George U.

A nice find and gem of an Italian restaurant in Arcata. We were seated by Marquis, our server extraordinare. We started with our favorite drink, Don Julio Blanco, club soda with 2 limes and mint muddled, and Marquis made these drinks to perfection. We started with the bruchetta appetizer, which was tasty and well presented. My wife ordered the angel hair pasta with prawns, and I had the stuffed chicken fettuccine. Both dishes were excellent, and the service Marquis provided was stellar. This guy could easily be working at the Ritz Calton or any 5-star restaurant as his customer service skills deserve applause and much appreciation. If you are in Arcata, stop in and see Marquis, a true professional, while enjoying a fine Italian dining experience. Highly recommended

+6

D. Marie

We recently visitedMazzotti's Italian Restaurant in the charming town square of Arcata, California. Let's start with the location itself. Nestled in the heart of Arcata's town square, Mazzotti's Italian Restaurant boasts a quaint and inviting atmosphere. The warm and cozy ambiance, coupled with the friendly and attentive staff, made me feel instantly welcomed and at home. The picturesque surroundings only added to the overall charm of the place. Now, let's talk food! Mazzotti's truly knows how to deliver an authentic Italian culinary experience. The bruschetta was a flavor explosion, with fresh mozzarella, green tomatoes, fragrant basil, and drizzles of balsamic glaze, basil oil and pesto, that danced on my palate. It was the perfect way to start our meal. The salads (we chose salad over soup) at Mazzotti's were a refreshing complement to the main courses. Fresh and crisp, they featured a vibrant medley of greens, topped with a variety of flavorful ingredients (peppercinis, garbanzo beans, olives, croutons, etc.). Next up, the manicotti and cannelloni were absolute showstoppers. The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the fillings were rich, creamy, and bursting with flavor. And let's not forget about the wine! Mazzotti's boasts an impressive selection of wines, carefully curated to enhance your dining experience. The knowledgeable staff was more than happy to recommend the perfect pairing for our meal (wine recommendations are also on the menu). Overall, the best meal I had in Arcata was undoubtedly at Mazzotti's Italian Restaurant. The combination of exceptional service, delightful ambiance, and mouthwatering food made for an unforgettable experience. If you find yourself in Arcata, do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Mazzotti's. Your taste buds will thank you 🤌

+2

Justin Legge

This has been a great local establishment. We have been coming here regularly since we moved to the area to go to the University. They are always consistent, clean, friendly, and yummy. They had a wonderful interior remodel recently, completely changing the vibe of the place. A welcome change. It seems they are going for more of an event space, the stage feels more highlighted, the bar stands out much more with pretty RGB lights behind the glass. The food is great as always, and the menu seemed to be their classic same. Our server told us that it was still under the same owners, which is great. One of the best things about going here for Dinner service is their super amazing special butter they serve with the bread. You can also buy it in local stores, it is super yummy hard to describe! My wife always gets their Seafood Pasta dish and loves it. This time I had the Chicken Parmesan which was wonderful. They have a good selection of local beers which I always appreciate from a local spot. We love Mazzoti's, nice view out on the Arcata Plaza, which is just nonstop entertainment usually! A nice spot for lunch as well!

Leslie Drickey

Only reason for 4 is because of the wait to get our food. The kitchen got backed up and, like rush-hour traffic, there was nothing to do but be patient. Our server was great, checked on us & apologized for the delay. Adult beverages were great. 3 in our party; we ordered the eggplant parmesiana, spaghetti with meatballs, and chicken parmesiana. Also the fried artichoke hearts with pancetta. Each item was spot on! Flavorful, fresh, sauces great (my fave, the vodka sauce, was suprb!). Definitely will be back again! Probably on a Wednesday to snag the lasagna! Also, there was a duo on sax & drums who added a very enjoyable vibe!

Sophia Zwald

We are in the new Italian restaurant, it’s nice. There’s live music and the service is excellent with a very bubbly and attentive hostess. We ordered Calamari for an appetizer, and when we got it, we were happily surprised. The plate was nice and full with a side of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. The calamari was soft and tender with the perfect crunch. The parsley with the flavor of the calamari paired beautifully. The only feedback on the calamari would be to have a bit more dill in the tartar sauce, to make it taste a bit less like mayonnaise. For a drink, I got the pineapple kiwi mockarita and it was excellent with a nice contrast between sweet and sour. The initial flavor was more tart but as the drink settled, it tasted sweeter. For my meal, I had ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and when biting into a meatball, you could taste the flavor of the spices and herbs they seasoned the meat with, specifically oregano. The meat is tender and rich in flavor. The sauce has a fresh tomato taste and has an almost acidic taste, which perfectly complements the herbs used in the sauce. My father had ordered the scallops and polenta and he thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The polenta is good, however it could be firmer and creamier. The polenta is not over salted and has good herbs that encourage the flavor. The scallops are perfect. The scallops are tender and flavorful, overall improving the quality of the meal. Overall the service was pretty great. Our hostess was an amazingly bright and bubbly young lady, who was very lively and energetic. Our waitress was also very kind. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who asks about it, and I am excited to return for another fabulous meal.

Kim

One of the better restaurants in Arcata..not a great selection. The food was ok..lacking flavor, and a bit overpriced in my opinion. The service was excellent.

Paola Tomei

It is a nice place to eat, very busy. The food was ok, I ordered calamari and they were different but tasted good, I have a soup which it was ok and my husband ordered the Pesto Genovese and it was really tasty.

Wade van Buskirk

Italian style food served in a bar with high ceilings, modern styling and loud disco music. Plenty of efficient staff of college age are somewhat distracted. Not my kind of vibe, but few options for lasagna or eggplant Parm in the area. Both dishes were prepared and presented as individual servings, assembled, e.g. not baked and cut from a larger pan, aka family style. The sauce was good, the bread was great. Unlikely to return anytime soon. Will be sure to eat Italian Food outside of the area when traveling even if at a Macaroni Grill. Forexamle, I went to a hole in the wall place called Sacramento Pizza Connection and had a amazing good tasting lasagna served with cheesy bread in styrofoam with a plastic fork.

Mark “Firehorse” K.

My disabled wife and I have been making the Venicia Restaraunt our choice for our holiday dinner for almost 4 yrs. They haven't been open much longer than that.I say almost because the hostess was more concerned about filling every possible seat than seating us in a location that was more private and fitting for my wife. Having 2 empty boothes that seat 4 crowded together, she refused them to us citing they were only for 3 or more pointing us to a bar in the middle of the restaraunt. How do you tell somebody without embarassing your wife that she has medical issues?? Shame on the Venicia. The food is outstanding but their staff at the front is very young,ignorant, and rude. Customer satisfaction is key. I know I did it for 10 yrs. We were not asking for anything special just one the same booths we have always sat at. When I said no, the bar would not work, she honestly said, then there's nothing we can do. Fine, we then went to Eureka, and happily laid down 200 for our new Christmas dinner location, which included our traditional 50 dollar tip. I'll do a review on them as well, it was great. Never again Venicia. We will miss it, but to turn us away is to turn us away. Merry Christmas Venicia Italian Restaraunt.

David A

Service was fine, but the food didn’t live up to the price. The pasta lacked flavor and was a bit overcooked, and the pizza came out oddly shaped and very burnt, bread was ok. For how expensive the meal was, I expected better quality. Probably won’t return.

I can honestly say I have never had a worse experience at a restaurant. I travel regularly all over the world and have experienced many of the finest restaurants in the world and lots of lesser restaurants. I understand the service necessary for a restaurant to prosper. We went on a very slow Thursday night with only one or two other customers in the restaurant. It was nearly impossible to get a server to come to our table. We had 4 adults and two children and had to wait and wait and wait to get a server to come and get our order. The food took a long time to arrive and after serving only 5 of us, there were no servers that we could find to bring us the meal for our daughter. I ordered the ribeye and asked for it to be rare. It came medium. After we shared our food with our daughter, who did not get her meal, eventually we got a server to go find out what happened to her meal. It was so late, we got it in a to go box. I literally had to stand up next to our table and wave my hands to get any attention from the servers, who repeatedly walked by while looking the other way, so we could not make eye contact. It took over 20 minutes to actually get a bill. They brought a bill for $336.00 that included an automatic 20% tip. This was not evident on the menu. I asked to speak to the manager, who came up — and without any greeting — said the tip is on the menu and we are required to pay it. She arrived with an attitude I have never encountered in a service organization in my entire life. I have never in my entire life had such a terrible experience from a service establishment. The manager came up immediately with an attitude and posture that was so hostile and adversarial, that I was initially stunned. She had her fists balled and looked ready to have a fight! I was not interested in a fight, I just wanted to get some relief for a service charge that was for zero service. My son-in-law owned and ran a restaurant in the Castro district of San Francisco for 20 years, and he has never experienced anything close to this. They may have had a bad day — but this is not something that any reasonable service establishment should ever allow to happen. As we walked out, the manager said, “Have a nice day and never come back”. Don’t worry, we never will!

Milly Ume

In case you were thinking of coming for valentines I went here for one valentines recently and it was very tacky food took over an hour and was only able to have 2 drinks throughout the whole 2 hours because the waiter barely came by to check on us def would not recommend for valentines also the food came out cold

Rob

We went here for date night. I ordered a mix drink the waitress had to come back 3 times to tell me they were out of the alcohol I ordered. After my 3rd attempt I finally got a drink. It was very watered down so I switched to beer. Food service took approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes. We received our food I ordered the chicken parm and girlfriend got a pizza. The pizza was under cooked on 1 side and burnt on the other. I don’t know how they managed that. My chicken however was way over cooked and hard as rock. I couldn’t eat it. We ended up just sending our food back paying for drinks leaving hungry after an hour wait. Btw we had reservations. No discount was offered for the poor food service.