On first impression this place was a little like HFZ in terms of style and decor. The menu looked simple and pricey for how the place looked. It was interesting to see the long line of foreigners outside Guyi and inside Otto was mostly Chinese diners. The food was very very good, however here, the wine left me a little sour. There are 3 sizes by the glass on the menu, not sure what that really meant I choose the middle one, what came out was about a quarter of a glass, it didn't even last until the entre came out. Deciding to order the large glass next expecting the glass to be filled to a reasonable quantity, the only huge thing I got was the surprise, it was a few droplets more then the medium glass. I suggest to go straight to the Bottle.

this place is simply "clean"coffee shop,starting from the signage outside wich is confusing and in sunny afternoon to much sun because the windows are to large,and make sure if you ware shirt when the peolpe passing bay there will see your underware,second thing is that the menu futuring just western food not italian treats.regardind the wine portions there are half size of normal serving restaurant in shanghai,look like cheap but in the glass the content is half calculate the amount the serve you is very expensive,the decor is just western without the hink of italy,but overoll is very clean wich make you confortble to have your meals expensive for this simple coffee shop for the same amount of money you can dine any closy,nice ambience restaurant

Last saturday night, I was take to Otto by a few friends and it was a great surprise to meet a true Italian there: Francesco!! He is the restaurant manager, knows how to offer a top service with a very discrete management of his team. As long as he is on the restaurant floor, nothing will go wrong at Otto... The food was good too. Pizza was my favourite with the Tisamisu!

Otto is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, not to mention quite a few of my friends. Since opening, they have expanded their menu to include a larger selection of Italian/Mediterranean dishes. To be clear, Mediterranean is different than Italian, so for those looking for just the norm, this menu has a few Italian staples, but also has more unnusual and delicious Mediterranean combinations also. This week they had a special Porcini mushroom menu to die for. I had a wonderful fresh baby spinach salad with Porcinis perfectly prepared and a Pocini cantaloni with pine nuts that just melted in your mouth. If your looking for a country style simple thin crust pizza, they have a nice selection. The pasta dishes (as I am slowly making my way through the menu) have all been very good. Dessert - absolutely yummy. The only thing I'm not a fan of are the tapas, but I haven't revisited them since their first menu, so they might be worth another try. The cost when compared to other good Italian establishments is comparable - I don't find it over priced. Good wine can get expensive, but that's just good wine! And the ability to order a small pour to see if you like something is actually a nice way to try different wines. As far as the decor - simple, modern, clean, casual. The picture above doesn't do it justice and the lighting is quite nice at night which makes the room more cozy and relaxing. As far as service - it keeps getting better, and the management is lovely. They make an effort to remember a face, and are always thrilled to see you again. I recommend you give Otto a try and see for yourself.

I visited Otto a few days ago with my bf and I agree with most of the above said. I'm not an expert food critic but we both really enjoyed the food there. My bf had a pizza which had eggplant, spinach which he said was excellent - good crispy thin crust, tasty sauce and good cheese which seems hard to come by on pizzas here. I had a really delicious salmon dish. The appetizers were definitely worth mentioning as well, we had zucchini fritters which, as my bf said, "aren't bursting with flavor but the subtle flavor it has is really really good". We also had the vegetable moussaka which I absolutely loved. The side of cous cous we had wasn't that memorable but cous cous isn't that exciting of a dish to me anyways. For dessert we tried the tiramisu and we've only had tiramisu at Whisk and Pasti so far in town but we thought this was the best. (Pasti is a very close second) All of this and a bottle of wine did come to about RMB 750ish so pricewise it was similar to eating around the corner at Mesa or also Sasha's (which we also like a lot). The owner, Francesco, was very friendly and obviously cares a lot about service - the staff was extremely attentive and overall on top of things. So that's my two cents; great food, good service, ambiance needs work.

yummm!!! yummm!!! yummm!!! Great for lunch, check out their lunch menu...

What's the deal with this place and the 'gourmet cafe' in the name? Seems far too removed from the real 'Gourmet Cafe' on Shanxi lu to be affiliated. Perhaps they just thought it was a good name to pinch..?

I've been there once: first & last time! Even the place is nice and service is fair, the food is just a joke! Small portion for big price and pizza is really not the best in town. We've ordered a "composition" as a starter. We got 2 slices of eggplant & 1 very very very tiny piece of goat cheese with lots of oil. It is very easy to find other Italian restaurants in Shanghai where you get what you pay for.

Subject: Otto's food appeals not only to adults but also to kids! so lucky that I found about it recently! It has been an unavoidable subject wherever groups of mothers gathered raving about the good food and service at otto. I couldn't but plan to go there with my 6 years daughter to experience the truthfulness of this place. WE went today for lunch and was surprised to see the business lunch is only for RMB 68. It included a buffet of healthy spread veggies, cold cuts, mozzarella cheese and pasta el pesto. I tasted every single dish and was impressed with the quality of products used. Premium quality of olive oil, real parmesan cheese. As a mother, I always seek the best quality of ingredients to give my family. Brilliant! Then came the choice of the main course, I tell you it was a tough decision for me because of the 5 tempting given selections listed on the menu. I went for the baked lamb chunk where my daughter chose pizza margarita. Kids are known to be picky and fussy about food outside home especially if the taste or ingredients are of a poor quality yet honest with their judgment. I couldn't believe my girl finishing all the pizza and expressing herself loudly that this is the best pizza ever she had in shanghai pleading me to come again!!!! thin crust,crispy,and topped with rich mozzarella melted cheese. WOw!!!! I was so happy to see her enjoying her food for once in a new restaurant without being grumpy refusing to eat the food which turned to be a big disappointment. It happened in many popular restaurants in Shanghai. Frankie is one them. For the first time she had pushed her pasta plate away claiming that the pasta bolognese was overcooked with a poor tomato sauce that is tasteless. She is a picky eater and enjoys good food. I was overwhelmed with the lamb chunk size that was rich with meat all around and topped with the eggplant soaked in yoghurt and mixed with mint leaves. I finished my plate happily looking forward to visit Otto more often bringing more friends with their kids. I forgot to mention that the restaurant welcomes kids with interesting brain challenging games as an entertainment occupying them while adults are busy chatting. Very impressive. I do wish otto restaurant to keep on offering the high quality, water- mouthing food pleasing the hearts of adults and kids.