50 Best Italian Restaurants near Lake Forest

“Amazing!

Looking to get dinner with my wife and I was hungry for Italian food, at a place where pizza isn’t their main dish. Theres no place around that we’ve been to that was amazing, so I turned to Google maps to find a new place, which is how we found Tutto Famiglia.
We headed down and it looked pretty bland front m the outside. The signage said “Italian Food” where the biz name would normally go, and the space was pretty small.
From the moment we got inspected de though, the service was very attentive, the place was pretty busy for a random Thursday night and the menu looked tasty.
My wife got the salmon and I the quattro Formagio pasta. Both were Delicious! They brought fresh bread while we waited for our minestrone soup and those both were perfect.
Service was on point with immediately removing dishes we were done with, food was hot and steamy, flavoring was better than what I could have possibly expected and I am so happy that we ventured out.

We will absolutely be returning and I’m so happy to have found this gem!!!“

“A simple local neighborhood, family-run italian restaurant. Excellent A+ service. Warm bread was great, fresh green salad, and custom pizza. We were delighted with the warm welcome and yummy dishes. Will be back to try some more! Molto bene!“

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

“We were visiting from Scotland, having previously lived in NYC for many years, and were desperate for a nice Italian meal like we used to get when we lived in the States. We could not have been more impressed with the food and the service, and made sure we got a second visit in before we returned to Scotland - I just wish we could have gone back a third time… and fourth !!!! Highly recommend !!!“

“The pizza and spaghetti and meatballs was AMAZING! So delicious! 😊😋🥰🍕🇮🇹“

“Sal’s is a class A establishment. I messed up my order (grandma pie with breadcrumb and onion + sausage pinwheel and cannoli + black and white cookies) I ordered for pick up when it should have been delivery. The owner delivered the order himself. The grandma pie was on point and the sausage pinwheel was right! Waiting to taste the desert but im sure it will be great. Thank you Sal’s“

“I've eaten at a few Amecis over the decades, but the pizza I picked up from this location, was far and away the best one I've ever had from them. As a matter of fact, we were looking for a new pizza place and the family all loved the pizzas I picked up, so I think we've found our new pizza place!“

“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.“

“I had an amazing dining experience at Trattoria Trullo Cucina Italiana! The food was absolutely delicious — authentic flavors, beautifully presented, and full of that true Italian warmth. But the highlight of the evening was our wonderful waitress, Aurora. She was attentive, friendly, and made us feel completely at home. Her kindness and professionalism turned a great meal into a perfect one. Highly recommend this place — and if you’re lucky, ask for Aurora! 🍝🍷🇮🇹“

“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!!“

“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.“

“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!!“

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

“Great food! Great service! Never disappoints!“

“Delizie's is one of our absolute favorite restaurants. It has become our own dining room in many respects knowing all of the servers, bartenders and workers of the restaurant as well as knowing all of our favorites (many, many of them). And just when you think you know you are going to have your favorite as you walked in.....BAM !!!!!, you are hit with the news of the specials and everything changes for the better. This is a beautiful place to dine. Never rushed. Always outstanding food and service. Joyful staff as well as patrons. We just love this restaurant.“

“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.“

“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?“

“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 😍“

“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.“

“Simply over the top! That’s a wrap“

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

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

“Our kids loved dining at Olive Garden when we lived in Lynnwood, WA. After moving to Irvine, CA, we go there regularly for the lunch special. The Irvine location is the best one in Orange County. The service is consistently excellent, making each visit a pleasant experience.

Our kids enjoy the kids’ menu and love dipping the signature breadsticks into the Zuppa Toscana and Chicken Gnocchi soups. They always say it’s so tasty.

I highly recommend it for a delightful family meal!“

“Bricco has a wonderful outside dining area and a happy hour EVERY day (Monday-Sunday) from 4-5:30 where you can find really good prices on several items. We arrived early for this visit, which is why I rated the “value” for *this visit as “excellent.” If you like a spicy marinara, we highly recommend their arrabiata sauce - and insider tip: you can order it over any pasta you'd like, without all the seafood that it's served with in the entree version on the menu.“

“My husband and I had a wonderful evening at Tannins Restaurant. We kicked things off with the Shrimp Scampi and Cadillac Margarita—both were simply amazing! For our main course, we indulged in the surf and turf, which was delicious and perfectly cooked. We couldn’t resist finishing off the night with a delectable Tiramisu. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a great dining experience.“

“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.“

“fromTexas the best pizza i ever had😎“

“We have often enjoyed Mangia Bene - it is good food, good garlic bread toasts to start and a decent wine list and menu. The service could have been a little better last night. He got our orders to us correctly, but no additional effort - he seemed annoyed that we did want parmesan on our entrees, and didn't offer to substitute anything (when I ordered my risotto without the sausage) as other servers had in previous visits. When asked, our server stated that only one of the desserts was made in house, which I don't believe is accurate. Anyway, a decent , upbeat neighborhood place to meet friends for dinner.“

“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 !“

“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!“

“Great food and prices. Especially the alcohol prices. your bill isn't half alcohol cost.“

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

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

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

“Best place for local Italian! Highly recommended...“

“My experience enlightened me as a person. It was utterly breathtaking how good the service, food, and atmosphere was. I truly felt like a valued member of the Piatti family. This was all because of my server Anna and host Arman. They are fantastic members of your staff. Right when I walked in, Arman welcomed and greeted me instantly cementing this place as my favorite restaurant. I will be coming back.“

“This place is gold. If you haven’t tried Olive Garden yet, you’re missing out! GO right now. Seriously!

Our waiter Josh was the best I’ve ever met in this industry. Not only was he positive and brought a friendly atmosphere, but he was also prompt and incredibly helpful while being respectful and polite. It made my day and my whole dining experience so pleasant.

I can’t stop smiling because this level of service is RARE! Like I said, gold!!!!

The food? ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! I recommend the Lasagna, the Zupatoscana soup, and a sweet iced tea. There are so many tasty options, all for a very fair price.

The food will be better than what you’ll get at a 5-star luxury million dollar restaurant. It’s that good.

This is not a sponsored review. I just wanted to share my intensely brilliant and fantastic experience at this location!“

“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 !! 🇮🇹“

“We had such a great experience at Cosmos thanks to our amazing waitress, Rosie. She was so friendly, thoughtful, and truly went above and beyond. As a young mom herself, she completely understood what it’s like dining out with a toddler, she just got it. She brought out our son’s food early, brought to-go boxes before we even asked (because with a toddler, you’re always on borrowed time!), and made us feel so comfortable and cared for. It’s rare to have someone anticipate your needs so naturally. We left saying, “That’s how customer service should always be.” Rosie was absolutely lovely and turned what could’ve been a stressful dinner into such an enjoyable one. We will be coming back more frequently.“

“Their wine dinners are incredible!“

“Updare.
This location is permanently closed. Its been like that for over a year. They put in Corner Bakery in it place.

My go for Italian, although since they made changes to the menu some things were taken off that I really liked. But it is still a good experience at reasonable prices.
The bread could use some improvement“

“Had a nice evening at Dominicos on the lake this evening. My wife and I had reservations and were fortunate to ask Kory for a patio table which he accommodated. Michael took us to our table and was very kind and professional. Pedro came by with our bread and water and said hello. He is one of the hardest working individuals at the restaurant. Eddie our server came by and took our orders with a bottle of Austin Hope and bread to start. My wife ordered a chicken breast salad and I had the chef's special stroganoff which was amazing. Unfortunately my wife's salad came out 30 minutes after my stroganoff which was a cardinal sin in the restaurant business and we mentioned it was not acceptable. Eddie apologized and we also had Steven, the GM, come by and also apologize and ensure the salad would be out shortly. The salad was delivered, of course after I ate my entree and Steven dropped off and apologetic gift certificate for an appetizer during our next visit. We also ordered an additional beef stroganoff plus an order of meatballs to take home for tomorrow. We undertake things happen and it's certainly nice to see the restaurants busy again but a party of two receiving their entrees 30 minutes apart is not conducive with quality service. I am guessing the chef either misplaced the order or overlooked the obvious and we hope next time we will not have such issues as the restaurant is very good and in a fantastic location. Michael also came back around and stated he was concerned about this mishap and would look into this. As a retired government administrator and former restaurant manager in my college days I expect the simple things like entrees being delivered at the same time to be in sync with quality service and dining. We will be back and see if in fact this was an isolated incident. Good food and ambiance plus. As a writer for Trip Advisor, Yelp and Google I am graceful in my comments and specific in areas needed improvement. Thanks you.“

“Ordered the Kale + Chickpeas Salad with Chicken.

The chicken was standard quality with a nice texture. The kale was great, fresh, crunchy, yummy greens. The salad could have used more parmesan and sundried tomatoes but it went well. the Chickpeas were by far the highlight, a funny and healthy addition.

What turned me off the was the lemon vinegarrette. It did not pair well to me, I felt like a more caloric but more flavorful dressing would have done a lot for the dish.

Very clean restaurant, very nice staff, and affordable. I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu soon!“

“12/7/22. In town for a seminar and this restaurant was recommended. Excellent pizza and excellent price. I'll return Friday and grab lunch again on my way home to San Diego!“

“This honestly might be the best pizza I have ever had and I’ve had my share of pizza in Italy and NYC.

Two things that really set Grazie apart from the competition is their dough and tomato sauce.
The dough has this incredible balance of chewiness and crispiness. I have no idea how they do it but it’s incredibly delicious.
The tomato sauce is very unique. It’s a light refreshing sauce. It has a unique sweetness to it and you can immediately tell it’s made fresh.

I’m just so thrilled to have discovered this place and that it’s only 15 minutes from my house. I can’t imagine ever getting pizza anywhere else now. It’s also great that they have such a nice seating area on PCH, you can enjoy your pizza and people watch.“

“We went for the first time yesterday before Pageant of the Masters. We were in a hurry for reasons out of our control, and they were great about getting our food out in time to enjoy on their front patio with a nice bottle of Italian red wine. They have umbrellas and heat lamps, but we didn't need them; the weather was perfect. I'm vegan so I ordered the Capellini al Pomodoro, but substituted it with the spicy sauce from the Rigatoni Arrabbiata. It was SO good. My husband had the Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, and that was also delicious. The other dish ordered was the Pesto Gnocchi, also so good! Every other place on Forest had at least an hour wait, but after all, it was a Saturday evening during the Festival of Arts. Thankfully someone recommended Salerno. We're definitely going back. Price spent reflects the wine. Next time, I'll try to make a reservation just in case!“

“We tried your pizza tonight and we love it!! Three different pizzas and they were all perfect. We will definitely be ordering from here again ❤️“

“Hands down one of the best pizza locations in Orange County. I have tried pizza everywhere, but nothing beats the freshness and ingredients that are used here in Bella Roma. You can tell that the owner carefully sources all of his ingredients and products to give us the best tasting pizzas, salads, and pastas! Thank you Bella Roma, I will be coming more frequently.
Trevor“

“Delicious food friendly staff best pizza and affogato I have ever had. Looking forward to the opening of the Ocean Ranch Restaurant!“

“Love Neapolitan! Great service. Terrific selection. Our pizza was so tasty - crust and light sauce Yum! The Caprese Buratta was fresh and creamy. Fabulous, decadent dessert options. Very nice wine and beer list. Will return. Definitely recommend.“