Neil’s Pasta & Seafood Grill

Let’s start of by saying I love Italian food. It’s my all time favorite. So my boyfriend surprised me with a dinner for two here and let me tell you something, this is now my #1 spot.
They start you out with bread and a mix of marscapone cheese mixed with marinara sauce. It was delicious!
The staff is super inviting and attentive to details. And really knowledgeable about the menu.
We started off with the tequila shrimp. THE SAUCE! Oh my I could live in it. It was delicious.
Than I finished with the lobster ravioli. Again THE SAUCE! Amazing. I was about to ask for some sauce to go back to our hotel.
I also had a wine that our server suggested, it was exactly what I was looking for I wish I could remember the name. But I really do appreciate it when a server can give you suggestions that really could portray what you’re looking for. He gave me a sample of white and red. I choose the red.
The place itself is very simply laid out. Nothing to fancy. Which I like. And the atmosphere was inviting. Perfect place to take a date, take friends out, parents, even a business partner. It reaches all levels.
I’m very impressed and I can’t wait to come back again.

It’s a bright spot in the San Pedro restaurant scene, but the competition is not great. If you like an Italian throwback tithe ‘70s, you will likely enjoy the ambiance. I prefer more 2016 restaurants with an edge.

I first experienced Neil’s as my cousin’s wedding rehearsal dinner. Everything was great: food, drinks, and even an impromptu opera-​like serenade by an extremely talented diner who was asked to sing a little something for the grooms. It was nothing short of an amazing night.
We went back last night (6 months later) and were very pleased yet again. There were six of us and we all wanted to try so much, so we took a speed dating approach to dinner. We each ordered one meal and then every few bites we passed our plates to the left. Of course we are all family so no one was bothered by sharing plates. It was the BEST way to try 5 different entrees in one night (we got two orders of the Gorgonzola gnocchi because it’s that good). The entrees were: Gorgonzola gnocchi, spinach and cheese ravioli (simple but a TON of bright basil flavor), osso buco with risotto, scaloppini piccata (veal), and grilled scallops in a fresh orange and Grand Marnier cream sauce. Everything was SO flavorful.
Before the meals we enjoyed an order of shrimp tequila (for which the sauce is a sweet and savory flavor explosion that you’ll want to lick off the plate) and bruschetta. Afterwards we finished our meal with limoncello, espresso and a few desserts to share: tiramisu, a chocolate almond mouse type item, and a lemon dessert. I don’t have exact names for those because… well because wine and limoncello.
My only (small) complaint is that our server did not come back to take another wine order. They missed out on a sale there, but we really did fine without another bottle.
*The Gorgonzola gnocchi and bruschetta are not on the menu, but they are great about making either if you ask. The first time we had the gnocchi was better because they made it with a cream sauce. Last night’s was great too, but there was no cream in the sauce.

My wife and I had a very enjoyable meal at this restaurant last night. However, when the bill came I double-​checked the cost of the beverages and found that it was almost twice the cost listed ($ 62 vs. $ 34 actual). I called it to the attention of the owner Neil and he was supportive of his waiter but I felt the misrepresentation was intentional rather than accidental because of the extent of the error. We agreed to disagree. You have been warned!

My wife and went in before going to the Warner Theater to see Mary Poppins. We were served quickly and the food was amazing. She had the Chicken Oscar and I had the fishy pasta. The food was amazing and the wine was outstanding too.

Just recently went with several friends. They had pasta seafood which was very good. My wife had the veal also very good. I had the ribeye steak. Probably the worst steak I’ve ever had in my life. It was just edible had to put a lot of salt and pepper on it to give it any flavor. It almost tasted borderline boiled. I really like the restaurant but I did not want to make a scene with our company of friends… I suggest remove the rib eye steak from the menu unfortunately norms would have been just as good or better

Wow. This was an amazing night!!!
Reyes was the most amazing server ever!!! If you go… Request him as your server and he’ll take great care of you!!! I couldn’t decide what to order and he helped me every step of the way!!! He was amazing!!! I loved the food, the wine!!! He chose a fantastic appetizer and the entre he brought was out of this world!!!
Reyes is the real deal!!! He’s incredible.
Highly recommend this hidden jewel in San Pedro!

Neil’s was recommended by a neighbor and we thought we would try it. When we arrived we were greeted by a nice young host who sat us at a line of tables against the back wall for two where you sit face-​to-​face. I was sitting facing the wall. We were seated on the far left end of the row next to what we discovered all too late was the staff entrance to the kitchen. As an added bonus they later seated a party of 5 diners diagonally to my left. That left barely enough room between the back of my chair and the back of the chair of the diner diagonally behind for the waiters/​busboys to go past and into the kitchen, which happened often in an hour. I was bumped many times and had trays being carried by servers pass over my head. I ducked a few times. The irony is there were places open to seat the party of five but I am guessing they wanted to sit in front of the fireplace? So happy for them.
Now for the service and the food. Service, other than the seating was good. The warm bread and tomato dip with cheese was excellent and so was the soup. The entrees were another story. My wife had cheese ravioli and I had cappellini pomodoro (normally one of my favorites). The ravioli were drenched in red sauce and were small to medium in size. Although they were good It was basically a child’s plate portion. My cappellini was also drenched in red sauce! I was shocked to see cappellini in thick red sauce vs topped with fresh cut tomatoes, garlic and basil with olive oil on the angel hair pasta. I asked the waiter why this is drowned in red sauce and he said because it is pomodoro. So, I pulled up pictures on the Internet from my iPhone of pomodoro and showed him. He was mystified, I was unhappy. I was hungry so I ate half and boxed the rest. So, bottom line is that there are better Italian restaurants in San Pedro, even Buca De Beppo is better. If you like things drenched in red sauce, this is the place. Not going back, one and done! Another other good thing, the parking is plentiful on 5^th St. Should you choose to try Neil’s.

Beautiful little spot. Classy. Great staff/​waiters. Food is great. Place is clean. Average time on waiting for the food but it maybe because there’s 8 orders from our table.

I’ve been to Neil’s restaurant before and this is This is the first time I write a review for them. Last time I had the veggie mozzarella sandwich and it was really good. Very tasty and not heavy at all. This time around I decided to try the spinach fettuccini with shrimp and scallops with vodka sauce. The plate only came with two shrimp and two scallops, for me this dish was amazing and satisfying. The food is great and so is the service. The staff is very attentive and the owner is very nice. Truly recommend for people to check this place out!

Whoever complains or gives this amazing place less than 5 stars have no idea what they’re talking about! The soup of the day was hard to choose from so they brought me a little of each… I have never had better! I have to admit my fav was asparagus, but it was real close between the clam and risotto. The halibut piccata was to die for! I will never miss this place when I find myself in LA ever again!!! Bön Appetite

I love this place! The service is the best. They are on top of everything and feel like they really want to take care of you. And the food is amazing. One of our favorite spots

Ambiance is terrific, very Italian and intimate. Dim lighting but no so dim it’s an annoyance. Service superb, timely without being intrusive
Bread bowl is the crusty bread, nothing interesting about it and fairly tasteless. Marinara with cheese lacking salt or taste or both.
Salad served was very uninteresting. Bag salad with a few shredded carrots. Worse the salad seemed to have been taken right out of the bag with no rinsing … YUK. But the waiter saw we didn’t eat and asked about it. We told him and he apologized and offered another salad, we declined. Then he offed a Caesar salad, we declined. Then he offered soup, so we accepted. I had the pasta fagoli and spouse was supposed to get Manhattan clam chowder.
My soup was very salty, too much
Spouses soup was not Manhattan clam chowder or at least not like any we ever saw. It had fish in it but not clams. Don’t know what it was. It wasn’t bad or good, just something for a hungry palate.
But then the entrees…
Spouse had the scallops … They were cooked perfectly so that the scallop was a delicious chew. The sauce, which I think was a buerre blanc sauce was amazingly delicious. Like lick the plate clean good
I had the Chilean sea bass. Again cooked to perfection and the accompanying sauce while not as mind blowing as the scallop sauce was very, very good
Both served with red potatoes and breaded zucchini (deep fried)
The potato was ok, but with such delicious sauces there should be fresh veggies, not breaded and deep fried veggie.
One final issue… The cutlery … Scallops and sea bass are pretty soft meats and yet the knives were so dull we had to saw through to cut. I thought the potatoes were under cooked, but in reality it was a very dull knife. Both of our knives
Certainly a place to try, but use the feedback to ensure your greater satisfaction

AWFUL! My husband and I love our seafood, so when we saw this quaint seafood/​pasta place we thought it’d be good. We came inside and immediately noticed that we were a little undressed but the atmosphere was so off. The waiter comes up to us and looks drunk on top of speaking with a whisper. He brings out our food and I was so disappointed. I ordered the lobster ravioli and to my surprise I only have four on my plate. Four ravioli. My husband ordered the scallops and something was really off about them. They were tough and it seemed as if they cooked them in the microwave. I feel as though I am going to get sick from this place. I told the waiter and he still charged us for the nasty scallops. If I could give this place no stars I would. I hope management see this and contacts me. I would love to give them some servicing tips.

I kinda liked the vibe, very retro (sort of). And that’s it for the positive.
The service was bad, our drink order was taken by 3 different people and the 4^th person finally came took our order and actually brought our drinks.
Our server took our order and we never saw him again. They were hovering over tables of whom I’m guessing were regulars. The rest of the tables were completely ignored. I ordered the scollops in an orange sauce and Corey order the halibut (the special).
My scollops were over cooked, they were not seared at all and some were not even cleaned properly. The orange sauce was like an entire orange cut up in the sauce. I couldn’t not eat them at all.
Coreys halibut was also over cooked on the edges, and the center was perfect. ???
How is a restaurant that is know for seafood, fu&k up seafood? The food was just horrible and over cooked?
I would not come back.

My favorite restaurant, hands down! Our favorite waiter, Reyes, is the best. Excellent service, excellent quality, cozy atmosphere, best gnocchi since grandma’s…I can go on and on. Definitely add this to your list of places to try.

Fist time customer to Neil’s and I will definitely be coming back. I made reservations the day before Mother’s Day for (9) people. There was a last-​minute addition of one extra person to our party which the staff accommodated with no problem.
Our waiter Leo was outstanding, truly professional and attentive. The real treat is the food. Mascarpone with bread to start, excellent!!! The Chilean Sea Bass Special, perfect! Spaghetti with Lobster (you get the whole Lobster Tail not just bits). Steamed Artichoke with Parsley & Garlic, is a meal in itself. Gnocchi in a light Vodka Sauce is really good! Well priced and an excellent value!!! If you want to impress your date, your client, yourself give Neal’s a try!

I have been to Italy.. .twice. Neils compares favorably to restaurants I have eaten at in Rome, Genoa, and Milan.
On my most recent visit, I had the Chicken Marsala – succulent breast of chicken in a wine reduction, overflowing with mushrooms and accompanied by steamed vegetables. All good, but some how lacking in passion. I don’t get excited about going to Neil’s. The ambiance is quiet, calm.. .and boring. I think I know what it is.. . Neil’s is too good for me.
I am much more comfortable in a restaurant with big TVs on the wall, beer flowing like wine, people laughing and carousing all around me. I’m sorry Neils, it’s not you, it’s me.
Me? I prefer Nico’s Pizzeria, a few blocks away. The food is oversalted and the customers are overloud, but I love about it. So, make your choice, if you prefer a calm, relaxing place, Neil’s is perfect. If you love loud and boisterous, then not so much.
Live to Eat, Eat to Live!

Just take a step inside and get out of the hustle and bustle. Neil’s Pasta & Seafood Grill is an intimate and elegant Italian eatery located in San Pedro. Treat yourself to some great food then take a leisurly stroll in quaint downtown San Pedro. The service is formal but friendly and very responsive. I started with their Manhattan clam chowder and finished up with their Linguine with Clams in white wine sauce. I was initially disappointed that the clam chowder was not New England style that is until I tasted Neil’s clam chowder. The chowder was a great combination of herbs and clams in a tomato base was not over powering. The linguine was elegantly presented with a ring of fresh clams surrounding the slightly tangy white wine sauce pasta. I felt the pasta was a bit more than al dente but overall it was excellent.
Next time? Ravioli Aragosta.

I had been here before for a business meal, so when my friend invited me for dinner after golf at Rolling Hills CC, I knew exactly where Neil’s is located. Neil’s is in «Pedro» on 5^th b/​t Gaffey and Harbor.
The cuisine is Italian although all of the staff appeared to be Latino. We started off w/​a 2009 Banfi Chianti Classico. My friend was buying, so I did not see the price of the Chianti. However, I am sure the price was reasonable like the rest of the meal. BTW, this wine goes well w/​meat or seafood: 4 Stars. For our appetizer, we had the fried calamari ($ 14). The calamari was a massive portion and the batter was not too heavy. The only downside was the squid was not as tender as the recently reviewed Anaheim White House: 4 Stars.
For my entrée, I had the linguine pescatare (seafood linguine — $ 17), while my friend had the sandabs ($ 14.50 — not pictured). Entrees come w/​soup or salad and we both had caesar salads w/​anchovies. The salads were very good. The romaine was crunchy and the anchovies were tasty: 4 Stars.
The linguine had a cray cray cray amount of seafood. There was a ton of fish & calamari, a fair amount of mussels & clams, but only one shrimp & scallop. The noodles were just OK. I would have given 5 Stars, but the mussels had a slight «fishy» smell. My friend liked his sandabs: Both 4 Stars.
The ambiance is old school Italian w/​white tablecloths. The service is really good. The waiter and remainder of the team were real attentive: Both 4 Stars. If you are in the area, Neil’s is a nice alternative to other Italian places in the area. The portions are massive, the food is food quality and the service and ambiance are really good.