J Trani’s

Had a great family birthday celebration at Trani’s last night. I highly recommend ordering «family style» if there are 6 or more in your group. Of course, one can’t go to Trani’s without starting off with their calamari new style. After that we shared pancetta pizza, salad, 2 different pastas, and swordfish. Topped things off with a complementary birthday Tiramisu. Food and service great as usual. Without question, my favorite place for a special occasion dinner.

I am from New Jersey and have been struggling to find decent Italian food here on the west coast. I came in expecting the usual sub par Italian food, until our food starting arriving at the table. The calamari was amazing. It was served with a sauce already on it which tasted great! Next was the meatballs. It made me feel like I was back home. They were so good I proceeded to order the Spaghetti and meatballs. My friend had the Chicken Marsala, which i of course had to taste, and it was amazing. Overall everything was great! The server was on top of our order the whole time and was very polite and hospitable. I will return again.

04/​12/​2016 was my first time dining there. My friend told me about it and we just drove right out to try — I was really impressed with the quality of the food.
We were greeted with a smile when we walked in and were seated in 2 minutes.
It’s a 90year old Italian restaurant run by 4^th generation of Italians and I think they maintain the Italian pride in their food for sure.
I ordered gnocchi and my friend had spinach ricotta ravioli — all their pasta’s are made in house from scratch and the quality just shows right in the dish.
Gnocchi was soft, very light and filling, was surprised with the quantity too, couldn’t finish it all but was worth it.
Spinach ricotta ravioli was fresh, felt like flavors dancing in my mouth.
They have specials on Wednesdays — don’t forget to make reservations. We are going again to this lovely place!

Love the atmosphere, love the food! The calamari is the best around. Even a great place to just sit at the bar for a drink and some appetizers.

This restaraunt is beautiful! The interior makes me feel like I’m actually in Italy! They have nice seating, especially important for me since I was eating with a large group of people. First thing that made me feel incomparable was when one of my friends showed me his water cup, which had a small piece of bread in it. I was surprised since it was being passed out by a pitcher. This was before any food was passed out so I knew he couldn’t be playing a joke. Then, when I received my water, I caught a glimpse of a piece of lettuce. I was astonished as to why both our waters had these things in them. The food was fine, pasta tasted amazing, but for the rest of the night, I was off put by the fact that there was food in our cups. I didn’t complain to the waitress because it was only a minor issue, but just surprised that it happened. Otherwise, great food and great architecture.

This place has awesome food classy old school vibe Spot would recommend for dinner and drinks chef TRANI is awesome

Went to Trani’s tonight and I must say the food was delicious. The calamari was to die for it was excellent every entrée we had was so good… Thank you Trani’s for keeping the food real. And the staff was also great I highly recommend it if you have never been there…

I’ve found J Trani’s via a LA Times article about the best restaurants in San Pedro. I was looking for a good restaurant for my husband’s b-​day and J Trani’s seemed a good fit for it.
It belongs to the same family for generations, which is nice and the youngest one is a cool chef who upgraded the menu and created cool twists on classics.
The parking is a bit hectic, we did find a spot in the bank’s parking lot next by, you can use it late at night or on Sundays.
I’d recommend to make a reservation for this place. It’s one of the best in the area, so everyone comes here to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary. They also have their regulars, too. It can get crowded.
We loved their food, from the delicious bread from the house (2 types– one with sesame and the other with cheese and onions) served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, to their beautiful calamari new style that melts in your mouth (had to try it since everyone was raving about it, we got a full portion, but you can get half) and the pizza with pancetta, potato (I was wondering about it, but the slices are so thin, it works well with everything else, I’m glad I branched out), parmesan, mozzarella, truffle oil, chives that we shared. It’s plenty of food for two people. I can’t say I loved their dessert, we got the walnut bread pudding with rum, it wasn’t bad, it was just OK.
The service is good, attentive, but if you want fast service, this isn’t the place, you’re not rushed, you can enjoy your food. Amber was our server and she was very attentive, came to check on us and to bring more water (they have nice bottles for the table), so we were able to enjoy our conversation and the cozy atmosphere. She never tried to push things on us. There’s a TV only in the bar area, otherwise, there’s music playing in the background.
Cons: we got Cabernet from the house and they weren’t generous with it (far from it), it was kinda cold, the AC was on full blast in the winter and the décor is a bit strange, I can’t say I’m a fan of the stuffed animals on the wall. And prices are a bit high.
Otherwise, a nice restaurant, decent atmosphere, unique food.

I haven’t been on Unilocal in a while but I will try to remember to write a review for places I’ve been to. Anyway, I’ve been here probably three or four times, and every time I’ve been there it’s been amazing.
Items I’ve had at Trani’s (throughout the times I’ve been there): risotto balls, duck with polenta (the polenta wasn’t my favorite but I don’t like polenta much to begin with), swordfish, new style calamari, pancetta pizza, mashed potatoes… All have been good. The mashed potatoes looked really run down with liquids but it was very velvety.
The pancetta pizza was amazing. I crave this, along with the risotto balls from time to time.

Okay, I’m not usually the type of person to give such a low rating. But honestly this place is not somewhere I would go back to. My husband and I each ordered a whiskey sour (which was just okay, they said they used fresh ingredients. But it didn’t taste like it!) I got the Caesar Salad, it was good. But so salty,!! I mean how hard is it to make a salad! My husband got a pizza, it was so greasy, that he could only eat one slice. Basically a gut bomb! So to try and see if they could maybe improve our disappointed feeling towards the place I ordered a Amaretto sour… Again it was «okay»! However. When we got the check they charged me $ 22 for the Amaretto Sour! What??? I’ve never paid that much for an amazing cocktail. Little alone this weak, nasty one! Then upon us complaining, the manager tried to explain to my husband (for about 10 minutes) that it was their «top shelf» Amaretto! Ha! What? Anyway. We will never go back! The only good thing was the waitress, Josie! She was a doll. And I hope they appreciate her there because she should be working somewhere else!

In a nearly empty dining room, we were seated at the table closest to the kitchen. Servers and busters were brushing past us the whole time. My gnocchi pasta was dry and flavorless, but the server didn’t know because she didn’t check on us until my boyfriend was done with his and we were ready for the bill.
We came here to try a new place but this is most likely the first and last visit.

We were treated to dinner here on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and it was wonderful.
Our host had pre ordered the menu for us and she did a great job.
Calamari with a light Thai sauce, Pizza, Salad, beef on potatoes, swordfish, a penne past in a delicious red sauce and desert and coffee if choice.
All the food was very very tasty.
They have a full bar that I enjoyed.
I’d come back here again.

First time in…
I do have to say, this place is great while walking in we were greeted with smiles and so much detail to our needs. I do recommend taking the time and call in for a reservation. I order the 16oz Rib-​eye steak (medium) and it was delicious my friend order the lasagna and was given a 10 out of 10. I do have to point out a few things the food was so fresh I could tell on each bite and the desert is a must. To finalize i want to point out ones again the excellent customer service… Lucila was super attentive to our needs and she was not even a waitress. Will be back again for the food and because I am their neighbor :-)

Came here last night for dinner. Was our third time here in the past three years, and did not disappoint again!
Even though the place was packed (likely due to Wine & Dine Wednesday) and the food took forever, we still had a great experience, thanks to the delicious food and awesome service.
Family had the calamari, which was out of this world, pork belly and salads to start. All excellent. For entrees, the flat iron steak, swordfish, duck, gnocchi, butternut ravioli and chicken Marsala. No one was disappointed with their choice and everyone was raving. Wine we picked was also superb. Excited to come back again soon.

Another positive review for this past Friday night. The place was crowded but the service and food pacing was still on par. I had a server I’ve never had before, Justin, who did a fine job.
With no kids my wife and I got to enjoy a bottle of wine, and relax over a great meal. See my past reviews, we had our favorites; risotto balls appetizer, large gulf shrimp appetizer (only available on occasion), and the short rib pasta — all are «A» selections.
Thanks for another great night.

This was our first time at this restaurant and we weren’t disappointed. The food and service were both awesome. I had the short rib pasta and my husband had the duck. I’m not a duck person but my husband said it was delicious! I know mine certainly was! As an appetizer we had risotto balls. Deep fried risotto with a cheesy middle… whats not to love there?! The desserts were very generous as well as decadent. The staff went above and beyond to ensure that we had a great evening!
I want to also mention that our server was Amber. Both she and the maitre’d paid close attention to where we were in our meal and to make sure we had everything that we needed.

I’ve recently been to J Trani’s twice this summer and both times have been very enjoyable. The food is cooked to perfection and the service is extremely friendly. I recommend choosing from their specials. l, as well as ordering dessert. Their tiramisu is one of the best I’ve had. Their portions are pretty big so if you’re like me and don’t have the ability to finish a whole plate, rest assured, their food is still pretty good the next day and makes you pretty excited for lunch the next day.
The one waitress I would definitely recommend is Josey. She is super friendly and helpful in making recommendations or suggestions if you have certain dietary limitations. She makes sure your experience at J Trani’s is a great one and totally makes you want to come again.

The lady and moi had an art and jazz show to attend nearby, and I of course hit up Unilocal.We are so glad to have found this very old school family run resto. Old school as in 4^th generation Italians.
We were greeted by a very lovely and professional hostess immediately upon entering. Luckily we arrived before 6:00 on a Friday night, or I am afraid we would have been turned away. Reservations are an absolute must, at least on weekend nights. The interior is all redbrick, and the vibe is a little on the formal side, but still relaxed. Service could not have been any better. Our waitress was well informed, and gave us great suggestions. Even her backup crew were friendly and on top of their game.
We both love grilled octopus, and theirs is a great version. Lightly grilled to perfection, and oh so tender. We also ordered two house green salads that were huge. Probably the only complaint we had was that the «creamy blue cheese dressing» was exactly that. Creamy yes, to the point that there wasn’t any blue cheese to be seen, and not much of a blue cheese taste either. We should have requested a side of blue cheese crumbles to lace the top of the salad with.
For our entre we split the spinach ricotta ravioli, and they were incredibly flavorful and tender. As soon as my fork hit the first one I could tell these babies were homemade that day. The waitress warned us that there were not that many, and we may want to consider an additional item, but the aforementioned was more than enough.
We loved pretty much everything about our visit, and would definitely make a redo. We both appreciate this old historic port town as well, and will look forward to finding another occasion to make the trek to «Pedro» soon.

What a lovely restaurant. It seems like J Trani’s is a restaurant that has many regulars. The workers seemed to know all of their customers. Nice ambiance for this Italian restaurant.
My boyfriend brought me here on a Friday night for dinner around 5:30 PM. There wasn’t too many tables that were filled yet. However as 6PM rolled around, more and more people came and the place was almost full! I guess J Trani’s is the place to eat after work on Fridays!
The reason my boyfriend brought me here was for their pear pizza. ($ 15.00) It is made with Caramelized Bosc Pears and fresh mozzarella ricotta & Gorgonzola cheese. The pizza was really unique and I wanted to love it, but the only thing that kept me from loving it was that it was way too oily! Right when it came out all I saw was a layer of oil on top. Even after I blotched the top with paper napkins, I could still taste a lot of oil on the pizza. This pizza would have been perfect if it had less oil!
The other dish we ordered was the Local «Calamari New Style» ($ 13.50)
Fried & tossed with a sweet Thai aioli, greens, balsamic reduction.
This appetizer was amazing! It was probably one of the best calamari’s I’ve ever had. The Thai aioli and balsamic reduction is what made this dish. It wouldn’t have been this delicious without it. The calamari was fried just perfectly, not too much and not too little either.
The complimentary bread that they give you was also amazing. One was a sesame type of bread and the other one had onions in it. Omg the onion bread was sooooo good. It kind of tasted of Asian onion bread! It was so good that we had our server refill our bread basket like 3 times… No shame though…
Wonderful first experience. I will definitely be back to try other dishes!

J. Trani, amazing testimony to a family that can own & improve on its restaurant through 4 generations since 1925 located in what was originally the port & fishing village of San Pedro. The present structure was built in the late 1980’s, & looks like a modified Cape Cod that has touches of Victorian & Witch architecture with its twisty dual chimneys & witches hat roof over the part housing the bar.
The interior is a mix of a hunting lodge with the obligatory elk head, and a stuffed male mallard duck pinned against the wall as if in perpetual flight w/​its wings extended in a vain attempt to escape. In homage to many Italian American restaurants depicting scenes of the home land, in back there is a trompe l’oeil al fresco outdoor scene from something that looks like the rolling Tuscan countryside with a villa & vineyard, as seen from the terrace of some countryside palazzo. And believe it or not, the other stuffed duck is flying across the morning golden sky, never to reach its intended destination.
We had reservation for 5:45pm on a Monday so we were whisked right into the dining room by the hostess & a very personable Maitre d’restaurant. He asked us if this were the first time to J. Trani’s, and related some of the history of this restaurant. We talked about the L.A. restaurant scene, & he gave out tips on what unusual places to eat. Later we found out how eagle eyed he was in spotting service needs & filling in when the servers had their hands full.
Josie was our server, who was young & enthusiastic about her work. We ordered the house Chianti which is made from Sangiovese which turned out to be dark, purplish red, jammy, smooth, mellow tannins w/​a bit of acid, dark fruits, & a slight resinous finish. It was going to be perfect for pairing w/​what we had in mind.
1) Local «Calamari New Style» was the standard Calamari Fritti, but tossed in an unusual combination of Aceto Balsamico & Thai Sweet Chile Demi-​Glacé sauce. This sauce was in some sense like the Italian Agrodolce sour/​sweet concept but way heavier on the dolce. There was tiny, fresh Thai purple basil leaves which when applied to each slice of the calamari, left an aromatic, green herbal that added a resinous smokiness which went well with the Chianti. The proportion is ginormous & can feed 4 people as an appetizer easily. The Maitre d’ mentioned there was a ½ order.
2) Trani’s Special Mixed Greens had basil infused aceto balsamico dressing, red onions, super sweet tomato w/​great garden fresh tomato flavour, mushrooms, rich, but not funky goat Feta cheese. This rich salad of strong, sweet grape derived vinegar & dairy rich feta will satisfy two people & can be split.
3) Roasted Veal Chop Saltimbocca Style was topped with Prosciutto ham, Mozzarella & bits of sage w/​a Marsala wine demi-​glacé sauce. The veal chop is impressive… thick, meaty w/​the rib bone seeming to fly right out of the bone in a long arc. This was a variant of Saltimbocca alla Romana which is usually thin slices of veal, topped with the above ingredients, but usually done in white wine sauce.
The marsala demi-​glacé made the sauce rather sweet which may have overpowered the delicate flavour of the humongous bone in veal. A small dish of mashed potatoes drizzled with white truffle oil which added a delicate but distinct woodsy, mildly acidic damp humus soil bouquet to the earthy potatoes. Saltimbocca means «jump in the mouth» since Romans thought it was so delicious it seemed to fly into the waiting mouth.
Because the portion of food here was so generous, & also, by accident, since all 3 courses tended to be on the sweet side, there was no opportunity this time to try out one of their desserts.
All the foods I have sampled on this first occasion definitely had strong flavours especially in terms of sweetness with the use of Thai Chile Sauce, aged Aceto Balsamico, & Marsala wine as well as the acidic components having been emphasized. Depending on the palette, this may be the ideal taste combination or just a bit too cloying.
I would place the food portion to be 3+ Unilocal stars, but the warm reception & kind polite hospitality to the point of opening the door for us as we left the restaurant by the Maitre d’ persuades me to round up to 4 Unilocal stars.