Pagliuso (Lake Arrowhead) If you're in Arrowhead and want an unforgettable dining experience ans Italian escape in the mountains, this is your spot! We made reservations and recommend you do the same! First, the atmosphere is made with love and you will be greeted with genuine hospitality. Chef Antonello Zito is a Gran Champion of Chopped Battle Italiano, and the menu reflects it--tradition, technique, and authentic ingredients. We started with the Insalata Mista: organic spring mix + arugula topped with tomatoes, olives, balsamic glaze, and extra virgin olive oil. We added the burrata--fresh, clean, and the perfect way to open the palate. For mains: * Braciole Pasta -- thin-sliced braciole beef rolled with garlic, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, Italian parsley, and herbs, then slow-cooked for over 6 hours in house-made tomato sauce and poured over rigatoni. Pure comfort, done the old-school way. * Carbonara -- linguine with fresh egg yolk, pecorino, and imported guanciale (pork cheek). Simple, rich, and properly executed--no shortcuts. We enjoyed a glass of red wine with dinner, and then finished with espresso and the homemade tiramisu--absolutely divine. read more

I ordered delivery on a Friday night. The delivery came within 20 minutes which is great! The food was horrible. In only 20 minutes from clicking order on my phone, it came with all the sauce and noodles dried out. They were fused as one and it's not cold here right now. It was 65 degrees outside. You're better off buying a hungry man or lean cuisine at the grocery store. Far cheaper than the $50 I spent on one dish with no drinks. I'm very disappointed with the quality of food on the mountain. read more

Tucker away hem on way to lake arrowhead. Davide was very friendly and accommodating to our family! The burrata is a must! The zia pia was also a table pleaser! read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Prosciutto e Burrata - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

The owners were actively involved in this business and their personal touch on the service is outstanding, the food presentation was 100% perfect, Taste even better. I will come again with friends. read more

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We did a pick-up order so I can't speak to the ambience or experience of service when you dine here but we ordered the black truffle gnocchi off of a fellow Yelper's recommendation. We were pretty disappointed with this dish too be honest. There was no taste of truffle and the black pepper was HEAVY too the point the dish was just too spicy to enjoy eating. I wanted to like this place but I poetically would not go back. For the exhorbitant price of the dish it was sorely disappointing that we didn't have any truffle pieces or shavings and not even any hint of truffle taste. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Black truffle gnocchi- do not recommend - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

Such an awesome and amazing experience. We loved every moment here. Loved how inviting they were. Chef Antonello Zito was so pleasant, welcoming and sweet. Such a gentleman. He makes you feel like you're at home. Inviting. His food was magnificent. Davide was super fun and professional. He seemed to want everything to go perfect which was nice. Aubrey was super sweet and on point. Xavier did an excellent job on the flambé and very funny and sweet. Everyone here is so family orientated. We came on Saturday night 8/2/2025 to celebrate my aunts 60th young birthday. There was so much to choose from. We all tried each others plates and it was so hard to choose what our favorite was because everything was so tasty. Let me tell you though..... hands down, best ever ... the Nocciolino Hazelnut flavored coffee was ohhhmmmmyyyy! And the Caffè Speciale has me hooked. Best I've ever had anywhere ever. I need some more in my life. We had two orders of the Bruschetta. My cousin had the Mid-night Pasta, Little cousin had the Carbonara, I ordered the lasagna... I know ... I know... I was so plain lol, my friend order the Pasta al Forno, the hubby and aunt got Chicken Piccata ... I don't remember what my compadre got, my other cousin got Gnocchi alla Sorrentina and I'm not sure what my other aunt ordered. We also had the SpecialTiramisu Flambé. I hope to come back soon and try something different. We had such a great time. Bathrooms were clean. Restaurant and staff were presentable, clean and wonderful. Delightful service, food and all. read more

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So many bad things went wrong here. So. Many. One of my best girlfriends hosted 6 of us at her home in Running Springs excited to show us around the area. We had high hopes for Puglia and were in the mood for some authentic Italian. First, our server (Salvatore? Silvano?) gave us a very passive aggressive remark when we requested wine glasses w our $12 bottles of Pellegrino. He was clearly disappointed we weren't ordering wine and said he would be scolded for letting us use wine glasses for our drinks. Next, he seemed irritated we were sharing our dishes. Said something to the effect, "oh we're not getting more entrees. We're sharing hmmm." We ordered the black truffle pasta which was a mouthful of black pepper w ZERO truffle flavor. We were warned it was spicy but it was literally all black pepper. No complexity. Truffle is pronounced in dishes bc it obviously makes the dish expensive. We were all convinced there was no truffle even in it. We often order dishes w truffle and could tell the difference. The pasta dishes overall were expensive for the casualness of the restaurant. Prices in the high $30s and $40s for pedestrian dishes. The tiramisu has a lot of caramel sauce on the plate, which was surprising because it took away from the Tiramisu flavor. The final nail on the coffin was when our server came back and asked for our wine glasses back, most of which were full of Pellegrino we paid for, because "the kitchen had no wine glasses." That was completely classless. And he did so w no apologies or tact. Took the full glasses out of our hands. I hate writing a bad review. If you look at my profile almost all of my reviews are favorable because I know how hard restaurants work to take care of their patrons. But I need to warn anyone preparing to spend their hard earned money on a good dinner here. The chocolate cake, carbonara and braciole along w the entertainment ukulele player were the highlight. He was really fun! read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

Adorable space. Fantastic service. Delicious authentic food. This will be a go-to, must dine location for future visits. We had the burrata and prosciutto appetizer. You know a place is truly good Italian when they choose good olive oil to accompany their dishes. We enjoyed the pesto gnocchi next. My god. Their pesto is the best I've had in a long time. Then as the entree, we enjoyed the table side branzino-- delicious, fresh, and perfect lemon caper sauce. Highly recommend. read more

Food was good. I think it's a bit overpriced (not by much) as I believe portions should be a bit bigger for what they charge. Ambiance is nice - not too dark inside. They have tables as well as corner booths. Good selections of wine and drinks. Service was also good! read more

I get it, they're clearly the best restaurant in the area. Rustic, warm and unapologetically authentic but there were some big hits and big misses too. Minestrone soup is hard pass 1/5, lack flavor, ingredients and worse of all watery. I've had this kind of bland style in Italy too but it was thicker and more savory Spaghetti with meatballs 5/5, if you think otherwise you're a child, just JK. Love the homemade simple flavors, not at all salty and very clean tasting Octopus raghu dish was 5/5. Perfectly al dente rigatoni with rich Raghu and just a slight hit of saltiness fr the capers, masterful Italian beef and sausage Raghu 1/5. Looked and smelled amazing and rigatoni was perfect but it was way way too salty. I've sent back a dish once in 10 years as I don't like doing that , just not my style and I really wanted to return this which was sad as it has so much potential read more

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We made a reservation to celebrate Mother's Day for the Saturday before. We arrived 15 mins before our reservation and were immediately seated. Since it was the start of service, there was nobody else in the restaurant. We ordered, ate and then the waiter convinced us to have dessert. The waiter also urged us to have coffee with the dessert, but we declined. The waiter brought the bill and I promptly placed my credit card on the table. The bill sat there for 15 mins with my credit card until the waiter finally took it. The waiter rang it up and brought the bill back for me to sign. As he was setting it on the table, the waiter stated, "Thank you for dining with us, but we have a party waiting for this table. Thank you." I still had to sign the bill, which I quickly did, then we departed. I was blown away. Speechless. We were asked to leave after the waiter urged us to get dessert and coffee, then made us wait for 15 mins before he even picked up the bill. The time frame was on the waiter, not us. It's not like we were sitting there just talking. We were waiting for the waiter to run the bill. So due to the waiter's incompetence at time management, we were asked to leave very rudely. Service is an F- We will. Not be going back. read more

I don't usually leave negative reviews, but this restaurant truly deserves none. Based on the reviews and menu, we expected a great experience--but it was the complete opposite. We arrived right at 5pm when they opened, yet the food tasted like it had been sitting for hours. The salmon came with potatoes that were clearly pre-cooked and not fresh, and the broccoli was both overcooked and tasted frozen. When we brought this up to our server, instead of trying to fix the issue or offering a fresh replacement, he gave multiple excuses. It didn't seem like providing fresh sides was even an option. Two of us ordered the pasta carbonara, and it was extremely salty, cold, and completely inedible. I later called to share our experience, not for a refund, but simply to give feedback. Unfortunately, the manager/owner was very rude, dismissive, and didn't offer any apology or acknowledgment. Overall, the food was overpriced, the service was poor, and the experience was very disappointing. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - The broccoli is frozen amd on top of that overcooked - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

Food was very bland. Olive Garden tastes 3X better than the food served here. I expected so much with the prices they charge. Not worth those premium prices, chef needs to tone it down a notch. The bruschetta was good. We ordered a linguine pesto with shrimp which btw, tasted frozen, we ordered white pasta, kids bolognese and linguini midnight something.. all very mediocre. Service on the hand was great, Xavier was the one who served us and attended us well. Ambiance was great. We ate outside on the porche with dimly lit light. The building was nice. The live music was a nice touch but they crammed the musician inside the tiny dining area. Poor guy. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Linguini pesto with not fresh shrimp. - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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We went out on Mother's Day planning on doing everything - the food wine, dessert and having a great time. The black gnocchi and carbonara was incredible. But our server was honestly cold, inattentive, and seemed annoyed by everything we did. We didn't bring us water an his energy was hostile and stand-offish the whole time. I am obsessed with authentic Italian foo, so it was very disappointing. We skipped desert and don't plan on going back. read more

We came here on the recommendation of a friend who said this was his favorite restaurant on the mountain. While it didn't manage to be my favorite, overall we had a good experience: Bruschetta -10/10 delicious! Comes with salad and sliced mozzarella with balsamic glaze. A must order! $22 Caprese Tradizionale - 10/10. A traditional sliced tomato mozzarella salad. Yummy! $19 Tagliere Di Salumi - 10/10 basically a meat and cheese charcuterie board but every single meat and cheese tasted delicious! Outstanding! $33 Torellini Zia Pia - 10/10 this was our favorite pasta dish (we all tried all 4 then voted) $27 Lobster ravioli - 9/10 this was our 2nd favorite pasta dish (we all tried all 4 then voted) although we couldn't really taste the lobster $44 for 6 raviolis where you couldn't really taste the lobster seemed overpriced despite the great delicious taste of this dish Black truffle gnocchi - 6/10 Too much black pepper was added so it tasted more like a Cacio e pepe because the pepper overpowered the dish where the truffle flavor wasn't noticiable. I'm sure with a less heavy hand with the pepper then this would have been a delicious dish....I'd try ordering it again another day $36 Braciole Pasta 5/10 - we had high expectations for this dish which advertised beef thinly sliced with herbs inside and cooked for 6 hours but it didn't taste all that special to us nor that different from a normal rigatoni with meat sauce. $29 Dessert: Lemon Italian Cream Cake 10/10 very moist with great lemon flavor. A wonderful way to end the meal. $14 Service and ambiance were nice. They do have patio seating which is lovely during nice weather! Unlike other reviews, we didn't mind the 15% service charge since we normally tip 20% anyway... Overall we'd return and order our favorites and try new dishes since they have an extensive menu. However, that was my review that I wrote before I saw the receipt and how much we paid for everything ($274.96). I'd rather get fancy sushi back in Orange County for my family of 4 for $275 than just good Italian food....But that's just me and my priorities...For those of you who love Italian food then you might think differently... read more

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My group and I visited this restaurant recently after looking at the menu online and feeling genuinely excited to try it. Unfortunately, the experience from the moment we walked in was incredibly disappointing. We were the only group in the restaurant at the time, yet we were not greeted. Instead, we were met with visible eye-rolling and unfriendly stares from a staff member. There was no welcoming energy whatsoever just immediate coldness. The situation escalated when the manager became involved, and instead of addressing the issue professionally, we were spoken to in a hostile tone and ultimately told to leave. Being yelled at as paying customers, especially when we had done nothing inappropriate, was shocking. What stood out most was how unwelcome we were made to feel. It genuinely felt discriminatory and uncomfortable. No customer should walk into a restaurant excited to dine and leave feeling disrespected. I hope ownership takes this seriously and reflects on how guests are treated. Basic courtesy and professionalism should be the standard. I downloaded yelp to write this review. read more

UPDATE: I called & advised them of the 2 bottle wine charge instead of 2 glasses & instead of just refunding my money, I was told, "instead of leaving a nasty review, you could have told me yesterday." SMH I paid for my food and left in a hurry unaware of the charge because there was a very upset belligerent man who was arguing with the waiter over the bad service and food. I just wanted to leave, better yet I wanted to disappear. I do not appreciate getting lectured on what I should have done! I wasn't even going to bring up the SUB PAR UNAUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD. The gnocchi was flavorless...the spaghetti was watery....the chicken piccata was so thin and rubbery, the lasagna had nothing in layers just noodle on top of noodle, no cheese, flavor lacked. Ok there's your "nasty" review. In my opinion it's a "truthful" review. This place has TOO MUCH HYPE. If you want to pay big dollar to be disappointed, be my guest! Charged $138 for 2 glasses of pinot Grigio...we were already advised of the long wait today, we had a dinner reservation for 7:45...was seated around 7:50 (not bad) got appetizers and wine & those came accordingly...was told at the time of ordering apps it would be 40 minutes until main course...it was 75 minutes! I have never experienced this before...I was already on edge because 2 tables were angry due to wait time & food quality, thats none of my business but when I went to pay the waiter told me, thank you for your patience and then I got charged $138 for 2 glasses of wine, Total ticket for 3 people was $317.36! I noticed the owner responds to reviews, we are leaving early tomorrow & would like to be refunded for those glasses of wine. At least charge me correctly, this is so bad. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - $138 for 2 glasses of wine. - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

I recommended Puglia in Palm Springs to my relatives for their anniversary dinner while they are here on vacation, but unfortunately, their experience was disappointing. Keep in mind I am a property manager in Palm Springs and have Puglia included in my referrals, for my Short Term Vacation Rental Guests. Unfortunately, I never ate there, but heard very good things from clients and friends, so I included them on my list. When my relative's arrived, the air conditioning was not running, making the atmosphere uncomfortable on what should have been a special evening. On top of that, the server did not clearly explain the prix fixe menu. The menu included both an appetizer and an entrée for the fixed price cost, yet they were only served entrées and missed out on the appetizers that were supposed to be part of their meal, they thought it was an extra charge. The server should have saw they were somewhat confused and cleared up their questions. Note: My relatives did have an 8pm reservation and they got there late (820??) The restaurant closes at 9pm. I am hope this was not a factor in their experience). They accepted them when they arrived and no matter what, the experience level should have been the same. My sister-in-law had the pasta with pesto sauce my brother and I had an artichoke pizza which they said was good, but the portions were small. When my sister-in-law asked for glass wine, she asked for white Zinfandel and unfortunately, they did not have it, they recommend a house wine, which came out to be $19 for one glass which they were taken back. To make matters worse, when my sister-in-law made the reservation online, she noted that it was for their 21 wedding anniversary. Sadly, the restaurant made no acknowledgment of their celebration, which left them feeling overlooked on what was meant to be a memorable night. I was hoping they would have had a much better experience, but overall based on what they told me, the service and attention to detail fell short of expectations. As of today, I removed Puglia from my restaurant recommendation list. Lastly, I told them to write a review and they refused, so I felt I needed to write on their behalf, especially since I recommended this Pugila to them. read more

Puglia/AntonelloZ, Business Manager, You obviously weren't in the restaurant when my husband & I came in for dinner. YES!!!~My soup was cold. I asked, if they would microwave it for me to heat it up. The female server stated, "there are NO microwaves in the restaurant"~ Now tell me, AntonelloZ., How would I know there were no microwaves used in your restaurant, if I hadn't requested that my COLD SOUP be warmed-up in one?! Calling me a LIAR is more of an insult than being served COLD SOUP. You sure offer disappointed customers a 'plethora of sorrow' but NEVER any mention ever of being invited back for a better dining experierence, at your expense. As a self-employed person for over 45 years, your employees will make you or break you. HOWEVER, the owner or a well paid manager must be at the helm at all times; to keep the ship afloat. It's no easy task! Today, 4-12-26, while driving home, I see your restaurant/building is now, 'For Sale'~ Is the ship sinking or has it already sunk? read more

Great food and great service! Everything was spectacular! The pasta was fresh, and everything had great flavor. The inside is very cozy and has a great ambience. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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1 star for service, 4 stars for food. We chose this restaurant based on a friend's recommendation, looking for a place with a great atmosphere and tasty food before heading to Tunes in the Trees. We made a 5:30 PM reservation for three on a Saturday and arrived right on time. The restaurant wasn't busy and there were plenty of open tables, so we were seated immediately. Our server, Xavier, introduced himself and asked if we'd like tap or sparkling water. We requested tap. He walked away, but then another staff member came over to ask again about water. We explained our original server was already helping us. Eventually, sparkling water was brought instead of tap, and when Xavier returned, he commented that he thought someone else would've handled the water already. Not a great start. We asked for wine suggestions, and Xavier recommended a slightly more expensive bottle. We weren't sure, so he offered a taste test, which we appreciated. After tasting, we stuck with our original choice. We ordered one entrée and a salad to share, but he continued pushing us to order more, even suggesting three entrées for three people. We explained we weren't very hungry and wanted to start light. The food arrived quickly and was absolutely delicious, definitely the highlight of our visit. The ambiance and our own company made it a lovely dinner, and we were enjoying ourselves. Then it took a turn. Less than an hour after being seated with half a bottle of wine left and still eating, Xavier came over and said, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I might possibly need this table." We were shocked. The restaurant still had several open tables, and no one appeared to be waiting. Without waiting for a response, he brought us the check and placed it on the table. We continued eating and sipping wine, but Xavier returned multiple times to pick up the bill. When he realized we hadn't paid yet, he stood the check upright in the center of the table, clearly a passive-aggressive hint to wrap it up. To make matters worse, we had noted a birthday on the reservation, and there was zero acknowledgment--no mention, no dessert menu, nothing. This was genuinely one of the worst service experiences I've had at a sit-down restaurant. I've had better hospitality at McDonald's. If the table was needed for a reservation, the situation could have been handled so much better. Maybe by politely offering us another table with a complimentary salad or dessert or simply waiting until we were actually done eating and drinking. The food deserves 4 stars, but the service dragged the entire experience down to a 1. I hope management reads this and takes the opportunity to coach the staff, especially Xavier, on how to treat guests with basic courtesy and respect. read more

2 lemonades for kids in small plastic blue cups $15 No refills on at all. Surprise $28 extra for just for 3 persons 1x refills. I heard the coke can opening fyi... Slowwwww order to table. About an hour. We were only ones in the restaurant. 6% service charge on bill. Food was good...$400 with tip for 3 adults and 3 kids. Unfortunately not worth it. We got: 3 kids menu pasta dishes 1 lasagna 1 rib eye dinner 1 lemon pasta w shrimp 2 diet cokes ,1 ice tea and 2 lemonades read more

Wow, We really enjoyed our meals here!! I just wish they would include the 15% service charge in the price of the meal.. It seams unnecessary to have that as a "hidden" charge. Although it is on the menu... we didn't notice it until we got the bill. If this was meant to be the tip as well, that would be fine! read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - cannelloni - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

I had a very negative experience at Puglia on 7/12/25 and I do not recommend eating there. My food took 45 minutes to show up. After 25 minutes, my waiter, instead of saying something like "sorry for the wait, let me go check with the kitchen" instead said "guess it's a slow night", shrugged, and left. I also received the wrong food: I ordered rigatoni but received spaghetti. It even stated rigatoni on the receipt. When I ordered my pasta, the waiter stated that there were four sauce options: tomato, white, garlic and oil, or bolognese. I chose white sauce. He did not state there was an upcharge on the white sauce, and the upcharge was not stated on the menu. Yet on my receipt there was an $8 upcharge for white sauce. My chicken piccata was very small for being $33. It consisted of one small chicken breast, and a small jagged piece of chicken that looked like it had been torn from another chicken breast. I also requested a side of grilled chicken with my other pasta dish, and that was a charge of $14.99 (again, not listed on the menu) for a very small chicken breast. The pesto linguine was very oily and tasted like I was eating oil. Overall the service was bad, and so was the food. I called my credit union to request a chargeback refund in full, $141.04. They told me that in order to process a refund, they would need a credit acknowledgement from the merchant stating the amount, last four digits of the credit card, and date. They said this could be in the form of an email from the restaurant. I spoke with the manager of the restaurant today (8/14/25) over the phone and he refused to send the credit acknowledgement. All I was asking was for him to send me a one-sentence email, but he said no. He claims that my credit union should be able to process the refund without needing anything from him. But that's false because my credit union clearly stated in an electronic message to me, and over the phone with multiple different customer service representatives, that they couldn't refund my payment without a credit acknowledgement. Yet, the owner refused to provide one. The owner also stated that he could provide a gift card or discount if I were to return, but (1) I was in Lake Arrowhead on vacation and live several hours away from the restaurant, and (2) after the awful service and overpriced food I had last time, there's no way I would even consider returning. I'm still out $141.04 because the owner refuses to provide me with the information that I need to give to my credit union for the credit union to process the refund. read more

We were up in Lake Aarowhead, and we were in the mood for Italian food, so we decided to give Puglia a try. What a hidden gem. The restaurant is like a converted house. It is small and cozy inside. It has a cute fireplace inside the restaurant. The service was great, very attentive. We ordered Chicken Piccada, Spaghetti Zito, Rigatoni Bolognese and Lasagna. The portions are good size. Our only regret was that we did not leave room for dessert. The next table had a Flambe Tiramisu. That looked epic!! It was a great dinner. When the bill came, we noticed there was an extra 6% service fee which was not the gratuity. That was a surprise to us. Since the food and the service were really good, we did not minded that. Will definitely come back! read more

I went up the mountain in August to spend a week with my daughter at her home and she had kept telling me about her favorite Italian cute place up there, so of course I had to check it out. And boy it did not disappoint. It looks like an adorable little house and they're welcoming you into their home and as soon as we stepped on the porch, they stopped everything and rushed over and brought us right in and found us a cute cozy table. We will keep coming back. I know I will every time I'm up there visiting, the owner is amazing and a very renowned chef from Italy and the food is just spectacular. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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Honestly I'm very disappointed... sauce was literally liquid was told to mix it, overly salty, bread was dry, caprese was dry and ratios were off. We asked for some ricotta to cut the salty and dryness of meatball and we're never given it. Just very underwhelming won't be back again... been dying to try this place read more

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This place was AMAZING! Went tonight with a party of 4 and had such a great time. Food was incredible. I had the bolognese and the sauce and the meat was so good. Pasta was cooked to perfection. Even better was the service! I didn't get the two guys names who served us but they were so helpful and friendly. read more

Quaint place. Came in a snowy unexpected day. Chef greeted us with a smile. Food was great. Salad too. Will definitely come back when I am in the areas. read more

Decent food in a nice setting. I thought the baclia was just ok- I prefer my noodles a little softer than how it was served. The carbonara prepared tableside was fun though. read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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Really disappointing experience. The bartender just stared at us when we walked in, and our server was rude and dismissive the whole time. The service made us feel unwelcome and ruined the visit. Wouldn't recommend. read more

We arrived at 5:30 on a Thursday and there were only a couple of other tables seated at the time. We ordered at 5:45 and our 4 pasta meals took close to an hour to arrive. The server didn't inform of us of a delay nor apologize. The pasta portions weren't filling and inconsistently plated with two in rimmed soup bowls and one on a dinner plate. My pasta was lukewarm when it arrived and got quickly cold. The lobster ravioli portion has shrunk from the photos. $45 for a few raviolis and shrimp is overpriced, and so is $23 fur a starter salad. We heard a table next to us having similar problems. A big For Sale sign is in front of Puglia, which may explain the problems we experienced. Two stars for good pasta. read more

This is the worst Italian food I have ever eaten and extremely expensive. I ordered Minestrone soup and was served a liquid with a few floating vegetables in it. There was no pasta, no beans, no meat of any kind. It was just plain and tasteless. The lasagne was just awful. On top of that, we ordered they split the soup into two portions and we were charged $3.00 for this request. Unbelievable! The sauce was too salty and strong. The cheese looked like it was provolone cheese and there was a lot of grease floating around. I have eaten at tons of Italian restaurants and have never had this kind of experience before. We don't mind paying any amount of money for great food but this food was extremely expensive and not worth it. I have read the owner's responses to some of the negative reviews and instead of being contrite and concerned about how he could improve, he is defensive and rude. I will say that the waiter that served us was very polite and very helpful. read more

Puglia is OVERpriced and totally UNDERwhelming! I mostly frequent high quality restaurants when I dine out . . . BUT, this place isn't at all on that level of excellence. Authentic it may be, but gourmet quality it is NOT! On my numerous vacations to Italy I had some "Authentic" Italian food that was mediocre and many fine dinners that were Five Star cuisine. One thing I learned in my 80 years on this planet is that authentic doesn't necessarily mean delicious. The word "Pretentious" comes to mind when describing Puglia's food. Lot's of sophisticated people do seem to think the food there is just plain awful. Just read the one star reviews as, they are written by people not rewarded for writing positive comments. You should also read the owners hilarious responses to the tidal wave of negative reviews. What owner does that? A defensive one? An insecure one? A desperate one? At the prices they charge, you'd think you'd be getting food like that at the Gritti Palace Restaurant in Venice(one of the world's finest). BUT PUGLIA IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE! As many reviewer's said, "Puglia's food is worse than Olive Garden!" I agree! We should have walked out the moment we entered the their so called "dining room," but it was Valentines Day and all other good restaurants on the mountain were fully booked. The Puglia restaurant building is actually an old renovated residential house. The "main" dining space is a funky repurposed small living room with a cozy fireplace. It's SO crowded you are practically banging elbows with the strangers at the next tables, which are as small as the one I take camping. Worst of all, it is also noisy, noisy, noisy to boot! The din makes conversation with your family down right difficult and sometimes even embarrassing. Secondly the food is mediocre at best. Yes, there are modest portions, but they are placed in big bowls to make you think you're getting a heaping portion. Their price point for EVERYTHING is completely INAPPROPRIATE and OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH for what you are getting. However, it is the little things they do that are beyond annoying. They make eating there an irritating and unpleasant dining experience. For example, they gave us four very small slices of bread from what was likely a French baguette . . . for three people. Don't bother asking them for butter, lest you insult the fragile ego of the thin-skinned owner . . . because, after all, it IS an "AUTHENTIC" Italian restaurant! You get olive oil and vinegar, no matter if you HATE it. When those little bites of bread were gone, they graciously ask if we'd like more. Of course we did, because we were really hungry due to the incredibly slow service! When the bill finally came we noticed they charged us extra for the second round of bread. What QUALITY restaurant does that? NONE that I know of! When my son's coke drink was almost empty, the waiter asked if he wanted more, then charged him for a second glass without informing us that would be doing so. That's simply bad business. My one SMALL (4 oz at best) glass of cheap red wine was $19 and it tasted worse than the best Two-buck Chuck! I only took one sip. After dinner, my "cup of coffee" was okay, but minuscule, one good swallow at best, with no offer to have cream or sugar, had I even wished for it. Maybe the size was authentic Italian, but this isn't Italy, it's America and I'm an American who likes cream and sugar in my NORMAL-sized cup of coffee. I didn't dare ask for or want a refill as I was certain, they'd charge me for that as well. They nickel-and-dimed our simple pasta dinner for three and padded it with annoying service fees until it was $214. The biggest insult came, when I put $230 in cash inside their little folder to pay that bill. The waiter took it away, then came back a minute later to ask me if I had put in "enough money" into the folder. WITH EXTREME ATTITUDE, he was essentially "fishing" to see if I was giving him a mere $6 tip. I told the rude young man that it was my general practice to leave gratuities separately at the table. He left in a snoot with an irritated look on his face. Out of curiosity I waited to see if he'd bring my $6 change back, but he never did. Though I usually tip a minimum of 20%, I intentionally didn't give him another dime, just to send him a message and teach him a little lesson. I doubt he understood and probably thought I was just cheap. Such behavior is so very unprofessional and down right rude. The price point and pretentious nature of the food, is the main reason I'd never return to the owner's "Authentic Italian" joke. Unless you don't expect value for your many, many, many bucks, by all means, go and see if I'm lying. IF you don't want to be paying three times more than peasant pasta should cost, do not bother going there. And beware, it's not even plaza vendor quality. read more

This is not just our favorite restaurant on the mountain, or our favorite Italian restaurant, it is our very favorite restaurant anywhere PERIOD! The ambiance is charming, the ownership and staff are phenomenal, and the food is absolutely exquisite and extremely authentic! We've eaten here many, many times, and have never had anything but an amazing, wonderful experience, transporting us to another time and place! The minestrone soup is to die for, the pasta San Giovani is beautiful, as is the pasta Zito! The lasagna is amazing, as is the chicken piccata! The pizza is epic, but not served every day. I am gluten intolerant, but am able to eat their pasta and pizza without issue as they use only imported flour and ingredients that do not bother me! If this restaurant was in LA. NY or SF, it would be impossible to get a rez and cost a fortune! The owner and head chef has recently been discovered as a rock star celebrity chef and national TV personality, so it is only a matter of time before this wonderful, quaint restaurant explodes. Hurry while you can! :) read more

They stuck us in a tiny attic where we couldn't even stand up straight without hitting our heads on the ceiling. It was hot, cramped, and uncomfortable. The food was mediocre at best, and when we decided to leave, they literally yelled at us to get out. Zero professionalism. Worst dining experience I've had. read more

Agree with other reviewers on their food vs service assessments. Food was incredible, service was slow. I'd recommend going at a less busy time/night to get the best experience. The food was worth the frustration though. The Lasagna & Midnight Pasta were the table's faves. And if you like Lobster Ravioli, it has a TON of lobster. Overall, a great little spot with different vibes inside and on the patio. Also loved the ukulele player; he was awesome! read more

I wish I lived in the mountains so I could come to this restaurant more often. I need to start off by saying the staff here are amazingly kind and passionate. They greeted us and accommodated my friends and I since we had strollers for our babies. Secondly, the food is top notch. As explained by the awesome owner, the chefs use organic and fresh ingredients. Some even imported from other countries. You can definitely taste the difference in their food compared to typical American restaurants. I ordered the New Zealand lamb chops. Grass fed and imported from New Zealand. It was some of the best lamb chops I've ever had. The cut was perfect, the seasoning was simple yet phenomenal. The desserts are delicious too. I recommend trying their Italian iced coffee. The decaf option is a great choice for my caffeine sensitive people. Ambiance is absolutely adorable. This little restaurant is nestled in the mountains surrounded by beautiful Forrest trees. It is perfect for date night or the best spot to bring friends and family who are visiting from out of town. I assure you, they will be impressed with this authentic Italian join . I'm excited to come back here for the pizza! read more

Puglia Italian Restaurant - New Zealand lamb chops - Italian Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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Writing this review after waiting for our food for an hour and being told there are still multiple tables ahead of us... hoping the food is at least worth it! We asked the server when our food was coming and he snapped at us and said other people have been waiting longer... I don't recommend speaking to the manager. He snapped too. Probably the worst service we have had in ALL of Arrowhead, we will not be coming back. 25 minutes later... Update: All of the food came out lukewarm. The eggplant was like half a serving. The sauce was all watered down. I've had better frozen food. Oh, and they automatically put a 15% gratuity. Probably because they know nobody would tip that high for a low quality restaurant. What a joke. read more

We just had our first meal at Puglia. It was an outstanding meal - one that had us talking about driving for 90 minutes just to come back for this food! We each had the Misto salad which was outstanding. My husband had the carbonara which was so delicious. I had the bolognese which was really good too. We ended with the tiramisu flambé and the special coffee. The GM was so personable and he, his assistant and the cooking staff made this meal so very special. I highly recommend Puglia! Sitting next to the fireplace on this very cold evening also was very nice! read more