Primo Italia — Restaurant in Torrance

MAKE RESERVATIONS!

Stop searching, put your phone or laptop away, and get in your car once you've made reservations...trust me, THIS PLACE IS IT! I don't know if I have a serious medical issue or not, but I freakin' crave Italian food all the time. Hence, I am always in search of top regarded Italian restaurants...and gosh darn it...Primo Italia fulfilled my craving. Don't be startled if the restaurant takes a little while to locate since it is on the outskirts of Torrance and surrounded by a residential neighborhood (safe to park in neighborhood + free or you can park on Hawthorne Blvd). Despite it's low-key surroundings, the restaurants delivers a solid 5 stars on their authentic Italian food. Their pasta are all made fresh in their kitchen and you can just taste the difference in quality of the pasta. The romantic and cozy environment of the place will surely make your special someone swoon, if not...the food will! They do provide live musical entertainment (especially weekends), piano accompanied by a lovely signer who happened to be the owner of the establishment Lou. In spite of the music and smallness of the place, the noise level is more than tolerable and allows for easy conversing.

*Tagliatelle alla Bolganese ($18): Veal & pork, with Tagliatelle pasta, tossed in traditional bolganese sauce. I cheated and looked through the previous reviews to scope out the top rated dishes and this came up dozens of times. After biting into the pasta, I can certainly attest to the overwhelming craze caused by this dish. The veal and pork are placed generously within the sauce and the tagliatelle pasta was cooked to perfection. I would not hesitate to order the very same dish on my next visit.

*Ossobucco de Agnello ($29): Braised lamb shank, polenta, and asparagus. ABSOLUTELY DEVINE!!! Fall of the bone. I kept having to remind my fiancé to take a breather in between chowing down this dish. He just couldn't get over the tenderness of the lamb shank and he thoroughly enjoyed the polenta. Definitely a safe bet if you're a fan of lamb.

*Dessert: Biscotti: an assortment of traditional Italian cookies. The cookies were actually tasty and there was one that stood out but not sure name of it. Tasted like a fried donut with yummy caramel sauce. & Chocolate Terrine: I heard this was the ultimate dessert for chocolate lovers and figured being one myself, I should try it out. The chocolate tasted overwhelmingly sweet and definitely has a fudge texture. I did enjoy the fresh berries and vanilla gelato (I believe you can choose a different gelato flavor). Next time, will need to try their Tiramisu which I hear...

August 21,2018, My daughters 21th birthday . My daughter chose to celebrate her birthday at Primo Italia Restaurant , Torrance . Our experience ... NOT GOOD AT ALL ! We brought our own cake and I asked the waitress if they will sing when it comes to bringing the cake to the table and I was told NO. Then , the waitress said that there will a charge for cutting the cake per slice per person of $5.00 each . I was very surprised . I told the waitress to just bring the cake to the table and we will slice it ourselves but waitress said,, that there will be a charge regardless . She then said that she will get the manager.. Francisco who I spoke with when making the reservation came to the table and told me that there will a charge . I told him that he never informed me about the charge.. that I mentioned to him about the cake and he said that he did . I told him , should I have known that then I will not bring the cake at all . We talked about the corkage of a bottle of wine which is $25.00 .which I was aware of. I was upset and I told him that he was very nice over the phone when I made the reservation and yet everything was already ruined and we have not started yet . First time and my daughters 21th birthday . I raised my voice and told me that I don’t have to yell . I told him you are making me upset and you lied . He then said afterwards , that he won’t charge me anymore . During dinner , he was pouring water on each glass . I interrupted one of the waiters and asked a dish that was on another table . Francisco came back to the table and asked me if I want the muscles and I said we already ordered Caesar Salad and Calamare and he then said on the house . ( Why Not) My daughter ordered a dish but was not available and my son also ordered a dish that was not also available . ( was told that the chef was out ). Overall, food was not worth paying for and we will never go back to Prima Italia . Thank you Francisco (manager ) for doing a lowsy job. Thank you for the free muscles and not charging me for slicing the cake to cover up what you did ....

If your looking to truly wow your date on a first date, wanting a little taste of a classy night with your significant or just a nice group gathering or maybe just because I highly recommend this place.

My partner planned our date night and decided to bring me here since let's face it I love great food, cocktails, ambiance and being fancy. He hit it out of the park here.

Lou, the owner actually came up to our table and introduced himself to us and welcomed us to his home, even offering to get us started on our drinks. Finding family owned restaurants and great hospitality has become very rare and I'm pleased to say this place was extremely inviting.

My cocktails came out quickly and were phenomenal. Our pizza which had sausage and broccolini on top was a delicious starter. For my main meal I opted for ravioli and wasn't disappointed. I do love they offer a little something for everyone. I'm mostly vegetarian with a few exceptions but was pleasantly surprised they even had a vegan option.

We finished the night with a cheese cake that was....👌 chefs kiss so creamy, soft and full of flavor. It was mouth watering delicious.

Live music was playing however honestly I just was enjoying a lovely evening with my significant other for our weekly date night, great home style cooking and delicious cocktails. I truly look forward to being a regular.

My only complaint was being disabled I did struggle getting up to the restaurant and didn't have much option since the elevator was down so please plan accordingly if your unable to do stairs like myself it can be a wee struggle. That ofcourse was by no fault of the...