About Brunos Italian Kitchen
Beyond their size, small businesses are defined by their spirit. And at the helm are their intrepid founders—scrappy, ambitious, and resilient. They invent and build things despite uncertainty, because it’s what drives them. Their risks lead to innovation that moves the world forward. And we need them.
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.
I went to a big group dinner and had the ciopino. This is a mixed seafood in a tomato broth. I have a lot of experience with this sophisticated dish. I’ve had it dozens of times. Bruno’s was absolutely awful. The mussels were old. Some clams didn’t open. The broth was more thick marinara sauce. The fish was spongy and overcooked. To maintain the spirit of our group celebration, I didn’t complain. However I did insist that they heat it up though. My first bowl was delivered with oven mits with a warning to be careful because it was hot. It was not even warm! The truth came out —the dish wasn’t prepared fresh. In seconds they replaced my bowl with a hot one. Ciopino is best with crusty bread. There wasn’t any. The table’s white wine was kept in a vessel, but it wasn’t chilled.
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!
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.
I have been to Brunos on several occasions and the food and service is always excellent. The location in Brea is great with plenty of free and easy parking. The vibe in the area is fun and inviting. I recommend Brunos and will visit again soon.