When you walk in you feel like you are walking into someone’s cozy home, with all the nuances that would make you feel comfortable. Then you meet owners: Julie and Mark Garduno, you immediately know you’re in for a real treat. They both have been in business for many years, and have been serving Southern California since 1988 and know how to make their customers feel at home. Capacity inside and out is 37, and their busiest nights are Friday, Saturday and Monday. It’s such a homespun family environment that you see post cards from their patrons’ vacations strewed along the edge of the bar. If people are taking time off their glorious vacation to write greetings you know something very special is happening here.
It is real traditional Southern Italian Garduno’s Ristorante, it will make you love Italian family recipes all over again. But the star of the show here is their homemade pasta. This is not an easy find anywhere in Southern California. So, there’s your number one reason to get to Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano. The Bowers Museum did a piece on Mark, from the International Noodle Festival, and his pasta making machine, you can see it on his website.
Here’s What I tried:
Wine:
Prosecco, a nice fruit forward easy drinking Prosecco, a great way to start.
Chardonnay J. Lohr’s, this is a buttery, creamy Chardonnay perfect with the cream sauces.
Salad:
Caesar, with homemade Caesar dressing with grilled chicken, Parmesan and croutons, over romaine lettuce. A very garlicky salad, but so delicious. Get your breath mints out after you eat this great salad.
House Salad included a nice mix of greens, red cabbage, tomatoes, shredded carrots, olives, cucumber wedges, peppercini, mozzarella cheese, and a very tangy Italian dressing. This is a great salad with all the bells and whistles.
Appetizers:
Calamari Fritti, a nice batter with lovely Italian seasonings added, and the marinara sauce was just spectacular.
Cozze E Vongole, mussels and clams, in a tomato wine sauce. Lots of chopped garlic make for one delicious dish, the clams and the mussels are fresh and just perfect.
Al Forno, From The Oven:
Melanzane Parmigiana, eggplant, mozzarella and parmesan. It comes in a nice porcelain oven ready dish, the cheese is melted, and the eggplant is soft and very fragrant, a great dish.
Pasta:
I tried the Linguini Bolognese, with a meat, tomato and mushroom sauce. I can always tell a restaurants greatness from certain things, with an Italian restaurant it’s usually this sauce. It is a slow cooked sauce that has many ingredients and done right it is amazing. They did a fantastic job, and the homemade pasta is just the best. Plus, Chef Daniel really knows how to follow Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano, unique recipes and do some of his own.
Fettucine Alfredo, luscious large flat noodles in a cream sauce with shrimp. Another homemade noodle that is so wonderful.
Tortellini with pesto, basil, garlic, olive oil, and pignoli nuts, in a cream sauce. Light, delicious and the pine nuts are the bonus. This is a great, wonderful pesto sauce.
Chicken and Veal:
Pollo Limone, chicken in a creamy lemon, caper, and mushroom sauce. Their chicken is fresh, all natural with no preservatives. The chicken is tender and is just the best super comfort food, I loved it.
Vitello Porcini, with veal, imported mushrooms a creamy tarragon sauce with melted mozzarella. This dish was another one of my favorites, the porcini is such a unique flavor, just melts in your mouth.
During Covid they had a huge outdoor patio in the front of the building, which really kept their business afloat. Also, the fact that they make the own pasta is really a huge draw. Their homemade pasta includes Linguini, Fettucine, Spaghetti, Fussilli, Rigatoni, Tortelini, and Cheese Ravioli. They have a pasta extruder by Pasquini, it’s the highest quality pasta maker from Italy. There are many restaurants that serve lovely pastas but putting fresh pasta in the mix, with every pasta, is a game changer.
Family owned and operated, with Julie and Mark Garduno at the helm, this is a ship shape operation. Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano offers traditional Italian favorites in a quaint and cozy environment. They specialize in Southern Italian cuisine with a touch of French. Everything on their menu is made-to-order including their sauces. They pride themselves on using the highest quality ingredients – their chicken is natural with no hormones or preservatives, their veal is Wisconsin milk-fed, and their seafood is always wild from Alaska, Oregon and Mexico.
At Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano they offer a complete array of authentic Italian meals. They have 20 different sauces to pair with your choice of pasta, and they encourage you to come try them all. They also carry a great selection of Italian wine and beer. Not only do they provide their authentic Italian experience at their restaurant, but they also cater meals for any size gathering. Also, for those on the go, they have take-out meals available. Their biggest to-go orders are Christmas Eve. They ask you to order months in advance to be part of this phenomenon many families are enjoying Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano during the holiday season. Whatever the reason or the season, now is a great time to try Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano.
Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano
298 E 17th St
Costa Mesa, California
(949) 645-5505
Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano is open for indoor and outdoor, take-out and catering.
Mon. – Thurs. 12:00-8:00 pm
Fri. – Sat.12:00-9:00 pm
Sun. 4:00-8:00 pm
*Some Content Was Taken Off Of Their Website.
