SOME OF THE BEST PIZZA i have ever had! my husband and i went here for a groupon wine and cheese event and they had so much food, delish wine and even free pizza to try - and even thought i had the smallest slice - i wanted more! so so so good - so glad this groupon lead us to the little gem in the hills!
Review Source:Hands down the best wine tasting ever. Not being much of a wine drinker, I can't comment too much. The whites tasted white and red tasted very hmm... red. What separate Nonno's is their relaxing atmophere and incredibly hospitable host. The smoked salmon with secret marinade (I tried multiple times, with no luck, to get the recipe) and 4 different cheeses were amazing. My one regret is not trying the tricerahops. TRICERAHOP!
I will be back!
It's a little secret in the hills. Â The road to get up there part of the time was part of the time a one lane road. The wine tasting was held in the backyard (great size with the view of trees behind it) with two bocce ball courts. Â
I went to their wine tasting event on Saturday and it was amazing. Â The event is on Saturdays and lasts from 3-7pm for the late incomers.
We got there early and it was nice to see some people relaxing in the backyard who weren't part of the wine tasting. Â The atmosphere feels very home-like with a few long tables. Â They were enjoying their beers or pizzas and having nice chats.
Their wine tastings are $10 and I think that's an amazing deal. Â The wine tasting includes six wines, three white and three reds and also Hors d'oeuvres. What? Who thought of having wine tastings with food? Â
Napa? Nope, many the wineries there have thin crunchy breadsticks and wine.
They had an array of complimentary food. Â Through out my stay, they had five types of cheese (double and triple brie cheese then assorted cheeses), cream cheese with berries (the first dish to go & my favorite), smoked salmon, olives, sliced thick crust pizza bread, and fresh slices of their pizza every 30-45 minutes out of their custom made brick oven. Â Those slices of fresh pizza disappeared as quick as a rabbit. Â They alternate between veggie and meat pizzas. Â I tried a couple bites from a veggie slice and the fresh crunch of the pizza with the cheesy mushrooms and tomato were great. Â That was how I've imagined a pizza should be. Â The smoked salmon was much enjoyed. Â The sweetness and the soft texture of the fish. Â Bits were just falling freely from the main piece laying on the wooden board.
The cream cheese with berry on the cracker works so miraculously after a sip of wine. Â For me, cream cheese eases the acidity of the alcohol and then the sweetness of the jam kicks in.
I enjoyed the wine here though I'm no expert. Â About three or four of the wines were blends from different wines in California. Â
Ralph, the host, and his coworkers are very nice. Â They make quite the team with their business. Â Every time I went up for the next glass of wine, Ralph was open to the conversation. Â The people who have been there before are also really nice and friendly. Â One offered to show us the way back to the freeway towards San Jose. Â It makes thinking of coming back more lovely.
I'll come back for their Oktoberfest, first week of October, and it'll be my open-secret in the hills near Los Gatos.
Key points: Great people, amazing complementary food, great surrounding area, coming back soon-yes
As someone who lived in Los Gatos mountains, I had been looking forward to going to Nonno's. My friend and I went to the Saturday Wine Tasting Event, and our experience was horrible. The wine was pretty terrible, and the small sample foods and pizza had a bunch of flies all over. As woman of color, we noticed a marked difference between the way the owner treated us and the rest of the caucasian crowd. He was pretty rude to me; something that another customer who I didn't know, made a comment about. We left before the 3rd out of 6 wine tastes. Â We'll never be back, or recommend.
Review Source:Nonno's is a great location for a small get together like a birthday party or a graduation party. It is also perfect for an intimate occasion such as date night. I first came across Nonno's on Groupon, they had a BOGO wine tasting deal. On Saturday's between 3pm-7pm they do tastings for $10 bucks. You get six tastings and complimentary appetizers galore! You could seriously leave here stuffed. They have crackers and different types of delicious cheeses (my favorite is the one with fruit on top- it is like crack I can't get enough!!!), a whole smoked salmon that you almost don't want to take apart because it is so pretty, fruits, veggies and fresh pizza out of their brick oven that was made by a local Santa Cruz man. The pizza goes fast so if you want some- make sure you grab a piece before it is all gone!
This Saturday event is located in their "backyard" with lots of big picnic tables. In the backyard there is also two Bocce Ball courts. SO MUCH FUN! If you have not played before, you must play and don't be afraid to ask some of the seasoned players on the court, they are usually happy to help and will play with you.
If all that wasn't enough, Nonno's also has a restaurant inside or you can order some grub to go. The menu features pizza, pasta, sandwiches and BBQ. I have had pizza, tri-tip sandwich and ribs- all are so good I could not even pick a favorite. Nonno's also sells most of what they sample outside such as the salmon and the cheeses. All of the staff here have been extremely friendly and helpful.
*TIP* GPS this place and don't be alarmed about how far up 17 you will drive. It is the last exit before you cannot turn around and head back to San Jose. Once you take the exit it is also a little confusing to find but if you are really really lost, hit up the fire station right at the beginning. They are very helpful.
Like many others here, my review is solely based on the Saturday wine tasting experience with Groupon. You get 6 tastes (3 whites + 3 reds) along with small bites for $10 for 2 with this deal - very good value.
This small town is called Redwood Estates (don't let the name estates fool you), but I guess technically it's part of Los Gatos. Right off the Hwy17, a sharp turn - and up you go. The place is up in the mountains in the woods, it's really rustic, so don't come here expecting an upscale experience of nearby Los Gatos, because you won't find it here. Wear your hiking clothes and you fit right in. It's very casual, relaxing and totally unpretentious. A few long wooden picnic tables like the ones you'd find in a park, and several tables with plaid checkered vinyl covers - pick your seat.
We found that it can get pretty crowded - drove up there one Saturday afternoon around 4:30 pm only to find the place packed. So we decided to give it another try and get started yearly at 3 pm (they offer wine tasting from 3 to 7 pm), which proved to be the right thing to do. Still, you might have to wait in line for your next wine change and to grab some appetizers. They also served hot pizza and you have to find the right moment to get a piece, as they disappear in a blink. It might not have been the best pizza ever, but it's hot and it's free, what more could you ask for?
I read in other reviews about smoked salmon, hummus & veggies - we didn't get to see any of that. What we got was several types of cheeses served with dry fruit and crackers or bread (or foccacia bread), olives, marinated mushrooms, and pizza slices. Still not bad to accompany your wine tasting.
Some people use the opportunity to come in groups (for a quick outdoor celebration), and you can always order food inside, buy a bottle of wine, and have it served to you out on the patio. I am not a fan of bocce ball, but it got pretty popular in the recent years, so several mountain wineries in the Santa Cruz area built one, this Italian cafe not being an exception. Patrons seem to enjoy free entertainment.
So, decent wines (and decent price per bottle if you want to take some home) + small bites in the outdoor area = very reasonable deal and an overall good experience.
Tucked away in this very cute area in the hills way out in Los Gatos is this very lovely place called Nonno's! When you say Nonno I say YES YES.
We found this place after we had bought a Groupon for it and have been here a few times now. It's way out there past Los Gatos off of Highway 17, pretty much the last exit before there are no more exits before you get to Santa Cruz.
The guy who pours the wine in the backyard area, I believe to be the owner is a very pleasant gentleman. Always makes conversation with you when you go up to get a glass or even a bottle of wine if you so choose to do so.
They have various cheeses with crackers and bread available and if you like them so much you can go inside and buy them. The main appetizer they have in pizza, and a big crowd always gathers around when the pizza first comes out of the oven, so if you see people gathered I suggest you gather up as well.
I was so wrapped up with the wine tasting that I forgot to mention that they have a restaurant too. You can order food to be delivered to your table in the outdoor seating area or you can choose to sit inside. The food is really good! They have really good BBQ!! And the Tri-tip sandwich is also pretty good!
Here's a tip for everyone: Every Saturday from 3-7 pm they have wine tasting with appetizers for $10! It gets pretty busy later in the afternoon/early evening. So the line to get your tasting on could be a tad longer than you would like. They also have 2 bocce ball courts with a scoreboard at each one.
I used to buy their pizza from Summit Store. Summit no longer sells the pizza which is fine. The pizza was sub par especially cooked at home.
The owner of the company drives to work about the same time I do and nearly every morning I have to creep down the road to keep from being hit head-on by him in his white van. Wow! What a poor driver. If I owned a local business and wanted to live for awhile longer, I'd be more careful with my driving especially when people recognize your face and know the product you make. Drive better and stay on your own side of the road, please, before you kill someone.
Based on the Saturday 3-7pm wine tasting paired with appetizers.
Overall experience: 5 stars
Food (appetizers): 3 stars (see why)
Drinks: 5 stars (7 glasses of wine, starting with 2 whites, 1 rose, 3 reds and a dessert)
Food: 5 stars for what they offer, but 3 stars because there are so many flies on the food but we just pretended it's all part of nature... well, I could see how someone would be very bothered by this and they can definitely do something to improve this situation! But anyway, they offer such a wide variety of small bites, including their pizza, I was thoroughly impressed with all the high-quality cheese and fruit plates, nuts, house special hummus, smoked salmon... this is something that can easily cost you a fortune at a restaurant.
Drinks: It's based on an honor system here, where you hold onto your wine glass and come back for each round when you're finished with the last one. The wines were ok, but 5 stars for the price-to-quality ratio!
Overall I just had a wonderful afternoon with the boyfriend enjoying watching people's games of bocci ball and chatting in the afternoon sunlight.
Tips: the turn to exit highway-17 is really abrupt and sharp, and there's no clear sign, so be on the lookout for it on your GPS and slow down before you turn!
What an interesting, inexpensive and delicious wine tasting experience we had this afternoon. I was curious about Nonno's when Yelping for pizza in the Los Gatos area, so when the groupon deal came along I had to give it a try. ($10 wine tasting for 2)
Finding this restaurant was no easy task, thank God for GPS. On a very warm day the outdoor sitting under the trees was surprisingly cool and enjoyable. Just as  mentioned in other reviews, the owner Ralph was very friendly, the place is very rustic, we got to taste 7 wines and the food is yummy. Pizza was most popular, it ran out quickly.
The store is small with random things all over the place, it was probably a busier then normal day ; lots of pizza orders including many take-and-bake's. The BBQ's looked very good but we were already full from the free food so we shared a tri-tip sandwich instead and it was pretty tasty. We also enjoyed chatting with other customers, many started with the 2 for 1 deal and turn into regulars. It is likely we will become one ourselves. :D
My friends and i get lost on the way to a cabin in los altos/santa cruz mountains area. And gosh by golly, you wouldn't have any idea such a dang gem would be found in the middle of no where. They've got Bochy(sp) ball, wine tasting and they even have a liquor store across the street for all your drinking needs. But don't pass this place up without getting a calzone or a whole damn pizza, trust me, its worth it. the patio area is really cool and they have a beer stand in the back as well. Its a family owned business and they're really cool. Also, eat some Marian's icecream, its pretty awesome.
I had an ex girlfriend with that name before. she was cold hearted, just like the icecream, cold. enjoy!
It's kind of funny, sometimes you have to go to a dark and scary area, become engulfed with fear, and right when you're going to get raped by a gang, you find the best pizza place at 10pm. haha.
We've been regular customers of Nonno's for the 3 years we've lived in the area. It really is fantastic pizza! My husband and I lived in New York and Boston where they know good pizza and Nonno's could compete with the best of them. The only problem is that having an amazing pizza place so close to home can be too much of a temptation!
Review Source:This is a great place to go after cutting down a tree in the santa cruz mountains. The pizza is cooked in an outdoor stone oven giving it a crispy and soft crust. Minestrone soup was flavorful. The garlic bread was so good...the best I've had. Good and friendly service. I would definitely eat here again.
Review Source:Moved up to the mountains a few years back and had a friend bring by a Nonno's pizza while we were unpacking. Â I've been hooked ever since. Â I like the combo but my favorite is the spinach feta and tomato pizza. Â Great take and bake pizza. Â
They also have a pretty extensive wine cellar and it is a favorite hangout for locals.
I really wanted to like Nonno's. I love the idea of a local restaurant offering $10 winetastings that include a variety of hot and cold appetizers. Unfortunately, I just could not get excited about this place. The appetizers were decent but the wines were only so-so. If the wines aren't good, it really doesn't matter how many pours you receive.
I had a much better experience at Uncorked in Saratoga. Very good wines, and the cheese pairing was outstanding.
You can't go wrong with a Saturday BBQ and Wine Tasting for $10 a person.
We used an internet coupon ($10 for buy one get one free) and drove 30 minutes south of San Jose to the Los Gatos winding hills to find the restaurant/winery.
5 Wine tastings by the very friendly Nonno himself, they were decent wines, not Napa, but not horrible.
Plus, all you can eat bites (and tons of it):
-smoked salmon
-olives
-many differing types of cheese (avg quality, but hey it's free and tasty)
-crackers
-legit wood fired pizza (the beef was good; the carmelized onion was even better)
-antipasta
-hummus & veggies
-foccacia bread
-etc
Also, free bocce ball courts (2) also!
If you're in South SJ / on your way to Santa Cruz, I definitely recommend doing the Sat 3-7pm tasting and food fare for $10.
Their rib entrees looked great as well (and very well-priced).
A bit off the beaten path, but worth the drive for their $10 Saturday afternoon wine tastings. Â The owner is super friendly, and sometimes treats you to an extra pour. Â Nice spread of complimentary appetizers as well. Â Free bocce! Â It's kid-friendly and well-behaved dog-friendly as well. Â Sometimes they host parties, so it's a good idea to call ahead before making the trek out here. Â They also occasionally offer $100 wine bottling events, where your money and bottling assistance gets you lunch, dinner, all the wine you can drink, and a case to take home....have yet to try it, but it's on our to-do list!
Aside from the appetizers/wine tastings, I'd recommend their pizzas. Â They're delicious and even available as take-and-bake. Â YUM!
It was okay. Funky is what comes to mind. Pizza is not as good as other reviewers seem to think. Its certainly a destination restaurant. Sat outside had to fend off bees and feral cats. Yep, there were people playing bocce ball and the cats were eating their food. They scattered when the lady shrieked.
The grounds are nice, the place could be much more but it's too run down. Its a low brow destination for a beer and mediocre pizza.
Nonno's is THE Mountain restaurant. Please do read the whole review as the beginning is very different from the end of the review....
We went to Nonno's once when we 1st moved up here and although it was super cute rustic set up we were thoroughly disappointed. Service was bad.... as in we had to find someone to order and when we did they forgot what it was after we waited for 20mins, food got to us and it was only OK. The mother in law we took to show "our mnt restaurant" to was not happy... Kids did have a blast in the bacci ball courts though!
We didn't go back for about a year, but again... it's the only restaurant on the mnt... So we gave it a go .... WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Staff was there to welcome us, take our order, socialize, and show us the new wine... We ordered the tritip sandwich, some smoked salmon pesto pasta, ribs, pizza and salad... we waited out by the courts for 15mins and they checked in on us twice while kids played... Â this time we took food home as we had guests waiting. The food was AMAZABALLS! Everything was finger licking good! Two Kids eat THE whole medium pizza, and adults were asking for more!
In conclusion, go in with an open mind and mouth... this is a diamond in the rough place that's a different experience to most... one hard to find so close to the valley. It takes you back to a place where things were simpler, easier, quant and genuine.
Where people were people and not "Stranger Danger".... Give them a go and enjoy!
i was mutterin under my breath as we got off at some weird exit off highway 17, and then we pulled up, and hmm, kinda hole in the wall-ish but charming little place...but back  in the outdoor area, a sizeable expanse of fake grass and the biggest smiles on the planet.
Everybody there was happy and having a good time, and the biggest smile was probably on the owner's face as he enthusiastically talked up the different wines he was serving in this tasting for the day. He was making sure everybody was well fed with his cheese plates and smoke salmon, and wood fired pizza and the glasses poured. And the vibe was contagious.
Normally a tasting is 6 wines but he decided to add a 7th!
What a joy!
I got a Groupon to try out this restaurant this Saturday. Everything there exceeds my expectations. Owner is super friendly and generous, wine selections are good, shared appetizers are delicious, I should say unbeatable. The outdoor patio brings us so close to nature, yet it is next to a bocce-ball court that bring great entertainment to both kids and adults.
It is a true hidden gem. Thanks for Groupon to bring us such a wonderful wine tasting experience!
I have spread my word-of-mouth to friends!
We love this place and home here often. Like it has been mentioned before, it's a locals place. When my family comes to town, they always want to come here too. The BBQ on Friday and Saturday is great too. The prices used to be AMAZING! They have since raised the price, still good but not like it was before. I'm taking away one star because the online menu had one price, and we were charged a lot more when we got there. They changed the priced in the restaurant and not online. It's never a fun surprise when something ends up costing more than you are expecting!
Review Source:I really dont like giving bad reviews but I was really really disappointed with our lunch today. We were the only people there and we had ordered there italian sub as well as there french dip. We sat out back since it was such a great day, we waited almost 25 mins for our food. The bread was old and stale on the sub and there was nothing really special about the french dip.. I would say a little pricey I guess this would be a gem to some but I dont think between the drive, service and food I will be doing another journey there... sorry.. : (
Review Source:My favorite restaurant owner, Ralph. Very generous. He wouldn't charge anyone if he could get away. I think his wife keeps him in check.
Get on the email list. They advertise schedules for their famous crab cioppino and prime rib dinners with wine pairings. $40/$50.00. Can't beat the price for the quality of food he serves.
Email list also contain Sat. 10$ wine tastings with smoked salmon, aged cheeses, pizza. The wines the owner serves are all very reasonable, ~10.00/bottle. Much better deals than anything you can get from BevMo or Safeway, even on sale. There is no other venue I know of where you can find this quality of wine for this price.
Tuesday specials $10.00 all year long where you can eat salad bar/pizza and half price beer/wine. Can't find this deal anywhere in the valley. Â Sat $10.00 specials during the summer.
Good food. Owner makes all his own food. Highly recommend the pepper smoked salmon which he smokes himself. He built his own pizza oven.
If you like wine, highly recommend the bottling parties where you bottle a case. ~100.00 which gets you a case of wine which is easily 2-3x that price at costco, especially for the red cabernet/pinot blends.
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Good place to go when the valley gets hot, closer than having to go to the beach. Highly recommend to try during the santa cruz wine festival where the wineries have their open houses.
You can't give this place ANY less than 5 stars.
Reasons:
Excellent food!
Super yummy take-and-bake pizza!
HUGE wine selection & wine tasting!
And, GREAT $5 bottles!
Free bocce ball with awesome courts in the backyard!
Friendly owners!
Seriously. The boyfriend and I were SO happy after a full day/night of moving and unpacking in our new mountain home to find that Nonnos not only existed but were there to supply us with pizza and wine to eat in our new home. Since then we have been back several times for delicious pastas, friendly service, yummy breakfast burritos, chocolates and wines and just an awesome little windy drive up the mountain.
We heart nonnos!
What would we do without Nonno's? Â We live a couple of miles from Nonno's, so take & bake pizza is a Friday evening ritual. Â It's fantastic. Â Friends who profess not to like pizza love Nonno's pizza. Â My husband & I are from Chicago & we know pizza! Â Go on Saturday afternoons 3-6 (I think) for wine tasting & hors d'oeuvres. Â Ralph will probably be your jocular host. Â There's bocce ball as well. Â Occasional parties with music in the bandstand. Â Wednesday dinners once a month that are "to die for"... theme meals with paired wines. Â There's no better (or more reasonable) dinner anywhere in the South Bay. Â I'm glad it's not that easy to find or get to, or Nonno's would be inundated by flatlanders!
Review Source:Another 5 stars for Nonnos! Saturday morning, my boyfriend came home from poker night with some friends and being the smart/loving man he is, he did not come home empty handed!
He brought us breakfast burritos that were phenomenal. Mine contained sausage, egg, potato and lots of melty cheddar cheese. Although it was simple, it blew my mind. The sausage was juicy and had just enough kick to it. The potatoes were perfectly cooked as well. My favorite part was that the burrito wasn't greasy like I find with most breakfast burritos, and therefore usually shy away from them. But these were amazing and I was tempted to send my boyfriend out to get a second round!
I didn't even know that Nonno's did breakfast, but I am SO glad that they do!
I am always happy to show up at Nonno's. Ralph and his excellent crew are attentive to detail, and make sure you have a great experience every time you're there. When you arrive in beautiful downtown Redwood Estates (inclusive of a Post Office, a general store -- open much of the time, and Nonno's, and that's it), Nonno's dominates the skyline ;-) ... be prepared to be surprised at one of the best wine selections anywhere, take and bake pizza that is unrivalled, and gourmet treats selected and created by owner/chef Ralph DiTullio. You'll be delighted with each visit. Oh yes -- speaking of wine -- the wine tastings are a weekly favorite! These are some of the best of the best. We're going up there tonight because we heard that there are no less than 9 wines open for tasting (at a VERY nominal tasting fee). Enjoy! Santa Cruz Wine Examiner, Jerry Starr
Review Source:I just came from this place and OMG! I love it! I paid $10.00 for 6 wine tasting, all you can eat cheeses to pizza! Everytime they whip out a new pizza I just had to try it!
Only negative thing that I would say about this place is the yellow jackets! They weren't to bad but I just don't like them.
Will be coming back!!! Ralf (owner) you did a great job!! Keep up the good work!
Definitely a local's place - there is NO way anyone would accidentally run by this place unless you knew exactly where you were going! Â As soon as we walked in, we had three different people say, "You must be new - we've never seen you before!" Â We came to the Saturday night wine tasting - for $5 you get to taste seven different wines and enjoy a nice spread of bread, crackers, cheese, smoked salmon, apple pastries, and tortellini and meatballs! Â Everyone is super friendly (including Ralph the owner - really nice guy) and mingling is encouraged.
We debated if we should just keep eating on snacks for our dinner, but decided on trying out their take-and-bake pizzas and rack of ribs. Â Food was very reasonable - a large half rack of ribs (about 10 ribs!) Â were $8.50; freshly made sandwiches $5; large pizza about $13. Â While the food isn't gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, it is well done and enjoyable.
I'd definitely consider coming back....although with all the windy roads you have to take to get there, you'd definitely need a designated driver on the way back!
**Note: There are TWO Broadway Rds in Los Gatos...this is NOT near downtown Los Gatos, but about five miles south off Hwy 17. Â Our GPS got us lost the first time, so I wanted to make sure that others don't do the same. :)
A nice wine shop and pizza place in Redwood Estates. Â Who knew? Â The owner (Ralph) does wine dinners weekly throughout the year and are probably the best bargain anywhere. Â Specializes in local wineries and the Ralph knows his stuff.
The take and bake pizzas are really good and his breakfast burritos are outstanding.
Pretty sure my pretend family would die without this place (they're real, but I'm not actually related). They come here all the time; if it was open 24/7, I'm sure they alone could offset the cost of staying open.
In the morning: coffee and donuts.
In the afternoon: take-and-bake pizza.
In the evening: an impressive selection of beer and wine, especially for a store in Redwood Estates.
Some nights they do an outdoor dinner, or a wine tasting, or something else really raucous. I never go to these things but it's kind of funny to drive by and go, OH MY GOD WHAT'S THAT SCREAMING ?!?! Oh, people are just drunk at Nonno's.
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