Chianti Cucina - Italian, Novato

7416 Redwood Blvd, Novato CA 94945
(415) 878-0314
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 4pm-10pm
http://www.chiantinovato.com/

Last Visited: April 29, 2010

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

The owners of Caffe Giostra, Petaluma, have partnered with some other folks and have opened up Chianti in Novato. After hearing some good feedback about the restaurant, a group of us decided to check it out for lunch.

According to some of my dining companions whom have been to the restaurant before it changed hands, the new setup is much more inviting - the divided rooms now both offer seating. Our large group sat in the main room and the adjacent room contained smaller tables.

Upon our arrival, we received bread in a basket and bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar were present on the table.

Both the lunch and dinner menu are essentially the same. Pastas, pizzas, and meat dishes are available. During lunch, sandwiches are also available.

- Vegetaria Pizza – Grilled eggplant, roasted peppers, artichokes, and goat cheese top a pesto sauce on this pizza. While the serving size is good, it was just an okay pizza. The center was a bit soft and the vegetables were fairly standard - nothing special. $11

Some of my dining companions ordered the pasta dishes. For nearly $14 a plate, the pasta dishes seemed to be a bit on the expensive side, especially considering the small portions.

Service was a bit slow - not all the dishes came out at once, but the server was friendly. Chianti serves good food in general, but it would be better if it offered a better value lunch menu that went beyond sandwiches in order to attract more local returning customers.