De La Torre's Trattoria — Restaurant in Pleasanton

My party of 4 sat outside on a warm Saturday evening in September at 7 PM. The table was well set and ready for us, although a bit small given the number of things we ordered. The receptionist was attentive and friendly. The tablecloth, napkins etc were neat and clean. The wine list appeared reasonably extensive and good value. We had a bottle of chilled Fritz Haag resiling for $39 and juices. The resiling was OK and a little under chilled, but given the warm temperature outdoors, we drank it all. For starters we had Fried artichokes, Bruschetta and calamari. The food was delicious and well-seasoned and prepared and presented. The bruschetta was a little soft, but the crisp calamari and artichokes made up for it. In fact, the artichokes were a tad over fried. We also ordered a large Carafe of Burgundy which was a great complement to the main dishes. The price was just right at $17. We had the lamb shanks, linguine alla marinara and the prawn Gamberini saltate. The food was excellent and as home cooked as you could get in a restaurant. It wasn't cloyingly rich like at Macaroni grill and was seasoned just right. the portions were large and good value. Pepe the server was outstanding and was exceedingly obliging. We ended the meal with a portion of delectable toffee buttercake, vanilla creme brulee and cappucino. The coffee was good but just a tad cold. I have just a couple of suggestions for the owner - if a bottle of white is ordered, it would have been nice to have it in an ice bucket with a napkin, to keep it chilled. Sharp at 10 PM, we were rudely interrupted by two wait staff (not Pepe) and told that the place was closing. The two men thereafter started noisily folding the tables and putting away the chairs and we felt a bit bundled out and quickly took our leave. A quiet/private advance notice by the waiter around 9:45 would have done the trick a lot better. All in all we had a great evening and would recommend the tables, if it's not...

Ate here for the first time tonight: Hostess was somewhat indifferent Bread guy was indifferent Waiter was reasonably welcoming, but he warmed as the night moved on.

Stopped in early on a Tuesday night, about 5:30. Hostess seated us at a booth at the back of restaurant near the kitchen, but nice enough anyway. I went to wash my hands: Bathroom was exceptional, spotless and beautiful!

The bread was brought to the table, and it was a couple of good bread sticks, and an array of fresh Italian bread. We ordered the house Burgundy (have not had Burgundy previously), and it was quite good.

We started with the tomato, burrata and arugula salad with vinaigrette, very good. My wife ordered the chicken and mushroom risotto with truffle oil for her main course, and she thought it was very good. I had the Chilean Sea Bass, hands down the best I have ever had, delicious! The waiter warmed as the dinner moved along, and he was attentive and provided solid service, checking regularly but not too often to be disruptive. Even the "bread and water guy" got friendlier as dinner moved along.

We ordered a dessert of affogato, delicious, and followed up with very cappuccinos. I was truly impressed with the ambiance, cleanliness, food, and the service.

I had not dined at De La Torres Trattoria previously, but my wife works nearby and has been there for lunch on a few occasions. She assumed I would not like the strip mall feel of the place, but once you walk inside it is the perfect little neighborhood Italian restaurant, very nice ambiance and terrific food. We will be back soon. I really liked it!

Note: I looked at the "Dinner Menu" prior to our visit, and it looked okay. What I discovered is that their "Specials Menu" has quite a number of nice offerings. Apparently the specials are updated daily, so I suggest a look at the "Specials Menu" prior to arrival. It will give you an opportunity to ponder all the wonderful options before you...

I am in love with this little gem. Tucked away like a hidden Italian realm in the Lucky's parking lot, De La Torre's offers total welcome, total comfort, and a total lack of pretense. By the third visit everyone there knew my name and was using it.

You can tell that people are at the heart of this place. There are no visible signs of technology anywhere on the dining floor. No blinking lights. No screens or QR codes—just gentle lighting and really kind REAL people. The owner herself is the person who comes to greet you at the door.

As a vegetarian who doesn't like eggplant, my Italian options are extremely limited. I'm basically in it for a mushroom risotto, or for my favorite: spaghetti agilo e olio e peperoncino. Plenty of places don't have it on the menu and won't make it even if I explain it. The people at De La Torre's knew what I wanted right away. It is a deceptively simple dish with very few ingredients, and that means every part of it has to be good. This place absolutely nails it. The pasta is delicious; the olive oil is delicious; the peppers are fantastic and full of flavor.

It is easy for businesses to make me feel unwanted. I'm an admittedly overly sensitive person, and I only ask to go out to dinner when I've had a rough day, so I'm always walking in upset and stressed out. Minor looks and interactions with staff members have made me feel unwanted and turned me off from many places after my first visit. Not here. I really felt like every single person liked me and wanted me there. They didn't care if I asked for something weird that wasn't on the menu, or if I had no clue about wine (except to know when I liked it), or if I asked to have my salad at the same time as my entree—they were just all wonderful human beings to be around.

We have lived in Pleasanton for four years and never felt like we found our recurring date spot—this place is it. I basically plan on living at De La Torre's every time I can find...