Vote for the Sacramento region’s most underrated Italian restaurants

Sacramento-area readers have voted on the region’s most underrated Thai, Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants. Now they’ll pick the most unjustly-ignored Italian restaurant out of a dozen options.

What is the Sacramento region’s most underrated Italian restaurant? Read through the list nominated by readers over the past year, then vote for your favorite from the list below. Voting will end on Aug. 27.

Adamo’s: Customers can enjoy Chiara Adamo’s tasty tagliatelle or casarecche at the brick-walled midtown restaurant, or learn to make it themselves at one of Adamo’s cooking classes replete with wine from the family vineyard in Tuscany.

2107 P St., Sacramento; (916) 440-9611

Allora: Deneb Williams and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou’s fine dining restaurant has East Sacramento customers design their own four-course meals from a littany of antipasti, pastas/risottos, entrees and desserts, with pairings from a 22-foot-tall central wine cellar.

5215 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 538-6434

Cacio: Jonathan Kersieck and Katie Kinner-Kersieck have built one of the Pocket’s favorite restaurants around the dish that brought them together: simple, delicious cacio e pepe, bucatini tossed with pecorino cheese and black pepper.

7600 Greenhaven Drive, Suite 23, Sacramento; (916) 399-9309

Il Forno Classico: Scotty Litteral’s nostalgic restaurant in Gold River Tower Center, the sister concept to Historic Folsom’s Pizzeria Classico, is famous for its New Zealand lamb, deep wine cellar and “naughty pasta,” spaghetti with meatballs, meat sauce and ricotta.

2121 Golden Centre Lane, Suite 10, Rancho Cordova; (916) 858-0651

Ippolito’s Trattoria: Nickolas and Sabrina Ippolito’s restaurant in Rosemont’s Bradshaw Square opened in December 2022, serving hearty favorites such as spaghetti carbonara, veal piccata and chicken saltimbocca (wrapped in prosciutto and Fontina cheese and topped with a sage demi-glace).

9500 Micron Ave., Suite 128, Sacramento; (916) 454-1908

Mattone Ristorante: Biba Caggiano’s legendary lasagna lives on at Mattone, opened by former Biba’s bartender June Chang in 2021. Other dishes such as pan-seared halibut with sofrito and chickpeas are chef Justice Anderson’s creations in East Sacramento.

5723 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 758-5557

OneSpeed: Rick Mahan’s East Sacramento pizzeria and pasta house, a more casual alternative to sister restaurant The Waterboy in midtown, delights kids and adults alike with seasonal pies such as the garden pizza (currently summer squash, sheep cheese, spinach, spring onions, lemon and almond-pepper relish) in a bicycle-themed setting.

4818 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 706-1748

Palermo Ristorante Italiano: This family-run Elk Grove restaurant revolves around the Southern Italian foods of patriarch Giovanni Toccagino’s youth growing up in Sicily, including radicchio salad, risotto frutti di mare and cannoli.

9632 Emerald Oak Drive, Suite L, Elk Grove; (916) 686-1582

Roma’s Pizzeria: A South City Farms institution for more than 50 years, Roma’s serves pasta, Italian entrees and sandwiches in addition to flagship pizzas such as the Roma’s Special (salami, pepperoni, ground beef, linguiça, olives and green peppers.

5743 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 421-1881

Taste of Tuscany: Jeremy Price’s humble 16-year-old restaurant near Antelope has won national awards thanks to items such as calamari steak picatta, meatball marinara melts and limoncello marscapone cake.

7753 Roseville Road, Suite A, Sacramento; (916) 727-7055

Todo Un Poco: Marie Mertz’s nontraditional restaurant in Main Street Plaza blends Italian and Mexican cuisines, resulting in dishes such as ravioli with carnitas, potato-cactus calzones and chicken mole pizza.

9080 Laguna Main St., Suite 1A, Elk Grove; (916) 684-7774

Vaiano Trattoria: Pizza dough is hand-rolled to order at Patrizia Hickok’s Placer County restaurant, forming the basis for pies that rely on quality of toppings over quantity. Other menu highlights include penne all’arrabbiata, beef carpaccio and chicken piccata.

7160 Douglas Blvd., Granite Bay; (916) 780-0888

This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 10:17 AM.