Alba

Slow service. I used to come here years ago, including their previous location. The food was better then. Very disappointing.

This place has potential, but also a sever lack of care in the front of house. The food I got was good (only overlooked because my plate clearly sat under a heat lamp far too long). My appetizer plate was sizzling, not sure how my server even carried it. My seafood stew was seemingly prepared with care, only to be left to over cook while my server… I’m not sure what he was doing actually. Maybe he had a lot of patio tables? They should staff better in that case, it’s a Friday night after all. Decent wine selection. I wanted to spend money, and ask questions, but I was never really given a chance. My server never once asked me how either of my glasses of wine or my courses of food were. In a place where I can easily spend $ 50 on myself for a simple meal, I expect a certain level of service. Next time I’ll just go to Frasca and feel confident in being completely satisfied. Hopefully this chef will realize that he/​she doesn’t have a strong front of house staff supporting him/​her and move on. Skip this place.
*also, I wrote this entire review with an empty glass of wine with my wallet out, after telling my server I was ready for the check… I haven’t seen him yet.

Not sure why more people in Boulder don’t know about this place for Happy Hour! We feasted and drank for a spectacularly small amount of money for the quality of the food and ambiance. Love that we didn’t have to battle the parking issue in downtown, either. LOVED the outdoor patio, too! My only complaint? Service was a tad slow given how few people were in the restaurant.

Defenetly a fan of this place! The food for me has always been a hit. Love that they also offer half portions on most entrees. Wine list is good. Outside patio or bar is where you want sit. Service is good. The wait staff is knowledgable and attentive. The owner friendly. I didn’t give Alba 5 stars because it lacks ambiance. Inside and outside patio. But, that wouldn’t keep me from going back!

One of our favorite restaurants out of the millions of great ones in Boulder!
For one thing, the service is friendly and prompt. The atmosphere inside can be a little plain, but the patio is gorgeous! My grandmother also loves to sit at the bar and enjoy some wine and pizza.
Their pizza, btw, is outstanding. My favorite true Italian-​style pizza in Boulder! The food in general is excellent, although we have had the occasional missed-​mark.
If nothing else, sit on the patio some warm summer evening and order some wine and pizza. Enjoy the stunning view of the flatirons. Splurge on dessert. You won’t regret it!

We went here for dinner while my parent’s were in town and I must say we could have done much better. While the food and wine was delicious it was all incredibly overpriced. The setting it a little strange as well. It is very open and quiet which gave a strange feeling to dinner. We couldn’t talk as much as we probably wanted to because it felt like everyone in the restaurant would be able to hear us.
Our server was nice and attentive let us take our time ordering and was very knowledgeable on the preparation of their food which was nice for me (the vegan). Overall I think this may be a restaurant better suited for sitting at the bar, sharing a bottle of wine, and eating a salad.

We went here for restaurant week two years ago and haven’t been back. The food was so so and the service left us at our table without service despite there being only two other couples in the restaurant. When we arrived, despite it being empty, we waited at the front for several minutes while the server answered the phone, talked at length to a customer on the phone, then eventually decided to seat us. Admittedly, we were not excited about the meal from then on, but regardless of the service issues, the food was not memorable. Maybe they do better when it’s not restaurant week, but we won’t be trying. Waited so long to review because I finally got a Unilocal account. Now that I’m reviewing, I am learning that Unilocal is filtering all my reviews, so this is probably only going to be read by me. Yay Unilocal

Service was amazing. The décor was tacky. The wine selection was great. Appetizers (especially the pear and polenta) were phenomenal. The lobster risotto was okay (the lobster was a little over-​cooked).

Alba was amazing! My boyfriend and I enjoyed the wine flights and a variety of items on the menu. The poached pear and polenta was unbelievable. Our server was very knowledgable about the wine and cheese.
So good. Can’t wait to go back !

Wonderful branzino in parchment with chard. Watermelon salad the perfect starter on a hot summer evening. Ignore the doubters who say its «blah» and «expensive”– they should go to Applebees and have frozen mudslides and chicken fingers.

My husband and I just went to Alba for a celebratory dinner. It was delightful! We sat on the patio — a nice, quiet, charming atmosphere.
All of the food we ordered was delicious, and just the right portion size. We had the gazpacho, tuscan shrimp salad, risotto, pasta special (which had prosciutto, corn and tomato) and semifreddo dessert special.
Our server was both knowledgeable and pleasant. We will definitely return!

Happy hour! Ambiance is a little stuffy. Customers age 40+. Food is good, but portions are a bit small. $ 6 pizzas (8″) are not a bad deal. $ 3.50 beers, $ 4 wine, $ 5 cocktails.

Turn the lights down and perhaps that could be the beginning of a bit more ambience. The «energy» (yes, a Boulderesque term!) of the room was a bit Blah… not a buzz… or upbeat… just kind of «beige»… That «beige» feeling carried over to the food… nothing really stand out «ish»…
I had the experience of looking at the menu the first time… nothing jumped out (unusual for me)…a second time… still nothing… My husband and I decided to split the arugula pizza, the shrimp pasta and the hanger steak. All of it was «o.k.»…nothing fabulous…
And…it was expensive for what we got…
Glad we tried it…
Check it off the list…
Not coming back…

Yes, it’s near the McGuckins strip mall but you wouldn’t know it when you sit inside! Beautiful décor, quick and friendly service, and delicious food is all that a restaurant needs, and Alba definitely delivered all that and more.
I came here for the Denver 5280 event and had a three course meal with my mom. It was absolutely delicious. We both got a crispy polenta, pear, and melted gorgonzola appetizer that was TO DIE FOR. I wanted that as my whole meal! Then I got a hammer steak and my mom got the squash ravioli. It was all delicious, served quickly, and was hot. The protions are all a great size too; not too much but enough to finish it all and feel full. Then for desert we got a chocolate tort and two little crem brulee dishes. Both very rich and satisfying. All in all it was a great dinner and i would go to Alba again for a special occasion.

Came here for dessert after a disappointing dinner at John’s. We should have come to Alba for the whole meal.
The space isn’t particularly warm or inviting but the food, drinks and service were top notch.
The polenta cake with pear was really delightful, and though it doesn’t technically count as dessert, I ordered it anyway and was glad I did.
And the homemade ricotta cheese that is served with the bread is fan-​freaking-​tastic.

We easily made a reservation for Tuesday night at Alba. We liked the fact that it is in a central location in the McGuckin’s complex with ample parking.
Our host was extremely gracious and we got to choose our table in the dining room of about 15 tables. There is a really nice outdoor seating area for warmer non-​rainy evenings.
The décor itself was interesting with modern architectural lines and paint and a semi exposed ceiling, but with tapestries, roman statuary and columns.
The food was just ok, nothing memorable. Strangely my meat was cut up for me which I really didn’t like. I’m neither elderly or a little kid.
All in all decent but not my favorite.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Boulder. (Although, see updates below)
Authentic Italian food with reasonable portions at reasonable prices for the high level of food, service and wine.
The owners are always willing to visit and talk about the food and wine.
Formerly, the Full Moon Grill in Boulder, and sorta hidden next to McGuckin’s Hardware Store.
Just wish they had a slightly larger selection of dinners on the menu.
UPDATE: The chef of Alba informed me that they had to cut back their menu due to the economy, but they expect to expand it soon as things pick back up :)
UPDATE #2: (Nov. 2011) — I was a little disappointed the last time I went. It would seem they’ve taken a directional shift to dress up the food a bit, but bring down the portions. It’s moving away from the traditional Italian toward the Americanized froofy Italian.

A nice surprise. The place is found off Canyon in a strip mall.
We started off with a a Fig and crispy polenta dish. They said it was one of the restaurants signature dishes. It was so yummy I licked the plate.
Not too many places have REAL risotto on their menu. It was really good.

Gnocchi, basic Italian but has to be done right and it’s not done right here. I enjoyed the space but the Gnocchi was awful. Uncooked pieces of dough in an herb pesto with fresh vegetables. I would have asked if that is the restaurant’s style or version but didnt want to drag the group through the ordeal. Service was very good, I was with a lunch group of about 12 people. Most people did enjoy their lunch but no rave reviews.
May go back again for the atmosphere and service although there are not many reviews here.

Sitting in a mall across from a hardware store, this 1.5 year old Italian restaurant is a gem with a surprisingly romantic or at least pleasant setting. We only have eaten here once, and admittedly sampled only a few items, but everything we tried was fine. That included freshly made bread with ricotta and olive oil, house made garganelli pasta with wild mushrooms, corn meal soup, and polenta with gorgonzola sauce. Lots of effort went into the preparations. There is a lengthy list of primarily Italian wines. Try the Di Mayo Norante organic red.