Ristorante L'Ancora da Ciro e Tony — Restaurant in San Pedro

"Italian" food is not hard to come by. You can find one place serving "Italian" food literally on every town, usually several by town.

Now, proper Italian food is harder to find, but if that is what you crave, search no more: L'Ancora comes to the rescue.

I know several people who have "accused" L'Ancora of being an Americanized-Italian. I do not entirely disagree because part of the menu will convey that taste and feel, but let's be real here: you have not one, but TWO top-notch born and raised Italian chefs in place (Ciro and Tony) , 50+ years of experience between them (if more) and a menu so extensive that you could be here every week and probably will not taste everything on it by the end of a semester.

There are several great traditional dishes on the menu and out of it, and a great touch about it is that they depend entirely on what chef is in at the time. You can get so many combinations that the repeat value of the place is just sky high.

I am not going to lie: every such great place comes at a price and this is no exception. While not budget friendly, this place value for money is absolutely great and the prices are not that high, maybe just not an everyday kind of thing. Plus there is that great selection of wine and beer...

Service is yet another huge plus: you will not be better served anywhere else in this area, and will be hard pressed to find something even close elsewhere in the country.

Reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for the weekends! Go there, relax and enjoy your time....

L'Ancora is the anchor of Italian cuisine supremacy. A long-running business, they were once located in Barrio Escalante until the mid-2010s before moving to their current spot—which may explain the somewhat “cold” décor, but don’t worry… the FOOD REMAINS THE SAME. The owners take great pride in what they do; this isn’t pretentious food-truck douchebaggery, but actual CRAFTSMEN who KNOW their stuff. From exquisite pizzas to addictive pastas, the place breathes tradition, and the waiters carry this badge of honor like Tony and Ciro personally warned them, “One complaint from a customer… and you’re out.” When you eat at L’Ancora, you don’t worry about the prices—you’re buying into an experience: L’Consistency, L’Flavor. Although L’Parking can be hard to find at night, just have L’Faith in your driving skills; the food is waiting on the table, and if you’re on a date, it guarantees a good impression that might just get you L’Lucky. Word of caution: if you’re on a diet and order their prosciutto pizza, it’s bye-bye sanity—you’re in for...

Had dinner here with my wife. We were both excited to try the place, as it always seems busy. We arrived shortly after 6 PM to avoid peak hours—at that time, only about five tables were occupied. Unfortunately, the experience quickly turned disappointing. After placing our order, it took about 45 minutes for the food to arrive—just a pizza and a plate of tortellini. The pizza was one of the worst I've ever had: overly doughy, with some parts undercooked, making it heavy and unpleasant to eat. The tortellini was similarly underwhelming, lacking flavor and freshness. To make matters worse, it took another 10 minutes to get the bill, and I had to approach the counter twice to ask for it. Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and frustrating. The food quality was far below expectations—especially for a restaurant that presents itself as Italian—and the prices were anything but cheap. Definitely not...