After a last minute decision to go out in Laguna with my boyfriend, we were searching for a cute and delicious new restaurant to try. At around 9:15 I made a reservation for 9:30 through Open Table, but as the restaurant closed at 10 I called just to verify (I know, we were THAT couple that shows up right before the kitchen closes - most restaurants worst nightmare). I spoke with Joanna, who was incredibly sweet, welcoming, and who assured me they were looking forward to having us dine with them. Off to a great start! Upon arrival, we were greeted and seated by Joanna who offered us many great menu recommendations and was just as welcoming in person. Our waiter (not sure what his name was) but he was also a delight. Despite our late reservation, he gave us lots of time to peruse the menu and never made us feel rushed, which I seriously appreciated. I had the fettuccine and my boyfriend had the bucatini; both dishes were executed well with rich flavors that left us craving more. He had an IPA and I chose a white blend with hazelnut notes from their extensive wine list. My favorite part about this restaurant is the charming and intimate setting. The lights were dimmed, there were brick walls and antique chandeliers, and of course, a quaint and inviting wine bar. It seriously feels like you're dining somewhere on a side street in Rome. Thanks for a lovely evening Salerno! We will be back. read more

Would have absolutely been a five star review because the food is truly excellent. However even a four star is a stretch because of noise level and overcrowding. The food was perfect but almost impossible to enjoy due to noise. It was borderline painful. Forget not being able to talk to the person across the table, it's way past that. Maybe the rooms acoustics combined with about 30% too many people stuffed in the room, whatever it was it was super loud. Waiters not being able to get by between the tables and people sitting on top of you did not help. I spent the entire time guarding my water and plates from flying every time someone squeezed by. If you don't mind a bit too much noise the food is great. read more

Alright for a little Italian restaurant on the corner. Kind of expensive for what you get, especially when the bread that is brought out is colder than the butter it's served with. The plastic light up candle on the tables just doesn't do it for me for that price. Also found a hair in the pasta and the salad had so much oil that it was very soggy. read more

Amazing food! I have had my share of Italian food growing up, but nothing I've had tastes this good. As a famous philosopher once said.... "I'LL BE BACK" read more

This neighborhood gem has delicious Italian food. I had the Caprese salad and the Eggplant Parmesan. The service was very friendly. I highly recommend Salerno. read more

Definitely recommend this restaurant for good, homestyle Italian cooking. The location is prime and the ambiance is awesome. Staff is welcoming and attentive. Prices are reasonable the the food is great. I also recommend this place for a first date, sit in the front window! read more

Arrived at Salernos a bit before our 7pm reservation. Were greeted by the hostess and invited to sit at the bar which we declined because it was a bit noisy. After a short wait we were shown to two seats at the front of the restaurant looking out over the sidewalk which was a relief because it was not as noisy. The menu offered a nice selection of dishes which the server helped us navigate. The drinks were brought in a timely fashion as was the food. The pasta dishes we ordered were delicious and nice and hot. The service was great, and our interactions with everyone from the busperson to the manager was pleasant. I had the mint basil sorbet for dessert and it was loaded with basil--excellent! We can't wait to have dinner there again! Next time we will probably try to book a reservation for a later time to miss the (pageant) show crowd. read more

was searching for a good italian restaurant, and eureka we found it!!! the ceiling was kinda ugly, but we ignored that (or at least tried to). please hire a new interior designer. otherwise some pretty dank ravioli read more

Salerno - mama mia! thatsagood bread - Italian Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

The Chicken Parmesan is amazing!!! This is a great place to eat if you are going to catch a show at the Laguna Playhouse nearby, because they will get you out in time. This restaurant can get lost amongst the shops and galleries in the area, but you don't want to miss it!! read more

One of my favorite Italian food places! It is very small so you must call and make a reservation. This place is a classic, not like new Italian restaurants. Very small and intimate but charming. The food is delicious and authentic. The service is also wonderful. Be prepared to be be sitting close to the table next to you! read more

The food was more authentic than other Italian restaurants I've been to in Laguna Beach. I also like Alessa, on Forrest street but this place is more authentic; to me anyway. The down side is that it is much smaller, making it louder and they fit you in like sardines. Food was great and highly recommend this place. read more

So disappointed. Liked the charming restaurant before better. The family style Italian cooking before was amazing. Now it's just another Alessa, crammed tables, rude wait staff, they can't wait to get you out of there fast enough. Clearing tables while you still chew the food. Food was not great. Caesar salad was just bland tasteless iceberg salad. Main dishes were ok but not great. Definitely won't be going back and won't be recommending it. So sad we lost the old Salerno's!! Now it's just another money mill. read more

I came in and got seated in an adequate amount of time, however after getting the menu's my guest and I sat for about 12-13 minutes without any attenion not even being asked if we wanted anything to drink, we decided on what we wanted to eat (fried mozzerlla, chicken parmigiano ans she had pasta with baked scallops) the drinks on the other hand are kind of limited not in the sense that they don't have a decent amount of wine but there are only a few wines you can order by the glass and the cab that I did order had wasn't that great as the taste of the alcohol itself was over powering. The food was good but I would just say this place is ok. read more

Soooooo yummy!!! Loved this place when I came here as a child and I still love it!!!

Nice little place, good food, no wait! it's small, so if you dont get a window seat, it gets a little warm in the cafe!

Not to bad of a place.. their isn't a whole lot of Italian joints in the area. There are some fancy.. little pompous if you ask me.. restaurants around that claim to serve Italian but the comfort homecooked style Italian food is right here. I never saw the cook, but the food did not taste like true Italian. Don't get me wrong, but it was no Cugino's or Parma by Chef Marco. If your visiting Laguna and want some more traditional Italian dishes then I recommend coming here. read more

My favorite restaurant ever! I have never had Italian food this good. We discovered this gem about 3 years ago just by walking past it and I'm glad we did. It is a very tiny place and sometimes you have to share a table but on certain days, like valentines day you won't have to. Very intimate and romantic. Their creamy pesto is the best I have ever had. I don't like seafood but they have a large selection and people have told me it's to die for. Great selection of wine and their cannoli is simply the best. After you eat here no other Italian restaurant will ever compare. It is on the pricy side but sooooo worth it. If you are just visiting Laguna Beach, this is a place you must go to. read more

In what has so far been a gamble when it comes to trying local restaurants, Polina was a pleasant surprise. It's small... modest, you might not even notice it when you walk by... BUT... the pasta is delicious, cooked perfectly... and the meatballs did not disappoint. Which if you knew me personally, you'd know that they must be pretty damn good for me to even mention them. read more

Salerno is to Italian food what McDonald's is to burgers. The saucing was more American than Italian -- pastas were buried in salt and cream -- and the ingredients were not high quality. Service was also comically discriminatory (all smiles and chats with favored customers, no eye-contact or tact at all with others). Unfortunately, there's a reason why Salerno is literally half empty when the rest of Laguna's restaurant have an 30min average wait. read more

Small Italian place in Laguan Beach. I didnt like my food much but my fiance loved his. Its very small that every time someone passing behind my chair they would hit it. The servant was nice and helpful and I liked the environment. read more

Such a disappointing hostess and customer service. We have been to this location once before and loved the food as it's the sister restaurant to Pirozzi which we love. We called tonight on a Sunday and checked if it was busy before going. The hostess told us no reservation was needed as they were not so busy and we can be seated. We got there shortly and once we arrived saw a table open. We reminded her that we just called and was said to come over. First the hostess said we are setting a table for you then in a confused way returned and said "no" I can't give you the table as it's reserved. We were so confused at this point with her mixed messages. Her lack of knowledge about the seating and reservation showed her incompetency and someone like her should not be placed as a hostess. It's too bad a good place like this has someone like her in the front who gives a bad vibe to the place. We left as we were so turned off by the whole experience. Hopefully you can find someone better to replace her. read more

Food here was good. Not the best I've ever had but it wasn't bad. Very small little place but it's quaint. Looks to be always busy though!

This is another spot that I always recommend visitors try. They have a great baked spaghetti that is a hometown favorite. Cheese, pasta, sauce (or gravy as some might call it) and more cheese nice n toasted on top. Don't miss it! read more

From the checkered table cloth to the wall decorations to the friendly staff, this place is so cute. On top of it, the food is amazing. Gets very crowded on the weekends during the evenings and it is a small space so I would recommend making reservations in advance. Overall this is a really nice local spot and really highly recommend it. read more

Had dinner there the second night they reopened under new ownership. The new owner was there to greet us. He is a local who owns serval other successful restaurants. We experienced amazing service and the food was to die for! I highly recommend this place for a romantic small restaurant. Reservations are suggested the place was packed on a Wednesday night! read more

Alessa's little sibling right around the block. Excellent for a cozy dinner or romantic date. Really good food - some of the best Italian fare in town by Chef Perozzi. Good wines too. If there's two of you the window seats are fun. A very different atmosphere from buzzy, glowy Alessa nearby and agreat place for a quality meal. read more

I had a taste for something with sausage so I ordered a Pasta dish, cause the waitress said there sausage is house made...yikes, it has no flavor, go buy sausage at Stater Bros if that's the best you can do...I'm from Chicago the chef needs to go there so he can learn how to make Italian sausage...also expensive for pasta ala carte...really, you can't include a small salad with your dinners...won't go back read more

Salerno's is really good! They are a small, family style restaurant in downtown Laguna. Fresh Italian food and the wine selection, considering the size of the restaurant, is extensive! They are reasonably priced (hard to find in Laguna) and charming. Book the window table for a romantic dinner for two! read more

My husband and I don't know the area so we just randomly picked this place. We should have gone somewhere else right when we walked in because there was this large, loud, obnoxious party seated right in the middle of the restaurant. Since the place is teeny-tiny, we weren't able to really have a conversation during the meal because all we could hear was this huge party. I ordered the scallops parmagiano (something I've never seen offered before) and my husband got the chicken parmagiano. The scallops were tough and really fishy, but my husband said the chicken was excellent. The portions are shamefully small for the price. I think I got five scallops total and about 1/4 of a cup of spaghetti for $24. I am certain there are better places in Laguna Beach if you really want Italian food! read more

Great service! Wonderful Music! Delicious chicken parmigiana! Lovely tacky Italian atmosphere! And Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday half price appetizers and house wine!! Salute! read more

Nice small place, great italian food. The waitress was very helpful on what she recomended. +1 on the chicken parmesan. My wife and I ate for under $50 (no drinks.) read more

Caesar Salad was excellent. Best my son ever had. Pasta Fagooli was served hot and very tasty. Bread was served fresh out of the oven (but not home made). Caprese Salad served with two balls of mozzarella, four slices of tomato, basil and lettuce. More tomato would have been nice. My son liked the cheese pizza. The Gnocchi Gorgonzola was very cheesy and strong. The Penne Pesto also had strong basil taste. The eggplant parmesan was tasty and not over fried. A good variety of dishes and flavors. Service was very good. Cannoli was nice with the chocolate chips. Tortufo truffle also is a tasty dessert. I liked the chocolate cover. read more

Great family vibe and fantastic real homemade Italian cooking. Staff and service is always super attentive and professional for a small beach town. It's our go-to spot 3x weekly, it's all Excellent ...,pick anything!! read more

We made a reservation through open table for 7 p.m. and confirmed it on the phone at 5:30 that night. We arrived promptly at 7 but were told there was no table available. 35 minutes later they moved a couple sitting at table for 2...which was next to another empty table for two, to make a four top, and they finally were able to seat us. This could have been done 30 minutes earlier, since they obviously did not have any reservations for just two people. While the food was not bad, this place is mismanaged and has pretty much Zero customer service. Even though we ordered our food, expecting a table in just "10 minutes", that turned out to be 25 minutes before we were actually seated, and the food didn't arrive for another 20 Minutes after we finally sat down. We ordered water...they brought one glass and had to be sent back for the other two...they had to be reminded to bring bread several times. After we ate our main courses, it took 15 minutes to be able to order two desserts, and another 20 Minutes for dessert to be served. At no time did the hostess who did come by at least twice to hear our frustration with the delays even offer to buy us a cup of coffee to make up for their utter failure to be able to meet their obligations to our reservation. It is aparent, the kitchen is too small and too slow to adequately handle the parties they book, the Service staff is overburdened and cannot pay even minimal attention to their tables and the person at the front of the house was inept and clueless as to how to make patrons feel the Restaurant was even the slightest bit sorry for the experience they were subjecting us to. Needless to say we will Not be going back. read more

Great Italian! The fried mozzerella is the best ive ever had. Full of flavor and its a decent sized portion. All of the food here is good. Make sure to check out the specials board when you arrive. The place is really small so I would recommend making a reservation for garanteed seating. The service isnt the fastest in town, but the food is worth a wait. I havent tried the seafood here yet. Its old school italian so we just stick with the classics. Pasta, sauce and meat...and they do it well! read more

The best linguini with white clam sauce I've ever had. The waitress are always very attentive It's a wonderful place for dinner when the tourists are out of town. read more

This is a cute, small place with pretty good food, decent wine list and excellent service. I had the gnocchi, which was delicious. Will go back to try other dishes. read more

We went on a recommendation from a friend. The good: The service was good, very friendly waitress. We had two gluten free diners and they were accommodated as well. Unfortunately the food was edible but not great. We made a trip from San Diego and the restaurant looked like a restaurant commonly found in the Northeast. Our sauces, pomodoro, pesto and diavolo, I would say that they were probably on par with a jar of Ragu. The Diavolo was too hot and lacked any real flavor and had the consistency of spaghetti os. My wife had the Eggplant - not that good. If you are looking to get a quick meal and feed your kids this place is OK but not at all special. Slightly better than Olive Garden. read more

Luv this place! Ate here several times during our week vacation! Veal cutlet rocks,raviolis are good as well!

This place had a cute atmosphere and the food was really delicious. The chef has been there since 1978 I think they said. And the waitress was really fun and attentive. I will definitely come here again. read more