Pizza Press

Jen Sandoval

Bruno's Italian Kitchen is a great find in Downtown Brea. We had a dinner reservation for 12 people and were seated right away. The ambiance is lovely and the service was very efficient—food arrived quickly and the presentation was beautiful. ​The Cioppino was delicious and a personal highlight! I also found the plates to be very fairly priced for the portion sizes. They have a good wine selection that complemented the meal perfectly. Great spot for large groups or a nice night out.

Mia S.

I love this place, I come here often, and love their food, their gluten free pasta is always cooked right, not too hard and not mushy either. I have tried almost all their pasta dishes, and I enjoyed every one of tgem. Sometimes I just go alone and have dinner at the bar. I recommend making reservations if you plan on going on a weekend and having dinner.

J

First of all, bread was really good. The sauce that comes with it tasted amazing. This area has nice view and atmosphere, it’s good for date night. However, it can be very loud so keep that in mind. I loved the sizing of the dishes, it was not too much not too small. I can say the sauces of the dishes are pretty strong, but I personally loved that. Definitely coming again!

Maxwell Myers

Great place to get Italian!! Probably the best bruschetta I've had in a long time! Servers were awesome and attentive. We noticed the manager walking around and talking to the tables checking in. He's even seen helping the staff which I think contributes to a great environment. My only critiques: 1) the volume. Not much you can do about it, but lots of people talking so like other people suggested, probably not the best spot for an intimate date. 2) next to the host podium are two high top tables that I feel are way too close to the door. We didn't sit there, but I dreaded the idea that we would be. I think if these two were removed, it would create a better entry way and reduce the risk of a bad experience. Regardless, I would definitely come back for that pesto and bruschetta!

Krit I (Jgeeisnice)

Came here for my birthday, and didn't know pasta and wine was half off on wednesday. I will be coming back. Food was great compare to most, and their dessert is also good. Will be trying canoli next time.

Audrey Bloom

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner and we’re very pleased! We got the bruschetta, rigatoni Alfredo, and I forgot what the red pasta was called, but it’s spicy and delicious! Everything was very tasty and staff was very friendly. I look forward to coming back :)

Lydia Grace Cintron

This place is amazing. The atmosphere is to die for. The service top of the line. And the food OMG the best Italian food I've ever had! And let's not forget about the Cadillac Margaritas I can tell you right now they do not skimp on the alcohol!

Bruce Banares

Always a great dining experience. GM Tim is attentive to everything going on AND the customers. Erin, the bartender, is creative and gragarious and has his regulars at the bar. I used to like dining at a table with my other half, but we are becoming regulars at the bar. It's like a neighborhood bar , friendly and a good time. They have great happy hour specials and nightly specials...definitely a place to frequent . . . Good food, good drinks, good people!

Delicious! I am not normally an Italian food fan, but the food at Bruno's was fantastic! We started with an appetizer bruschetta, meatballs and risotto type ball, then I had the short rib dish and followed it with a delicious dessert. Definitely will be going back!

Let me start off by saying that Robert, our lovely server that we had twice, provides 10/10 customer service which is hard to come by in this day and age. He is always polite, quick and makes pleasant conversation. He also remembered us which was nice :) The food is hot, the quality of the dish matches the price and they have a nice selection and you can make most dishes vegetarian. On Wednesday's they have 25% off pasta & 50% off wine bottles.

Absolutely delicious, do not sleep on Brunos! Everything we had was amazing even the bread and oil! I could eat that every day will definitely be back for happy hour and dinner again! Desiree, was absolutely amazing as well thank you again!

Had an amazing dinner at Bruno’s! It was incredibly busy for a Monday night during the holidays, but EmmaLee made sure we were well taken care of. Even with a few items being out of stock, her recommendations and high-quality service saved the night. Thank you, EmmaLee, for going the extra mile!

I'd give way more stars if possible. The service is always wonderful. The food has never let me down. Make sure you ask for the bread. The cioppino was by far the best I've had.

I had the privilege of dining at Bruno’s for Valentine’s Day. This place came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere was relaxing and the food was outstanding. I had the lasagna which I found tasty but I was given a portion the lobster ravioli and found that to be incredible. The host Tim was welcoming and kind as well as our server Alfredo. I certainly will return again.

Miguel Ramirez

Service was amazing, food was great, drinks were gooooood. Appetizers were the best. LEMON DROP MARTINI, RIGATONI 2.0, MEATBALLS(APPRETIZER), POTATOES(APPRETIZER). TIRAMISU AMAZING. Everything is great here.

Jorge Terzian

Went here for my 13th wedding anniversary and it was great! Friendly staff and they work fast, they even gifted our dessert for our anniversary! Loved it and food was amazing, hands down best Italian food I ever had.

erskaare

Absolutely delicious, do not sleep on Brunos! Everything we had was amazing even the bread and oil! I could eat that every day will definitely be back for happy hour and dinner again! Desiree, was absolutely amazing as well thank you again!

Sammy Noija

Had an amazing dinner at Bruno’s! It was incredibly busy for a Monday night during the holidays, but EmmaLee made sure we were well taken care of. Even with a few items being out of stock, her recommendations and high-quality service saved the night. Thank you, EmmaLee, for going the extra mile!

Phyllis Snyder

Delicious! I am not normally an Italian food fan, but the food at Bruno's was fantastic! We started with an appetizer bruschetta, meatballs and risotto type ball, then I had the short rib dish and followed it with a delicious dessert. Definitely will be going back!

Isabella Gaughan

Let me start off by saying that Robert, our lovely server that we had twice, provides 10/10 customer service which is hard to come by in this day and age. He is always polite, quick and makes pleasant conversation. He also remembered us which was nice :) The food is hot, the quality of the dish matches the price and they have a nice selection and you can make most dishes vegetarian. On Wednesday's they have 25% off pasta & 50% off wine bottles.

We haven’t been here probably for more than 10 years. The taste had declined a bit, but the dishes were still decent. The fried combo-appetizer was pretty good, the broccolini was good as well. The salad was okay, but my favorite dish spicy sausage orecchiette was bit too watery and the sausage was on the tough side (more so than I remembered). The service was friendly and excellent as before. The location is close to the free parking structure.

Daina Thomas

This is my second time here and was really looking forward to more amazing food but was a bit disappointed with my entree. Drinks and apps were great and the service was excellent but the Papardella Bruno I ordered was just too raw garlicky that ruined the dish 😑. I will come back as the whole vibe and apps were great but definitely will NOT order this dish again...

Big Fish Dive Club

We haven’t been here probably for more than 10 years. The taste had declined a bit, but the dishes were still decent. The fried combo-appetizer was pretty good, the broccolini was good as well. The salad was okay, but my favorite dish spicy sausage orecchiette was bit too watery and the sausage was on the tough side (more so than I remembered). The service was friendly and excellent as before. The location is close to the free parking structure.

We like Bruno’s, and the service is ALWAYS impeccable! The only thing that isn’t consistent is the taste or quality of the food. When it’s great, it’s great! When the kitchen is super busy on a Saturday night, it’s understandable that things won’t always be perfect (saltier than usual, pasta slightly overcooked, bread a little gummy). A major plus would be if they asked people waiting for a table to wait OUTSIDE. The last time we were there, there were people literally pushed up against my husband’s back and leering over his shoulder at our food. We had to ask them to back up a little ourselves. Total vibe killer.

Came here for mothers day. We had a reservation but apparently cannot choose between a regular table or a high top. We had a party of 5 adults and 1 small child. We asked if we could be moved to a regular table to reduce the risk of the child falling and they said no. There was a standard table with 8 seats right next to our high top that we also asked about, but was told that table we being held for another reservation. For starters we had the fritto misto which we all enjoyed, it had a good variety of items and was nice and crunchy. Also for the carpaccio which I did not particularly like. The meat was sliced super thin and put on a plate and topped with arugula and olive oil. The meat was so thin it just sticks to the plate and shreds into little bits when you try to eat it. The strength of flavor from the arugula and capers was very overpowering for this dish. For my main I got the branzino. The fish itself was good but a little on the salty side. The spinach was overcooked so it just turned in to a mushy blob, and it was extremely over salted, totally inedible. The potatos were bland and flavorless. For dessert I got the cheesecake which could have been good, but they added so many toppings that is really just masked the cheesecake itself. Less is definitely more in this situation. They have a good wine selection, we ordered a few bottles. Any happy hour specials they have do not apply in the main dining room, only in the bar. Parking is atrocious, you'll end up walking several blocks to get here. Halfway through our dinner they sat a group of 6 adults at the table with 8 chairs. So we they technically could have sat us there, since we had a table for 6 as well and since you apparently can't specify high top or regular during your reservation.... Overall I was really unimpressed and don't think I would return again.

Nate D. Suppanade

Came here for mothers day. We had a reservation but apparently cannot choose between a regular table or a high top. We had a party of 5 adults and 1 small child. We asked if we could be moved to a regular table to reduce the risk of the child falling and they said no. There was a standard table with 8 seats right next to our high top that we also asked about, but was told that table we being held for another reservation. For starters we had the fritto misto which we all enjoyed, it had a good variety of items and was nice and crunchy. Also for the carpaccio which I did not particularly like. The meat was sliced super thin and put on a plate and topped with arugula and olive oil. The meat was so thin it just sticks to the plate and shreds into little bits when you try to eat it. The strength of flavor from the arugula and capers was very overpowering for this dish. For my main I got the branzino. The fish itself was good but a little on the salty side. The spinach was overcooked so it just turned in to a mushy blob, and it was extremely over salted, totally inedible. The potatos were bland and flavorless. For dessert I got the cheesecake which could have been good, but they added so many toppings that is really just masked the cheesecake itself. Less is definitely more in this situation. They have a good wine selection, we ordered a few bottles. Any happy hour specials they have do not apply in the main dining room, only in the bar. Parking is atrocious, you'll end up walking several blocks to get here. Halfway through our dinner they sat a group of 6 adults at the table with 8 chairs. So we they technically could have sat us there, since we had a table for 6 as well and since you apparently can't specify high top or regular during your reservation.... Overall I was really unimpressed and don't think I would return again.

⭐⭐☆☆☆ 2 out of 5 Stars My wife and I came in for dinner and ordered lasagna and chicken Alfredo. The food is normally good here, but the service last night was disappointing. My wife wasn’t feeling well and barely touched her meal. She asked for a box because she wanted to take it home for lunch. While I stepped away for a moment, the bartender threw her full plate away, claiming she “was done.” She wasn’t — she just didn’t feel good. He realized he messed up, but that didn’t help us. On top of that, we felt rushed from the moment we sat down. The bartender asked if we were done with our food when we had barely started. Overall, we paid full price for a meal my wife hardly ate and never got to take home. Food is usually solid here, but the service last night was not.

“We don’t talk about Bruno” Came here for OC restaurant week with high expectations due to all the great reviews. The food was extremely disappointing. We tried the first course: meatballs. My husband and I ordered the same thing for our appetizer and main dish. His appetizer was cold, mine was over salted, and the marinara sauce was very tangy. Second course came and my pasta was cold and undercooked. His pasta was warm, but also lacked flavor. The chicken parm looked like someone added a slice of store bought cheese, placed it on top and microwaved it. Yes, we were asked if everything was ok at one point, but we were really trying to give this place a chance. We kept hoping the next dish would be better, but unfortunately that was not the case. We couldn’t believe that every dish that came out was so poorly made.

Robert Carper

⭐⭐☆☆☆ 2 out of 5 Stars My wife and I came in for dinner and ordered lasagna and chicken Alfredo. The food is normally good here, but the service last night was disappointing. My wife wasn’t feeling well and barely touched her meal. She asked for a box because she wanted to take it home for lunch. While I stepped away for a moment, the bartender threw her full plate away, claiming she “was done.” She wasn’t — she just didn’t feel good. He realized he messed up, but that didn’t help us. On top of that, we felt rushed from the moment we sat down. The bartender asked if we were done with our food when we had barely started. Overall, we paid full price for a meal my wife hardly ate and never got to take home. Food is usually solid here, but the service last night was not.

Laura J.

I rated Bruno’s Italian Kitchen one star due to repeated poor treatment by the hostesses at the front desk. This has now happened twice, with the most recent experience occurring last night. Despite having a reservation, we were made to wait while several tables sat empty. During that time, another couple with the same reservation time arrived and was seated immediately, which felt unfair and uncomfortable. Once seated, we were not offered bread and had to ask for it. We did bring our concerns to the manager. I want to note that our server was very kind and professional; unfortunately, the issues at the front of the house overshadowed the rest of the experience. Given the inconsistent and disappointing service, we will not be returning. We are consistently treated far better at Brea Chop House and other local restaurants.