Il Sole La Nuova Cucina 
31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy suite m, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, USA
About Il Sole La Nuova Cucina
Our Address
31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy suite m, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, USA Get DirectionsThrive Local OC
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I wish I could leave a review of the food and atmosphere. On a walk around the lake, I stopped and looked at the menu. Later in the day I placed an order for pick up. Chicken Parm and a Capresse salad. I asked to substitute fresh spinach for the Penne Pasta and if they had to charge me for the substitution, fine. Easy order. I was picking up some groceries when I got a call from the place and they were confused about the substitution. I explained again that I did not want the Penne but fresh spinach even if they had to charge me. They said OK. 10 minutes later 45 minutes after my original call I arrived and the nice kid at the front desk said there was a question about the penne pasta. I was annoyed and the kid brought out the owner chef who I tried to explain one more time and explained how ridiculous this was. He got upset with me. I told him he could keep his meal and he said, "I don't want your business." as he stood in an empty restaurant. I enjoyed a great chicken parm from Tutta Fresca, you could also try Picollino's as Sal always does a great job.
Awesome experience today Friday around 1 pm. Not too busy. Parking is as expected, it is a busy area. Inside and outside seating available. You can also do reservations. Customer service was excellent, Luigi was just too funny, very kind, professional, and friendly. Also he was very knowledgeable (As an owner should) about every single dish on the menu. It was our first time, so we asked for recommendations. Ingredients taste fresh and with a very pleasant seasoning. Pasta and bread are all make there. Every dish from scratch! Lots of wine options. They also have desserts, just ask, there is no menu for them! It was pricey, but it is worth every penny for the high quality of the food! Highly recommended!
They have two separate indoor dining rooms and an outdoor patio area. We sat inside and it was pleasant. Service was fine, not very professional but the food was good so overall it was a good experience and we would return.
What a disappointment! This place looked like it had potential, but the food was extremely average and not memorable. I make better pasta for myself on my 30 minute lunch breaks, so I was expecting more from a pricier dinner restaurant. Our server was wonderful, hence the extra star. The ambiance was strange - we were seated in a lonely room separate from the main restaurant. The music was also not well suited for the establishment - felt better for a club environment. It was distracting, to say the least.
This Italian place is hit or miss. It was my birthday dinner. Loved the dip w the bread. Used to work at Pomodoro back in the day. Same recipe and lovely bread. Caprese was ok. My husband ordered the penne with mushrooms as a main. For some reason they added arugula and cooked it into the pasta. Then my Carbonara was odd as well. They took a classic dish and added quite a bit of half cooked bits of onion and a bunch of cooked sage. It really was overly flavored of sage. Neither of these ingredients were listed on the menu. The eggs were a bit overcooked but that part doesn’t bother me much. Why they over complicated it and ruined that dish? I sent it back. I ordered the appetizer ravioli with fig and goat cheese - that was delicious and perfectly done. The young male server was overall pretty mediocre and inattentive. We have a baby and he took ages to get to us for most things. My husband asked for a spoon and he forgot. He also asked for salt and pepper and also forgot. We requested a kids menu w crayons when we first arrived but they don’t provide such a thing. One thing that was quick was the check. Been here a handful of times and sometimes it ok and other times kinda sucks for a “fancy” dinner place. A shame because it’s conveniently close by. I much prefer Tutto Fresco’s for their consistency and better service. Hopefully they step it up to earn loyalty.