Cici’s Italian Ristorante

For this review, I am giving them one star. The biggest complaint is their hours of operation. They state they open at 5pm, they don’t. It seems they open when they want to. A couple of weeks ago they were not open at all. No note on the door saying they were closed, nothing. We drove down 3 days in a row about 6pm and they were closed. On the third day after waiting awhile to see if they would open and didn’t, the wife called and it went to voice mail. She asked what were their hours, were they open or closed as a business and could they call her back leaving her phone number. No call, period. Three times now we drove down to be there when they open at 5pm and we waited until 520pm and nothing. No lights on, no people inside, dark. So we went to another restaurant for dinner, then on the way home stopped at the ice cream parlor in Niles. Once done, we drove past Cici’s about 730pm and they were open. Amazing. The food is not bad, sometimes iffy and the wait ladies seem a bit confused at times. So the wife and I have crossed Cici’s off our list of restaurants to visit.

Went to have Italian with my family last Saturday at 7:30. The closing time is 10 pm and the door was locked. Their were people inside eating, so I knocked. They answered and said one of their servers didn’t show, so they couldn’t handle anymore people. Looked like the place was over half empty. I can’t give them anymore than 1 star if you can’t get in during normal business hours.

Nice family friendly and family run business. Usually no waiting before enjoying their lobster ravioli paired with an excellent wine. Best part it is an affordable meal with a nice bottle of wine for two runs you $ 70.

Stopped here for lunch. I had the chicken panini and my date had the meatball panini. Both really flavorful. Salad and soup wasn’t that great. Service was friendly. Bread at the beginning was stale. I really just wanted a glass of wine with lunch and this place fit the bill. I would suggest trying it out.

I give it two stars not being an AUTHENTIC ITALIAN restaurant.
My family and I tried this place for the first time — we are Italians and we know enough to know it’s not an authentic Italian restaurant.
We ordered the Bruschetta appetizer (4 pieces) — while it is very good, it is not authentic because they poured balsamic vinegar over it. Everyone liked it, so that was a plus.
We ordered four different dishes:
Homemade Cannelloni — we were surprised that it was made crepes-​style, instead of the traditional pasta tube. Crepes? That’s a first and very un-​Italian and falls more in the likes of a Mexican cuisine.
New York Steak with Prawns — it was a nice sized-​steak with only TWO prawns on top ($ 19.95). The sauce was ok and reminds me of Marsala although it is a bourbon sauce (not Italian style). The strong alcohol sauce was too overpowering for my 18 year old son.
Linguini Frutti de Mare — it was a very good pasta, but not sure if it’s really worth $ 21.95.
I asked what the special was and I was told it was one of the most popular — the Cioppino. That was my poorest choice. I didn’t ask how much it cost — it’s not on the menu and I was surprised to find out it was $ 30! For what? When my plate arrived, everyone on the table said, «That’s all??» A shallow bowl of seafood stew with sauce served alone with no sides. I did ask for a plain pasta to go with it to try to make it more appetizing. The Linguini Frutti de Mare probably had more seafood in it than the Cioppino. I expect a lot more for $ 30 and I was very disappointed. Kind of ruined my whole dining experience. Trust me, don’t ever order this!
Service was very friendly, I will give them that. Just that it’s not priced correctly and not authentic.

3 ½ STARS!!! My Dad picked the place. When we got there we were kindly greeted by the bartender to sit wherever we’d like. Thanks to only one couple at the bar and a party of 4 taking up a booth, we decided to take a small table in the second room away from the TV where we felt as comfortable as possible with not a person in site. Our waitress was friendly, well knowledgeable and made sure we were refilled at all times.
— — — FOOD — — —
I ordered the Veal Saltimbocca (Scaloppini with prosciutto mozzarella & a fresh sage Demi glaze sauce) $ 18.95
This veal was very thinly sliced, but the prosciutto on top, and mozzarella on top of that made this dish memorable. Maybe bc I never had veal this way before, or maybe bc the sauce on top of it all was the winner! We all know how thin prosciutto is so it actually was a good idea to make them both thin so one doesn’t overpower the other. The pasta on the side… Italian style, or what u might say without gravy. (no sauce), actually complimented well with the thick heavy veal sauce. However, there was a lot of oil in that pasta that drenched the pasta and my plate a little overwhelmingly. FYI I finished my whole plate with ease.
My Dad got the John’s Special Pasta (rigatoni with chicken, garlic, olive oil and mixed veggies-​I saw broccoli, zucchini&rooms) $ 15.95
I had a couple bites of his, and I’m glad I didn’t get the chicken Jerusalem after all because the chicken wasn’t all that great. It was alright… something was missing. Maybe the sauce needed to be thicker to grasp onto the thick noodles, it was really watery, broth looking, that really needed a makeover from Robert Irvine. If this dish was better prepared they might have gotten another star from me.
The homemade tiramisu was pretty good, but I wish she didn’t put the whip cream over it. I enjoy that whatever coco powder-​y-​ness they usually come out with.
—bottom line—
The street this restaurant is located on is quite the antique… Very old fashioned, yet cute quaint area, and Cici’s fits in perfectly. Once you enter the restaurant it brings you back in time to how restaurants use to be… very cozy atmosphere; not bombarded by a long wait time with a huge noise level along with distracting kids everywhere. No. Instead this is the place to take ur loved one, ur parents, in-​laws… Or even enjoy a dinner for one:)

We wanted Italian but didn’t want to drive too far, and Cici’s popped up on our Unilocal list, so we gave it a try. Rather surprised they closed at 8:00 p.m. so we rushed over to get there by 7:00 p.m. and still had time to have a leisurely meal.
Ordered the minestrone soup, which was nice and hot, but a bit greasy. The bread was tasty and went well with the soup.
Hubby had the combo rib eye steak, shrimp and linguine. He thought the meat was pretty flavorful. It came with minestrone soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese. They do not skimp on the cheese… it’s fresh, it melted nicely and was yummy.
I tried the linguine with clams and white sauce. I really enjoyed my dish… plenty of clams and more than enough for a second meal the next day. My only disappointment? I slurped the pasta and then splattered the delicious sauce on my blouse… thank goodness it came out in the wash. Whew!
We were served a large draft beer instead of the small. If I hadn’t mentioned something, I don’t know if the waitress would have noticed. She said she was going to charge the «small» amount (she forgot what size we ordered… no big). Just wish she would have mentioned it when she served the beer.
Service was attentive, friendly and they were very good about answering questions about this dish or that.
Will definitely be back again to try more.

There was nothing wrong with Cicis. We will be back and plan to take a group for our holiday Christmas party. The place has a quite, low key atmosphere for couples to sit and talk and enjoy great food. The waitress was amazing. It seemed a little slow, but you have to keep in mind that Niles is one of those off the path hamlets.

I loved Cici’s! Italian is my favorite kind of food, so I’ve been to many Italian restaurants, and this is definitely one of my favorites.
I’ve been there twice, and I had Bob’s Special (creamy pesto over angel hair pasta) both times because it was just so delicious. My boyfriend had the meat tortellini with creamy pesto the first time, which was really good, and some other kind of tortellini with bacon the second time. I’m not a big fan of bacon in pasta, so I thought it was just okay. He really liked it, though. They give you nice portions, and we both took our leftovers home.
They also give you yummy bread and butter, which I almost got full on before I even ordered… it’s just so good!
The first time we got salad before the meal, and it was fine. The second time, clam chowder was the soup of the day, which made me really excited. It was very creamy and delicious!
The second time, we also split tiramisu for dessert. I’m not a huge fan of tiramisu, but this one was very tasty!
I really want to go back to try their fettucini alfredo!

Found the place on
. It was a Thursday night and other than the owners eating there we were the only guests for the 90 minutes we were there.
Our waitress Erika was friendly and accommodating.
The bread was fresh but it would be nice if it was warmed in the oven. We had the fried calamari appetizer and it was very good. The main course was a long wait but Erika kept the drinks and bread coming. The veil scaloppini was a little greasy but it was served piping hot. My wife said the scaloppini marcella was excellent.
Overall not a bad experience but not a place I would recommend or go to again.

I looked this place up since we had a
deal for it, and was a little concerned about the mixed reviews. But we thought we would just check it out for ourselves.
The place is tiny but cute. We loved the high backed booths and overall atmosphere. The people were friendly. They were pretty good about showing up when we needed them and also clearing the plates.
We ordered the bruschetta as an appetizer — it was delicious! The minestrone was pretty good, as was the Caesar salad. I ordered the tortellini and my boyfriend ordered the cannelloni. Both very tasty but portions were pretty small for the price.
My boyfriend was impressed with the tile in the bathroom. Lol.
Even with the deal, it was still a pretty pricey evening. If the portions were a lot bigger I would definitely be a regular since it is so close to my house!

Considering that this is my fourth review of Cici’s and that a prior review raised my ire sufficiently to receive an extraordinarily rare (for me) one star review, it would be accurate to assume that I’ve had a complex relationship with this little restaurant. I can literally see Cici’s from my home, so I really want our relationship to thrive!
The bottom line is that they’ve sorted the food issues of their past and that they could still improve by being more consistent with their hours of operation. I gather that they focus on private parties as well as regular dining and it’s difficult to have two masters. This is particularly true when the restaurant in question is so small.
You will be very well served indeed (if you call in advance to confirm that they’re open) when you crave generously portioned Italian food. It’s gradually become somewhere I dine about once a month and that is not only because they’re so darn close.

Please ignore the fussy posts here… this place is wonderful! I was going to an event at the Silent Film Museum and out of all the restaurants here, I picked Cici’s. Not even looking at Unilocal first, but going off my gut and their menu. I was instantly pleased when I saw a beautiful painting of Charlie Chaplin overlooking one of their tables.
I was their first customer of the day, as they’d just opened, it was a bit after noon. I lucked out, because the place was nice and quiet. The waitress was kind and answered my questions regarding the menu. I had the ravioli with pesto sauce. This came with bread and minestrone soup. She grated fresh parmesan cheese over my soup-​heavenly! The bread was fresh and warm-​I didn’t have the heart to add butter to it so I just gnawed on it while it melted in my mouth.
The ravioli was good, though a small portion. Again, my waitress grated fresh parmesan cheese over it. I had their cheesecake for dessert, which had sliced strawberries for decoration and a sort of mango sauce-​divine. I did everything but lick the plate.
My total was $ 19.79, and I just had water. For a meal & dessert, I thought this was great. I’d come back here again.

Just a 2.5 star rating for Cici’s? I totally beg to differ! What an adorable little Italian restaurant in the historic Niles district of Fremont. This place was ridiculously tasty! So much so that it took me back to my 2 weeks in Italy… and that’s saying a lot!
We ordered the bruschetta as a starter, and being a bruschetta fan, this was fantastic! Very similar to some of the bruschetta I had while in Venice.
For my main course, I ordered the chicken marsala. All main dishes are accompanied by a soup or salad, so I opted for the salad. The chicken was perfectly cooked (not dried out), and the mushrooms marinated with the masala was so flavorful!
I wish I had room for dessert, but given that it was lunchtime… no dessert possible. I guess the homemade tiramisu that was beckoning my name gives me a reason to come back.
Just a note: I do wish the service was a bit faster. Only one employee serving during the lunch hour is a bit on the low side. On the other hand, maybe I just need to disconnect from work while I’m taking a lunch break, and enjoy Niles for its character.

We stopped here after crossing the Dumbarton Bridge eastbound, and saw a rainbow ending in Niles. We decided it must have been Cici’s calling us forth.
I drank water, so I can’t comment on their drinks. It looks like they have a full bar, but for sure have wine.
I ordered a salad with creamy Italian dressing with my entrée. Upon delivery, I was offered shredded parmesean cheese and cracked black pepper, which I thought was nice. The salad was crisp and satisfying.
I had the ravioli and meatsauce with extra sauce for my entrée. The sauce was kinda watery, but good none the less. The ravioli was very good. I don’t normally like ravioli, but was pleased at the flavors and texture.
Over all, I guess this restaurant isn’t anything «great», but it’s very pretty and semi-​formal inside. I would higly recommend this place for a date night, especially since the rowdy Florence Bar is right across the street for post-​dinner cocktails. (Guys, your date will think you are a prince by comparison to the patrons of the bar acorss the street.)

I’m not really getting all the super negative reviews here. Yeah the food isn’t AMAZING… but its still pretty good.
I came here for my company’s Christmas party. I had the Cioppino (if you’re not Italian, its a seafood stew with red sauce and then dumped over pasta) It was chock-​full-​o-​mussels, clams, shrimp and scallops. As it should be. Its a tradition in my family to have this for Christmas so I know what it tastes like. –It wasn’t as good as Nona’s, but it was still pretty good. Everyone else at the party had a really good meal too.

Had a banquet here awhile back, so I guess this review is for their banquet capabilities.
My fraternity was having it’s end of the year banquet, and it was a choice between this place and another. Their banquet hall looks really nice and elegant, so this place was the obvious choice. It looks really beautiful in here, so we really didn’t have to decorate much. They allowed us to decorate however we wanted as long as we weren’t putting any holes in the walls. Our banquet had about 50 people attend. The hall probably could have fit maybe about 70 at max, so we had plenty of room. It’s a smaller place, but that was fine for us. They also have a dance floor but it was pretty small, and also there’s mirrors right next to the dance floor so you can basically see yourself dance. Didn’t really wanna see that.
The food was alright I guess. Wasn’t anything special at all. Extremely pricey for what you get. If we’re charging about 25 per person for their meal, they better get that much worth it in food. That didn’t happen here. What we got was some super dry chicken, and sorta flavored beef.
Probably won’t come back here again, but hey, at least it looks nice.

I was initially skeptical but became a convert after trying the food. The Niles area has been slowly growing on me over the years and now Cici’s is another reason to visit.
I went to Cici’s on Tuesday night and not surprisingly, it was pretty empty. There was a lone guy drowning his sorrows at the bar. There was a family of 3 with a young boy who were fascinating to observe. The dad was on a iphone, mom on a ipad and the boy on a gameboy all doing their own thing. Perhaps that is the family of today and expecting to have a face to face conversation over dinner is an outdated concept. I hope not!
I liked the lighting and loved the music (Sinatra). Our waitress was incredibly sweet. She was very helpful and friendly and told us how to avoid the entrée split fee which was snuck in the fineprint on the menu. Everything we ordered was delicious. My favorite was the «homemade» cannelloni. The only slightly off note was the price which I would say is ~20% too high for the overall experience.
I am fan of Cici’s and will be be back.

I always enjoy finding gems especially when they are close by :) We had been wanting to check out the Niles District and after finding a deal to try Cici’s — it was our perfect chance to do that.
Cici’s is located in the downtown Niles area — it’s a cute restaurant with just a few tables. The menu has your selection of appetizers, salads, entrees and of course pasta. The building is older, but I like that it has some history to it.
We were seated immediately and began to look at the menu — we ordered Fried Ravioli for appetizers, I had Vongole (linguine with clams) for dinner and my honey had homemade cannelloni. Each of our entrees came with the choice of salad or soup. I opted for a Caesar Salad and my honey had Clam Chowder.
The service is so great — our waitress was sweet and checked in with us often. The food is good! I hope to come back here and try more good eats.
Cheers!

My husband and I went on a week night and there were plenty of tables open. CiCi’s has an old world style about it that we liked. Service was great and the food was very good. The food was pricy, but having the coupon from
made it worth while.
We will definately be back (with a coupon).