NOW CLOSED
As of About Jan. 1, 2009 Rustico had a sign on their window that said they would be closed for a few days, with no return date set. 3 weeks later the building was empty and there was a For Lease sign on the window... with Caledonia St. misspelled! Sadly, the list of closed Sausalito restaurants has gained another member.
39 Caledonia St., Sausalito, CA 94965 415-332-4500
Website is here. Menu is here.
Free street parking in the neighborhood, but during busy times you may have to walk a few blocks.
Open for Lunch (Wednesday-Sunday during Winter) and Dinner (seven days a week). Most recent editor review: November, 2008. Price range (for Dinner) at time of most recent review: $9.50-$21.50.
Fast Forward SummaryTM: A small Italian restaurant aimed more at the locals than at visitors, the big draw here is occasional jazz on the weekends -- video samples are below. (Their next-door-neighbor Caffe DiVino has music on weeknights and weekends). Quality of the musicians in both venues can be very high. If you're coming on a weekend call ahead to confirm that they'll have live music on the night you plan to visit if this is an important part of your choice of restaurant. Food is typical Italian neighborhood fare, but on the pricey side for what you get. The Rustico sign was recently taken down, but the restaurant continues to operate normally pending a rumored name change -- we'll keep you posted.
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Rustico: The Details
Rustico's big draw, in the eyes of our editors, is the jazz they sometimes have on the weekends. It's usually good, and sometimes it is very very good. We have videos below of some performances this last year at Rustico.
'As of this writing their music schedule is not online. We encourage you to call ahead to find out the exact days and times when they have music. Caffe DiVino next door also has high quality music (we've heard both jazz and classical recently), and in the Autumn of 2008 has done so more regularly on days when we have visited or walked by.
Rustico is a neighborhood Italian restaurant frequented by local residents. This building has gone through a series of owners and menus over the last fifteen years. The bar area is classy and inviting.
On our last visit the food here was pretty good, but not by any means special. I had the pizza, which was better than many "pizza joints" but not on a par with the leading Italian restaurants in town. The crust is thin, the cheese unremarkable, but the toppings are fresh. Like Poggio, they keep the prices on the pizza down compared to the rest of the menu.
The handful of tables next to the wood stove are a really nice place to sit on a cool night. If you call in your reservation in advance you can ask for one of these spots.
Here are videos of The Jazz Lab Band performing at Rustico:
Something else that people should know about Rustico? Disagree with any of our suggestions? Please leave a comment below so our readers get the full story.
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