50 Best Italian Restaurants near Laguna Woods

“The pizza from her is OUTSTANDING!! Time and time again we get take out from here and just enjoy it so much. I always build our own pizza and they get the ingredients spot on. Couldn’t recommend this place higher…… go enjoy some!
Ginny“

“Just ate here today for the first time and the pizza was amazing!! I ordered the bbq chicken and my friend got pepperoni. The crust was insanely delicious and crispy! Cheese to toppings ratio was on point! The mozzarella cheese sticks were also very good! And to top it all off, the customer service was 💯!! Highly recommend!!“

“Second visit to Limoncello and want to say the food is excellent in every way. Last night I had Arugula salad (very lemony dressing), the Risotto (outstanding) and chocolate gelato which was VERY chocolate. Topped with a nice wine. All Excellent. As for atmosphere, lots of large parties there last night celebrating Christmas and birthdays so was quite noisy, but 'tis the season. Highly recommend Limoncello. Food and service are excellent and above average. Menu is extensive with very different and interesting options. If they would have served a shot of Limoncello after dinner I would have thought I was dining in Italy.“

“Amazing and cute little restaurant. Three servers were like hawks (in a good way) and instantly on top of anything and extremely efficient. The food was great, the cheese bread with garlic and Tiramisu were especially notable. We paid under $80 (before tip) for two meals, drinks, the cheese bread side, and desert, and one of the meals was the special which included a salad for $30. Plenty of food, very good food, cute and efficient restaurant, and a great price (let alone for being in Irvine these days). 10/10 would eat at again.“

“Trattoria Trullo is a top-shelf modern Italian cuisine experience put together by a remarkable chef-owner. He has set a phenomenal bar for quality, service, ambiance, and, honestly, everything. I highly recommend trying the focaccia with the burrata. Suppose you've got a group of two or three people. The chef often updates the menu to keep it fresh and seasonal. Have fun trying all of the different dishes. There's a limited but outstanding selection of Italian, California, and beer wines. It's a great location for a romantic date, a refined family dinner, or a special occasion for a smaller group. I highly recommend that you make reservations a day or two in advance, or even earlier. There is plenty of parking. The best parking is behind the building. The indoor dining room is great. There's an outdoor covered patio area with space heaters that are comfortable on a cold, cold, windy, or rainy night. It's all tables and no booths, so it's not super private, but the tables are well spaced, and it works. I highly recommend you check out this restaurant!“

“Fantastic!
I don’t have another word for what I just experienced. This is literally the first time I have felt compelled to leave feedback on a culinary experience since before COVID 19.
Thank you,
thank you!

We will be back for more.“

“The food was so great! The waiter was so attentive. We had lots left over. And desert to go.“

“What a great place to eat, talk, and enjoy, food made fresh when ordered, the atmosphere reminded me of Sunday dinner, with family and friends. I would highly recommend this gem.“

“The food was amazing!!! Simply fantastic. Well done @mommaDa“

“Had a great meal and wine with friends. We did have to ask for olive oil and vinegar after they brought us the wonderful rosemary bread, but hey, no biggie. Otherwise, service was great!!“

“We tried the Chicken Marsala, Lobster Ravioli and Gnocchi in VodkaSauce along with the Piccolino dinner salad and Tiramisu. All was magnifico! 😘“

“Great food! Great service! Never disappoints!“

“they always change their menu. we drive down here from irvine to find out what we like ismt on the menu today its only on the menu on certain days we asked the server when is it on the menu and he didnt know. We won't be back. how hard is it to keep the menu the same? I can see lunch and dinner menus but changin the dinner menus all the time?“

“pasta , lasagna very friendly polite and helpful waiter“

“Absolutely amazing we like the Marguerite, Cheese and the PMS pepperoni mushroom and sausage Gluten-free the fabulous antipasto salad all so worth it. Just eat my leftovers 😍“

“Simply over the top! That’s a wrap“

“What a fabulous place. Went there to celebrate mutual birthdays with my BFF. I loved everything about this restaurant. Our bartender was fabulous, our meal, Branzino.. delicious, eye appealing, beautiful presentation and enough to split We met the owner who spent ample time with us as we asked questions about his journey opening the location, his background and the concept/vision for the restaurant and we met the GM. I loved the ambiance, open and welcoming and they have a mercado with authentic product. Next time I'm going to the pizza bar with some more birthday girls!“

“Great service, authentic Italian food“

“Everything we ordered was amazing. From appetizers to desserts, all perfect. Highly recommend this restaurant.“

“It's a very nice place with indoor and outdoor seating. The service has always been good. We've been here several times. The service and food is always consistently good. There's a nice selection of dishes. The salmon isn't farm raised which is a plus and hard to find these days.“

“Tasty, delicious food every time. They are consistent. I especially like their house salad with ranch dressing, free pizza bread, garlic bread, chicken parmigiana pasta with meat sauce. These are my faves here. I love their pizza too.“

“Olive Garden is always a nice treat and I've had good experiences every time I've eaten at this location! On my most recent visit our server Justin was very attentive and great about bringing over drinks, breadsticks, and refills quickly. Modifications were remembered perfectly, and everyone left the meal satisfied.“

“Excellent food and service. The owner was very attentive to us Omg the desert was out of this world“

“Italian Express has great food and even better service. It's a great local family owned Italian restaurant. All of the typical foods are awesome - pizzas, pastas, etc - but also try their spicy wings and their garlic knots!!“

“Great vibes and crew. Food has great variety (large or small portions) and service is quick and efficient. I bring friends and family days and nights when we want frssh Italian meals away from home.“

“Had a great V day dinner...all the food here is SO good! We had garlic bread, Caesar with anchovies, sausage/onion pizza and the special strawberry ice cream dessert. All excellent. Service was great overall and Grace did a great job for us! Thanks and we will be back.“

“fromTexas the best pizza i ever had😎“

“Just love this place!! This past week our group was there for an early dinner and we were treated with such great customer service. Our server, Taylor, was so attentive and friendly and quick to respond to any of our requests. The food was so good and the ambiance was lovely.“

“The restaurant also has complimentary bread 🥖 with olive oil.“

“Nice place for happy hour margaritas and appetizers. They give you free garlic bread and the happy hours specials were good. Friendly staff that always kept my water glass full. There’s sports on the TVs and lots of pastas and pizzas on the menu. Parking is your typical strip mall kind of thing.“

“Javier, the manager delivered the most amazing food last night for a thank you dinner for my Catechists. I highly recommend Alza Italian Kitchen. Every thing was superb…. Thank you!“

“The best Italian food in Orange County. Happy hour is great! Best Casanova’s martinis.“

“Great food, great service, and great entertainment, especially the sax and guitar duo (Dave Rivera and Saxophone ONE)!“

“Solid dishes at fair prices from this Italian mom and pop in Lake Forest. Is this the fanciest Italian place with a full bar and bougie vibes? No. Is it a family restaurant with generous portions and high quality flavors? Yes. This is particularly reflected in your price at this no frills establishment. The free bread was hot and fluffy, the appetizers nicely fried, and each entree or lunch portion was heaping. I loved my fettuccine Alfredo with anchovies. The sauce was, chef's kiss. Would love to come back!“

“A wonderful find. My wife and I had a wonderful dining experience at Sabatinos Italian Bistro this evening. Our server Frederico was professional and quite personable. We started our dinner with two glasses of wine and the bruchetta. The Talbot Chardonnay and the Dry Creek Cabernet were both excellent choices. My wife ordered the eggplant gnocchi, which she loved, and I had the sausage and pepper rigatoni. Both dishes were excellent. The service, food, and ambiance were quite authentic and enjoyable. We spoke with Frederico, who is the ultimate professional, and decided to order a side of meatballs to go as well. This was our first time at Sabatinos, and this restaurant is definitely worth a visit. Ask for Frederico as he is the ultimate professional. Highly Recommended.“

“Great food, and awesome service!“

“Although staffing can be sparse from time to time, everyone is friendly, eager to make the experience a pleasant one, and focused on providing a quality meal . A real treasure for those of us fortunate enough to live in Nellie Gail Ranch !“

“The staff was excellent.
The Manager was a Jerk .
We came to get the special but found out it ended a day before.
He the manager acted like he didn't give a crap.
Fire the manager worst
attitude ever.
Great food and service otherwise“

“Amazing menu, excellent atmosphere. We truly enjoy meeting here for our lunch gatherings!“

“tienen buena comidas un ambiente limpio y agradable se los recomiendo“

“We went here for a special birthday celebration. It is recommended to make reservations ahead of time. We last minute called and were able to get a reservation for 5. It is a nice candlelight ambiance. Food was delicious. We had ordered the osso, branzino fish with plate, and the steak. It was all delicious. When we sat down, it came with complimentary bread and marinated mushrooms. The veggies had celery in it which wasn’t my favorite“

“I had the spinach Ravioli, was really good. Went around 5 and wasn't busy. Close to my job. Had a well variety of choices.“

“I absolutely love Piadina. The food is consistently excellent and the quality of the ingredients is outstanding. My parents live abroad, and every time they visit, this is one of their favorite places to eat — it’s honestly one of the healthiest and highest-quality options we can find.

I was also very happy to see that you recently added a premium, high-quality steak to the menu. It’s a great addition and fits perfectly with the quality standards of the restaurant.

The only challenge I’ve encountered is with online ordering. At the moment, the steak option is not available online (only brisket appears), and the platform mainly offers “add-ons” but doesn’t allow for easy substitutions or removals. There’s also no option to request no dressing, which makes it harder to customize orders.

Because I truly love this place and order from here often, I’d love to see some improvements in the online menu — more flexibility with substitutions, removals, and full access to the in-store menu items. I believe this would make ordering even more efficient and enjoyable for customers.

Thank you for the amazing food and for maintaining such high standards. I’ll definitely keep coming back!“

“Me gustó mucho el servicio atendieron rápido, personal amable y sirvieron muy rápido y sobre todo la comida muy rica thanks.“

“Excelente la comida de primera calidad“

“Excellent food , wine and desert and great service. Can’t wait to go back.,we are from New York and we know what good Italian food is !! 🇮🇹“

“Wonderful food great service, and amazing vibe and the singer…omg I have no words how to express how much I love the singer in the pianist, I had a wonderful time“

“Delicious fresh pasta and tasty foods , attentive waiters and getting ready to try the desert“

“Their wine dinners are incredible!“