Taste of Sicily

I really miss this place! They had the best pizza around and had great prices.
Come back Taste of Sicily! :(

This place was terrible!!! The worst service ever and the food came cold! Avoid this place!!!

Me and my wife came here last night for dinner collin was our waiter. Really good waiter, we wernt to hungry so we ordered 1 plate and he was nice enough to split our soup and our meal! We ordered sals fried calamari. I must say it was pretty good! We will definately
be back to try there pizza next time!

Sadly, Taste of Sicily is not what it used to be. Last time we came here, it was a perfect storm of bad experiences. The service was very slow, even though there was only one other occupied table in the restaurant when we were there. We waited so long for drink refills that I was tempted to go up to the soda fountain and refill my drink myself. The garlic knots were burnt and tough, and we weren’t given enough olive oil for dipping to make them edible. I actually did go track down bottles of olive oil and vinegar (probably meant for salads), because our server was nowhere to be found. Worst, the pizza just wasn’t as good as it used to be. We once loved you, Taste of Sicily, but you’re just not our dependable pizza place anymore.

Yeah, came again today. Pretty sure the waiter/​host is off doing something. I always end up standing at the front like a dipshit.
Hate how they don’t even have a little bell or anything. I feel so awkward standing there waiting for 5 – 10 minutes. However the food is so good that I don’t care.
Got the
–House salad w/​bleu cheese dressing (croutons, marinated artichokes, roma tomato slices, and romain lettuce)
–½ lasagna & ½ spaghetti– delicious, really enjoyed the lasagna. Sauce is light and fresh. Very simple. Lasagna was filled with creamy riccotta and sausage like chunks of meat. Great. Pretty big portioning… nothing wrong with left overs though!
–Pasta Carbonarra — basil, BACON (lots of it: D), and alfredo sauce. Served w/​penne. Really enjoyed this meal, sauce was good, and bacon was definitely there! Huge portion
Service:
Once you’ve been noticed and seated, they’ll give you GREAT service. The waiter was very nice, forgot his name, but he was also nice enough to box up some of their DELICIOUS GARLIC KNOTS. :) Happy camper over here!

After reading up such rave reviews of their NY style pizza, I was SOOOO excited to finally give it a try this weekend.
I ordered a LARGE NY Style pizza, House Special for delivery. And here is my opinion of it…
1) Delivery time took quite some time (a little over an hour)
2) The topppings on the House Special looked SPARSE and not evenly distributed. Barley looked like there was any topping on it… not worth $ 20 in my opinion
On the upside, the red sauce on the pizza was great! Other then that, I was quite disappointed with it as a first time customer.
I also ordered Garlic Bread Knots and they were up to snuff with what every one on Unilocal said (delicious).
Frankly, I don’t know if I’ll give their NY Style pizza a try. I’m sad to say that I’ve had better NY Style pizza here in So Cal. It was quite a sad first time experience…

I have been here couple of times and they never have disappointed me.
To me Italian food is synonym of comfort, fattening, tasty food. So this place truly has comply with it.
Is a mom and pop place!
*as you dear reader must know I’m against chains/​monopolies and I avoid them as much as I can*
They have decent wines, and when you arrive they give you tons of garlic rolls (delicious!)
I have tried their lasagna, manicotti, and last time I went I had angel hair with tomato sauce, really delicious!
Easy parking, good service.
Why 4 instead of 5 stars?
because last time I went they turned off they A/​C about ½ hr before closing time!
Picture that:
After copious Italian meal, washed down with red wine, hot summer night, and this people dare to turn off the A/​C?
Totally unacceptable!
Don’t you agree with me?

As far as Italian American food goes — Taste of Sicily does a pretty solid job. I am Italian and happen to have grown up with a grandfather who was a chef, and as with most Italian families, a family that loves to cook and eat — so it takes quite a bit to please me at Italian restaurants.
We enjoyed a house special NY style pizza and mostaccioli ala vodka. The pizza was outstanding. The pasta, although pretty basic, was al dente, served with plenty of sauce and a generous amount of prosciutto. I was most impressed with the house salad that comes with the dinners. Mixed field greens (including arugala which I am personally obsessed with), black and green olives, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and shaved parm. The Italian dressing was also very good.
Service was excellent. Thank you Tracy for a lovely evening.
Four stars only because the menu was unimaginative and included no Sicilian specialties such as Caponata, Pasta ala Norma or Pasta con Sardine. And of course the food is much heavier than you will find anywhere in Italy. But overall, Taste of Sicily is a good value and will certainly satisfy a craving for pizza and pasta.

Nice little restaurant tucked away in the corner on Tustin b/​w Walnut and Collins… Decors is red and green, kind old looking inside but the food is awesome!!! Can be a nice romantic date spot…
They start off by serving you garlic knots with are amazingly delicious!!! We were able to box some to take home… (YUMMMMM) You can order a full carafe of red or white wine for $ 14 to enjoy with your meal… the portions are very generous. There were 4 of us and we ordered 3 dishes which was plentiful enough to go around…
We had the Large Lasagna/​Spaghetti w/​meat sauce combo, Chicken Marsala with penne pasta, and the salmon ravioli. Each dish came with your choice of a soup or salad…
The lasagna and spaghetti were ok, nothing to rave about… The marsala had a lot of flavor with the chicken, mushroom, onions – the sauce was good. We couldn’t finish it, so we were able to take some home. and the salmon ravioli was good with white sauce. The sauce wasn’t over powering.
Service was excellent… All that pasta and bread-​Total Food Coma!!! Wish we had room to try the tiramisu… Until next time– We’ll definitely be back.

Update on 11−22−11: Heard there was a recent ownership change. Will hope to update this review soon.
What is Sicilian style Italian food? The way a robust, hand flying Sicilian friend of mine describes it, it’s the «brightest and most colorful of Italian cooking, whether pasta, vegetables, meat and seafood». There is supposedly some French, Greek, Arab influences. My non discriminating palate could not distinguish all these influences with the safe classic dishes i tried. To cut to the chase, the food was good.
This place was decorated by someone who was obviously drinking wine. It’s quirky, and decorated in green, white, and red in a tacky kind of way. The walls are textured. It had the same Italian themed paintings I’ve seen in other places. They have fake grape and grape leaves with used wine bottles. It’s bright inside and lively. We walked in and were seated immediately on a Saturday night. There were a couple of large groups but most tables and booths had two people.
This night, they had live music. A guy was playing Jazz standards on a piano, and not too loud. It definitely made the evening fun, especially since I took piano lessons a kid and always dreamed of playing like that. Maybe someday…
I ordered the half and half — spaghetti and lasagne. My friend ordered the manicottii. Decent portion size. Both had a rich and slightly sweet sauce, and my spaghetti and lasagne had lots of cheese and meat. My friend’s manicotti had a simple luscious feta cheese inside the crêpe like shell — aha, the French influence! My half and half dish went great with the house chianti. We ordered side salads, with some fresh mixed lettuces. But as others have said, the star of the show is the garlic knots. Lots of garlic, salt, onion, and olive oil on the soft, warm mini buns. Great aroma. You could probably just eat that, with a salad and my wine. In fact, that’s what I did and took most of my pasta home for lunch the next day. Terrific the next day.
Service was decent, our waiter know the menu, was friendly, and was efficient. He had to deal with a large table of 8 next to us, so he did well with his four other tables, including us. I definitely would go back again.

THIS PLACE IS GREAT!
Dinner here last night.
The garlic knots were on the table before my ass even hit the seat.
They were hot and delicious!
Had the Gnocchi and it was very good.
Big portions… always have something left to take home.
Great service by Mike, he even gave us some garlic knots to take home with our left over pasta! Awesome!
Thanks Mike!

I could talk about how great most of their staff is, how nice the owner is, how I love their garlic knots (and you really should pace yourself), how their dishes are authentic and delicious but I want to tell you about the menu item I find myself ordering most of the time; their pizza. I was raised on New York style pizza as a kid on the east coast and this is the real deal. Tony makes the BEST New York style pizza in Orange County! Perhaps the state if not this side of the country.
This is not a $ 5 pizza by any means but after the first bite you will fall in love and forget all about that. I recommend you order one now and have them deliver your pie right to your door. You will not regret it.

Perfect for a Sunday evening! Not crowded, perfect atmosphere and excellent customer service!!!
It is very well lit, I don’t know how I have missed it before! Their menu offers a HUGE selection of all your favorites, I went with mine, which was the fettuccine alfredo! The sauce was prepared exactly the way I love, not liquid creamy, but with the perfect texture of parmesan cheese. Don’t ruin your appetite with the family size of garlic knots they bring to your table!
They also offer catering, good info to know!

I love Italian food! Being Italian, I am a little picky with my food and this place did not disappoint. The server was attentive but not so much that you felt as if they were hovering and the service was quick and friendly.
The garlic knots will literally spoil your meal so be careful. They were a welcome surprise. I choose the chicken ravioli in a wine sauce for my meal and it was good. The meals range from about $ 12 and up. I didn’t have any problems with the price as they all seemed reasonable.
The atmosphere was nice and the booth we sat in was comfortable. For a Sunday, it wasn’t crowded but it was good to see some large groups eating there. We were there until nearly closing and were never pressured to leave so they could start cleaning up.
Upon leaving we were greeted by a man asking us if our meals were ok and after talking with him for a little while found out that he was the owner. He is a fellow Italian and has been in the families business since he was a kid. He started out in pizza and moved on to more of the restaurant business. He showed me some pictures of when his family came over here from Italy which I found nice and after exchanging a few stories, left happy. Would definitely recommend to anyone and would go back again.

Lets cut to the chase. I LOVE Italian food! I usually play it safe and go to the same joint «Renatos» but the bff wanted to explore;so we did. And we ended @ Taste of Sicily.
The complementary garlic knots were divine!!! Any Free bread is amazing to me, but garlic knots? This is a first! They are perfect size and each knot had the garlic butter. yum!
We both got the Spaghetti, I got meatballs she got sausage.
The spaghetti was decent but the sauce was a little too sweet for our liking. However they redeemed their sauce with the sausage and meatballs. It was juicy and perfectly cooked.
Next is dessert. Now I am aware of what great tasting tiramisu is and it’s located @ Renatos. But I gave this place a run for their money and tried their tiramisu. Well, it is made differently that is for sure. The tiramisu was a bit sweet and it was decent, BUT still not as good as the Renatos one. :)
Spumoni was pretty good, i don’t know how you can go wrong with ice cream lol.
Overall, since it is sort of pricey I will be coming back once in a great while. FOR THE GARLIC KNOTS!!! that left the mark!

So I love Italian food, who am I kidding, I love any food that is good. been here a few times and l LOVE it.
Owned and operated by a guy born in Sicily, and then lived in Brooklyn. Not much more authentic Italian-​American than that. Get there on a night he works, and he will greet you at the door with that Brooklyn accent.
The service is great, and the ambiance is nice but casual, cloth table cloths and napkins, nice wine list that isn’t real pricey, and food that is amazing. We love the thin crust pizza, although they have Sicilian style as well. The Chicken Parm and Marsala are good, and I recently enjoyed the Italian sausage sandwich. All portions are huge, and the free Garlic Knots are the bomb. The menu has other favorites that I have yet to try, like baked Ziti, veal Parm, steaks and seafood as well.
Although I disagree with Randi, please don’t everyone eat there, I love not having to wait to be seated to get a great meal. But if just enough of you go, then we can keep them in business.
This place has take out as well.

What the hell? Why were we here at 7 pm on a Friday and this place was dead? People! Go eat here!
Thanks to my Unilocal friends Tim & Rob telling me to come here, you guys are 2 for 2, Mama D’s and now this!
BF and I came here for dinner tonight and we were beyond impressed! The service was fabulous, the décor was cute, the booths were comfy and the food was amazing!
They give you garlic knots for FREE instead of garlic/​plain bread. What? Garlic knots are normally an appetizer that costs at least $ 6…and they were awesome, some of the best we have had!
For dinner I got the Pasta Carbonara and BF had the White Margherita pizza that had potato, pancetta & alfredo sauce with the most deliciously perfect non greasy cheese ever. My pasta was super creamy and it absorbed all the pancetta flavor.
The portions were large, especially for the price. BF’s ordered the «small» pizza which was the size of a large delivery pizza.
This place was awesome and we will definitely come back, probably sooner than later — and you should too!

** Highly Recommended — HIDDEN GEM **
Had this place on my radar for awhile now and finally got to try it last Sunday with family. GEEEZ… why did I wait so long? Oh, I know why, ‘caus it’s stuck in the corner of a newer looking strip-​mall type center and that kinda didn’t do much for me. Don’t let that fool you, once inside your transported to a fun, funky place with a sense of humor and Awesome fresh Italian food.
A warning though — pace yourself on the Garlic Knots! Why? Because the food is so good. They’re not stingy with the bread either.
The Vegetable Lasagna — Awesome — possibly the best I’ve ever tasted.
Vegetarian Ravioli — Very Good.
House Salad — Very Tasty, mixed greens, lotsa fresh grated cheese and other good stuff.
Great service and even met the owner on the way out.
Anyway, as you can see from other reviews this place is pretty great and we won’t hesitate to come back soon.

Ended up trying this spot by chance, which was very fortunate. Traditional Italian food at very reasonable prices served in themed, but not tacky atmosphere. The service was great.
The garlic knots alone would make a meal, but stopping there would be a mistake. The entrees were flavorful and the portions were huge.
I had the calzone, and as others have said, was only able to finish half. As I am writing this I am anxiously waiting to finish the leftovers for lunch today.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Update 5÷14÷11− Tried the New York style pizza. A bit better than the spaghetti. 2.5 Stars.
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Spaghetti and Meatballs and Alotta Food!
The intricacies of a finely tuned dish of pasta with tomato sauce make finding a good plate of spaghetti difficult. Dinner here consisted of Chicken Marsala and Spaghetti and Meat balls.
~Spaghetti and Meatballs-​3 Stars
Probably the largest portion I have had in recent years. The spaghetti was a little undercooked and I did not care much for the noodle. I did like the sauce. The flavor had a nice balance and did not drown the pasta. The sauce was 4 stars and I am a fan. The pasta itself 2 stars for being undercooked.
~Chicken Marsala-​2 Stars
An uneventful experience. The chicken was dry. I cannot say much about the overall taste. It was OK, but definitely I have had better.
The dinner menu runs a little stiff, but the quantity of food is amazing. The breads are AOK. While everyone has their own preference, the undercooked noodle and the dry chicken were pretty disappointing to me.
I have had better. I prefer Marscapones up the street.