Rosmarino Osteria Italiana, a First Street eatery opened in March 2019, joined an elite group of restaurants named among the annual list by the online reservation platform in mid-November.

Only one business in the entire state of Oregon earned a spot on OpenTable’s list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States — and it’s located in Newberg.

Rosmarino Osteria Italiana, a First Street eatery opened in March 2019, joined an elite group of restaurants named among the annual list by the online reservation platform in mid-November.

“Culled from over 12 million verified diner reviews and dining metrics — including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance and five-star reviews — the list highlights some of the top spots favored by diners this year,” OpenTable said on its website.

OpenTable noted the restaurant garnered an average rating of 4.9 starts on a scale of 0 to 5 among the nearly 4,000 reviews examined by the organization.

The Newberg eatery, located at 714 E. First St. downtown, boasted on its website that it features the “purest Italian cuisine in Oregon” and serves Italian classics such as Bolognese, Pappardelle al Cinghiale, Arrabbiata and, for dessert, the always popular tiramisu.

The restaurant has a broad menu that features everything from simple ala carte lunches in the $11 to $23 range to five-course meals on the weekends topping $125 a person.

Although Rosmarino was the only Oregon restaurant among OpenTable’s list, a handful of eateries in Washington were included, primarily in the Seattle area. California topped the list of states with the highest number of restaurants on the list with 15 entries, primarily in the Los Angeles and Bay Area.

From simple beginnings

Rosmarino Osteria Italiana took over the long vacant First Street space that was last occupied in 2015 by Cancun Restaurant, which closed without notice. Dario and Sheena Pisoni said they decided to relocate from Carlton to Newberg because of the support they received from the owners of the building, Tom Tesmer and Terry Emery.

The restaurant’s recipes come from a private family cookbook. The menu rotates, offering different experiences. The owners’ goal is to share with customers pure and authentic Italian cuisine.

“No translations, no classical American-Italian dishes and mostly the feeling to be transported to Italy anytime you enter our little restaurant,” the eatery’s website says.

Reservations can be made at OpenTable.com. More information is available online at www.osteriarosmarino.com/welcome.

“Culled from over 12 million verified diner reviews and dining metrics — including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance and five-star reviews — the list highlights some of the top spots favored by diners this year.”

– OpenTable website