The restaurant serves delicious, authentic Italian food.
Located in Downtown Redwood City, Pizzeria Cardamomo provides freshly-made Italian cuisine. The dining experience begins with a story about how Cardamomo came to be from welcoming and knowledgeable staff. The small, friendly atmosphere provides customers with a space to share a comforting meal with loved ones.
Bruschetta ($14): 8/10
This dish features slow-cooked cherry tomatoes and soft mozzarella cheese over sourdough bread toasted to perfection, ensuring each bite is crispy yet simultaneously tender. The sweetness of the tomatoes pairs nicely with the salty, tangy sourdough, allowing the two contrasting flavors to balance each other. All of the restaurant’s bread is sourced locally from The Baker Next Door, a bakery just down the street, guaranteeing high quality loaves. The components pair well and are topped off with refreshing basil leaves. While the price is a little steep at $14 for four pieces, the dish makes for a satisfying appetizer.
Meatballs ($14): 5/10
The appetizer consists of four ground beef meatballs and a bowl of homemade marinara sauce—a small portion considering the price. By themselves, the meatballs are mildly salty and lack any unique flavor. Texture-wise, the beef is moist but contains some fatty pieces throughout. When paired with the meatballs, the marinara sauce completely elevates this dish. The sauce is sweet and tangy with a hint of spice, giving the previously bland meatballs the flavor they were missing.
Tagliatelle Bolognese ($26): 10/10
This dish might look bland at first glance, but that could not be farther from the truth. The pasta has a rich flavor profile and satisfying texture, with the sauce nicely sticking to every noodle. The main component of this dish is thick, freshly made tagliatelle noodles cooked to perfection and smothered in rich bolognese beef sauce. The dish has a perfect ratio of sauce to noodles, and every bite surpassed expectations. The meat sauce leaves no room for complaint; it’s smooth, with no grainy or fatty bits of beef. Topped with parmesan cheese, the bolognese is overall a perfect entree.
Carbonara Pizza ($28): 9/10
Cardamomo’s white pizzas are specialty items, and special they are. The pizza has no sauce, instead including a blend of cheeses: pecorino romano and fior di latte. Together, the cheese mix gives the pizza a very savory, creamy flavor. Paired with the cheese, pieces of crispy guanciale—salt cured pork—and a poached egg decorate the pizza’s top. When punctured and spread across the pizza, the egg adds a velvety richness to the dish, producing its signature carbonara aspect. Atop thin, crispy pizza crust, the carbonara pizza delivers an extremely unique twist to a classic dish, and is definitely worth trying.
Spicy Pepperoni Pizza With Honey ($27): 8/10
A classic, the pepperoni pizza at Cardamomo is a fulfilling choice. The pizza is layered with sweet, housemade tomato sauce, which also includes a touch of underlying spice to it. Along with classic mozzarella cheese, spicy, flavorful pepperoni decorates the pizza. Thin, crunchy, and a perfect vessel for the toppings, the pizza’s crust adds some nice texture. To top it all off, the dish comes with a container of honey for drizzling or dipping. The contrast of the honey’s sweetness and the pizza’s spice adds an interesting, enjoyable flavor combination.
