Pino's is our favorite local Italian restaurant. So lucky to have such a top professional chef in town making such delicious food. I love the seafood pasta and the Cioppino. My family also loves the Lasagna and the gnocchi with vodka sauce is perfect. Thanks Pino for the hours of work you put in. Your friendly staff (Steven Franco and team) are so nice. We had takeout last night but we are looking forward to coming back and eating under the stars in the inviting dining area you set up outside the front door.
Danielle Lobao
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February 21, 2019
Had a great experience here. Perfect place to carb up before a trip to Home Goods :P Friendly and attentive staff, nice sized entree portions (delicious, too!), and they served coke products which was a plus for me! I'll be back. Loved the neighborhood feel of it.
eatswithsari
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November 13, 2020
Linguini con vongole o'cozze w mussels & clam: The mussels by themselves taste like a barn. The clams are better. The sauce is very very buttery and oily. After a while it just tastes like I'm eating oil w a side of pasta. The trifolati sauce is better.
Funghi trifolati: sautéed mushrooms in a garlic heavy white wine sauce. Pretty good. I liked the sauce a lot.
Alan Stein
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March 17, 2018
If you’re looking for home style Italian this is definitely the place for you! Everything is AWESOME and tastes just like the good old days of ‘Sauce Sundays’ every week at either my parents or grandparents house! If pasta is what you’re in the mood for do not hesitate to give this place a try!
J.S. Price
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June 17, 2023
Years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of dining here with some close friends and we all enjoyed every bit of the food and the service. A highlight of that night was meeting Pino himself, who stopped by our table and taught us about all things Italian, particularly what was on our plates.
Although the atmosphere did seem a little outdated, it was easy to ignore it due to the quality of the food and the friendly & attentive staff. After all, it isn't often that the magician behind the curtain introduces himself and takes the time to explain how his culinary magic tricks work as well.
We then made several efforts to replicate that experience over the years since. However, unfortunately Pinos's seemed to always be closed on the days and times we were in the area (we live in another area of south OC).
More recently, we discovered Pinos again after we were invited to a wine tasting dinner there. Not only was the food and staff still fantastic, but the atmosphere had been updated to compliment the experience. Moreover, Pino himself still came out the check on us and explain how he made each dish (with the same passion and attention to detail as he did all those years before).
We enjoyed that experience so much that we dined there yet again tonight. To make it even more memorable, we also invited those same close friends again. I am happy to report that it was yet again a hit. Simply put, I think Pino's Cucina just may be our new go to Italian restaurant, regardless of the drive.
Indeed, the food, service, wine list and ambience will make it hard to stay away for very long. I likewise highly recommend you plan a night out to see what all this fuss is about... hopefully you'll get to meet the man himself too!
Pino's is our favorite local Italian restaurant. So lucky to have such a top professional chef in town making such delicious food. I love the seafood pasta and the Cioppino. My family also loves the Lasagna and the gnocchi with vodka sauce is perfect. Thanks Pino for the hours of work you put in. Your friendly staff (Steven Franco and team) are so nice. We had takeout last night but we are looking forward to coming back and eating under the stars in the inviting dining area you set up outside the front door.
Had a great experience here. Perfect place to carb up before a trip to Home Goods :P Friendly and attentive staff, nice sized entree portions (delicious, too!), and they served coke products which was a plus for me! I'll be back. Loved the neighborhood feel of it.
Linguini con vongole o'cozze w mussels & clam: The mussels by themselves taste like a barn. The clams are better. The sauce is very very buttery and oily. After a while it just tastes like I'm eating oil w a side of pasta. The trifolati sauce is better. Funghi trifolati: sautéed mushrooms in a garlic heavy white wine sauce. Pretty good. I liked the sauce a lot.
If you’re looking for home style Italian this is definitely the place for you! Everything is AWESOME and tastes just like the good old days of ‘Sauce Sundays’ every week at either my parents or grandparents house! If pasta is what you’re in the mood for do not hesitate to give this place a try!
Years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of dining here with some close friends and we all enjoyed every bit of the food and the service. A highlight of that night was meeting Pino himself, who stopped by our table and taught us about all things Italian, particularly what was on our plates. Although the atmosphere did seem a little outdated, it was easy to ignore it due to the quality of the food and the friendly & attentive staff. After all, it isn't often that the magician behind the curtain introduces himself and takes the time to explain how his culinary magic tricks work as well. We then made several efforts to replicate that experience over the years since. However, unfortunately Pinos's seemed to always be closed on the days and times we were in the area (we live in another area of south OC). More recently, we discovered Pinos again after we were invited to a wine tasting dinner there. Not only was the food and staff still fantastic, but the atmosphere had been updated to compliment the experience. Moreover, Pino himself still came out the check on us and explain how he made each dish (with the same passion and attention to detail as he did all those years before). We enjoyed that experience so much that we dined there yet again tonight. To make it even more memorable, we also invited those same close friends again. I am happy to report that it was yet again a hit. Simply put, I think Pino's Cucina just may be our new go to Italian restaurant, regardless of the drive. Indeed, the food, service, wine list and ambience will make it hard to stay away for very long. I likewise highly recommend you plan a night out to see what all this fuss is about... hopefully you'll get to meet the man himself too!