I was excited to learn there was a location in Costa Mesa but was disappointed that it was a ghost…read morekitchen and not a real restaurant. The pasta wasn't bad but would probably not visit again.

My wife and I are fans of the original Pasta Sisters location in Culver City. Their handmade…read morepastas are delicious, and we were excited to try their location on the border of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. The extraordinary thing about the Pasta Sisters is that they offer house made pastas, which guarantees a higher price point, but offers unparalleled texture. The spaghetti has a "bite" that you get from a true "al dente" pasta. Their cheese tortellini were incredibly rich and cheesy, but a touch salty. The drawback of this location is that it's a ghost kitchen. You order it online and the order will be ready for you when you come in to pick it up. The location does not have seating, and you eat it at your own convenience. If you live/work locally, then this can be definitely worth checking out. Because I live out of town, I have to enjoy it either in my car, after a long drive home, or at my wife's office; however, I want to enjoy these $20 pastas in a restaurant, with wine and good company. A ghost kitchen is very different than a restaurant experience. I hope they do choose to bring their restaurant to the OC one day.

We ordered an appetizer and when we were finished, server took plate but told us to keep our…read moreutensils rather than giving us fresh ones and nothing to place them on so we just put on table. The capalini was kind of gooey. Kind of expensive for amount. My companion had chicken piccata and just comes as a slab of breaded chicken with nothing else so for $10 extra he ordered capalini goo too. Very expensive for what you get. Service was basic. Maybe pizzas would have been better choice. All were strange combinations pineapple with perreroni... Dinning outside looked more inviting than inside.

Ospi hand-delivers an elevated coastal Italian experience that redefines traditional cooking…read moretechniques. I am drawn to Ospi's Michelin twists where bold flavors are made possible with the least amount of ingredients. Every bite counts. The kale salad to start was the best decision. The finely chopped kale leaves paired beautifully with the well-thought-out dressing and cheese. The crispy provolone was crunchy and had a balanced taste of cheesiness. The copione pizza was paper-thin yet contained a robust flavor profile which I did not expect. The highlight of the already amazing meal was the mandilla pesto pasta. The electric green color of the almond-pine nut pesto sauce was extremely powerful, and it was the best-tasting pesto pasta I've ever had. The Italian meal felt complete, but I didn't feel overwhelmed with the amount of carbs. I love the friendly staff and patio seating!

This restaurant is amazing!! Family owned business and they have lots of parking spots for the…read morecustomers. The empanadas are amazing, best ones I've ever had. And their pasta is really good too, made in house! The staff were all really friendly too. I love being able to support local businesses and this one is definitely a must! I will definitely be returning very soon, amazing food and amazing staff!!

The place is cute! We went on a Thursday and there was practically no wait…read more We got empanadas for $3 for their special and they were so good! My fettuccine Alfredo was great, with big portions and a good amount of chicken! Their service is attentive and our server took care of us the whole time (:

Sincerely, this was the BEST Grubhub delivery I have ever had. A couple of changes for the item I…read moreordered were caught, and I had a phone call to confirm what I did/did not want. PERFECT! I will be going there directly one day, or simply order once again from Grubhub. The BEST Italian restaurant, in Orange County. Honestly, if you haven't been there before, I highly recommend Al Forno Caffe!

Al Forno continues to be one of my family's favorite Italian restaurants every time we're in the…read morearea. The food less on the heavier, richer side but is excellent quality and tastes just as good a day or two afterwards in case you have leftovers. For takeout: the food takes between 20-40 minutes to come out on average (although we typically have a larger order, so it could be shorter for others) and is still very warm by the time we eat it. The pappardelle funghi is our go to along with the rigatoni buttera. I really enjoy the creaminess of both sauces and the variation in taste. Although I'm not a big fan of sausage, the rigatoni buttera is so good that I'm willing to order it regardless. As for desserts, the rosemary lemon pannacotta here is some of the best I've had and I enjoy getting a cup whenever we order here. Would highly recommend stopping by if you're up for richer flavors.

Absolutely amazing from start to finish. The ambiance, the service, the food, the cocktails, the…read moremusic, Domenico singing... ALL amazing. They made my wife and I's 10 year anniversary enjoyable and memorable.

We celebrated our 16th year wedding anniversary at The Red Room. Service was amazing from start to…read morefinish. The owner reached out to confirm our reservations and when we arrived, the awesome service continued! I'm not a big fan of pasta so I was a little worried about what to expect when we got there but everything we ordered was amazing! I'm def coming back to try their other items. Live music, good food, great ambiance... totally recommend!

Massimo Pizza - Costa Mesa Rating: (5/5)…read more Sometimes you want an artisan, wood-fired, ultra-balanced pizza. And sometimes... you just want a massive, unapologetic, cheesy beast of a pie. Massimo nails that second category so perfectly that it feels almost therapeutic. We ordered an XL pepperoni + sausage with extra cheese, and the thing that stood out immediately is that Massimo actually understands what extra cheese is supposed to mean. Most chains toss on maybe 25-50% more, and it barely changes anything. Here, they layer it so thick that the slices almost fuse together into one glorious sheet of bubbling mozzarella. You lift a slice and it stretches -- heavy, gooey, satisfying -- exactly the way you hope it will. Flavor-wise, it hits all the buttons. The pepperoni brings salt and crisp edges, the sausage has that savory punch, and yes -- it's a grease bomb in the best possible way. If greasy pizza isn't your thing, this might not be the spot. But if you embrace a good greasy pizza, whether you're recovering from a long night or just craving comfort food, this place delivers. What really surprised me was how well the sauce balances everything. It has enough acidity to cut through all that cheese, meat, and oil, keeping each bite from feeling heavy. Instead of being overwhelmed, you just want another slice. And another. I also grabbed a side of alfredo sauce for crust dipping, and it was fantastic -- creamy, rich, and basically turned the leftover crust into its own bonus meal. This isn't a dainty pizza. It isn't pretending to be health food. It's bold, salty, cheesy, greasy, and absolutely delicious -- exactly the kind of pie you daydream about when someone says, "Let's just order pizza tonight." Final verdict: Massimo doesn't just do "extra cheese" -- they commit to it. Big flavors, heavy slices, great sauce balance, and total satisfaction. For this style of pizza, it hits the spot every single time. 5/5 -- an easy must-order. If you want clean, delicate pizza... look elsewhere. If you want pizza that tastes like pure comfort -- this is your place.

Admittedly, I didn't know this restaurant existed walking up, and it was a spur of the moment…read moredecision after I discovered the nearby 17th Street Deli was already closed (3pm). So, pizza or pasta? I needed something in my stomach before a wine tasting at Hi-Time Wine Cellars afterwards. Definitely need food for that! I was in a hunt for lasagne, so I asked and the lady who took my order gave it a seal of approval. I was also eyeing the house specials, or a build your own option. Pizzas looked good on the neighboring tables, so that's probably my next time choice. I grabbed a comfortable booth and waited a bit. The lasagne came out piping hot with that lovely browned cheese top. I decided to avoid adding anything else except black pepper, which revealed it's flavorful as-is. Anyhow, I like the casual atmosphere, and the clientele seemed to be regulars on a Saturday afternoon. Very nice!

I found this place not by one, not by two, not by three, but by four different food influencers…read morethat I follow on Facebook so I definitely had to give this place a try. I've passed by it so many times, but it never really caught my eye sitting there off Newport Boulevard, so I'm glad I checked out someplace new that kept getting recommended over and over. I ended up getting the small Italian hoagie and a cheese calzone with their Sunday sauce. The Italian sub was stacked too. Pepper ham, salami, capicola, mortadella, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, sweet peppers, hot peppers, pickles, oil and vinegar all packed into a soft Italian roll. Every bite had a different flavor going on from the salty meats to the sharp provolone and the crunch from the lettuce and peppers. The oil and vinegar tied everything together perfectly and gave it that classic deli sandwich taste. Even the small size was filling. The cheese calzone was huge and baked perfectly. The outside had that crispy golden brown crust with little charred spots all over it and a nice crunch when you cut into it. Inside was parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese all melted together and super cheesy without feeling too heavy. Then you dip it into the Sunday sauce and that's what takes it over the top. Their Sunday sauce is tomato based but infused with the drippings from their homemade beef and pork meatballs so it has a deeper richer flavor than regular marinara. You can definitely taste the difference. Really glad I finally stopped here because now I totally get why so many people were talking about it. Definitely a place I'll be coming back

Manny was our waiter he was fun and very attentive…read more This was our 1st time here and we can't wait to come back The food AMAZING & DELICIOUS . I can't stop raving about your seafood soup omgosh huge shrimp huge scallops so tender lots of big clams and salmon with the best tomato broth ! We also had Calamari lightly breaded and yummy yummy. Marie had the Shortribs they melted in your mouth so delicious with Risotto soooo good and fresh mushrooms We ventured over to the deli market side and came home with 2 huge PBJ Cookies. Everything is made fresh to order. Pastas made fresh too. I suggest everyone should come to Filomena's Italian Kitchen enjoy the same great experience as we did. I love the decorative style on the walls and the tiles up by the bar were really nice. Your Restrooms were big and clean thank you for that. You can park in their private parking. Thank you for an amazing time Manny.

Service and Ambiencr is fantastic one of apace best restaurants and Epic Italian cuisineread more

What a fantastic spot! In February on my trip home my friends booked a dinner for us at Trenta. We…read morewalked over and had a wonderful dinner! The owner came over to check how everything was going with genuine care. It was my first visit here and the server explained the menu and offered some fantastic suggestions. Food quality was excellent and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. As we were leaving a DJ was setting up for his set. We were there on a Saturday. This is definitely a fantastic neighborhood spot.

The best food and the best service!! Chris was so friendly and helpful! He made the experience!!read more

Food is so good and service is so good. Aubrey was our server and she was so sweet and easy to talk…read moreto, she made my night!

Take out on this trip Sausage/Pepperoni pizza was great and…read morethe Antipasta for two was huge Haven't found better pizza in the HB and Costa Mesa area The counter person was courteous and competent Overall it was a great experience this time

I want to be clear that this is a solid 3-star review--don't let the rating make you think it's…read moregross. This is just a really good, solid, average pizza. It's not one of those "oh my god, best I've ever had" moments, but it is definitely a step up from chains like Domino's or Papa John's. It's a good, local, "normal" town pizza.  The Breakdown: A great pizza relies on three main ingredients, and if you miss one, the whole thing takes a 33% dip. * Sauce & Cheese: Both of these are really good! No complaints there. * The Bread: This is where the pizza is lacking for me. While the texture is okay, it just doesn't have enough depth to the crunch. The salt-to-sugar ratio in the dough also feels a little off, which holds the whole thing back. Final Thoughts: There are definitely better options around, but there are also plenty of worse ones. If they could just improve the depth of flavor in their crust, this place would easily level up. It's a reliable local spot if you're looking for a standard meal, but it didn't quite blow me away.