Milanese Caffe

95 cent pancakes, too bad they couldn’t make it!

I feel like this place had better food and prices before it «revamped» itself.
The pasta is good and the environment is classier than Gypsy’s, and I think that they probably give bigger portions than Pasta Bene, but I think I would still choose Gypsy’s overall if I wanted to get cheap but decent pasta.

TIP #1: Line at Ann’s Kitchen too long? Cross the street to Milanese Caffe! They’ve got similar breakfast/​brunch offerings without the wait and with cleaner tables.
TIP #2: Cheap breakfast dishes. Worth the money, and most of them come with coffee or tea, gratis.
3.5 stars, but I’m rounding down. My boyfriend ordered pancakes, which came out okay. I ordered a veggie omelette, and it came with toast and hash browns. The coffee that my boyfriend got wasn’t burnt, which was good. I got green tea, and they gave me decaf green tea, for some reason. Everything tasted kind of bland, but it was satisfying.
I rounded down to 3 stars because of the service. It wasn’t horrible service, that’s for sure, but it was far from stellar or good service. The waiter didn’t smile. The lady who brought us water after we asked for it had this look on her face like, «Oh my god I can’t believe I have to run back to the kitchen and get them water…»
Overall, I the waitstaff really downgraded the experience. The food was nothing special, but a good alternative to Ann’s Kitchen. Check them out for brunch.

This is the first time I’ve come to Milanese Caffe and I’m almost sure it’ll be my last. I hear this place had a change of management. Seems like it was for the worse unfortunately… read on.
Came here at 12:15p to have brunch with a friend. Wasn’t *too* crowded. Both my friend and I ordered the 3 egg cheese omelette with hash brown and two slices of toast for $ 5/​each. Pretty basic dish, shouldn’t take too long to prepare right? WRONG. Our food came at 1:15. A hour’s wait — for reals?
Not only did they take an hour, but not once, but twice, they brought another table’s order to our table. This café needs some work before they get my business again.

The first time I came here to meet up with friends, the place smelled like a bathroom. I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t order anything. The second time, it smelled a little better. I ordered the gnocci. It tasted really bad and the cream sauce was too thick, like paste. The garlic bread had a dishwater aftertaste, and it just didn’t taste like garlic bread at all. I’m never eating here again.
The only good thing about this place is that it’s pretty quiet and there’s free Wifi.

Milanese is the spot. It is definitely not poppin, but it should be. It has a huge variety of food here and it has two pretty nice flat-​screen HD TVs. But there are never too many people her, which is cool because the wait for food is pretty short.
They have water and their condiments out there for self-​service, which I like because I feel that a waiter’s duties definitely isn’t worth the dollars for tip I give them so I love the option of having all my essentials already out there for me.
The breakfast burrito is awesome and the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is delicious, red-​pepper or spinach. It’s delicious. This place is pretty much good for any occasion.
It’s even a great place for a casual date for a fellow Berkeley student. It’s not too pricey and it’s not like taking a girl to Asian ghetto. The place is well kept, clean, and the Italian food is pretty scrumptious so take your girl or boy there and let me know how that goes. Follow my reviews for other places to take her or… him. ;)
the Great,
GumZ

Very nice staff here. They also have a large variety of food ranging from breakfast items, to pizzas, and pastas. Their restroom is also very pretty and clean. You have to ask for a key to access it though. I wasn’t a fan of their bruschetta though, since it was a little saucy for my taste, but they compensated a little with their pizza and good service.

Compared to Gypsy’s, the pasta here is less heavy, so I don’t feel like dying after eating here… but that’s also because the servings are small! Not worth the price…
Check out this place with friends if you’re not too hungry.

came her quite a few times actually.
Actually after the first time I came, i wanted to give them low stars because the owner was just grumpy. The next time, he was nicer though… anyway, the food is cheap and a lot of space.
Pizzas are fine and cheap. The food is fine. I liked my large walnut, radish salad and the cheesy bread it came with
Okay but breakfasts, SERiOUSLY need improvement. First of all, poached eggs should NOT be cooked through. I once got their poached eggs with marinara sauce; so disappointing. Also, friend’s bacon and chocolate chip pancake sides were pretty bad. The bacon was overcooked and the pancakes were burnt.
The waiter came out (as we were quizzically examining the pancake) and apologetically said, «Oh we can do it again.» But honestly, why did you even serve it to us in the first place? It was pretty badly burnt. My friend didn’t want to cause a hassle so just ate bits of it and around the burnt parts. but really. –_​–
just go across the street to anne’s if you want good food.
(but Milanese, you ARe pretty dang cheap)

This is a good place to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner with some friends. The portions are good for what you pay for. The taste is only mediocre. At the same time, I feel that the food is not very consistent. Many of their pasta dishes and breakfast dishes have alot of variation. Some days, their omelettes will be perfect; fluffy inside and crispy outside. Other days, their omelettes will just be soggy, or too dry. The same can be said about their pasta dishes. Also, this place doesn’t taste or feel very healthy when you eat it. Almost all their dishes leak oil. I can only recommend three stars.

Free garlic and pizza bread. Noms.
I ordered the carbonara. The portion wasnt average. Not that big. I was bale to finish everything and feel satisfied but not super full. I liked it better than gypsies because it wasnt as oily and dirty feeling. I’ll probably come back and try the pizza.

Calmest I have ever been in my time in Berkeley. Just sitting in Milanese Café I felt at peace, it was a quite unique feeling.
Anyways, the food is really quite exquisite. Be careful to not burn your tongue which I have done a few times. Love the free garlic and pizza bread.
It is more expensive than gypsy’s, but it is the environment you are paying for. Some dishes gypsy’s does make better though. But this café is quite unique and the service is great. A must try!

I was surprised that this place was as tasty as it was… it’s pretty unassuming looking and unpretentious.
I had one of their mini pizzas: the sauce was tangy and not sweet (just as I like it), and the crust had a lot of flavor.
Friends’ reports:
Minestrone is a little bland (it looked pretty fresh with lots of veggies though)
Lasagne is a-​ok– the meat had a nice seasoning in it.
Bonus: garlic/​cheesy bread on the side for free.
We were kinda evil and brought in coffee drinks from Peets, but they didn’t yell at us, which was nice. Service was a little slow. Bathroom was nice and clean!

I live soooo close to this place, but never had the time or reason to go here. What made me decide to come here was because Free Speech Café does not take credit card and I needed a place to eat and study… I was wondering around for a café that wasn’t too crowded and decided to try Milanese.
I ordered the Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, it had grilled chicken, avocado, and pancetta. It was really good, I loved the blue cheese dressing and they gave me big pieces of avocado. The chicken was cooked well and was not bland. And the salad also came with a cheesy bread and garlic bread, which were both very delicious.
The reason why I give this place a four star even though their salad is amazing is because they charge you more if you use credit card… and there were sooooo many flies flying around. I know the window is open… but it was just annoying… I saw one big fly and three really small ones, which are irritating because you can’t see if it lands in your food… they small ones irritated me so much that i squashed them all once they landed on the table…

Milanese Caffe is an awesome Italian restaurant that has excellent Italian food in the Berkeley area. I had their Carbonara and other pasta dishes, and I have to say: it’s good! Their pasta dishes come with pizza bread and garlic bread… as if your meal wasn’t large enough.
The owner is really nice. I remember the last time I came here with my friends, and he gave us free garlic chips for attracting more customers to the place. I don’t know about you, but an owner who does this deserves an award or something like that!
A small qualm about the place is that the food takes quite a while to cook and serve, especially when ordering pasta. I’ve gotten to go once, and I had to wait forever to get my food.
Other than that… I give this place two thumbs up!

This place has no character. Just drab, outdated, no identity — what are you trying to accomplish?
Oh my god was what I ordered BAD. I was walking by and totally attracted to the description of the Marco Polo penne chicken, advertised as having red curry and caesar dressing — two of my favorite things… combined!
$ 10+ and 15 minutes later, what I got was a greasy pile of yellow curry powdered rancid tasting pasta with big hunks of random not complementary veggies — think ¼ of an uncooked yellow bell peppers drenched in a weird tasting sauce with clumps of yellow curry powder and grease.
It was inedible.
I waited another 10 minutes for the garlic bread, which was as bad as garlic bread can be, i.e. not that bad.
And I left, never to return.
PS: They charge a fee for credit card use.

Idk, I’ve been a fan in the past, but these days it’s just not doing it for me. I tried the staple: spinach fettucine with chicken, I’ve tried at least 5 different pasta dishes here in the past. The first few times I went here I really enjoyed it, but lately the food is less to be desired. I just tried the roasted red pepper chicken fettucine in a cream sauce. At $ 8.75 it’s a good deal since it turns into 2 meals for me. But at the same time IDK. I realize the quality here, though a step above Gypsy’s, is not that much higher. Their cream sauces are thick and creamy like condensed cream soups! It’s kind of unappetizing as I think about it.
The illusion is gone. I shall not return. (That or I’m just used to better quality food now that I’m a newly pinned local/​fresh produce only consumer. Ohoho!)

Serving sizes are NICE NICE NICE for my ever hungry belly.
Feels like a classier Gypsy’s just because it’s not always insanely crowded and surrounded by the ever lovable hobo in front of the asian ghetto with the cardboard sign.
I think when it comes down to it, the quality is slightly better than Gypsy’s simply because there’s less foot traffic.
try the Lasagna for a delicious taste surprise! the salads are all solid if you’re feeling like being healthy (but, you’re at an Italian place: get your carbs friends!!).
The garlic bread is really phenomenal, but I say this also because I love bread.
You love bread?
And pasta sauce, red?
Don’t delay
Hit up Milanese Caffe.
Hahaa, delightful poetry.

Clam Linguine
$ 10.92 (including tax)
Those coupons for free iced tea do not expire! So happy…
I had a 1 plate of pasta, 2 pieces of bread that come on the side, and 1 iced tea. The iced tea was not weak and not sweet, just the way I like it. The bread was warm and soft. The pasta was not too salty.
11 of us came here for a coworkers lunch today. It only took about 8 minutes for the first plate to come out, 22 minutes for the second to last plate to come out, but 30 minutes for the last plate to come out. Overall, they are pretty fast for a large group. They did not mind us putting 3 tables together.
+2 flat screen television sets
–they always play the sports channel and i keep seeing that commercial for patch perfect grass

so good