Primos was fantastic. each meal on the menu hits the spot. they treat you like family when you walk in the door.

This restaurant has been around for just over 2 years, and I hope it's around for many more. The ambience, the service, the drinks, the food, all of it was spectacular. Genuinely the best meal I have ever had, and I've had some pretty incredible ones. Primo's blew them all out of the water. Get here yesterday. If you DID eat here yesterday, do it again today. And also tomorrow. read more

Super salty and all sauces were in appropriately sweet. Server recommended a dish with a hard boiled egg and salami that was barely eatable. Would not recommend Primos. read more

What am amazing experience! Went in around 430 and was seated right away. Our waiter was phenomenal with knowledge of the menus and offering pairing suggestions as well as some laughs. The food was flavorful and exceeded any expectations. The Brussels were my favorite! Crispy and just the right amount of seasoning! We were seated in the main dinning room at a little cozy table for 2. read more

See all

What a disaster. We had reservations. They said no record of it. Very rude and matter of fact. Lady was very rude. Said well we can seat you. Waited 20 minutes as she cleaned tables and many tables were avaliable. We said it would have been nice to be seated and she replied you could have sat at bar. We were not drinking. After we sat I said where are all the pasta dishes and she replied they are right there on the menu with a rude attitude. Wine prices totally ridiculous and portions looked small for the prices. We were insulted enough and left. I told her she was very rude. Never again for us. Unfortunate experience. We have never done this before. read more

Phenomenal food. Great drinks. Excellent service. Oscar was delightful. Couldn't ask for more. Truly. read more

Primo's - Wild boar lasagna - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

See all

The service was great! Our food was delicious! We sat outside and were the only ones out there for a minute, but, we were never forgotten! Definitely looking forward to returning! read more

See all

This place is fancy. We came in very casual, with our 6 year old, and it was great - but no kids menu. No markdown for that!!! He got the rigatoni marinara with meatballs - it was outstanding! He LOVED it, so did we. My husband and I shared the chicken piccata. It came served over homemade fettuccine. The handmade pastas REALLY make a difference. Chef's kiss!!! Paul was our server. Very knowledgeable, guided us through the menu, made helpful recommendations, prompt, friendly, 10/10. This place is expensive and well worth it. I'd love to go back to eventually try everything on the menu. I can tell the chefs are talented, and I just KNOW everything is probably outstanding. We'll be back!!! Highly recommend! read more

Always love Primo's as indicated by our waiter recognizing us. Every experience here is stellar from food to service. The old location shut down and the new one place is very stylish. read more

See all

Five stars for Oscar! Our group thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Primos on the patio. We were impressed by both the mocktail selection and the wine list. We enjoyed oysters as a special menu addition, then a variety of salads, pastas, and steaks. Desserts were incredible as well. Oscar was incredibly attentive to us and very knowledgeable too. Looking forward to visiting again when we're in the area. read more

Saw this establishment on the way to a coffee shop and saw the "Brunch" sign. Looked like a very nice place to explore and experience! Were we on for a pleasant surprise! Primo's on Emerald Bay Rd (down the street across from Bert's Cafe) was an accidental discovery - my favorite experience. It was quaint, modern with intimate inside alcoves and a large covered outdoor patio with a large fireplace on the far side. We sat in a shaded corner which was thoughtful and a delight! Our server Nicole was pleasant, answered our questions and provided some awesome recommendations which landed my brunch pick - Croissant sandwich - which apparently is a crowd favorite there. It did not disappoint! I added some photos of food, location and establishment layout. Great place for groups! read more

See all

Had a super meal. Great service all around. My daughter and my husband were very happy with their dinner!

Food ok. I think I may have gotten food poisoning from the lamb bolognese. The free breadsticks reminded me of yan yan or pocky crackers with sweet butter. Service was slow but he was nice overall. When paying, the server paid our card under the wrong tab so we ended up waiting another 10 mins to get that fixed. read more

Every time we come to South Shore, we eat at Primo's. Consistently great food. Great Wine list and great service read more

We had dinner the other night and was pleasantly surprised. Hubby had a dozen oysters from Virginia. Our main dishes of veal Marsala and ribeye steak were perfect. Oscar our waiter was very informative and attentive. Desserts of cheesecake and lemon olive cake were not sweet at all. Hubby topped it off with a perfectly smoked old-fashioned. read more

Primo's - Ribeye steak, Brussels sprouts, veal Marsala - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Good food, one of the fancier places to eat at Tahoe, but not too pricey. More food options would be nice though.

Okay. This never happens but we have had 3(!) wonderful meals over this summer at Primos. Excellent food and service. After a very short 'growing pains' season, the place rocks it! Really happy for our town. Go to now for great Italian as well as seafood. Well done. read more

I lagged on posting life got busy during the holidays. But let's just say our little 2 day getaway to Tahoe was complete with our amazing dinner at Primos They had amazing and fast service, everyone there was friendly. The menu was absolutely spectacular, and tasted amazing. Their specials threw the pre planned orders out the window the Arenchini Balls, and oysters were fabulous. Our entrees came out at the perfect time, the lamb Bolognese and braised wild boar lasagna incredible. I personally loved the drinks. I originally got the Pink Peppercorn Cosmo, but I felt I needed to try one of there holiday specials I think it was a tequila pear drink? Oh I feel bad I don't remember but it was amazing. And nicely poured. So Bracing the weather outside was doable afterwards. (Looking for a place to stay. Across the street is PlayPark ridge, amazing and dog friendly) Anyways to top it all off, we got the pear Zamboni dessert(forgot the name). OMG this this was so good, I was so full and couldn't finish it, I needed to take it back to the hotel to eat the rest in bed. Thank you again for the amazing evening and wonderful service. Will be coming back absolutely. read more

See all

We we're headed to eat pizza across the street and saw this place and fell in love with it. It's a little pricey, but worth every penny menu's phenomenal service was great wine selection was out of this world. Can't wait to go back. read more

Primo's - Two lovers - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Great food, exceptional service and the best glass off red wine ever! Some Locals recommended this place to us as we live in June Lake. My wife and were celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary and they made it unforgettable. read more

Such a lovely experience! We had our first dinner tonight at Primo's and what a delight! I came at the recommendation of a Google reviewer who said she had the best octopus ever here. Given that I love octopus, I had to check it out. I was not disappointed! And as it turns out, everything was truly delightful from the hostess, to our waitress Nicole-- who was so attentive, funny, and made great recommendations, to obviously the deliciousness we ate and drank. The entire experience was a warm ambiance, with friendly and attentive service, and a wonderful culinary experience. And I also appreciated the slight twist on traditional Italian dishes. I won't give those away, you'll just have to check them out for yourself! I look forward to our next visit back to Primo's! read more

Primo's - From bottom to to: Octopus, bread plate, and burrata with grilled peach and romaine. - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

We were really looking forward to trying Primo's, but unfortunately our experience was very disappointing. On our way to the restaurant, we called to ask about the wait time for a table for two. We were told there was no wait, and we arrived just a few minutes later. However, when we got there, we had to wait because no table was available. While the wait itself wasn't very long, the hostess was frequently away from the host stand helping with other tasks, which left several guests waiting for extended periods before anyone acknowledged them. The service throughout the evening was slow. It took quite a while before we received water and the breadsticks, and our server didn't seem particularly attentive. The biggest disappointment was my meal. I ordered the Rigatoni with vodka sauce and specifically asked for no mushrooms. The first dish arrived with mushrooms anyway. After it was taken back, a second plate came out with meat, even though the menu description ("Vodka Sauce, Mushrooms, Rigatoni") didn't make it clear that the dish included meat. Unfortunately, the meat was extremely fatty and had such a strong flavor that I couldn't enjoy the sauce at all. After only a few bites, I decided I couldn't eat it. In the end, I left hungry and ended up getting dinner somewhere else. Mistakes can happen, but multiple service issues combined with an unsatisfactory meal made this a very disappointing experience. Based on this visit, I wouldn't return. read more

Great new location. Food and drinks were excellent. Staff were friendly. We had the salmon , veal Marsala, Rack of Lamb and oysters for appetizers. Homemade pasta! Paul was our server, very attentive and helpful. read more

Primo's - Lemon Drop and Palermo ? - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Love Primo's and continues to impress every time I go. Started with a variety of breads pared with a flavorful butter and jam, along with a wonderful Caesar salad and anchovies. Shared a scrumptious perfectly prepared steak Florentine which was the hit of evening. Nice wine list. Recommend the Anonini Chianti Classico reserva and sitting outdoors when the weather is nice! read more

See all

Everything about this restaurant is wonderful. Our waiter was friendly, attentive and spot on with suggestions. The pace was ideal. While we chose to sit inside, the outside dining area was also inviting. Our cocktails were unique and delicious. Caesar salad, carbonara, sea bass and octopus with shrimp were all outstanding. A great value as well. read more

We ordered the Baked Burrata, Octopus, Mussels, and the Carbonara Bucatini. The Baked Burrata had a bold, incredible flavor that stood out right away. The Octopus was cooked to perfection--tender, flavorful, and easily the best I've had at an Italian restaurant. The Mussels were also excellent, especially the rich, flavorful sauce they were served in. The only dish that fell a bit short for me was the Carbonara Bucatini. Although it appeared fully cooked, it had a doughy texture and taste, and the flavor itself was somewhat bland compared to the other dishes. Service was nice and I enjoyed the ambiance inside the restaurant. read more

Don't get this confused with Primo's Bistro which is the one with pizza! Me and my friends stopped here for a brunch, and I ordered the Artisanal Bread board. It came with sourdough, sticks, baguette, butter, oil, jam, and iberico lardo. My favorite was the bread with the iberico lardo! It was savory and matched with the big piece of bread. I also enjoyed dipping the sourdough in the jam! The service was pretty fast, and we got to sit outside in perfect weather, so the ambiance was great as well! read more

Primo's - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

It was our first visit and we were 100% shocked how good is this place! Professional waiters (our's was Scott), very polite. The atmosphere is amazing, we decided to sit outside and it was very nice. The interior was beautiful as well. Clean restrooms with unique design. Pleasant music The food was of course the best part. You all just have to try it. The appetizers were delicious I couldn't stop thinking of ordering more!!! We tried their clockwork white ale beer and it was the best beer in our life. You are tasting the food and you can realize that you had never tried this flavor in your life, very unique!!! Will definitely come back to try more read more

See all

From the very first call at 4, Primo's set the tone. Andrea answered the phone and was incredibly kind and helpful. I asked if we needed reservations for a party of two within the next half hour and she let me know it should be fine but that they usually fill up around 5-6 pm (appreciated the honesty). I also asked about mocktails... and yes, they have them. Big win! I was getting all dolled up and wanted somewhere fancy, and Primo's absolutely delivered!! Walking in felt like stepping back in time, in the best way. Frank Sinatra, BB King, and other classics playing in the background, candlelit tables, warm beige walls, romantic old-school vibes. Cozy, classy, nostalgic... whatever the word is, it was a whole mood and I was fully there for it. When we arrived, there were only two other tables seated, which made it feel intimate and relaxed. By the time we left? The place was completely packed and clearly for good reason. Sal was our server and walked us through the specials. He was fantastic from start to finish, super personable and genuinely fun to talk to. We started with a dozen oysters (so good we immediately ordered another dozen.) We also ordered the octopus because we love trying it everywhere we go. This was the only thing that wasn't a home run; it was a bit chewy/rubbery. That said, octopus is tricky, and I'd still be willing to try it once more. We shared the porterhouse steak and it was delicious. Perfectly cooked, flavorful, and absolutely worth it. Dessert? We basically ordered everything except the white chocolate bread pudding (next time!). I had a cappuccino to go with dessert and it was perfect! * Panacotta: my absolute favorite--light, silky, and incredible * Olive oil cake: warm, moist, dreamy * Tiramisu: outstanding (was that an Oreo/chocolate crumble on top??) * Chocolate Mousse: So light and fluffy * Chocolate Ganache: thick and delicious with a caramel top. Mocktails deserve their own shoutout. * Gin Thyme mocktail: good not too sweet. * Hibiscus Ginger Smash: SO good--bright, refreshing, sweet and delicious Next time I'm trying the PearRita for sure. My partner ordered real cocktails: * Apricot Fig Old Fashioned: Great! * Barrel-Aged Paper Plane: so fantastic he ordered a second Service across the board was amazing. After dessert came out, Sal even offered to take our photo, which was such a thoughtful touch and really speaks to the level of care here. You can tell he love hospitality. Even the check was brought out inside an old book, A Judy Bolton Mystery. Such a classic, charming detail. I wish we had asked if we could write in it like others apparently had. I regret not leaving a little note. On the way out, I stopped at the bar to thank Andrea (bartender who had also taken my call) and made sure she was tipped well. I'm glad I did, because tips are kept separate from dining room and bar. So if you order drinks while you're at a table, make sure you tip your bartender separately! All in all: incredible service, fantastic atmosphere, amazing food and drinks, and thoughtful little details that make the experience special. We will absolutely be back!!! read more

See all

This was our first time to Primo's after going to the Lake House for years. I am sad to say, it will probably be our last visit as well. I will start with the good. The staff are wonderful; everyone from the hostess to the servers were very friendly, conversational, and helpful. Also, the decor is still beautiful. We chose to sit outside on this visit, and I feel like they could do more to make the tables outside look as nice as the atmosphere inside, but that is a very small thing. Now for the bad. The food. Well, I suppose that is somewhat harsh, so I will break it down from best to worst. My husband and I are not drinking alcohol at the moment, so we very much appreciated the NA options on the menu. We each had a hibiscus ginger mocktail that was very good and not overly sweet/sugary. I liked it a lot and may try to make my own at home. We then ordered the grilled peach and burrata salad. This was my first clue that things were going to go horribly wrong. The salad came out with several uncut leaves of lettuce, not ideal for eating, but I guess it is about the presentation. With said lettuce was one very sad, very small, piece of burrata. I have actually never seen a piece of burrata that small, so I am assuming they just cut a normal piece of burrata into smaller sections maybe? And then there was one half of a small, hard, grilled peach. The peach was not ripe to begin with, but even so, not grilled to the point of being soft. It was also topped with some sort of a drizzle I guess you could say, of something that was an artificial pink color. It was edible, but none of it was that great. A salad is such an easy thing! This could have been mixed greens dressing with a light lemon and olive oil dressing, topped with an actual burrata, and a peach cut in half and grilled. Then maybe dress the burrata with a beautiful basil vinaigrette for color and flavor. But sadly, that was not the case. Ok, after the salad we ordered a ribeye medium rare and the mushroom risotto. The ribeye was cooked the way that it was supposed to, but definitely needed salt. It was presented sliced nicely and the interior was cooked perfectly, so I can't be too mad. BUT the risotto was AWFUL. I'm not even sure how someone can ruin risotto unless it came from a box. The risotto had zero flavor. It was a pasty grey color and tasted like someone mixed in drywall. It was inedible. Even the mushrooms in the risotto were grey. The creaminess from risotto comes from slow cooking the rice NOT from adding any form of cream or milk (which was obviously done in this case), and you have to caramelize the mushrooms in a hot pan with butter before adding them to your risotto, otherwise they are just boiled grey slimy bits. Gross. Also, risotto when cooked properly will have SALT in it. Salt from the butter that you saute the rice in before you ever start to add liquid. Salt from the chicken broth that you add to the rice as it cooks. And finally, salt from the parmesan or asiago that you add to the risotto at the end of cooking. This risotto was the opposite of all of those things. No salt, bland, tasteless, grey, sad. If I had to guess, whomever is working in the kitchen does not actually know how to make Italian food. It is possible that we came on a day when the backup to the backup chef was working, or someone new had just started and has little to no experience, I don't know, but at a time when eating at restaurants can be quite expensive, it is really hard to convince myself to come back and try a place like this again. Just to be clear, I can't say one single bad thing about the staff that helped us. They were all wonderful. They are the only reason I could give two starts instead of one. read more

The restaurant is nice and clean but the food is overpriced and there isn't enough flavor. The tip is included, due to this i believe that's why the service was rude. read more

Primo's - Lasagna - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

Excellent service by Nicole. Nice wine selection and delicious meals served hot and promptly. I found the patio to be beautiful, and the interior well-appointed. read more

Primo's - Sea Bass - Italian Near Me - South Lake Tahoe, California

See all

Food was very average, lacking seasoning /salt One friend had veal Marsala he said it was tough ! I had mushroom risotto it was good enough , bland in flavor and def needed fresh parm ( which they didn't have just brought me shaved parm ) The service was excellent though. Maybe just bad day but super pricey for the food quality. Hopefully things will improve because I'm not sure we'd go back for less than average food The atmosphere was darling inside read more

I've been here a few times when my friends come up here to visit. Primos has been awesome. Beautiful decor. Nice lighting. Not too dark nor too bright. The food has been excellent. The service is just fine. This isn't a fast food place and the pace is right for the restaurant. The beet and carrot salad was excellent! We'll definitely be back with more of our friends. read more

First time eating at Primos. My wife and I had a wonderful experience. Cocktails are very good, I had the bourbon based Italian cocktail. Oyster were very good, along with the crab bruschetta. We had Osso Bucco and Chicken fettuccine. Both entries were exceptional. Our waiter Sal was great. Highly recommend. read more

We went for dinner last night and locals had told us this was the best restaurant in town... we were both served pasta (lasagna and the fettuccini Alfredo) with RAW pasta dough. It wasn't boiled first before being introduced to the sauce or dish. It tasted like raw pasta dough in the lasagna and pulled apart like raw dough. Same with the fettuccini. I think they "cook" it in the sauce and don't pre-boil. At least that's what happened last night. We are chefs so our palette's don't lie! The plating feeling like the early 2000's. Ok ingredients but assembled strangely (the two salads we had were very oddly put together). Server was constantly upselling or angling for us to join the rewards program. Not chill! Also the outside patio is ALL BEIGE. Just drab. Would be great if they put some cut flowers on the tables to add a vibe. Lake Tahoe in the summer is full of bounty! Do better. read more

Just tried this spot while vacationing. The menu was a little scarce, but if you ask the waiter they can suggest traditional add ons for whatever you're getting. Great wine selection read more

See all

This restaurant service was slow though the waiters were pretty nice. It took a while for us to get our food, speaking of which my spaghetti looked like worms though (considering they were thick and has a hole if you bit it, but overall this restaurant was okay, read more

Our new Tahoe favorite. We had eaten there at the old location for a big family dinner and were not that impressed, partciularly with the service. I'm so glad we gave it another chance...and another. We dropped in without a reservation on a weekend night with a party of 8, plus an infant. They not only managed to make it work, but we had the best service, food and drinks. My husband and I went back again last week, and this time we sat at the bar. We had the same great service, tried some different dishes (also tasty) and cocktails. Highly recommend. read more

Food was perfect! Service was perfect! An they even brought out a very nice birthday treat for my friend. Plan on going back soon!