UC Berkeley-loved Italian restaurant set to close after 33 years

Steps away from UC Berkeley, a student-loved Italian restaurant announced it will close this month. The last day of service for the 33-year-old eatery is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Pasta Bene, at 2565 Telegraph Ave., operated near downtown Berkeley for the past 13 years, and before that, it had been located at 88 Hardie Place in San Francisco since 1990. The owners, Farhad Jalali and Ladan Sanjani, are retiring.

Being so close to a college campus, the restaurant was known for its affordability. It offered a $10 lunch special Monday through Thursday that featured a choice of pasta bene with seasonal vegetables, melanzane eggplant with sundried tomatoes, cheese ravioli, or penne bolognese. Those same weeknights, it also offered a $33 pasta dinner for two people, which featured the same pasta options plus a house salad to share and a dessert. The restaurant also served pizza.

Aside from the food, the restaurant was a pillar in the college town — especially for students.

“We welcomed you as freshmen, we watched you during your academic lives and admired 13 generations of UCB graduates,” the owners wrote on the website. “The athletes of UCB have a special place in our hearts. Go Bears!”

The owners also thanked their employees, regular patrons, Pho K&K Restaurant — their next-door business neighbor — and the Telegraph Ambassadors for working “around the clock keeping the neighborhood intact.”