Bello by Sandro Nardone

"its been a year and a half since I have been here yet their food still tastes excellent! The calamari is the best appetizer you can get in my opinion. I loved the marinara sauce that came with it. I ordered some type of truffle pasta and they did not skip out on the truffle!! Biggest amount of truffle I have seen a restaurant give. My dad ordered a shrimp type of pasta and that was also delectable. For a dessert, we ordered the chocolate tart and it was so good!! This restaurant is on the pricer side yet still amazing!!"

"My husband and I love trying out new restaurants. We especially enjoy trying out the meals of private chefs around Los Angeles. We are quite picky and fair when it comes to evaluating food. For Valentine's Day, we took a risk and decided to try out Bello for the first time. And we couldn't be happier. It was extraordinary. Now, I will share with you the things we tried. Before ordering, we were served 6 pieces of sourdough bread with amazing olive oil. Then for Antipasti, we ordered the Polpo. Fried Octopus. The portion size was larger than usual, almost too filling for 2 person. We ordered Tagliolini Al Tartufo and Costolette Agnello. The Tagliolini was enchanting. It got better with every bite. The truffle mushrooms on top added an amazing flavor. The Costolette Agnello was something else. Served with eggplant and a lightly sweet sauce on top. We normally don't like the smell of lamb, but the lamb chops were not smelly at all and were incredibly tender. Imagine the most beautiful lamb chop you can eat. For dessert, we chose tiramisu and got the panna cotta to go. The tiramisu was the perfect ending to the meal. It was simply amazing. We will definitely be coming back to this place regularly. Chef Sandro Nardone of Bello excites us incredibly! We are gonna closely follow him."

"Overall, I expected more from this place especially for the price point. The octopus was super disappointing. The sauce for the octopus and the vegetables were too salty. I asked our waiter if we could get a replacement for the vegetables since they were inedible. He took away our plate so quickly we didn’t get a chance to salvage the last bite of the octopus. What a waste! For the entrees, I got the Norcia, and my bf got this lobster pasta. Both of the dishes were delicious. The Norcia was packed with a strong mushroom flavor, and the noodles were cooked al dente. I love al dente, but my bf wasn’t a fan. The lobster pasta had good lobster pieces in it and had a strong lobster flavor."

"Bello is one of the best Italian restaurants in Orange County, even after losing their head Chef, Zach. Their new head chef, Drew, has picked up the mantle and keeps their seasonal options fresh and interesting. The hamachi crudo is what they’re known for and it is not only incredible but also unique EVERY WEEK. It’s really dangerous because it makes me want to come every single week so I don’t miss a variation of it. Their pastas are handmade and are all delicious, and their lasagna bianca is an absolute treasure. Parking is limited and dinner gets busy, so reservations are recommended, but lunch is more lowkey and is the secret best option. Most of the time you can just walk in and get a table for lunch."

"Wife and I went to the Chef's tasting while we were in the area on vacation. Everything was absolutely amazing, flavorful, delicious, fantastic, etc. If we lived closer, we'd probably go all the time. Chefs Zach and Drew were really great to chat with and watch work. They love what they do. It's very evident, and they work really well together. We loved that they aren't like some chefs that feel they are better than their customers, and should be envied. If you have a chance go to visit them. You will definitely not be disappointed. I wish I could give them a million stars. I apologize that I forget which dish is which, but honestly they were all beyond amazing."