This Is everything you look for in a neighborhood Italian restaurant. The staff and service are excellent and you may have a chance to meet the owner. I had ziti with sausage pasta dish which was hot delicious and plentiful. The salad is pre-chilled giving extra crispness. The ambiance is very tasteful with a large group quite vocal but quieted down when they left leaving mostly couples of various age.I wanted to try Bruchetta but the small loaf of bread included changed my mind...it was bakery style a little "doughy" compared to true Italian bread. Perhaps revenue would increase if the other bread options available remained and just a few slices delivered "free".Many people love big portions and "take home" but many seniors prefer half as much so room for dessert again raising revenue. Simple menu option of senior portion $2 less might be a success as many restaurants in the desert offer.Overall we are heading back soon to split an entire and try a dessert! The restaurant is very reasonably priced to start with....
TMan
This place is fantastic. The pizza is fresh and very tasty. The owners are so nice and make you feel like you are family. We have not been disappointed with anything we have ordered.The wait staff is right on the money.
Joanna Stonfer
Omgosh you guys! We had a salad and the Mama mia pizza…..So scrumptious, I can’t begin to explain. They have a great menu and a gluten free menu too! The salad and fresh bread, delish! It’s out first time here and we will def be back! Btw I hardly ever do reviews, but felt I absolutely had to with this place. The atmosphere and decor, perfection! Just a lovely Italian restaurant!
Lori Olivar-Gomez
I'm always in favor of supporting my local small businesses, so this is a new Italian restaurant in HB and we decided to give it a go. Business was hopping busy when we got there, which is the first sign of good food! We were immediately told by our waitress how behind they were on orders but decided to stay since it was 8:30pm and didn't want to drive around all night for food. Plus, I like honesty... and our waitress turned out to be the owner, Lisa. We ordered an eggplant appetizer, 2 lasagnas, and a chicken piccata.The eggplant was delicious. We got the main course about 45 minutes later, 2 lasagnas and an eggplant parmesan. Ok, not our complete order, but we decided to go with it since it was late and the owner felt bad she got our order wrong. She did offer to exchange it, but it was more of a less authentic offer because it was late, she was clearly tired and the restaurant was still kind of busy finishing up(almost closing time). I come from a long line of restaurant owners and worked in them myself, I know how exhausting it is to own a restaurant.That being said, we ate what was given to us. Not bad food, but not great either. The sauce was a little bland, missing that little something you can't quite put your finger on. But Lisa offered fresh parmesan so I went for it. It helped kick the flavor up a bit. I wasn't overly fond of the sausage in the lasagne, but I could live with it, and my aunt liked the eggplant parmesan, but was disappointed because it really wasn't what she ordered.As I said, I've worked in my family owned restaurants and I know how my parents ran their places. I'm a huge proponent of owners jumping in and helping staff when it's crazy. Lisa did that✔️. But I'm also a proponent that the owners are even better at each job than their employees. It's their business that they don't want to fail. Fell short in this department✖️, albeit she was friendly, so that was a ➕️. The food wasn't exceptional, but I'm hoping it was because they were short staffed and busy. We may or may not try this place again, as there's other Italian restaurants in the near vicinity, and this place is just a little more expensive. I'd gladly pay if the food was improves.
Flor Del Rio
We have been wanting to experience this location since they open and I can say we were not disappointed. The food was amazing, the staff was super awesome and the atmosphere was perfect!My friend, who was visiting us from Australia, had such a lovely time.Will be coming back for sure!
Jimmy C
Choose to take my Mom to Tonelli's instead of Olive Garden, best choice. I had the Saltimbocca my Mom had the Penne and sausage both were very tasty ?. Our waitress Diana was very pleasant and helpful. Recommend this family Restaurant over commercialized Olive Garden.
Nikki S
Went in on a Wednesday and was apologized to repeatedly for the wait being they got busy suddenly. Honestly did not think it was too long a wait we had the eggplant tower for appetizer and lasagna and shrimp scampi. Finished off w a canoli that never made it to the photoshoot. Fantastic food. Fantastic servers. Great first time experience.
Sandy G.
this location has been a revolving door of failed businesses. tonellis is closed. there was a Mexican place, two other Italian places over the past five years or so. Perry's pizza will take over. hopefully they will stick around
Paul Epperson
INCREDIBLE. Some of the best pizza money can buy, specifically the Mama Mia. Definitely get the big one; even leftovers are better than most other places. Super friendly staff, especially David. We'll definitely be coming back.
Howaida T.
Nice place and nice staff and service, but the worst meal I can remember in years. My husband and I couldn't eat the minestrone soup...it was so salty and thick. Had angel hair pasta..no flavor and sooooo dry! I couldn't eat it. Husband tried the Lasagna which didn't have much flavor. I'm hoping this is not the regular chef. Sorry had high hopes but won't return.
A Quaint Place With a Warm Ambience Friendly Owners and Pleasant Servers We have Heard Nothing but Wonderful Reviews So we had to See For Ourselves It is A Hidden Gem We Had the Chicken Marsala with bow tie pasta perfect amount of sauce and mushrooms we rated it a 10 out if 10 My Lasagna was another 10 Large portions ( lunch leftovers) We had the pleasure of meeting the Owners they told us they are in there First year Anniversary next Month July Let's Keep This Family Business On Your Must Go To Restaurants We opted to take a slice of New York cheesecake home so Rich and Creamy Glad we Did Prices are reasonable Food is Excellent Clean & Quaint Make sure you make reservations Glad We Did Best Regards JT & Starla
Susan K.
Tuscan Shrimp special was fabulous. Lisa provided excellent service. Thank you for the birthday ice cream.
Kristen A.
Every time we have been there the food is outstanding! Tonight we had the supreme pizza and it was better than anticipated. The ingredients were fresh and plentiful! The service is always an A+. We definitely recommend this family owned business!
Susan L.
A lovely early dinner . Lisa 's service was impeccable. The new Tuscan shrimp addition is excellent.so much deliciousness w/leftovers for tomorrow. Great value and great neighborhood restaurant.
Randy Myers
I treated my Mother and Step Father to dinner tonight at the wonderful local family owned Tonelli's Italian Restaurant in my hometown Huntington Beach. Dinner and Service was superb as Always! Thank you to my friends Alan Tonelli Lisa Tonelli and Kelley Tonelli for the hospitality and always being so warm and welcoming and treating me like family every time I visit.Tonight’s entrees were:Capellini w/meatballsCapellini w/Italian sausageEggplant Parmigiana w/capellini (sorry about the blurry pic, that’s what happens when you take a pic without your glasses on)Because who doesn’t love angel hair, right??And a bottle of Cabernet#supportlocal #SupportSmallBusiness #supportfamilyownedbusinesses
This Is everything you look for in a neighborhood Italian restaurant. The staff and service are excellent and you may have a chance to meet the owner. I had ziti with sausage pasta dish which was hot delicious and plentiful. The salad is pre-chilled giving extra crispness. The ambiance is very tasteful with a large group quite vocal but quieted down when they left leaving mostly couples of various age.I wanted to try Bruchetta but the small loaf of bread included changed my mind...it was bakery style a little "doughy" compared to true Italian bread. Perhaps revenue would increase if the other bread options available remained and just a few slices delivered "free".Many people love big portions and "take home" but many seniors prefer half as much so room for dessert again raising revenue. Simple menu option of senior portion $2 less might be a success as many restaurants in the desert offer.Overall we are heading back soon to split an entire and try a dessert! The restaurant is very reasonably priced to start with....
This place is fantastic. The pizza is fresh and very tasty. The owners are so nice and make you feel like you are family. We have not been disappointed with anything we have ordered.The wait staff is right on the money.
Omgosh you guys! We had a salad and the Mama mia pizza…..So scrumptious, I can’t begin to explain. They have a great menu and a gluten free menu too! The salad and fresh bread, delish! It’s out first time here and we will def be back! Btw I hardly ever do reviews, but felt I absolutely had to with this place. The atmosphere and decor, perfection! Just a lovely Italian restaurant!
I'm always in favor of supporting my local small businesses, so this is a new Italian restaurant in HB and we decided to give it a go. Business was hopping busy when we got there, which is the first sign of good food! We were immediately told by our waitress how behind they were on orders but decided to stay since it was 8:30pm and didn't want to drive around all night for food. Plus, I like honesty... and our waitress turned out to be the owner, Lisa. We ordered an eggplant appetizer, 2 lasagnas, and a chicken piccata.The eggplant was delicious. We got the main course about 45 minutes later, 2 lasagnas and an eggplant parmesan. Ok, not our complete order, but we decided to go with it since it was late and the owner felt bad she got our order wrong. She did offer to exchange it, but it was more of a less authentic offer because it was late, she was clearly tired and the restaurant was still kind of busy finishing up(almost closing time). I come from a long line of restaurant owners and worked in them myself, I know how exhausting it is to own a restaurant.That being said, we ate what was given to us. Not bad food, but not great either. The sauce was a little bland, missing that little something you can't quite put your finger on. But Lisa offered fresh parmesan so I went for it. It helped kick the flavor up a bit. I wasn't overly fond of the sausage in the lasagne, but I could live with it, and my aunt liked the eggplant parmesan, but was disappointed because it really wasn't what she ordered.As I said, I've worked in my family owned restaurants and I know how my parents ran their places. I'm a huge proponent of owners jumping in and helping staff when it's crazy. Lisa did that✔️. But I'm also a proponent that the owners are even better at each job than their employees. It's their business that they don't want to fail. Fell short in this department✖️, albeit she was friendly, so that was a ➕️. The food wasn't exceptional, but I'm hoping it was because they were short staffed and busy. We may or may not try this place again, as there's other Italian restaurants in the near vicinity, and this place is just a little more expensive. I'd gladly pay if the food was improves.
We have been wanting to experience this location since they open and I can say we were not disappointed. The food was amazing, the staff was super awesome and the atmosphere was perfect!My friend, who was visiting us from Australia, had such a lovely time.Will be coming back for sure!
Choose to take my Mom to Tonelli's instead of Olive Garden, best choice. I had the Saltimbocca my Mom had the Penne and sausage both were very tasty ?. Our waitress Diana was very pleasant and helpful. Recommend this family Restaurant over commercialized Olive Garden.
Went in on a Wednesday and was apologized to repeatedly for the wait being they got busy suddenly. Honestly did not think it was too long a wait we had the eggplant tower for appetizer and lasagna and shrimp scampi. Finished off w a canoli that never made it to the photoshoot. Fantastic food. Fantastic servers. Great first time experience.
this location has been a revolving door of failed businesses. tonellis is closed. there was a Mexican place, two other Italian places over the past five years or so. Perry's pizza will take over. hopefully they will stick around
INCREDIBLE. Some of the best pizza money can buy, specifically the Mama Mia. Definitely get the big one; even leftovers are better than most other places. Super friendly staff, especially David. We'll definitely be coming back.
Nice place and nice staff and service, but the worst meal I can remember in years. My husband and I couldn't eat the minestrone soup...it was so salty and thick. Had angel hair pasta..no flavor and sooooo dry! I couldn't eat it. Husband tried the Lasagna which didn't have much flavor. I'm hoping this is not the regular chef. Sorry had high hopes but won't return.
Restaurantji Recommends
A Quaint Place With a Warm Ambience Friendly Owners and Pleasant Servers We have Heard Nothing but Wonderful Reviews So we had to See For Ourselves It is A Hidden Gem We Had the Chicken Marsala with bow tie pasta perfect amount of sauce and mushrooms we rated it a 10 out if 10 My Lasagna was another 10 Large portions ( lunch leftovers) We had the pleasure of meeting the Owners they told us they are in there First year Anniversary next Month July Let's Keep This Family Business On Your Must Go To Restaurants We opted to take a slice of New York cheesecake home so Rich and Creamy Glad we Did Prices are reasonable Food is Excellent Clean & Quaint Make sure you make reservations Glad We Did Best Regards JT & Starla
Tuscan Shrimp special was fabulous. Lisa provided excellent service. Thank you for the birthday ice cream.
Every time we have been there the food is outstanding! Tonight we had the supreme pizza and it was better than anticipated. The ingredients were fresh and plentiful! The service is always an A+. We definitely recommend this family owned business!
A lovely early dinner . Lisa 's service was impeccable. The new Tuscan shrimp addition is excellent.so much deliciousness w/leftovers for tomorrow. Great value and great neighborhood restaurant.
I treated my Mother and Step Father to dinner tonight at the wonderful local family owned Tonelli's Italian Restaurant in my hometown Huntington Beach. Dinner and Service was superb as Always! Thank you to my friends Alan Tonelli Lisa Tonelli and Kelley Tonelli for the hospitality and always being so warm and welcoming and treating me like family every time I visit.Tonight’s entrees were:Capellini w/meatballsCapellini w/Italian sausageEggplant Parmigiana w/capellini (sorry about the blurry pic, that’s what happens when you take a pic without your glasses on)Because who doesn’t love angel hair, right??And a bottle of Cabernet#supportlocal #SupportSmallBusiness #supportfamilyownedbusinesses