Brunos Italian Kitchen

I came here to meet up with a group of friends… unfortunately for me, I wasn’t hungry lol but I did order a salad n tasted the calamari, the bruschetta n that chocolates dessert in a cup… Everything was delicious n the service was really good… I think the waiter’s name is Anthony, he’s awesome… Anyways, I can’t wait to go back when I’m actually hungry! :D

Their pastas were terrible. The pappardelle pasta with the short-​rib brown sauce were waaaayy too salty. So we couldn’t even finish it. The sauce didn’t taste good either. The seafood pasta wasn’t that good, there was barely any flavor to it & it was so bland, and the spinach ravioli were so salty but bearable… And there were only 5 pieces of ravioli… Comparing to the cost of these dishes they were SOO not WORTH. The only good thing that we actually finished was the angel hair pasta!
Came here because of good reviews, but leaving very unsatisfied.
Super over priced and expensive pastas and dishes that are not worth to taste! Don’t lean on the reviews! I’m not sure how this place got good reviews. The portions are way too small comparing to the $
Maybe the romantic atmosphere? Not so sure.

Came here for my bday dinner and everything we had was sooooo good, arancini as appetizer, pasta with braised beef, seafood linguini (asked for white sauce), and seabass special of the day. Cocktails were excellent too. The dessert was bomb, the penna cotta and pistachio gelatto was truly to die for! Not only the top notch food but our server, David, was truly excellent. He was busy at times, as the place was packed, but he really made a great impression on us with his customer service and knowledge of the full menu and recommendations. I would most definitely come back again! Thanks David!

I’ve been wanting to come here for the longest time. I finally came, made reservations on a Sunday evening. They start off with bread and olive oil/​balsamic vinegar. Oh man, that oil/​vinegar is amazing, with so much flavor of garlic. I wish the bread was warm though. Probably the only fault of the night. The fried risotto ball was unique, and tasted pretty good. It’s best to share. I had the frutti de mare, lots of seafood, the pasta tasted fresh. The scallop was super fresh and perfectly cooked. The risotto was good too. Our server, Megan, was super nice. Gave her a big tip! I’d come back. 4.5 stars!

Stopped in yesterday for dinner with my family! Service was great throughout the night, though it was a bit slow but that could be because we were starving. Fritto Misto was delicious as an appetizer because it has zucchini, squid and shrimp with lemon aioli, amazing! We got the salmon, steak, pork chop and seafood pasta was entrees. Definitely recommend the steak and pork chop, but the salmon was a bit dry and the pasta was over cooked. Overall, still a good experience and a good atmosphere.

I’m glad Brea is upping their restaurant game and Bruno’s definitely helps the cause!
Excellent atmosphere where you can have a casual dinner out or throw on a blazer and make it a special occasion. Bruno’s is classy yet warm inside.
The 4 of us shared 2 bottles of the waiters suggestion (Chianti and cabernet) both of which were great! Our meals were delicious; I had the Branzinno which had a sea-​bass that seemed soaked in juicy, flavorful greatness. Being the sharing types, I had a bite of everyone’s dish sry the table and wasn’t disappointed. A stand out was the bistecca, cooked perfectly rare.
Anthony, our waiter, and the rest of the staff provided excellent service. From his knowledge in the dishes, wine recommendations to attentiveness… Anthony was on point.
Overall, I found myself a new go-​to spot in north OC!

So good!
Definitely recommend
Tender Fritto Misto with their fried lemon slices and veggies
Perfectly cooked scallops with their cheesy risotto with crunchy asparagus
Al dente pappardelle with flavorful braised short rib
Mushroom fettuccini, substituted with pappardelle pasta… OMG
Caramel pudding with chocolate ganache was decadent
Vanilla panna cotta matched perfectly with sweet strawberries and a tangy balsamic glaze
Lemon and olive oil cake is different but the taste is SO umami

This review is for their Happy Hours. Monday HH all nite. Good deals on drinks and bar food. Our bartender was Brandon. He was the nicest bartender I have met by far. Love his recommendations on drinks and food. He looks like he loves his job and gave his customers excellent service. I had been to hundreds of bars, and I had seen too many bartenders. Most of them really hate their jobs, hate to be at work, and their drinks tasted like Sh@#$
Well, not Brandon. I will def come back for HH and dinner. My new spots in Brea now.

Seriously~~~from start to finish everything was perfection! Service, quality, quantity, timing… everything was sooo good.
My server was «D”~ she was amazing, knowledgeable on the menu, kind, quick, and helped serve me wonderful wine~^^
Come to Bruno’s for happy hour! Love their happy hour!

Friendly greeter and servers were very attentive. Let us switch one of our wine choices and gave us a great recommendation on the caramel puffy chocolate Grenache dessert. The management really cares about making sure their customers are happy and appreciate any feedback they get to provide the best experience possible.

My husband surprised me with dinner here on Valentine’s Day. Best fritto misto calamari, scallops and omg the caramel pudding with chocolate ganache dessert.
The best part of dinner was our awesome waiter, Brady. Every recommendation was spot on. He was friendly, funny and quick to help. Give him a raise!
We will definitely be coming back. This place now has a special place in our hearts.

This review was on behalf of our waiter David.
Best service ever. Super courteous and patient. Was our first time here and really enjoyed our experience. The food and drinks were great, thanks to David’s recommendations. Will be coming back whenever we’re back in the area!

From the moment we walked through the door it was a 5 Star experience. The Hostess was helpful as we asked to see the menu. She actually immediately and enthusiastically talked about her favorites. We sat at the hightop bar table and was greeted by Alex (the General Manager) and he took our drink order and welcomed us to the restaurant and thanked us for coming in. We ordered everything that was recommended by Dee and she did not disappoint. Meatball appetizer, Pork chop with Kale and Brussel Sprouts. Everything was absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, amazing food and excellent drinks. Looking forward to returning.

First time and definitely not our last! We made same day reservations and were seated immediately upon arrival. Our server Brady was awesome! Very attentive and excellent customer service! Our food was delicious! The scallops were cooked perfectly and my linguine and clams were good (just lacked a little in flavor) but I still enjoyed the dish. The panna cotta dessert was delicious! Oh and I cannot forget the frito misto appetizer that was oh so tasty! The crunchy lemons were awesome! All in all Bruno’s was a great date night dinner and we will be back.

First time here and man was it good. Service was great. Ask for Anthony or Brandon. Definitely try their fritto misto, pesto ravioli, lamp chops with risotto and linguini with clams. You must try the budino al caramello for dessert! Coming back for sure!

Really fun place with a great atmosphere. My girlfriend and I have stopped in here a couple times and it is perfect. We usually go for a table in the bar. The wine selection is good, and the mixed drinks I have gotten have been tasty. David is a great server and took great care of us on our last trip.
We really enjoy the bruschetta and arancini apps and the budino al caramello is out of this world! It is definitely a must have dessert to finish off the meal.
Will definitely be going back.

We live nearby in Diamond Bar and often come down to Brea for the movie theaters here on Birch and Bruno’s is a regular stop for dinner and a movie.
The place has a great vibe and the service has always been excellent. The bar is cool if you just want to come in for a drink and hang out, or kill time while waiting for your table (although they do take reservations on
). The blond bartender makes a killer peach flavored whiskey sour.
As far as food, my wife says the menu is a little limited, but I like what they have. I do recommend the lasagna, it’s great. The Salmon with Brussel Sprouts is also excellent. You get bread when you sit down, but they have a brochette appetizer which is very good.
Overall I recommend this place, it’s a good place to bring a date (or you wife for date night), then catch a movie across the street after.

If you ask anybody in and around Brea if they can name an Italian Restaurant in the city, you’ll most likely hear Buca di Beppo. When trying to find a restaurant to take my girlfriend and her parents out for dinner that wasn’t an Italian version of Olive Garden, I stumbled upon Brunos Italian Kitchen. With over 1000 reviews and 4.5 stars, I can’t believe this is my first time hearing about it.
Pappardelle Bruno — $ 18.50 — Braised short ribs, roasted mushrooms, homemade pappardelle — A tasty dish marred by execution. The braised short ribs were cooked perfectly. Tender and juicy braised short ribs as well as the roasted mushrooms and gravy were spot on. The pappardelle… not so much. Gordon Ramsey would have had a field day if he saw how terribly cooked the noodles were. Someone one was definitely not paying attention to stir the noodles and let the noodles clump together. It was dark outside but I could definitely taste the uncooked pasta on the parts that were stuck together.
Polpette — $ 17.50 — Nonna Maria’s meatballs, tomato & fresh herb sauce, spaghetti — Okay lets just call it for what it is, this is just spaghetti and meatball. Not sure if it warrants a price tag of $ 17.50 but the meatballs themselves really caught my attention. Dare I say these are one of the top 5 meatballs I’ve ever had? Well seasoned, fragrant, and hearty, this was a major standout for the evening. The sauce though was a huge disappointment. Over seasoned and salty, there was no amount of spaghetti that could save the dish. An extra glass of water to wash your pallet is warranted.
The service was also a bit spotty. Our group of four was missing utensils from the time we got sat, ordered, and received our dish. The first time we notified him that we need silverware and napkins, he only brought out napkins. It took a second time with a different server for us to get everything we needed to eat. Taking over 5 minutes due to our server disappearing back inside, most of our food went from hot and fresh to warm and soggy. Not that it’s his fault that the bussers didn’t set up our table correctly before we sat, it would have been nice if he was more available.
My girlfriend and her parents thoroughly enjoyed Brunos Italian Kitchen, as did I to an extent, but the over-​seasoned Polpette, dreadfully cooked Pappardelle noodles, and flawed service kept me yearning for me.

My wife and I love this place. We almost had our wedding reception here. We plan on having our son’s first birthday here!
Our server Brady gave us excellent service. He accommodated our requests and changes and always topped my coffee when I was low.
I recommend the the branzino, insalata salad, and Frito misto for appetizer. You won’t regret it!

Came in on a Friday night around 10 and got sat right away. Our server Sophia was amazing, super friendly, always attentive, and full of good suggestions! We said yes to everything she recommended and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time!
The blueberry whiskey sour was real good
The Arancini appetizer was a great amuse bouche
The Parpadelle Bruno was tender and rich
The Limoncello shots packed a punch with a dessert-​like after taste
We got both the Caramel Pudding & Lemon Tart desserts and were both creamy, distinguished and uniquely wonderful!
I absolutely recommend this place if you enjoy a warm & quiet dinning atmosphere with great service and fantastic food.

Beautiful, authentic Italian food. It is silly to compare Brunos to Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden, average Italian-​American franchises, they’re just not the same thing. You can’t, so don’t.

What a pleasant surprise! I don’t get the opportunity to eat on this side of town often so when a friend asked if I wanted to try this joint of course I said yes. The restaurant is set in a mall type of area, again not normally my gig but it is quite nice and parking was easy.
The menu is not expansive but has all the right options for Italian cuisine. Tonight we had beef carpaccio, Burrata and salad, Caesar salad, lamb chops with polenta and spinach, lasagna, meatballs, Brussel sprouts and budino caramello for dessert. Everything was quite good. The only complaint is that they ran out of bread by 8:00PM? Kinda silly.
The waiter was great and the place was busy. Once inside you really would think it was a regular neighborhood restaurant. A bit loud but fun and relaxed. Chow for now, I’ll be back!

Brunos has been my favorite local Italian restaurant that I have frequently visited in the last 2 years. Their food and service has consistently been fantastic. Unfortunately, throughout the 2 years, I have experienced a steady decline in food and service during my visit. It pains me to write a disappointing review to what was my favorite local Italian restaurant.
The service of the restaurant has become less warm and inviting. This may be due to the increased numbers of customers that is overwhelming their staff. The vibe I get from the servers now, is that they intend to clear as many tables as fast as possible.
The server that assisted my table, handed out menus and tableware for my party of 4 and promptly left. Unfortunately, the tableware lacked knives, and required us to ask the server for a set of knives for each member of my party. The response I received from the server made me felt as if I was a nuisance for asking. For most of the night, he was busy with other tables and did not check up on our table for any other requests, aside from our food orders.
Now the food…
The burrata mozzarella was very good, creamy and slightly tangy. The small side salad was perfectly dressed and delicious.
The Nonna Maria spaghetti and meatballs were pretty good. The meatballs had a great flavor and texture. It was moist, meaty, hearty. Unfortunately, the spaghetti was slightly overcooked.
The Salmon dish was okay. The bacon and brussel sprouts side was delicious. The salmon cooked well, still very moist on the inside; however, it was a bit bland. The pan fried polenta was dry and bland.
One of my favorite dishes, the scallop risotto was also just okay. The scallops lacked the typical sear that they usually have and had a slight rubbery texture. The risotto was overcooked and soft, but it had the slightly briny and vegetal flavor that I expected, but the flavor was slightly muddled and bland.
The dessert we had that night was their olive oil cake with berries and zabilogione. The berries and zabilogione was delicious, unfortunately the cake itself was dry.
Overall, a very disappointing experience that night… I am certain it was a off-​day for them; but I can’t help but find myself asking if their recent success has resulted in a declining level of food and service.

It’s a nice restaurant with decent ambiance — it would be good for a date night or casual dinner with some friends.
Polpette app — we got this based on other reviewers… but I wasn’t too impressed. The flavor was decent but nothing out of the extraordinary.
Bucatini di Cinghiale — The texture of the pasta was perfect and sauce was good but I wasn’t a huge fan of the wild boar sausage as I thought I would be. The pieces were a bit large but nothing about the taste was memorable.
I really wanted to like this place, but left a bit unsatisfied. I’d definitely come back though to try a few more things!

I been there first time tonight
Every meals and desert so yummy! and our server danielle, she is very kindly and very helpful
Thanks!!!

I came here on a Wednesday night for dinner with my boyfriend and his mother after I saw how many reviews this place has. The service was very good and I liked the overall atmosphere. I ordered the spaghetti which I thought was pretty basic. It wasn’t bad but nothing special. The best part was that on Wednesday nights with any entrée you get a free glass of wine! Can’t beat that! I’m not in Brea that often but I would come back and try something different.

The definition of authentic is :“conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features «
This place is better than authentic. The food is spectacular .
And in spite of that, the restaurant is friendly and comfortable .
We tried several appetizers, main dishes and deserts. My favorite: everything .
I am definitely going back to try more dishes and to repeat the ones I tried .
The wine list is inviting, everything has the same price: what an idea !!
Actually I will go back just for the service

Almost 1k reviews and 4.5stars?! Whatdaeff Brea?! Are there no good Italian restaurants in your city??? I haven’t written a less than 3 star review in years, but 4.5star average??? How this place has anything better than a 3star average is beyond me! And I’m generally a more than generous reviewer so…
Let’s start with the good… It’s always best to hear some good news before the slaughter, right?!
The BFF (Best Foodie Friend, duh!) and I had a great time here, but only because of each other! What?! We’re awesome like that. Don’t hate: p
The décor is nice. Has a dark, romantic date-​night feel. But it’s like that tall, dark, and handsome stranger you once had a one-​night-​stand with, you don’t go back for seconds! I mean, not that I’d know what that’s like (seriously, never happened) ;p
We sat down to what we thought would be a great meal and great service by a nice waiter who shall remain nameless. Not because I forgot (hate people who don’t get the names of those serving them! We’re all the same humans… No one is above anyone else!!!) but because I’d hate to get anyone reprimanded just for having a bad day or worse fired. Yikes! I’m usually very tolerant about bad service because I feel that anyone could have an off day, but man… Where’s the water, dude? I think we’re still waiting!
Most Italian restaurants serve bread after taking your order, correct? Well, not this one. Here, you have to ask for it and when you do, you get some story of how the bread they usually serve has run out and they’ve just put in some other bread into the oven to bake? Warm? What?! How do I know it’s just a «story?!» Our waiter told the same «story» to the couple seated next to us about 45min-​1hr into our meal. Dang, that bread must have needed time to rise before baking then. If management wants to save some pennies on free bread, I don’t mind. Just don’t give me a fake story of how its «baking!» It doesn’t even arrive to your table warm!!!
To start we ordered their Arancini: Risotto balls filled with ham, cheese, and herbs then lightly fried.
I’ve had better, MUCH better. Though not bad, these weren’t good. Alright, maybe I’m exaggerating… They’re fried, how can something fried not be good?! But where was the ham? Cuz we def didn’t see or taste anything resembling a cute piggy.
As entrees we both ordered pasta. My friend got the «Bucatini di Cinghiale» a wild boar sausage pasta. Nothing stood out. She said it was just ok. It went to the bottom of her list on what to order.
I got the «Linguini alle Vongole» a fresh clam pasta. I LOVE my pasta al dente, but this was SO undercooked, all I tasted was raw flour! I’ve never had to send back uncooked pasta, so this was a first for me. Most places give you slightly over cooked, never undercooked. Our food was brought out by a runner and even after a few min of sitting there idly twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone… No one was to be found! Where are all the employees? Finally someone walked past so I told him my pasta was undercooked and he graciously took it back. He asked if there was anything he could get me while I waited for my pasta to be fired up again! This was the ONE good service point the entire evening. I told him no thank you. Wish I got his name, but he walked off so quickly, I didn’t have a chance to ask. When I got my pasta back, it was overcooked (obviously!) and somehow way more soupy. Huh? Whatever, I ate it anyway. Have I mentioned that our waiter never apologized or even acknowledged my pasta mishap?!
With so much time waiting around, this dinner took twice as long as it should have and my «date» and I were getting tired. When our waiter finally rolled around asking if we wanted dessert, we both exasperatedly said, no thank you. Thanks for nothing, Bruno’s. So long, farewell. Auf wiedersehen, adieu!
TL;DR: Bad food, bad service. Don’t come here unless you’re seriously desperate!

This is probably my 3^rd or 4^th visit at Brunos and likely my last. Their service has always been decent but this last time was far less than exemplary.
Bread — I was noticing other tables getting bread but even after finishing our appetizer, no sign of the bread. I asked our waiter if Brunos was no longer giving out complimentary bread to which he responded to the effect of them running out of their usual sourdough bread but would bring over a great alternative that had just come out of the oven. Funny thing is the same exact thing happened to the table next to us, who had sat down approximately 45 min-​1 hour after us mind you, and had finished off their appetizers. When they asked the same waiter about the bread, he gave them the same spiel. Hmmm… a little suspect if you ask me.
Arancini — Fried risotto balls filled with ham, cheese and fresh herbs. Tasty but unsure where the ham was. Perhaps it was a very «modest» portion. It was basically a fried mac and cheese ball but because it was fried, it was delicious. Not a total letdown but you can’t deny how pleasurable anything fried is!
Bucatini — Pasta cooked al dente but the sauce left more to be desired. A tomato sauce mixed with wild boar sausage, pancetta and radicchio. The red wine really gave it a harmonious flavor and all the different textures were a great combination. In the end, the pasta didn’t stand out and I would probably put this near the bottom of the «what to order» list.
Our waiter was extremely nice but being nice will only get you so far. My friend’s pasta was well under cooked and had to send it back (she has never had to do that before) but our waiter never addressed the issue nor apologized for the mishap. Our water glass needed to be refilled so after we flagged him down, he took it back. Did he immediately return with the glass? Of course not. I understand the restaurant was busy as all the tables were filled but please remember to come back with water! I had to ask him not once but twice. I wanted to order a dessert but at that point, I just wanted to get the heck out.
Thanks for the sweet memories Brunos but no and goodbye.

Celebrated my Father at Bruno’s. Reservations made it a breeze to get to our table for 7, no problem. It was packed and waits I heard were 40 minutes. We had a nice round table by the window right where the patio seating is, so it was quite a nice view as well. Service was great for the very start.
Starters:
–Salumi e Formaggi. At $ 16 and with selection of various cheeses, salalami, bread, and condiments, it was a fine sharing item. It seemed like it was the ideal choice for a group of 7. Everything else appeared to be shared with a smaller group of 2 – 4.
Entrees:
–Pappardelle Bruno $ 18.50. Braised short ribs, roasted mushrooms, homemade pappardelle. This was a no brainer to choose this dish if you are in my family. 4 of us ordered it and all enjoyed it. Short ribs were tender and mushrooms helped balance everything out. Definitely recommend.
–Linguini alle Vongole $ 19.00. Fresh manilla clams, garlic /​red chili, white wine, toasted bread crumbs. My dish was an obvious choice for me. Enough clams distributed throughout the dish, and a flavor that was not at all overpowering. Very Very oily, though.
–Braciola di Maiale $ 23.00. Pork chop, polenta, braised kale with pancetta. Large sized pork chop. A more heavier dish.
–Lasagne. $ 17.50. It’s Lasagne, not much to say.
It was a nice celebration and a great time. However, not a standout and I really haven’t thought about it much or went back since the first time 5 months ago.

This is a very cute setting for a date since it is so dimly lit and intimate. But there are seatings outside for a more casual, friendly dinner too. The restaurant itself is located in a busy plaza with many other shops so parking can be difficult. There is always valet for $ 5!
I find this place to just be okay. I was expecting something very spectacular based on the review but I’ve had better Italian food elsewhere. We arrived on a Friday night around 8pm and the wait was about 10 – 15 minutes, not so bad at all. But we opted to sit at the bar which of course, is open seating.
The bartenders were very friendly and attentive. I ordered the peach sour which I ended up not liking because it tasted like tea without any alcohol in it. My date ordered something similar to the Old Fashion and I enjoyed that much more. It was very smooth.
For food, I got the Bucatini di Cinghiale which turned out to be nothing special. I originally got it because of the wild boar sausages but it tasted like any other regular sausages w/​spaghetti. I was disappointed. My date got the Pappardelle Bruno and I find that to be a better choice and much more flavorful.
Overall, it’s worth a try if you’ve never been but I probably will not be back.

PORK CHOP
Quit an impressive hunk of pork.
HAVE MERCY
Quite an impressive hunk of man.