Buona Forchetta

I am italian and I might be picky when it comes to food. I ordered a carbonara which I promise was not a carbonara. It was over cooked, glued-like and with tons of cheap supermarket alfredo sauce on it. Disgusting. I am sure that guanciale was not guanciale. I was unable to track the egg yolk and pecorino. Carbonara is a very easy dish to make, someone really needs to dislike Italian cuisine to make it that wrong. Very disappointing also the polpette, hardened from the outside while the inside part was undercooked. Service rushes you while you are still eating, one young guy was removing the plates while we were still eating, which is very annoying because it transforms what should be a relaxing experience in a stressful situation. Environment was very clean so 5 stars for that. Unfortunately their cuisine cannot be considered Italian nor homemade, taste is just industrial. If you are a foodie, just don't waste your money there.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 2

I had a reservation on11/17/2024 at 12:30pm but they never acknowledged it. A rude Italian server came and sat us and poured us a sparkling water in a cup with a lipstick mark. When asked to change the cup due to the lipstick mark, he did not apologize; instead he just said no worries. Then he finally replaced the cup but he did not replaced the sparkling water so we ended up asking him to replace the water since it was half empty and we have purchased  it. Then his attitude started to change and started pushing us to order when we weren't ready and recommending us to a menu that we weren't interested in. When we told him that we weren't interested. He literally said, Do you even know what it is??? By then we were pissed off and getting ready to leave. Luckily, we ended up getting a new waiter and we ended up staying since it was my wife's birthday and it was too late to look for a new restaurant at that hour. Overall, this place has good food and polite manager, but the service really depends on who you get. Just stay away from that Italian rude server and you should be okay.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 1

Celebrated our anniversary at Buona Forchetta Newport last night. The food was delicious and the staff were lovely and went out of their way to make it a special evening. The artichoke starter was so good! We ordered our mains from the specials list, both were fantastic. We can’t wait to go back and try the pizza!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

3 couples with reservation were greeted warmly, seated promptly and our server came to the table quickly offering to get us water (sparkling or Newport’s finest) and help with wine and menu. Wine and were reasonable.

We started with a $45 Daou and 2 pizzas that came out quickly and looked beautiful. Our server (Mario?) had sold us on the thin but puffy pizza dough, and he was spot on. Terrific pizza - some char on the bubbly crust, nice red sauce (could use a hint more spice) and fresh mozzarella (maybe a toouch more fresh basil). I love pizza and give it a 8.5/10 - certainly in top tier of OC Pizzas (that bar is sadly not very high - but 8.5 won’t disappoint any pizza lover).

Guys ordered pasta, meatballs. Ladies salmon salad. Pasta was terrific - homemade and fresh. Huge portions. Freshly grated cheese and black pepper. So good.

Ladies didn’t love the salmon - one thought it fishy. They did love the salad. I tried the salmon and thought it was very good. Also large portions of fish and greens.

For dessert we had Nutella pizza twists (I don’t know if this is in the menu - if not, it should be!)

After dinner we talked with both the managing director and pizza chef (owner) and both were so nice and wanted honest opinions - which we shared (here too). We learned the pizza oven is still being broken in, and we can expect even better results on future (definitely) visits.

I’ll close this review with a solid 5 stars across the board and my only misgiving - I suspect the food/atmosphere/ staff/location will result in a very difficult reservation, especially when the warm weather brings the tourists back to the peninsula. Great for the owner and staff, but bummer for us locals.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fettuccine

The meatballs were cold on the inside. They were fully cooked so must’ve been frozen. Everything else was good though.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Amazing food & service! You definitely have to try this new place! My friend and I stumbled across this cute place just looking to get a glass of wine a little later in the night. Everything was closing down except the younger places on the boardwalk which we did not want! The owner Matteo said they were closed and we mentioned all we wanted was a glass of wine, well he invited us in and not only gave us some great wine, but also had a pizza made for us in their wood burning oven which was delicious! We had such great service from all of the staff we decided to come back the next day for dinner. We were greeted by Matteo with some champagne & a big smile which was a special treat. The food was fantastic! We all had something off the specials menu. We were also treated with a tiramisu that was so good to thank us for coming back. We highly recommend Buona Forchetta in Newport and we can't wait to be back! You will not be disappointed with the food and especially the great service. Thank you Matteo, you have something special and we appreciate your generosity!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was spectacular, the service was warm and attentive, and the overall experience was brilliant. There are so many good Italian places in Orange County that we love, but this one is still worth going out of your way to visit.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is amazing!! Everything we ate was so good. The service was top notch. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was really great! Manager was super nice. Loved the pizza and the pasta with the buona forchetta sauce!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best pizza in Southern California.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Newport peninsula needed something new and this place is perfect. Great food, great staff, great location. Well worth the trip!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Buona Forchetta is hands down the best Italian in Newport. Before they opened here, my family visited their restaurant in Encinitas and then in San Clemente. We are SO excited to have them in Newport. Their pizzas and pasta are unreal and authentic Italian. Additionally, if you have a Gluten allergy, my friend swears they have the best gluten-free dough! It is fluffy and fabulous, like their original dough.

We went on opening night, and a few days later. The food was fantastic, the setting was beautiful, and the service was superb. This weekend's highlights included the mushroom risotto with braised beef cheek special, burrata caprese, eggplant parm appetizer, Buona Forchetta pasta dish, and Promis wine! I couldn't recommend Buona Forchetta more!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We stumbled upon this gem during our time in Lido and it was 5 stars across the board. Marco recommended a fabulous wine and was very knowledgeable about the selections. Rico was an incredible server and made thoughtful suggestions and made sure we were comfortable and taken care of. The food was exceptional, authentic Italian and best of all - they had a very extensive vegan menu and wonderful gluten free options. Everything was top notch, including the dessert, and the ambiance and water views can’t be beat. The patio is so charming. A must try!

Dietary restrictions: Vegan, gluten free

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5