I had Bello on my list to try for a while and I finally had a chance during a business dinner. We ordered the calamari and porchettina to start. The calamari was tender and the breading light and crispy. The porchettina was delicious. The pork was well seasoned and the crunchy skin provided a delightful texture change. The relish topping really balanced the richness of the pork with its tangy and sweet flavor. I ordered the norcia for my entree and it was also well done. The pasta was al dente which is critical for any pasta dish. The sauce was well seasoned, rich, and creamy. Overall, the food was delicious and the service was attentive and knowledgeable. I will definitely come back to try their pizzas which also looked great. read more

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Really disappointing experience tonight. We waited about an hour after our appetizer before our entrees finally arrived, and the food was cold. We were never offered bread, and no one asked if I wanted another glass of wine, so I ended up eating my entire meal without anything to drink. My partner's beer was also flat. We ordered a super simple pomodoro and the sauce tasted like spaghetti-oh's, although, the pasta was cooked well. I do want to give credit to our server, Camryn. She was lovely, very apologetic, and clearly doing the best she could under the circumstances. She explained that they were very short-staffed tonight. The hostess was also incredibly sweet and welcoming. I completely understand that staffing issues happen, and I don't blame Camryn at all, but waiting an hour for cold food and having drinks and basic service overlooked made for a pretty disappointing dinner. Hopefully tonight was just an off night because the staff we interacted with were genuinely lovely. The patio was nice, and they allow dogs outside. Unfortunately, we're stopping for food on the way home. read more

My favorite cuisine is Italian and if it has truffle, consider it ordered. I love the taste so much! Service was excellent and I love the ambiance inside. When I was in Italy, I often ordered Pomodoro because I was a vegetarian. It brought back very fond memories. : ) I ordered the Norcia, which was recommended by my sister. She said, "it was amazing" and it was good. Parking is easy to find, you just might have to walk a little. read more

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Great for a date night or girls! Dim lighting and lots of special occasions being celebrated with loved ones. read more

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Tonight's dinner was delicious and the service was incredible. We really enjoyed our server Jared. He was so upbeat and friendly and gave us such wonderful detailed recommendations for all our courses. We told him that even though we are doing family style, we wanted the meal coursed so we can take our time to enjoy each dish while the food stayed freshly prepared. He made sure to take our order in courses to ensure that happened. We ordered two salads, three appetizers, two pastas, one pizza, and tomohawk steak with roasted potatoes, and multiple desserts. We enjoyed everything we tried. Of course we also loved their house focaccia bread with olive oil and vinaigrette. Our go to item here is the Tarfufo Nero (prosciutto truffle pizza). We've ordered it every time we've visited. Only one time left me a little disappointed because it was burnt on bottom and cold. But this time, it was amazing. The tomahawk was surprisingly well seasoned and cooked, and the potatoes that came with it were made to perfection. The desserts were not too sweet and had a balance of flavors that made each item unique. My favorite was the panna cotta. My friend who said she generally doesn't like panna cotta loved this one! read more

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Food was Amazing delicious and wonderful service. Even I ordered wrong one pizza we told service he free added sesame, veggie right away made perfect pizza I want it . Also had free birthday pudding cake delicious . Owner Sandro is a Henson nice guy. So I give them five star. highly recommend. read more

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Bello had the best calamari I have ever eaten!!! It was so delicious and had a really good sauce to go with it. The rest of the menu was good and had lots of options. There is not a kids menu and there isn't any simple pasta options but there is pizza which was also good. The service was kind and helpful as we were celebrating a bday and gave us candles with our dessert. The ambiance is nice and classy. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Amatriciana - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Good Italian restaurant!! It is a little hard for kids because of some complex dishes, but they are tasty! The service is very nice with the staff assisting with your needs. When we went, there was the summer menu with a selection of different appetizers, mains, and desserts. Check out this nice Italian restaurant!! read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - The summer menu - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Excellent service is just the beginning. Perfect cocktails and tasty focaccia started our meal. Calamari was light and crispy and perfectly seasoned. Bello is one of the few restaurants locally where you can order pasta and don't have to ask for it to be cooked al dente because they know how to cook it perfectly. Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants around. read more

Food - 5 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 5 stars! I literally can't think of anything bad to say about Bello! My husband made an early reservation ahead of time so we were seated right away. We haven't had a solo date night in a long time so we didn't hold back. Appetizer- Bone marrow. This was so good! Arguably, the little pasta side to the bone marrow was almost better than the bone marrow! Prosciutto Pizza - the pizzas looked so good, we both wanted pasta, but we couldn't not try one... So we had them bring one out with our appetizer so we could have both have a piece. Sometimes prosciutto is overly salty, but this was delicious! And the balance with the arugula and the sauce was just perfect... and I have to say, it was still soft and delicious the next day. Pasta - I got the Bolognese and it was super creamy and delicious! I cannot recall the name of what my husband got, but it was like a rose sauce also with a little bit of prosciutto in it, and it was so flavorful! For dessert, we each got a scoop of gelato, mine was dark, chocolate, and orange and my husband's cinnamon apple pie... both tasted exactly like those things, very creamy... Not your typical gelato that you would probably be used to, but still good. Food aside, our customer service was great, our waitress was very attentive and very helpful and our waters were never empty. Price point is more than we can usually spend for a date night, but this was a splurge and worth it for a rare occasion read more

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First time at Bello in Newport, and it definitely won't be the last. We came in after a Lagree class across the way, so our group of eight was starving. Our server was friendly and helpful with recommendations, and everything he suggested was spot-on. I don't remember the names of all the dishes, but the pizzas were absolutely out of this world--perfectly thin, crispy crusts (just how I like them) and really flavorful toppings. We also ordered two seafood dishes and two desserts, all incredibly fresh and delicious. Everything we tried tasted fantastic, and the overall experience makes this an easy new go-to spot for Italian food in Newport. If you have never been, definitely need to try it out. read more

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As soon as we walked in the ambiance looked very elegant. Our host nicely greeted us to our seats. We came here to celebrate our anniversary and the best part of our experience was our server, Jared B. From the get go he was informed about our restrictions and allergies. He came prepared with items we could order and had already worked with the chef to ensure there was no cross contamination either which was very thoughtful. We ordered what he recommended with our mocktails. He consistently came and checked in with us to see how we were doing and how everything tasted. Really enjoyed our entire evening and definitely will recommend this place for celebrations especially on Sundays. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Inside of restaurant - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Wow! I can't find enough good things to say about Bello! The food, the service, and the ambiance were all fantastic. My fiancé and I finally tried this place after seeing it blow up on our TikTok feeds, and we were so impressed. We had a 5:30pm reservation on a Wednesday. The dining room was a bit empty at first while the bar was buzzing, but by the end of our meal the entire dining room had filled up. We started with their unlimited focaccia bread. So good that we kept saying "yes" every time our waiter asked if we wanted more. We paired it with the olive oil and balsamic on the table, which to our surprise were both made by Chef Sandro himself. For our appetizer, we ordered the Polpo. The octopus was perfectly cooked and cut so easily with a knife. The tomato-based sauce poured over it was incredibly savory, and the greens underneath added such a nice balance. We even kept dipping our focaccia into the sauce because it was that good. For entrees, we shared the Dolce Diavola pizza and the Norcia pasta. The pizza had the perfect spicy kick and that amazing wood-fired crust. The truffle sauce on the pasta was rich, aromatic, and worth every penny. We legitimately licked the plate clean. We ended up bringing a couple slices of pizza home (carb overload!), which we happily enjoyed again later. We paired everything with cocktails--the Bello and the Rum in Passion, I believe. Both were super fresh and did a great job cleansing our palates. For dessert, we went with the yuzu panna cotta, which was the perfect finishing touch. Not too sweet, beautifully balanced, and such a refreshing yuzu flavor. I could eat that every single day. We also had the chance to meet Chef Sandro himself, and it made the night even better. You can truly feel his passion for his craft and his excitement for upcoming projects. He was so genuine and down-to-earth, and he made sure to greet every table to ensure everyone was enjoying their meals. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Amazing celebration dinner with work family! The waitstaff reviewed the specials with clear passion for the food. The chef included fish and chips, a rare treat for the menu to celebrate his Irish heritage. The lobster ravioli and pizza were amazing too. It is a cozy space but big enough for larger groups but also date night. read more

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Chris and Mary has provided us above and beyond service in addition to recommending delicious off menu specials. We ended up trying the recommendations and loved it! They really made this place feel like home and we will most definitely be back to try the other pastas. Hats off to the management team for having Chris and Mary as they truly made this a wonderful experience for us. Great ambiance, amazing food, and out of this world service! read more

Superb spot! We had a fun evening with friends sitting outside by the fire. Pizza starter was delicious, pasta entrees were well balanced and tasty. The Chilean sea bass was superb. Definitely try the lemon gelato! Service was a highlight! Jared was charming, knowledgeable and definitely a foodie. read more

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WOW this place is amazing!!!!!! The prosciutto pizza was THE BEST PIZZA I've ever had in my life hands down! The crust was thin but nice and crispy and chewy. I was in love. The tomato and arugula tasted so fresh and everything was proportioned super well so nothing was too over powering. The bolognese pasta was super unique! Over never had a white sauce bolognese before but this one was great! It's quite a strong Parmesan flavor so id recommend splitting it with someone to avoid flavor fatigue. The complimentary focaccia was great as well! The service really stood out to me! I forgot to ask for my servers name, but he was amazing! Incredibly nice and welcoming, and took the time to walk us through the menu and explain and recommend menu items. I'd love to return soon! read more

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The tartufo Nero is obscenely overpriced. They prosciutto is cool and they didn't bother to heat up the dough. There is almost not flavor from the truffle shavings. The shrimp had a fishy odor. I couldn't take more than one bite. The pasta was the best dish, but the truffle still had no flavor. read more

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First of all, my friend and I had a great experience here! Service was some of the best I've ever had, and the owner himself even came to check in with our table which was very nice. Our server was great, fun, and made our dining experience very enjoyable. Everything he recommended was delicious. We got a scallop risotto to start (not on the actual menu, but offered that day). The risotto was more traditional so the rice iwas on the harder side, but still cooked through. The scallops were perfectly done and seasoned, and the flavor of the risotto was so rich and creamy. The gemelli pasta was my favorite dish of the night. The flavor was rich but also very bright. You could taste the flavor of everything and no flavor was overpowering another. The black truffle pizza was very solid. The flavors went really well together. The pizza itself with prosciutto, burrata, and black truffle was to die for. The base of the pizza was pretty thin, but it still had good structure. Crispy bottom and airy crust! For dessert, we initially got the yuzu panna cotta but it wasn't our favorite. The flavor was good, but the texture and taste was different than a usual panna cotta. The server did tell us that they used the yuzu to set the dairy rather than gelatin. In my opinion, that made it less milky and creamy, but instead more thick yogurt like. Our server recommended the strawberry gelato again and I'm so glad we tried it! It was amazing! It was creamy, but light and refreshing as well. The strawberry flavor was super fresh and not over sweet read more

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This place has an amazing ambience and wide selection of fine wines and other high end liquor. The service was phenomenal and we enjoyed ourselves. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Made a reservation at 8:15 for our anniversary... we were really excited to eat here being that it is on the Michelin guide and we love Italian food. We didn't even get a chance to look over the apps or drinks before someone told us they were doing last call on food. Do not take a reservation if you are not prepared to serve food. Gas station views weren't worth the wait... read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Bad view - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Been here a few times, every dish is delicious! However if you go with just two people, the table is very small. So if you order several dishes, it's really tight! But overall, it is ones of the best in Orange County! read more

Service: excellent. Our server was personable, friendly, and offered great recommendations. Food: the octopus and heirloom salad were delicious. I would get it again. The sausage pasta was my favorite. It was perfection. The crispy pork was good. The chicken and shrimp pasta were way way way too salty. Everyone in my party of 4 agreed such that we couldn't even finish the dishes. read more

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We had such a lovely and delicious birthday celebration at Bello! Our waiter, Rudy, was awesome and super knowledgeable about the menu, providing several helpful recommendations, since it was our first visit to Bello. We tried: Dolce Diavola: spicy, savory, sweet goodness in tasty pizza form. Would order this over and over again! Gemelli Pasta Special: everything I want in a pasta - amazing depth of flavor in the sauce, great texture, and quality ingredients. Really hope it gets a permanent slot on the menu! Bolognese: the thinness of the noodles makes this less of a chewy al dente dish, but the flavors and white sauce were very unique and unlike any other bolognese I've ever seen. Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart: decadent chocolate balanced by nutty hazelnut. Great for chocolate lovers! Panna Cotta: balance of tart, sweet, creamy, and nutty. Also a very unique take on a classic. Ambiance was great for celebrating special occasions, but not too fancy or stuffy. Thank you, Rudy, for taking such good care of us and making our birthday celebration so special! Can't wait to visit again. read more

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We booked this place for lunch without too much knowledge. The location is easy to get to and we were welcomed in without a wait. The server was great and the service was top notch. I wish I could rate the place better, but the food was mostly a miss. I'll be honest, when the server mentioned that this was a branch of the chef from Sugo, I wasn't too thrilled as I don't care for their pizza. Oliver's and my uncle in Italy do Roman pizza much better. I was however, delighted to hear that the pizza here would be different. The pizza was different, but not good still. The unfortunate truth is that there is so much good pizza in Orange County and LA. They had a bone marrow dish with pasta that was supposed to mimic the famous dish at Bestia in LA and it wasn't even close although the price was the same. The octopus dish was almost good, except the sauce they buried it in not only drowned the flavor of the grilled octopus, it had a weird bitter note that wasn't pleasant. The calamari and shishito peppers were also a disappointment which is blatant in the picture. All in all, this is a pass from me. read more

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Such a wonderful place for an upscale dinner! We were a big group and the staff did a wonderful job with accomodating us. Shoutout to Jared for being such an awesome server! We started with the polpo and pate de feg ato. For our mains, we ordered the a nostra bolognese, tarturfo nero, and pana cotta for dessert. Polpo- The octopus was nicely charred and and a lovely chewy texture. It came with a smoky sauce that tied the flavors together. Paté De Feg Ato- The pate had a deep flavor with a buttery finish. It came with a side of cherry compote that brightens up the palate. Served on crusty sourdough. Lo Nostra Bolognese- The pasta was cooked perfectly. It was saturated with a rich, creamy, sauce that was loaded with tender braised ragu. This was a definite winner! Tarturfo Nero- The pizza dough was nice and chewy with a slight char. The proscuitto was savory and the cheese nice and gooey. Black truffle shavings add a depth of flavor. Pana Cotta- This was light and fresh with a lemony base. It was accentuated with a cherry compote that gave it a burst of sweetness. Pistachios and sesame seeds add a nice crunch. read more

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First time this spot. Decided to try due to being recommended on California Michelin guide. The service was exceptional. The staff was welcoming, friendly and very helpful. Can't recommend and appreciate Jessica. She was GREAT!! Drinks we ordered Birds of a feather 10/10 very tasty and delicious. Also ordered Aria di melone, very refreshing with a hint of melon. For food we tried Margherita pizza 8/10, Pomodoro 10/10, Bolognese 10/10, Acqua pazza 10/10. Ever thing we tried was delicious. The portions are small, so highly recommended ordering extra items. For dessert we ordered panna cotta 10/10, torta nocciole e cioccolatto 10/10 this one was my favorite with a side of vanilla ice cream. I highly recommend making reservations especially if you're planning on going during dinner hours. We went around 5, it wasn't busy at all but by 6:30pm it started getting really busy. read more

Beautiful restaurant .Love Sandro and his staff! Food was very favorable, fresh and just so well prepared !! Service was amazing and we wil be back ! read more

Came in for dessert...1st time here. Great service from a wonderful waiter. Jared B was so great! The way he describes the food...WOW! Makes everything sound amazing! Enjoyed our dessert (orange olive oil cake & chocolate Torta) & drinks (red wine & espresso martini). We are already planning on returning, for dinner next time! read more

I came to Bello on a Sunday night for dinner with some friends. The restaurant is located in a strip mall with ample parking. We had a reservation for eight people and we were seated quickly. Our server was Jared and he was an absolute peach. He was knowledgeable, funny, charming, and very observant. He took note of my friend's fondness of shrimp heads when her appetizer was brought out and he kept a close eye on our drinks. Jared gets five stars! Now for the food! We were given tasty bread and olive oil and were offered balsamic vinegar which we happily accepted. We were informed that the pasta was hand made daily and the flour is imported from Italy. Once I heard that, I had to try a pasta dish. I ordered pomodoro pasta as my entree. My boyfriend got prosciutto pizza, and we shared tiramisu for dessert. My pasta was a bit on the chewy side, which I like. The sauce was simple yet flavorful. My boyfriend's pizza had great crust and was also very tasty. Some of the crust came out a little too burnt but it was still great. The tiramisu was light, fluffy, and if you don't love coffee flavor, you'll really enjoy this. It's just sweet enough and not bitter. The restaurant is dark, moody, a good choice for a family dinner or date night. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We were the only table there on a Saturday night so clearly the community agrees this is not a good place. I gave an honest review after getting a notification from Yelp to give feedback. The service was slow even though the restaurant was dead. The ambiance was off. The food was not reflective of the price at all. The owner claims it is authentic Italian cuisine, however it's an overpriced and pretentious Olive Garden at best. I provided an honest and, frankly, generous review. Instead of taking feedback, the owner chose to be petty and take a shot at me for writing reviews at nail salons? I've also written plenty of 5 star reviews for restaurants that were well deserving of it, don't worry, I'm very familiar with quality and authentic food, especially Italian. Regardless of the owners response, I promise you, this place is most certainly not that. Look at the reviews, there are plenty 1, 2 and 3 star reviews. The owner cherry picks who to respond to and instead of taking feedback, gets defensive and rude. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

I finally got to try Bello by Sandro Nardone this evening, a restaurant that has been on my bookmarks for quite some time, and let me tell you, it delivered. Every dish was delicious and perfectly balanced in flavor. The meal began with their seasonal Thai Snapper Crudo, which was bright, had a spicy kick, and was beautifully presented. The Tartufo Nero Pizza was incredible and absolutely worth ordering. From there, we moved on to the Wagyu Steak, Norcia, and La Nostra Bolognese. Each one was flavorful, distinct, and clearly crafted with care. For dessert, we enjoyed both the tiramisu and the yuzu panna cotta, which was one of a kind and the perfect way to end the meal. Overall, Bello by Sandro Nardone offers an exceptional dining experience. Every course impressed, and the balance of flavors made it memorable from start to finish. A wonderful spot for a special occasion or simply when you want to treat yourself to something extraordinary. No leftovers here--every dish was wiped clean. read more

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Whatever you do, do not order the Blackhawk steak. I ordered it to go for my cousin to bring back to her fiancé, after enjoying drinks, appetizers, main courses, and dessert in celebration of her asking me to be a bridesmaid. Not only is the flavor of the chimichurri, overpowered by the taste of olives, but the cut of steak they received was full of fat, extremely tough, some parts were almost raw, difficult to chew, ultimately inedible and thrown in the trash $90 later. I anticipated management to do the right thing which would be to refund the $90 for the steak that was completely inedible. Unfortunately, even though we have been loyal clientele for the past year, bringing them great business and enjoying the food and ambience, instead of meeting us with understanding and proper compensation for such an expensive dish, we were met with question after question even after supplying them with a proper amount of proof via photos and ultimately told that they were unwilling to do the right thing. What was supposed to be a special dinner together was tainted at the end, literally leaving a bad taste in the mouth. The taste of the steak is one thing, but the taste of management stinginess, lack of understanding, and unwillingness to do the right thing and provide proper compensation for their mistake is a much worse taste. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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The dough for the pizzas is so good. It's light and airy, tastes amazing. The service we got at the bar was really slow, had to wait on a lot of things including water refills and the bar wasn't full. read more

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Came here for my birthday and had such a great experience! our host/waiters were so friendly and gave us a great run down of the menu and specialties for the day. we got the rigatoni cacio e pepe, margherita pizza, and lobster aglio e olio (the specialty for the day). all the dishes were so good! i'd especially recommend the margherita pizza; the dough was so thin and soft and the flavors just melted into my mouth. we went on a weekday evening and there was zero wait! i'll definitely be coming back :) read more

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Came here on a Friday night for a girls night. We sat on the patio, weather was perfect but nothing special about the patio especially with blue plastic chairs, not the most comfortable. Our service was good, we had asked another server between a couple of dishes and he was very on point on his descriptions. The bread they brought to the table was very good. We then shared the summer salad and the Gemelli pasta, would order both again. Looked about getting a side of the risotto, but the server said it was pre-made, so we didn't get. Based on the restaurants prices I was expecting items to be freshly made. Everything was good, but nothing that would make me want to go back. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - 1/2 portion of summer salad - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

This was my second time here and I remember loving it the first time!! Last time I tried the pastas and pizzas and they were really fresh. I can't remember which ones because I came in a group. This time I changed it up and got the surf and sand panini. The pork belly was a bit tough for me but good flavor. Highly recommend the calamari though!! Service was also great. read more

Bello by Sandro Nardone - Italian Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Always looking for a local restaurant in OC to enjoy a Friday dinner. This was a surprise since it's tucked away in a little strip mall near my favorite Total Wine. The food was delicious. The pasta with bone marrow was my favorite! The branzino was prepared completely different that I normally order and was so delectable. The pizza was great nothing special particularly but not bad. read more

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The food was good, but nothing impressive. It is very overpriced. The norcia plate has 14 pieces. The portion was very little. I tried to enjoy a quiet and peaceful lunch but the servers kept talking to us. He complained that he liked to talk because the restaurant is very slow... won't be back read more

The staff was incredibly kind, and since it wasn't busy when we arrived, we were seated right away. We came specifically to try the truffle pastas, and both dishes we ordered were delicious. Our server also mentioned that they'll be getting fresh white truffles in November, so we'll definitely have to come back and try them. read more