Love Al Forno, but would also love a few more vegetarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mariana Castellanos
Staff was friendly. And food was delicious. No complaints here. Definitely one of my new favorite spots. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Arvig
We were visiting from out of state and decided to eat here on our first night in Costa Mesa, it seemed really good while we were there, but my wife has a gluten allergy, and the next morning her stomach was wrecked. My guess is that they don’t know anything about cross contamination or maybe they didn’t even give her gluten free pasta. Probably don’t eat here if you have any sort of food allergy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Frank Perez
Food was just meh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Vance Nguyen
Authentic Italian flavors and our server was super friendly and hilarious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Enrique L
I found this place underrated.,everything was delicious and on time…..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris py
This is a spot I would like to keep going to to try more dishes. The atmosphere had an Italian cafe vibe. My partner and I arrived in the evening towards closing time on Thursday. There were only 3 parties in the restaurant. Usually, if this is the case, I walk away, but I had high hopes because of the 4.7 rating on Google. We were sat down by enthusiastic older waiter who provided great service. We ordered brushetta platter, pasta al forno, and shrimp scampi. Brushetta had 3 different flavors. All were interesting and hard to share. It's good. Pasta al forno was delicious but on the hearty and heavy side. Shrimp scampi was the best one. The flavors from the soup with the bread on the side were a great combo. Overall, it was a wonderful late night meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leo Ulfelder
A hidden gem in Costa Mesa. Food was real Italian Faire. Service was as if I was having dinner with good friends. The restaurant interior is not plush or over the top Italian.....it was have dinner at home!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rashmi Jagadish
It’s a quaint Italian restaurant with friendly host and servers. I visited this during a business trip by myself. Being vegetarian I was able to find plenty of options. The Bruschetta was like the picture and yum. The main course the eggplant (not parm) and pecorino was light and healthy with fresh basil. I also go the Wednesday Happy Hour deal so all in all great meal!
I ordered the pomegranate martini and it was really smooth. You don’t taste the alch and it bring a warm feeling. I felt invited by the staff, the waiter created a familiar and welcoming environment. There was a wait for the food however it was all made up with the flavor of the food. While we waited we were served an amazing bread with high quality olive oil balsamic vinegar. I ordered the penne alla Norma and the flavor was phenomenal. It had a kick of spicy but not overwhelming at all, the eggplant was cooked well and complimented the dish well. Overall I would recommend this place for anyone who is having a date night or a group celebrating a birthday. Overall my table of 10 enjoyed their meal. Not one complaint besides going home with a full belly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomodoro Sauce
Kelly Valdespino
Made a stop here after our escape room fun. It is "cozy" if that means outdated and dark, the food was good but the ambiance, service an atmosphere bleak. No drink refills even on water without asking and waiting almost until the end of our meal. Our bottle of wine was not brought over until the food came. Maybe a staple of the neighborhood but too many other mom and pop restaurants to visit again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
teedancing
What a find! The food is authentic and flavorful and the staff are friendly, helpful and personable. The dining room is a little dark, however, so don't be shy to use your phone's flashlight to read the menu. 😁
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ibrahim Fakih
Ordered take out on the phone. Pappardelle Funghi was delicious, I ended up ordering a 2nd time in the same week. Friendly staff.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Crystal Martin
What an incredible experience! The waiter was so personable and the ambience was very cozy and welcoming.
We ordered the mushroom pasta, pomegranate salad, and espressos. The pasta was to die for.
Great food & dessert & service ! Yummy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love Al Forno, but would also love a few more vegetarian options
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Staff was friendly. And food was delicious. No complaints here. Definitely one of my new favorite spots. Highly recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were visiting from out of state and decided to eat here on our first night in Costa Mesa, it seemed really good while we were there, but my wife has a gluten allergy, and the next morning her stomach was wrecked. My guess is that they don’t know anything about cross contamination or maybe they didn’t even give her gluten free pasta. Probably don’t eat here if you have any sort of food allergy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Food was just meh
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Authentic Italian flavors and our server was super friendly and hilarious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I found this place underrated.,everything was delicious and on time…..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a spot I would like to keep going to to try more dishes. The atmosphere had an Italian cafe vibe. My partner and I arrived in the evening towards closing time on Thursday. There were only 3 parties in the restaurant. Usually, if this is the case, I walk away, but I had high hopes because of the 4.7 rating on Google. We were sat down by enthusiastic older waiter who provided great service. We ordered brushetta platter, pasta al forno, and shrimp scampi. Brushetta had 3 different flavors. All were interesting and hard to share. It's good. Pasta al forno was delicious but on the hearty and heavy side. Shrimp scampi was the best one. The flavors from the soup with the bread on the side were a great combo. Overall, it was a wonderful late night meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
A hidden gem in Costa Mesa. Food was real Italian Faire. Service was as if I was having dinner with good friends. The restaurant interior is not plush or over the top Italian.....it was have dinner at home!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It’s a quaint Italian restaurant with friendly host and servers. I visited this during a business trip by myself. Being vegetarian I was able to find plenty of options. The Bruschetta was like the picture and yum. The main course the eggplant (not parm) and pecorino was light and healthy with fresh basil. I also go the Wednesday Happy Hour deal so all in all great meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered the pomegranate martini and it was really smooth. You don’t taste the alch and it bring a warm feeling. I felt invited by the staff, the waiter created a familiar and welcoming environment. There was a wait for the food however it was all made up with the flavor of the food. While we waited we were served an amazing bread with high quality olive oil balsamic vinegar. I ordered the penne alla Norma and the flavor was phenomenal. It had a kick of spicy but not overwhelming at all, the eggplant was cooked well and complimented the dish well. Overall I would recommend this place for anyone who is having a date night or a group celebrating a birthday. Overall my table of 10 enjoyed their meal. Not one complaint besides going home with a full belly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomodoro Sauce
Made a stop here after our escape room fun. It is "cozy" if that means outdated and dark, the food was good but the ambiance, service an atmosphere bleak. No drink refills even on water without asking and waiting almost until the end of our meal. Our bottle of wine was not brought over until the food came. Maybe a staple of the neighborhood but too many other mom and pop restaurants to visit again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
What a find! The food is authentic and flavorful and the staff are friendly, helpful and personable. The dining room is a little dark, however, so don't be shy to use your phone's flashlight to read the menu. 😁
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered take out on the phone. Pappardelle Funghi was delicious, I ended up ordering a 2nd time in the same week. Friendly staff.
Food: 5
Service: 5
What an incredible experience! The waiter was so personable and the ambience was very cozy and welcoming.
We ordered the mushroom pasta, pomegranate salad, and espressos. The pasta was to die for.
Definitely going back! 🍝♥️👏
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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