Belotti - Ristorante e Bottega

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Traditional Flavor, Modern Elegance

Belotti Ristorante e Bottega on College Avenue in Oakland operates on a clear philosophy: simple, homemade, fresh, accessible. The room is relaxed and casual — a deliberate antidote to hectic days — where the cooking does the talking. That cooking earned Belotti a 3 Forks recognition from Gambero Rosso in 2026, one of Italian cuisine's most respected international guides, a distinction that speaks to the seriousness of what comes out of this kitchen.

The Pasta is the Point

The menu reads like a tour of Italy's regional pasta traditions, executed with evident care. The Agnolotti di Lidia is a Piedmontese classic: stuffed pasta filled with beef shank, flat iron, pork loin, sausage, escarole, and spinach, finished with a beef reduction — a dish that carries the weight of a Sunday family table. Casoncelli follows a recipe described as "My Mom's Bergamo style," filled with beef, prosciutto, pork shoulder, and Grana Padano, dressed in smoked pancetta, butter, and sage.

Beyond Piedmont, the kitchen draws from across the peninsula. Bigoli al Sugo d'Anatra brings the whole-duck sugo of the Veneto, lifted with orange zest. Tagliatelle al Cinghiale features grappa- and Sangiovese-marinated wild boar. Tortellini Tradizionali in Brodo arrives in a short rib–chicken–oxtail broth with Parmigiano Reggiano Vacche Rosse. The Gnocchi alla Bolognese is dressed in what the menu calls "Nonna Caterina's six-meat Bolognese" — the kind of detail that signals these are not generic Italian-American preparations.

Antipasti are equally grounded in product: the Battuta uses certified Piedmontese grass-fed ribeye dry-aged beef tartare with 8-year aged balsamic Giuseppe Giusti and truffle caviar; the Vitello Tonnato uses the same certified Piedmontese beef, slow-roasted and finished with a yellowfin tuna sauce and caper essence.

Two Locations, One Kitchen Philosophy

Beyond the full-service ristorante on College Avenue, Belotti runs a quick-service Bottega on Piedmont Avenue — a fresh pasta shop where pappardelle, gnocchi, tagliatelle, agnolotti, and house-made sauces like Bolognese, duck sugo, and wild boar sugo are available for pickup or delivery. It extends the same Italian cooking tradition to everyday convenience without diluting it.

The dessert list closes the meal with the same regional honesty: a Bunet Piemontese — Piedmont's cocoa and amaretti pudding encased in dark chocolate — and a Tiramiu made from the chef's mother's recipe using house-made savoiardi and Danesi espresso. Even the Fragolotti, strawberry-filled chocolate agnolotti served as a dessert, shows a kitchen willing to play within its own idiom.