Firenze — Restaurant in Oakdale

The food at this restaurant is not bad. It can be pretty good in some ways and mediocre in others. But at the prices you're paying, the food is not up to par, and I would choose to eat somewhere else.

I ordered a chicken pesto sandwich off the lunch menu. It comes with a side, and I elected for the salad. The sandwich was underseasoned, and you couldn't taste the pesto. The chicken was also a bit stringy. The sourdough roll it came on was pretty good, however.

Annoyingly, the side salad (quite delicious and substantial in size) was served as an appetizer. When it came time for my party to enjoy their entrees, my plate looked sad and empty because they decided to put the sandwich by itself on a full-sized dinner plate. Even accounting for the less than ideal presentation, the sandwich really was pretty small, especially for a $15 meal. I suppose I should be thankful that they didn't give me more, however, since I didn't enjoy eating it.

We also got the seafood ravioli. They were good, but they came swimming in an ocean of sauce. Seriously, like 2.5x as much sauce as was needed for that quantity of pasta. Why?

The complimentary bread is quite good, though it feels mass produced. You can have it with chopped garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese, if you like. But be warned: the olive oil at the table is almost flavorless, and the garlic lacks pungency. Of course, it's free, so this doesn't factor too much into my decision.

The dining room feels like it could use some work on the inside. But overall, they're going for that Italian cave vibe, and...

Firenze offers a spacious and inviting atmosphere for an Italian meal in Oakdale. The large indoor seating area with a bar gives it a lively feel, perfect for a casual dinner with friends or family.

We were greeted with a basket of warm bread fresh from the oven, served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. It was a nice touch, and the bread itself was pretty good.

For my main course, I tried the Gnocchi Gorgonzola Chicken. The portion size was generous, and everything was cooked decently. The chicken was tender, and the creamy Gorgonzola sauce wasn't runny, which can sometimes be a problem. However, the peas were a bit undercooked for my taste.

The true star of the night, though, was the tiramisu. It was light and flavorful, a perfect ending to the meal.

The service was attentive throughout the evening. Our server checked in on us regularly and kept our water glasses full.

Overall, Firenze is a decent spot for a casual Italian meal closer to Yosemite. The food is good, with some room for improvement, but the portions are large and the service is friendly. If you're looking for a solid Italian option in Oakdale with a spacious setting, Firenze is worth a try, especially if you save room...

First time dining here, we had reservations for 1:00 and we were seated at early arrival. The interior decorations look like an Italian villa and was tastefully decorated. All of the tables were filled with customers and within the two hours we dined there wasn’t an empty table. There are a lot of choices on the menu, chicken , seafood, lamb, steak and different pastas and ravioli. A nice variety of Italian appetizers also. The homemade rolls were very good and served with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, butter and the server asked if we would like chopped garlic. (Yum). The small salad was big enough for sharing, the shrimp pasta in vodka cream sauce was a large portion as well as the shrimp pasta pomodoro and spinach salad entree. The server was very friendly and attentive given the busy dining room. A little noisy due to all the conversations and the interior having staggered rooms, but definitely will be dining here again. We travel 35 minutes from home and it it...