I eat at a ton of places and only leave reviews when something really stands out to me. Stopped by De Lucia's while getting my vehicle serviced at a local dealership and was in for a pleasant surprise. It has a nice ambience and the service was excellent, the staff were friendly and attentive. I haven't had a calzone in years and for some reason decided to have one here at De Lucia's and boy was I pleased with my decision. The crust was just the right amount of crispy, the cheese was nice and stringy and the meat sauce was the topping on the cake. I have to also shoutout their delicious Cesar salad and complimentary bread. Everything was excellent and will have to stop by here again the next time I'm getting my car serviced. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Italian meatball and jalapeño calzone - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Been updated by management that "premium" on their too good to go includes meat and salad. Fair enough I'll increase 1 star. I'd adjust descriptions too so initial expectations can be anchored. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Traditional Italian food in a comfortable atmosphere Good classic style in a nice environment Roomy and uncluttered TVs around to keep up with games Pizzas with thick soft crust Fresh ingredients read more

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I may try it again and order something different. I had spaghetti and meatballs and there wasn't enough sauce and there was too much white spaghetti. The meatball, however, was outstanding. read more

Service was friendly, quick and nice! I immediately felt warm and fuzzy - familia! I asked "what do I want?" And got a local favorite suggestion of an off menu item-chicken marco pollo! Delicious that night and the next! Eggplant, mushrooms tender chicken and pasta in a stick to the noodle sauce! Atmosphere was definitely on brand with that Rat Pack vibe! Totally screamed "Italian" restaurant! We'll be back! I wished I found this place sooner! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Chicken Marco Polo - This is AFTER I took a couple of bites. Chicken was so tender, and I love it when the mushrooms look like mushrooms! - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Came here for a family dinner and ordered the roasted salmon salad. The salad, while large, was completely consumed. I really liked all the fresh vegetables, and the iceberg lettuce was nice and cold and crunchy. The salmon had an interesting take in that oregano and bread crumbs were crusted on top. It was roasted to perfection without being overcooked. Our server was very cordial and attentive, and made the dining experience that much better. The restaurant got busy but had a nice, cozy atmosphere. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Roasted Salmon Salad - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

De Lucia is an excellent local Italian restaurant that is located in Lake Forest. The taste of the pasta, calamari and salad were savory and delicious. Portions are large and represent a great value. Our server was friendly and attentive. Food came out in 15 minutes, pipping hot from the kitchen. The ambiance is casual and cozy with lots of parking spots in front of the restaurant. Highly recommended! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Well, I have been to this place before but it has been years. Had Lina rolls and spaghetti and meatball. Not impressed by the food because of the lack of flavor. How about adding some seasoning, like garlic? The only item that had some flavor was the meatball. Other than that, pretty tasteless experience overall unfortunately. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Lina roll cut in half - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I ordered eggplant parmigiana and it was delicious with garlic bread and side of pasta. I love this restaurant it is clean and the employees are friendly. I enjoyed my meal read more

Great little spot. Good wine and great pizza. Friendly service. The pizza crust was delicious. Bread and olive oil served as you sit down. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Meatball pizza, half with mushroom and olive & the other half with ricotta. - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

What used to be Peppino's has now changed to De Lucia's. The staff were great and welcoming, and we were seated right away on a Saturday for a party of 7. Glad we came here, I miss Lake Forest so much. First off, they give complimentary bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. The Caesar salad, Fettuccini Carbonara, and Chicken Piccata, and Mini pepperoni pizza were delish. Would come here again. I loved the dim lighting and the extensive menu. This place is great for celebrations, casual dining and for big parties. read more

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Came here for dinner with a friend for the first time! Interior is with dim lighting so personal preference I wish there was a bit more lighting. Staff were amazing and friendly. I ordered the pasta and a Cesar salad. Cesar salad was amazing and they seem to make their Cesar dressing in-house so it tasted fresh and really flavourful! I'd come back just for the salad again. As for the pasta, I wouldn't say there was too much of a flavour profile other than creamy cheesy. Wasn't very saucy but more so thick and a bit dry. Wish there was a bit more depth to the dish but overall good still! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Fettuccini Della Casa - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Another stop at De Lucia's for a family dinner and food was great as always. The thing that wasn't great?! They got rid of Happy Hour (noooooooo) and the space next to the dining room. That is so disappointing but things happen I guess. Service was spot on as usual, our server was great and like I said, the food yummy. Had to request more water several times but other than that, we enjoyed our meal and will be back! Was one of our fav spots to go for Happy Hour, so won't go as often but we still love the dinner menu. read more

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Date night. Nice bar area. Filled up by 6:30 pm on a Thursday. Good energy. Lots of TV's. Our bartender Daniella forgot about us after a bit and we had to ask for help re a flat Diet Coke that she just shrugged her shoulders about It afterwards. The restaurant Manager Jeff stepped up and got me a fresh soda from the restaurant side that was perfect. Appetizer - we ordered the grilled calamari and even asked the other bartender Emily how it came. She wasn't sure and we actually got some raw and very chewy calamari in a broth. It was weird.. so we asked for a to go container and did not say a word. We then moved to the dining area. Our server Guadalupe was awesome. She was happy, calm, knowledgeable and attentive. We got the halibut in a spicy marinara over pasta and it was really good. We also ordered the seafood sampler that had 2 scallops. 1 piece of shrimp and two small pieces of fish served over some chewy pasta. The sauce was killer though. We requested and got extra sauce. The bread was served but it did not look very appetizing. Definitely not authentic Italian. Being a NYer this was glaringly obvious. read more

Unfortunately they don't have their bar anymore, what used to be called Joe's Place. It was strange to be there and sit on the restaurant side. Lots of good times here with live music. After the initial shock, we enjoyed ourselves and shared an order of jumbo scallops on angel hair pasta. This pic is only half of the order because I was busy eating mine! Great food, loved their bread, and Daniella was a friendly and attentive server. One of the managers (owners?) also came by to check on us, which was super nice. read more

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I had some luck walking in without reservations and getting a table for two on a weekend night. Our waitress, who was efficient and nice, started us off with a complimentary bread basket. The bread was good, but I declined the offer made later for more because I was having a carb rich entrée. My order, fettuccine alfredo with chicken, was made well. The texture of the fettuccine was what I wanted, the sauce tasted rich, buttery, and creamy, and the pieces of chicken were tender. In my opinion, the fettuccine alfredo with chicken was tasty, but not my favorite out of the Italian restaurants I've tried. FYI: Family members described me as picky regarding Italian food and told me they liked the food here. On another note, my husband's calzone with Italian sausage looked so good that I asked for a sample. After nibbling, I understood why he ordered a calzone for the second time and knew what to order on the next visit: a small calzone. De Lucia's was busy when we went. We were fortunate to be seated quickly and treated well by courteous employees in a clean and comfortable setting. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Complimentary Bread. - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I have been searching for a go to pizza place and I'm so pleased to say that we finally found it. My husband who is a pizza critic loved it and so did my 15 year old. Solid food! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Large cheese pizza! Delicious - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Two for dinner. Two containers of leftovers. Shrimp veranzano and linguini and clam sauce. Two house salads. Cloe made us feel right at home. They have given up the bar space, but are still a good size restaurant. The food is good and plentiful. The place is clean and comfortable. read more

The best Italian food ever. Service is great. Wendy is the best. Very nice and clean restaurant. I will be back again. read more

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I had both the chicken parm (25) and salmon salad (20) here and both were very good and I would order both again. The Salmon Filet on the salad was really good. Both meal portions are huge and meant to be shared with 2 or more people or just one David. (I consume food like a Ford F350 PU Truck consumes fuel.) This chicken parm was very good but not the best I have ever had--the best ones are $40 and in Hollywood and Beverly Hills--but for $25 it's very good here. Parking is free and easy in their private lot shared with a million other restaurants and stores. And if you are on a date and things work out that you need a hotel after the meal--there is one across the parking lot--you are set! Service is cordial and efficient but they don't have time to baby you. She made me feel like I was back in NYC. I really liked the atmosphere--it's lively with TV's all over. There is also seating in the bar area. Definitely come here for very good reasonably priced Italian food. read more

Ok...I know for a fact that I've already done a review for DeLucia's but it isn't showing at all now. This is now the second restaurant on Yelp that I've reviewed (good review too) that has disappeared. DeLucia's, is in the plaza off Lake Forest and Rockfield. This parking lot gets very busy during busy times of the night. The restaurant has three entrances. One for the bar, one for the dining area and the other for take-out, but you can literally walk through the entire restaurant from one side to the other without exiting. Windows are tinted very dark for privacy from the outside. They have two different sections for restrooms. One set is at the bar area and the other is at the restaurant side. I LOVE how you can collect points for dining here and use it for discounts. I don't know if they offer anything else with that program or if it's just points for $10 off etc. but I appreciate places that offer them to their customers. I tend to frequent an establishment that does this. Service has been good each time we've dined here or taken food to go. Everyone has been polite and attentive. Our drinks are topped off, our bread refilled, never ignored. What we order; 1) Lina rolls 2) fried calamari - kids love it here 3) side salad - so good with their house dressing. I wish they had a larger portion of it. 4) kids Mac n cheese 5) kids pasta with Alfredo sauce 6) kids pizza 7) lasagna with meat sauce 8) spaghetti and meatballs 9) Caesar salad 10) roasted salmon salad with house dressing - generous portion and so delicious 11) rib eye florentine 12) 12 oz rib eye 13) antipasto 14) Linguini imperial - my favorite pasta here 15) fettuccine superiore - another fave here 16) linguini and clams 17) linguini and shrimp 18) chicken Alfredo 19) fresh jumbo scallops over linguini 20) rigatoni all Gina Our family loves the food here and the price point is good with generous portions which we like. Thank you for the points program and for the enjoyable dining experiences. Looking forward to dining with you again. read more

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The food was excellent as usual. The minestrone soup has so many vegetables and the lasagna was delicious. The service is always great.

Four of us went to DeLucia's last week, and once again, both the food and service were excellent. Was it the best Italian food we've ever had? No--but it was definitely top-tier, and the prices were reasonable. The service was attentive without ever feeling intrusive. Our waitress even suggested that the couple dining with us split an entrée rather than ordering two of the same dish. They appreciated the suggestion as a half serving turned out to be plenty of food for them. The restaurant was packed, and the noise level was fairly high. If you have hearing issues or prefer a quieter setting, you may want to ask whether a table is available in a quieter area. read more

Food is spectacular and the service friendly and really good !Love to celebrate here with family & friends !

Family style dining at this beloved Italian restaurant. From the Peppino family comes this restaurant. The atmosphere is family oriented, lively, happy and boisterous. The food comes out quickly. The bruschetta was delicious with a garlicy tomato topping. We enjoyed the family atmosphere and the food immensely. The shrimp cocktail was delicious with large shrimps. The scampi was buttery and garlicky perfection. Great place! read more

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Ariana was amazing today , best costumer service, very professional and very kind. We really enjoyed the delicious coffee and the Italian margarita everything is fresh and tasty. I highly recommend to check it for breakfast or for lunch. read more

Incredible food and even better customer service -- and this was my first time ordering! I placed a pickup order on Friday night for Saturday at 3pm: meat lasagna, veggie lasagna, a salad, and garlic bread. Around 2pm Saturday, they called to let me know the veggie lasagna might not be ready in time. Since I needed everything by 3, I asked to swap it for a second meat lasagna instead. When I arrived, not only had they finished the veggie lasagna after all, but they also included the extra meat lasagna at no charge for the inconvenience. Completely unexpected and so thoughtful. I dropped the order off with a family and brought the extra lasagna home for dinner. My husband and I both raved about it -- absolutely delicious. This place has earned a loyal customer. I will definitely be back. Thank you for taking such good care of us! read more

Disappointed your bar area closed. This was a staple for me to meet friends that visit often. Two different dining experiences in enjoying your establishment and food. Have not been back since. read more

Upon entry, staff was pleasant and seated us quickly. Happy with their service. Restaurant/decor is nice and modern. Drinks were yummy. However, food was very unwhelming and expensive for what it was, hence the rating. Adding chicken to my alfredo pasta was $9.50. read more

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Excellent food and service. We love so many dishes there: sausage ferrenzano, rigatoni ala gina, chicken sorrentino, their lina rolls and more. We have been coming here since it opened, and these are the same recipes as the previous Peppino's restaurant. read more

The old Peppinos. Same owners. The parking can be a little tight but you can usually find a spot somewhere. The menu is quite large. They have a separate bar area and entrance. The service was excellent. Friendly and helpful. The portions are quite large. The antipasta and ceasar salad were quite good. The bruschetta was good. We had a large group so I got to try a lot of different pastas. They were all good but not necessarily great. Therefore the 4 stars. read more

We've were looking forward to trying De Luca's Italian restaurant. We've been down here for years and always wanted to stop in, tonight was the night. We made reservations for 3 at 4pm and were warmly greeted as we entered and promptly seated in a very comfortable booth. Jose our waiter came over brought us menu's. Full menu lots of delicious choices . We decided for appetizers clams in white sauce, entrees of meat lasagna, and shrimp Florentine. Bread, butter and a large bowl clams in a delicious white sauce didn't last long the sauce was outstanding as was the bread. House Salad w oil/ vinegar and Cesar's were generous chilled and excellent. .Jose kept the bread coming and our drinks full. Our mains came out and we were all in trouble way too much to finish. All were excellent my lasagna with layered cheeses meats and sausages blended perfectly My wife's shrimp Florentine serving was enormous scrimp were gigantic Pasta just right. Jose was excellent food outstanding great early evening feast at De Lucia's. We'll return with more friends and may try the large bar dining area. Great stop come hungry read more

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Formerly Peppino's, they closed down during covid, and reopened with the same owners, but a new name, My family loves coming here for their authentic Italian food. I love their Calzone, which I have filled with pepperoni and sausage. I get the large one, so I have enough left for a couple lunches. Besides excellent service, the food is great. They have just about anything you would like in an Italian dish. Right next to the Irvine Auto Center, there's easy access off the 5 Freeway on either Bake or Lake Forest Drive. read more

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Good food and service! We like the pizza, salads and pasta dishes. Good bread too! It's a nice atmosphere as well. read more

Just returned home after a delightful and delicious dinner at De Lucia's. And our waiter was outstanding! John paid attention to detail; my water glass was never empty (and I was drinking a lot of water!) and he anticipated our needs before we even asked. Thank you, John, for your excellent customer service!! read more

My fiancé and I went here for dinner a couple of weeks ago and had such a great experience. The atmosphere is very cozy and welcoming. The service was great too, very friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. The food was delicious. I ordered the baked ziti and it was amazing. Perfectly baked, super flavorful, and a really generous portion. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. They also have a great wine list and soda selection (Mug Root Beer is my favorite)! It's such a good pairing with Italian food. Overall a really great dinner and we'll definitely be coming back. read more

Service was excellent, food was good, bread was delicious and definitely will return. read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Went here over the weekend for dinner with friends and it was great! I shared the mozzarella sticks & fried zucchini with my friend and everyone else got a variety of meals that looked great! Inside the restaurant was very chill, clean, and just a nice place to talk. The service was good and overall I would come here in a heartbeat. They also have their happy hour menu available on Sundays! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Mozzarella Sticks Fried Zucchini - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I love this place. Large portion dishes, solid flavor, good prices, and ability to take on large parties. If you are looking for solid Italian food, this is the place to check out. And for those of you also wanting a drink, they have a side bar area that you can check out to not only eat and drink but also catch a game or two! read more

Love this little hide-a-way for the great sauce! My favorite time to visit is on Sundays during football season. It's a great place to have a bloody Mary with a multitude of plasma screams in the bar and awesome cocktails. Tonight, all things have changed, and I will now be coming as often as I can due to the great service of our server Anita! Anita is awesome personable makes you feel right at home and we loved her British accent and sense of humor. Whoever is the hiring manager needs to get a gold star and please do not ever let Anita need to go ! read more

De Lucia's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Lake Forest, California