Pronto Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in San Clemente

VERY POOR SERVICE ! We've been visiting beautiful San Clemente for many years. It has some very good restaurants and cafes...a few of which became our favs when in town. BUT THEN ! Only a few months ago we moved into a lovely townhome up in the hills of San Clemente. As locals we decided to expand our patronage of the local restaurants. The realtor who handled our townhome move told us the pizzas here were good...and we love a good pizza. It was difficult to get the feel of Pronto Cucina Italiana whose windows are blacked out during the day. We do know it used to be a Deli not long ago. SO ! I made a dinner reservation for 6pm on Wednesday, Jan 29th. We arrived a little early and a server named Juliana offered us a table for 2 just inside the front door...not the ideal spot on a chilly night. The restaurant looked full with around a dozen diners at tables and sitting at the bar which dominated the tiny restaurant. Our server Juliana brought us a bottle of chilled water & filled glasses of water plus a number of menus. The beer menu looked a bit pedestrian...I asked for a Menabrea Blonde which I assume was on tap. My iced cold beer arrived very quickly and tasted fine for a mild beer. It turned out that because we ordered before 6pm I saved $2 during HAPPY HOUR..4 - 6pm. STARTER ! The house made Rosemary Focaccia sounded a winner. We've been making our own pizzas from scratch at home for over 20 years. We've enjoyed some of the best pizzas in the world in Italy, Paris, Australia, Chicago, San Francisco, New York and all over California. I asked Juliana our server what type of dough was used in their pizza bases.....I don't know was her astonishing reply. And she didn't bother to go ask anyone to find out. Maybe that explained why she has been working here for just 2 days a week for only a month. We chose the Meat Lovers....it was named MY FAVORITE ( marinara, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, sausage, pepperoni ) on their menu. PASTA ! My wife liked the sound of the FETTUCCINE VODKA ( pink sauce, aged parmigiano )...add sausage + $5. OH NO ! As I pointed out earlier our tiny table was just inside the front door...every time new diners entered they were standing right behind me breathing over my head. I asked Juliana who was the manager and she pointed out Madison the bartender...but she didn't seem too sure. Our entrees arrived together and they both looked pretty good. I asked our server for grated parmigiano and chili flakes which arrived promptly. The pizza tasted quite good....well put together. Of course it was not a wood-fired pizza which is the typical Italian pizza. The pasta tasted quite good too...lovely flavor and texture. TOO BAD ! I asked Juliana our server if the Adriano the Chef / Owner would come out to say hi....she came back with he is too busy in the kitchen. THE PROBLEM ! Apart from the very small size of the restaurant which bordered on claustrophobic for us the place had no personality....there really didn't seem to anyone running the show, no one interacting with the seated diners. DESSERT ! Not much of interest on the dessert menu ....we went with the house made TIRAMISU. It came out fast and tasted like tiramisu. We have enjoyed much better pizza, pasta, craft beer choices, desserts, service and atmosphere at many restaurants. At best this place is Italo-American and needs to lift it's game substantially. We think Parlor on El Camino Real is...

I am Italian born and raised, and this place is amazing! I just randomly walked in one evening and checked their wine list. That's when I knew I had to pay attention. Their selection, offerings and options are unparalleled - anywhere in OC. Trust me, I have been searching for true authenticity and a diverse wine list for years, both mainstream and niche: they cover all the flavor profiles and all the geographical varietals from North to South both by the bottle and by the glass. And that is even more unique and rare to find. This is true Italy, and if you don't want to commit to a full bottle, you can taste wines you simply cannot find by the glass anywhere else. That's the fun what makes it an experience. The manager/owner, Adriano, took pleasure in walking my friend through the various wines and helped her choose, and chatted with me about all the flavor profiles. I enjoy coming here for an aperitivo, tastings, a meal, and always for a good experience. With dimmed lights after dinner, this is a great ambience for a lounge/wine bar. I am not sure if they have happy hour, but that's next for me to find out. I never expect a red carpet when I walk in, but they are always kind, welcoming, and they care. Also, the ingredients they use are honestly high quality, not just items to "assemble" some dish and you have to know better to appreciate them: not just parmesan, but the Parmiggiano aged 24 months, not Prosciutto, but the seasoned 14 months plus: if you ever traveled to Italy, you can discern and appreciate the difference (most places do not spend for quality level). And if have not been to Italy - yet! - you can try the experience at...

Went in for lunch/dinner today. We were not greeted when we walked in we seen a table open that was a large table for us four to sit. We sat down and no one came to our table so our husbands went to the counter and asked for a menu. The owner asked where we were sitting and our husbands showed them where we sitting and the owner said we couldn’t sit there that he had it reserved. There were no other tables we could fit so my brother in law grabbed two small tables to put together. The owner loudly said “sir, sir, I will get those together in a few minutes.” Then he came back to the table my brother in law moved and put the table back and seemed very irritated. He then went to the bar and asked if the other large party was still coming, at this point we did not seemed welcomed at all and decided to take our business elsewhere. He then said oh you guys can sit on the large bench table as we were proceeding to walk out of the restaurant. At that point we didn’t feel good to stay we felt awkward and uncomfortable and not welcomed. We are very sad and disappointed we have been there a few times with out of town family and friends in the past as well as purchase from their store next door but will not support any business that are not accommodating and welcoming! We ended up going to Sonny’s Pizza & Pasta and enjoyed our drinks pizza salad...