Romano Cucina

Have been a fan since it was Roman Cucina, changed owners however everything has remained consistently good. The outside dining (it’s enclosed) is wonderful, especially in the summer, but bring a jacket it is the beach after all and when the sun goes down it can get chilly.
Ask for Cailly (pronounce «Kaaley.
Service and food first rate

They hit just about every mark on service, food and atmosphere!
My boyfriend and I were on our way to Seal Bech for a cute date night but we drove in PCH and saw a glimpse of Roman Cucina and its cute little patio lights and he mentions it, I tell him «Omg I just saw that place again on Unilocal and I’ve bookmarked it in the past but thought you had your heart set on Seal Beach!» We both were like let’s do it and I was excited!
Well we made a great decision, we ended up getting parking within 30 seconds as a car pulls out and literally walk in with no wait time without reservations and got the only booth left right in front as we came it. It all really worked out great. The hostess was friendly and our waiter was very attentive to us.
We ordered two waters with lemon and two martinis for drinks. I got the Watermelon martinis that has jolly rancher undertones along with a kick from the liquor, some tartness and some bitter notes but all complemented each other well. My boyfriend got the White Chocolate martini since he loves chocolate infused alcoholic beverages. He liked it a lot.
He ordered an appetizer of bruschetta but behold this plate portion was huge! It was like eating a medium sized pizza lol. Chunky tomatoes, basil, shredded cheese melted on top. We both knew it was too much for us haha but it was decent. Probably wouldn’t order it next time because we are small people. For entrees he ordered a pepperoni and broccoli calzone which was as big as my head! I got the spaghetti ala checca with added light spice aka red pepper flakes. It came with a plain but really delicious house salad along with bread and butter for us both. We didn’t touch our bread knowing we were going to have large portions now. Salad looked plain but was very satisfying. He loved his calzone and I really loved my pasta! I felt like it was freshly made pasta but our waiter said it wasn’t freshly made there. I was really surprised because wow! I added more red pepper flakes because I’m a spice addict and my BF tasted my dish as well. At first he didn’t want to but after I raved about it so much he had a bite… and then had like 5 more bites! Lol. Anyway we couldn’t fit dessert but I wanted a cannoli and spumoni ice cream, next time though. I would say I would definitely return for a really cute date night and next time sit in the lighted patio. It was such a cute Italian place near the beach. The décor was very old school Italian, full of little Italian mementos and paintings. The atmosphere had a lot of older couples but it was a homey feel.
Service ⁵⁄₅
Food ⁵⁄₅
Atmosphere ⁵⁄₅

I drive up and down PCH all the time, but I’ve never before stopped at this spot. When a friend asked me to dinner, he chose the place and took me down. He says he comes here at least once a month.
It was a Saturday night, so there was a short wait. We passed the time talking and people watching — there was a bachelorette party on the premises, but they seemed REALLY tame. The ceiling heater was sufficient in keeping us warm on the outside bench.
We didn’t order any appetizers, but we shared the bread and butter (nothing special) and each got a glass of wine. He ordered sausage and peppers pasta, and I got the pasta gianni with penne. Both were very good. Mine was surprisingly spicy, but in a good way. I ate half of it and took the rest to go.
My friend insisted on sharing a cannoli, and I agreed, to appease him, but it ended up being soooooooo good! The thick, sweet, cheesy, slightly satly cream inside… the light cream on the outside… the chocolate chips dominating the plate. Yum! I told him I was full, but I should have gotten a cannoli for myself. Next time, definitely!

Not only do I come from an Italian family but I’ve tried tons of Italian restaurants and this one has thee best food! I love the Rosa sauce, pasta with sausage and the side of ricotta is the best!!! Go here! Yum. No disappointments.

My husband and I have been wanting to try this place for a long time. When we finally were able to get a babysitter for the kids, we went. We were there when they opened at 5, so were seated right away. The food was delicious!
I was delighted to hear that the special that night was a shrimp and scallop pasta. I ordered this, and as much as I wanted to, could not finish it. Plan on taking home leftover no matter how hungry you are, trust me!
My husband has the eggplant parmagian (sp?) as this dish is a favorite of his. He also took leftovers home.
We also ordered the garlic bread which was a good move. The free bread basket was fine but this garlic bread, well you’ll see. Yum!
I had two glasses of wine and my husband had two beers.
The ONLY small downside to a tiny place like this is people breathing down your neck for a table. I was looking for a romantic dinner out, since we have two small children at home, but did feel slightly rushed as each course came out rather fast. Halfway through our dinner I was also feeling the pressure from other patrons to not linger any longer than necessary over my food or last sips of wine. Not super romantic.
We will come back someday, we enjoyed our food.

Truly an affordable Italian restaurant (App + 2 Entrees + Dessert + Coffee + Tax + Tip) under $ 60!
Calamari was fried well, portions were great and overall a very satisfying starter
Italian wedding soup was unlike what I’ve had in the past but was still good
Pasta Our Way was a great way to sample the meatball and sausage — sauce and pasta were delicious but I didn’t care for the consistency of their meats. I felt that the meatball and sausage were too soft and would have preferred a coarser grind
Margherita Pizza — crust had just the right chew, well seasoned and held its own with the toppings. The sauce brought great acidity and depth of flavor and thought the mozzarella had just the right balance of saltiness and creaminess
Tiramisu — 9 out of 10 times its a miss for me until I had Romano’s version. Simply the best Tiramisu I have had to date and good lord the size of that sucker is a deal in itself!
Overall Thoughts
Amazing Italian food at an affordable price, what more can you ask for?

Food was great, took a little long to come out but our waiter David was on it so that everything was still piping hot when it got to our table. Must buys. Garlic Mozzarella bread super delish. .any cocktails. .taste like doubles! So they aren’t skimpin! Tonight I had the pasta Gianni and a Margherita pizza. So good I finished both plates and got a Canoli and a spumoni ice cream. Everything was so good I didn’t have any leftovers! In essence I would put the restaurant at a 4.75 because it is a little cramped, food wait time is a little bit and the bathrooms although excellent in décor are single occupancy. David makes this place 5 stars with his professionalism! He pulled me aside to see if the nuggs and friends wanted kid size portions or adult. He didn’t want to ask them because he didn’t want to embarrass or offend them. Who cares what an 11 year old thinks or wants? ! Apparently David! A+++

I’ve always like Mac Grill and this location did not disappoint. The service was fast and friendly. I had a cappuccino which was right on the spot.

My family and I ate at this restaurant last night. Everything was excellent! The service was fantastic and our server was the best. We all ordered pasta! And everyone had no complaints. The house salad is really tasty and you definitely have to try it! It comes with a few red onions and shaved cheese on the top with a house dressing which was so good! I really liked the Margherita pizza. Overall, if I could give this place more than 5 stars, I would because that’s how much I enjoyed it. The server sang for me because it was my birthday and that was so sweet.
Fantastic job guys!

Lived in the area for years and never managed to get over to this place. The business opens at 5: pm, and on the coldest and windiest day, we were waiting to get in as the doors opened. Unfortunately, it was the one day, they were late opening. That was the longest five minutes ever lol.
Once seated, the server was awesome! Very quick and helpful with the menu. The booths where we were seated were roomy and warm. I expected this place to be loud, but it wasn’t at all!
I ordered the meat lasagna and it was fantastic! an equal amount of sauce, meat, cheese in relation to the pasta. Man it was great!!! I cant wait to go back to this place again very soon!!!

Taste & Ambience,
Roman got 4 stars because of this 2 things, went there on a Thursday night after work for bonding dinner with coworkers.
Starting from the begging, the place is just cute and warming, decorations are interesting and it’s a very comfy place, so comfortable that we stayed for almost 2.5 hours!
The food has a very Italian taste (I’m not Italian so excuse me if you disagree) it’s good and the portions are baste. On Thursday they have a martinis and well drinks night which is cool although, this is not a drinking place at all, unless you’re doing wine and appetizers.
Some minor things keep the them away from the 5 stars and these are the fact that you have to buy the garlic bread to accompany your meal… Big NoNo! The dishes are already above average pricing… Reason why I’m surprised we found ourselves asking for napkins and more «regular» bread constantly to the server.
Last, we were enjoying ourselves in the restaurant, but the fact that we stayed longer didn’t make the management very happy… They were very polite, political and professional on letting us know they wanted us to leave (applause for that) but they should know Italian food+wine+friends will always make you want to stay longer.

If you are looking for good Italian food and great service try this place, BTW ask for Arthur he is the best, highly highly recommended.

Love this place! We always have a great experience when coming here. Last night we were here for our anniversary dinner. We sat at the bar while we waited for our table. The bartender was great. Really nice and took good care of us while we waited. Once we were sat, our waitress, while nice, seemed a little busy. Lots of ‘drive bys’; for example when she dropped off our basket of bread she just dropped it on the table while quickly walking by without stopping. Still, everything came out on time and correct. The food is always really good! I usually get the Speziata but last night I got the Gianni with a scampi sauce and oh my gosh it was delicious! I think I founf my new go to dish here.
Can’t wait to come back and have another yummy dinner and great night out.

The meatball with spaghetti and rosa sauce was really delicious! The best meatballs I have had in a very long time!
Parking can be somewhat of a mess if you go on weekends.
We got 2 beers, 2 pasta dishes with protein, and 2 salads for less than $ 50 walking distance to the beach… What more could you ask for?!
Will definitely be back!

We actually came here for an engagement party last Saturday. The event was slated for 6PM and we arrived about 15 minutes early to tackle the parking complexities close to the beach. To our surprise we found a spot behind the restaurant pretty quick.
We said our hellos and made haste to the bar in the covered patio. I enjoyed an IPA from Deschutes while my wife had a Absolut & Tonic. The weather was HOTTER than normal so any COLD drinks would be well received.
I expected to have particular dishes to choose from but the party coordinators allowed all the invited to peruse the menu. I requested a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich and my better half went all in with the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Before our main dishes came out we INHALED deliciously warm bread and butter with some red wine that was provided. Then we both had a small salad.
When the main entrees were brought out we had already mowed through a few baskets of bread. My sandwich looked and tasted FANTASTIC but the thickness of the dough was a bit much. If you ask for the same sandwich I recommend you skip the bread. Oh, but it smelled so alluring. The Chicken Fettuccine was plentiful and scrumptious but too much for my wife to finish. I saw plenty of boxes going home for those that ordered pasta. Maybe a split would be wise.
The servers were all very attentive and accommodating as there was much work to do amongst the two long tables we had reserved. I mean, our group was close to 30 patrons. I would assume that the covered patio is the place to be in the winter. The glass they have above the half wall to the roof line does not allow for airflow. As warm as it was it was uncomfortable for many. We were a little more forgiving of the sweat rolling down our backs and faces.
Before we left I had to visit the men’s room hoping for a BURST of cool air when I entered the main dining area. No dice… it was even HOTTER! My only complaint would be arranging for some fans in the patio and turning the AC on inside on days like we experienced on Saturday.
GREAT FOOD, decent prices and a good location. We will be back in the cooler months. Lastly, the way we were seated I had a nice view of the flat screen TV showing UCLA THROTTLING Arizona. Go Bruins!

My husband and I are obsessed with this place. We used to live in Sunset and we agreed that we could not find a restaurant in Sunset that didn’t serve amazing food. That being said, Romano’s was our favorite out of all the places we tried. We have been several times and it is always busy, so I would recommend a reservation if you don’t like waiting. However, once you get your meal, you will realize it is worth the wait!
Food tip: I rarely do appetizers, but you must try their bruschetta!!!

Great food and atmosphere.
A friend and I went here based upon a number of recommendations from Unilocal,as well as some other sites. The recommendations were spot on. You should definitely visit this restaurant. We could not decide on which plates to have, so we decided to split two entrées. My friend chose the Rosa Sauce pasta with chicken over penne pasta. I had the spicy Italian sausage with olive oil over penne pasta. Both dishes were fabulous!

Definitely a bummer.
My friends Wedding Rehearsal was held here six months at advanced reserved the spot for the outside area. However, they had parties sitting all over the patio area where we were supposed to be at. It took them forever for them to serve us our meal!
Don’t get me wrong though, the food was delicious! We at tiramisu, breads were served in the beginning, salad was good, my alfredo pasta with steak was decent. All other parties food were delicious as well.
Customer Service wasn’t perfect, it’s a small restaurant. I think they need to be a bit more organized in serving customers.

This place has really delicious bread. Like, really good bread. Which is perfect because the food takes kind of long to arrive. The ambience/​atmosphere of the restaurant is darkly lit – creating a kind of romantic mood. There are benches outside while you are waiting.
Food is not bad. I got the Penne Rosa or something similar. It was a penne with chicken and a mix of alfredo and marinara sauce. I was a little disappointed because our pasta wasn’t «hot,» but in fact lukewarm. We were starving so my friend and I ate it anyway. The house salad that comes with your lunch meal was nothing different from a costco chicken salad.
Great service from the waiters, and one of the managers came by to ask us how we were doing and to offer us more bread, which I appreciated. I only wish our food wasn’t cold and that the salad wasn’t so wilted/​tasteless.

I’ll admit it, before we decided on Romano’s I told me wife, «Why go out for pasta? We can make spaghetti at home!» I regretted this statement within 15 mins of being there!
Had to wait 15 mins to get a table but it was Saturday at like 8:30pm, no biggie. Nice outside patio but we got sat inside, which was decorated with the traditional goofy (not in a bad way) Italian photos and signs. Brought our own wine, $ 10 corkage fee and apparently no fee on Wednesdays. Very friendly staff and the manager, Ryan, even personally introduced himself. OK, no onto the food;
Freshly baked bread when you sit down — AWESOME! Nothing special, just hot and tasty!
Soup and Salad — I ordered the Italian Wedding Soup, which I am not normally a big fan of, but I’m also not a salad guy. The soup was AMAZING! So flavorful, a couple juicy meatballs, even lettuce in the soup which was a little off at first but super flavorful. My wife even forced me to try the salad which was actually really tasty.
Chicken Parmigiana app — This was literally enough to fill me up. Two large (but thin) chicken portions covered in marinara and melted cheese. Funny because it was the same price (like $ 9) as the bruschetta but seemed like way more food! To be honest, both of us were full after we finished the bread, soup/​salad and this! But it was nice and thin, crispy and super flavorful.
Penne with Meatballs and Spicy Sausage — So the entrée comes and we are both stuffed. I literally probably had 4 bites, but took the rest home. The meatballs were BOMB! The sausage was really good too but I think I liked the meatballs better. Added the ricotta/​mozzarella on top. Now I typically dont like ricotta but with the mozzarella, it was a great creamy flavor. The sauce was good, but my only complaint is I ordered the Rosa sauce but got the regular mozzarella. No biggie, but next time I want to try Rosa! And I hear they have a Spicy Rosa which is not on the menu. The wifey got some sort of seafood special (I hate seafood) but she loved it. Shrimp and Lobster in a scampi sauce I think. And it was only $ 17.95 which seems to be pretty reasonably priced. She loved it!
Overall the bill was $ 80 with tip. Not bad for bread, soup, salad, an app, two entrees and 2 bottles of wine (we brought). Nice romantic/​date feel but not over the top. Casual but dressy. Can’t wait to go back! They also have weekday specials, Tuesday is BOGO pasta 50% off, and wine specials (or no corkage) on Wednesdays. If you are in the mood for some good, comfort Italian food check it out. I can’t wait to eat my leftovers!!!

I had once been here years ago when it was ROMAN Cucina, sans the «o» at the end. So when my hubby asked if we’d like to go to Romano Cucina I corrected him and said «You mean Roman?» Poor guy can’t ever be right, but this time I was actually wrong.
Through some navigating I found out it has come under new ownership (don’t know how long ago) but was told the staff and menu stayed the same. Interesting backstory for those wondering why some reviews keep leaving out the «o» in Romano.
We went here for V-​day dinner, and since they don’t take reservations we decided to get there at 5:30 (they open at 5) to beat the evening rush, or so we thought. We waited 2 freaking hours after our quoted 1hr-​1hr20min. If I can give this place 5 stars after waiting 2 hours which I have never nor will ever do at any restaurant again, then this place really is THAT good. But honestly, could it hurt them to just accommodate for some reservations for Pete’s sake?!
Our server Aaron was super kind and genuine. Gave us great recommendations for food, and dessert. We had the Pasta Gianni and Pasta & Meatballs. BOTH were superb. The Gianni came jam packed with a flavorful spicy olive oil sauce, and my meatball dish was a true classic. Meatballs were huge, really dense and a bit hard to cut up with a fork but that didn’t change the flavor.
One of the many things we were impressed by was the quality house salad that came with our meal. To get a salad that nice you normally have to «upgrade» from a standard wedge salad but here they give you a top notch standard. Romaine, cucumbers, red onion, Parmesan so simple yet delicious.
For dessert we had the Tiramisu which was a tad bit on the sweeter side than we prefer but still tasty.
Portions are huge, trust me you’re going to be taking the rest home.
All in all a superb evening, great ambiance, affordable yet amazing food.