iTalico

About Italico

Italico, often written iTalico, is an Italian restaurant and wine bar at 341 California Avenue. It opened in July 2016 as the second Palo Alto restaurant from brothers Franco and Maico Campilongo and chef Kristjan D'Angelo, a few steps from their first, Terún Pizzeria. Co-owners Michael Oliverio and Giuseppe Errico round out the group. All five founders were born in southern Italy. Besides Terún, the restaurant lists Impasto in San Carlos as a sister restaurant.

Where Terún is built around pizza, Italico puts pasta and Italian entrées at the center, with executive chef D'Angelo in charge of the kitchen. The restaurant says it cherishes fresh local ingredients, imports the best raw materials for its pasta and pizza and keeps a carefully chosen list of Italian wines. Its website notes that it received a Michelin Bib Gourmand, the guide's award for good food at good value. It links to a 2023 list of California winners.

What is on the menu

Dinner starts with homemade focaccia and a soup of the day. Small plates include frittura mista of calamari, shrimp and sardines, bresaola, tuna tartare, grilled Spanish octopus and polpette made with pork, beef and veal. There are also frittelle, which are fried pizza dough topped with stracciatella and prosciutto di Parma. There is a board of cured meats and cheeses and a plate of lightly fried Watsonville Brussels sprouts.

Pasta is the heart of the menu. Recent choices include homemade potato and spinach gnocchi with pancetta and truffle cream, paccheri with braised rib eye, homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, trofie with pesto, octopus and roasted potatoes, rigatoni with eggplant and ricotta salata and linguine with clams and mussels. Several pastas use Rustichella d'Abruzzo, a pasta maker from Abruzzo, Italy. A risotto changes daily.

The pizza list runs from a simple marinara and margherita to a San Daniele with prosciutto and truffle oil, a mortadella pizza with pistachio cream and a spicy nduja. On Wednesdays and Sundays the restaurant holds what it calls Cacio e Pepe Day. Separate menus cover drinks, desserts, family-style dinners, catering and children.

The space

Italico has an open kitchen and bar and several dining rooms. The restaurant also has a private outdoor area that is heated and shielded from the wind. The restaurant says meals are often accompanied by live music. Its events page announces what is coming up.

Groups and private dining

Italico is well set up for groups. The Marble Room, a fully private room off the main dining room with a TV, seats up to 26. The smaller Fire Room next to it suits an executive dinner or family celebration. The two combine into a Large Room that seats 40. The patio by the main entrance seats 26. The main dining room holds up to 100 depending on layout. The whole restaurant can be booked for a buyout. Lunch is available for private events. The restaurant says vegan and vegetarian menus are available on request.

Reservations and policies

Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends. Book through the restaurant's website. Walk-ins are seated when there is room. Italico holds a reservation for 15 minutes before releasing the table. Parties of eight or more count as large parties and may have a service charge, disclosed at booking. You can bring wine for a corkage fee. Outside desserts are allowed if you tell the restaurant in advance. The kitchen will make minor changes for allergies and preferences but avoids heavy changes to a dish.

Tips for visiting

Italico says there is free parking on the street and in a garage right behind the restaurant, with no time limit after 5 p.m. The California Avenue Caltrain station is a short walk away. Our California Avenue guide covers the rest of the street. See our Italian food and pizza guide for more options and our date night ideas for a full evening plan.

Location and getting there

iTalico is at 341 California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, in the California Avenue area of Palo Alto. Our California Avenue guide covers what else is around.

The California Avenue Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• Square Pie Guys, quick-service spot, under 0.1 mi
• Spoke & Weal, salon or spa, under 0.1 mi
• ZombieRunner Coffee, cafe, under 0.1 mi
• California Paint Company, store, under 0.1 mi
• Massage Therapy Center, salon or spa, under 0.1 mi
• Bowden Park, 0.3 mi
• Peers Park, 0.3 mi
• College Terrace Library, 0.4 mi

Other restaurants nearby: Zareen's (under 0.1 mi); Anatolian Kitchen (under 0.1 mi); Cafe Pro Bono (under 0.1 mi); Sun of Wolf (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full restaurants list.

Before you go

• Popular dinner spots in Palo Alto fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so book ahead where the restaurant takes reservations.
• Many kitchens close earlier than in big cities. Plan to order by about 9 p.m. on weeknights unless the posted hours say otherwise.
• If you have allergies or dietary needs, call ahead or check the current menu on the restaurant's website.

About this listing

Checked October 30, 2026 against Italico official website; Italico: About; Italico: FAQ; Italico: Group dining; Italico: Menu. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions