Bene Gusto Browns Valley

Let me start off by saying Matt was amazing! He was patient and definitely had my interest first! I have never ate here and heard some positive and some negative reviews about this place but Matt made it fun, fast and just enjoyable! The pizza was phenomenal and I enjoyed every bite! I will definitely be returning! Thanks Matt!

We had great hopes for a successful restaurant here in our neighborhood. Bene Gusto has a great location, a nice outdoor area and much potential for a cozy, comfortable indoor ambience. We liked the new owner and were optimistic for and encouraging of their success. Unfortunately it hasn’t lived up to its potential. The food is mediocre. The pizza especially is disappointing. Service is okay — but no one is going out of their way. I really want this place to succeed and will continue to support the business. I just think that in Napa their is a high bar to measure up to and this place could do much better…

Unfortunately, we stopped visiting because the service was so awful on multiple occasions. Great prices and we really liked the breakfast menu and pizzas but probably won’t be back due to the bad service we received over and over. :-(

Not my favorite experience :(.
When you walk in its super dark, no air conditioning, it was stuffy. So we decided to sit in the patio area also not the greatest! Seating area wasn’t clean meaning chairs were dusty.
The waitress tried doing the best she could in regards to customer service. But could definitely use some training.
The worst was my meal:
I ordered their chicken pesto sandwich YUCK !!! It came with salad but I substituted with garlic fries instead. The fries were not fresh they looked like they been put in the fryer for a second time to reheat them and the chicken was cold and had brown spots meaning also didn’t look or taste fresh.
On top of everything we were being charged the incorrect amount.
The only positive thing was the fresh air from seating outside.
I’ve heard it’s nice on the weekend etc. but weekday or weekend it should be consistent.

We had my husband’s 65^th BD party at Bene Gusto and Teddy plus a few other members of the staff did a fabulous job. I can’t thank him enough for his personal service and taking care of everything. The food was great and the service was great. There were over 40 people and everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you Teddy and the price was right… thanks Scott.
Sandra

Great locals spot. The pizza is fantastic, try the Susanna, might want to leave the jalapenos off if you don’t like hot things. Friendly staff. If only they stayed open a little later, but I guess when your not located in downtown Napa its kind of hard to stay open late without a steady stream of foot traffic. Try this place out, you wont be disappointed. They also offer an awsome deal through the Napa Savings Book, I recommend buying one.

Cute, tucked away local restaurant in Browns Valley. Best spot is out on the patio should it be a nice day or evening as it is nice and quiet with plants surrounding the area. The inside is a bit quirky although they have a real fireplace that can throw off some warmth and ambiance (when it works — it didn’t last Sun morn).
Service is good, my last visit they were attentive and quick to serve. Food is good as well, fresh ingredients with salads and pizza and a tasty omelette with fresh fruit when I visited for breakfast. I frequent this place because it has good prices and a good meeting spot with friends. Overall, most of their dishes could use seasoning, a pinch of salt will really bring out their flavors!

This place has great food. The service was great and everyone was courteous and helpful. I live out of town but this will be my new lunch spot.

My day spent at Bene Gusto was great!
I must say… I was impressed on many levels with this space!
It was my niece’s 30^th bday party and I needed to find a place in Napa that had good food, was in my budget and could accommodate 15 – 20 people. I looked on Unilocal and found Bene Gusto… that’s how far my my cursory decision went.
I really had no idea what to expect but when I drove in I was delighted by the natural beauty surrounding Browns Valley.
When I walked into the restaurant, I felt at ease and knew immediately that all would be great… and it was! The outdoor setting was perfectly lovely– we marveled at the deer across the creek.
The pizzas far exceeded my expectation– everyone was commenting how tasty they were.
The staff was very friendly (props to Teddy and Christopher, especially!) and I payed a very reasonable price… especially since they were very accommodating to our requests.
My only complaint– I had hoped for a little more options on the outdoor beverage arrangement. No pitchers for beers/​iced tea/​lemonade. No ice buckets.
But other than that– I was very satisfied and will definitely return when I’m in the area again.
And my niece was thrilled– and THAT’S what is was all about in the first place!
MANY thanks Bene Gusto!

We have been here on 3 separate occasions for dinner, with different group sizes as well as varied times in the evening. Our first visit was with a group of 10 around 530 pm. Three people in our group ordered the lasagna and all three were unable to eat it because it was unbearably hard and the taste was awful. At the end of the meal the server noticed that the lasagna wasn’t touched and she commented asking why, when told, she quietly apologize and that was that. The next time we went was at 630 on a Friday night. It was incredibly busy so our group of 5 sat in the bar area. Our order was taken pretty quickly and we ordered a pizza, 2 salads and a pesto bread appetizer. 45 minutes later the salads were served, 15 minutes after that the pizza was served and our «appetizer» was served 15 minutes after that. In all of this time our server had checked in once on her own and never offered drink refills or an update on our meal status. Today’s visit will be the last. My husband and I went at 4pm for a late lunch/​early dinner. We were the only ones in the dining room so our order was taken pretty quickly and the food was served about a half hour after we sat down. I had the burger which was delicious and cooked perfectly, despite the server not asking how I wanted it cooked. My husband ordered the meatballs which are served with bread. He said the meatballs were tasty however the bread was burnt to a crisp, actually black and charred. I can’t believe the chef and server would serve something they wouldn’t like to eat. Once again we had to flag down a server for drink refills and the check. When the server came to take away our plates my husband pointed out the burned bread and said that he couldn’t eat it. The server said «oh, sorry» and walked away. Although this location is close to our house we will not be going there again. We tried to support our local business.

What s hidden gem. My plus 1 and I were looking for a late lunch and decided to try this place out. Boy am I so glad we did. Not sure why this place has such negative reviews. The food was amazing, huge portions, service was excellent. Atmosphere was great. We sat in the bar at a cozy booth and chatted with some other locals. Happy Hour prices are great. We will be back. I also enjoyed my wine in a cocktail glass. Gives this spot some personality. Well done. Can’t wait to go back.

I don’t under stand the negative reviews. This was absolutely the best pizza we’ve eaten in years! A little mix-​up in the order, but great recovery by the staff. That’s what you’d expect from a great restaurant.
My wife ordered the egg plant pizza for her half (yuk!). I am more traditional, and ordered pepperoni, with sliced pepperoncinis added… fantastic. Instead of the flavorless pepperoni you get with chain pizza houses, these were authentic, and baked slightly crispy. And the crust! I rarely eat the crust of most pizzas… but this was terrific! Crispy and flavorful… it really didn’t need the sauce and garnishing in top. Really, it was that good! We couldn’t finish the 14 inch pizza between us, so we took two slices home for lunch tomorrow. We’re in our RV, and I know it won’t be as good reheated in our micro wave. We’ll have to come back, even though it is hours away!

I went here on a Thursday night and the service was not satisfactory, for the price of the food, better service was expected. not to mention any names but the guy who was serving my friends and I was very un profession. The staff just kinda put a damper on my night. 2 stars.

So I came in last Sunday (mid afternoon-​ish.) I had the Benedict which was amazing! On the down side we had horrible service. Our waiter (he seemed new I hadn’t seen him before and he had tattoos up and down his arms) who seemed to be high on something (huge dark rings under his eyes) was less than polite and attentive. He made me feel like I was a burden more than a customer. I felt very uncomfortable during my visit. I paid in cash and he never returned with my change so I decided to just leave it as it was then to make a scene. This is really to bad because the food is amazing and the service is usually a delight. It’s unfortunate that a person like that is bringing down a good restaurant. I’ll be back but never sit with him again.

This was my first time eating here and it was disappointing. When my glass of $ 10 wine came in a short mixed drink glass, that pretty much set the tone. The service was alright, our server was nice but I had to go looking for her twice and the restaurant wasn’t busy. It took awhile to get our food and when we questioned that, our server said «someone turned down the oven so they have to wait for it to heat up again, it will be another 10 minutes». Well, that was a first! Our food came and the plates were ice cold, while the food was hot it didn’t stay that way long. I had the steak and fries and it was ok, cooked well but the steak was small, the plate was 80% covered with fries. I have heard the pizza is very good so I may go back and try it in the summer. Over all, we were disappointed with this dinner on 12÷16÷14.

Horrible customer service. We didn’t stay to try the food — which I was really looking forward to. We tried to call yesterday to make reservations but were told we didn’t need them. When we arrived they told us it was a 45 minute wait, and then the hostess got snitty about it when I mentioned that we tried to make reservations.
Sorry — too many other choices in Napa for me to settle for that kind of attitude. We ended up at another restaurant that was more than happy to accommodate us and has earned our return business.

Man oh man, there is nothing bad I can say about this restaurant! I grew up in Napa and since I moved away I visit my mom every couple weeks and we get dinner. Since this place opened, there is nowhere else we ever want to go! Their menu is constantly changing and we love trying the new items and ordering old favorites. There hasn’t been a single thing we ordered that wasn’t amazing! Pasta, specials, salad, appetizers, pizza, all great! The winter veggies and goat cheese salad is the best salad I’ve ever had! All local ingredients and so fresh. The breakfast is fantastic too, the BG Benedict blew me away.
In short, the food is fantastic, but what keeps me coming back is the service and ambiance. I’ve never had slow service here, and I go several times a month. The waitstaff is always welcoming and accommodating, and everyone is so friendly and personal. The owner Scott always makes a point of visiting our table and catching up with us, it really feels like we’re visiting friends when we go here. Plus they bring you the bill tucked inside the cover of classic literature! So cute.
Meals for two and drinks always come out to under $ 30 too! Can’t recommend this place enough. It is truly a place of «bene gusto!»

Nice place to stop after work… Kameryn and Lauren make the place extra special!
Great drinks and food!

Our first few meals were okay. The last meal we ordered to go was disgusting. The chicken in our pasta tasted rancid. We ended up tossing out the dinner which was a waste of $$
We won’t order or go back ever.

This was my first visit to this neighborhood friendly restaurant and I loved their pizza.
This place is hard to find unless you are familiar with the Browns Valley area. Bene Gusto is located in the Browns Valley Shopping Center tucked away in the back. Look for the small awning above the entrance way with a flashing ‘pizza’ sign in the window. Due to the rain, we did not sit in the popular outdoor patio.
Once inside, I immediately felt the restaurant vibe as ‘home-​like’, warm and casual. Fun fact — the restaurant used to be an actual house before it was remodeled. The interior is made of dark wood and spacious. We were able to sit anywhere and opted for the tables across from the kitchen and near the fireplace. One section of the room is reserved just for the bar area, with high top tables and bench seating and TVs. The backyard patio with picnic style seating looks promising for a fun brunch in the summertime.
We ordered two pizzas for lunch. These were great quality pizzas that had fresh ingredients, bubbling cheese, rich tomato sauce and was well made. The pizza prices start at $ 15.50 and each 14 inch pizza has about 10 slices. You can also create your own pizza!
New York style Meat Lover’s pizza — with salami, pepperoni, ham, pastrami, house-​made sausage. This was not the typical overly meaty and greasy pizza that is associated with most «meat-​lovers pizza». It didn’t feel too heavy or like my cholesterol shot through the roof. Each piece had the right amount of meat toppings.
Artisan Style Margherita pizza — a refreshing creation that has crushed tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil with extra virgin olive oil. The pizza is light, not greasy and the perfect contrast to the Meat Lover’s Pizza.
The service was just ok at best. He was friendly, polite and quick to get the items we asked for, but did not seem too knowledgeable about the menu and was at times, unattentive that we had to keep flagging him down. The bartender came over to our table and chatted for a bit. His presence really uplifted the vibe in the restaurant.
Kid friendly — The kiddos shared a lunch special with came with a personal pizza (opted for cheese) with about 8 small slices, substituted for fruit ($ 1 extra –this doesn’t state that in the menu) and a drink for a total of $ 10. The pizza came out piping hot, fresh and delicious. Changing table available in their clean bathroom. The outdoor patio seems to have plenty of room for the kids to walk around in without bothering other patrons.
Our bill came in a book — I always look forward to the unique ways on how restaurants leave that last impression. I will definitely try the potato pizza or their breakfast on my next visit. Heard these items are a must try. Overall, this place is 3.5 stars, but I bumped it up to 4 because their pizza was great!