Gnocchi and Salmon to die for. Stella formerly known as Stella Alpina Osteria is a small Italian restaurant located a block from the main Burlingame Avenue shopping area. Located below ground level, most people would never know it was here. The restaurant opened in May 2005, and was featured on PBS’ Check Please TV show. They moved to Burlingame Avenue into a much larger location. Our last visit was in Summer 2026. Stella, which serves Northern Italian cuisine from the Alps, is on the basement level of a commercial building and has some patio seating for warmer nights. They specialize in braised meats, risottos, pastas and ragus. Decor, Vibe – Stella is has nice paintings on the walls. Not too fancy compared to restaurant in the City. Mostly older folks in their 40’s and beyond were dining. Stella Menu is pretty wide ranging with the usual Italian restaurant menu containing many Antipasti, Secondi, pasta, entrees, and other dishes. The menu had not changed a lot except for prices! Signature Dishes – Veal Osso Buco over Mascarpone Polenta, Gnocchi, Salmon Services was friendly and solid but the waiter was overloaded and never refilled us and had to be flagged down. Food Review […]

This post originally from Stella, Burlingame

Why did we dine here? – Twelvemonth is a new plant-based vegan restaurant in downtown Burlingame. It has been hotly anticipated as there are no such restaurants in this area. We had to previously drive to SF or Palo Alto to get quality vegetarian food. We have dined here multiple times with the last at the end of 2025. In late 2025 we felt the restaurant slipped.  The menu was more mainstream with faux burgers and more, the place was pretty empty on a Sunday night and service sucked. They added a bakery, Twelvemonth Bakehouse that is open Thursday – Saturday 8am – Noon. Lots of plant based items you do not see elsewhere! Be sure to check out our review of Encanto, Lisbon for the best vegetarian restaurant we’ve been to. Also Eleven Madison Park, New York for the best vegetarian restaurant in the USA. Insider Tip – Make reservations Cuisine – American Vegan Location – Downtown Burlingame Opened – 2023 The interior is tastefully redone from the previous brewery days and full of unique custom touches. Beautiful separate bar area. Large outdoor patio for when the weather gets better. The Twelvemonth menu is fairly concise, with several clearly market […]

This post originally from Twelvemonth Vegetarian Plant Based Restaurant, Burlingame

Delicious Italian around the Bay. Pizzeria Delfina is the lower cost more casual eatery next to top rated Delfina. They do not take reservations and focus on ‘Neapolitan inspired’, thin crust pizzas and Antipasti. Delfina does not serve pizza. They use local, seasonal ingredients and have a lots of wines by the glass.  There are 2 location in San Francisco – Mission and Pacific Heights. In 2026 we dined at the California St SF location. Decor, Vibe – Contemporary design with more seats than the Mission street location. Heated sidewalk tables outside. Stylish couples and friends mostly in their 20’s and 30’s were eating here. If they are busy and have a wait, make sure check to see if the counter is available. The seats near the kitchen are the best in the house!  We see what everyone orders and figured what we will order next time. (Mary’s Chicken and the Grilled Local Albacore special) Pizzeria Delfina Menu The menu changes from time to time but includes a good selection of salads, pizzas, and a couple pasta dishes. They have a changing Antipasti, Veggy, Pizza, Pasta, and Piatti dish. Pizzeria Delfina Picks: Angelo & Franco Burrata ($16) with arugula, crostini, […]

This post originally from Pizzeria Delfina, San Francisco – Burlingame

Il Fornaio (The Baker in Italian) is an Italian restaurant serving “creatively prepared, premium-quality Italian cuisine based on authentic regional Italian recipes.” They have 21 locations, many in California. They have been around since 1972, initially starting as a baking school. Now they are owned by a Private Equity group, no doubt trying to squeeze out profits. The decor was modern Italian style architecture and decorations. The place was pretty busy and full of families, birthday celebrations, and many other large parties. Our last visit was in Summer 2018. Il Forniao is one of those restaurants where you really need to order the right item, otherwise you’ll end up disappointed. Unfortunately on our last visit, service had fallen way off. We visited the Burlingame, California Il Fornaio location, which has a pretty standard menu with daily additional specialties menu. Il Fornaio has special weeks where food is from particular regions of Italy, try to dine when these are occurring. The Best of the Festa takes place in December. We returned for their Umbria month in February 2015. It is nice to see that they mix it up. They also have a their legendary bakery up front with beverages and sandwiches. […]

This post originally from Il Fornaio Review

This post originally from Mokutanya, Burlingame

This post originally from Taste In Restaurant Review, Burlingame