Lomeli's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Gardena

I noticed this situation when I got home. I’am not coming back to this damn restaurant no more they get my order wrong all the time!!!! I placed a order last night 05/26/2020 and the girl that worked there at the counter she’s Mexican and look like she’s in her twenties she got rude with me because i drove back up there and told her they forgot to give me my bread, she told me she checked the bag first before giving it to me which was a lie I was already inside the restaurant when the chef gave her my bag she didn’t check it she handed it to. How the hell did u check my bag and there’s no bread in there! Do u think i would drive all the way back to your restaurant for some damn bread !!? Hell no. So she gave my bread after she got an attitude and TRIED to lie. Second what I also noticed when I got home!! They gave me 2 teaspoons of sauce to go with my 10 cheese sticks!!! How the hell am i suppose to eat 10 cheese sticks with very little sauce!? That’s another reason why I drove back it for my missing bread and sauce. Third no one apologized to me. They are so unprofessional and the customer service is horrible!!!!! So anyway after i received my bread and sauce!! I told her I have money i could buy ALOT of bread if I want I have money. I have a 80k car do you think ! I would drive back for over 10min for some damn garlic bread! I got over 10k in my account!!!! I don’t need to lie about me not receiving some damn bread in my bag!. The food is good but NOT that damn good to be getting my order wrong!!! all the time !! I gave them a benefit of a doubt every time they get my order wrong and i never leave a review but after last night i that was the LAST STRAW!!!!! I’m NEVER COMING BACK u lost a loyal customer. I’m never rude or mean I’m always really nice even when u get my order wrong. Forget this restaurant you...

We stopped in unplanned to Lomeli’s, and had a nice meal that was tasty and not terribly expensive. Both my girlfriend and I had fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, and garlic bread, which is brought to each table with dinner.

The food was seasoned very nicely - while the Alfredo sauce could have been a little richer and thicker, it was better than a lot of places we’ve tried. And the chicken was seasoned perfectly, enhancing the overall flavor of the dish. The garlic bread was spot on and very good.

The ambiance of Lomeli’s is what threw us off just a bit. This place has been in a strip mall since the late 1970s, and has just about zero curb appeal; there aren’t even windows. As we arrived, it looked like maybe the restaurant was closed and its space boarded up, it looks that plain. However, there were a lot of people waiting outside and there is a door in the façade - super odd frontage - so it was apparent that the restaurant WAS open. And seemingly popular.

Inside, the restaurant is cozy - it’s tiny. Expect a wait if you show up at peak meal times. There are booths and tables (mostly booths) that are decorated with homey touches - framed artwork, hanging spices, herbs, and vegetables (plastic). The weird thing is the music - rather than Italian music or even something appropriate like Sinatra or Dean Martin, we listened to a completely random soundtrack that consisted of New Order, Dolly Parton, Sam Cooke, Joy Division, and Diana Ross. I know…weird. However, none of the music sucked; it was just… random as hell.

The staff were all very nice and welcoming to us, despite it being very busy.

While we wouldn’t go out of our way to drive a long distance to go to dinner here, we’d definitely stop in again if we are in the area, and do recommend it to others looking for a place to eat in the Gardenia...

First time here and we loved every minute. We drove from Redondo Beach to Gardena to check it out. It's an old school small restaurant established in 1978, with red booths located in a strip mall on the corner of Redondo Beach Blvd & Van Ness. Everything was amazing. From the service, delicious food, and the best part was the value. Where can you go for a huge meal for $21? Not even fast food anymore. Our combo meal that included smaller portions of each, Lasagna, spaghetti, sausage, and ravioli, was $17.95. We added $3 for a glass of wine, soup or salad, both very good, garlic bread and ice cream. Let me tell you, the Spamoni ice cream had to be homemade as well as the minestrone soup! My mouth is watering just thinking about that dinner! I'm sorry, but I forgot to take pictures of the food because we were so hungry from just the smells coming from the kitchen, that we began eating immediately after it came to our table. There was so much food, we both ended up taking 1/2 of our meals home & enjoyed them the next day. We splurged and purchased a slice of homemade pistachio cheesecake to go. It was $9.95 but large enough for two and did not disappoint!! I'm not sure I want to promote this restaurant because it will be harder to get a table next time, and trust me, there will be a next time! As it was, on a weeknight, there was a wait for a...