40 Best Italian Restaurants near Rancho Santa Margarita

“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?“

“Great food, and awesome service!“

“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!“

“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 !! 🇮🇹“

“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.“

“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.“

“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!“

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

“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.“

“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😎“

“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 !“

“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!“

“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.“

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

“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.“

“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.“

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

“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 !!!“

“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!“

“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 ❤️“

“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!“

“After living in the area for ~20 years I finally discovered Bella Roma last year and my only complaint is I wish I knew about it sooner!! This place is loverly. Been around for a long time and for good reason. The staff are friendly and welcoming and clearly care about their craft. The food is always flavorful and always fresh; I once ordered the eggplant appetizer for delivery and burnt my tongue! Not too badly though, I was still able to enjoy it :) Not much seating inside but you can certainly eat there if you want; I typically opt for takeout or delivery. Favorite items include the veggie pizza and chicken parmesan, but I’ve never been disappointed with anything on the menu.“

“Didn't look like much from the outside, but inside is very nice. The couples tables tho, are way too close together and so cluttered. There isn't enough room for your plate and drink.....but....food was delicious!

I had the halibut with mango salsa. OMG.... Delicious!! My bf had the shrimp n pasta. He said it was very good but the halibut was better. You absolutely need to try the beet salad. So many flavors. For dessert we had the lemon cheesecake. It was mouth watering.

Service was too rushed. I got my beet salad and 4 min later I received my dinner plate.

Even though there were a few hiccups, we did have a pleasant evening and we'll be back.“

“Visited the El Segundo store. Outstanding pizza. As good as the best pizza I’ve had in NYC. (I’ve had a lot of NYC Pizza) Staff are really friendly and the manager goes above and beyond to make sure every customer is happy. Highly recommend.“

“Their happy hour is fantastic. They serve an amazing osso bucco, unfortunately it's rarely on the menu, but if you give them your email address, they will let you know when it's on the menu. They have a $20 corkage fee.“

“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“

“Excellent service. Great pizza and pasta.“

“Best pizza in town!! I can recommend Cicero‘s any day!“

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

“Portions are good and the atmosphere was great. Music and singing was constant throughout the meal (this was a Friday night, I don’t know if it changes by day) so I would not recommend if you’re looking for a quiet dinner.“

“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“