The Linguine Pescatore is a mix of jumbo shrimp, littlenecks, sea scallops and calamari. Below, the dining room.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

JOHNSTON — We’d heard a lot of good things about Café Andiamo, but apparently, so had many other people.

When we arrived without reservations on a Wednesday — only one table was empty … and it was waiting for the people who had reserved it. It would be at least a half-hour wait, we were told. Because the restaurant is tiny — you open the door and find yourself right in the dining room and part of its hubbub — and has little standing room, we decided to go elsewhere that night.

But the next Wednesday we returned, feeling secure in having made a reservation the day before. But this time every table was filled. The hostess, who rushed over to us, was very apologetic. One couple, she explained, had been served an appetizer shortly after arriving, but then let it sit on the table without touching it for 20 minutes while it got cold. This threw off the reservation schedule. She added cheerfully, however, that they were waiting for their check and it would be only a couple of minutes before we were seated.

As those “couple of minutes” dragged on into more and more minutes, we surveyed the big, square-ish dining room. Three of its four walls are painted in different colors (burgundy red, sunshine yellow, forest green). Huge mirror panels covering most of the front wall make Café Andiamo seem much larger than it is. Its tables are a mix of styles, running from long and expansive to a few tiny ones with drop leafs. The chairs are a mix, too: some are padded, some bare wood. There’s an eclectic mix of tableware, too.

Before long we began guessing which customers seemed almost ready to leave. Oops, no, they’re getting dessert. No, they’re just being served their entrees. No, they’re pouring another glass of wine. In places such as Café Andiamo, which don’t have liquor licenses, the customers who carry in their own bottles tend to linger.

More time passed. We were seated … 27 minutes after our reservation time.

Obviously, Café Andiamo has found its fan base. There were big tables filled with friends involved in convivial chatter. At some of the tables, the diners appeared to be regulars familiar with the staff. The important thing to remember at Café Andiamo is to arrive with a reservation, even on a weekday. “Weekends are so difficult to get in that a lot of our regular customers know to come on a weekday when there is a more relaxing atmosphere,” said Christen Senes, who owns Café Andiamo with her husband, Pietro, during a later phone call.

Happily, our wait turned out to be worth it. Everything we sampled out of Sardinian-born chef Pietro’s kitchen won applause. In fact, people seated at a nearby table did applaud chef Pietro as he made one of his frequent rounds of the dining room.

Pietro and Christen, who met while working at Adesso on Providence’s East Side, opened Café Andiamo five years ago as a takeout and lunch place. “We didn’t want a ‘restaurant’ at the time,” she said, because of all the time it would consume. But, she said, they soon discovered that this area of Johnston was “hit or miss” for lunchtime business.

So three years ago they started a fixed-price dinner menu. But as word-of-mouth reviews spread, they expanded the menu to become a full-time restaurant open for dinner only. Business has been so brisk and their parking lot so small, they’ve even added free valet parking Wednesday through Saturday, at least through the holiday season.

The only disappointments we had on our visit had nothing to do with what we were served. By the time we got around to ordering, the veal and peas was sold out. So, too, was that night’s lobster special which had looked tempting as two orders passed by on their way to other tables.

While looking though the menu again for new choices, we munched on crusty slices of Italian bread, finding that the grated Parmesan, served in a little dish on the side, cut the spiciness of the house-made olive oil dipping sauce.

Café Andiamo’s menu is a celebration of Italian cuisine — Aglio e Olio, Penne Florentine, Potato Gnocchi, Shrimp and Rabe, Clams Zuppa, Chicken or Veal Marsala, Veal Francese, Fried Calamari and Fried Smelts, the latter not found on many menus, several Parmigiana dishes, and Pasticcio Melanzane which can be ordered either as an appetizer or entrée.

The Pasticcio ($10.99 as an appetizer) came highly recommended by our affable and knowledgeable waiter, Rick, whose eyes lit up in appreciation when we ordered it. Rick proved to be right on the money. It was a wonderful blend of flavors with thin slices of dusky grilled eggplant layered with salty, pleasant prosciutto and gooey mozzarella, all smothered in a deliciously sweet plum tomato sauce and fresh basil. (Mental note: Next time order it as an entree. It would go well over penne.)

The Bruschetta Margherita ($7.99) was another good choice. Four slices of a French baguette grilled and topped with very fresh-tasting chopped plum tomatoes, a dusting of fresh basil and mozzarella, then finished to a crisp turn in the oven. It was surprisingly light and as tasty as it was pretty.

In lieu of the Veal and Peas, the Veal Pizzaiola ($21.99) was a delicious substitute (you can also order it with chicken or cod). Four thin, very tender slices of veal arrived smothered in a wonderfully rich plum tomato and herb sauce. It was served with a side of penne (all pastas at Café Andiamo are served al dente unless otherwise requested), instead of the roasted potato and vegetables which are an option. Unlike most restaurants, the penne, which had a very fresh-tasting and robust sauce, was served on the same plate as the pizzaiola, the various flavors complementing each other.

The Linguine Pescatore ($22.99) was a heavenly mix of seafood — a jumbo shrimp, three good-sized littlenecks in the shell, tender sea scallops and a large portion of very fresh tasting, very tender calamari rings and their chewy tentacles served over a generous portion of linguine. You can get this dish with either a white, red or Diavolo sauce. I chose the white, a mild broth that allowed the flavors of the seafood to emerge and to hold their own. It was a generous portion, as are most of the meals we saw being served, with many people taking portions home.

Although none of the desserts are made in Café Andiamo’s kitchen, we shared the Warm Apple Caramel Crumb Cake, a moist mix served with two dollops of whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side at no additional cost. It was a sweet finish to a very good meal.

Café Andiamo, 235 Greenville Ave., Johnston. (401) 349-4333. Casual. Not wheelchair accessible. Reservations a must. AE, MC, V. Children’s seats. Parking in small lot or on street; valet parking Wed. to Sat. Dinner 6 p.m. to “whenever” Tues. to Sat. Appetizers $7.99 to $10.99. Entrees $17.99 to $23.99. Bring your own wine; no corking fee.

mjanuson@projo.com