Everything here is great. The service is impeccable the food outstanding, and it's nice to be able to have a place you can count on that doesn't close before they stated hours Love the veal napolean. is to die for so good you can. cut with a fork. And wonderful To have a place that stays open when they say they're gonna be open read more

This was our first visit. We walk around the Island every day and always pass by this Trattoria wondering what it would be like. It's an interesting block with Olive Oil and Beyond where you can taste the most amazing olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Almost a little Italy with Balsilic across the street and Ciao across the street. It's a real challenge to operate a restaurant when it's not packed every night. What do you do about spoilage - how many times to you throw out the meat, and seafood, and vegetables you don't use and how long can you keep them and not affect the taste? My read on the food is that it was not fresh...we have veal piccata and it was well-prepared but didn't taste very fresh, and prawns with pasta on the side...the garlic bread was soft (a choice) but not crispy but soft and somewhat mushy. The prawns were no fresh and had a strange texture. The service was excellent...we don't know his name but he was very kind and helpful. He knew how to service tables and was very skillful. We never saw the chef. We love the ambiance ... a very quiet and old world kind of place...tables and chairs...just an excellent venue with excellent service. it felt very comfortable and dampened noise from the street quite well. Now how to solve the problem? This place needs to be full every night. They need to be purchasing new product every morning. It's almost worth anything to fill the restaurant...off specials and coupons, make it almost impossible not to come. The more people come the more word of mouth. This place can't survive on hope. The chef needs to purchase the absolute best food product and then use it everyday. Otherwise the experience will not be sufficient to bring us back. Things need to change. We spent $112 with tip for a dinner for two. A glass of wine was $16 and a plate of garlic bread was $9. The check says the name is "Trattoria Mediterranean Cuisine". read more

Ordered the house red wine and saltimboca. Wine was fine. They do not offer any dinner bread so also ordered the garlic bread. Garlic bread was OK, quite soft. Would've been nice if it had a little bit of a crispness on top. Very disappointed in the saltimboca. It did not look like other saltimboca I've had before, but the biggest problem was that it was quite bitter. The side vegetables of carrots, broccoli, and potato were good. read more

Unassuming, small menu, priced right, and delicious food in Balboa Island. We ordered the lasagna, the veal cannelloni, the calamari, and the garlic bread. Everything was delicious and well made. read more

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We stopped by here because my friend said she was reading some good reviews about this place. I tried the Bruschetta. It was yummy and the bread was soft with a small crunch. It is super rare that I order a lasagna but this one was different. They don't use ricotta cheese! WOO HOO! Yea. I'm not a huge fan of ricotta. Anyways. I ordered the Lasagna Al Forno. I LOVED it! I also LOVED the portion too! It wasn't a huge square. It was about 75% of the regular size you normally see. I was fine with it cause normally I would have a ton of leftovers. I didn't want leftovers cause my sister inlaw and I were going across the street for dessert and had to save a bit of room. :) read more

Trattoria - Lasagna Al Forno - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Food was yum & our server was great too ! This was a nice quiet ambiance, happy we were able to try it out ! read more

Trattoria - Chicken Marsala - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

My bf had been wanting to try this Italian restaurant out for a while now. We have walked by it many times and it looks cute from the outside. We thought it would be a hidden gem. We were wrong. I was already a little apprehensive about eating here as the recent yelp reviews were not the best and the people walking out after they had eaten said it wasnt the best. We started off by asking our waiter for some bread and ordered the melon/prosciutto as an app. The prosciutto came out dry and the melon was cut in thick chunks. Definitely did not taste fresh We ordered pasta with red sauce and it tasted worse than canned sauce. I was really disappointed with the taste of the food because we thought it was going to taste fresh. I will not be coming back read more

Trattoria - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Quaint place. Fresh ingredients. Restaurant style but feels like comfort food. The butter that came with the bread - so yummy. Glad we came here instead of another restaurant in NB with a wait. read more

The best Italian restaurant on Balboa Island. Come and enjoy the wonderful Italian music and fabulous atmosphere! The food is amazing!! We never miss this place when we stay in Newport!! Go now!! read more

The food and service was amazing. The lamb chops and veal Marsala we delicious! Both were served with zucchini and Carrots cooked perfectly. The dinner was delicious without feeling heavy. The garlic bread was so soft. Highly recommend eating here. Sean the owner is very gracious! read more

Excellent food very authentic and best on island! Service and ambiance beyond expectation Will return next week with friends read more

A small restaurant on the Main Street on Balboa Island. We went there for dinner during the week and had no problem finding a table. It was not crowded. I ordered veal scaloppine. I enjoyed the meal. it came with potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables were very good. I did get a chance to taste my friends Carbonara, which too be honest I enjoyed more than my dish. If I went back I would get the Carbonara. I also had a Caesar salad which was fine but nothing special. read more

Trattoria - Veal dish - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

This is a hidden gem! If you haven't eaten here, I highly recommend it! I've been a handful of times and my friend who lives nearby goes weekly! This restaurant takes you away to little Italy with a classy ambiance for a date night or a friend or solo. The food is superb!! The owner is hard working and shows he cares about his customers. Can't wait to go back until I've tried it all. thank me later/ u will love it! read more

Trattoria - Chicken Parmesan - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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The ambience of this restaurant is very cozy and romantic, perfect for a date night! The service was amazing, everything came out in a timely manner and the server was very kind. The food was exquisite, I ordered the farfelle salmone and it was rich with flavor and very filling. My boyfriend ordered the fettuccine carbonara and it was one of the best carbanara's I have ever tasted! read more

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Garlic bread 6/10 Caprese salad 6/10 Iced tea 9/10 Fettuccine Alfredo 2/10 Chicken Marsala 7/10 Hours of operation 1/10 Seating 1/10 We've been waiting to try this place for a while. The issue we had was every time we would come here, they were closed. The hours are on Yelp and on their website. We would call when it was the "open hours," and they would tell us they were CLOSED. We have walked over to this place at 1:30pm and it was CLOSED. When they are supposed to be open until 3pm. So, the hours of operation are confusing and appear to change on a whim. How do you run a business like this? Very unprofessional when customers never know when the restaurant is open. The dine-in experience was not good. The chairs are hard wood with no padding. My chair was uneven and rocked back and forth. There is not air-conditioning, so it got hot inside. The better seats might be the "patio" area, so you at least get a breeze. Seating is cramped. The restaurant is TINY. Seriously, I have wide hips and had a hard time walking in and out of the restaurant without bumping into chairs. On to the food. If the hours of operation and the cramped seating wasn't enough. The food added to disappointment. We started off with appetizers; garlic bread and caprese salad. The garlic bread was sort of bland tasting. The weakest garlic bread I've had. Where is the butter flavor? It was super basic garlic bread. I think I could have made better garlic bread at home. The caprese salad was good, but the tomatoes were wayyy too thick. I mean the tomato over-powered the mozzarella cheese. It didn't have good balance of all the flavors. Chicken marsala was alright my partner said. And my fettuccine alfredo was very disappointing. The alfredo sauce wasn't thick and creamy the way I like it. It didn't have a cheesy, buttery, depth to it with garlic. It was watery, runny alfredo sauce with basic flavor. Tasted like plain noodles with diluted alfredo sauce (something you would serve from the kid's menu). Never going back here. There are far too many great Italian places to eat at in Orange County. Makes this place look like a joke. read more

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How are reviews of Trattoria on Balboa Island on Yelp or Google? We've walked to this place for months now during the hours they indicate the restaurant is open, but it's always CLOSED. I even tried calling during their 'open' hours, but no answer. We wanted to try it but we gave up. Pretty disappointing. read more

Food was good but the restroom was so very bad!!! How does a restaurant manager doesn't see a dirty old disgusting bathroom!! Will not go again. read more

I walked in and the guys just said "no". The table next to me said they were leaving so I could take their table. When he came back from the kitchen, he looked me up and down and all I got again was a "no". So you're telling me I didn't even get enough respect to be talked to like a human being? I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt that he might be closing soon but I walked past the place a few hours later and it was still open with people eating dinner. Terrible experience! read more

Amazing !! Love the food and the kind atmosphere! Wonderful service! Will visit again!

Great food and great service! wine and pasta was amazing! The owner was so nice and accommodating. The vibes of the place were very cozy and warm. Great place for date night or just to stop and get some pasta while shopping with the gals. Will be coming back. read more

Cute little Italian restaurant. The restaurant is quite small with limited seating. The food was excellent. The garlic shrimp was done very well. The lobster ravioli had great flavor as well. I thought garlic bread was a bit bland for the price. read more

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Such a great neighborhood gem!!! Felt like we were in Italy. Quaint little place with the owner Sean serving us the best Italian food! Highly recommend checking out this wonderful restaurant! We love it!! read more

My friend and I just hosted a party of eight at Trattoria restaurant on Balboa Island for eight people. It was absolutely, perfect and over-the-top in every way! Everything we ate was absolutely unbelievable. One of the best local Italian restaurants we've been to. From the Caprese salad, to the Caesar salad, to the veal, lasagna and pasta carbonara it was absolute five stars. Sean, the owner and Chef, was gracious, service was impeccable, and the food was absolutely over the top. Trattoria Italian is a must go to restaurant! On top of it all it's the most beautiful place in the world Balboa Island. Highly highly recommend! read more

After having an excellent dinner at Tattoria last evening it is hard to imagine anyone not giving this restaurant 5 stars! Food , service was excellent. That was our first visit of many to come. Hidden gem!! read more

Went with a party of 6, everyone loved their food. Lots of vegetarian options on the extensive menu, cute ambiance, good service. So good!

A great little spot on Balboa Island. It's a very small place. The server has few words but very cordial. There is your traditional fettuccine Alfredo, it is not in the menu but they do have it. My son had the lasagna and my husband had spaghetti with meatballs. As I mentioned the restaurant is a bit small so be prepared to have a table with not a lot of leg room. They do have a small patio too.. read more

Trattoria - Shrimp with pesto - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We did not dine there now, but we did previously and it was outstanding. Each dish was well prepared and presented read more

We were walking in Balboa Island where we came across this place! Small but very friendly environment that hook us in to try out It was late but it was too good to pass, so we decided to get small dinner We ordered Lasagna and Veal Cannelloni and both were AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS service was great and it felt we were regular and treated as such! I will definitely go back to try out their Fettuccine Alfredo and their amazing looking deserts! read more

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Amazing food, great service. Love this place. My favorite italian spot in Orange County

I stopped here briefly for lunch. I ordered the squid ink pasta, which was delicious. The inside was very cute, I love the decor. Also, there's plenty of parking in Fashion Island. I'll have to go back here and try some wines read more

Trattoria - Squid ink pasta - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Best Cesar salad I have ever eaten in my life!!! Amazing food! Great location. Loved the veal parm.

My coworker found this restaurant on yelp and we decided to have lunch here. The restaurant is tiny yet cozy. I had the grilled eggplant sandwich and it was delicious! The olives give it the right amount of a salty taste. I also really loved the caesar salad dressing. My coworker had the linguini with chicken and she commented that the pesto was freshly made. If I'm ever in the area I would eat here again. read more

Trattoria - Grilled eggplant sandwich - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Love this restaurant on Balboa Island! Have been here multiple times and the food is exceptional. The service is great and love the quaint atmosphere! read more

Great food. Linguine alla Genovese is a must if you like fresh shrimp and scallops. The owner is very nice, too!

Wonderful service with nice ambiance, soft Italian music was playing while we eating Caesar salad, Cozze E Vongole and Carbonara Pasta. Taste of the food was authentic! read more

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Great service, nice atmosphere, and good food. The owner is a great host. Definitely recommend for a delicious and relaxing meal when visiting Balboa. read more

Awesome little Italian place!! The bread is also wonderful. Good service and adorable atmosphere. Reminds me when i used to roam around italy for school :) also side note, my boyfriend and I shared our plate so that's why the portion looks a little small! read more

Trattoria - Rigottoni!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Very nice atmosphere and service. But the food was very disappointing. My spinach pasta has few spinach leaves in it, but I their taste was lost in what tasted like an industria tomato sauce with dried oregano seasoning. The sauce was too sweet The cheese was not freshly shredded. To summarize, it was high priced simple food. With this experience I will not go there again. If you go there, try to avoid the rest room. read more

Delicious! The quality of the food is top shelf! Quick service and very knowledgeable of the food. Great wine list. A very enjoyable evening with great food. read more

Came here on a Monday night very close to closing and were pleasantly surprised that they were still open as it was approaching 9 pm. Tables were socially distanced outside and no one else was at the restaurant but the owner/waiter was very pleasant and we did not feel rushed. We were a party of 3 shared a bottle of wine garlic bread, eggplant Parmesan, veal piccata, and veal marsala all which were very good. Entrees range from $19 to $30 so definitely on the higher end but all and all a very nice experience. read more

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