Italian Colors

I recently made a reservation for a large group. They were very responsive and they made the reservation very easy.

Unfortunately half of our group couldn't attend due to family matters. I felt terrible, but the staff was very understanding and accommodating. Our server was wonderful, I wish I got his name. (The evening of 12/10/23)

The cocktails are classics with an upscale twist, as well as an extensive wine list. The food is excellent. I recommend the calamari, ahi tuna salad, duck confit and tiramisu.

This was my first time here and I plan to go back on a date night or with friends sometime soon!

What a gem near the Montclair village! We recently moved from the City to the east bay hills and we have been used to some great food in the Noe Valley area, almost being "snobbish" in a way.

When we researched our new home we looked up all the restaurants we wanted to try and Italian Colors was one of them. The restaurant decor is a bit like 80's/90's Italian modern, but it's cozy and family friendly. There was live music playing up near the bar with two TV's playing the Warriors game. A little something for everyone!

Food wise, it was really good! I ordered the Risi E Bisi soup and the Linguine Vongole. Both were outstanding! The soup was exceptional! The Vongole was really good too. My wife ordered the Beet salad and the Ahi and she loved both dishes.

Service was very friendly and pleasant.

Overall, top notch spot and will probably be one of our GO TO restaurants in the new hood!

Nice neighborhood Italian restaurant. Menu is more focused than many Italian restaurants but the food is excellent quality and presentation is good. Had live music on Friday night when we came.

The food was amazing I had to ceviche, as an appetizer, and then had a salad with bacon, avocado, and some other stuff on it absolutely amazing the music was played in person, and sounded amazing no stereo the atmosphere overall was very nice and it actually had me at the point where I didn’t even have my phone on I had it in do not disturb mode. That’s how peaceful it felt

Delicious! They got us in last minute, on New Year's Eve. Our first time there. Their cocktails are worth the price. We had the prosciutto salad, the spaghetti and meatballs, and salmon w/ mushroom risotto. For desert, tiramisu.

I used to come to Italian Colors as a kid - it may have been 20 years since my last visit but had an absolutely FANTASTIC dinner with my Mom, my boyfriend, and his Mom on Sunday evening. Service was AMAZING - our server was very communicative and set expectations immediately. Wine was excellent, food was delicious and portions were generous. It definitely won’t take another 20 years before we come back again!

Update:
Who in the WORLD would think to do an upgrade on a corn dog by giving it a wild lobster center, a spicy herbal batter, and a new take of a remoulade New Orleans dipping sauce?
Italian colors. That's who.
Must be tried. Trust me.

I can't put my finger on it, and in some ways I hope I never do, because the elusive nature of cuisine and a dining experience that is so perfect to me, probably shouldn't be fully explained. And this is why I excel at this. LOL. Because I know so little.
There are people in my family that know everything about wine, and know everything about food, which is something I hope I never experience, because for the past few months I have just walked into Italian colors, and asked for the chef choose my evening's fare for me. The chef, ("El Chino", a mysterious and beloved character there at the restaurant who is said to have an advanced martial arts background) has obliged me each time, and performed what people in my family might consider a full-blown miracle.
The chef and the staff, at Italian colors have succeeded in making me fall in love with foods that I have hated my entire life. Eggplant, beets, lamb, arugula, these were once curses spat at enemies in the heat of battle, and cauliflower. I really hated cauliflower.
Well, I have now been forced to eat my words, along with these once dreaded foods, which El Chino, and the staff have transformed into stellar dining experiences, using simplicity, fresh ingredients, genius pairings, Thanks to Dylan, (the house manager I think), who has an astonishing knack for pairing food and wine, and has been something of an instructor for me and how to eat Italian food),
And so far, it has been a stake raising game of calling my bluff Time after Time again. And every time they pull it off.

Tonight my opening course was roast beets and mixed greens, with giant cheese, and a sherry-tinged dressing salad, a slightly sweet and palate awakening dish, (Note: that is not one but two foods I formerly hated in one single dish.) Paired with a Sicilian Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso 'A'rina', a blended wine, whose depth and earthiness. Perfectly with the acidity of the beet salad.

My main course was the "Forno", an Herb marinated half rack of lamb served medium rare, with mashed potatoes and vegetables, and while they brought out a knife, I could have just this easily eating it with a spoon. It was the most tender lamb I have ever had and when I asked, the chef informed me that it had been in a sous vide process, for hours and then reverse seared for presentation. Astonishing. This is yet another food I did not appreciate until I ate here. This was paired with an incredible Fabio Motta 2019 2019 Bolgheri Rosso Rosso Pievi, ruby red blend of Merlot and Cab, with a fresh and crisp nose, and undertones of berries and smoke, which cut through the unctuous fatty goodness of the Lamb, and balanced the entire meal out.

Some beauty in the world often remains behind the veil, while some, deserves to be seen and enjoyed. This is the latter class.

Now, on to last week's review. LOL

I'm fairly sure, the chef, the front of the house, and the entire staff for that matter, don't really know how good they are.

There is something magical that happens when you take High cuisine and put an earthy, family vibe to it, especially with Italian cuisine, which varies incredibly, from overdone and over-presented food, to minimalist rustic ingredient-driven cuisine with less heat cooking and more genius simple natural flavor combinations and parings. But when you take the higher elements of Italian cuisine, and make it earthy, inviting, and almost working class, for me, that is magic beyond the CIA, or Cordon Bleu, devoid of pretension, but still absolutely meaningful and memorable, by any estimation as a holistic dining experience.
Amazing food, amazing people, and an amazing experience. I'd give it 10 Stars if I could.
Piero

The food was very tasty, and in a decent amount. Was able to split the delicious pear salad and pizza with my wife.
Parking was a little difficult as the lot is small compared to the number of businesses it supports.

Delicious eggplant parm. Servers were professional, available, and efficient. Asked for extra silverware and it arrived in like 10 seconds. I love the soft lighting and music.

From the start with the host everyone is friendly waiters and busboy even the live music on some days food was great and mixed drinks @👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Favorite neighborhood place. People are great. Wine list is fun, creative and fairly priced. Menu has something for everyone.

We had an amazing, delicious meal!! The service is impeccable and attentive. Super friendly people. Food is so fresh and delicious. The filet and short ribs (pictured) were melt in your mouth tender. Will definitely be back.

This restaurant is a hidden gem. The waitstaff are so attentive and sweet and the food is absolutely amazing! Hands down the best restaurant in Montclair Village! My girlfriend and I hadn't seen each other in months so she drove through the tunnel and we shared two starters, our entrees and a couple of desserts and left so extremely satisfied! We're coming back with our hubbies for double date night and looking forward to all of us having a wonderful gastronomic experience!!!

Delicious fresh Italian food! Great family atmosphere. Fantastic tiramisu and dinners!

Great, creative dishes, large portions, inventive cocktails, very nice staff.

Don't buy the wine. Waaay too overpriced and low quality. What a shame.
Food is fantastic.

Always a good bet. Not your usual Italian place. Great seafood, and a varied wine selection.

Went for restaurant week and really enjoyed my meal and wine! Pasta is made in house and was really, really good. The staff were super attentive and friendly which really made my dinner experience excellent. Will definitely be back :)

This is a reliably good restaurant. Over many years I've never had a bad meal here. We had perfectly cooked lamb and duck. Also the dishes were not overly salty unlike many restaurants. We ate outside in the heated tent to avoid any covid issues. Dinners are moderately priced - for current prices. You really can't spend less than $100 for dinner for two with tax and tip. That is getting to be the norm these days.

Italian Colors is the best Italian restaurant / one of the best restaurants in general I've been to in the bay area. All of the different food tasted amazing (a group of 7 of us all ordered different dishes and shared -- 5 different pastas, steak, and pizza), portions were huge, and time of waiting for food was so short. The service and ambiance were also top tier. The live music coming from the guitarist who has been working there for 20 years apparently, was so smooth and fun. And finally, I'd like to give a shout out to our awesome server Cesar. Really funny guy and an excellent host.