De La Torre's Trattoria

Two years later and still very good with now having daily specials that are outstanding. Mine today was boneless quail stuffed with wildrice panroasted and served with pan gravy.

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 a babysitter.

I usually order a simple dish when I order from a place I've never been to see if they screw up a simple dish. I ordered spaghetti. It's not hard to get it right. Terrible at this place! Maybe the other dishes are good, but the spaghetti was over cooked, the sauce was watery, meatballs were soft and lacked flavor on both parts. Too bad that I will not go back and face another disappointment.

We came in just after the dinner rush and waited a bit for someone to realize they had a customer ..? There's a big wall blocking the dining area for privacy maybe...that also blocks the front door from the staff. Weird plan. The food was fine. I had a pizza. They had some appetizer ravioli thing that was surprisingly really good. A unique appetizer. The servers were super friendly and laughed with us. It seemed like a quiet place. I think I would go back for friendly service and to try something else to better gauge the restaurant. The restaurant was empty and they sat a loud family right next to us ahha. We get it but....one table away wouldve been enough to prevent kids jumping on the seats bumping our seats.

I had veal Scallopini with marsala sauce with pasta. I don’t understand why they put marinara sauce on my pasta. They should just add pasta and drizzle or toast it with marsala sauce. Marinara and marsala does not go together. Rigatoni’s taste better than this.

This place is cozy, and comforting with great food & wine. Well-decorated for Christmas, gives a festive vibe as you go in. We ordered chianti red wine, Pizza, and gnocchi everything was just perfect. Pizza crust and the way it's made in the brick oven gave an amazing taste. Loved every bite of it. It was a birthday celebration for us so we also got a Slice of chocolate cake on the house. It was sooooo good. Definitely going back there to try their other dishes on the menu.

Very friendly and attentive staff, less the chef.

This place is a "jewel" find! Visiting the area and felt like some good Italian, but didn't feel like driving all the way back to the City. Researched several different places in the Pleasanton/Dublin area, but this one looked the most authentic. Upon entry, the place is very quaint and nicely decorated. It was interesting to learn that the restaurant has been in business for more than 25yrs (same owners)! The food, the service and the drink selection were 'par excellente' and the servers were very attentive and prompt, while providing enough 'space' to enjoy the meal and our conversation. Will definitely be coming back to this place when back in the area. Come to think of it, we'd drive all the way from SF to try out some more items on the dinner and dessert menu! Grazie mille!!