Ameci Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Irvine

Our journey began with a simple phone call to place an order, and little did we know it would turn into a comedy of errors. Located in Irvine off Culver Drive, this pizzeria certainly left us with an unforgettable experience.

As we strolled through the doors to pick up our eagerly anticipated pizza, we were greeted by chaos. The order, despite being called in earlier, hadn't even been started yet. But no worries, we were told it would only take an additional five minutes. "Okay, we can handle that," we thought optimistically.

However, those five minutes stretched into an eternity of repeated promises for just five more minutes. It felt like we were trapped in a time warp where minutes multiplied like rabbits. Twenty-five minutes later, we finally received our pizza, but not without an extra thirty minutes of waiting. Time flies when you're having fun... or not.

Now, let's talk about the cashier. Oh boy, was he a character! In what can only be described as a bizarre turn of events, he had the audacity to demand a whopping $20 tip from us. I mean, seriously? We didn't know tipping had become a mandatory, high-stakes negotiation at the pizza counter. We couldn't help but wonder if we had inadvertently stumbled into a hidden-camera prank show.

Despite the chaotic journey and the rude cashier, we must admit that the pizza itself was good. It seems that Amerci Pizza's redeeming quality lies in their ability to create a tasty pie. However, we couldn't help but notice that the flavor seemed to be on vacation during our visit. Perhaps it decided to take a break, just like the concept of punctuality at this establishment.

For our next pizza adventure, we might just have to venture to Sergeant Pepper's Pizza. After all, who can resist the allure of their medium pizza with a tantalizing combination of pepperoni, sausage, and half and half different veggies? It sounds like a symphony of flavors waiting to dazzle...

I just moved to the area and since this place is 5 minutes from me, I ordered a large pizza for $23.19 plus $4.50 for delivery. With tax it was $29.91 for a large garlic and pepperoni pizza. I was given an estimate of 45-75 minutes. I expected a hot piping pizza within the hour. I was wrong.

Over 90 minutes later, the guy showed up. He handed me a barely warm pizza, the quality of which was less than a Trader Joe's that cost 1/3 the price and would have been ready in 1/3 the time had I heated it up in my own oven, which I needed to do anyway since the pizza was, like I said, barely warm.

With tax and delivery, I ended up paying $29.91 for a lukewarm pizza that took over 1 1/2 hours to deliver. Because I am a business owner, I figured the owner would like to hear about my less-than-optimal experience. So I called. I left a message asking the owner to call me back with regard to a complaint. Unfortunately, 24 hours later, NO RESPONSE!

So all I can deduce from this experience is that there are better pizza places out there, including (yes) Domino's, which serves a much better pizza at a much...

Decent Italian food and it's a good bang for the buck. I have eaten almost all their food items except for a dish with sausages and broccoli, a meat lasagna dish, and a couple other items. This of course has spanned about 11 years. My first experience with Ameccis was in Fountain Valley at Magnolia and Talbert, where the first thing I tried was linguini and clams... Superb. Then I tried other items. I was so glad to find them at a location in Irvine, as I was doing business for a few weeks there. They are franchises and I think the consistency of quality at each franchise is remarkable. They have a nice lunch specials, great pizza, and plenty of individual items. Their prices have not really increased over the years, however, I do believe and I suspect the circular tins they put their food in has gotten a bit smaller. I just remember the portions weighed maybe 15% more and seemed bigger 10 years ago. It's just an observation and not really a knock because their...