Siena Bistro

My favorite restaurant in the South Bay! I love the sole, cheesy garlic bread, and warm chocolate cake (add salted caramel gelato). I’ve taken many friends here and have never been disappointed. The chef, David, is friendly and knows his stuff. Cinde is our favorite server, very efficient and knowledgable. I’ll be back!

Delicious dinner. The chicken kabobs came with incredible sauces, the house salad was very good and more interesting than a standard house salad, and the risotto was amazing. Often butternut squash is too sweet or overloaded, but this was almost light, and definitely savory. Love this place for patio dining.

Wonderful professional service. Good value. The pleasant bar is single-​diner friendly. Not trendy, but not stodgy. I came away with the feeling I had been Out To Dinner, in contrast to Willow Street or Tomato Thyme (both of which I enjoy, at similar price point).
Tuesday/​Wednesday Dinner for Two special is a screamin deal.

Siena Bistro, an excellent little spot in the Willow Glen area that unfortunately is in a hard to spot location. Once you do find the place though, you will not regret trying it. I’ve never heard nor even seen this location until I decided to search for a nice Italian spot to take my best friend for a birthday dinner. It was odd for both of us to see that the entrance of the restaurant is in the BACK of the building. But once you enter, you’ll see a nice courtyard for outside seatings as well as a small quaint interior. The setting is semi-​formal, with wine and the what nots. We decided to sit outside so we could enjoy the lighting, made it feel more personal. Service her is excellent, with staff eager to make sure you get what you want and enjoy. We decided to try the cheesy garlic bread for starters with a glass of Riesling on the side. The garlic bread was a bit small but tasted delectable! Then we ordered our meals, the Angry Pasta for me and the chicken ravioli for her. The Angry Pasta does have the spice kick to it so be warned ahead of time! It comes with small pieces of pork meatballs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and swirl noodles. The taste was savory and the noodles were cooked just right, and I highly recommend you to try this as a first time meal here. She being a huge fan of raviolis, she loved the chicken ravioli as did I (size is just right so you will be full), and the funny thing is this order is not on the dinner menu! You have to ask them to check if the chef could make it because it’s actually part of a combo platter.
We enjoyed our meals and felt quite stuffed, and ended the night with their signature little birthday candle since I wanted to make her birthday extra special. For birthdays or celebrations of any sorts, it’s worth asking the little candle they have. Just be sure to shut it up after a few minutes or else you’ll lose your mind.
Will I decide to come back here? We most definitely will come back for more and I highly recommend trying this place during dinner in the outside seating.

Google maps does not take you to entrance since its located at the back near the parking lot.
The hostess was a little cold when we walked in but our server was very nice. The food was good and they accommodated changes to the dishes. I ordered the Salmon and it was delicious. I would not order the bread pudding though.

Garlic bread has a layer of mayo underneath the cheese — would taste better without it. The butternut squash ravioli are tasty but drenched in oil:/ they had potential– I guess they were going for the «burro e salvia» — butter and sage but it was too much butter and oil. The server was kind enough to remove the bread from my bill and bring more olives–
Although he needed more refined training– not to ask a woman if she is dining alone right off the bat, like it’s a bad thing… Probably wouldn’t recommend it or dine here again if I came to the area.
A little pricey and there are big insects all over the wall :/

Great services and friendly staff. I loved the fact that besides the bread, we got olives! Yes, it’s a minor detail, but that’s what makes this bistro unique.
As for the food, I’m going to agree with other Unilocalers, get the angry pasta. However, it’s not that angry. Just a mild kick. As fire the scallop pasta with gonozola cheese, it was a tad too salty for me. The scallop was perfectly cooked, but the cheese and sundried tomatoes overpowered the pasta.
I wouldn’t mind coming back here to try other dishes.

I came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday over the weekend. I was able to easily make reservations through the Unilocal app for lunch. Parking was easy since there was a lot in the back as well as street parking.
They have seating indoors and outdoors but since the weather was nice, we opted to sit outdoors.
We ordered the dungeness crab cakes as our appetizer to share. I normally don’t like seafood but this wasn’t too bad. I liked how it was not greasy and sat on top of a slice of avocado.
For my entrée, I was debating over the angry pasta (since that’s what I see most Unilocalers ordering) or the Siena Burger. I ended up getting the Siena Burger since that is one of the entrees our server recommend. The burger was juicy and flavorful (blend of pork and beef) but I should have asked them to not put mustard on my burger. The clam chowder was a bit on the salty side though. I did end up trying a bit of the angry pasta. It was okay but definitely not worth the hype. Lastly, if you were wondering where your bread is, you need to ask your server for some. According to the menu, bread is brought out upon request. The bread was okay.
At the end of the meal, our server brought the birthday girl a cool birthday candle to make a wish on. Not sure how to describe it but it was quite elaborate.
Overall, while the food was average, we still had a good time here.

i love willow glen, so we decided to give this quaint little restaurant a shot. service was very odd to me. everyone around us was getting great service– they sat, immediately had drinks served, followed by warm bread and olives. we sat, waited, got our drinks 10 – 15 minutes later, and was never offered bread or olives until we asked for it. the olives never came, while other tables’ were being replenished… that alone irked me. the sole was breaded and fried, and very rich and heavy… all i tasted was an overwhelming butter flavor. couldnt taste the sole. the angry pasta was just pasta with a spicy tomato sauce… nothing extraordinary to me. i was so put off by the service that the food didn’t matter.

3÷11÷16: Came here for a business lunch and I would say overall nice place to talk, but food wasn’t great. The ambiance was good, with white linen table cloths all around. Service was quite good too. But again, we’re here to eat right? – just average in that department.
1. Bruschetta Pomodoro $ 8 «fresh tomato, garlic, & basil dip with grilled crostini»: Pretty basic bruschetta with only the most basic requirements to be called bruschetta. Tastes alright, but very ordinary. ⁵⁄₁₀
2. Cup Chowder (Cup) $ 7: Not the tastiest. The soup was slightly starchy (I mean with a raw-​flour taste, not meaning it was sticky.) Good amount of tiny clams though. Could use more flavor. ⁵⁄₁₀
3. Sole Almandine (Lunch) $ 15 «panko-​almond crust, almond beurre blanc, Moroccan rice & vegetables»: The fish itself was very tasty and buttery, and melted in my mouth. Unfortunately the crust around it was soggy and greasy, and mostly falling off. The rice… I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be this way, but I doubt it – it was almost like rough brown rice, but long-​grain. Very rough, and tasted like it could be undercooked. Just kinda strange for what is probably Italian food. I’m leaning towards it being not correct. Fish itself I’d say is 5/​10, but you gotta toss the side stuff, so ³⁄₁₀
Well, food ain’t their forte, for sure. But I did have a good time talking and relaxing.
(BTW, this restaurant is located in the back, not facing the main street. You’ll have to go around and park in the back where there are plenty of spots. There is no store front on the main street.)
³⁄₅
#italian

Tried this place for the first time for a friend’s BD and we had great time. Food was great and the outdoor seating area is very cozy.
The place is a bit tucked away so i would recommend driving to the back of the building and using the back entrance.

Just finished an amazing night with the people at Siena bistro. The prices are very reasonable and the service is excellent. I was there with my wife for an anniversary dinner and they treated us like royalty, down to a very special dessert. Highly recommended and we will definitely be eating there again, David and his staff are a very special group of people and the level of customer service they provide is one that seems to be getting more and more rare these days. Thanks Dave!

Oh man oh man oh man. This place is the bomb. I’ve been there twice, and each time, there’s something new that I love! The very first time I went, I wasn’t TOO hungry, but my sister was. We ended up getting two clam chowders, some cheesy bread, and some dessert. Their clam chowder is so bomb. It’s savory, steaming hot, and has this kick at the end where it’s not necessarily spicy, but just really flavorful. Not too salty either, which is great. Normally, I stay away from clam chowder because I HATE being surprised by a mouthful of sand. I know that can’t really be helped, because clams eat sand. However, the two times I’ve had the clam chowder here – no sand. They must do a fantastic job of cleaning the clams.
The cheesy bread is hot, gooey, and crunchy all at the same time. A total indulgence and presumably terrible for you, but I care not. I want to stuff my face with the entire loaf and dare the world to judge me.
We also had their crème brûlée, their gelato, AND tiramisu. Crème brûlée is alright. Sweet, creamy, thick, rich, etc. However, they burn the sugar just a tad too much for my personal taste. I like it less burnt/​bitter, but not all people do. The gelato is sourced locally and is definitely handmade. They have all sorts of flavors, but my favorite was the caramel and sea salt. So decadent and delicious!
The second time I went back, my sister and I got the meal for 2. It’s about 60 something dollars, which i think is worth it, considering the food and quality. You get bread, soup OR salad, an entrée, and a whole bottle of wine. There’s a limited menu, but great choices. My sister got the sole (Fish) and I got the chicken penne. The fish is SO amazing. It’s encrusted with some sort of magical garlic breading with some nuts on top. The fish itself is flaky, melt-​in-​your-​mouth awesome. The mashed potatoes that go with it are superb (again likely due to our friend Butter).
Lastly, the customer service is fantastic. Your water is always full, your lemonade or iced tea is always quickly refilled, and the servers are all smiley and friendly and kind. The owner/​chef even comes out to chat with people.
Only downside is the bathroom is outside the restaurant and was pretty yucky when i went – but not something the restaurant can help since it’s a shared bathroom. Ok – tl;dr. Just go visit. Take a date. Take the family. ENJOY. Get the fish.

We came to Siena Bistro for a work lunch and, in spite of the chef and owner’s friendliness, were generally unimpressed.
While we were definitely a large group (~11 people), the restaurant didn’t handle it very smoothly. Waters stayed empty for quite a while, we had to wait nearly 45 minutes for food, and by the time we got it, many people’s dishes were cold.
I had the scallop salad, which was definitely «meh.» All of the components sounded good, but they didn’t scream of freshness. The salad was overdressed with an unbalanced vinaigrette (too much oil, not enough acid), which caused the salad bowl made of parmesan crisp to be soggy and oily. The cold scallops were not enjoyable at all.
I wouldn’t recommend Sienna Bistro as a place for work meetings. The dining room was small and VERY loud, and we couldn’t hear ourselves.
I don’t plan on coming back – there are better places in Willow Glen.

⁴⁄₅ solid stars
A bit pricey, but the food was pretty solid.
This restaurant is a little tuck away – you prob won’t notice it if you’re walking on Lincoln since you have to go through a sandwich store to get to the restaurant. They have two entrances: 1) through the sandwich store and 2) in their back parking lot.
Service was a bit off the night we were there, but overall I think it was an off-​night for our waiter.
Ordered:
1) Angry Pasta: ³⁄₅ eh, this was GOOD, but not worth the price. There was nothing spectacular about it to be honest.
2) Bourbon Stout Braised Short Rib: ⁵⁄₅ – wow, this was worth every penny. Probably quality you would find at a $$$$ restaurant. If I were to come back, I would definitely order this dish in a heartbeat.

Very cute and intimate spot past the busier stretch of restaurants on Lincoln, but definitely worth the stroll there. Unfortunately, we did come across a few issues during our dinner here.
We arrived a little over an hour before closing time, but there were a few other tables there. Our server took a more casual approach to attending to our table and seemed preoccupied with side work and close out duties the whole night. He did take our order in a timely manner, but totally forgot our bottle of wine :(He was too engaged in side work on the other side of the restaurant for us to flag him down, so we did not see him until our entrees came. Though he was quick to grab our bottle then, he did not offer any apologies.
He was also quick to correct an issue of me finding a hair in my food, but was hardly apologetic. He just rushed the plate away and got me a new one, which I guess it what really matters.
We did enjoy the food. The beef stroganoff hit the spot in terms of what he were searching for: decadent comfort food on a chilly autumn night. Even better was the sole, which had a nice light battered crust that offered the perfect crunch before reaching the moist, meaty center. We also really enjoyed our salad made with chopped brussel sprouts and kale. The clam chowder was surprisingly impressive for a non-​specializing restaurant. The white bean soup was passable.
Though I was a little impatient about the wine and felt my emotions toyed with about having to wait a second time for the fish dish due to the stray hair, these mistakes did not ruin our dinner. We had a lovely evening and have already added Siena Bistro into rotation for date night spots.

Service is great and fast. Ambient feels nice and cozy. Perfect for a sweet close gathering.
Great wine and beer to choose from.
I love the specials for the day or night. The food is well seasoned, no sauce needed for my NY steak. Love it!
Dessert: I had the tirimasu and vanilla ice cream. Best vanilla bean ice cream ever! Tirimasu is delicious too. I must go back to try other dishes.

Deciding to knock a restaurant off of our bookmarks, we drove to Willow Glen and had dinner at Siena Bistro.
We got there quite early, at around 5:30 pm, and were happy to find that there was a large parking lot behind the restaurant so parking was a breeze. The weather was so nice that we chose a table outside. The patio was cutely decorated with twinkle lights and tables with wicker chairs.
Our waitress was friendly, but her service didn’t feel as welcoming as what we would normally expect. It was just bland.
For our appetizer, we ordered grilled chicken skewers, and for entrées my hubby got the scallop Gorgonzola and I the ahi tuna which was one of the specials of the day. Complimentary bread and butter as well as some olives were served alongside our drinks. I always judge a restaurant based on the kind of butter they provide, whether they use cold or warm, and Sienna delightfully chose to serve warm, soft butter with their fresh rolls. There wasn’t anything special about the olives.
The chicken skewers came out first and they smelled great. Even though there were only two, the skewers were pretty big, sitting on two types of sauces, a light curry-​like sauce and a pesto sauce. I loved the heat from the curry sauce while my hubby preferred the lighter taste of the pesto. As for the chicken, while I enjoyed the grilled meat, there were some parts that were too charred, eliciting a bitter taste.
Our entrees were served at the perfect time and presentation wise, both dishes looked great. My hubby’s scallops were served on a bed of angel hair pasta in a tangy tomato sauce with Gorgonzola throughout. The scallops were so flavorful since they absorbed some of the sauce which covered the bottom of the plate. However, my hubby said that after some time, he felt the sauce was just too overpowering and would have preferred less of it in his dish.
As for my two fillets of tuna, it was served with garlic mashed potatoes and a bed of vegetables that included broccoli and carrots. The tuna was really light in flavor, even though it was covered with a tangy vinaigrette. The mash potatoes were wonderfully creamy and I liked how it was chunky at the same time. Surprisingly, the vegetables weren’t just steamed, but sautéed which tasted delicious. The one complaint I have is that one filet of tuna was fairly under-​cooked while the other filet was overcooked in comparison.
By the end of our dinner, we were too full for dessert and asked for the check instead. Prices aren’t too cheap here, but the portions are big so that makes up for it. My hubby was pleased with Siena Bistro, as was I. It wasn’t the best dinner we ever had, but we wouldn’t mind coming back again.

Such a cute little spot! I love the outdoor seating — nice environment to sip on wine and eat your delicious meal! They didn’t turn on the outdoor heater when we asked, instead, they gave us blankets lol. Different than other restaurants I guess.
+ EXCELLENT service. Our waitress was super sweet and considerate. She was knowledgable with the ingredients for every dish I asked about, and had great recommendations. Our first steak came out dry and over cooked (we asked for medium). Without hesitation, she apologized and replaced it with a whole new dish! Another dish that came out wasn’t what I asked for (different sauce for the ravioli). She let me try it first to see if I liked it, then again, without hesitation or ANY attitude, she replaced the whole thing and came back with a new dish within 10 minutes. Like I said, super sweet and patient waitress. A+ for service.
+ GREAT indoor and outdoor environment
+ Cheesy garlic bread! (Must get — only $ 5!)
+ Clam chowder (Comes with a lot of clams! — $ 7/​cup).
+ Steak was crispy and juicy!!! (Mashed potatoes were only mediocre — $ 29).
+ Cheese ravioli with Alfredo sauce (Not on the menu, but the waitress requested the chef to make this for me! :) $ 21)

Really nice people here. We met up with another couple with a 15 month old… early-​isn on a Tuesday so as not to disturb too many other people… and they were more than happy to have her there. (She’s an outgoing baby and easy to fall in love with…)
They currently offer a special with soup or salad, entrée and a bottle of wine for two people. It’s $ 68 before tax and tip. and aretty good deal for an inexpensive date night or a family meal. We decided to go with that.
Boyfriend got the split pea soup, which was very good. I had the house salad, which was fresh. For his entrée, he got the tri tip and I had the sole. My fish was perfectly cooked and very tasty. His tri tip, however, was overcooked on the side of medium well. In fact, they didn’t ask how he wanted it. which they should have.
Sides were rice pilaf with nuts and fruit, for mine, and mashed potatoes for his. Both were fine. but the vegetables (broccoli and carrots) seemed like a bland afterthought. Some seasonal vegetables would help to elevate things.
Our server didn’t know the difference between a Bordeaux and a Malbec but he was so sweet, eager to learn and on top of his game in other parts of service that it was forgivable.
I probably wouldn’t rush back, given that there are so many other choices in the area but I’m not mad at it. It’s a pleasant neighborhood restaurant.