De La Nonna - Big Bear — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

De La Nonna is a new solid laid-back lakeside hangout in Big Bear -- no fuss, just good food and great drinks. It definitely helps bring Big Bear into the 21st century. Once you're seated, you just pop over to the order window, place your order, grab your number, and your food and drinks come out fast. The views are worth the experience.

The staff here is awesome -- super friendly, eager to share recommendations, and genuinely on top of their game. Everyone seemed happy to be there, and it made the whole experience feel even more welcoming.

If you're planning to visit Thursday through Sunday, I'd definitely recommend making a reservation. It gets busy, but in a lively, fun way -- never overwhelming. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with string lights, fireplaces, and just the right energy for a long, relaxed hangout.

Now, onto the food and drinks. The cocktails are great -- we tried the Margariti, which was super light and refreshing (not overly sweet at all), and the Lil' Salty Dawg, which is perfect if you like mezcal. It's not too smoky, and the grapefruit balances it out perfectly. If you're into spice, ask for the diced Calabrian chile sauce from the pizza menu -- mixing a little into your drink gives it a nice kick.

The pizzas are good & unique - but you need to know what to expect. They're not your typical greasy slices -- instead, think light, crispy, focaccia-style crust that's crunchy on every bite. They're not overly sauced, so if you like a saucier pie, ask for a little extra on top or on the side. We had the regular White pizza (so good) and the Gluten-Free Pepp, which had those crisp, cup-style pepperonis that give it extra texture and flavor.

We also grabbed the Garlic Anchovies, which aren't listed on the main menu but are shown at the order window. They come with butter crackers and a pepper spread -- surprisingly not fishy at all, just really flavorful and delicious.

A couple of suggestions: Would love to see an option to add meat (like chicken) to the salads at dinner. Right now, you can only add pepperoni, which is a bit limiting. I get that chicken isn't used elsewhere on the menu, but it'd be a great addition. The menu makes it look like only the Kale pizza can be made gluten-free, but you can actually get any pizza with their gluten-free crust -- a clearer note on the menu would go a long way. Need to fix the music choices here to fit the vibe

All in all, De La Nonna is a good visit when you're in Big Bear. Food wise, I'd still recommend Peppercorn Grille or Tropicali before De La Nonna but it surely doesn't deserve a one to three star. Between the scenic views, cozy setup, friendly team, and solid food + cocktails, it's the kind of place you'll want to soak in some...

Gorgeous location to start with. The outside main dining area was scenic and very comfortable. If you want to sit inside, there are a few tables in the bar area.

We arrived around 3:30 on a Monday, which happened to be Happy Hour. Denise (more on her later) helped us order a couple of Nonna versions of an Old Fashioned. The drinks were served with giant clear ice cubes - certainly not expected with a happy hour drink. The Old Fashioneds had a bit of a twist - they contained amaro, which was a delicious change from the regular version.

When it was time for dinner, Denise explained that the pizzas were about the same small size as the happy hour menu. We had planned on sharing one, but thought it would be better to order 2. We are a bit of pizza snobs - we’ve got a built in oven at home plus a portable one we bring when we camp, and we prefer thin crust. These pizzas are more Roman style (thick focaccia like), but what the heck - the reviews were good, we were happy to try them.

I’m vegetarian so I ordered the Sicilian , Nonna style, which came with spicy Calabrian pepper oil. I really enjoyed the fresh marjoram on the pizza. My husband ordered the Pep (pepperoni). We were absolutely blown away on how good they were and spent some time figuring out how to re-create them at home. Despite being a big eater, I ended up only eating one of my four pieces and my husband had only 2 of the 4. The salad (chopped, minus pepperoni) was huge, a single one could have made 3 large salads took up some of that pizza space in our stomachs. We also had a glass of the happy hour red of the day, primitivo (Zinfandel in the US) which complemented the pizza perfectly.

Denise, our server was probably the best server we have had in a long time. She helped us first-timers navigate the menu and easily accommodated my request for a meatless salad. She’s a great asset for the restaurant and we hope to see her next time we are...

De La Nonna Big Bear looks cute from the outside, but once you’re inside, the experience goes downhill fast. They seat you at a table, but then surprise — you have to get up and go back outside to a window to place your food and drink orders. Why? No idea. There were 10+ staff on hand — and none of them took orders at the table.

Our “table service” was someone dropping off three glasses and a glass bottle of water. No one checked on us the entire hour we were there. No refills, no offer for more food, nothing.

There’s no kids menu or kid pricing. I ended up ordering a full size cheese pizza and a side of pepperoni so I could eat a pepperoni pizza — that was the only workaround.

The utensils? Wooden. In a wrapper that looked eco-friendly but felt like it belonged in a school lunchbox. The utensils were so dull you couldn’t even spear your salad, you had to scoop it up with your fork. And the plates? Thin cardboard. Wind was blowing them off tables. It felt like a picnic setup, not a restaurant.

Want more food or a drink? Get ready to walk back across the patio to the same little order window, again. I ordered a side of hot honey that never showed up, and had to walk all the way back just to ask for a refund.

This could be a great place if they’d invest in real service: actual plates, metal utensils, and table-side ordering. Until then, it’s just overpriced pizza with a great view and zero...