Primo’s Italian Bistro

So far, my favorite casual Italian restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Get the chicken over veal. I got the veal sambucca this last time and the meat was not as tender. They cook the chicken much better. The sauce and pasta was on point although I wish the portion was a little bit larger.

This is the second time around and it was just as good as the first. Great atmosphere excellent food would definitely do it again! :-)

We were really excited to try this restaurant out after hearing good things from various locals, so we made a reservation.
Upon our early arrival it was completely empty inside and we decided to order a drink at the bar before sitting at our table. First off, the wine list was no so great. The majority of the wines are from the region of Italy, but they were definitely lower-​end varietals from what I could tell. The Cabernet Sauvignon we chose was drinkable and I was happy to know I had a bottle of my own to be corked during dinner.
Finally we were seated at our table where we looked over the menu and decided on two appetizers; the stuffed mushrooms and the shrimp. Since we weren’t in a hurry to eat and were waiting on our appetizers, we kept a couple menus at the table to finalize our entrée decisions. It had been about ten minutes and still they hadn’t brought us bread so we kindly asked for some. They waiter told us they usually bring the bread out when the menus are off the table! Instead of saying that he could easily say «sure let me bring it right out to you». He brought the loaf of bread and the typical olive oil/​balsamic mixture, which was fine but I have to say, one tiny loaf for three people is not enough.
Next to come out were our appetizers. I wish I had taken a picture of the spinach stuffed mushrooms, these were embarrassing to look at. There were five on the plate and each mushroom was about the size of an olive! We were expecting large, generously stuffed mushrooms — not in this case — we could barely taste them. The shrimp were just okay, each were atop an overly smothered with butter slice of soggy baguette.
Of course, we asked for more bread. This loaf was much smaller and instead of dipping in the shared plate of olive oil, we asked for some butter to mix it up a bit. This ramekin of butter was a joke! It was about ½ teaspoon of a whipped butter blob barely enough for one bite of bread. Obviously we asked for a little more (enough for three people) and he came back with an identical ramekin with the same amount of whipped butter. Ha ha, forget it, we said.
Finally we came to decisions on what we were going eat as our main dish. Nothing super spectacular with our entrées, other than the fresh noodles. My veal Marsala was quite chewy and it was barely five bites before I even shared pieces. I think there were only 4 – 5 thinly sliced of mushrooms and that was why I ordered Marsala (for the mushrooms) :(. All in all the portions were very small and ingredients were minimal.
Sadly, we won’t be coming back to Primo’s to dine for Italian food and would much rather have generous portions for the same prices elsewhere in town.

Wow, what a find! We stopped by here for lunch before heading out of Tahoe after a weekend of skiing. Being a Monday at noon, we were the only party here aside from someone eating at the bar so we were seated immediately and had great service, though based on other reviews it seems like the service is good even when they are busy.
I had the rigatoni with sausage and mushrooms in a vodka sauce (a vodka cream sauce, tomato based). This was delicious! The pasta is homemade and you can definitely tell it is. It was also cooked perfectly. The sauce had the perfect amount of cream without being too heavy and was very flavorful. Two of my friends also got this same dish (the waiter said it was his favorite on the whole menu) and one of them got it with a basic tomato sauce since he doesn’t like cream and he said his was very tasty as well, so this is a nice option to consider.
My boyfriend got the Fettuccine Alfredo. This was probably one of the best Fettuccine and Alfredo sauces I’ve had. The Fettuccine was SO good. I don’t know how they make their handmade pasta so delicious but it was so perfectly cooked, very fresh and had an amazing texture. I’ve never had Fettuccine like it. It was very thin and light, not thick and more chewy like a lot of other Fettuccine. The Alfredo sauce was also one of the better ones I’ve had (and we’ve had a lot; my boyfriend is very obsessed with this sauce). It was just the right amount of creamy while being very light, which I loved. Most places will make a very heavy Alfredo that I can’t take more than two bites of, but I couldn’t stop eating this one off my boyfriend’s plate (which he wasn’t super thrilled with: p).
We got a comped tiramisu since the kitchen messed up one of my friend’s orders, which was nice of them. This was pretty good, nothing amazing but a nice small sweet bite to end the meal.
I don’t know why I keep finding amazing fresh pasta places far away from where I live. I guess the journey for great pasta in the bay continues! But in the meantime, I’ll likely come back here next south Tahoe skiing weekend!

C’mon, Unilocal.½ stars are OK. Promise.
Solid four stars. Second time here.
First of all, this place is in a weird strip mall. Back behind an odd mélange of stores, including a laundromat. Don’t be put off. Worth the scavenger hunt.
This place is awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, maybe 9 – 10 tables. Sinatra playing in the background. Not too loud. Major plus for me. Small menu, but varied options.
Their free bread is right out of the oven. Unsliced, small baguette. Right mixture of solid crust and soft bread inside.
Had a Caesar salad. Right mix of lemon, parmesan, actual anchovy included. Excellent start.
Moved on to the bruschetta. Decent size toast. Three colors of tomatoes, basil, garlic. Great contrast between the toast and the spread.
Veal Saltimbocca was the main course. Fresh pasta made in house. Heard the chef pounding out the veal in the back. Red wine madera sauce. Amazing dish. Not at all heavy or overly filling.
Server sold me on a ricotta cheesecake. That alone got me to splurge. Not dense, decent crust, and overall an excellent end to a great meal.
Prices were excellent for South Lake, where one could spend an easy $ 30 per entrée. Not a single entrée over $ 20, average was $ 14 – 17.
A wonderful experience, top to bottom. Will go every time I visit.

After a long day of skiing and falling, and more skiing and falling, I needed something to comfort me. And that’s what’s Primo’s did for me. Him and his family made me one of their home style fettuccini alfredos. It was AMAZING. The service was absolutely everything you’d want from at 5 star restaurant. And the atmosphere was warm and inviting.

Came for a late dinner. Kind of hidden, toward the back of a somewhat run down strip mall, this place definitely satisfied our taste buds. The Sambuca shrimp although priced a couple bucks too high were spectacular, unique and a must try. Their homemade lasagna was hearty, cheesy, and definitely a comfort dish for me. The chicken Marsala was good too with tender and perfectly cooked breasts over a healthy portion of pasta. Good service, clean and other than being pricey for the location, I thought it was a good experience.

Fantastic food and very intimate dining experience!

Holy cow. An excellent, genuine Italian restaurant in South Lake Tahoe? In a strip mall? You bet. The Osso Bucco was all that it was touted to be. Pasta cooked perfectly. Interesting salads. Well-​rounded wine list. Service outstanding. Highly recommend.

Great food! Very fast service for a reasonable price. Pizza and lasagna was fantastic, some of the best I’ve ever had.
Only downside was the Ceasar Salad was very fishy since they make their own dressing.

It is about time I write a review for Primo’s. I’ve been dining here for several years, and it is my favorite restaurant in South Lake Tahoe, where I reside 25% of the year. Sometimes, when I am in San Jose and am asked what I want for dinner, I reply «Primo’s»…I crave it when I am not here.
I agree the location isn’t special, but they have done a nice job with the interior to create a low-​lit, romantic atmosphere. But, not so upscale that you can’t come here dressed in normal jeans and a sweater.
For the food — I HIGHLY recommend the sambucca shrimp. They are a bit sweet, a bit sticky, but the flavor is outstanding. Their pasta is house made, and you can tell. I usually get the Chicken Marsala or Chicken Piccata as my main, and both are amazing, I vary based on my mood. My other half often orders the pizza and likes it a lot.
The wine list is great, especially for me since I love Italian reds.
The service is attentive, knowledgeable and I always feel comfortable here, even when I come alone and eat at the bar.
I would recommend making a reservation, they get full quickly!

We had an excellent meal this evening. Good wine list with primarily Italian wines. My wife raved about her eggplant parmigiana and my chicken Marsala was very good. Service was attentive but not intrusive. Hard to find but worth the trip.

Great food! Great service!
Please don’t be as goofy as we were and drop in with 6 people late in the day. Call! They were still incredibly gracious as we waited for a table. The food was great, from the Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms and Bruschetta to the Chicken Marsala and other entrees, and even the Crab Legs special! The Gluten free pasta was great — firm and tasty as were all the sauces. I only wish I had tipped more! They’re worth it!

When we first walked in we struck out with a server telling us that the restaurant was reserved until 7:30 and it was only 6:15 with at least five tables empty. We were encouraged to make reservations and that we could eat at the bar. So we made our way to the bar. When you have that many tables free there’s got to be one that you can seat 2 for and kindly explain that you need the table by 7ish and we will still enjoy our meal and respect the dining experience even more. The second strike for me was only beer and wine but I’m ok with just wine. The third was Monday night football turn down — in favor of two Europeans that had the soccer game on. Uh ok I’m sure more folks in Tahoe love football! The fourth strike was no spaghetti only linguine.
THEN THE FOOD CAME
The bread and oil and vinegar yummy.
We ordered a Ceasar salad. Great tasting and a nice portion with a good dressing.
The main course we split. The chicken piccata was great — good flavor and the PASTA WAS DELICIOUS. Hand made and as good as our pasta this summer in Italy.
We will definitely be back again. All in all the staff was friendly and the food great. One note– we are spoiled after Italy, Capo in Los Angeles and Café Fiore. But since we have a second home in Tahoe we will continue to recommend. PS (when we left there were still 4 empty tables) LOL.

We had an outstanding Christmas Eve meal here with my in-​laws! I’m usually hesitant to go to Italian restaurants because I can cook some pretty good Italian myself, but we had gone here once before and wanted to have a nice restaurant meal for the holiday.
Wild boar ravioli was REALLY tasty. Sauce was on point paired with the gorgeous meat filling.
Veal Marsala was super tasty. I wiped my plate clean.
It was my partners first time having carbonara, and he loved it.
Portions were spot on too. Many times you go to Italian restaurants (or any restaurant really) and the portions are ridiculous. We all commented on this, and said we could have eaten more because it was so good. But didn’t need to because it was the perfect amount.
We were all really pleased with the food. The only put off was that they don’t offer a «house wine» option. Regardless, we ordered the Super Tuscan, which is always tasty.
This is a really great addition to Tahoe. Prices are really reasonable… This will definitely be our new date night go-​to.

Excellent again! Visited Primo’s tonight for our anniversary dinner and it was great.
Started with a take on caprese salad but instead they substitute burrata cheese. Oh man! A creamy, rich, almost buttery version of fresh mozz. I would always recommend the Caesar salad (with extra anchovies of course). It is perfectly dressed with garlicky Caesar and the Romaine is crunchy and fresh. I went with the pork shank Osso Buco over creamy polenta with asparagus. The pork was fall-​off-​the-​bone tender and polenta was rich and decedent.
My only complaint: We were too full to have a celebratory dessert. Ha! Mostly our fault because we had to get back to our boys returning from soccer practice.
Kudos to Jim and his staff for making our night special. Seems like word is spreading about this little gem as they were quite busy when we left around 7. Just go!