Peppino's Italian Family Restaurants

by Chris B.

Average. Went for lunch and there was no lunch specific menu which I thought odd. So it's pretty expensive for lunch. Food was large portioned (dinner size). Table bread was warm and delicious. Service was good if not a bit too eager. Over all I was put off by the prices being it's you run of the mill family Italian type spot.

by Glen C.

Generous portioned Italian restaurant for the planned community of Foothill Ranch.  They claimed that the Pasta Fagoli was cooked upon request, so it took 20 minutes to get. The baked ziti was pretty decent but the bread was pretty average. Lunch wasn't too crowded but given the choices in FHR, you could do a lot worse.

by Heather C.

We love peppino's! The focaccia bread is good and we love the pizza! Also, the rolls are good. The Lina roll and Stromboli rolls are my favorites. The pasta dishes are big enough to share.

by Mark D.

I came down here when I visited a special friend down in Irvine (not Special Olympic special, not that there's anything wrong with that).  I like the look of the restaurant.  It reminds me of a family owned restaurant that I frequent around my area, pictures of what looks like family members are strewn across the walls.  The place was pretty busy for a random weekday so I guess that's a plus.  We ended up getting fried calamari for our appetizer.  it was awesome.  You know what was even more awesome?  She preferred the rings.  I preferred the tentacles.  Perfect match.  She had the chicken parm and I had something with sausage and cheese.  Sausage and cheese!  Can it get any better?  Both entrees were excellent.  Oh, and then we ordered some garlic bread on the side.  Oh, what heaven that was!  Wait staff was awesome too.

by Harry F.

As a former New Yawker  I know great italian food when I taste it! The cooking is top notch and the service is great. If you want to taste real NY pizza this is the only place to go in south county.

by Cathy K.

3.5 stars?  Yeah, right!  5 stars ALL THE WAY!My boyfriend works just across the street, and for years, he'd raved about some "awesome" sandwich place.  Each time, I thought, "A sandwich is a sandwich. How 'awesome' can a sandwich possibly be?"Oh, how ignorant I was!Parking at the plaza is a breeze, but that just got me thinking, "This place looks like a dump."  The exterior makes it look like just any other run-of-the-mill mom pops restaurant, and the interior wasn't much nicer. Sure, there were cool framed photos of generations of Peppino's and whatnot, but it was dark and dingy.  Oddly, it reminded me of a more rustic and family-owned Pizza Hut.  The tables are cheap, the chairs are cheap, and the fixtures are cheap. Hmm...On my first visit, I ordered a Pastrami sandwich while my boyfriend ordered the steak sandwich.  Before anything else, they brought out a great basket of assorted breads.  Being a total carb-whore, I couldn't help myself and polished off the entire thing as my boyfriend watched in horror.  "Save room for the sandwich!"  As my mouth was stuffed full of the delicious, warm bread, I couldn't respond verbally. Instead, I stuffed another piece of bread into my mouth as a visual response.Soon enough, the sandwiches were out, and lordy, lordy!  YUM.  One bite of my pastrami sandwich, and I was in heaven!  I don't even LIKE pastrami that much (my boyfriend made me order it, insisting that it was great), but I became a pastrami convert! Drizzled with a tart Italian dressing, this mammoth sandwich was PERFECTLY salty, PERFECTLY savory, and just PERFECTLY perfect!I was incredibly satisfied with my meal, but I couldn't help myself from shooting my boyfriend the evil-eye.  His steak sandwich looked just as great, but he hadn't offered me any!  Selfish!!!  The evil-eye did the trick, as he humbly offered me half of his giant steak sandwich. Primly, I plucked the half-sandwich off of his plate and chewed thoughtfully.  I gave him a cold glare for his boo-boo, but on the inside, I was basking in a warm, cozy glow of happiness.  This steak sandwich, also with that lovely Italian dressing, was so full of flavor! YUM!Every chance I get (which isn't often, as I don't like driving past Irvine), I am at Peppino's chowing down on my awesome sandwiches.  I'm picky, so I don't ever order anything else, but the few friends that I've dragged along over the years have raved about their pastas as well.  The portions are large, the food is great, and the service is quite decent, too.Only two BOOs.1.  You have to order the fries on the side. For some reason, it doesn't come with the meal. But don't be cheap. Order them. Order two plates, in fact. They're freaking fantastic and crispy and yummy!2.  They serve Pepsi products.  I almost gave this place 4 stars instead of 5 because of the Pepsi issue (I hate Pepsi products... I am a slave to Coca Cola), but then thought better of it.If Peppino's was closer, I'd be here every day.Peppino's! Move to North OC! Please!

by Eric B.Sukhraj B.Jeremy L.Chris B.Alex G.

Joe and his wife are usually right inside the door to welcome you, take you to your seat and make sure you get a bsket of warm bread with butter.This bustling, family-owned Italian sucess story has a menu filled with old world flavor. Cheese, peperoni, butter, spinach and garlic - and that's just the baked specialty rolls!The marsella is world-class.In my backyard is the original Peppino's location which got started in 1985 when I was merely 5 years old.  Since then, this restaurant has experienced tremendous growth and exploded like a chain all over South Orange County.Peppino's has a great location and the ambiance is perfect. It's dimly lit with small checkered tables outfitting the place, and family run and owned.   Our waiter was prompt to start us off with drinks and get some bread to our table.Considering the history and a great start to our meal,  I was expecting the experience to carry me off to Italy, my mouth to burst with an explosion of flavors, and leave me transported far away from here.Our Ceaser salad and bread was pretty good but I was expecting the waiter to come back with some cracked pepper but perhaps, I needed to ask for that.  This seems to be a custom at other chain restaurants like Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden so I expected the same from a restaurant that claims to be authentic.  Oh well.  I guess the chains are a step above here.We ordered off the specialty items menu and got the Pasta Toscana for my friend which is sauteed capicolla and onions with Romano cheese served with Marsala sauce.  I ordered the Gnocchi Alla Joe - tri-colored potato dumplings sauteed with diced tomatoes,  sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and basil and topped with Romano cheese and marinara sauce.  Our food looked colorful and flavorful as it sat there but one bite quickly proved that theory wrong.  My friend's pasta looked something that could easily be duplicated at home with some fettuccine and red pasta sauce and my plate was a sad, mushy mess devoid of flavor.  I only got through all of it because I didn't eat breakfast and I was hungry.  Overall, I'm a little disappointed but I'm giving this place 3 stars because the service was great.  Our waiter didn't miss a beat and I liked the bread and salad despite the missing cracked pepper.  Maybe I need to come back and try some other dishes and change my rating because I'm sure there's something to this place if it's voted People's Choice by the Orange County Register and several other awards adorning the walls of this fine establishment.  One day, I'll crack the mystery with another meal.  For now, the 3 stars stand.My old coworkers introduced me to this place. And I'm glad they did! Really decent Italian-American food and in the right atmosphere with the right service. Everytime I walk out of Peppinos, I am stuffed to the max and likely with leftovers. One of my favorites is the pesto pizza (I think it had chicken as well). It's so good that one of the managers at my old workplace ate my leftovers over the weekend! Of course, I can only assume it was him as he maintained a slight smirk on his face after publicly complaining that people shouldn't steal other peoples' lunches from the fridge!Anyway, I still like the LF location as that's the only location I *know*I plan to be back soon if I'm in the area!Average. Went for lunch and there was no lunch specific menu which I thought odd. So it's pretty expensive for lunch. Food was large portioned (dinner size). Table bread was warm and delicious. Service was good if not a bit too eager. Over all I was put off by the prices being it's you run of the mill family Italian type spot.Came by here for lunch, it is a pretty standard family dining Eye-talian joint.  The atmosphere was nicer than the exterior would suggest, but I guess a strip mall in Lake Forest sets a pretty low hurdle.I had the fettucini della casa, which was like a creamy marsala sauce with mushrooms.  It was quite tasty, but it is hard to fuck up a cream sauce.  My companion had the baked trio, which was three different baked items (manicotti, cannelloni, and something else), it looked pretty cheesy and was reported to be pleasing to the tongue.Two minuses: he gratis bread was a little stale and the entrees took a while to get out to us.  Other than that, service was perfectly adequate.This is a decent choice for a slightly nicer-than-average lunch or a casual dinner with someone that you aren't trying to impress.

by MK B.

Ok, this Long Beach anti-chain snob actually has something excellent to say about So. OC let alone a chain restaurant.  I visit this restaurant about once a week during lunch only (I clients in the area) and have to admit that this restaurant is awesome.  If you are in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs...Id suggest ordering a side of meatballs and a side of spaghetti.  You'll save yourself about $4 bucks for a smaller portion but still filling...but remember the key word here is "SIDE".  Check it out, its better than Olive Garden!

by Maury M.

Once in a while I pick a restaurant which turns out well. This is one of them. Personally I like Italian American food, my wife, not so much. Luckily this place didn't have the true American style Italian food because my wife enjoyed it.The portions are more than huge. No one can finish it, not even me. We brought most of our meal home. I'd say if you go, best go with friends so you can share. Otherwise be prepared to eat it for another meal.I really liked my baked trio. I also liked my wife's chicken pizzaiola. Service was okay, it didn't stand out, but wasn't bad either. Would definitely come back.

by Jeremy L.

My old coworkers introduced me to this place. And I'm glad they did! Really decent Italian-American food and in the right atmosphere with the right service. Everytime I walk out of Peppinos, I am stuffed to the max and likely with leftovers. One of my favorites is the pesto pizza (I think it had chicken as well). It's so good that one of the managers at my old workplace ate my leftovers over the weekend! Of course, I can only assume it was him as he maintained a slight smirk on his face after publicly complaining that people shouldn't steal other peoples' lunches from the fridge!Anyway, I still like the LF location as that's the only location I *know*I plan to be back soon if I'm in the area!