Bertucelli's La Villa

Visiting San Jose and heard from a friend that this is a non-negotiable when in the area. I read reviews and tried to get an idea of the experience, but it's just something you have to be there for.

The location is easy to find, private lot parking for patrons make it easy to get in/out. Street parking available if the lot is full. They have an outside seating area that's perfect for enjoying your meal if the weather is nice, some tables have umbrellas, some allow you to soak up some vitamin D.

When we got there, we must have hit the lunchtime rush on Saturday, I walked in and grabbed a number. It's very much like an old fashioned deli service where they call your number and it's your turn to order. I was a little intimidated by this as the options were further in the store and it was so crowded that I couldn't make my way to see what was available prior to ordering. We looked online to get an idea of what we wanted while waiting. Thankfully they do have a big white board that's visible from the door that shows the days specials. It was about a 40 minute wait, but SO WORTH IT.

Once our number was called, we made our way to the counter, there were several people working and each number is assigned to one person. So we found our guy, and placed an order for Chris' Combo, a meatball sandwich, a pint of beef ravioli, two breadsticks and a pint of caprese salad.

Everything was so fresh and flavorful. I had my doubts about Chris' combo being as good as its claims, but it was excellent and I'm glad we tried it out. The meats, cheese and seasonings were the best combo, along with fresh bread, it was a great choice. I think this was one of the best meatball subs I've ever had. The marinara was just sweet enough to balance the Parmesan and meatballs, not to mention they were huge! By the time we got to the ravioli, we were full, but took a few bites and dipped the breadsticks and I can see why people were carrying the rest ravioli out by the dozen. The beef and marina were flavored nicely. Sweet and salty, and the garlic breadstick was just an extra bonus. The caprese salad was so fresh - it's one of my favorite salads, and the Italian/balsamic mix they use with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and red onion was perfection.

I'm so glad we stopped in, it's definitely a repeat visit and somewhere I'll share for friends visiting the area.

Eh this one was a miss for me. After years of living in the area we finally popped in to see what the hype was all about. My partner and his family are from/live in Italy and they have their own restaurant, so we already had our reservations. This place definitely gives East Coast "Italian" vibes...if that's what you're into then you'll love this place, but don't come here expecting anything authentic out of it.

We tried a half pint of the ricotta ravioli and their veg arancini. The ravioli is honestly not bad and really resembles a home made version of Chef Boyardee ravioli...I'm not kidding they look identical. Their arancini was a miss and they heat it up in the microwave before giving it to you, so it's soggy and not freshly fried. Everything is hard to compete with Sicilian arancini though.

To top it off the service is pretty awful. Most of their employees have bad attitudes, which we witnessed while they assisted other patrons. Disappointing‍

Ordered a meatball sandwich and a pint of raviolis.

Meatball sandwich was good! Good size and the meatballs were cooked perfectly. A little too sweet but I just added more salt.

The raviolis were unfortunately not cooked all the way. Very very doughy and it was inedible which was a bummer. The sauce was nice.

One of the beeest sandwiches I've had in the South Bay! And, don't sleep on the ravioli either.

I ordered the not-so-secret Chris Combo after seeing raving reviews about it everywhere! Honestly, I couldn't find it on the menu and didn't really know what was in it, but I trusted the process and the sandwich was AMAZING. The only thing was that the sandwich was smaller than what I've seen in photos... I took one bite and that one bite took all of the pastrami that was in the sandwich lol.

We also got a quart of beef ravioli to share amongst 4, and wooow did this wow us. The ravioli was light and pillowy, and the tomato sauce tasted fresh and flavorful!

We came on a Saturday after lunch and the place was BUSY. To order, you grab a number towards the right right by the cashier. Then, they call out numbers one by one. The person who calls your number is the person who preps your meal and helps you with checkout. Had I not known this from reading Yelp reviews before visiting, I think I definitely would've been confused with the process since there isn't really anyone who or anything that describes how to order when you come in.

When it's a million degrees outside, you're over work for the day, and the Bertucelli's crew is back from their annual vacation - the natural thing to do... is go get Chris Combos. On it!

Order ahead to avoid the line!

Visited Bertucelli's on a weekend afternoon and it was packed with a line out the door. We grabbed a ticket and decided to explore the neighboring shops while we waited. We were about 25 numbers behind the front and the wait was about 1-1.5 hours. When we finally got to the front, I was starving!! So naturally, I had to order a full quart of their famous ravioli. This was one of the best raviolis I've ever had! I could really taste the high quality cheese in each bite. We also got the chris combo and meatball sandwich. These were both delicious but my favorite is the meatball!! Definitely check out this place but be prepared for a hefty wait :)

I stopped in to pick up some lunch. A Proscuitto (Parma Spec) Sandwich.
Choice of bread. Choice of fixings. I went with the sweet French roll and everything on it. They give you a good portion of the buttery and savory meat. The roll was very soft and fresh. It just melted in your mouth.

My wife and I usually split some beef raviolis and beef meatballs.

The beef raviolis are meaty pockets of pillowy soft goodness. I know I said this before in my previous review. But it's so true! The marinara sauce is sweet and flavorful. Never a drop goes to waste!

The Beef Meatball is moist, flavorful, seasoned well, and has a nice clean flavor that soaks up the marinara sauce.

Newbies: Don't forget to grab a ticket number as you enter the store.

They have deli sandwiches, antipasto, salads, and steam tables with various different Italian dishes. Also, they have desserts and a small grocery store.

Check them out!

I have been here twice. Did a takeout both the times. The store is packed with Italian delicacies and you are going to have a tough time choosing. The staff is friendly and provides excellent service. When I ordered a potato croquette he looked at me and asked if I was ok with bacon which I was not. I was glad he did. For the two times I just have one sad picture to share. I generally pick it up , come home and wolf it down. There are a few tables outside in a nice picnic spot and good to sit if the weather is good. It has parking as well. Prices are reasonable too. A neighborhood gem.

Was in the mood for some Italian food and decided to give this place a shot, considering the good reviews and my lack of familiarity with Italian cuisine. The service was quick, and the interior is designed as a typical deli with a fair number of people in spite of how small it was inside.

We decided to get one box of beef ravioli as well as a Chris Combo sandwich, which we found to be really salty. It was manageable for me, but if you lean more towards lighter flavors or have a low salt tolerance you may find it to be too much.

We also did not realize that we would have to cook the ravioli ourselves, which was a minor inconvenience but also entirely on us. The ravioli was a lot more enjoyable to eat, with a good balance of flavor and texture, and the tomato sauce that came with it was great too.

I'm not sure if this is a place I would go to again, but it was an interesting experience and and was relatievly enjoyable.

Solid sandwiches and decent ravioli. I had wanted the Chris Special, but not a fan of salami. They do not do substitutions, understandably so, so went with a turkey and mortadella on sourdough with mozzarella, mayo, mustard, onions and lettuce. It was still warm 30 minutes later and the sourdough was soft and chewy. Layers of meat were delicious as well. The beef and spinach ravioli was pretty good, a bit overcooked, but good flavor.

Will definitely try the Chris Special next time as everyone raves about it!