Lo Coco - Italian, Berkeley

1400 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley CA 94709
(510) 843-3745
Parking: street parking
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 5pm to 10pm
http://www.lococospizzeria.com/index1.htm

Last Visited: July 15, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

We entered Lo Coco and found that the restaurant temperature was extremely warm this summer evening. They must not have air conditioning, and there is little ventilation despite the door being open. This evening, the restaurant was fairly crowded and in general, the tables are spaced fairly close together. The distance is such that if you reach your arm out, you’ll hit another table.

The room is painted a warm light yellow and the small halogen lights above only add to the temperature. One wall has a large advertisement showing a photo of a hotel against an ocean background with lettering showing contact information for the hotel located in Palermo. The windows line the other side of the restaurant. The kitchen is located in the rear, and each table is covered with a tablecloth as well as a large sheet of white paper. Columns and part of one wall have mirrors to create the illusion of a larger room.

Each place was set with a fork and knife wrapped in a cloth napkin placed on top of a dish. Parmesan in a glass container and olive oil are also placed on the table. The wait staff is dressed in black shirts or tank tops with an apron around their waist.

Upon entering the restaurant, it took a while for anyone to pay attention to us. After the waitress had come back to the hostess station to retrieve items for setting up the table several times, she finally told me she would be back in a moment (this occurred after about three trips to the station before I was acknowledged). Most of the wait staff members are in their twenties, and though they seemed to know what they were doing, they weren’t very good at hosting or greeting. Hardly a smile could be found except when the check was brought to a table. The menu consists of a variety of pizza, a list of pasta dishes, specials, appetizers, salads, and a few seafood plates.

Once seated, we were given menus and asked what we wanted to drink. Once she had finished taking our order, we were given our drinks and she returned a few moments later with the flatbread that came with the meal. As she brought our four pieces of flatbread, she dropped one onto the table and then used her hand to pick it up. First, what are you doing? Why not use a bigger plate? Second, a bunch of crumbs landed in my drink. Considering I was drinking water, she should have offered me another glass. Third, using your hand? What? This is gross. Who knows what you have touched? Pens, menus, dishes? Tongs would have been more appropriate, or a paper napkin. She did apologize, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place and was hardly handled appropriately for a food establishment.

The bread was hot out of the oven, but that leaves no excuse. Shaped like a large stick, also known as pizza dough, the bread is browned and has a crusty taste. I would have loved to have some marinara sauce with it.

- Linguine with Clams – Served in a lemon butter white wine sauce, al dente linguine is mixed with manila clams for a rich tasting pasta dish. The quantity was good and there is tons of garlic slices to add to the flavor. Good. $12.95

Overall, I found the service to be fair. It took a while before anyone came to refill the water. After serving the food, they did come to check on us, but the overall demeanor was not friendly. The one good thing is that you aren’t rushed to complete your meal quickly and vacate the table, but there is a lot of room for improvement on how to treat the customer. When the check was brought, the dish used to hold the bill was colorful, but chipped. Small items like this are not huge cause for concern, but it leaves the customer with just one more ding on their list for Lo Coco. When we left the restaurant, two of the wait staff was standing near the door, but they continued to chat and did not thank us for coming in. The lack of attention to detail keeps their service rating at two stars. Although the food is good, I think there are better places with a complete package elsewhere and I would likely try those first before returning. Not to mention, considering the amount of garlic in the sauces, mints or candy would have been a nice touch – another missing item.