Banchero's Italian Dinners

Good: The service was good.. Bad: Quality of Chicken Cacciatore, Soup, salad, salami not as good as it used to be. the main course was loaded with gravy from the cacciatore and if you put the swiss chard or anything else on your dinner plate, it would be swimming in the gravy already there.. Improvements: the quality of the food back to where it used to be about 5 years ago.. Other: There are not many good Italian restaurants around the Bay Area any ,more. It's a shame the qualiity of food at Bancheros has gone down to the level that it has. It's not worth going over the San Mateo bridge any more. I was extremely dissapointed. more

I have been in and out of this restaurant over the years. Required family eating if you live in this part of the East Bay. But on a return visit I found out this place has gotten no better than when i was a kid. The food is very poor = prepared in too much water or sauce The pasta is so very over cooked - Its like its been sitting in some water all day, by the time it gets to your table its watery and has diluted the sauce. The soup is not much, it also has the taste that its been sitting all day - it has little content or flavor. The salad I had was wilted and over oiled. The pre meat plate was as one writer already mentioned. " right from the can to your table" the meat tray was poorly presented and not very interesting and I had to pass on it. The service is OK- the servers reflect on how long the place has been around - some seem very board with the costumers and friendly to the regulars. Its very senior friendly - I would guess some of the seniors that crowd this place have been coming here since they were young and are accustom to the bland taste of this over cooked mush. The prices are OK - but you pay for what you get , not much. I am so upset when i read some of their regular costumers post here and say this is the best ever. It worries me that many have not eaten better food as of yet. Stay away from this place.. or to recreate this food experience on your own, open some canned pasta products and canned fruit and day old salad and - wow you have a Bancheros experience. Vmedia more

The portions were good considering the price...For about $15 a person you can get a 6 course Italian dinner. The food wasn't spectacular and the service was a bit difficult, out waitress didn't seem able to understand us really well, but she was very nice to use nontheless. I really liked the atmosphere though--very family friendly. If you're looking for a place to hang out with some friends then this place is very suitable for you. more

Going to Banchero's for me is like going to dinner with a big Italian family. The table is big the food never stops and great food. The atmosphere is just perfect. They have 5 dishes that they bring to each person seated. I just love it here. more

Banchero's has been in Hayward since 1948. It's a family run, family friendly Italian style restaurant. The wait on the weekends can be over 1 hour but during the week there might not be any wait at all. The dinners include soup, salad, bread, pasta, antipasta plate and then the main course. Food is mediocre but very inexpensive. The service can be slow as it was when we were there recently. We were with a family with young kids and any noise they made didn't matter since there was so much noise around at the other tables. It's an OK restaurant but certainly not one that I'd consider as fine dining. more

As the title says this is the best Italian food ever. For around $20 a person you get a 5 course dinner. The soups is amazing and I always order two quarts to take with me when I'm done. They pasta is great and the best part is the Swiss Chard. The Swiss Chard is amazing, I sometimes eat a whole plate of it just by myself. The dinner, up until what you ordered, is served family style. It gets really busy there on weeks, really busy. They only take reservations for parties of 5 or 6 (I forgot which) or more so be prepare to go early or to wait. They also do take out if you wanna just take dinner home. more

i went to banchero's and it was good! i didn't expect that the food was good and cheap! I ordered a baked lasagna for about $4 and garlic bread for about $3. You cannot find these prices at Olive Garden! They also have varities of pasta and even steak. They also have some great seafood! It's a good place to eat and it isn't that expensive! more

Banchero's is a much loved Hayward restaurant. They have been family-owned for over 50 years, and yet never fail to please. For $8-15 per person you not only get an entree (of which they have a large variety -- I love the stuffed prawns!), you also get soup, salad, an anti-pasta tray, raviolis, spaghetti, ice cream, coffee/tea, and french bread. Be sure to add at least a half loaf of their famous garlic bread for every two or three people. Soda's are NOT refillable (ice tea, hot tea, coffee, and water are refillable). Whatever food you don't finish can be packaged up in to go containers for you to finish another day. There can be a wait for a table, and reservations for parties of 4 or less are not taken. When you get there, go up to the older man standing at the end of the curved coutner, near the entrance to the seating area. He'll take your name and party size, and give you a ticket with a number on it. When you're number is called, be ready to gorge yourself! Parking can be tight, so keep your eye out for street parking. Also, the restaurant is closed on Monday's. more

I've been eating at Banchero's since I was a kid. They have great food at a great price. The atmosphere is dim & relaxing, a bit on the loud side due to they are always busy. I especially like the Breast of Chicken in a rosemay sauce mmmm. Service is very nice & friendly and prompt. There is usually a wait, not too long though. Perfect for large parties & families. The bar has a sunk in bartending & you sit in normal chairs, making you eye level w/ the bartender. more

Banchero's is a lot of food for not a lot of money. The food may not the best but by the time you leave you definately feel like you got your monies worth. It is the kind of restuarant where they keep bringing course after course and when you feel like you couldn't possibly eat anymore they bring out ice cream. I have never been to Italy so I can't say it is authentic, but if I had to guess i would say it has a very authentic flavor to it. So if you are thinking Italian like your local pizza place you are probably in for a suprize. Good food, great value. more