Awesome atmosphere. Heavy pours on wine......i love
The calamari was terrible. However got to my pork saltibocco ws amazing tho so that made up for crappy start. My wife had red snapper and it was delicious. Will go back
—Hal C.
We really love this place. The customer service is wonderful. The meals are always consistent and the specials are of great quality.
Neighborhood gem!
— Jules J.
Great food!! Loved my tomato fettuccine with lobster and my dates lasagna was terrific also. Beautiful cozy place and great service!
— Tish E.
This is our favorite Italian restaurant and the food is just fantastic.  The service is fun and fast and the owner is always around to make sure things are flowing.  Highly recommended the mussels in red sauce and the gnocchi is house made.   Their deserts are fantastic and we love the tramisu.   Wine is reasonable and corsage is cheap.
—Gary T.
This is our favorite restaurant in Novato.

The food is amazing. I love their seared ahi and their filet mignon.  Every thing we have gotten here has always been so good.  Pizza, pastas, and other fish and steak specials are all wonderful as well.

Their wine selection is good and they give generous pours.

Desserts including the tiramisu are amazing as well.

The service is also very good.  The key is to get a reservation as they are usually so busy that walk ins are hard for them to accommodate.

Overall every time we go it has been an amazing dining experience.
— Mark F.
We really loved this place!  We are new to Novato and just heard about this from a friend... we'll be back - for sure.

It does get loud on a Friday night as everyone ends up talking louder and louder; could that be because of the wine? :)  But, the atmosphere is relaxed and everyone is engaged in their conversation and talking... so the noise level was understandable and tolerable.

Our pasta dishes were very well cooked, the bruschetta appetizer was awesome... one of the best bruschettas I have had.

We'll be regulars!
— Dave R.
The best steak, wine and salad.  The lasagna was crazy good.  Love the ambiance!  It's a must for dinner of any occasion.
—Mary B.
Amazing for our date night if we are feeling a little more fancy! I love the feel of the restaurant and the food is so good! The staff is very nice as well. It's a small dim lighting place which I like and perfect for date nights. We will be back!
— Katie W.
Love love love this place! Its a little gem that we found when moving here and it's our go to date night spot. The chicken picatta is my fav, I dream about it. It's super consistent , fast service and  a nice setting. So happy to have this little piece of heaven in our community.
— Amy R.
Excellent! We ate dinner there and we loved it, food was amazing! Service was excellent,  great wine list, they let us try several wines till we found one that was amazing! Red blend, we are already looking forward to going back asap! Thanks for the great time!
— William F.
I recently discovered this place, but have returned about six times in the past two months. It doesn't look that inviting from the street, but is rather charming on the inside.
The staff are all attentive and the service is great. More importantly the food is outstanding and the portions are generous and reasonably priced.
I have tried most of their salads and especially enjoy the spinach salad with pancetta and gorgonzola cheese.
I have tried  several of the pasta dishes and the carbonara is my favorite (I grew up in an Italian neighborhood on the East Coast and have been to Italy numerous times). Their carbonara is the best I have ever eaten.
I have had several of their entries and my favorite was the lamb when it was a special. Their polenta is outstanding and you can substitute it for mash potatoes if it is a special that evening. If not you can always substitute pasta.
I recommend asking for pesto sauce with your bread, it is delicious. I also recommend calling for a reservation, as it can get busy at times. I have always been too full for desert, so I cannot make any recommendations.
I highly recommend this restaurant and it is as good as any in North Beach and definitely the best Novato has to offer!
— William C.
Excellent food, amazing ambiance. We were so impressed with the quality of food and service in Novato! Definitely a hidden gem! Highly recommend the risotto, the burrata and the tiramisu!
— Reva R.
My boyfriend and I love going here. Its our favorite date night spot - we absolutely love Chianti.
On our first visit, we arrived a little early, so we went over to the bar to order some wine. Sitting at the bar was one of the owners, Bonnie. She introduced herself to us and asked how we were doing. She was incredibly sweet. Then her husband Mark, the owner, walked over and told us our table would be ready soon. We thanked him and ordered some wine, which he poured for us himself. We talked to them for another 10 minutes, not even realizing our table was ready! They were so warm and inviting, we could have talked all night.

We have continued to return almost every week, and its always a wonderful experience. I have enjoyed several different dishes here, including the potato gnocchi, the penne pesto (sometimes with shrimp added, sometimes not), the Linguine Vongole, the fresh fish of the day, and probably a few others I cannot recall. What I can recall is that every time, I greatly enjoy my meal, the wine, the atmosphere and the service.

Great spot, do yourself a favor and head over to Chianti for a great meal with great service.
— Amanda X.
Bruschetta was great. Minestrone needs a bit more flavor. Chicken piccata on point, same with chicken Parmesan. Service was good, a bit delayed but good overall. Will definitely be back.
— Tricia S.
In the past 5 years I would say that Chianti Cucina has stepped it up! Excellent meal. Excellent service. Chianti Cucina now consistently puts out great food at fair prices and we left extremely happy and satisfied. Keep up the good work!
— Bear W.
hmm..well the experiences I've had recently are great..oh well now we won't be able to get a table lol..

but seriously the service has greatly improved in recent years..it was rather impersonal and super super too fast hurried..a few years ago..

but the owner has some staff in there that are really doing a great job..wen we go out we want to be taken care of or else we could stay home and cook..the food is always delicious..service is really great..prices great ambience great..hope we keep this place around for a while it's a hidden little gem in Novato..

fettuccini alfredo with chicken, pepperoni pizza, breaded pork chop, delicious..everything else I see come out look tasty too..
— Mark W.
Very busy, book a reservation at least the day before on Yelp. Otherwise, you may sit at the bar but they reserve those too. We sat at the bar, it was fine. Food was very good, Mahgerite pizza was good too. Tiramasu was light, on a large plate drizzled with chocolate swirls and fresh garnish of strawberries,  blueberries,  and scrumptious raspberries.

Enjoyed the staff, friendly even though they were cruising on a jammed packed Saturday night.
— John O.
I've been to Italy 3 times for a total of five months.

The gnocchi here is as good as any I've ever had, anywhere in the world.

With gnocchi this good... you don't even compare it. Do you compare Van Gogh and Picasso? No. You don't. So don't compare this. It is perfection

They made it 1/2 pesto and 1/2 Bolognese for me. I recommend you do the same 
— Mike G.
Chianti is my favorite Italian restaurant! Carina and Renee are my favorite servers they make the experience so nice and welcoming! 10/10 recommend the gnocchi as they make it fresh daily and I have yet to find anything that compares! They also have a wine list to die for!
—Colette P.
I loved Chianti Cucina.l. it's a very quaint very cozy restaurant. Because I was on my own the night I went there I sat at the bar for dinner. The owners hang around by the bar and talk to people and the staff was informative and very attentive. I tried there Caymus Conundrum red blend wine. It was stunning very very smooth and full-bodied with a berry edge. I had their sweet corn soup, which was smooth creamy and absolutely delicious. For dinner I had their carbonara. I am picky when it comes to carbonara. Theirs was some of the best that I've had this side of Italy. Their pappardelle was fresh and super thin, the sauce was creamy and full of flavor,  the pancetta was crispy and the onions were soft and delicious. For dessert I had a Limoncello cream parfait which was like frozen limoncello with a little bit of cream mixed in. A better way describe is a lemon cream freeze. I really enjoyed it. What I also enjoyed about Chianti Cucina was that the people were very friendly. Several people that came to the bar engaged me in conversation.
— Jolie R.
Walking distance from my office and a truly fantastic restaurant that is authentic to it's core. I am a fan of the food here, the service and the wine selection. Definitely drop by if you're looking for some fantastic Tuscan inspired food and next level service.
— Michael B.
This is my 3rd visit here and one thing I can say is they are consistent with quality of food and service. They offer a lot of great deals which I take advantage, so the cost to service and food is what drives this rating.

Ambiance is very fitting and for this specific visit I took my two grandsons and their mothers (my daughters).

Our server didn't skip a beat - she promptly offered refills and checked back with us without making us feel pressured nor forgotten about. Kudos to her!
— Dina Y.
A favorite for sure and the food is delicious and the staff very welcoming and attentive! I highly recommend this restaurant and love the ambiance!
— Anna B.
This is always a wonderful place to have and share a meal with friends. We had made reservations for 7PM last night and arrived a little early. We had to wait for our table as the people that were seated there were a bit slow in finishing. Our server was gracious and explained it to us. All four of us loved our choices for entree's . I had the breaded pork and you could cut it with a fork. The sauce was a perfect lemon sauce and it was delicious. It was an excellent choice for us again.
—Ray S.
This is the fifth time, and all have been great.  this time I had the cappellini Pescatore, and it was delicious.

The service is very conscientious, and the ambiance is really nice.  It is a great restaurant with terrific food.  Highly recommended!
—Richard T.
Very good Italian food. Some Northern dishes (beef and chicken), along with the popular Southern dishes.

Fairly good wine selection. Italian and Californian.

Good service.

Cozy atmosphere. Not pretentious, but nice.

Prices vary. With salad, main courses, and a bottle of wine for two, the total was about $100.
— Marcus J.