Al Forno Caffe

1525 Mesa Verde Dr E, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA

About Al Forno Caffe

4.7 / 5

from reviews

    Kameko Jones
    -
    February 12, 2026

    This Italian restaurant felt like a mom and pop shop. Each of the staff knew everyone who walked through the door. I just happened to find it randomly in Google Maps after looking for a place for dinner before I headed to the airport. The people at the front desk joked and laughed and made me feel like I had downs there before. Food was great. House wine was ok and even better because of happy hour pricing. Staff was amazingly kind and welcoming. I will be back just based off of the vibe. Decent happy hour and good food off of the happy hour menu. Run to this place. But not too much. I don’t want it to loose its charm.

    Donna Delacruz
    -
    December 17, 2025

    Our first time here and very pleased with the whole meal and service. We had Eggplant Parmesan, Pasta al forno, Pappardelle Funghi, Fettuccine Florentine, Bruschetta and an awesome Poached pear salad. Looking forward to trying more items.

    dennis an
    -
    May 27, 2023

    came here to celebrate my 1st year wedding anniversary. this place had a romantic vibe and the food was delicious, more authentic, not your olive garden/macaroni grill style italian but more from mother Italy herself. The hostess and the server were both kind and we had a great time. charming decor and a good energy.

    Sean Munter
    -
    December 13, 2025

    Ok experience overall, except for odd behavior from our waiter. He liked to joke around a lot but it was kind of obnoxious as we were just trying to enjoy a date night. Strangest moment was when he was taking our plates, and bent down to pick up a small piece of Parmesan cheese on the floor with his bare hands, then made a joke about needing to do it himself because they don’t have a cleaning crew, implying with hand gestures that by “cleaning crew” he meant insects or vermin (imitating a crawling bug with his hand gestures as he spoke). The chicken piccata was very good, the bianco pizza ok, kale salad ok, wine tasted like the bottle had been open for a day or two. Overall decent food wasn’t enough to overcome the uncomfortable waiter interactions. I’d pass on this restaurant in the future.

    Matthew Foong (Oldorangebmw)
    -
    October 23, 2018

    Mom and pop place for great, authentic Italian food. All our dishes were great, and you can definitely tell they pay a lot of attention to sourcing quality, fresh ingredients. Portion sizes aren't very big, just an average size but you definitely get what you pay for in taste. Service was good too.

    Al Forno Caffe

    Our Address

    1525 Mesa Verde Dr E, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA

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