Robano’s

I really really hate to do this… First of all, This place used to be Sebastian’s. Honestly anything on earth would be better then that hell hole. So for that I will say I am fine with this change. When This place first opened… It was honestly and I mean this… The greatest pizza I have ever had! SO naturally I couldn’t wait to order another. Something happened… it changed. It was never the same ever! There is nothing wrong with the restaurant itself. Its nice and has a welcoming atmosphere. The staff here is friendly and very hospitable.

Went there for Superbowl Sunday. Spent the afternoon watching the game on their patio with their big screen TVS. I had a chicken sandwich which was yummy. Other friends got other sandwichs, or pizza and pasta. All was really good.
The patio is so spacious and large, with couches and tables.
The waitress and management were very helpful and friendly. They were very welcoming to our large group. There was a little confusion in the end because everyone got seperate checks, so that is why I deducted one star. But the waitresses were very helpful trying to get everything straight. Other than the bill issues everything else was perfect.
We had a great time hanging out at Robanos and eating delicious Italian food.

They have a really nice courtyard for outdoor seating. I had the Fettuccine with Alfredo and Chicken which was pretty good. I want to go back for happy hour as it would be nice to have drinks outside.

I wish I could give 4.5 stars to this great spot. I generally hold five star ratings for a great spot that also has some special qualities outside of being attributed to being a restaurant. This spot had great food at a great value with some special qualities. Well, special in the overall vibe and staff that is all too rare today and a noise level that was worth a bit of an extra mention.
11÷9÷12, a Friday night. Four of us went out for dinner. We had not been to this spot before.
Walking in from the street there is a large patio area with heaters. It is a great spot for groups to gather. The noise level is very low even on a busy Friday night. This was a real treat compared to many places with high noise levels.
The décor inside is nice. It is also quiet. It is very clean and in fact I met the owner who was cleaning the floor, himself. We talked a bit. He was a very cool fellow. personality seems to carry over to his staff as everybody was happy and attentive.
There is a very nice bar area.
We tried a few things. Their Chicken Marsala was excellent. Lots of mushrooms and the sauce had flavor and body. It was better than the same dish from a different Italian restaurant that I reviewed a week ago.
We had one of the large specialty salads. It was excellent and fresh. It was large enough to be easily shared by a few people even though it was intended to be the full meal for one of our party.
The pizza. Two of us intended to share one 20″ pizza for dinner. Four of us shared the pizza and ¼ was left to take home. Thin crust, wood fired, excellent in every way. We could not decide on which pizza to order as there were a few that were interesting. We asked our server and she said she could make a half and half pizza which is the route we took. (I uploaded a photo). Capricciosa was one side and Bada Bing was on the other side. Outstanding.
The quality and quantity for the $ is a great value.
There are a lot of great Italian restaurants in the NoHo, Burbank, Toluca Lake area. This is one of the best on many levels. Food, value, service and décor.
I will be returning.

I’ve walked by this place 100 times. It’s adorable. The outside patio seating is wonderful. My experience was not quite as nice…
There was no one there to seat us, so we sat ourselves. No one noticed us at all, so my boyfriend eventually alerted them of our presence and grabbed some menus. Drinks came late… Waitress seemed annoyed we were ready to order so quickly, didn’t write our order down and came back half an hour later to ask again what we ordered! It was an hour after we arrived that we were finally served dinner. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what we had ordered. Our waitress fumbled over excuses and seemed confused by my request for my actual meal. After a frustrating conversation we decided to opt out of dinner. The owner was nice enough to relieve us of the check.
Good think I got my 15% off for checking in! Sure hope Buffalo Wild Wings has pasta…
PS
It doesn’t.

Stopped by Friday night for dinner and sat ourselves. They have the best outdoor seating (not on a hill) in Burbank but was a little too warm of a night for that. Inside was only a little better (pizza oven out in the open). This is a great neighborhood place with ok Italian. The pizza is hand tossed thin crust baked in a wood fired oven. All veggies are only placed on the pie near the end of baking to maintain crisp and freshness. A big plus to the place is they’ll make your pasta however you want it. Linguine with pink sauce and sun dried tomatoes not on the menu, no problem. They provide accommodating service and attentive wait staff. Parking can be a little bit of a problem though.
In closing, this place is just ok. A good place to take a date for the outdoor seating. Who chows down on a date anyway?
Oh yeah, we saw «Hans» from «The Burbs» here. We love that movie.

Happy hour isn’t bad here but all the food is pretty generic/​frozen stuff. I’d go with bottled beer and their pizza… huge thin crust slices that are $ 2.50 and up depending on your toppings. If you must from the menu, the wings are huge, super hot and satisfying.
Atmosphere is terrific though — a quiet outdoor lounge in LA?

I have been parking in front of Robano’s to drop off mail at the USPS next door for over a year, every time I say «can’t believe I haven’t tried that pizza joint, I’ll do it this weekend!».. . My procrastination finally came to an end last weekend!
We stopped in around 6:30 last Saturday, it was a gorgeous evening and the patio had a few large parties but was still inviting. It took us about 10 minutes to order and when we finally did it was approximately another 15 — 20 minutes before we finally got our drinks. At this point I was pretty fed up but had amazing company so I kept my cool. As the night progressed there was an influx of teenagers «hanging out» on the patio. We continued to get ignored by our over worked waitress so we moved ourselves to a table closer to the entrance of the restaurant so we were not out of her line of sight. Before our food even arrived the patio was swarming with teenagers and there was a «door guy» collecting money from the kids?! Am I in the twilight zone, I thought this was a neighborhood pizza joint? Lucky ME, I was there for what happened to be some sort of underage hip-​hop freestyle night. We asked our waitress what was going on and she had no clue! The ambiance was ruined and went from a chill night with the girlfriend to being a chaperone at a big school dance.
The chicken florentine was disgusting and flavorless, think frozen dinner. Our meal was saved by the decent margherita pizza and the beer our waitress comped for forgetting about us.
To be honest I would consider going back for a chill lunch and order pizza ONLY, but only during school hours when I know they won’t be hosting a high school dance.

Robano’s is a hidden gem. The outdoor lounge area is something I’ve never seen at a pizza shop — it feels lavish. I’ll definitely be back if I’m looking to impress someone with my knowledge of the area.
The food we had was a bit bland — the meatball pizza was short on flavor, and could use more spices. But, it always takes a few visits to sort out a favorite — I’ll be back.

As romantic as this place can be (because of its patio), the food and experience are just as bland and mediocre. I came here with a friend because we ran out of options at that time of the evening. We ordered pizza, salad and some wings. From service to food quality, everything was sub par. Most likely won’t come back here again.

Had a great time at Robano’s this past January. I was in LA for business and got a recommendation to Robano’s from the person I sat next to on the plane from NY.
Being from NY I take my Italian food very serious. The owner recommended the Lasagna for dinner and I loved it. Tasted like Sunday dinner back in NY with the family.
Next time I return I must try the pizza. It’s NY style and I know NY pizza.
Looking forward to my next visit.

I stopped in here for lunch not knowing much about it. I think the main thing Robano’s has going for it is the nice patio. I am sure it is a great spot for evening drinks when the lights are all lit. It has a nice European feel. Other than that, I am not really a fan.
I believe there was only one other party there (which should have been a sign) and the service still took forever. The food was nothing too great either. I had the bruscetta, since I was not especially hungry, and was overwhelmed by the crazy amount of garlic in it. I seriously could not taste anything else!
And to top it all off they charged me a dollar more than the menu listed for the bruscetta. Overall, not a great experience and I don’t think I will return.

I’m usually never in Toluca Lake, but I had to pick up a package the other day and was a little early. With time to spare, I began wandering around to find somewhere to eat. And being a pizza lover, I entered Robano’s as soon as I saw it.
It was dead empty and honestly, the pizza slice that I bought was akin to crappy movie drive-​in pizza. But the service was nice.
Why one star? Because after I ate I went to the bathroom. And just as I got in, the cook walked out of the toilet stall and left… WITHOUT WASHING HIS HANDS.
It was like that moment in Seinfeld when he catches Poppy do the exact same thing before making his meal. Except I caught the guy after I ate. (–_​-​) Yeah…

I actually really like this place.
Good location, great food, full bar, sports TV, occasional band/​performers. The patio is awesome, they got outside couches, and all sorts of plants. I don’t think it has the Italy vibe to it, but it definitely has a good vibe. I loove hanging out here, the problem is no one else hangs out here. Either I go by myself to socialize and eat, which is pretty sad, OR when i DO bring my friends, we are the only people there. Maybe I’m just hitting them at the wrong time, but I come here quite often. The only other complaint I have is service gets a little too slow. In napoli, from my experience, great pizza is shoved in the oven and cooked within minutes. Here it feels like it takes 30 minutes for them to make one? Not good if you’re starving, which is the usual status for me.
ADVICE: Come for happy hour for a sports event, and make sure to bring at least 3 of your friends in case it is empty again.
RELAX: on the comfy couches on the left once you walk in!

I mostly like this place for it’s décor… it feels like you are on a lil vaca with the nice llights and seating outside. On a warmer day this would have been much better. There was paintings all over the wall, definitely nice.
The waitress was attentive… came here for lunch the salad I had was good, but massive!, i would have preferred something smaller for less money. It had blue cheese or feta, sweet dressing, pear… overall it was good, just a bit too sweet for me.
The water, it tasted a bit funny.
Ehh overall, the hanging out was a better experience.
However, for a fat slice of pizza it was only about $ 3 – 4 dollars, good deal.

Oh my gosh what happened to this place?! What happened to the lasagna slice that I loved so much?! What happened to the huge slices of authentic NY style pizza that I loved?! Gone, all of it gone! Did the ownership change? I don’t know. The pizza is okay but I don’t care about okay thin crust pizza, I want the huge gigantic slices that you have to fold and that make me feel like I’m back in NYC.

I heard a rumor that the old Albano’s on Melrose Ave was now called Robano’s and located in Toluca Lake. WRONG. It’s my fault for not consulting Unilocal first. Albano’s had the closest thing to NY style pizza in SoCal before they changed ownership.
We ordered a large pizza with half sausage and half pepperoni. The only thing NY style about it was the fact that it had a thin crust! The pizza was overly greasy and the crust tasted like cardboard. It took a full 25 minutes for us to get our order so we were starving by the time it arrived. Unfortunately, it reminded me of the pizza they served in the cafeteria of my elementary school.
The server was very friendly but she was the only server and had to be bartender too. I think my husband and I were the only ones eating, everyone else was there for drinks on the patio and to watch the football game.
It was definitely not worth the drive and definitely not worth visiting… ever.

Went there tonight on a Living Social coupon (I LOVE YOU LIVING SOCIAL!)
Anyhoo, we were greeted by an elderly gentleman (Robano perhaps?) and told us to sit anywhere… we took a table next to him… glad we did, it was entertaining to listen to a group of crabby old New Yorkers bitch and moan… and smoke.
Anyhoo, we had a very nice waitress that was prompt and did not roll her eyes about when I said we were rocking a coupon.
BF wanted to get a Sicilian style pizza but we compromised on the thin crust (Glad we did with the brick oven)
Here is where they lose a star… the man likes meat… I don’t. We ordered a pizza with meat on one side and veggies on the entire pie, no jalapenos, add green pepper. Easy enough right? I had to tell our waitress several times… might have been me that was not explaining it right (She was very sweet though)
We got a pizza with veggies on the entire pizza, sausage on half, pepperoni on all… whateves…I just picked them off and gave them to the carnivore.
We also ordered chicken wings $ 7.95 for 6 (again I did not partake but bf said the sauce was good) They looked pretty wimpy to me… a little steep for the size of them
The side salad was $ 4.95-again on the small side for the price. The Italian dressing was a little tart.
Overall I really liked the staff there, super attentive (bus by came by several times to take dirty plates which is awesome b/​c that shit drives me bonkers)
Pizza (although they did not get it right) was tasty.
Our bill was $ 39.95 — a little steep for a pizza dinner in my opinion but with our coupon it was $ 9.95. Deal.
I probably would not come back here at full price, but that is only because I am a cheapass.

Ron is the man!
If you are looking for good NY style pizza and you want to have access to a full bar, then this is your place! The service is great! They pizza is made in a wood fired oven and comes out great. Thin crust with the perfect about of cheese and sauce. We always order a large cheese pie and it never has oil dripping all over the place!
I love sitting outside and enjoying good food and good company. There is plenty of seating inside and out so you’ll never have to wait for a table.
I love the fact that there’s tons of parking in the back so I never have to worry about getting a spot.
Thanks Ron, you make us feel like family every time we come in!

Ok, this review is actually more like 2.5 stars, but the food has the potential to be a 3 or 4, so I decided to be generous today.
Dropped in last night to have a few quick slices before going to a play. I know, by just getting slices of pizza, we are taking our chances.
We walk and and are greeted by an older gentleman who tells to to sit wherever we want.
The place has a nice patio and a few tables inside. We sat outside becaus there was a nice breeze. The patio is a weird mix of couches, outdoor patio tables and larger tables. It makes you feel more like you are in your relatives backyard then a restaurant.
Our waitress arrives, and we place our order, a house salad and 2 pieces of pizza each. I opted for a slice of cheese and a slice of eggplant. My dining companion gets 2 cheese.
The salad comes out and the waitress had the kitchen split it onto 2 plates for us so we don’t have to do that ourselves. The salad is a nice mix of butter lettuce, iceburn and a few other types, some chopped tomatoes and olives. Today I realize I think it was supposed to have parmesan cheese, but didn’t. Not even halfway through our salad, the pizza comes out and the waitress sets them down saying, this way they have time to cool so we dont’ burn ourselves. WTF? Ummm, 2 pieces of pizza on a cold plate does not take that long to cool. I decide to move to the pizza before it gets cold. I don’t like room temp or cold pizza.
The cheese slice is ok, I see its potential in the thin crust and nicely flavored cheese, but this slice has clearly suffered upon reheating. My eggplant slice on the other hand was miles better! I was surprised that the eggplant was cut into small pieces and sprinkled on top instead of being incorporated into the pizza, but I really liked it. The eggplant was not greasy and had good eggplant flavor. My dining companion declared one slice of cheese was better than the other. The whole pizzas are definitely the way to go, we so those being brought to other tables and they looked delicious.
The service however, was severely lacking. Our waitress disappared for the entire meal after plopping down our pizza. When she finally came back when we were done, she finally offered me a refill on my drink. I’m done, what does it matter now (BTW, this is a pet peeve of mine, yes I consume lots of liquid while eating, keep my glass full or at least don’t let it get less than halfway). She mumbles something about how she’s sorry and she had business to take care of. Ummm, you got my table, I’m your business. If you had more pressing issues than me, get someone to check on us.
We asked about dessert for future reference, she said they don’t have any, yet the specials board on the way in says they have cannoli. She then tells us about another Italian restaurant that has good cheesecake. I can understanding recommending a bakery or something, but you are basically steering me toward the competition, which I thought as odd and unprofessional.
She brings the check, we put down a card to pay, ages go by and she finally comes and takes it. Our quick pizza slice dinner took over an hour.
On the way out the older gentleman asks how everything was, I told him we’d be back, I liked the eggplant alot and want to try the eggplant rolatini. He thanks us for coming and off we go. Had we had longer I would have told him service wasn’t good, but we needed to go or risk being late for the play.
I will go back for the food, this may be one of those places that you just know the service is going to be subpar. I hope not, I hope I can report next time that service was better.
I didn’t see anyone really overseeing the operation, they would benefit from having a manager to check on things during the meal and oversee the restaurant. The restrooms also needed some attending to.
You can see pictures of my pizza slices under the pictures.