Cipollina

07/17/2008 Posted by hlwolly

i love this place. My friend recomended it and I can't wait to go back. The food is amazing and gourmet - but not expensive. The Tuna sandwich made me fall in love with Olives. Normally I hate olives. The pizza is also very good - nice crunchy crust. The fried cauliflower is what shocked me - I had never had it but my mom raves about it from her childhood. She said this was just like the kind she used to get as a kid - only better! Could use better sodas/drinks but I didn't try the wine. A good lunch place or late afternoon snack. The homemade ketchup is amazing.

Pros: different food, nice atmosphere, cute downtown place to eat

Cons: service could be better, tables aren't exactly the cleanest

07/14/2008 Posted by rwschroeder

Went to Cipollina's for the first time a week ago. It was recommended by a friend as a great Italian place with good food, good prices and a nice atmosphere. Done, done and DONE! The food was fantastic. Not your typical Italian, which isn't a bad thing. I had a pizza and devoured it. So good. It took a little while for the food to come, but it was worth it. Plus it gave us time to talk with our friends. All fresh ingredients and nice and hot. The inside is nice and dark & moody. It was still light out when we were there, but I can imagine it could be romantic at night. The prices were very reasonable too. You would think it would've been more expensive for as nice as it was in there. I will definitely be back!

11/04/2007 Posted by bryanens

Coming from the Pizza capital of the US (New Haven, CT) I was surprised to find pretty good pizza in Austin. This is very thin crusted pizza and a little undersized but pretty good. If you go between 3:30-5:00 all pizzas are half price.

Pros: Price, variety of pizza

Cons: Pizzas are small

07/09/2007 Posted by jons0704

So after my second visit to Cipollina I was again not satisfied. The first time, the food was better (I had a pizza) but the service was terrible. This time it was just the opposite. I had the braised lamb sandwich and was let down for the nine dollar tag. The lamb had not been braised properly-it was a little tough which means that it wasn't braised long enough and dry which means that it wasn't cooked with enough braising liquid. Not to mention it was under-seasoned. I also had the fried calamari appetizer which had an extremely lite yet over-salted batter. The batter was so lite it went soggy very quick and ruined the dish. My friend had the pizza salad wrap and was happy with it-it was just a Caesar salad wrapped in a pizza dough. I will not go back unless someone else is paying for it. The Executive Chef needs to pull the reigns on his crew a little harder.

Pros: Fast Service

Cons: Limited Parking, Mediocre Food, Hit-or-Miss kind of place

07/07/2007 Posted by austinfoodlover

It's best to go at night. The ambience is great. Recommended date spot. If you're a salad lover like I am, try their salads- they are awesome. I've seen many people order their pizza- definitely try some of that.

02/23/2007 Posted by dorian_doppelganger

Granted, some of these reviews are dated and I've only been going to Cipollina for the past six months or so, but the place is seriously good. Yes, it's slightly over-priced, but still completely reasonable in comparison to the vast majority of restaurants (think pricing along the lines of Mangia without the slacker attitude and service). And the pizzas are killer-- totally worth opting for fresh mozzarella. I've never had a problem with the service, and the atmosphere (alluded to in the review immediately preceding this one) is no more atypical for West Lynn than Quix, Cafe Medici, or Fresh Plus; it's a quirky and relatively insulated neighborhood but most of its denizens don't bite. Anyway, go there, maybe share a Greek salad and a pizza, read a New York Times; you'll blend right in.

Pros: fresh ingredients, subdued atmosphere

Cons: parking, limited wine selection

01/31/2007 Posted by uw

There is a real void in this resturant. Go in, check it out. The impression our group got was that it was missing some warm, inviting feel. For the neighbor/customers it may be fine. But not worth the trip.

Pros: Good idea

Cons: Poor execution/Spooky atmosphere

07/31/2006 Posted by kimmisan

After hearing good things about Cippolina, I took the family there for Sunday brunch. When we walked in, I was struck by the messiness first. Dirty tables, chairs randomly strewn about...the deli case was totally disorganized and the offerings were not attractively displayed. Although there were several employees behind the counter no one greeted us nor told us how to be seated, where to order, etc. I ordered a bottle of proseco, thinking $16.00 to be a very reasonable price. (the glass is $9.50, which is ridiculous for most proseco) When the bottle was brought forth, I saw that it was a half-bottle. This was not alluded to on the wine list. Enoteca sells their proseco for $20, and it is a full bottle, and drier than the one offered at Cippolina. The person behind the counter told me, "We have some champagne glasses around here somewhere. Do you want me to look for them?" She never did look for them, and forgot about me as soon as I went to my table. I ended up going behind the counter myself and grabbing two white wine glasses. She thanked me for "not being picky". We ordered a pizza (large) that was shrunken inside the pan, not reaching the edges of the pan. The dough was to blame, I think. The crust, although pleasingly thin, was too dry. The outer edges were full of large air holes and overall the pie had a cracker-like texture. It was $15.00 and we did not feel we were getting value for our dollar. Next time, we will go to Enoteca where everyone is friendly, the place is always clean, and we leave full and happy.

Pros: there was one smiling employee behind the food counter. she was very pleasant.

Cons: dirty, unwelcoming, over-priced

07/29/2006 Posted by ssteele79

Far and away my favorite place to eat in town. Not for those who want portions of food that make you feel full and disgusting. At Cippolina you get the perfect amount for a great price. The service and atmosphere are top notch as well. Chef Parker White is amazing!

Pros: Quality of Food, Service, Atmosphere

Cons: Parking

04/11/2006 Posted by yankintexas

Nearly everything is made in-house from the pizza dough to the ketchup. The bread is always fresh and the food delicious. They even butcher their own meat! One of my favorite meals is the 1/2 proscuitto sandwich, 1/2 a ceasar salad, and some fries with pesto aioli and the homemade ketchup. The pistascio cookies are always a favorite. The wine comes in bottles, by the glass, or in a carafe. Always check for daily specials as you never know what chef Parker White will have come up with. No matter what, it's always good.

Pros: excellent food, good wines, fresh ingredients

Cons: not enough parking