Maggiano's Little Italy - 4.5/5 Stars

Fine Italian food minutes away from a luxury mall, airport, and beach. Variety of delicious items from Clam Linguine to Fettucine Alfredo. And wonderful dessert choices.

Gigi's Butter Cake - Brown butter glaze & fresh strawberries

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” - Federico Fellini

Location

Maggiano's Little Italy is a rather large restaurant located just a couple minutes away from the South Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Mesa. It is also quite close to the John Wayne Airport, as well as only a 15 minute drive from Newport Beach. With luxury shops close to Maggiano's, it sets the scene for the kind of restaurant it is and the people who dine there.

Company

Just like my other reviews, I dined with 2 of my family members. This time, I went to Maggiano's with my mom and dad. My dad had actually been to Maggiano's about a month ago with his coworkers, but it has been a while since all of us have gone together.

Service

Maggiano's has incredible service! Upon arrival, our waiter pulled up our reservation and seated us in a booth. Soon after, our server introduced herself to us very politely and brought water and bread. She even poured the olive and balsamic vinegar into a small plate for my family to eat from. While this might seem like a small thing to most people, I think little details like this are what make a restaurant so great. Moving on, my parents asked our waiter a few questions about the menu and she gladly answered them without hesitation. Once we ordered, our waitress brought bread, freshly grated cheese, and water as needed. We never had to ask for anything, she always made sure we had what we needed. At the end of the our dining experience, our waitress boxed our leftovers herself and made sure we had a good time throughout the afternoon.

Ambience

I really enjoyed the way that Maggiano's was decorated. The dim lighting was something I noticed that is present in a lot of nicer restaurants. The decor was fancy, yet simple at the same time. The booth seating that my family and I sat in were very comfortable and had plenty of space and legroom. While there was no apparent music or entertainment, the restaurant as a whole had a holiday theme. There were Christmas lights throughout the restaurant and also ornaments set up in certain places. I think that the holiday and seasonal decorations elevated the feel and mood of the restaurant overall.

Food

I ordered the Four Cheese Ravioli with grilled chicken. The consistency and thickness of the pesto alfredo sauce was perfect-it was not too thin or too dense. It also tasted very well and complemented the ravioli nicely. With regard to the ravioli, all the flavors inside of it were immaculate. I could taste all the different types of cheese and the blend itself was very enjoyable. I happened to order chicken additionally to add some protein to the overall meal. The chicken was cooked well and added unique taste and texture to the ravioli. Overall, the food was very good, and I even had leftovers to eat for dinner!

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