Fabiani Ristorante

The Atmosphere was great and the service was also good. The food was terrible like TV dinner quality and was also very expensive. Both my plate and my gf plate was bad. To be fair the dinner salad was great.

Not horrible, but definitely not outstanding… average Italian affair.
We had the fried calamari appetizer to start:
Pro: Fried nicely, golden brown and crisp; calamari was not overcooked. The two dipping sauces were decent enough.
Con: Batter was bland, needed much more seasoning.
My main course was the gnocchi bolognese:
Pro: The gnocchi themselves were light, pillowy, cooked just right. Sauce had a decent amount of meat and mushrooms in it. Good portion size.
Con: My stomach hurt a little bit after, nothing too major, but definitely uncomfortable for an hour or two.
My girlfriend’s main course was the linguine pescatore:
Pro: Variety and amount of seafood within the dish
Cons: shrimps were absolute rubber, the sauce/​broth was pretty much one note and that note was not a good note.
So some good mixed with bad. We ate there on a Wednesday night at 8pm, but there was no one in the restaurant when we entered and only one table came in the entire time we were there. That had me worried, but the food was not as bad as the lack of business may have indicated.
I don’t think we will be back simply because of the price. It wasn’t outrageously expensive for a nice dinner out, but the food wasn’t quite to the par of the prices.

Came here on a Friday around 5pm with my husband & kids for dinner. Not very many people. Waited a long time just to order, never came to refill our waters. Food was very average & small servings. Pizza crust was thin & tasted like came out of a phillsbury tin.
Definitely felt out of place with my two kids there. Will not be returning there.

First the good — The location and ambiance is incredible. I’d say it’s among the best I’ve experienced. It has a great feel to the tables, the walls, the chairs. It’s a great visual experience. From there, things go downhill quickly.
I think this has the same owners but it was renamed after some financial restructuring. The problem with that is that they seem to have to cut corners on the quality of food. I’ve been there a total of 4 times and the last time I decided would be the last. It’s clear that the food is not as fresh as it should be and they are having to cut every corner possible to save money and stay in business. Stale table bread, wine that just was rancid, entrées that just seemed frozen and defrosted. Incredibly disappointing.
The service was excellent but I could tell that the server was working very hard but essentially with one hand tied behind her back. It’s too bad. I still tipped her well because she did earn it, but I imagine most people who are paying attention would leave disappointed and take it out on the tip.
I’d be surprised if this place last much longer. I’m just not convinced they are using the freshest ingredients. Try it for yourself. I could be wrong. But this was my experience.

Although portion was small, the gnocchi with pesto cream sauce was to die for. Tender and luscious. I wanted more! Wait staff was attentive and friendly. Place was empty when we arrived, don’t know why? It’s a lovely atmosphere with a fireplace, very cozy and romantic if you’re into that thing. Monday night special was a whole pizza and beer for $ 9. Delicious!

we tried this place one night, OMG why we bother to tried?
we ordered seafood pasta which was over cooked and cold. it was like sitting somewhere for a long time before we ordered…
people came out before we entered told us it was excellent food!!! what did they order?
i wanted to start some wine i know but they were out of it. some dish we wanted to tried was out, why???
we saw one couple sitting across from us, and heard that they were served wrong dish.
Oh well, the waitress tried to make it right so hard, and i feel sorry for her… She tried!
we didn’t finish our meal and was hungry when we left.

Meh is right. This was our second meal at the Fabiani’s. The first meal we had there was with a winemaker’s dinner and the food was quite acceptable, nothing outstanding. This second meal was underwhelming. We brought our boys there for pizza knowing they had a «wood fired» oven for pizza, you know the way they do it in Italy.
The crust I would swear was made with Bisquick. You can find better pizza dough in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s. The cheese was meh, the dough was meh, the pizza was just meh.
We ordered the Tiramisu which they took our order, but then came back to say it wasn’t «ready» yet, but was willing to serve it to us for free. Cool. It was fine, personally I wouldn’t have quibbled over it.
Good, attentive service. Really poor pizza. If you are in the mood for pizza, look elsewhere, there are several other better establishments in Santa Rosa.
For a Saturday night the restaurant was ½ empty. That is not a good sign.

I went to lunch at Fabiani today with my cousin. As we walked in, the place appeared clean but empty and I thought, uh, not a good sign! My cousin ordered the gluten free pasta but about 2 minutes after we ordered, the waitress came out and told us they were out of gluten free but if we’d like to wait about 10 minutes, the Chef would make it fresh. REALLY! I thought that was amazing! We waited and it WAS amazing! I even liked it and I don’t do gluten free. The fact that he went to the trouble to actually make it for her and not just leave it at «we’re out» was fantastic!
My gnocchi was also amazing! I’ll be going back to Fabiani soon!

Came here for the first time tonight and loved it. It is a warm atmosphere where you can feel at home. The food was great and flavorful. Everything was fresh with a beautiful presentation.

I’ve never been here before, this place is Beautiful. My friend and I sat next to the fireplace, it felt so comfortable and inviting. The free bread they gave was delicious and when the pizza came, our waiter freshly grated Parmesan cheese on our pizza for us, as well as ground the pepper on my friends salad for her. (always wanted to go to a place like that) The Pizza was Soooo Good, just on the first bite I knew I fell in love with the food. I will go again.

We were here a few months ago, had a pleasant meal. We were literally the only people eating there so service was nice, attentive and relaxed. So we decided it might be nice to return on Valentine’s Day for dinner around 5:30 pm. When we parked on the street we realized we had no change for the parking meter so I went inside and asked for change for a dollar. It took the bartender, a waitress and somebody in a white chefs coat to tell me they could not provide change, told me not to worry about getting a parking ticket and to go across the street to Subway for change. I was speechless. I told them I would not be coming back and we went to Rendez-​Vous and had a wonderful meal.
I can’t understand how a local business can be so unwilling to help a potential customer. We won’t be going back.

4+ stars for service, ambience and potential but those things alone don’t matter when the one reason we chose Fabiani’s in the first place was such a disappointment. The «wood fired» pizza.
Ant F. (few reviews earlier) got it just right so I won’t repeat it all. Bottom line, it was NOT what any self-​respecting wood-​fired pizza lover would enjoy. :) (None of the other dishes in our party were so fantastic as to bring us back either, but that wouldn’t have mattered if the pizza had been good!)
Bummer! Loved the service, ambience and potential of Fabiani’s!

Environment is great.
Service was pleasant and timely.
Food tasted good.
Price was a lil much but ok.
They served us bread in the beginning. Fluffy and great taste. Someone wrote on here that they were charged for extra bread although it didn’t appear that we were charged.
I had the Chicken Marsala. Veggies were straight forward. Chicken had a nice sauce and wasn’t dry. Sauce was probably a little on the thin side, but It was nice that the meal wasn’t too heavy. Chicken had the leg bone still in it which is a little new but maybe they were showing how fresh it was? Potatoes were good.
I went with three other family members who both really enjoyed their meals.
Overall loved it.

My husband and I had a gift certificate here so we decided to try it out.
The atmosphere was very authentic to it’s Italian flair. The building is big and spacious.
We ate lunch there and was very satisfied with the service and the food.
I had the Mistra Salad and Raviolis. Delish! Great portion size. With my meal I had the Nocal Pinor Noir. It was a great wine in my opioion.
My husand had the ceaser salad and pesto gnocci. He loved it, one of the best dishes he had in a long time. I took a taste as well, not liking pesto, I would eat this dish next time I had the chance to dine there.
Great service, and great food.

I first went here with a
gift certificate. It was December 23^rd, and they were very busy, with quite a few family Christmas get togethers (or so it seemed). The service was excellent, considering, though our waitress felt as though it was sub-​par and delivered a delightful (and large) slice of tiramisu, on the house. I tried the truffled mac and cheese with bacon on the recommendation of many Unilocalers. I found it just okay, but I’m not a huge truffle fan. When I reheated it, it became very oily though. My dining partner had the gnocchi and it was AMAZING. Fluffy, melt in your mouth, deliciousness.
On our second trip, I tried the special of the night, gnocchi with olive oil, garlic, basil and tomatoes. Yum. My dining partner (a vegan) had the eggplant parm, no cheese, which he loved. (I didn’t taste, since I can’t eat eggplant.) The service was excellent, the restaurant was slow at six pm, but was pretty busy when we left. We were given our choice of tables and chose the table by the second fireplace. Perfectly cozy.
Love the décor, the cozy fireplaces and the fresh bread is to die for (and .75 cents per person for another serving is not bad considering it’s fresh baked in house). The service is always good, and there is much more on the menu I look forward to trying.

Really beautiful place but I think they spent too much in appearance then the overall quality of the establishment itself.
Seemed like a fancy place that fronted a lower budget menu. Complimentary bread was .75 per person if you wanted another piece. Considering the money spend on each dish here you would least make the complimentary bread, complimentary.
Can sodas? So that means no refills, prices weren’t bad if you got more with your visit, soda refills, bread, salad and greens.
The Veal is very dry and not tender at all. More like a flat hamburger, really disappoint because I really wanted to like it.
Tho the waitress was very nice and offered something else instead.
They put this red wine sauce with mushrooms on just about ever dish which makes me think the quality of the food or maybe just over cooked to keep the taste.
The cost for food was not worth the price as they nickle and dime you, Wine list was appealing but I dont think I would return for dinner.
I would stick with the pizzas and pastas if you come here.

I really, really like this restaurant.
The pros:
–AMAZING food. Everything I have had here is incredible. I especially loved the Franco pizza. The lunch specials are priced nicely.
–Beautiful patio. Great atmosphere, nice music, pretty plants.
Cons:
–Service is unreliable. I’ve been here with fine service, and I’ve been here with a waitress who only visited our table when we flagged her down. The wait staff doesn’t seem to ever be on top of their game.
–Awkward front — there is no clear greeting area, and if the wait staff is busy, you might just stand awkwardly by the bar for a couple of minutes, which I have done before. Weird.
However the service might be, I still happily go to this place. I’ll put up with crappy service to sit on their lovely patio and eat their delicious and well-​priced food just about any day.

I was not a fan of the previous occupant of this building, but I heard good things about Franco’s new vibe, so I had to try.
Homey atmosphere and a warm smoky smell was very relaxing.
Initial look at the menu was good, but nothing designated gluten free. Upon asking the waitress, she smiled and brought me a dedicated gluten free menu. KUDOS! It was narrow, but had more than salads, which I was appreciative of, and it noted at the bottom that they are looking to expand to gluten free pastas and gluten free wood fired pizzas, which I’m very intent on trying as soon as they drop.
The wine I had was delicious, but the shining star of the evening was the panna cotta. Smooth, creamy, delicate flecks of vanilla… plate drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauces.
I also had the mushroom risotto which was sauced with truffle oil, and the leek soup which was ok, but the must have was the dessert. The starter bread smelled heavenly, but it wasn’t gluten free so I had to just drool.
Can’t wait for the expanded gluten free menu!!!

Odd place. Stilted service. Uninspired menu. Inconsistent dishes.
It’s hard to pin-​down exactly what’s wrong here, but it seems that it’s sorely missing some passion — in the atmosphere, food, and vibe departments.
Rosso is less than a mile away. But it’s light-​years apart.

I’ve been here a couple times, once when it was called Franco’s and later when it was Fabiani, and I have provided both reviews.
I am not sure what this situation is but my first review was for when this was Franco’s and it has apparently automatically been transferred to this place’s new guise as Fabiani’s. I thought that this was a different business altogether, not simply a name change but I shall leave the above review with this caveat.
When it was Franco’s, we only had pizza, but it was very good. This is in the old Acapulco in downtown, at the corner of 7^th and Mendocino, a location that has struggled since Acapulco closed. The décor is largely still what it was as Acapulco (the place was built before WWII as a sort of mission-​revival car dealership building), but somewhat modified to be more Italian and more «upscale.» The wood-​fired pizzas are great and service was friendly and effective.
More recently, on eating here as Fabiani’s, it still deserve 4 stars as per my original review. Pizzas are great, tasty, and well made — the one with prosciutto and arugula on top is excellent. The stuffed chicken breast and clam pasta are excellent as well. Sides of mashes potato and vegetable are a bit boring and simple but nicely cooked and tasty. Swordfish special was not great but good, just a bit boring but tha is partly because it’s just swordfish, which has never wowed me (someone else got it). Deserts were surprisingly good: the Tiramisu was one of the best I’ve had and the best in a long time; the lemon cheesecake was excellent, a delicate thing with delicate creamy and lemony flavours marrying well.