The food was good. Service not quite, mainly server issue. The vibe was very welcoming as the employees were all smiling as we walked in. Unfortunately when we got seated the server was already passive aggressive. Her name is STACIA S. She made little comments as well for example when we got our bill she said "oh now you guys can figure this out". After this comment she walked away and our table just kinda was like "oh?". Afterwards she hands us our receipt back and was like "oh by the way you guys don't have to worry about the tip as for a table of 6+ is automatic." She definitely made the night memorable! read more

This is hands down one of the best places in Orange County for truly authentic Italian food. From the moment you walk in, the owner and general manager make you feel like you've been welcomed into their home in Italy. Every dish is prepared to perfection fresh, flavorful, perfectly balanced, and never overly salty. The menu has an incredible selection, the desserts are amazing, the ambiance is beautiful, and the entire staff is warm and attentive. Everything about Molo feels authentic, from the hospitality to the food. Top-tier across the board and easily one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Orange County. read more

We came to Molo on a Friday night with an 8:30 PM reservation and were excited after hearing so many great things. Even with a reservation, we waited about 15-20 minutes to be seated, but our waiter was great and recommended ordering everything at once since the kitchen was very busy. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and my partner got the penne alla vodka. The chicken parmigiana was definitely the highlight !! perfectly seasoned, fresh, and crispy. The pasta on the side was simple but delicious and paired perfectly with the dish. The calamari appetizer was just okay.. it was a little greasy and soggy. The penne alla vodka also didn't stand out; the sauce lacked flavor and tasted mostly like cream, and some of the noodles were undercooked. The ambience was nice, but with how crowded it was, the space felt a bit tight and overstimulating. We'd definitely like to give Molo another try on a weekday when it's less busy because we really enjoyed the chicken parmigiana and want to experience it in a more relaxed setting! read more

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I haven't been doing reviews lately, but I had to come back to share with others how delicious the food was. From service to food 10/10! The host did a phenomenal job welcoming us! I noticed she also did such a wonderful job at making everyone feel welcome as she was seating them! Service here is top notch 11/10! Roberto our server gave us the best experience. My favorite was the Arancini. I was about to order another one, but got too full from the other wonderful items. Arancini 10/10. Flavor was just beautiful. I loved this dish a lot. Mussels 9/10 we replaced the tomato sauce for a white wine sauce/broth. Very yummy and the bread that it came with was so buttery and delicious. Citrus salad 6/10 I personally was not a fan of this salad. The leaves were bitter not to my liking, but other than that the salad was very fresh with all the citrus fruits Garlic bread 9/10! Good to eat right away and dipped into the cacio e pepe sauce! Pizza caico, pepe & guanciale 8/10. My honey wanted this pizza bc he doesn't like red sauce. Lots of pepper Cacio E Pepe 9/10 the pasta itself was cooked nicely. The sauce was delicious. My experience was wonderful with my honey! Roberto made our evening spectacular! The lighting is dim and he was joking with us and took his phone flashlight out for our picture haha. Thank you very much read more

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I came here for the first time to an amazing baby shower where the momma to be reserved the entire outdoor patio for her shower. It was spacious enough to have a manned bar cart, a photo backdrop, and a long buffet line. Tricky directions take you to the adjacent valet kiosk for another restaurant and I know they are so tired of redirecting cars to the private community Lido Peninsula where you have to get a parking pass for 2 hours and can't venture outside of the restaurant area. The food was beautifully presented. The shaved parmasean on the Caesar was memorable as well as the steamed branzino. I was impressed by the level of service for our party of 70! read more

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Came here for the first time as a mother's day lunch. Weather was perfect, Guido was our server and so so attentive. Explained the menu, gave recommendations, and more. Beautiful elevated scenery close to the water. Not too crowded so we could fit our stroller close by us. Sausage pizza fresh, pasta was tossed in the cheese wheel, Garlic bread was so good but a lot of pieces for just 2 people, meatballs were incredible 10/10 would come back and order this time and time again. Tiramisu was to die for. A great experience read more

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This place is an absolute gem on Lido! Authentic italian at its finest included with excellent service! I couldn't have had a better experience and shared a better meal with a great friend. read more

Molo - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Had a fun time at this spot. Great service & great espresso martini! I will say the fish dishes fell short, the flavor of the lobster pasta and the mussels both had an overpowering ocean/briny taste, maybe the fish past their prime? With an ammonia-like smell. We couldn't eat much of either, so that was disappointing. Enjoyed the appetizers though! The staff was incredibly nice & attentive and the environment was really cute--Love the outdoor section. read more

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One word: ossobucco. It's one of my favorite Italian dishes and Molo serves the best version of it that I've had yet. All the food we ordered was great, but this was easily the most memorable. Highly recommended. read more

Molo - Ossobucco, lasagna, seafood spaghetti, gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Very strange to get to this restaurant in the Lido shipyard. The food was OK... The pizza was full of cheese. My order I asked for a grilled shrimp and I didn't get it to the very end of my meal. I don't know what they're trying to achieve here, but the decor is a little crazy. Unfortunately, we will not be coming back read more

Food was fine nothing out of this world. Was expecting more flavor for it being authentic Italian. The shrimp gnocchi was by far the best one. Our waiter was awesome! Very friendly and recommended us some good wine. He also gave us samples of two wines before we had to decide. I will say the vibe here is very cute. Low lighting and intimate. Perfect for a date or for dinner with the girls. Probs won't come back again though read more

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First time in and we sat inside and had Alex as our waiter. We were seated indoors, it's super cute inside but it got to be pretty loud where you had to talk over the other tables. We ordered a bunch of plates to share. Everything we had was delicious, the pastas were a favorite. read more

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Love that there's free parking because it's always a struggle to find parking in Newport. It's kind of hidden, you have to go into a private neighborhood and I would recommend making reservations because this place is sooo popular. I ordered the cacio e pepe with black truffle and garlic bread with caesar salad. I ended with a tiramisu which I'm still thinking of to this day! We sat outside in the patio area and it was very romantic. Such a good date night spot read more

Molo - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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MOLO is a very intimate Romantic Italian restaurant . The ambiance gives you great opportunities to take some great photos lX Service is ok not good and not bad. Food was okay felt kind of bland The price point was mid to high but I think you just paying for the vibes tbh. read more

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The dessert took my breath away. Lentils with the squid were a bit too salty. But everything else was good. Tucked away from the busy streets. Hidden gem read more

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Absolutely loved the burnt spaghetti. Service was great and the parking is so convenient. read more

Molo - Burnt spaghetti the pasta I ever had! - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Pizza was very mediocre, wouldn't recommend. But the gnocchi, tortellini, and cacio e pepe pastas were delicious. Staff was very nice.

I love the vibe of this place. The location is super cool and it definitely feels like a hidden gem in Newport Beach. We started with the garlic bread and it was absolutely delicious. I also ordered the bolognese and it was amazing, rich and full of flavor. Unfortunately, we also ordered the vodka pasta and it was not great at all. It tasted like bare noodles with zero flavor, which was really surprising. I am knocking it down a star for that dish. They also do not have their full liquor license yet, so the cocktails are not the best. the wine is so good though! However, the service was really good and the highlights were truly great. I loved the bolognese enough that I would come again, but I would definitely skip the vodka pasta. Overall, one eh dish doesn't ruin it for me! I would come back and try more without a doubt!! read more

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Hidden gem worth making the trip here! I'm so glad my co worker recommended and didn't gate keep her fave Italian restaurant. The atmosphere here is great with their sheltered outdoor seating you still get the perfect amount of sunlight, breeze and fresh air. Service was fast when we came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch around noon. We didn't need reservations. We had the following: Clams 10/10 light refreshing and perfect amount of flavor Calamari 8/10 Penne all a vodka ; 8/10 it wasn't cooked enough the pasta but was very good read more

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Trendy italian place in Newport Beach. Finally an italian restaurant with italian speaking staff from the hostess to the server and busser. Nice ambiance, good food, great service, the server Guido and the busser Adrian were terrific and good prices for Newport Beach. Will be back for sure. read more

Had reservations which I recommend. Parking is easy, they have their own lot which is so nice. Ambiance is amazing & romantic. Service & splendid, fast, & friendly. We got some wine to drink & the octopus with lentils to start which was tasty. For mains we had the tortellini (wow my fav) and the ORECCHIETTE SALSICCIA which was amazing too. I want to try the Cacio e Pepe next time and avocado citrus salad. Will definitely be back! read more

This place was great, I can't wait to go back. We got the garlic bread, Caesar salad, and I had the chicken parmigiana. The chicken and the homemade pasta were perfect. I just wish the Caesar salad had a creamy dressing, the light dressing it had was very light in flavor. This was a perfect birthday dinner. read more

Loved the ambiance and the decor. We sat inside although the patio is beautiful as well. We shared the mussels, citrus avocado salad, branzino and caccio de peppe. The pasta needed some more flavor / pepper, the texture was good. The mussels had an amazing sauce. And the branzino was flavorful. read more

Why is no one talking about this place? Hidden behind the Lido area is this beautiful Italian gem that feels so warm and homey, it literally felt like walking into an Italian grandma's house. We got the cacio e pepe and the spicy vodka gnocchi, and WOW so fresh and delicious. The gnocchi could have used just a bit more sauce, but honestly, that's only because it was THAT good. Paired it with broccolini, but next time I'm definitely reserving a table on the patio and pairing it with some wine as well. We also tried a pizza, which was great and you can tell it was made from scratch but the pasta really steals the show. Our server was a cute Italian guy, was so endearing, and his accent honestly made the whole experience even more charming lol. This place is a hidden treasure don't sleep on it! read more

Molo - Spicy Vodka Gnocchi, Margarita Pizza, Broccolini, Cacio e Pepe - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Yall have the worst service EVER! Had dinner here tonight for my birthday at the Newport location and our waiter did not check up on us once through our whole dining experience. You guys could have made an additional amount of money as a business as we would have ordered 2 bottles of wine and a pizza on top of our drinks and food per person... Waste of my time to even go in more depth. Will never go back which is unfortunate for how good the food is. Don't ever eat at this establishment. To the business owner you should crack down on your employees... I'm in sales and not even in this industry and I could have done way better than our waiter which is a lot to say. Customer service= 0 stars read more

The food was good. We got the meatballs and garlic bread as an appetizer, those were delicious! We got cacio e pepe and the lasagna as the main dish. Both were good but the cacio e pepe was super oily. I would come back because I'm intrigued by some of the other dishes they offer however the customer service just wasn't there. I received the best hospitality from the people who brought out the food. Made me proud to be Latina! read more

The meatballs were a delicious appetizer paired with the garlic Bread using it for the leftover sauce. The lasagna was amazing it felt like it was made by someone's grandmother and was the best plate ordered. The Cacio e Pepe was a bit disappointing because I thought we were gonna get it made in a cheese wheel because I had saw a video on that. The flavor wasn't all that and I'd probably pass if I go again. The risotto was delicious but it was one of the last to come out and I was getting full but it was very light dish. The shrimp n potato Gnocci was delicious and had a great sauce I'd definitely reorder. Service was great the staff was very attentive and wouldn't let water go unfilled. It was a beautiful lil spot near the ocean with a nice interior and huge mirrors. read more

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I had such a great night at Molo with my family on Saturday night! My husband, friend, parents, and I all shared everything, and the meal couldn't have been better. We ordered the following: - fried calamari (so light and tasty. There were fried veggies mixed in too and everything was very flavorful) - caprese alla molo (the mozzarella knots were SO good. I also loved the peppers!) - linguini all"aragosta (sooo delicious and the lobster was great. Added the perfect flavor!) - cacio e Pepe (some of the best I've ever had, honestly. Even including pasta in Italy! It was so light and flavorful) - margarita pizza (simple and so good) - Nutella bread pudding (amazing. So so so so good!!!) We sat outside under the tented area and had a blast. The only downside was how loud it was. We all also had a bit of a hard time seeing the menu/each other because of the dark lighting, but that didn't bother us. Such a fun night and can't wait to go back!! read more

This place is so good I really don't want it tell anyone about it lol. I won't even share my favorite dish but trust me, you gotta try their pasta read more

Even thought this place was not for me, I can appreciate a restaurant that has heart and is passionate about the food they are making. We went during the holiday time and the place was pretty busy. Luckily we were still able to get a reservation. The place has both covered outdoor and indoor seating. The place gives off an higher level casual dining experience. Great for date or just a place to dine with friends or family. Our server was very polite and was great about telling us about the menu if we had any questions. We ordered garlic bread, Caesar salad, ricotta and spinach ravioli, and a margarita pizza. The bread had the perfect amount of garlic and perhaps butter on it. You could taste all the elements of the raviolis which I feel you want. The ricotta and sauce blended well together. The Caesar salad was above basic. The pizza could have had more sauce for the amount of cheese they put on it. Everything overall was solids. It was not outstanding for me, but I could definitely tell attention to the ingredients in what they made was certainly there. I appreciated the cheeses they used were certainly specially picked to help bring their dishes unique character. While this was not my favorite place, I would certainly eat there again. Service 9/10 Food 6.5/10 Overall 7/10 read more

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Overpriced. Food was bland as a saltine without salt. Great location. Drinks were overpriced and not good. Definitely catering to the tourist crowds. Not a place to visit again! read more

The pasta was delicious, I got bolognese, gnocchi, and beef tartare to share with my bf. Already want to come back to try more on the menu. For dessert, I get tiramisu anywhere if it's on the menu, but it was a miss for me. It was dry and not that cold either. My bf got the affogato and the vanilla gelato is delicious so I'd probably get gelato the next time. I'm knocking a star off because we got seated outdoors near the door the servers go in and out, it was really crowded and so many people waiting to walk through as well, along with utensils and a glass being dropped 3x our duration while the door that was against our table too so it felt kinda claustrophobic and overstimulating. As for service, it was just alright, our server guy got the job done but it wasn't friendly by all means, not even a smile cracked lol but there was an italian chef that actually spoke to us, made conversation, laughed, and told us a little bit more about the dishes and what he recommended and that was awesome. read more

We were celebrating a birthday and had most amazing time!!! Our food was delicious the branzino was spectacular!!! We had a beautiful bottle of wine and dessert. The service made the meal even better!!! Definitely on my list to come back to for Italian food in Newport Beach read more

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I've been to this place a few times and seems like it's good at times but never great, yesterday I should say that the food was pretty good, pizza was cooked perfectly and the pasta dishes were good In the past I had ordered lasagna that were hot on the outside but frozen in the middle In any event I'd go back read more

I really love the food here. I got the shrimp gnocchi twice and it was consistently just as good. This was the closest gnocchi I had to when I was in Italy at my favorite restaurant. Service is great and all the dishes my family have gotten were very good as well. Ambiance is white table cloths and dim lighting inside but not stuffy, a place you'd go for a nice or casual dinner with your family/friends! read more

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Food was 3 stars, service was 1 star. Additionally the acoustics are awful and tables crammed so close it is extremely loud and difficult to have table conversations. Wanted to love this place. We went for my daughter's birthday. Had a reservation and asked for patio but was seated inside - told they would move us in 20 mins but never did. It took 20 mins to get water and longer for drinks for the table. My kids ordered cocktails including an espresso martini which they said tasted like the canned cocktail version and not a freshly made one. You have to order everything at once "for kitchen efficiency," they say - yet they are VERY slow to bring things out. Additionally they didn't even offer freshly grated Parmesan for the pasta. read more

Terrible food. Service was ok. Ambiance is lovely. Too bad the food is so bad. I had chicken piccata that was absolutely awful. We c My husband had chicken Parmesan that tasted like it was from a frozen food section the grocery store. It's too bad. It's a lovely place with such a great setting, but the food read more

Delizioso! I can't praise Molo enough. From the entrance to their beautiful patio dining area, to their delicious, authentic food and charming waiters. It's a hidden gem. A colleague of mines found out that I go on a hunt for Italian food, so he highly recommended Molo. Needless to say he was dead on! It's a bit of a long drive for me, but I manage to revisit Molo at least 1s a month. My personal favorite is the lobster pasta and cannoli for dessert, and sometimes with espresso martini. Everyone I brought so far has had a great time and happy taste buds. SALUTI to Molo! read more

Molo - Lobster pasta. YUM! - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I live in the neighborhood and stopped by hoping to grab a quick dessert, but was turned away at the entrance and told I couldn't even enter the property without a reservation. I understand reservation policies for dining, but restricting access to the entire property--even for a quick visit--felt unnecessarily rigid and unwelcoming. As a local resident, this was especially disappointing. The interaction at the entrance also came across as dismissive rather than helpful. Not a great first impression for a place that's supposed to be about hospitality. Plenty of other spots nearby that are much more welcoming. read more

Our fave Italian in southern Cali. Definitely get the Cacio e Pepe. Staff is great prices are reasonable. You'll love it