Star Bene Inc

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ronthego1

Joined 4 years ago

Star Bene - Changes to try again. We live down the street by Sunny Cove Beach and we have watched Star Bene (our neighborhood gem) change ownership a few times. Sergio and his wife took over the restaurant along with a partner - The partner is now gone (good thing- the negative things that were happening to the restaurant seemed to disappear when she did) - The restaurant is back on track! From the moment we walk into the restaurant we are greeted by one of the owners, from that moment on the food, service, ambiance is great! The prices have been lowered and the food is great for the price. The past negative reviews were when the other owner was there and honestly this restaurant is a restaurant that everyone needs to check out again! Our dinners have been excellent! We are thrilled to see that the hard work and dedication that the owners have put into this restaurant is paying off! I would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant - I consider myself a "foodie" and this is a restaurant not to be missed! The specials are not to be missed!

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sookey

Joined 5 years ago

STAR BENE ITALIAN RESTUARANT. we had been to star bene a few years ago and had a fairly good meal......although i remember noticing that it was expensive......last week, when i saw the menu, i was surprised at the rise in the prices, but i figured they might be getting better......the tasty bread came with a lovely plate of roasted garlic, marinated sundried tomatoes, and olives (all chopped)......my salad was dissapointing.....the lettuce was rather coarse and the dressing too sharp. ive had better salads in cafes.....my main course was a veal canneloni......the filling was actually unseasoned and bland....like veal and ricotta mixed together in a bowl......the pasta was delicate though, and the simple sauce was good.....but the filling got worse with each bite....i actually felt ill that night

.....i am a rather decent maker of italian food myself, and i live in berkeley. where restaurant food is some of the best in the world........so yes, i am sensitive to these situations.....as i paid the high tab, i realized id been had again by the form of things looking good while the content fails.....at those prices they should be serving gourmet food.....

Doesn't Recommend

honestcritic22

Joined 5 years ago

Please dont go!. Can honestly say, worst dining experience I've had yet! Service was horrible, food even worse and then the bill came.

I used to love this restaurant and I was very dissapointed with the experience from beginning to end. I think they changed ownership and have just crashed downhill. They need to get it together!

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deia68

Joined 6 years ago

Great food and customer service. The food is great,so tasty,nice presentation...and the dessert..hum...home-made..

The waiters are nice,friendly and so attentive..

Love the atmosphere inside..romantic,every table has a candle lite...

and also has a great covered patio dinning area....with pond,water fall,exotic plants,great for private partys.

Parking was easy,

love *STAR BENE*!!!

Doesn't Recommend

bellybones

Joined 6 years ago

good food, lousy service. I really liked the food here the first few times I went. Then one night I went with a friend. We were dressed casually, and on a tight budget. They sat us in the back and the waiter did not greet us, just handed us menus. Since we weren't ordering wine, we became personae non-grata.

Eventually a bus boy brought us our food. No one ever returned to the table. I finally had to go to the front to pay the bill. They had clearly decided we were not going to be big spenders/tippers so they wanted us out of there asap. I had never been treated so badly through shear neglect in a restaurant.

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gdinno

Joined 7 years ago

Best gnocchi's in Santa Cruz. Great atmosphere with Italian music, must try the homemade gnocchi. Loved the fresh bread and that dipping sauce was to die for, service was attentive and good wine list also.