CiaoCristina!

Garlic bread sucks. If you’re an Italian restaurant, serve either Italian bread or garlic bread on Italian bread. Never serve Betty Crocker garlic rolls. Tastes like cinnamon rolls with garlic instead of cinnamon. I was really looking forward to a Italian meal but the Chicken parmesan, I was disappointed. The chicken tasted like it was frozen or something. I’ll never go back. my apologies to the owner for my honesty. The salad was good, blue cheese dressing was amazing. I bet you it’s more of a pizza place. Maybe their pizza is good.

This is a great little Italian Pizza restaurant in Burbank. I had lunch, service was very fast and friendly and the food was terrific. There are good vegetarian choices here as well. I’ll definitely be back.

The best pasta and sandwiches in the area. The team is so friendly! The owner Michael is awesome! Never had any bad situations and they do not take forever. Also, gelatos are the BOMB (strawberry chocolate). Must go!

Delicious! You can tell the ingredients are fresh which makes you feel good after you eat it instead of lethargic. I loved the Ciao Christina + caramelized onions and pepperoni in stromboli form. Can’t wait to try it again.

PARKING: I didn’t notice a parking lot, I ended up parking on the sidewalk a block away.
ATMOSPHERE: It felt cramped and small but it did give off an italian restaurant vibe.
SERVICE: Service was great! Waiters were very attentive and helpful.
FOOD: I got the Aglio pasta with Fettucine. I thought it was okay. Nothing really stood out to me about the dish. I needed to added a bunch of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to give it flavor. I’m sure I’ll need to come back and try more dishes to give this place a more well thought out review but this is my initial impression.

This place came recommended to me by a security guard over at the Ellen show and since it was close and we were pressed for time we decided to give it a try. I ordered the lunch special witch was a sausage tasca with a pasta salad. The salad was excellent but the tasca was seriously lacking. Only a few pieces of meat and cheese and the rest just seemed like cooked pizza dough. It was chewy and hard to cut. Our waiter was pretty good, but he had to go back a few times to see where our food was. I am sure that this place may have other things on the menu that are tasty, but for what we experienced. It was not that good.

Just moved to Burbank and thought we’d give it a shot after the great reviews… DELICIOUS! The sauces are homemade from scratch and everything from the food to the servers were Incredible! Thank you

First the pros:
Ive been here multiple times for dinner now and I can say this is definitely good Italian food in the area. Are there better places? Perhaps but honestly I haven’t found them yet.
The dining area is a little small, so if you’re planning to go at any peak hour, I would strongly suggest either take-​out or reserving in advance. During dinner rush it can fill up quickly every day of the week.
Ive never walked out of here feeling hungry nor have I felt disappointed in my meal. Having been here multiple times now I feel I know my way around the menu very well. I’ve also taken friends from out of town here a few times and none have been disappointed either.
Holy crap the Gelatto is awesome! Definitely try it if you have room for dessert.
Cons:
Some appetizer sizes are a little on the small size for the prices. The calamari for instance is delicious, but portion size is tiny. They have a happy hour period daily where appetizers are discounted and the portion sizes seem geared toward that. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a scale up when ordering at full price outside of happy hour.
Wait staff always seems to be short-​staffed. It is a small dining room but the wait staff always seems to be a little run ragged and feels like 1 more person would definitely be of help. The hostess has been helping out every time Ive been there so it isn’t that noticed but you can definitely tell another person on staff would make a big difference.
You usually get bread rolls with dinner but a lot of times its forgotten about so you need to ask.
Personal preference:
I personally prefer the Bolognese sauce to their staple Pomorola red sauce. Nothing wrong with the Pomorola at all, just a personal preference to flavor so I would suggest it if ordering a pasta dish. It is a meat sauce so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan (though I cant imagine why you would be) don’t do it.
The balsamic reduction on the caprese salad plate was a little too reduced for my liking. Very very strong, so much so it had the consistency of chocolate sauce and a similar flavor.
Allergy info:
I usually dine with someone who has a soy and peanut allergy and this place uses olive oil and canola oil in its cooking so no issues for them on anything they’ve ordered on multiple visits.

We made reservations and found this place after living up on the other side of Burbank for the last 20 years. Now I’m so angry at myself for waiting so damn long!
The service here is always consistent. Even when they are busy and people are spilling out the door trying to get tables, the servers are happy and always welcoming. I have a gluten allergy and they always take the time to double check and make sure everything I eat is safe.
My husband is obsessed with the short rib ravioli. He swears its the best he’s ever eaten (now thats a bold statement!) They also have awesome bottled wine deals weekly! I usually get the gluten free pizza. its AMAZING. (TIP: White sauce is not GF, stick with the red). They have a wide variety of options and everything is consistently good.
Last food tip, ALWAYS get the gelato!
The décor is super cute and I love the bar set up, it has a very comfortable and moulin rouge feel to it.
The parking here is kind of rough but thats not the restaurants fault. just plan to get here earlier than your reservation to be safe :).

Came back in after a long time the other night, and we were pretty nervous after reading some of these 1-​star, snarky bitter reviews on Unilocal.
Well, I don’t know where these people are eating but could this be the same restaurant? The place is still great – not the finest Italian food you’ll ever eat in your life, but very very good.
Received a warm greeting, were escorted to a comfortable table and had a relaxing, delicious, enjoyable dinner, complete with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir that the waiter recommended as a new addition to their wine list. They are very accommodating to vegans like us and we enjoyed bruschetta and delicious, hot hearty minestrone for our starters and then each gobbled down bowls of whole wheat penne arrabbiata.
Finished off with vegan chocolate gelato. Yummers. Nom nom. Slurp slurp.
I don’t know, maybe when the restaurant gets invaded by tourists who have been seeing a taping of «The Ellen DeGeneres Show» across the street at Warner Brothers, they slip into a different mode. But I’ve never seen that. I’ve only seen the cozy, high quality neighborhood restaurant I’ve just described to you, my Unilocaly compadres.

I normally drive over an hour for the best Italian, but I have finally found a local spot that is magnificent. Ciao Christina packs them in pretty tight, but it is well worth it. The food is amazing and the people are incredibly kind. Highly recommend the Eggplant Parmesan and the Lasagna. Oh, and the Chicken Parmesan also!

So we got the bald waiter with the glasses. And yes! We’re talking horrible service!
I wish we would have gotten the busboy as our waiter. The busboy was the only one actually working!
The food was a disappointment. Tasteless and pretty expensive. Don’t get me wrong; I pay up to $ 25 for pasta once a week so I don’t mind paying if it’s good, but $ 16 for a tasteless dish… ??? Nope…
We were 3 people In our party. The most positive guys in the world, but when service and food is better in the Taco Bell Drive Thru, we’re no longer smiling.
It took 9 minutes from the time we tried to request the check, till we actually managed to get a hold of someone. Nope, we still didn’t get our waiter… We had to ask the busboy.
Also; we checked in on Unilocal and got the «check in» offer. Guess what? They didn’t honor it… Apparently that’s a «Tuesday only» deal. However it was not printed on the voucher, so I would consider it false advertising…
Bottom line; I will stay away. So should you.
Just a friendly advice;)

I pass by this spot all the time. I wanted to try it for a while and fortunately, I got the chance to last week.
I didn’t realize how much I loved Italian till recently. Well. Maybe it’s cause Italian spots have great wine selections, but whatever, the food was delicious! I got the lasagna and my boo got the spaghetti and meatballs– mainly because I couldn’t decide and made him get it so I can have the best of both worlds. Well goodness it was out of this world. The service was excellent and the ambiance was chill…
Will be back. Sooner than later.
Cheers!

I had the pesto pasta and it was delicious! I’ve had their lasagna before and it’s pretty good. The lemonade is not too sweet, it’s pretty refreshing.
This is my go to restaurant when I go to the Ellen show.

It’s the sweetest place in the area! People are amazing and ambience is divine. Brittney gave me and my friend the BEST cocktails! MALIBU BAY BREEZE should be on the list!!! We are definitely gonna be back here!
B.

My sister chose CiaoCristina! for a large dinner party the evening of her graduation. There were 10 of us, and no one had ever eaten here before. I have to admit, I was selfishly excited since there are so few places I enjoy dining in Burbank, trying something new, that didn’t appear was one of the many places every family flocks to after a graduation was such a treat!
We were sat around 930P with our reservation and quickly got our appetizer and entrée orders into the kitchen before 10P (when the kitchen closes) but were here until 11P.
I don’t think any of us ordered the same thing but it appeared everyone was pleased with their choices.
I wouldn’t dare say this is the best or my most fav Italian meal in town, No! But the place has character and is simply charming for the area. If you must eat in Burbank, I’d definitely chose returning here over most other places nearby.
I had the Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino with angel hair pasta and I’d be lying if I could tell you what my boyfriend, my sister, brother, parents, our friends, my son or anyone else had at the table but everything looked fine from what I saw.
My Dad and I shared a bottle of chianti which was light but perfect for the evening.
I didn’t see much if anything left on anyone’s plates before they were cleared which was a good sign, and didn’t hear any complaints which for my family (most of us at least) is a shocker!
I’d definitely recommend dining here for a casual lunch or even a cozy little date. It’s a cute spot, across the street from Warner with a warm, family feeling.

In fourth grade I was in love with a girl named Cristina. She didn’t love me back. Now I’m in love with a restaurant I can call Cristina and the difference this time is that I think this place loves me back.
With all sincerity… Hello! Hello! I have found the best Italian restaurant in Los Angeles with «CiaoCristina!» on Olive Ave. just across from Warner Bros. studios. Or at least it’s the best grown-​up fun. Bread, wine, Allagash beer for under six bucks and not just any Allagash but the Triple Ale (!), Chicken Piccata or Masala, heavy-​sauce sandwiches, vine-​ripe tomato or carbonara pasta, spicy madness pasta, big cherry tomatoes to kiss and eat, good for your breath basil, mushrooms with girth, capers for flavor, calzones for monster mouths, pizzas with roasted pears and zucchini, prosciutto mucho, New York steak, sea bass, and shrimp with roasted garlic ravioli. Ingredients? Primo, baby, primo!
They even have delectable gelato like Fig and Lemon, as well as your traditional flavors. I only wish they were more generous with their scoops, I had to baby scoop all my bites. I wish it was OK with Cristina that I’m a hog and that I can put an entire scoop in my mouth. I showed my manners and ate baby bites. I did.
But please, open your blouse… err, open your heart and give me more with each scoop! More bang bang! When it came to gelato it was the only time I didn’t feel Cristina loved me back. But oh my God, yum yum!
Truth in criticism: «Matteo’s» in Westwood /​westside is the best upscale Italian restaurant of Los Angeles. But «CiaoCristina!» is the most fun and has a touch of class without it being too hung up on elegance. Baby, baby, baby! I just want to touch and taste everything in here!
#emotional

My family has been here twice. Both times the food, drinks and service were excellent. The first time we came it was just me and my 6-​year old son. It was crowded and we were seated at the worst possible table, right near the bar area where patrons walk by to leave and servers pick up drinks for their tables. Even so, we enjoyed our food and our server was was very friendly and very kind to my son. She gave him some paper and crayons to play with, so he ended up making an origami fortune teller just for her.
The second time we came it was me, my husband and our son. Again, the food and service were amazing. Bobby was our waiter and Chris was either the food runner, the busser or another waiter, not sure. Chris saw my son playing with his Rubik’s cube and stopped to play with him. It turns out Chris is one of those people who can solve the puzzle in just a few minutes, so he actually spent time with my kid teaching him some tips. Bobby ended up not charging us for my dessert, only because it came out later than expected. It certainly wasn’t a big deal to us that it came out late, but we definitely appreciated the kind gesture.
I highly recommend this place (they even offer vegan options!), but do come early to get a decent table because the place is small.
Overall, I give it five stars because the atmosphere is cozy, the food is tasty and both times we’ve been there the servers were outstanding.

This is kind of an odd place — it doesn’t look like anything special but the menu is similar to what you’d see at a nicer looking establishment. I thought the garlic rolls were on the salty side. Their calamari was decent, though my mom complained that the calamari themselves were small. She liked her frutti de mare, my dad liked his angel hair pasta with cream sauce and shrimp, my husband really liked his meat lasagna. However, I was not impressed with my pesto fettucine with chicken (the chicken is an additional $ 4, btw). It was just bland. The tiramisu my parents ordered was good. The gelato (I tried the straciatella and pistachio) had decent flavor, but lacked the true consistency of gelato and seemed more like ice cream.
Service was good. Parking is easy. There is a super tiny parking lot (it had one spot, maybe two?), but they posted a sign you can also park in the bank across the street, or there is street parking.

We stopped by for lunch when we came to a viewing of the Ellen show. This place is really just a short walk away from the Ellen show parking garage. We ordered the margarita pizza with prosciutto, burrata salad, and chicken wings (yes, I was craving chicken wings). All 3 things were delicious and came in a huge portion. The servers were friendly and attentive and our server looked like she was a model. Maybe she will be famous one day and I can say that she was my waitress that one time I went to CiaoCristina! Although the service was good, the food took a while to come out.
There was a Unilocal deal $ 15 for $ 20 that I purchased which was nice.
They have gelato also, so if you want to stop by and grab dessert, definitely try their gelato!
I would definitely come back if I am in the area again!
Ciao!