I have to say the lure of Oregano's is more the ambiance than the food. On a beautiful evening it's a lot of fun to sit outside with a glass of wine and some good friends and enjoy a meal here. We have friends that come in from Chico every year for the Spring training games and it's kind of a tradition to eat dinner one of the nights at Oregano's. When the toddler was born across the street, my husband walked over that night and got himself some lasagna take-out to come eat with me so now it's also a tradition for us to come here on the toddler's birthday (or thereabouts) to have some dinner and reminisce on that day so that's where we're headed tonight with our brand new three-year-old.
It's probably me, but none of their pastas really do it for me - I just don't like them heavily sauced and their pizzas are what my husband likes - cracker thin or oily and thick. There's just no in between. I enjoy their salads a lot and the garlic bread and can eat an order of bruschetta on my own. My husband is also a big fan of the roasted garlic chicken lasagna and it seems we always order a pizza cookie for dessert, though we might get one on the house tonight being the toddler's birthday and all.
The waiters and waitresses are always friendly and helpful. In fact once I guess our order was taking too long to come out (we hadn't even realized) and the manager came out and apologized and gave us some drinks and dessert for free.
Though obviously not a fancy place at all, it's always proven to be a good place to bring out of town guests. The ambiance, food and service make for a unique experience and won't disappoint.