Ristorante Mascarpone’s

Best Paella in Orange Co. and maybe the State, equal to what I had in Madrid at a reasonable price! (Must order 24 hours in advance.) Everything on the menu is excellent and a reasonable price. Pepe and Ronnie are great hosts!

This place is not interested in pleasing Unilocalers, they are not out to impress anyone. They have been around forever and are a small, family-​run place that caters to a crowd of loyal, regular, return diners who get the special treatment. We were newbies who came with our small children, did not know what to expect, and similarly to other Unilocalers, we experienced a semi– unwelcoming attitude until my husband was able to get the server (owner) to warm up to us and then she was absolutely lovely. The food is spectacular. They take pride in their food and for good reason. This is not Ruby’s diner so don’t expect them to bring out the crayons for your kids and the covered kids cups etc., and their high chairs are reallllllly dated. That being said our kids loved their meal (which was an entrée split). They don’t have any sides that are kid friendly (not even a side of fruit) but I guess I should’ve asked for a plate of sliced tomatoes at least because my daughter would’ve loved that. The bread is homemade and amazing. The minestrone soup was full of fresh veggies but they overdid the oregano in my opinion. I ate the lasagne which was perfect — served in a soup of delicious sauce and stuffed to the brim with cheese. Their bathroom was very clean, but the toilet was unstable and my little girl was having trouble balancing on it. It’s not a kid friendly place but I believe we may brave it again if only for the food. It’s very dimly lit and the inside could really use some updating– I’m not talking about turning it into the Ritz– just some basics like making sure the toilet is attached properly to the ground, fixing that scary loud fan sound outside the bathroom, things like that. Agree with other Unilocalers regarding slow service but again this is what you can expect with a family run place. You sacrifice a little in other areas in order to get the upside of a traditional home-​cooked meal.

Some of the best Italian food we’ve had, definitely the best Chicken Fettuccine I’ve ever had. The Cheese cake IS the best we’ve ever had! Can’t wait to go back!

Nice atmosphere and good, friendly service. Food is good with the exception of the minestrone soup which has no taste. Prices are a little steep for quality of food.

Great food. Gnocchi was perfect. Small and intimate setting. This place is one of the best itailian restaurants I have been to in Orange County. All meals are hand made to order. Definitely worth trying.

The food is fresh, authentic and amazingly delicious. This is a small intimate restaurant. We very much enjoyed our first visit and will definitely return. I recommend the ravioli Gorgonzola. Delicious!

Came there not knowing what to expect and was blown away. Had something simple since it was my first time, Fettuccini Pesto, delicious. Cant wait to come back!

Love this place. Good food, great comfortable, quiet venue to enjoy your dinner companions. Love the people and of course the amazing cheese cake! Their risotto is one of my favorites and sometimes cannot decide between soup or salad so I get both! Their bread is yummy and of course I typically plan to take home my left overs. It’s a hidden gem. Only sad I don’t get here as often but a favorite.

Always quality food! Great staff w Pepe and Ronnie. We’ve been coming for years and the recipes are wonderful and consistent. Really good minestrone soup and home made dressings. Can’t go wrong. Save room for cheesecake!!!

Elegant, very Italian, very welcoming. It was graduation night and the place was packed, but we were seated almost immediately. The food was plentiful and bery flavorful. The lasagna had a rich meaty sauce, and the Santa Fe Spaghetti was SO delicious! They brought delicious crusty herb bread with the appetizer (a generous plate of fried calamari with a spicy dipping salsa). Minestrone soup or salad were included. We shared a bottle of house merlot. We were too stuffed for dessert. Everything came to &81 (plus tip) and we have enough leftovers to make lunch tomorrow. The waiter even brought us an extra bag of bread to take home. We’ll definitely go back!

WOW! I cannot believe this place has been open almost as long as I’ve been alive and I haven’t had the pleasure of eating here before.
After a busy weekend, my wife and I wanted to have a long, leisurely date night, and Mascarpone’s was one of those restaurants we always wanted to try, but had never pullled the trigger. So we decided to give it a go.
We started with fried calamari. The calamari itself was very good, but the tomato garlic marinara was so damn good I could have eaten it with a spoon (haha, let’s be real, I did…) The house bread was also very good and came with a very garlicy spread.
I ordered the Linguine Pescatore, and my wife ordered the Gorgonzola ravioli. Your entrée comes with salad or minestrone. We were both impressed by how fresh and homemade everything seemed (was?)! We were both stuffed and pleased with our choices, and the service was excellent. Our drinks were never empty, and plates were cleared quickly. The staff was attentive but not obtrusive.
To finish our impromptu date night off, we ordered to swiss chocolate cheesecake (go big or go home!). They aren’t kidding when they call cheesecake their specialty.
Overall, my experience was wonderful! I didn’t have a «go to» italian place before, but I do now.

Lived down the street for 25 years and finally had my first experience. Pepe and his wife know the tradition of food, wine, and service! Didn’t look at the menu once and had Pepe suggest my pasta for the evening which was a Rigatoni with brown sauce (mushroom based) and sliced filet. My table also had the lobster ravioli (house specialty) and friend pork chop which was out of this world! It won’t take me 25years to come back!

BEST Italian food in Orange County. Yep, I said it.
Mascarpone’s is the definition of a hole in the wall restaurant tucked away that has captured authentic Italian food to a tee.
You would never know driving past the place, and I love that. You enter the restaurant and instantly feel like you’re in your grandmother’s home. It is a classy family feel.
I recommend the Linguine Pescatore! but no matter how full you get, and you will…
Do not miss out on the Cheescake! It is the best cheesecake I have ever had and I am somewhat of a cheesecake connoisseur.
Let’s just say that after having the cheesecake, we had no choice but to come back again the same weekend. LOL

Location was a little tricky to find but the food was amazing! There’s street parking in the front and a lot in the back. Make sure to look for the parking signs though, I think it said no parking for a certain period of time on Wednesdays.
It was me and two others on a Friday night. First time around I missed the restaurant and kept going until I was able to U-​turn at a. Ricardo’s? But I did find Mascarpone’s when I came back around – it’s the last unit on the left of the building when facing it.
We called ahead and made a reservation for 7:45 just in case and were very glad we did. When we got there around 7 all of the tables were reserved.
They have a variety of pastas to choose from and you can also make your own. I went for the gnocchi with pink sauce and bruschetta, another went for the Caesar and calamari, the third went for the minestrone and pasta combo with white sauce.
The bruschetta is perfect for onion lovers, like myself. It had a very strong onion flavor to it. The gnocchi was house-​made and the pink sauce was an excellent choice. The Caesar is made with their house sauce that includes anchovies, perfect with fresh ground pepper. Calamari comes with a house spicy sauce. The pasta with white sauce was delicious. that white sauce really was fantastic.
We did also order a bottle of the house Merlot – $ 8/​$ 20. Perfect pair to our meal.
The service was definitely on point and we will visit again soon!
We also received a complimentary cheesecake for our first visit.

Perfection! Everything about it. The atmosphere was on quite side, dim lighting. Great service. Bread starter was warm & tasty. We had chianti wine which was nice & smooth. Salad with entrée was fresh, cold & homeade Italian dressing. We had the kalamata olive tapenade appetizer– delicious & comes with thin toasted crostini.
I had the clam, linguine special & it came with s lot of fresh clams, red sauce was perfect. Husband got the special stuffed shells served on a hot dish right out of oven. Delicious. And if that wasn’t enough the homeade cheesecake was superb! We had pineapple cocunut Yummo!
Can’t wait to go back.

A must go to Italian Restaurant! Everything was A+++.
Friendly Service, Romantic Ambiance, and Big Delicious Portions (AKA THE BEST PLACE FOR A FUN DATE AND REASONS TO CARB UP BEFORE RUNNING A HALF MARATHON)
We ordered the Pesto Gnocci and Calamari for our appetizers! Linguine Pescatore (essentially seafood pasta) as the main course and the pineapple coconut cheesecake for dessert.
A couple weeks back, I was in Europe and I never thought Italian food would ever be the same back in the States. However, Marscapone’s changed my thoughts! There is still hope in this world! MARSCAPONE’s will forever be my Italian food fix.

This is Orange’s best kept Italian secret. Small mom and pop shop tucked away in a small retail center.
Ambiance is old school, but what they lack in aesthetics they more than make up for in taste, value and cheesecake.
For red hearty sauce flavors I love Roma d Italia; For pink sauces… mama d’s; but for white sauce, seafood, and delicate tomato sauces and cheesecake I’m all about mascarpone’s. Now all I need to find is a paparadalle joint (do not suggest enoteca or alessa to me)
Area of improvement: seafood could be prepared a little more delicately to insure less grit in some of the shell fish. But given the quantity of shell fish given, I find the very occasional broken bit of shell acceptable.
Quaint joint with solid pasta and Italian entrees. Much better than the hit/​miss items of some highly Unilocal reviewed italian restaurants in OC that are weighted more heavily on ambiance than flavor.

Amazing food, loved it, yum yum yum.
However the only issue I had was I asked for 3 refills on soda and kind of got the cold shoulder after the 2^nd soda. I asked twice (reminded the waiter after 10 mins) for my 3^rd soda and then was brought flat old soda. I was not happy after that. Other than this issue the food is great! If I come again I’m bringing a large big gulp soda from 7 – 11, so I don’t bug them and I won’t get upset.

Some friends took me to dinner last night at Mascarpone’s. It was Christmas Eve and also my friend’s birthday. I had heard about their favorite Italian place, Mascarpone’s, for months and now I finally got to experience it for myself.
It’s not a place you’d probably notice just driving by. It’s part of a strip mall and doesn’t have much of a street presence. But it is a jewel! The owners and wait staff were all extremely friendly and attentive. The food and wine was devine! The Ahi appetizer is unlike any Ahi I’ve ever had, and oh so delicious, and the Lobster Ravioli was amazing! Their egg drop soup (I don’t recall the name of the soup) was very good. For desert we had the Pineapple Cheesecake and that was just perfect. I can hardly wait for my next meal there.
I don’t give many 5-​Star reviews, but this place deserves it.

Always a great time at this little gem! I almost don’t want to put up a review because I want it to stay hidden!
Started coming here about three years ago! Food is delicious, the owners are great and the place is charming… I’ve been to Italya few times and this feels like ur in an actual italian family owned restaurant in the middle of Italy!!! Pasta is delicious… I pretty much always order:
*Italian egg drop soup (basically egg drop soup with spinach) — I’m absolutely in love with the soup I will sometimes order it to go on weekdays because I miss it so much :)
*Cappeline d’Angelo (if I don’t order it I order something else with the Marscapone sauce on it /​not a huge fan of marinara sauce in general — too over powering) — I’ve substituted this sauce on my steak before!
I don’t have pictures of these items this time but have pictures of a dinner salad with chicken on top dressing on the side and the eggplant parmigiana :) both delish x
Enjoy!!!