Definitely a cool spot. Small plates mean if you're hungry, it won't be a cheap dinner but the food is original and well crafted. Unfortunately, the last 3 times I stopped by, there was a "Closed until further notice" sign in the window. The phone number here has also been disconnected. I think this spot is officially no more.
Sad, because on the right day hanging out on the patio was a delight.
I have been to Vino Paladini three times since moving to Benicia in January 2012. I love Italian-style food, as well as tapas style.
Our first trip was amazing. The small plates were amazingly fresh - we saw Chef in the kitchen making them to order. Everything was really tasty - it was quite a treat to find this gem in Benicia. The Chef came out personally to welcome us to the restaurant and ask how are orders were (Chef Jason, I think?).
That sort of warm reception made ALL the difference. The second time my partner and I came and the food was a little off; esp. the Gnocchi which were cold in the center. Again, the Chef personally came out and apologized and explained that he makes them fresh in the morning and freezes them, and that he would bring out more (which he did) that were fully cooked through. It's never fun to get cold food, but when the recovery is superlative it makes it all worthwhile. He sent us out free desserts and the waitress comped our wine corkage. THAT is customer service and it turned a negative into a positive AND brought us back. Restaurant Service 101 - Grade "A"
This type of treatment is what brought me back a third time with friends. Everything was spot on delicious. The Chef even shook my hand as soon as he saw me and said, "Welcome Back" (it had been a couple of months since my last visit). I'm not trying to be "star struck," and this is a small town.. but still, that's a nice touch. You can tell he really cares about the guest experience.
Bottom Line: This is a GREAT place to come with friends; try and go a little earlier, as the service gets slower closer to closing (esp. when bed and breakfast guests tend to linger and indulge in beverages! As you can imagine, a hotel guest tends to get priority, unspoken or not since they are investing a lot more to be there). The Chef is amazing and friendly, the wait staff and bussers appreciate your business, and there is a sense that Life is Good around there. You can order wine from their menu, or bring your own bottle.
Fun place, plan on returning many times.
wonderful!  delicious!  I found this restaurant on yelp, had no idea it was here.  Went in last week with a girlfriend.  I love small plates restaurants because I feel like I can try random things that interest me.  I"ll start by saying  they had wine from one of my favorite wineries, Longboard.  Yeah!  Next, it was adorable, the small staff (2 people) were attentive and friendly.  We got way too much food, but all was delicious!  The gnocchi was the best I have ever had!  wow!  I will be back, for sure.  A new fave.
Review Source:Hands down my favorite restaurant in Benicia. We live on First Street, so our selection of walkable restaurants is pretty awesome, but Vino takes the cake. They have great service (best if sitting inside so when they get really busy you can get attention easier), their menu changes often which is very refreshing, and every dish they do is great! The spicy skirt steak, pulled pork sliders, and tequila shrimp are among my go-to dishes there, but if you want something really special, go for the gnocchi; hands-down the best I've ever had in my life!
Review Source:This is definitely a hard call...4 or 5 stars?? Â
Vino Paladini is a hidden gem! It is part of a bed and breakfast and is tucked away at the back of a brick courtyard. Â It is a small place, just a bar and a few tables. Â I was greeted by the chef, who sat me and personally delivered all the food. Â It was all amazing! Â It is fresh and organic. Â It is a tapas restaurant, so if your hungry expect to spend a little bit of money. Â Though I would say, as far as tapas are concerned, the portions are fair. Â The wines and beers are all local. Â I would love to make it back!!
I stumbled on this place while out walking. Â (No pun intended). Â I have always been interested in the lodging, but never knew they offered food and wine.
What a wonderful surprise! Â The tapas are as much fun to look at as they are to eat, artfully placed on the plate and oh-so-yummy! Â I didn't have a thing I wouldn't rate 5 stars!
Try it out and I am sure you will feel the same way.
I enjoyed a very nice birthday dinner there last night with my family. Â I like small plates as it allows you to try different dishes. Â However if your the kind of person who likes super-sized portions, then this is not the place. Â The wine selection is awesome and you can enjoy creating your own flights as they have 3oz pours. Â I enjoyed a nice old vine Lodi zin and a Cab. Â I had ordered a taste size for my zin but the waiter thought I wanted to taste the wine first and proceeded to pour a full size. Â He only charged me the taste size. Â The menu is on par with the Walnut Creek establishments and you do not have to cross the bridge. Â The menu is seasonal which is nice so you can visit through out the year and not have the same choices. Â They also have specials to round out the menu. Â
Even though it says not good for kids, it depends on your child. Â Our 10yo son loves salmon and we ordered the salmon chowder as well as the Thai salmon that was on special. Â There may be some items your child might like or I'm sure you could ask the chef to make something. Â There was another table that requested gluten free and the chef was accommodating. However it's a small place and not for children to be running around. Â
Our waiter was attentive and did not rush us. Â The chef even came out and greeted the customers. Â
I will be back as it's a great place to order wine and food with friends.
Imagine this - it's my birthday. Â My wife takes me out to a great wine bar we hear about. Â We got a babysitter for our two kids. Â
But when we show up, we're too early for their dinner service. Â
So what does the owner do? Â He opens the bar, pours me a glass on the house! Â My wife and I had an awesome time talking with him while enjoying glass after glass of some of the best wine I've ever had. Â
The owner is a gem, the place is a beaut and so classy, and the wine and food are delish.
My wife and I will be coming back next year and we plan on renting one of the B&B rooms to get the full experience of this awesome, awesome place.
A wonderful find :D. Went here with a few friends. The ambiance was an amalgam of  the comforts of home with an elegant twist provided by the food.  The meal was fantastic and service was exceptional. Live music was also a pleasant surprise. ;)
We ordered a bottle of pinot, which paired well with our entire meal. We ordered the scallops, which were moist and caramelized to perfection. The bacon and blue cheese salad was unexpectedly fresh and light The prawns and coconut rice had very tasty shrimp. Our desert, what felt like a grownup version of strawberry shortcake was absolutely DELICIOUS, pairing well with the port.
Overall this cute little spot went above and beyond my expectations. Would definitely visit here again.
Love this perfect little cozy spot! My fiancé and I adore everything about this place. Food is superb, service is great, and atmosphere is comfortable, cozy but nice.
Food: Best in Benicia. They serve small plates that you typically share. Never had a meal there that we didn't rave about afterwards. Love how the menu changes and they use seasonal food, and still have a nice selection. Favorites: fish tacos, sweet potato fries, risotto, garlic bread, and all deserts!
Service: Always have a friendly server and have also been greeted many times by the owners. If we aren't sure about what wine we want, they bring us a taste. If you don't like something, they will make it to your liking. If its busy in the summertime and all tables are full, they still hustle to keep checking in with your table.
Atmosphere: Pretty much the best it gets in Benicia. We love the local spots and this place feels like home. The patio in the summer is so wonderful and we bring our dog every time. The lights strung up, the outdoor heaters, and the live music make for a perfect summer evening. In winter we love to sit inside where it is more intimate and warm. They change out the art on the walls and feature local artists that sell their artwork. We even bought a painting recently!
I travel a lot for business and my GF is always looking for a place that isn't a meat market to go have a glass of wine without being hit on. She found that and more here, called me her first time there raving. She took me there for the first time and all I can say is Damn! Food was off the chart and the service is unbelievable, you can tell the owners let the chef run the kitchen.
We were there on a busy night and our server Lisa let us know there will be a wait because the chef cooks one meal at a time. The meatballs are out of this world! We have eaten there 6 times in the last 2 weeks and plan on several more before I hit the road again.
This place was amazing!!! I was running late about 10 min and called to let them know and there were so accommodating. Then when we arrived there was only a small group of older women at the bar and then us two there for dinner around 830 at night. I felt kinda bad for being the only couple eating but the staff was so nice and didn't mind at all. We order the sweet potato fry's which had some kind of dip that i wish i knew what was in it. Then the first tacos and stuffed pepper with chicken. It was some of the best food i have had in a long time and it is definitely a perfect little date place :) I will for sure come back here again soon and want to stay at the bed and breakfast too. Again many complements to the whole crew there!
Review Source:My girlfriends and I went to dinner here last week. One of the girls in the group is a Benicia local and has wanted to try this place for ages. We all sat outside in the courtyard, and while a bit chilly in the evening due to the delta breezes, was quite pleasant (hint to restaurant, might be a good idea to add heat lamps to the outdoor patio).
We ordered a few tastings of wines as we couldn't decide on one in particular. Our lovely waitress (I believe Laura or Lauren) brought out our three tastings free of charge. We settled on a yummy zinfandel and then let the ordering begin.
The restaurant offers small plates to share. We picked the fondue, the cheese plate, the steak medallions that were on special, the beet salad, and the Thai skirt steak salad. The fondue has a heavy blue cheese taste to it, which we all loved, and came served in a pot. Another tip for the restaurant, would have been nice if the fondue was served over a heat warmer to keep the cheese from solidifying. That being said, it was still delicious.
The cheese plate came with a nice sampling of cheeses of which a truffle spiced soft cheese was one. This seemed to be the favorite of the group.
The beet salad was spectacular, although me being a lover of anything with beets, it's quite hard to dissatisfy me with these wonderful deep red root vegetables. My friend, on the other hand, is not particularly fond of the red orb yet loved the salad.
Both of the beef plates were superb and the meat was cooked perfectly.
Our waitress definitely topped off the evening and our utter enjoyment of this little gem. When we got too cold to continue sitting on the patio, she offered to move us inside and took care of everything.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a lovely night out in downtown Benicia.
I came here with a group of girl friends because we wanted to catch up, drink some wine, and nibble on some tapas. This place is seriously a hidden gem! The only reason I found out about this place was through searching Yelp and giving this place a try based on the reviews. It was a bit difficult trying to locate this place especially at night when it's dark, but we managed. The service was extremely nice and helpful and man, the food was DELICIOUS! We tried the cheese plate (if you love warm, gooey cheese paired with fresh fruit), watermelon salad (must try!), pulled pork Hawaiian sandwiches (so flavorful!), and others (check out the photos I uploaded). All of them were delicious and I wish I didn't have to share them with the rest of the girls! :D The wine servings were generous and all in all, we had a wonderful time! Things can get a little pricey when you go crazy and order so many things, but if you're with a group of people, splitting the bill isn't so bad. Would definitely come back but with a group again since you get a chance to try so many different things and split the bill.
Review Source:We never got the chance to eat here because we drove all the way over there after making an OpenTable reservation just to find out the chef hadn't shown up so they couldn't serve any food. Â
My immediate impression is that they are not very organized nor do they hire reliable staff, or have access to a backup chef (duh).
I also think they do not even check their Open Table computer or they could have given me a courtesy call that they would not be open for business that day. Â My incomplete reservation is still sitting on my account, which leads me to believe they still haven't gone in and checked on their reservations through Open Table.
Obviously we will never go back. Â The food may be great, but the management of the business is not, and I have no more time to waste on them. Â We ended up having a lovely brunch at the Union Hotel down the street.
I went here a few weeks ago for dinner- had a young man who gave great service, the food was good- although artichokes way under cooked. We were told to come back for brunch because they serve a bottomless champagne brunch for $9. I was excited! I went to the brunch and was extremely dissatisfied! I will probably never return. I had a server named Sara, or Samantha? I forget her name- but she was the worst server I had ever had. She had a " I don't want to serve you" attitude. I constantly asked for very little oj in my mimosa- being that oj hurts my stomach and she refused to give me champagne only, after all I was told it was bottomless champagne! After 2 glasses of mostly oj- she began to pour ONLY oj in my glass with barely a splash of champagne. My food order was wrong, food service was bad, and in the end paid $20 a person! I told her that I was told it was a $9 brunch including bubbles- she could care less. After a horrible experience and a waste of my money- for the first time in my life- I did not tip! very disappointing!
Review Source:I give this place a 3.
Food- Fantastic, the salmon and shrimp were cooked perfectly. I got the Thai Salmon and my friend got the Shrimp Scampi. We both tried each other's dishes, I loved the shrimp scampi and sauce. The Thai Salmon was supposed to have coconut lime rice, but I just tasted normal rice. I specifically got this dish for the coconut lime flavor for the rice, but could have gotten something different if I knew I wouldn't be tasting much of the coconut in the rice. We also got the sweet potato fries, and the horseradish wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be. It was perfect as well. Tapas = Thai Salmon 2x4inches over rice underneath on a skinny platter for $12, it was filling for me because I have a small stomach, but others may have to buy more to get filled. The wine looked good.
Service - Service was more attentive AFTER they noticed my friend and I standing there awkwardly staring at the room when we walked in. Their tables were full, so we were told to wait around until a table finished. It was freezing cold outside, but that's the only spot they had open to wait. We were seated at the bar right in front of the kitchen - my favorite.
The service was fine, but not genuine enough for me. This place was too busy for the waitress to be genuine. Her questions were asked to provide service, but I didn't truly feel like she really cared about how we were doing or what we thought about the dishes.
I was looking for a place to take my daughter for her birthday and stumbled upon Vino Paladini. We were a party of five and ordered a number of dishes including desserts. Everything - without exception - was very tasty and beautifully served. The service was great, our waitress was friendly and efficient, and the Pinot Noir was excellent. All in all a great experience. The quality of the meal was way beyond most of their local competitors.
6/29/13 UPDATE - unfortunately the restaurant is closed for now. Hopefully the new owner of the Inn will reopen it.
Yep, I admit, Natalie B. is right. Due to that review I tried this place and now I don't want to share! Â This is a little treasure to share with a close friend or two, and you may actually make a couple additional friends while there.
The food is proportioned just well enough to cover a nice glass of wine that seems to always be served by a friendly and accommodating staff.
Don't miss the specials on the wall!!
I didn't even know this place existed until I read about it on yelp. I love tapas and Vino Paladini serves menu items that are fresh and in season. My friend and I were able to sit right across from the kitchen so we could watch our food being made.
 We ordered 5 things: Sweet Potato Fries, Chicken Breast , Steak and Potatoes, Prawns and Pasta, and the special Pan Seared Cod.  Everything tasted delicious, even the bread! We really loved the Sweet potato fries; they were steak cut, made in coconut oil and served with an aioli sauce. I really liked how they weren't made from the traditional orange but rather the pale yellow sweet potato.
 The server was very nice and so was every one that passed our table. I will be checking back next week to see the new changes to the menu.
My wife, two kids and I went to this restaurant with high expectations, maybe too high. Our experience did not mirror all of the other rave reviews posted here. Perhaps we were just there on an off night, but it was what it was. We did love the atmosphere. The place is cozy (small in a good way) and inviting. Â When we walked in it felt like we had walked in on somebody's private eating area.
The menu itself was pretty diverse. The night we were there they had a couple of beef dishes, some chicken, pasta, veggie and mixed items (e.g. shrimp and pasta). If you have a large appetite be prepared to ask for multiple orders of the same dish. By design, the portions are very small. Most of the cooked orders were brought to the table in a 6 -inch skillet. We also liked the variety of adult drinks available. The Pinot Noir my wife ordered was exceptional (forgot to jot down the name) and they had an eclectic mix of beers available. Not much of a choice for kids, however. They had milk and natural soda, but no juice.
We started with a spring salad which we all shared. It was fresh and was decorated nicely with pieces of apple and caramelized walnuts. Our two boys shared a 3-cheese macaroni plate. They seemed to like it ok, maybe a little too rich for their tastes, however. The beef stew we ordered did not pass the grade. The meat was too chewy and overcooked. I would not recommend this dish.
Now this was where our evening really went sour. Our server disappeared on us for about 15 minutes and my wife flagged him down to ask if we might have some bread and to check on our prawns and pasta order. He said that the dish was on its way and he would get us some bread. Another 10-12 minutes passed. He returned to tell us they were just getting started on our order. My wife asked him about the bread we ordered. He paused......then said, oh, we ran out of bread (at 6:30??)and walked away. Another 10 minutes passed and our order finally made it to our table. Our server explained that after our order came in the table next to us (which arrived 20 minutes after us) put in multiple requests for the same thing, so the chef made it all at once and it took more time. A reasonable explanation, but what he didn't say was they forgot to make it when we originally made the order. Our server did apologize, but I would have expected to not have to pay for the dish or at least offer us a drink on the house. Having to wait 35 minutes in between dishes was unacceptable.
One other odd thing to mention. We had a good view into the kitchen from where we were sitting and my wife saw one of the kitchen staff handling pieces of carrot cake with his bare hands. We did not order dessert.
So, in summary, we found Vino Paladini to be easy on the eyes, but the dishes were hit or miss and the service....a little awkward.
UGH, I really DO NOT want to review this place, but because it is so fantastic and I want it to stay small and easy to get in to, BUT I also want  all of you reading to clog it up with new business and get the word out....
Catch 22....
But, alas...it is AMAZING.
My boyfriend and I went in for a little date night and were amazed off-the-bat with the local, organic and mouthwatering menu. They call their style of service "American Small Plates" as opposed to Tapas, but its pretty much the same thing :) They list primarily Suisun Valley wines, beers from Humboldt County and Davis (yes, SUDWERK brews!) and meats/veggies as local as they come.
We shared an amazing cheese platter, then split the Beef Bourguignon and the Macaroni and Cheese...I had one glass of wine and he had two beers and we were out of there for under $60! Everything was fantastic, perfectly seasoned, excellent service, wonderful atmosphere. We both left feeling full, satisfied and thinking that there was NOT one thing we would have changed with the evening, given the chance. For the first time in a very long time, Benicia has a restaurant worth talking about.
Thank you Vino Paladini!
They have Viano wines on their list, which is a direct pull to my heart strings. The jalapeno cornbread was a bit crunchy but delicious. Â The cheese plate included various upscale cheeses, honey, dates, apples and pecans, Mmmm.
They served us a dipping sauce that was in no way short of magical with our apple & onion rings. Â The London Broil was tender but not extremely flavorful. Â It paired well with the wine.
The guitarist playing softly in the background brought me back to when my sister used to pull out her acoustic. Without a doubt, she brought me to tears every time. He lends a serene touch to an already beautiful atmosphere on the patio. Â This is definitely a place to relax and enjoy life on a typically warm California evening.
It's tapas but in a very upscale form. Â The service was phenomenal. Â If you want this to be a dinner experience, expect to drop $80 per couple.
I love when restaurants combine great service that makes you feel like you're in someone's home with great food. On my most recent trip into Vino Paladini I had the mushrooms, beet salad, stuffed pear, brussel sprouts, and puff pastry with goat cheese and bacon.
I am not a brussel sprouts fan but really loved the dish, and the goat cheese/puff pastry number was just amazing. I might have dreamed about it last night.
I didn't go for dessert when I was there but the dessert options included homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which I will have to go back to have asap!
This place made for a really nice evening. Â It's tapas and wine, as the name suggests, but they had a great beer selection, which includes some solid 22oz choices. Â We had different tastes of wine for about $4 a piece for a third glass, not a bad deal for some excellent wines. Â
The food really shines though. Â Started with a watermelon salad, feta, basil, pepper and watermelon--delicious. Â Then we had the beet salad, brussel sprouts with pancetta, then the artichoke. Â All were very well seasoned, hot (where applicable) and fresh. Â After that we had the pulledmpork sliders and sweet potato fries. Â Everything exceeded our expectations. Â
The pace was slower, it is tapas and Benicia after all, but we expected to have a nice relaxing meal and weren't disappointed. Â The service was excellent, though they might benefit from another server or two. Â
All in all, a great meal, some great wines and dessert for about $60 for two of us. Â Really not bad at all.
We (group of 6) sat in the white gazebo. Beautiful setting.
The menu had plentiful vegetarian options - and we ordered almost all of them. We liked all of what we ordered. Our server was polite and courteous. The owner is a very friendly person. I had talked to him before we came to the restaurant and he assured us we could get almost any dish - thats possible to vegetarian-ize would be made vegetarian for us.
So we came and we loved almost all the dishes we ordered.
The Stuffed Pears is a misnomer. There is just half a pear.
Stuffed mushrooms and baked/stuffed eggplants were good.
There was a special for the day - fried zucchini - not on the regular menu - and that was good too. Jicama salad was sorta  okay - but not bad.
We thank all prior yelpers/reviewers - its coz of them we discovered the place. Perfectly situated mid way from the south bay and folsom/sacramento.
The portions are a tad on the smaller side - but we were aware of that.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> has some coupons for this place.
We ordered stuffed pear, stuffed mushroom, and their daily specials gnocchi with cream sauce, and roasted squash with garlic. We had carrot cake for dessert. The carrot cake was one of the best I have ever had. They all tasted very good. With the certificate from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a>, it's definitely worth a try.
Review Source:Tried this place for the first time. Â Took my husband who usually would prefer Applebees (ughh). Â We both LOVED the food here! Â Had the stuffed mushrooms, delish! Â The sliders and steak were both perfectly cooked and perfect portions. Â They brought some bread out for us to try that had sweet corn and maybe a little pesto. Â Don't know what it was but I'd order it in a heartbeat if I saw it on the menu. Â Our absolute favorite though was the puffed pastry with bacon, asparagus and goat cheese. Â OMG, it was to die for! Â We will SO be back. Â They had outdoor seating which was nice for people with strollers and doggies. Â The indoor area is small but inviting and feels private. Â I hope this place makes it. Â What a gem. Â The ONLY reason I did not put 5 stars is that they are still figuring out their timing. Â It was a bit of a wait but we enjoyed being out together so it wasn't a drawback for us, just a notation if you want quick service. Â Impatient people, the vibe is not for you. Â This is a sit, linger and savor type of place.
Review Source:FINALLY SOME DECENT FOOD IN BENICIA...
I hate to review this place, in doing so it will become popular and hard to get in. This place is a gem, what you would find in the gourmet ghetto or in the city with prices that are realistic. Staff is so accommodating, unbelievable.
Sliders = OMG x 4
Broiled mushrooms = OMG x2
Poached pears = OMG x2.5
Mediterranean plate = OMG x4, (Sahara could learn something in visiting here)
Beer and wine selection is outstanding. I had an organic chocolate stout that made my tongue wag in ways that would actually be considered profane.
VP has a large outdoor patio with heating that this will be the place to come this summer, live music is also planned. One of the best ideas for downtown that I have seen.
Chef is very creative fusing simple dishes with unexpected ingredients. Management and wait staff treat you better than a stock broker with a hot tip.
Love this place and going back soon.
We have become Thursday night regulars after Benicia's Farmers Market. The food is innovative, the staff is well informed and the exclusively California wines are way above par. We have lots of choices in the Bay Area but we keep coming back here for a reason...great food, great staff, great wine.
Review Source:It's a great place to chill out and enjoy some awesome California wines. Â The food is amazing and the staff is friendly. Â The environment is cozy and warm. Â I can't wait until they're open on Sunday. Â It will be a great place to sit in the sun, drink wine and listen to live music.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,916 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
