About Nardò Italian Restaurant
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.
First off, homemade pasta! Yes! I appreciate restaurants that make their pasta in house. I ordered the shortrib ravioli, my son ordered the pizza, my wife ordered carbonara. All dishes where wonderful. We enjoyed the bottle of wine. Thank you for the great experience.
We had a great experience here — the food was delicious and the overall vibe was warm and inviting. The Arancini was nicely crispy on the outside, and the Linguine Tarantine was excellent, with very fresh and flavorful seafood. The staff was friendly and welcoming, though the service was a bit on the slower side. That said, the relaxed atmosphere made it easy to enjoy our time. We also appreciated how accommodating the space was, with plenty of room for a baby stroller and a dog-friendly patio. Overall, it’s a great spot to sit back and enjoy a meal, and we’d happily come back.
Don’t feel like burgers and fries, but want something else besides Mexican? Then come to Nardi! Fresh made pasta and pizza in a super chic decor in the middle of Pacific City. There are white and red sauce pizzas, both of which are fired up in their special pizza oven. Even the kids pizza is made from the fresh dough and has crispy pockets in the crust (no complaints from a picky 3 year old that joined us on this outing), The pasta is perfectly cooked and sauced just right without the excess sauce that most places put. The fettuccine with wild boar is the top seller and portion sizes are adequate even for big eaters. The lobster ravioli had a nice rice sauce with 6 big raviolis in the plate. For seafood lovers, there’s branzino and for the adventurous there’s seafood linguini with squid black ink. The sides are tasty, but a touch on the expensive side with a Cesar salad at $16, but the meatballs, broccolini and prosciutto are all tasty. Service was impeccable with the waitress passing numerous times to check in the table.
This pizzaria single handedly destroyed my trust in the top 50 rating system. We got the California, the nardo, the pistachio, and the La pecante. The immediate first impressions were: "wow I hope this gets better". I felt violated on my first bite. The bottom is more flaccid than a retirement home. Every bite felt like a soggy napkin. Getting to the crust felt like a relief. In terms of the flavor it was either overwhelming or underwhelming, pistachio could use more pistachio flavor whereas the La Picante was way too salty (please take a look at the photo where my friend winces after reaching a meatball). I only went here because I couldn't get a reservation to Pizza Sei.
Nardo Italian in Huntington Beach has a lot going for it — starting with the location. The views from the outdoor seating area are fantastic and really set the mood for a relaxing meal. The food overall was solid. The pizzas had great flavor, though I wish the crust was a bit more crisp instead of being on the soggier side. The gnocchi pasta was good, but I found myself wishing for a bit more depth in flavor. The Italian Margarita was okay — not bad, but not particularly memorable either. Now for the highlight: the tiramisu. Easily one of the best I’ve ever had. Light, creamy, and the perfect balance of flavors. I’d come back for that alone! One downside was the service. While friendly, I felt rushed — as if my server wanted me to wrap things up quickly to turn the table for others waiting. It took away from what should’ve been a more relaxed dining experience. All in all, I’ll definitely be back. Nardo’s has a lot of potential and some real highlights.