Their menu consists of appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, desserts, burgers, and of course, pizza. In addition to their food, they have a wide selection of adult beverages at the bar. Unlike most restaurants, Primo actually allows kids to sit at the bar, but of course, not order any drinks. All of the employees at Primo do their best to make their customers feel comfortable and at home, so they allow you to sit at whatever table you want. Hospitality is not limited to the employees, as the owner of the restaurant and his wife are very involved in the customer’s experience.

Our table tends to get salads with our main dish. The salad consists of a mixed green lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, croutons, typically red cabbage, and a choice of dressing.

Everyone usually gets the balsamic vinaigrette, which is highly recommended. It tangy but not too strong, and thicker than most balsamic vinaigrettes.

The amount of dressing provided with the salad is more than enough to cover the salad. It’s a very nice portion if you prefer your dressing on the side to dip your salad into.

The only thing about the side salad that is not great is the size of the tomatoes. They are quite big pieces that can take up almost your whole mouth unless you take bites out of it or cut it. Otherwise, it is a great salad.

A favorite appetizer among our table is the Primo’s twisty knots. You have the option of ordering a half a dozen, or a dozen. The knots are very soft bread toasted perfectly on the outside. However, if you are not a big fan of garlic, this dish is not for you. The knots are absolutely drenched in garlic oil, and they have pretty big amounts of chopped garlic layered on top (the chunks can be easily scraped off though). It’s a great and cost effective way to feed a large group, with half a dozen knots costing six dollars, and eight dollars for a dozen. It also costs two dollars more to add cheese. However, they definitely aren’t for everyone.

An excellent vegetarian option would be the vegetarian sandwich. It contains many vegetables such as mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, green bell peppers, avocado, lettuce,  and black olives. All of which are cooked except the lettuce and avocado.

The sandwich is easily able to be made vegan by removing the mayonnaise and the mozzarella cheese. There is also a tangy mustard that comes on the sandwich. The bread that the sandwich is served on is lightly crunchy on the outside and incredibly soft and warm on the inside. Despite the sandwich not looking too big, It will definitely fill you up.

In addition to the side salad, you also have the option of minestrone soup as your side. It’s a tomato based vegetable soup with peas, carrots, potatoes, shell shaped noodles, and cilantro.

Despite it being tomato based it tastes much more like vegetable broth. The potatoes added greatly to the quality of this dish. The soft perfection of the little dices went perfectly with the warm broth.

The noodles however seemed quite unnecessary. They did not mix well with the broth and they were left quite overcooked. The soup would have greatly benefited from having some more vegetables such as onions or celery.

Saltine crackers are provided with the dish, which made the soup much more exciting if you would. There was crunch from the dry crackers, a moist substance from the crackers that had been doused by the broth, and of course the softness of the potatoes and taste of the carrots. It was by no means a terrible soup, but the salad is much better.

The pizza at Primo is not bad. It’s just not anything out of the ordinary. Nothing about their pizza makes you think “I’ve never tasted a pizza like this before!” It’s just pizza.

However, they do give you many options. You could order anything from a meat lover’s pie to a garden medley pizza. The same goes for the sizing. They have any size from a four slice personal pizza to a 30 slice extra large.

Something great for vegans and meat eaters alike is the Pasta Toscana. It is truly one of their most versatile pasta dishes.  

The original dish consists of angel hair pasta with olive oil sauce, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes and sun dried red peppers. Chicken or shrimp can also be added for extra charge. The angel hair pasta is cooked perfectly, but I find the cheese pretty unnecessary. It doesn’t really add to the flavor of the meal. The sun dried red peppers taste absolutely amazing.

The tomatoes also taste good, but there is the issue of them being too big, much like the salad tomatoes. The taste of a warm tomato can also be nauseating for some, despite the fact that the texture of the tomato is perfectly normal. The pine nuts make a great garnish to the meal, and they add a nice nutty taste to the dish.

The service at Primo is absolutely incredible. The waiters and waitresses are always especially friendly, as well as the owner and his wife. The only issue that ever comes up is how little seating there is. The restaurant tends to get quite crowded.

Overall, Primo has its flaws, but so does every restaurant. The wide variety of meals includes something for everyone, which is most important. Take some friends or family here and enjoy a nice family style meal.

For anybody wanting to take a further look at Primo menu, here is the link:                          http://www.primopizzarocklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/PRIMOS-PRINT-READY-FILE.p