Aldo’s Sidewalk Caffe

So sad you have closed but happy for you and wish you the very best in your new endevors. I’ve been enjoying your many wonderful recipes for 20 years!!! My fav’s are your Vegi Fritatta, Lunch Plate, Tuna Pasta, Mediteranian with Grilled Chicken to name a few! Heard you moved to Italy but if you haven’t I think you should teach a cooking class so I can learn to cook my favs! You are an incredible chef and will be missed by the San Juan Community very much.
Paula G

All week me and my 6 yr old son have been talking about visiting Aldo’s. We were craving Aldo’s food. Unusual cravings to go see Aldo — for some odd reason. Even though we were just there a few weeks ago. So I waited until Saturday so my husband could join us. We drove down to San Juan and ordered our favorites. Then another patron visiting said something that made my heart drop into my stomach!
«Today will be Aldo’s last day, he’s tired and has sold the place!»… I looked up in utter shock and disbelief… After a few more minutes of having an OMG moment, Aldo returned with our drinks. I saw a great deal of distress in his usual charming face. He looked very tired and explained that he was moving on and will no longer be here. He was tired working long long hours for many many years. And the time had come. And today would be his very last day. :-(
Farewell Aldo!.. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors… I hope you have a blast, as you mentioned that you’d be going to Italy for a few months to visit.
Your excellent service and delicious Italian food have been a part of our lives for the last 20 plus years, and you will be dearly missed! And we are so glad we got to see you today to say goodbye and wish you a farewell from some of your biggest fans!

Just tried the #4 pannini lunch special. Got ½ sandwich and a ½ Caesar salad for just $ 6. Great deal!

Delicious! The paninni sandwiches are excellent. Worth the trip. Felt like I was back in Italy. Outdoor seating also.

This place does not look like much from the outside but the food I regularly get here is amazing. Don’t let the low prices deceive you. The owner is a true Italian who puts real care into his dishes. He is exceptionally friendly as well.
The food is better than in any of the pseudo-​Italian or wanna-​be-​fancy Italian restaurants I have been to in the area.
Expect authentic Bolognese sauce made with plenty of carrots and real bay leaves. You can buy the sauce to take home as well which I often do.
The baguettes taste like real bread from Europe. I don’t know where he gets them but I regularly pick one or two up just to have at home.
They have truly authentic Tiramisu there as well which tastes just like it does in Italy and is served in a glass as opposed to being sliced into a wedge. That also helps keep it fresh and from falling apart so quickly.
In all fairness I am not really a huge fan of the chicken dishes but that is perhaps personal preference and given how much I love the rest of the food, this place still deserves the 5 star rating.
The lunch specials come with soup or salad, warm toasted baguette slices and butter. A really unbeatable deal considering the quality of food.

We shared meatball and chicken parmesan paninis’. They were both good, if nothing spectacular. I think there are probably other places we would try when we’re in the area again.

I don’t give 5 stars. Read the reviews on Unilocal and decided to try. On a Monday evening at 8pm I was the only customer. Service food and value extraordinary.

Salmon Ravioli! The BEST! Ever! I love Aldo! He’s a great man and makes great food!

Just stopped in for coffee and the owner was there helping the customers and greeting everyone.
I felt 100 times better buying a cup of coffee from a man rather than a corporation.
The place appears to be all about people, as it should be.
Next time my wife and I will try the food.

Stopped in for lunch today:
Excellent waitress – Bianca
Delicious pasta and wonderful lentil soup.
Aldo, the owner, has created this jewel of a restaurant as an act of love. You can tell as much by his delightful cooking and ambiance.

Stopped in with the family and we almost didn’t go in as it looks like a sandwich shop. Glad we did. It was a great local find. I had amazing fresh halibut and shrimp and kids had pasta. All was very good and beyond reasonable in cost. Don’t let the outside décor an strip mall location deceive you! A local gem!

Well on and all Aldo’s is awesome! Vary pricey but good food. On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a 4. If you don’t like a friendly and a talkative, Italian manager you will not like Aldo’s.again about the food it’s pretty good. I can’t discribe much more but all of the above!!! I get it a (thumbs up)

Totto Benne! We love this little place.
Seating indoors & out. Small, quaint, unpretentious, and totally delicious! Everyone in there knew the owner (Aldo) who greeted every table personally, served food along with another server, and bussed tables. No ego here. Just a fun couple if guys from the old country bringing Italian yumminess to the OC.
We’ve tried the Gorgonzola sandwich, the meatball sandwich, the spicy chicken and avocado sandwich, and the capellini with eggplant. They were all wonderful but the true standout was the meatball sandwich. Holy heck people, that thing is delicious!
Fabulous dinner salads lightly dressed with Caesar dressing were served with the meals. The free bread and unsalted butter is to die for. Really flaky, crispy, and light.
Wednesday nights they serve an all you can eat pasta bar for $ 9.95. It includes salad. It’s a deal. I could come here every Wednesday forever.
Regular menu prices run between $ 10.50 and about $ 17. Most dishes are around $ ¹²⁄₁₃.
Bottom line: wonderful little small business that you’ll want to visit again and again!

Legitimate italian family restaurant! !!! The service is amazing and the pasta is beyond. Absolutely coming back with all my food lovers. Omg!!! Still cant get over this yummy pasta.

The better half and I had walked by this place several times and always smell awesome aromas emitting from this small caffé, so while walking Kaya around San Juan Capistrano one weekend, we finally decided to stop and taste what our noses have been smellin’.
With Kaya there was no option other than sitting outside, but there is limited seating inside the caffe too. Once we found a table outside, a server dropped off menus and took our drink orders (they even gave Kaya some water in a to-​go styrofoam container).
The menu consists mostly of pastas, but there were some Panini sandwiches and salads on the menu.
The server returned with our drinks (the lemonade was fresh) and some toasted Panini (
) with butter, olive oil and balsamic. The toasted Panini was good and the olive and balsamic both had good flavor.
For our entrees, my lovely wife was really feelin’ Italian and ordered the Tuna Salad (
). Mama Luna! The only thing more Italian than this salad is Chicken Ala Pasta (Defrosted Chicken Nuggets, sitting on lukewarm Pasta, with Ketchup Sauce). Cha Bella! I selected the Meatball Parmigiana Panini (
), not quite as an Italian dish as what my better half chose, but I do love a spicy meatball.
The came out very quickly considering the operation appears to just be three people, a server, a prep cook and the chef /​owner. Laina really enjoyed her salad for the most part, it had a good amount ingredients, two good size scoops of Albacore Tuna and an excellent Italian dressing. The irony was the salad was actually better than my Panini, so the wife gets the last laugh. The Panini was nicely toasted, the marinara had a good flavor, but although the meatballs were soft and tender, I found them a little bland. It was also a decent size Panini for the price.
During our meal the owner /​chef came out to check on us and to give Kaya some chicken breast.
Rohlinism: Want to score points with dog owners? Give special treatment to their four legged family members!
We were very impressed with the extra attention Kaya was given and the service was efficient and very friendly. It is always nice when you sit out on the patio and you don’t feel completely forgotten. The owner /​chef even asked me questions about Kaya as I was paying our bill, the extra interest really impressed me.
I know Laina was eying the Fettuccine Alfredo which was order by other patrons during our meal, so I can see a return visit in our future.

How can I not be a fan of any spot that treats my dog Kaya like royalty?!
Aldo’s is a small spot in a large strip mall in SJC, you could easily miss it, but we were walking Kaya around on previous other occasions and the smell (literally beckoning you to dine) was drifting out the doors. On one SJC walk-​about with Kaya, we decided to stop all the fuss and eat dinner there and we are glad we did. Solid homemade food, great and friendly service. Fresh lemonade, fresh toasted crusty bread, served with butter and O&V for dipping.
I went light and not very «Italian» on my first visit and had a fresh and delicious tuna salad. Crisp lettuce, 2 medium size scoops of albacore with mayo onion and spices, with some fresh mozzarella cheese and one of the better homemade Italian dressings I’ve had, with some layers of avocado.
Hubby had a meatball panini and liked it but didn’t love it. I judged it okay from my small bite, but I’m admittedly not a marinara girl. The menu is on the smaller side, which I’m sure helps keep costs down, but the basics are there.
How was Kaya treated like royalty? Aside from the tidbits she got from us, the chef, possibly owner came out to say hello and brought her chicken (a fave) and she happily accepted each bite.
Thanks for the delicious food, the friendly & welcoming service, and we will be back … must try the yummy looking fettucine alfredo that I saw other patrons enjoying.

Excellent pesto and fettuccini. Nice ambience. Aldo the owner is always present, insuring a high level of quality. The panini sandwiches are wonderful. Fresh, hot bread while you wait. Very nice experience.

Amazing food! We always split the caprese chicken salad and add cucumbers, and the avocado chicken salsa sandwhich, it has a little kick to it;)
The place isn’t fancy, but that’s the charm:)

Here’ the thing about Aldo’s: you are never sure how things will turn out. It might be a great experience snd of might be a terrible one.
Aldo himself is a delightful guy. And the food can be excellent. But it seems to change from day to day. The service is rarely good because Aldo either doesn’t know how to hire and train or he just doesn’t get it.
If you are in a generous mood and willing to gamble on what day it is, good one or bad one, then you could have a great experience.

I finally feel comfortable getting genuine Italian food in Southern California. I run across so much the Italian American «cuisine» down here, I was beginning to lose hope. This is a small place in the corner of a medium-​sized single-​story shopping center. The menu is simple and straightforward but complete.
I felt like indulging a little bit, so I went for an Alfredo with spinach and ham, atop fettuccine. The combination of cream and cheeses was very well-​balanced, not too heavy, easy to finish; very enjoyable. The bruschetta appetizer was well balanced as well although I would always add a little more garlic, but that’s just me.
Ali had Angel hair with olive oil, tomato, garlic, and basil. Very nice balance there again.
Well, this is the best Italian I have had in Southern California so far. Aldo is a Northern Italian; I tend to prefer their flavors in the kitchen.