50 Best Italian Restaurants near Lake Forest

“honestly we were just craving italian and this place popped up. the moment we walked in it smelled so good i knew we were in for something special.

i got the lasagna and it was exactly what i wanted, super cheesy and hearty. my friend had the chicken parm and she said it was perfect even the pasta on the side was cooked right. the service was super friendly too our waiter was patient when we took forever to decide.

we sat outside and it was chill even on a busy night. the whole meal felt like a cozy sunday dinner at someones home.

already trying to figure out when i can go back and try the tiramisu.“

“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 !!!“

“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!“

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

“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!“

“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“

“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 such a wonderful experience at Trattoria Trullo! Everyone was incredibly kind, welcoming, and accommodating to my party, and they truly made us feel so well taken care of. The food has such a delicious, homey and comforting feel—the spaghetti was amazing, the focaccia bread was so good, and the Hugo Spritz was the perfect drink to go with everything. I highly recommend this place not only for the quality of the food, but also for the exceptional service and genuine kindness of the staff. They made our experience feel special, and I’ll definitely be coming back!“

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

“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?“

“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! 😘“

“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 food! Great service! Never disappoints!“

“pasta , lasagna very friendly polite and helpful waiter“

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

“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!!“

“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!!“

“My friends and I went on Friday, July 10, at around 8-9. We were greeted with the most nicest and gorgeous hostess; after checking us in she complimented us and called us beautiful. So nice!!!! She was a dark-skinned woman with curly hair. Our server was also nice, the food was just okay. When we were leaving, I asked her for some mint chocolate, and she was so helpful and gave us some. She was absolutely wonderful!! The absolute best!!!“

“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.“

“I’ve been coming here for years and always like everything. They have a very clean kitchen and warm, friendly staff. Something that absolutely blew my mom and I away recently was the artichoke dip. Yum!! It is so fresh and delish!!“

“fromTexas the best pizza i ever had😎“

“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!“

“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 !“

“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.“

“Great food, and awesome service!“

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

“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.“

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

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

“Amazing place for a delicious, fresh and healthy lunch.
Their food tastes great and their prices is amazingly affordable during their lunch specials. They have a different plate for every day and their pizza is really good. We found it when we were looking for some pasta for a friend and we immediately got the reference from other Google reviewers. We are happy for finding another good family owned restaurant.“

“Great place. Love the Beatles atmosphere. Great music playing.“

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Italy, and this is one of the few places where the pizza truly deserves to be called PIZZA!

The dough is perfect — light and airy with beautiful bubbles, and the balance between the crust and toppings is just right. It never gets soggy, and the crust isn’t too thick. What I especially love is that every pizza on the menu has its own distinct flavor and character. They don’t all taste like variations of the same thing.

I’ve tried pretty much every highly recommended pizza place in Orange County, including several featured in the Michelin Guide. But after trying them all, this pizzeria is still my favorite!“

“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!“

“I’ve been a fan of Olive Garden for some time. Just the other week my parents and I were blessed to have Shelly as our server. WOW I would give more stars, if I could, because of her! She truly went above and beyond to make sure my parents and I were taken care of and got whatever we needed. She is SO sweet and funny. You’ll have an extra wonderful dinner with her as your server!“

“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!“

“The food was excellent! I will definitely return.“

“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!“

“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 ❤️“

“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.“

“Amazing food, atmosphere and service!
I highly recommend this Italian food spot. Their portions are a really great size and prices are great!
They have a wine Wednesday with 50% off all their bottled wine 🍷 Madilyn was such a great server :)“

“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 !! 🇮🇹“

“I've been fortunate to get to know the family behind Coastline Pizzeria through my work, and they're every bit as genuine and welcoming as you'd hope. They're passionate about what they do, and it shows in both the food and the experience.

I've also eaten here several times, and the pizza is outstanding. I especially appreciate that they use beef tallow instead of seed oils, make their crust with sourdough, and focus on high-quality ingredients. It's refreshing to find a family-owned restaurant that's committed to doing things the right way rather than the easy way.

Great food, great people, and a business that's easy to support. Highly recommend!“

“Great atmosphere, food, and drinks...and sometimes has live music too!“

“Their wine dinners are incredible!“