North Italia
| Address: | 2957 Michelson Dr, Irvine, CA 92612, USA |
| Phone: | +1 949-629-7060 |
| Site: | northitaliarestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 56
Reviews 7
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Sonal Patel
The reviews nail it spot on! This is definitely my OC take of LAs Bottega Louie! It has the open concept/kitchen ambiance, great made from scratch food and amazing cocktails and wine selection. We came in to celebrate my husbands birthday because of the glowing yelp reviews and amazing rave of the food. I highly recommend reservations because this place always seems to draw a crowd - even for a school night! The service was really friendly, prompt and stayed on top of making sure our experience was nothing short of greatness. The ambiance was huge, open-concept, with a large bar and a direct view in to their kitchen. Its got the chic, farm-to-table, industrial vibe - which I thought was a really cute touch. The food - WOW! First off, everything on the menu looked amazing and you really have to fight the urge to not order everything. We ordered the following: - Arancini: fried fritter goodness people! I happen to have a veggie date and Ive never seen him eat risotto like this before in my life. Solid choice for an app. - Bolognese: which is a house specialty, so of course it was a no-brainer to order! The pasta was perfectly cooked, the meat sauce was by far as perfect as you could make bolognese. Its a simple dish, cooked perfectly and served with a very generous portion size. Its the perfect comfort food pick me up from a rough day at the office, FOR SURE! - Burrata Tortelloni: the birthday boy went to town on this. I think he really wanted to lick the plate clean if I happened to walk away or not look. Again, fresh pasta that you could taste. The brown butter/sage sauce was not as sweet and poured all over the dish like other restaurants Ive had this dish at. Its definitely a rich dish and its heavy - but again, really god flavor, freshness and you can taste every bit of the quality. For dessert we ordered the Bombolini (Italian Donuts). This definitely wouldnt be our go-to on dessert option, but given the success of our previous courses - we thought "hell, why not?!" I have to say - this was so amazing and definitely not the super sweet, sugar filled donuts flavor I was expecting. Overall, the food, service and ambiance definitely woo-ed us over. Cant wait to be back for more amazing food!
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Andre Topp
Their pizza is the real deal and thats all you really need to know about this place. Everything else that comes with it is bonus. Like the modern and sophisticated vibe that makes you feel like youre in NYC, or the learned and vibrant staff that greets you and helps make your experience here as flawless as possible, or that they have an interesting list of alcoholic thirst quenchers for us adults, or how versatile they are in terms of who they cater to -- be it a family affair, date night, or business meeting... You want it private? Sure! I spied a beautiful glass encased room visible from the dining area that I may want to book for my friends and I in the future. With all the extra stuff noted, we all know what really matters is the food. Featuring Italian fare from the Northern region, their menu showcases small plates, pizzas, pastas, and mains. I couldnt vouch for everything except for the gloriously thin pizza crust that had the perfect char and chew topped with a noteworthy amount of roasted mushrooms, onions, and smoked mozzarella. The aroma itself was a killer, imagine the explosion of flavors. The FUNGHI ($15) pizza was an absolute knockout. Ive got my eyes on the BACON & EGG for next time. Being a sucker for anything with squid ink, I had to order the SQUID INK MAFALDINE ($22) from the pasta section. I did so with no ounce of regret in my veins. Clearly you can tell their pasta is made fresh in house from the moment you take a bite. Texture is 100% on point, al dente as it should be, and that kick of heat from the calabrian chili was such a treat. You can certainly say the tender pieces of calamari and flavorful white shrimp are very suitable accessories to this wonderful dish. What a great addition to the Irvine food scene!
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Alysa Nguyen
I was super excited to try north in preparation for my upcoming trip to Italy. The place is very airy and spacious. Its super modern and clean looking. The hostess was very sweet and kind. We ordered a chefs board which was 18$, which was excellent with a big enough portion. However, I prefer it without the apricot jam because it was overly sweet. The soup of the day was super creamy and seasoned to perfection. However, my perfect experience was ruined by the fact that when I asked for a box to pack up the remaining food on my chefs board, which included the almond and bread, and saw that the server dumped it into the box like it was left over dog food. The bread and almond was wet and soggy from the tomato paste. I couldnt salvage it at all, so it went to my dog. seriously , if you dont want to do it right, give it to me, and Ill be happy to pack my own food.
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Matthew Seelig
Amazing food and excellent service! A special shout out to Andrew and Chelsea, our servers, for their amazing service on Christmas Eve. They made our holiday so memorable. Cant begin to describe how good the food is. Suffice it to say, I dont think you can go wrong with your selection. From the truffle garlic bread, roasted cauliflower and grilled artichoke small plates to their pizzas, tortellini or salmon entree - the food is unbelievable! To finish it off, the desserts are a nice touch and do not disappoint. If you are lucky to stop by before they change their cocktail menu, the Apple Bourbon Punch and the Spiced Plum Martini are the perfect drinks for the holiday season. Cheers to the owners and staff at North Italia! Keep up the good work.
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Jonathan Nichols
I came here for lunch on a weekday, and so I am sure that I would give a much different review if/when I visit for dinner. That being said, the meatball sandwich exceeded my expectations, i think mostly because of the bun that it was served on. The side salad was served with a dressing that stood out from the norm. Atmosphere was good, busy lunch crowd, but the way the space opens up to the outdoors gives it a nice open, airy feel rather than a typical dark Italian restaurant. Prices were what was expected, the only downside is that the shopping center that North Italia is located in can get incredibly busy so parking can be a bit of a pain. Not their fault.
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mel blas
Its Italian cuisine, yes, but it a bit eclectic, the California influence is as noticeable as are the traditional Italian flavors. The undertone from the staff, is, we are northern Italian , but the ambiance, decor and feel, is Southern California. If the pretense would fade some, 4 stars would be worthy as the food is prepared well, served with an abundance of friendliness and the bill is well within reasonable pricing, for its location. Only complaint, another restaurant designed to look trendy, with hard floors and walls, that paid no attention to sound level s, so be prepared for a noisy loud eating experience.
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Dawson Jung
I ordered a Bolognese pasta for dinner. I had to send it back because it was way too salty (and I almost never send food back). They offered to remake it but I figured the issue wouldnt be rectified since the sauce itself was too salty. So I changed my order to their tomato sauce spaghetti with meatballs. It was much better than the Bolognese but it was still pretty salty. Friend I came here with also thought the same, that they were too liberal with the salt. On the plus side, the service was great and our server was prompt and more than happy to make sure everything was right.
