Papalucci’s Italian Ristorante

This place was amazing! We picked it based on the reviews of the garlic rolls-​they lived up to the reputation… epic! I ordered linguini with sausage which was just perfect, it was crisp with just the right amount of spice. My wife ordered chicken picatta which came with a side of spaghetti, it also was delicious! The service was great, a very family type atmosphere, but great for a date night! Definitely will come here again next time we’re in long beach.

Garlic rolls are a must have! Amazing food and great experience. Would ¹⁰⁄₁₀ recommend. Also, very reasonable prices with large portions!

This place has great Italian cuisine! :) the garlic rolls are a bit hyped up but tasty nonetheless.
I enjoyed their shrimp pasta with cream sauce!

If you are looking for great Italian food and great service: go here on your next date/​dinner. The prices are fair (my stromboli was around $ 12 – 14, and my girlfriend’s paisano with rigatoni pasta was also around $ 12) and the portions are very good (neither of us finished our food — but this is dependent on you). There are a lot of options to choose from between pastas and salads and specialty items and the like, and all of it seemed very good. The service here was amazing, and I really enjoyed the way our server, Rick, was cordial and attentive to us, despite having other responsibilities.
I definitely plan on coming back here for another date night, and have already recommended it to others.

The Pepe salad is incredible and the Stromboli is to die for! Our server Bryce was so personable, attentive and really went above and beyond to make sure we had an incredible experience. And he deft kept the Peronis coming!
We will be back!

Went for done LBC 2.0 and it was amazing!!! The garlic shrimp were great, loved the pizza and donut dessert! Staff was awesome and the owner checked on us a couple of times since it was our first time… Will definitely go back!

Here it is… I’m gonna say it.
BEST Stromboli in the world.
That’s it. You try it and tell me I’m wrong. It made me cry tears of happiness.

Garlic knots were great. Loved my Tomato Basil Pasta and the bites I stole off my boyfriend’s farfalle and meatballs.
Will be back!

This is delicious!
We ordered a pepperoni pizza with garlic and jalapeño. We were not disappointed. The crust was delicious, the sauce was just right, and everything tasted fresh. I recommend the Pepe salad as well.
Our waiter, Miguel went out of his way to look after us.
Great pizza and fun casual atmosphere. We definitely will go back again (and again).

It’s 8:19 pm, walked in and they said they were closed. I double checked the store hours and they listed open until 9pm. There were more than 5 tables with patrons still eating. I asked the guy working what time they close and he said 9pm but they decided to close early. Not good business. Won’t be back.

Second visit here, the food was just as delicious as last time. My husband and I both tried something new and we were not let down. So glad this place is here. Our waiter Rick was very friendly and always had my water filled to the top :)

Just moved to the area so on the hunt to be a regular.
Tried here bc of the free garlic bread with the check in and the reviews. (Will try LA strada next)
What a disappointment. Not worth it and we were def NOT wanted.
1. We sat immediately from a guy saying «you can go in the corner over there.» We waited TEN mins to receive our menus. (I would have left after 5 but it was my bf bday so let’s stay positive right?)
**The worse part is my bf said people that came after us was served before us. Clearly we were just not wanted.
2. I ordered the chicken parm sandwich. Which was more for a CHILD. Not even. My 5 year old skinny niece would have swallowed this entrée. One small chicken finger not breaded on a mini wedge???
3. My bf got the lasagna. $ 13 for probably a normal slice that has no meat and super bland.
4. I asked about the brownie hot fudge dessert. They didn’t have anymore since they only make enough for the week?
5. Garlic knots were AWESOME! THANKS Unilocal FOR THAT AND ONLY THAT.
I would not recommend.

Pepe’s salad was friking amazing! Anything with shrimp is divine. Haven’t had the pizza yet but look forward to going back. And of course the garlic balls are to die for.

Came here around 4 on a Thursday which I call it, awkward eating time, and the place was empty. First impression when entering the place wasn’t that great, but It got better towards the end.
I ordered angel hair pasta with meatballs and my boyfriend ordered penne with meat sauce. We also did the check in deal for the garlic rolls and lastly, the small Caesar salad.
Presentation wasn’t all that great but the dishes were satisfying. The garlic rolls was… amazing. Cheese filled dough tied in a knot, baked freshly, place on a pool of olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. I thought the bread was undercooked at first but it was the cheese. Soft bread and the flavor made the plate of carbs addicting like how carbs should be.
My angel hair was soft and packed with the flavor of the sauce. To me, the meatball didn’t seem handmade, but it was decent.
My boyfriend liked his dish, since he ate more than half of it. He said the meat sauce was chunky and thick and better than most places.
The Caesar dressing was more of a vinaigrette and I was not complaining. But the presentation was just sloppy like they just threw it on the plate. The croutons was practically soaked.
Overall, the dishes were good, but they really need to work on their food presentation. People do tend to eat with their eyes.

Both my husband and I tried a new dish for us… Henry’s Special Shrimp. As all the pasta dishes are… it was yummy:).
I chose an exceptionally tasty appetizer too… the mussels with marinara. I took the chance because normally I would take this kind od dish with wine sauce but I knew perhaps my husband would not eat ot that way so I chose it with marinara. We were not disappointed. The anipasto was amazing as usual and the only thing missing was the waitress we had last time… but we said hi to her later:)

Great Italian food at a reasonable price. I’ve always loved their salads, they charge for it now, but I guess that has helped them keep menu prices low-​I still get the salad anyway. The spicy chicken is a favorite dish. I don’t know what is in their red sauce, but it is the bomb! I had the linguine with clam sauce and that was pretty good too. I love the bread that comes with the meal, if it doesn’t come with your meal just pay the 50 cents and get some. My daughter is a huge fan of the fettuccini Alfredo and polishes off the entire meal.
There are a couple of downsides that prevent me from giving them five stars. One, the restaurant is very hot. I don’t know if they don’t have
a/​c, if it’s the pizza ovens, or what. Secondly, they play the radio. This place is too nice to have radio ads blaring while you are trying to enjoy a meal. Just get the cheesy Italian music CDs and play those instead. I even have a putamayo Italian café cd that would be way better then crap radio. Or, play no music at all. That said, I’ll still come for the delicious food and decent service.

This place is great! I’ve been living in the shore for almost 40 years and have been eating here since they opened. The food is consistent, the owners are very nice and the place is just very homey. Would definitely suggest to try it.
Remember, just because I like it doesn’t mean you will. Don’t go by one review, go by their body of work.

I ordered the Tucci’s special shrimp pizza to go the other day because I had a ridiculous craving for pizza. Papalucci’s is one of the few places that I hadn’t tried on 2^nd St yet, so I decided that I would get a pizza there. The shrimp pizza is really something different from what I’m used to, but the toppings are tasty — shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and oregano. Simple and delicious. The toppings were plentiful but not to the point that they made the pizza soggy. However, I think that the pizza was undercooked/​too doughy. The crust was far too chewy — not crisp :-(. I actually had to throw away the crust because it was just that chewy. I only occasionally eat carbs, so I tend to savor every carb that I get. But unfortunately this pizza crust was not worth it.

Was craving some Italian and this place was close so thought we would give it a try. It has a very relaxed feel that I like but the interior could use a good once over. And the food was prepared very well but the recipes themselves need some work.
The sauce was very basic and you can taste the can. Nothing against using canned tomatoes but maybe not use the cheapest one you can find. The same also goes for the cheese, the cheese should be stringy and not rip like a piece of paper.
Overall though the food was not bad and for getting it relatively cheap for lunch it was worth it.

Went walked in to grab the pizza to-​go for our girls night.
It was very warm and cramped in the restaurant. The pizza was «thin» crust which was as thick as the crust at Costco. Thin? No way! Very salty pizza, and very greasy, although the pepperoni likely caused it. But overwhelming with salt. Crust was thick and left you with powdery hands. The only good thing is the cheese to crust ratio was good. Some may like this, but I won’t be eating there again.