Sardina’s

So, before I start, I have a rant. What is it about Reno restaurants that can’t even plant a candle in a slice of cake when celebrating a birthday. Seriously!!! Ok, rant over.
We made a reservation for our friend’s birthday, making sure the restaurant was wheelchair friendly, as I’d seen the comments about the «strange» set up of tables downstairs and upstairs. It is odd, with three tables kind of cramped downstairs, next to the kitchen entry, and steep stairs going up to the rest of the dining room. I pity the poor servers who have to run up and down stairs all night balancing their food and drinks!
They had a table set up and waiting for us, which was great. Getting into the restaurant was a bit of a stretch, however. There’s no handicapped parking, and the only space next to the unmarked «ramp» was taken by what I suspect was the owner/​chef. Thanks. We had to manuever around the car, after parking next to a curb, and then down the entire sidewalk, around the building, into the entrance, which had a high bump in the door. I wouldn’t call any of that wheelchair friendly, which didn’t give us a great impression as we entered.
Luckily, our server, Andrew, was great, after initially forgetting the name of our party’s reservation. He was attentive, (well, we were the only ones’ in the place to begin with), and was quick to pour our waters and take our initial drink orders. When our friends arrived, he quickly brought bread with a fantastic garlic, parmesan, olive oil spread, which was to die for. We had to ask for another basket of bread (a nice sourdough) to mop it up.
We ordered the smoked gouda quesadilla as an appetizer, and it was splendid. Not a bit greasy inside or out, despite the proscuitto inside. It was just right as a beginning to the meal, not too much, not to little. Everyone had a salad to start, except me, I can’t eat much any more, and they all enjoyed them, they were larger than expected, and looked fresh and crisp. Two caesers, and one caprese, all most all devored eagerly before our meals. (Our friend likes to save some of her salad to go along with her dinner.)
The birthday girl’s husband and I both ordered the regular lasagna, and it was excellent, with a rich meat sauce, and some of the lightest lasagna noodles I’ve ever encountered. The chef makes all her own pastas, and that was abundantly clear. I couldn’t get enough of that dinner, but couldn’t finish half of the full portion, so I’m drooling as I think about my leftovers tonight!
The birthday girl ordered a half order of cheese ravioli, and she absolutely loved it, saying it was just the right portion, and it melted in her mouth. She finished it up, while noshing on the remainder of her salad. My husband had the veal parmigiana, and while he liked it, he said he didn’t enjoy it as much as the one he tried at Johnny’s Restoarante, so he wouldn’t have it again. The rest of us were wowed by our plates, and would certainly come back again.
Andrew was an attentive server, even when more diners came in and headed upstairs. He even serenaded us with several tunes on the guitar, which was a very nice addition to our dining experience. He is a talented player, and it was kind of him to play «happy birthday» for our friend, the only real acknowledgement for her special day, which was the biggest disappointment of our so-​called «celebration.»
We all ordered dessert, my husband had the tiramisu, I had the Bailey’s cheesecake, and our friends split a lemon cake. Yep, no candle, no nothing. The desserts were all spectacular, my cheesecake was absolutely delicious, and I brought half home to enjoy tonight. The tiramisu was so light, I don’t know how it stayed on the plate, and the lemon cake was delightful. Just so disappointed it couldn’t have been made at least a little bit special for our friend. Don’t understand how places can be so uncaring and underwhelming when it comes to special celebrations. If it hadn’t been for Andrew, the occasion would have gone completly unremarked on, so very sad.
All in all, the food and service were awesome, but the birthday letdown and the wheelchair fiasco where a big letdown too. This would have been a big five star experience except for those two things. A big shout out to Andrew for making the night as memorable as it was.

I came here for me & my husbands anniversary for the first time and liked how small, intimate and modern it was. Their Italian bread paired with fresh garlic olive oil paste is very good. Excellent wine menu. I tried the chicken Marsala, very yummy. Same room for dessert, their connoli’s are soooo good.

Been going to Sardina’s for 7 years and absolutely love the place. We have never had a bad meal or bad experience. I have read some of the other reviews and can honestly say that I cannot even fathom the staff being rude or unattentive. With regard to the review about the new waiter, around this time, the owner had a family emergency AND her normal waiter was out of town on top of someone calling in, so this person came in to help out. We were in that evening and though that he did a decent job for having no experience, especially under the circumstances.
The food is consistently good and the deserts are some of the best I’ve ever tasted. As far as price points, the wine is priced very well and the entrees are competitively priced, if not a better value than other places, for what you get.
My husband and I love the atmosphere. Even when the place is full, it still feels intimate. For those who had reviews in 2014 about the downstairs being odd, check it out again. it’s been re-​done and has a much better feel.
Don’t discount the cocktails. They have some really tasty signature cocktails, which I believe some of them were crafted by one of their bar tenders.

Awkward place. Came in and wasn’t sure I was at the right place. I owner was rude that I was confused. .sorry but felf like I just walked into a kitchen. Wait, maybe because I did. Food was good. Service was trying. The server was stressed and apologetic (more from hiking the stairs down to the kitchen I think) Haven’t been back.

Fabulous food and great service. Second time eating here this week. Tonight I had the summer salad, chicken piccata and tiramisu. Fresh garlic spread and bread on the table was also excellent. Highly recommend Sardina’s!

What should have been a relaxing, intimate, well served, delectable, dinner for 5, turned into a teeth grinding nightmare. Thanks to the table seated next to us, with 5 – 6 young women literally shrieking every word they spoke, wine fueled, and totally without any decorum, we could not converse at all. They got louder as the hour wore on. We, and diners around us shot them looks and were all uncomfortable. Brother finally asked the waiter to ask them to hold it down. We were informed he could not /​would not do that and I heard casual mention by the help that the old people over there are pissed off.. Soooooooooo, no matter that the food was fine, We will NEVER return as we can not risk spending another couple of hundred dollars only to be sitting there with our jaws clenched. Aside from the raucous noise, the service was deplorable. I would’ve found it funny had it not been coupled with the clucking assault. Be aware that if you want a nice, cozy, intimate, conversational dinner, you will not be accommodated at Sardina’s. It might as well be a sports bar.

This was the perfect place to go for our anniversary date! Small and intimate with our choice of outside patio or upstairs dining areas. And the food was DELICIOUS!!! And while we were sitting enjoying our appetizers and drinks, our waiter Andrew pulled up a chair in the middle of the room and started playing guitar. It was beautiful. Great ambience, wonderful meals. So glad we found this little gem!

We stopped in about a week before we wanted to dine there. It was the seating we were concerned with. I thought it was an odd set up but my sister was ok with it and it was her Birthday dinner we were planning. So we made a reservation for five folks,
We arrived and were greeted by the wait person who seated us. If we had been smart we would have left before we got seated. There was a group of about ten females seated next to where were being seated making an unusual amount of noise. But we sat.
Speaking of the wait person, ours and it seems the only one was friendly but totally unprepared to be a waiter. No idea if he is new or just not good at his job. Everything took forever to get. Drinks came in spurts, food came long after we ordered it. It was kind of funny as he would walk from one end of the table to the other to ask, how is everything going when nothing was happening beyond us sitting there waiting. He was unable to answer any questions about the food or drinks. As my sister said, a bull in a china shop. He seemed to me he should be selling popcorn at the ball park.
Now while all of this is going on the females next to us just kept getting louder and more irritating. There was one voice that actually hurt my ears and of course one of the loudest. It was to the point we could not converse with each other. They were simply rude obnoxious, low class swine. When one of the servers or bus person or owner, who knows, was at our table I asked him to tell these people to shut up. He started chuckling and said he can not do that. I said yes you can it is your restaurant. He replied he could ask them to lower their voices but in a nicer way. So I said please do as he walked away chuckling and never did. So the crappy experience continued, the bad service continued. And we discovered that this place does not care that not all of their customers have an enjoyable time.
The food, some good some bad but who cares.
The waiter came back and I asked for the check, he handed it to me and said, no rush. I said yes there is, we want to get our of here. We paid a few hundred bucks for a truly horrible experience.
Would I go back? Not a chance, who would risk being ignored when a legitimate request is made. It is a small space, no one should be allowed to destroy others dining experience. I do not understand where such rude stupid obnoxious people come from. And why does the restaurant not care about all of its paying customers?

Dined here last night and the service and food was excellent as always! Came with two friends who were here from out of town and had never eaten at Sardina’s before. They were so impressed with the meal and said the ceasar salad was the best ceasar they have ever had! The lemon cake with lemon curd sauce was to die for! It was warm and moist and very lemony, yet sweet; so good we even ordered a second piece to go! The service was on point and our glasses were never empty. My friends said we are absolutely coming to dinner here again when they come back!

I want to start by saying the gnocchi was AMAZING! By far the best I have had in town. House made and it truly shows. Cooked perfectly and the prosciutto and pea cream sauce it came in is one of my all time favorite flavor profiles. My wife had the classic lasagna which she enjoyed and I thought was pretty good.
The rest of our large party was impressed with the butternut squash ravioli.
My only complaint is that our server was spread WAY to thin and everything took a long time. Great for some parties of 4 or less.

First time eating here. Spaghetti & meatballs were ok. The sauce was a little to sweet for me & meatballs were dry. Caesar salad was very fresh. When I arrived at the restaurant place smelled amazing. Maybe I’ll try something different next time.

I loved the food, atmosphere, and staff here. My boyfriend and mine’s trip was off to a bad start when our hotel switched our room to a downgrade without notifying us. We looked up nearby restaurants and this place came up. They were listed as being open until ten but they actually close at nine. Our waiter, Andrew was absolutely gracious and encouraged us to stay and eat despite the fact that they were closing soon. It ended up being incredibly romantic since we were they only ones. Amazing!

Not that great tooooooooooo expensive for ordinary food. It may be Italian it taste like something I would make myself I was looking for something more authentic. Olive Garden is much better Italian food than Sardina’s which isn’t a chain restaurant like Olive Garden is in other words stick to Olive Garden not go to Sardina’s

I have been going to Sardina’s since they opened and every meal has been fantastic! I am finally writing a review because my last meal there was the best yet. The service is always fantastic and the food is even better. The garlic spread served before dinner sets the tone for the flavors to come. I usually get the horseradish crusted steak, but will do the fish special on occasion and am always satisfied! The atmosphere upstairs has a great feel and not having traffic walking through all the time makes for a better experience.

Just finished an amazing dinner at Sardinia. First time here… surprised to find the majority of the tables are upstairs. Nicely decorated but music could have been a little louder. Great service, not overbearing. The bread was a nice, dense rustic bread served with a roasted garlic/​olive oil paste/​spread that was heavenly. Hubby had a caprese salad and the pasta combo (spaghetti with meatball and marinara, fettucini Alfredo) which was a very generous portion that satisfied his pasta craving. I had the house salad with butternut squash, dried cherries and cheese which was slightly bitter for my taste buds. However, the night’s special of macademia crusted halibut was so tasty and well presented with a side of grilled asparagus. Only bummer was being too full to try their desserts! Will definitely be back!

Nice quaint atmosphere and great service. The Chianti by the glass was excellent and an exceptional value. When you go make sure to order the tiramisu for dessert. It’s homemade and hands-​down the best I’ve ever had!

The best Penne with Chicken I have had. The service was good and the restaurant had a small/​cozy atmosphere though the split level was odd.
My husband and I have a new favorite Italian restaurant and cannot wait to be back.

After our success with La Vecchia, we decided on our last night to try another 4 star italian place. We weren’t disappointed here either! Kind of an interesting scene, going upstairs to this long narrow room. There was one server, he was busboy, waiter, cashier, bartender and entertainer (when he broke out the guitar before dessert). I think I have never seen someone working harder in a restaurant. Service was great though.
Food was super creative. Some dishes were better than others. The Fig and Prosciutto and Goat cheese sliders were amazing. Really unique and tasty. The Butternut squash ravioli with bacon, blue cheese and basil was good, but a bit oily on the bottom of the plate and the flavors didn’t marry together exactly as I hoped. Loved the idea of it though. The chicken pesto lasagna in the cream sauce was a winner. Nice and light and well spiced. Good dish. Last thing we had was a menu special, a stuffed pork chop filled with bacon and lots of other goodies. Again, the stuffing mix flavors didn’t resonate with me, but it was lots of cool stuff.
Overall we enjoyed the meal, and appreciate the flair for cooking something different. We are glad we went!

The food was OK, but nothing to write home about. For the price I expected a little more than what I got in terms of flavor.
The real turn off though was the building itself. Who built this and were they thinking it would be a restaurant? There is a bottom and top level, but when we went in, there was no employee on the bottom because they are all upstairs. If we weren’t adventurous, we probably would have just left. Once we were seated, I was cramped as the tables are close together in order to maximize the space. I know some people find small places kitschy and fun, but I found this one uncomfortable and disappointing.

I’ll start off with a disclaimer: I grew up in an Italian family. We had meatballs and lasagne and sausage for Christmas dinner. I am an INCREDIBLY picky Italian food eater. Most time I leave Italian restaurants displeased with my food and wishing that I had just made my own. With Sardina’s, it’s a pretty significant complement to say that it’s not bad.
Start off *with* the bad: The restaurant has a weird ambiance. The downstairs has one table, which is also the entryway, and then you go upstairs where there are a few more tables. But it’s just weird.
Also, they have to find a good balance between the small plates of entrees (which are really too small), and the large plates (which are a decent size). It can be frustrating to someone to order a small plate and find out that it’s REALLY small.
Finally, texture seems to be an issue here. Their gnocchi is made from ricotta (definitely in the *good* column), but then when you combine that with a soft sauce you end up with a whole lot of soft and not a whole lot of anything else. The same can be said for the cheese ravioli. Because the pasta is handmade (definitely a plus), the soft texture is almost indistinguishable from the soft texture of the ricotta filling.
For the good:
The server was super friendly and helpful. I think he had the whole restaurant to himself and he managed to do a great job of taking care of his tables.
The sauces were super flavorful and (a complete pet-​peeve of mine) not watery. I hate when you pick up the pasta with a fork to find a puddle of water underneath. Yuck.
The pasta was well-​cooked and made in-​house. Awesome.
The fresh mozzarella sticks were a great take on an old bar classic, and the house wine was a really good wine for the price.
My mother-​in-​law had the butternut squash ravioli and continue to talk about how delicious it is and how much she loved it.