North Italia

We didn’t want to wait for the table so we decided to sit by the bar. Beef carpaccio was one of my favorite, the beef was very soft and not chewy at all. Seafood squid ink pasta was delicious!! It was a little spicy kick and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Would definitely come back here again!

North Italia is the best Italian restaurant, period. Went to their El Segundo location last time in LA area, came visiting the Irvine one, everything still on point ☝️ For spaghetti, ordered Braised Short Ribs Lumache this time, not just good, this dish is a good mix of Eastern way of cooking the pork into Italian pasta, strongly recommend!!! Also, the Chicken Parmesan, definitely the best Chicken Parmesan I've ever had, the chicken was perfectly marinated with spices, hence it's not just tasty but also juicy. Last but not the least, the "Simple" salad was simple, but full of flavors, the goat cheese and pine seeds were the highlights.

We have revisited North Italia in Irvine several times in the last year and it is really a treat. I order the pasta every time and it does not get old. They have a good wine list so you cannot go wrong . If you dont have time to get over to Northern Italia for dinner just head over here and save yourself the time. You will enjoy yourself, eat great Italian food and have a good time.

Excellent food and service. The cuisine differs significantly from Olive Garden. It is more costly compared to other Italian restaurants in the area.

We visited for the first time after seeing an ad for a $25 entrée and small plate deal, which seemed like a great offer given their usual prices. After reserving a table through the ad, we chose to sit at the bar upon arrival and learned the special was lunch only, something not stated in the ad, which even allowed dinner reservations. Management graciously honored the deal, and the bartenders were wonderful. The restaurant can get quite loud but has a beautiful ambiance. The meatballs were excellent, and my husband said the Caesar salad was the best he’s ever had. The bolognese had an oddly sweet flavor, and we didn’t love the sausage in the vodka rigatoni. Unfortunately, several items we wanted to try (like the Zuca chips, espresso martini, and tortelloni) were unavailable that evening. Due to the high pricing, sold-out menu items, and the mix-up with the ad, we’ll likely skip returning, but it’s a nice spot that’s worth trying at least once.

North Italia has a stylish and welcoming atmosphere with a modern Italian vibe. The food is fresh and well prepared, especially the pastas and pizzas, and the ingredients taste high quality. The service is friendly and attentive, but the restaurant was very crowded, which made it quite noisy and less comfortable to fully enjoy the experience. Overall, it’s still a great spot, just better during less busy hours.

They increased the price and severely reduced the quality. My pizza dough was undercooked, and part of it was burnt; the bottom of the crust had black ashes on it. They used to have very good pizzas, but apparently that’s no longer the case. I’m disappointed.

The atmosphere is energetic and the open kitchen looks spotless and well cared for. Monica provided cheerful and attentive service that made the visit even better. The handmade noodles taste incredibly fresh and the Bombolone is unforgettable. A truly five star experience.

North Italia is such a nice modern Italian spot, especially for a special occasion. My partner and I came for dinner to celebrate my birthday and it did not disappoint :) The service is just as amazing as the food. It was super busy on a Wednesday night but our waiter made sure we were taken care of - bringing out food and drinks quickly, giving us recommendations, and checking in to see if we needed anything. We got the Yellowtail Crudo as an appetizer, my favorite! The fish is melt in your mouth soft, and the citrus + pistachio gives such a fresh, tangy bite. For our entrees, we ordered the Strozzapreti and the Sunday Night Lasagna which are hearty and tasty. Super delicious, especially on a cold night! This restaurant is also really great for birthdays, they offer complimentary dessert! We ordered the Salted Caramel Budino, which was so delicious and rich (cream, fudge, caramel, banana, and toffee). I'll be dreaming about it for a while tbh. Thank you North Italia for a nice celebration, can't wait to come back :)

As beautiful as this restaurant is, I was unfortunately very disappointed in the food. The squid ink tonnarelli was hard but not al dente just kind of hard and broke apart easily. It wast flavored good either and fell flat. The salmon and mussels was alright but again just not super flavorful or amazing. Mussels were dry. The best thing was the hot honey prosciutto pizza, but even that was pretty average. The crust was bready and thick and chewy:/ there are so many better Italian places nearby im not sure why this one is so loved. Parking is weird too and you have to park somewhat far if you don't want valet. All in all, it's a beautiful space and pretty for occasion dinners, but the food is not good:(

We had a reservation but they sat us outside on a chilly evening. There were heaters above but it was still pretty cold. The tables are extremely close together so we felt like we were eating with the other two parties on both sides of our table, ruined the ambiance. Pastas are delicious. The pizzas are usually soggy, so they're not our favorite. Save room for dessert because the tiramisu is really good! Overall a solid choice in the area for a chain restaurant

Came here for lunch and had an excellent experience from start to finish. The service was fantastic--friendly, attentive, and fast without feeling rushed. The menu had a wide range of options, from appetizers to entrées, so there's something for everyone. We started with the calamari, which was lightly fried, tender, and perfectly seasoned. For my main dish, I ordered the Margherita pizza, and it was absolutely fantastic. The crust was thin and crispy, cooked just right, and the toppings were fresh and flavorful. The tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil balanced beautifully, making it one of the better Margherita pizzas I've had in a while. Overall, great food, great service, and a great lunch spot. I'd definitely come back and recommend it to others. See picture.

**Italian Meatballs** 9.48/10- made with creamy polenta, rustic marinara, and grana padano. These were absolutely amazing! The meatballs were incredibly flavorful and huge. The meat was so tender and juicy with perfect seasoning throughout. The rustic marinara was rich and tangy with great depth, and the creamy polenta was the perfect base - so smooth and buttery. The grana padano on top added this nice sharp, salty finish that tied everything together beautifully. **Spicy Rigatoni** 6.86/10- made with Italian sausage, crispy pancetta, shaved garlic, basil, and grana padano. The pasta itself was too chewy unfortunately - overcooked past al dente. It also wasn't spicy at all and had more of a sweet flavor which was surprising. I still liked the flavor of the sauce but it wasn't spicy like I was expecting. The Italian sausage was a bit hard and tough too. The pancetta added nice crispy texture and the garlic came through well, but I wish it had the heat to match the name. North Italia was having a lunch special for October where you could get an appetizer and pasta for $25 which was a great deal!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Instagram: @hungrytamale

North Italia is def one of the best Italian restaurants in OC. We got the Italian Meatballs for the appetizer and it was great. Our server got us grilled bread to go with it, which was a perfect pairing. For the mains we got the Chicken Pesto, Chicken Parmesan, Margherita Pizza, and Ricotta Cavatelli. The Chicken Pesto is my all time fav. I get it every time I come here bc it's just that good. We tried the Ricotta Cavatelli for the first time, and it was surprisingly really good. It came with a lot of crab.

Great ambiance. The bar area opens up to the outside. It's a beautiful restaurant. Came here on a Wed night and by 8pm, the outdoor and bar area was fully packed. The happy hour items were decent and it goes on until 6pm. The food and drinks were good. They help celebrate birthdays with a complimentary dessert for the birthday person. They get to choose anything to their liking on the dessert menu. The server was amazing. Very attentive and checked on us often. HAPPY ITALIANING!!

Came here on a Friday night and waited about 45 minutes after putting my name down. Food is simply amazing and all three items exceeded my expectation. I would certainly come back to try out other items are their menu. Our server was not great. Took our order in a hurry and did not come back once to check on us and refill water until it's time for the check. A bit disappointed given the high rating for this place, I thought service would be at least average. Ambiance is ok. The seats are arranged in a big open space. Got very loud even at 70% ish capacity so not a good spot if you're looking to have a conversation. Overall 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4. Food is 5 stars but ambiance and service is 3 to 3.5 at best for me.

We made a last minute reservation on a Wednesday night for a party of 10 which we highly appreciated. It has been a bit cold the past few nights so we were worried about sitting outside, but they have ample heaters all along the patio. White Truffle Bread 4/5: I would say that this was my favorite dish of the night, although being an appetizer, it was a very filling dish, some pieces were either too soggy or too crispy though. Would get again. Squid Ink Tonarreli 2.5/5: Considering that this pasta was $27, I am not really sure what went wrong here. All my pasta pieces were short strands making it difficult to eat, and I felt the pasta was more sauce than noodle. Had a good taste, but the calamari almost tasted like it had been previously frozen and not fresh. The menu listed it as a "spicy red sauce" but I would not say the dish was spicy at all. Prosciutto Pizza 1/5: This dish was unfortunately a disappointment. Their pizza dough was rubbery, doughy, and not crispy at all. Overall extremely bland considering how salty prosciutto usually is. Was difficult to eat. Service 5/5: Our server was very attentive and made sure our entrees and appetizers were spaced out well. Overall I would rate this place a 2.5/5 as I had rather high expectations through many recommendations. Maybe I did not get the right dishes this time, would come back for the bread though.

Starting off, the service was pretty decent, very nice server and pretty attentive. The restaurant itself was pretty cool, especially with the surrounding glass design and very open feeling environment. Moving in to the food, I really liked the variety of options, whether it came to sides, salads, or main entrees like pasta and pizza. Flavor wise, everything was pretty flavorful and well thought out. For sides, I really liked their calamari, possibly being the best calamari I've had. Whether you wanted a fresher tomato sauce or a thicker cream sauce, both were flavorful and accompanied the dish well. As for the white truffle garlic bread, the flavor was really good, and the cream sauce had a rich and emulsifying flavor. This dish would have been perfect if the bread had a crispier exterior, giving it an initial crunch, followed by the soft interior that it did have. A choice of honey or oil on the side could have also elevated the dish but it was definitely well made and a good bite. Moving into the salads, these were probably more of the disappointing bites, flavor on the Caesar was fine and the Tuscan kale was a surprising but working combination, nothing really special and dissapointing portion sizes. Not bad in flavor, but definitely skippable bites. For mains, pizza and pasta. The pizza was okay, undercarriage was mid and crust had weak crunch. Flavor of sauce was solid but prosciutto distribution was pretty bad and the honey was too overpowering. As for pastas, they were actually all very solid and decadent. The norcina was by far the best, with the perfectly cooked pasta and diverse flavors and textures coming from the noodles itself and then surprisingly, the breadcrumbs were a nice touch. The spicy vodka rigatoni also had a rich flavor, much richer than generic spicy vodkas. Noodles here were slightly overcooked but still very solid. Lastly, the chicken parm was nice. Pretty standard flavors. The chicken was too soggy and the bread my didn't have a nice bite to it, again flavor was good. Best portion by far. Overall, good experiences and good food, slight tweaks and attention to detail would really elevate the food to another level.

North Italia is definitely one of those boujee and well known spots where you walk in expecting something next level. The ambiance is beautiful and cozy, and the service once you sit down is actually really nice. But when it comes to the food, for the price and the reputation, it honestly feels pretty lackluster. You leave thinking, that was fine, but not for what I just paid. What really threw me off though was the front hosts. For such a high caliber place, I at least expected a warm welcome or maybe even a fake cheerful performance, but instead I got greeted with what felt like pure distaste. Not exactly the red carpet moment I imagined. I understand the human frailty as I myself served my time in the service industry, but in this type of environment, you're getting paid to really perform on the floor. Still, props to the servers for keeping the vibe pleasant once we sat down.

North Italia is a more upscale version of Olive Garden and it shows with their interior, service, and quality of food. This spot is located in a plaza with a decent amount of parking spots, but spots closer to the restaurant are all valet. There is also a free retail parking structure across the street if you don't mind the walk. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are accepted as well. Wifey and I stopped by for dinner around 5:30pm with some family and it was a 20 minute wait. Inside, they have a very spacious and gorgeous setup. For their menu, they have a nice selection of different appetizers, entrees, pizzas, and more. I ended up getting the special Pepperoni & Corn Pizza while wifey got the Lasagna Bianca. We also tried the White Truffle Garlic Bread and the Prosciutto Bruschetta for appetizers and the Seasonal Pumpkin Butter Cake for dessert. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here and could taste the quality in the food. All of the staff here, including our server, were very friendly and accommodating. I would recommend making a reservation here and going on a nice date or to have a nice meal with some family or friends. There is definitely a reason why this spot has over 5,000+ positive reviews!

Everything is tasty here! We started with the calamari and it was perfectly crispy and flavorful. The kale salad was amazing; super fresh and the beet and chicken with avocado salad was just as great. For mains, I had the squid ink pasta (rich and flavorful) and the lasagna, which was absolutely delicious but not your typical lasagna; more like pasta and cream underneath with a few pasta layers. The truffle garlic bread is a must-order ;easily one of the highlights of the meal; and the deep-fried ricotta balls were a fun, cheesy item. Even the pizza was excellent, with that perfect thin, slightly chewy crust. North Italia is one of those spots where you really can't go wrong no matter what you order.

I went to North Italia on a whim and it was probably one of the best decisions ever! First of all, the waitresses are all so nice and also very nicely dressed, I love the addition of this! The inside of the restaurant is also so homey and the outside as well, has super cute decorations on the seating. Anyways moving onto the food!Although most of my friends and I got the spicy vodka pasta all of us enjoyed it a lot and I enjoyed it a lot, it was also my first time having it and I loved it so much. My friend got a shrimp scampi and I also liked that a lot, it was so buttery in a good way and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. I hope to come back to try their pasta deal thing going on !

Delicious food. The Prosciutto pizza was really good and loved the nice touch of fig. The pasta tasted fresh and did not taste overly oily. Can't wait to come back and try more! Service was good, it was a bit busy so I think the waitress was over sat which resulted in her not really coming by to refill our drinks and forgetting we asked for refills. The restaurant it self is nice and clean inside and not too loud. Parking can be difficult here if you choose to not valet.

We went on a weekday night, it was surprisingly busy. We were seated and ordered. Our server wasn't really attentive, we didn't get water while waiting and our appetizer already came and we asked for water but still had to wait. The food was delicious. We loved the calamari and the bread and our entrees and dessert. The ambiance was also very nice, since we were seated outdoors. I'm rating this really because of the service and lack of attentiveness of our server. When we ordered dessert, we asked which one we could share. There were 4 of us and we went with the brownie sundae to share. She gave us 4 spoons for the dessert. I was surprised she didn't give us any small cups or plates. Did she expect us all 4 to just dig in with our spoons? We had to ask someone for little plates. Also, she just placed the spoons on the table. She could've at least put a napkin on the table first and then set the spoons on top of the napkin. Their tables don't have a table cloth. My friends and I were really disappointed with the service.

One of the best meals I've had in a while. The interior decor is stunning and airy. Their service was very good. Our server was attentive and suggested some nice items. A truffle butter bread was a great starter. The calamari came in and it's battered a little bit different but was very nice and also had like a little small side salad with some pickled vegetables. Very good. Our kids picked off the kids menu and was very well priced at $13 for a good size pasta as well as milk. Me and my wife we ordered pasta dishes, and they were both very good. I got the spicy vodka rigatoni and she got something that started with an S but I forget the name of it. All in all love this place and definitely want to come back. Felt the prices were fair

Came here for lunch and was seated really quick! Great vibes inside and I loved the option of outdoor, bar, or inside seating. Food was so so good! Was recommended the truffle cheese bread and it was good but I wish the bread pieces were a little smaller for ease and slightly less toasted since some pieces were almost crouton like texture. Truffle cream was so good though. As for the pasta, it was definitely some of the best I've had in OC. The flavours really harmonized well together. I'll definitely come back and bring my family here as well and maybe try their other dishes!

This place has been around for quite and while, and on my list for quite a while; I finally made it and the food did not disappoint. Arrived for a weekday lunch and the place was hopping! We were seated pretty quickly on the patio, which was quite pleasant, and both servers were friendly, with plenty of water refills. The food was quite good; we started with their special meatballs and each ordered a pasta. Mine was chicken and mushroom, large portions good enough for 2 meals.

I love North Italia and this is such a beautiful location. They have a large patio and the decor and ambience is modern and beautiful. The food is out of this world. We started with the charcuterie board and it was what dreams are made of! Then we ordered pizza and the shrimp scampi. The bread is enough to keep you coming back for more. Service was top notch and the drinks were delish! Parking can be a bit tricky with how busy this location is but valet is also an option if you don't want to hunt for a spot in the busy lot. Plenty of very pristine bathrooms as well. Can't wait to go back and try the seasonal items!

North Italia is def one of my go to Italian restaurants in OC especially when I want to take my friends from out of town for lunch and dinner. A must have from North Italia is the Truffle Garlic Bread! It's honestly the best one out there, super fluffy, airy, and aromatic. The ricotta cheese and truffle flavor pairs very well together. The pizza dough was a little tough but flavors were tasty still! All the pastas were cooked nicely with flavors that were palatable for our big group. I made reservations on Saturday (on the day of) for a party of 13 and the hosts and servers were all very accommodating of our party size and seated us at the time stated. Our server was very well informed about the menu, giving us great recommendations, and was extremely attentive to the allergies present at the table! Great space, service, and solid food! I will def keep coming here :)

This was on my list of "must try" in Irvine. I didn't realize it was a chain restaurant. That said, the space is huge. Lots of tables, full bar, big menu. Long wait lines. Luckily we didn't have too long of a wait since it was close to 9pm and there were 6 of us. But we did have to wait a long time for our food to arrive. I tried the La Dolce Vida cocktail. My friend had the Roman Holiday. Both are pretty drinks but not too strong. Our party ordered: Calamari Fritti - a little disappointed in this dish. The dips it came with were good but the calamari was beer-battered. Felt heavy and only rings. No tentacles. Prosciutto Pizza - delicious. Nice crust. Margherita Pizza - also good. Luna he alla Norcina - very creamy; if you love mushrooms, this is a good dish. The mushroom flavor is strong. Squid Ink Tonarelli - great flavor Side of spaghetti with olive oil and garlic - loved that the spaghetti was al dente. I ate this with the calamari fritti. Overall, the pasta dishes would have been best enjoyed if they came with a side of bread so you can dip it in all that delicious sauce. Dessert was the best part of our meal. I'm so glad we didn't skip it! We had: Seasonal Butter Cake which happened to be coconut. Omgosh!! It was utterly amazing!!! The cake was buttery and the outer part of the cake had a crisp to it. It was fabulous. Brookie Sundae - came with 3 little dishes of toppings: little chocolate balls, chocolate or maybe hazelnut sauce, and chopped strawberries. It was not only fabulous but it also LOOKED fabulous!

First time visiting and made the mistake of not sitting at the bar because I didn't know that happy hour only happened at the bar. Decided to get some calamari (off happy hour menu) and garlic bread sliders with pesto chicken. Food was fantastic and the bartenders were attentive.

Seriously impressed by this cozy Italian gem. We tried the spicy rigatoni pasta and funghi pizza and both were bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. The seasonal vegetable salad was just okay, not the highlight, but it did make me curious to try more of their salad options next time. We came here for a birthday celebration and the staff surprised us with the cutest little tiramisu cup, such a sweet and thoughtful touch to end the meal. Highly recommend if you're an Italian food lover looking for a warm, inviting spot with great vibes and solid dishes. I'll definitely be back

Updating my review from about a month ago - I came with 4 guys and myself we ordered 6 dishes and all the pastas are so Salty. we let the server know and they were nice and stated that they'd readjust the pasta water. unfortunately once we have the dishes back and took the new ones home it was still so incredibly salty. So different then the last time I was here - all 5 of us were concerned over the amount of salt used in the food and while we ordered a variety of foods nothing could cover the taste of sodium lingering. Difficult to say if I'll be back given that I'm not sure if it's standard but It seems like many people last month had an issue with their salting. So sad that it's only after the cost of a few hundreds dollars spent.

Tasty food and great ambiance!! Decided to visit on a Saturday night with reservations and I def recommend doing that if you can. We opted for their white truffle garlic bread and cauliflower as our starters. Their garlic bread is a MUST TRY. Had a nice crisp to each bite while also being light. Definitely for people that like cheese too since they had a generous amount on top. Their garlic bread had a stronger taste which I enjoyed, but sometimes was a little oily for me. I ordered their Strozzapreti as my main dish. Very creamy and good parmesan taste. I liked that they added some pine nuts on top to add some extra texture. Definitely would give this place a try if you can!

I've been craving some cooked scallops lately, and this spot popped up on Yelp with exactly that. This was my first time here, and I was surprised to see there was a wait on a Wednesday evening. We were quoted about 45 minutes, but was sat closer to about 30 minutes. The service here is top notch, with friendly hosts and servers. It took a minute to order, but I think that just comes with the kind of ambiance here. Our table split the yellowtail crudo, seasonal vegetable salad, and mushrooms. I got the sear scallops for my main and paired it with a pinot grigio. The yellowtail crudo was fresh, and went well with the nuts and vinaigrette. I also really appreciate that they split the salad for us. It was super refreshing, and the amount of greens on it felt very healthy. The scallops came on top of a bed of risotto that had asparagus and sweet corn. The scallops itself had a great cook, but was a tiny bit salty for me. I may request for less salt next time, if it's possible. The risotto was my favorite part. Parking near the restaurant is all valet, but there is a parking lot and structure nearby for free parking. While the restaurant appears very high end, it doesn't look like it's too upscale, so jeans and a nice shirt wouldn't make you stick out here.

Occasionally we come here for family birthdays, and it's one of our favorite spots because the service and food are always exceptional! We got so lucky to be helped by a wonderful server named Josh for my sister-in-law's birthday, and we are so grateful for how well we were taken care of. It was such a memorable great dinner. The food and drinks were amazing, as always. Recommend this place to anyone especially if you love Italian food.

First time at this restaurant. Ambiance is great, really nice decoration with access to patio area. I really appreciate they allowed to be seated with other family members still 5 min behind. I feel service could have been better with more attentions as a big party but overall were nice. Food was good Italian option but not enough to deserve 5 starts still missing some homemade component.

Good food, great vibes, and even better service! Probably one of my favorite meals this year. The flavor and presentation of all the dishes was fantastic. The service is always good too. This will be my goto for special occasions.

Come here for lunch. It's far less ppl than the dinner crowd and makes the environment much more relaxing. I really enjoyed the food here. You really can't go wrong no matter what you pick. I went with the house specialty pasta bolognese and it was soo good. Just keep in mind that meatballs are extra. I got two meatballs and I believe it was an additional $10 or something. My friend got the salmon and it looked really good as well. The presentation of the food was amazing. The waiter told us that the chefs in the back are so focused on their work, the servers aren't even allowed to speak to them directly. Talk about intense! The main courses left me stuffed but I couldn't leave without trying some of their dessert. I'm glad I did. Definitely try the bambolini and the tiramisu. I still dream about them. Yum! Can't wait to come back again.

I already visited 2nd time and I absolutely love this place, delicious food, best workers , I'll definitely recommend it to everyone and will be back.

Came here with my husband and friends to celebrate, and I was glad we had made a reservation. Even though it was a Tuesday night, the place was packed. The parking lot was nearly full, and people were circling around looking for spots. We ended up ordering way too much food for just the four of us. We had grilled bread, meatballs, calamari, spicy rigatoni vodka pasta, braised short rib, arugula & avocado, and the Pig pizza. My personal highlights were the spicy rigatoni and the Pig pizza. I'd say North Italia has solid Italian food. Everything was cooked well, and the pricing was fair. It's a good place fill your Italian food cravings.

The service was AMAZING! We got the pig pizza and the farm salad to share. The salad was so clean and refreshing. It balanced the saltiness of our delicious pizza. Would go back and get the same items again!

North Italia is a great spot for brunch on the weekends, or lunch or dinner. The restaurant is clean, the outside seating--which we prefer--is beautiful with accents of flowers and palm trees--perfect area for warm days. The service was on point--friendly, great at helping us with our selections and drinks. We started with the glute-free white truffle garlic bread. Wow, our mouths were dancing with truffle, cheese, garlic, and butter. My best friend and I shared the ROASTED SALMON pasta dish with gluten-free pasta: caramelized romanesco, broccolini, fregola, basil pesto, lemon gremolata, affinato. This dish had abundance of flavors. My best friend's dad enjoyed the Wild Shrimp Scampi (small plate): blistered tomatoes, grana padano, garlic confit, herb butter, charred lemons, and grilled bread. Between the drinks and delicious food, we all left feeling very satisfied.

Went for lunch last Sunday. The environment was great and service was smooth with nothing to complain about. Food was okay --besides the three dishes in the photos, I also had a salad (arugula and avocado) and the soup of the day (it had veggie, peas and pork cube in it). Overall, it was a typical dining experience--nothing particularly impressive, but nothing disappointing either. I might come back if I'm in the area.

What an amazing night. Xavier was an absolute gem! The food was so yum, X was knowledgeable of what to order and he made my sister's birthday special! Thank you so much for a wonderful evening.

In my opinion this is more of an upscale restaurant with above average food. I ordered the Bolonese spaghetti and Truffle garlic bread. The Bolonese was like a soupy meat sauce. Nothing special at all. I didn't think much of the bread either. This is the type of place for the South County yuppies to go on a date night. Lunch service was very slow. I didn't get a tea refill until after I was done eating. I got there at opening but when I left it looked like the whole parking lot was Valet parking. This is a one and done for me. I'm sticking to Roma D Itilia in Tustin for good home cooking Italian food at reasonable prices.

Nice place, great ambiance. Doors all left open, creates breezy atmosphere. However, flies and gnats are pests I don't enjoy at dinner. Table wobbly. Service, okay. Wife used the restroom. Not clean. Sink water running, toilet overflowing. Food was okay. Hot honey and prosciutto pizza. Prosciutto should be cut down. When eating it's impossible to cut through the prosciutto, so first bite takes it all off the top. Wife ordered scallops. Sear was perfect. Definitely seasoned. Borderline too much salt. Lemon drop, okay and wine selection was good, Just had to enjoy it with the gnats.

We were down in Santa Ana/Costa Mesa for a convention. We didn't want to drive all the way into Newport so we used Yelp to help pick a new restaurant to try. North Italia was only a 10 minute drive and had reservations open for 4 PM (it's was 3:20 at the time). When we checked in, we only had to wait a few minutes for tables to be cleaned to be sat. Our server Nick was nice and had a good knowledge of the menu. They let me sample their Pinot Grigio and Riesling (the Grigio was smoother). We shared the calamari, prosciutto pizza and the bolognese. The aioli with the calamari was delicious BUT you don't even need the sauce for the calamari. Decadent and flavorful on its own. The figs cooked into the pizza were such a nice flavor and texture added with the prosciutto. But the bolognese was out of this world! We see why it's a house specialty. We were using our crust from the pizza to scoop up the leftover sauce from the bowl of bolognese. We decided we wanted a lighter dessert and we got the tiramisu. Typically we don't like espresso however this dessert was so light without lacking flavor. We are very excited to come back and try more from the menu

I gotta be the worst yelper ever! I've frequented North Italia quite a few times and sadly this is my first post. Totally lagging. For being a corporate chain restaurant their execution on the dishes are amazing. For reference and it's not difficult to make Cheesecake Factory look bad but if CF is 2.5/5 this is a solid 4.3/5 Dinner was amazing! Started with Firestone 805 glass of beer from draught, had the wild shrimp scampi appetizer, lil gem Caesar salad, and lasagna Bianca. I can go into details about each dish but know that for being a chain restaurant they capture the details and flavors so well i can be blind folded and convinced I was seated at a small mom and pop trattoria. Service, food, and ambience was excellent. Great place to go solo, a work luncheon, a date, or a celebration.

North italia is one of my faves. A perfect date night spot, this was the first time I went to the Irvine location. The wait time was a bit long (45min) but it went by fast. Quick staff and very tasty food! We got the tortellini & the braised ribs oh and don't forget the garlic bread. Everything was delicious excited to come back soon!

It's been a while since I went to Noth Italia and can't wait to go back because they hit the mark across the boards! Food/Beverage: -great options -the pizzas here are amazing -definitely try the braised short rib -looking forward to trying and sharing the small plates at next visit -have some good wines on menu; would love to see more Italian options Ambiance: -decor is unique, but has more of a casual, cafe feel -dinner time, especially weekends, can get busy -perfect spot for meeting up with friends or a group Service: -Oliver, the GM, was very helpful -the wait staff are excellent and knowledgeable about the menu Check out the HH!

Hadn't been back to North Italia for a while. I am glad I went back. I ordered the Squid Ink Tonnarelli and it was to die for! We started with the burrata and poached pears, and the arancini which disappeared as soon as they hit the table. Everyone in my party of 6 enjoyed their meal. Our server Oleg was amazing. He was attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. FYI Corkage fee is $25. We brought in a nice bottle of Justin Isosceles so it was worth paying the fee.

Love it again!! Good service, quickly seated. Our pasta wasn't cooked well so we sent it back and they were nice about it. Tried the pesto this time. It was super busy during lunch.

Wish there were more substantial vegetarian mains. I think only one pasta is and none of the entrees are. Burrata di stagione (3/5) - comes with grilled slices of bread, pears and burrata on a bed of greens topped with pistachio. The bread was perfect and overall pretty good. But the pears made the dish a little too sweet for my taste. And the burrata didn't have the mozzarella skin in a nice ball, it was just the inside so it's just stracciatella. I think this restaurant mixes the two up. I ordered a dish before during brunch with the same issue. Seasonal Vegetable Salad (4/5) - nice mix of all sorts of veggies but again a little too sweet with the balsamic vinaigrette, dates AND butternut squash. At least the sharp, salty flavor from the pecorino helped balance it out. Napes White Pizza (2/5) - our server did warn us that this was a sauceless pizza but I wasn't expecting it to be so dry. Also very sad pale crust that screamed underdone. I should have just stuck with the Funghi which I loved last time but wanted to try something new. Service here is always friendly and since we live walking distance, it's hard to say no to coming here but gotta be careful about my orders.

Five stars for atmosphere, service, being genuinely big dog friendly and your pizza; OMG, the pizza! Ironically, I'd stopped by on a recommendation of the meatballs. I was surprised that I didn't want to finish the first one; unpleasantly dry. That said, the completely shaded outdoor patio had close captioned TVs or gorgeous foliage. It masks the sound and sight line of urban development. Really well done. Also need to rave about their pizza! Great ratio, crust, char, flavor - it was really that great.

First time at this location. Absolutely beautiful restaurant. So glad we made reservations in advance - very busy during dinner time (even on a weekday). Parking is challenging. Highly suggest going straight to the parking garage around the corner unless you prefer valet out front. The hosts greeted us right away and we waited less than 5 minutes for our table. My friends and I really enjoyed our experience here (both their first times). Can't remember our server's name, but he was an absolute delight. Attentive, friendly, gave us great recs, and made us feel welcomed. Also forgot to take pics of all the food we ordered, but my top favs were the: * Seared sea scallops * Hot honey & smoke prosciutto pizza * Seasonal butter cake * Tiramisu

This is my 2nd time dining here! I came in again for my bday since I had a good experience the first time. Strongly recommend the pizza and truffle bread. My sister loved her salmon entree too. A few mishaps happened, the salmon dish was forgotten for a while. The bday dessert also arrived late, but it's free and they threw in an extra dessert. So not complaining haha. The server was extremely nice and the manager came over to apologize. Honestly the mishaps didn't bother me since the staff was so kind and I was enjoying my time. The wait time for everything is slightly slow, but this restaurant is worth it if you're not in a huge rush. Great atmosphere and a lot of accommodations :) (If you get a pasta go for the pesto or bolognese. The spicy vodka pasta didn't compare to the other 2)