1 person taking orders. Once we ordered the food came quickly, which indicates there was no backup in serving or in the kitchen, so they could have shifted one person. —ChrisDietrich
2011-04-05 16:48:58 Went there with a friend. I had the Margherita pizza and thought it was really good. I like thin crispy crust and this was cooked perfectly. Great flavor, right size and price. We shared a caeser salad which was good, but maybe a little to dressed. My friend had the minestrone soup. She said it was good. I will go back. It is a nice casual atmosphere. Our service was very good despite it being quite busy. —LokiAbbi
2011-04-20 15:12:56 Had the chicken alfredo pasta for lunch which was pretty tasty. I wish they had dessert menu options. —Magster
2011-04-21 16:07:59 Went there with 2 friends a few weeks ago. enjoyed their food. I like the fact it's not a sit-down fancy restaurant, they must appeal to college students to survive, prices were pretty good and we were all pretty satisfied with our orders. I will be back! I want to try their pastas and pizzas, got a sandwich last time! —mperkel
2011-04-23 18:00:44 My daughter and I finally got to stop by there and the Apple/Gorganzola salad was amazing. She had the cheese pizza and said it was good. I think it's a great place to eat and not too pricey. I agree with Magster and wish there was a dessert menu. We'll go back soon! —kclementi
2011-05-03 20:39:58 I've got mixed feelings about this place after having tried it. It's beautiful inside, nice and light with lots of seating. The food was quickly made and at 7pm there was no wait. We ordered the lasagna saltimbocca and chicken Alfredo. The portion size of the lasagna was on the small side, in my opinion. It tasted good, maybe a little salty as a previous reviewer mentioned. The chicken alfredo however was a joke. It had, no exaggerating here, about 2 tablespoons of Alfredo sauce on a big pile of noodles. The flavors were good but for nearly $10 you are getting some chicken on lots of noodles. So overall: will try again and is an upgrade from Strings!, but prices could be slightly lower or portions more representative of price on 'pricier' dishes. —Sar58
2011-05-07 17:53:51 I went on a Saturday afternoon when it wasn't crowded. It's similar to Cafe Bernardo in that you order at the counter and find a seat. The manager, Bruce Waters, took my order for the spaghetti and giant meatball with focaccia. I found Bruce and the runner friendly and attentive. I would give the spaghetti and meatball a grade of B-. The focaccia was cut into three small triangles, not enough for a dish heavy on marinara sauce. Doesn't look like you can order the traditional side of garlic bread.
2011-05-10 18:19:43 i got the runs on my way home after eating here. enough said. —alismoghaddam
2011-05-10 19:12:55 ^ remember to keep comments like that (i.e. owners of another competitive restaurant)with a grain of salt.
Never felt sick after eating...food is decent, haven't tried anything that was OMG AMAZING yet but pretty good value (for Italian food I guess). Spaghetti & Meatball (just one) got a B Fettuccine Alfredo was a B-. —JarrodMG
- Hmm, I'd be surprised if Ali Baba was a competitor of Rostini — the food is very different and they are located in different areas of town. —CovertProfessor
2011-05-14 15:36:31 The prices are a little high for what you get but it tasted pretty good. The dressing that came on the side salad wasn't good though. —rachealgalante
2011-05-18 19:23:39 The food here isn't that good, especially for the price. —twblalock
2011-05-18 20:05:51 We tried the pizza and the spaghetti with meatballs. Neither was worth a second try. Both lacked flavor. —CovertProfessor
2011-05-29 17:00:24 I had the roasted veggie salad. I loved the skewer of vegetables with the crispy pasta on the bread, interesting to pair with a salad! The salad dressing seemed to have a bit too much oil, and the lettuce wasn't chopped very well. I'm not sure if it's because I'm taking a plant pathology class currently, but I did have fun trying to figure out what was wrong with the spinach since it was funky - still perfectly fine for human consumption, just not as pretty looking. ANYWAY, this place has an impressive amount of vegetarian options, is quick and easy with a pretty inside, but it's nothing I'd go out of my way to. —ChristyMarsden
2011-06-13 17:27:27 This place has great interior decor and atmosphere, and looked like they had a good vegetarian selection, too. The prices were good, about $7 to $8 per plate. I went in yesterday evening, and expected it to be crowded considering half of the UCD College of Letters and Sciences just graduated, but I guess Rostini's isn't as popular as Davis's many other establishments yet. I ordered the Penne Primavera and really enjoyed it, though I wish they gave a little more, or at least offered more Focaccia. I'm pretty sure I will be coming back to try their many other vegetarian dishes. —TheShah
2011-07-01 13:32:31 We have eaten here a few times. The first time my Caesar salad was not edible. The lettuce was brown and old. The manager gave me a card for a free entree on the next visit. The half roasted chicken was delicious, as were the roasted vegetables. Unfortunately, the next time was the opposite. The salad was good and the chicken and vegetables were very greasy. I've found the food to be inconsistent. I also do not see this as an Italian restaurant, as something about the atmosphere just isn't quite right. The restaurant is clean and new, but it seems lifeless. There are long faces, no music; just a bland place. I wish them well. —MrsC
2011-08-18 11:51:19 Rostini Italian Kitchen recently changed their hours. Rostini is now open Sunday thru Thursday from 11am to 9:30pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 10pm. —CullenWilliamson
2011-09-26 21:43:08 I ate here with my mom and husband and we had a really great experience. We tried the lasagna, drunken pasta, and meatball sandwich. Of the three I have to say the lasagna was quite amazing. Very fresh taste and flavors. The drunken pasta was good and very pretty in color, but without the cheese topping the noodles were a bit bland. The sausage that comes in it was very flavorful and made up for the blah of the noodles. The meatball sandwich was also very delicious, but my husband (who is a bit picky) said it was decent. They are also VERY generous with accepting coupons—I only had a coupon on my computer (my printer wouldn't print) but they accepted it anyway (some places in Davis won't.)
Overall, I have to agree with most of the above comments. While I appreciate the portion sizes, and I think most restaurants just give so much food it's a waste, I don't think the prices here are appropriate for the amount you get. It's just enough to finish in one sitting and not enough to take home, and therefore for me, a "poor" college student, not worth the price if I can't halve it and save for another day. If they were $2-3 less per plate, or larger portions that I could save, I'd probably eat here more often.
One last note: their freshly made lemonade is also VERY good! —lunelectronique
2011-09-27 22:38:32 Food: 6/10 - had drunken noodles to go. Got some bread with it, took a bite of The bread a minute later and it was kind of cold :/. Noodles it self were pretty good, the pasta was purple which I Have never seen before.
Portion was just right for 8$ (? I don't remember exact price)
cleanliness of restaurant - holy sh** this place was so clean I was surprised. The colors matched the restaurant which I liked, the bathroom Was clean. You can really judge a restaurant by their bathroom I'll tell you that. 10/10
Cashier lady was nice, there were 3 other people there. Service 9/10
They don't have a tip option if you pay by credit card so rostini if you read this, please add one. If I have 2 dollars I'd hate to tip you that, I'd rather pay 5$ on my card.
Over all I'll be back, to try their pizza in a month or 2. They had a nice fire going on there.
2012-02-27 15:54:23 Went in with my family a couple weeks ago. I had the chicken gorgonzola salad and thought it was fantastic. My sister and dad also enjoyed their pasta which was well enough for me. Service was friendly and prompt and the restaurant was very clean and lively without being overbearing, even having a full house at the time.
Also recently heard they will be having delivery services in addition to their existing catering program. I will likely make use of this myself as well as recommending it to guests at my work. —KBathory
2012-04-01 13:52:39 Rostini has THEE, I repeat thee best blue cheese dressing EVER CREATED. It has the best texture, flavor and taste I've EVER encountered even after living in France. I HOPE THEY NEVER CHANGE IT! People are friendly, helpful and the food has great portions and quality for the lowest price possible. I truly hope they are here to stay. —MaryCarroll
2012-04-21 20:39:03 Rostini delivers! Our first encounter with Rostini was via delivery (newly offered as of April 2012!) and we were thrilled with our selection. Both the Pesto and Three Cheese pizzas were delicious—the crust was nice and thin (without being textured like cardboard), there was plenty of cheese, and the ingredients were fresh and delicious. In the limited "delivery world" of Davis, we'll absolutely be ordering from Rostini again. Also, the pizzas were delivered within the quoted timeframe, and the delivery guy was very polite. Lastly, the two extra-large pizzas cost us only ~$36 (vs. Roundtable, e.g., where two xtra large pies easily cost $50+), so Rostini is extremely reasonably-priced. ALSO, as some of the other reviewers have noted, Rostini has a great selection of vegetarian options. We highly recommend the restaurant and are excited about our new "find"! —S.O.S.
2012-04-22 09:48:03 Went here for dinner with my girlfriend on Picnic Day. Surprisingly, it wasn't too crowded so we were able to order without waiting in line too long and the servers brought our food out quickly. I had the chicken alfredo, which was better than what is found at the average Italian place but nothing outstanding. The focaccia that comes with the pasta is delicious though—a tasty combination of herbs, cheese, and dough with the right texture. My girlfriend had the prosciutto pizza with fig reserves and balsamic reduction. It had the perfect balance of sweetness from the figs and balsamic and saltiness from the prosciutto and gorgonzola. Easily the best menu item I've had there. The portions that Rostini serves are a good size, especially for the prices, and they always have a coupon in the Little Green Coupon Machine for buy one entree, get one half-off. For good Italian food at a low price, I haven't found a place in town that's better than Rostini. —AlexHirsch
2012-04-24 21:44:29 I asked for my food to be delivered but a glitch in the process resulted in me never getting my food. I'm currently hungry and very upset :( —Francescup
2012-05-02 07:40:45 We entered the retaurant and waited a few minutes while counter staff took one phone call after another (for takeout). Finally, they took our order. Two of us were served our salad and soup almost immeditaely, but the third person waited...and waited...for his pizza. Then our main dishes came, but still no pizza. I asked about it twice. Finally, it arrived after we were nearly finished. Their excuse? "We had a lot of pizza orders". Ever heard of timing your orders so that everyone gets served at the same time? Real reatuarants strive to do this, or at least sometimes apologize for the delay. Never going there again. There are already too many mediocre restaurants with indifferent staff in Davis. Rostini gets a zero. —mlyans
2012-05-10 18:28:02 The mozzarella sandwich and margherita pizza are to die for! —hokusman
2012-06-15 21:31:28 I was so excited to visit this place with my best friend because Italian food is our favorite! If you are looking for good food, an authentic atmosphere, and great service, DO NOT COME HERE! The crew member who took our order was an older bearded gentleman who lacked gentility, training, was unwelcoming and had absolutely no serving skills whatsoever. He was curt, sarcastic, and stoic. When I ordered lasagna, I received what I believe was Tuna Helper. It was disgusting. Lasagna should not be reduced to this mush. The bread was cold, and the salad was equally unrefined. I will never visit this place again. The old Strings was waaay better. Atleast the lasagna looked like lasagna. The wine however, was delicious. Even if the food had turned out to be good, the owners should really consider training their wait staff. It was absolutely horrible. —VHEALTH
2012-06-15 21:41:11 My friend had the fettuccine Alfredo and we were amazed and disappointed to get a huge plate of spaghetti noodles and a little alfredo sauce. Bread was cold and crumbly. NOT ITALIAN FOOD> —VHEALTH
2012-07-13 12:01:38 I think the soup here is awesome! The lentil and the white bean are really good! The new sausage sandwich is great as well. —ashleyinthemist
2012-07-21 18:18:35 Over all I find Rostini to be a decent restaurant. Its in a convenient location for me and there is never a long wait. Their pizza is quite good, as well as the meatball sandwich and their Caesar salad with chicken (my standard order) is so large I can hardly finish it. I've never had a problem with the staff, they've always been quite friendly. While the place does lack the 'wow' factor, I've never been disappointed. —Hastings1066
2013-01-20 17:57:47 Their Roasted Veggie Pizza is really really good. It's got a little too much mushroom for my taste, but I'd still order it again and again. Topped with butternut squash and zucchini, it's pretty unique. And at $15.50 (minus $3 from a coupon) for the 16" extra large, it's a great deal, as are most of their menu items. Also, considering the thrilling 49ers win today, it's been a successful football Sunday :) —TheShah
-You should order it again come Feb 3rd :) —BenLee
2013-02-12 17:51:00 Walked by today and it appears that Rostini is now closed. Sad times. —AbbYu
Comments:
You must be logged in to comment on this page. Please log in.