Italian Restaurants in Laguna Beach
Romeo Cucina
Italian Cuisine and Drinks at Romeo Cucina (Up to 50% Off). Two Options Available.
Pastas made by hand daily, pizzas baked in a wood-burning brick oven, and other Italian dishes; perfect for romantic outing or holiday gift
Laguna Beach
$30 $15
Select Local Merchants
Peppino's menu of family-style portions provides more savory pairings than grandma could shake a slotted spoon at. Ease a land lover into the seafood sampler, composed of halibut, shrimp, scallops, and salmon atop a bed of angel-hair pasta infused with a garlic-basil tomato sauce and a splash of white wine ($21.95), or teach the young ones the true meaning of antipasto with a piled-high salad of salami, capicola, ham, mortadella, provolone, red onions, black olives, tomatoes, pepperoncini, kitchen sinks, roasted peppers, and mixed greens ($9.95).
Nearly every night of the week, Brio Tuscany Grille buzzes with live entertainment and special events. Of course, the food adds to the overall experience, too. Since 1993, the restaurant has treated its guests to award-winning Italian cuisine all week long, even until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Ocean breezes surround diners as they sit down to wood-fired pizzas and nearly a dozen different pasta and risotti options. Oftentimes, though, it's Brio Tuscany's signature crab and lobster bisque that steals the show. It features Maryland crab and local Pacific lobster simmered with fresh herbs, spices, and a splash of sherry wine. On weekdays, visitors can also pop in for a light lunch before returning to the office or their job making sure clouds stay in the sky.
Mario's By The Sea serves a menu of Italian specialties including more than 20 pasta options and a long list of entrees starring chicken, veal, seafood, and veggies. A combination of chilled melon cloaked in imported Italian prosciutto ($10) and a hot, crispy calamaretti fritti ($13) combines cool and warm fronts to prepare stomachs for a pasta downpour. The veal tortellini champagne pasta ($14–$19) employs a bubbly infused cream sauce to help diners celebrate recent purchases of full-sized yachts constructed carefully in bottles.
At Romeo Cucina, the chef prepares fresh pastas daily, from gnocchi to stuffed ravioli and tortellini, alongside a menu of pizzas and other Italian specialties such as veal scaloppini and linguine with fresh clams and mussels. Both eateries also share a similar inviting d?cor, with white linen-covered tables along with Italian-inspired art on warm yellow or exposed brick walls.
At Bistro K, traditional Italian recipes merge with eclectic New World flavors for a menu that's reflective of the international history of the family behind it. That story starts back in Italy with the four Bagatta brothers, all chefs who later traveled on to France, South Africa, and Southern California. It was during these wanderings that Tony Bagatta met Massimiliana, the woman who would become his wife. Today, Massimiliana and her daughter Katia run Bistro K as a mother-daughter team, serving up hearty plates from traditional Italian gnocchi to gourmet burgers smothered in gruyère.