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Pizzeria Ortica
Regional Italian featuring traditional Neapolitan pizza from a wood-burning oven and a seasonally inspired menu of antipasti, house-made pastas and extensive wine list featuring wines of California and Italy.
"I think the "interest level" of the food has declined. The menu has some interesting appetizers (love the octopus!) but the main dishes now focus heavily on pizzas. They're OK, but not what they should be, or could be. The restaurant needs to up its game back to where it used to be."
"Great place for dining prior to catching a show at the theatre. Our waiter was fast in service to make sure we got out on time. Pizza is tasty but we felt its overpriced for the type of food and ambiance offered."
"Pizzeria Ortica was recommended by a friend. Our reservations were for 6 PM prior to a show at Segerstrom Theater and it was not crowded at that time. By 7 PM, it was much busier. They have a nice outdoor sidewalk patio for warmer weather.
Our waitress was average. Busboy excellent. We had the meatball appetizer, which came with 2 small meatballs. They were just OK. All 3 persons in our party had pizza. They were gooey in the middle and we weren't thrilled with the choices of toppings. The biggest disappointment was the size of the "specialty" drink. $10 for an incredibly tiny so-so Bellini. Meal was just not worth $40 per person. Lots of other choices in the area."
"A perfect place for dinner before a SCR play. The service, food and drinks were all quite good. The parking is easy, close and free with validation. We were able to split our salad, pizza and dessert and not be overly full sitting thru a play. Do not leave without tasting one of the recommended desserts. We had the Baba al Rhum, which was heavenly. Also, the Venetian Monk cocktail is delicious! Our waiter, Caleb, was very attentive and affable. All in all, a good night! I look forward to returning and trying other menu items. On a separate note, we had our holiday party in the private room at the South end of the restaurant and they were accommodating in every way. It is a great location for private events as they took very good care of us"
Dined on 04/16/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups, romantic, special occasion
"This was our fourth trip to Pizzeria Ortica. It is very convenient for dining prior to attending a show at OCPAC, but it's also good standing alone. The wine list is very good, but we really go for the pizza. It is excellent. The crust is chewy and crisp and the toppings are delicious. It is a little noisy, but if you know that going in, you won't be disappointed."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, kid-friendly, special occasion
"Recommended to me by Chef Roy Choi of Chego, A-Frame and Kogi. The food was just incredible and staff was attentive and genuinely concerned with every detail of our experience. The environment was such that you could bring children or a group, but I think most perfect for a date. Everything is handcrafted and it shows. I can not say enough about Pizzeria Ortica. Bravo to Chef David Myers!"
Dined on 04/06/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
"It was very nice, however, I would be' a bit more generous on starters portions and I would bring some warm bread and butter automatically to the table and not after asking. Believe it or not, Your Pizza is better than some Italian places in Italy and I am Italian from Venice. I will surely be back and please take it as a good critique just to improve what you already do well. Regards"
"If you want a great, not good, but great slice of pizza, and don't mind forking out a few extra dollars for it, look no further than Pizzeria Ortica. Great food, great staff, cool atmosphere, and a good dining experience."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
"This was my third visit. Pizza is delicious. The other food has been fair to good on all occasions. This time the waiter was not good so the experience was less than it has been previously. The waiter was incredibly energetic to the point of being annoying. 2 of the five of us decided to order the sea bass. It was when we ordered that he told us that they didn't have sea bass that night. He suggested the scallop special but neglected to tell them that it was an appetizer portion of 2 scallops. We were excited to bring friends here as we had enjoyed our previous visits. It was quite disappointing."
"love this place! make sure order the prosciutto pizza with an egg on top!"
Dined on 03/25/2013
2004
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, kid-friendly, late-night find, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
"It's the perfect place to go before going to the theater. The food is wonderful and so fresh. We had the salad with fresh greens, gorgonzola cheese, apples, and toasted walnuts. Then the pizza with the sausage, which they make their own and its fabulous. For dessert, the budino is out of this world, I can't even describe how delicious it is."
Dined on 03/14/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, hot spot
"Great place to hit before a show. Pizzas were good and Brussels Sprouts were great. Lots of menu choices. My girls loved the gnocchi. Service is friendly though the restaurant is oddly shaped (like a bowling alley) and it can get noisy."
"This was our 4th time to the restaurant. Love the ambiance, menu etc. and that is why we come back. It was my son's 27th birthday, and he choose the spot. Before I could comment after the meal, he said he thought the quality had gone down a little, and I hate to say it, but I agree.
The appetizers were just ok. Calamari too overcooked, and did not like the flavor of the lamb ciabiatti. The best of the 3 pizzas we had were the Proscuito. Desert killer. Also had the lamb pappadelle(?). I felt the portion was small.
I would still go back, as I like the menu. But please make sure the consistency and quality maintain."
Dined on 03/11/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
"Food and service was mediocre at best. Despite having a reservation, walk-ins were seated in advance of us. Other tables that were sat after us received their bread and their orders were taken in advance of us. When delays were addressed with staff, their response was pretentious. We split a pizza and pasta dish. The ravioli was tasty, but it did not make up for the cost; and the pizza I could have passed on all together. We only considered it as it is walking distance to the theatre (as we were going to see Wicked at Segerstrom's that evening), and they validate for parking to cover dinner and performance. All I can say is thank goodness for the parking; otherwise it would have been a complete and total bust."
"We chose the pizzeria based on a friends recommendation and its proximity to Segerstrom Hall. We chose the $30 OC Restaurant week fixed menu. The portions seemed small for a pizzeria and left us wanting more. The cocktails seemed a bit mall (we had 1 Bellini and two glasses of wine). Our favorite part of the meal was the bread serve with the meatballs (meatballs were bland) and we loved the Tiramisu!
We want to give the restaurant one more chance and try the pizza - which looked delicious and appeared to be a good portion for two to share (saw it on the adjacent table later in the meal).
Our server was a bit cold at first interaction, but he warmed up and by the third course seemed very personable and engaging."
"Only eat here occasionally as I live 25 miles away but always a treat. Great pizza...wish they'd use a bit more mozzarella. Salad fantastic! Great buy for Restaurant Week! Attentive service."
Dined on 02/26/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
"Pizzeria Ortica has the best pizza in the U.S. that I have had. Great crust and sauce/toppings, and all of the options are very well-conceived. The portion size on pizza is correct (not like Pizzeria Mozza where the pizza is good but ridiculously small and not enough for one person!) I highly recommend the polpo e patate as well. They need more organ meats on the menu, though. I would like very much to see them add crostini alla fiorentina."
"Valentine's Day dinner...7:30 reservations...why run out of food and Limoncello for after dinner? Great place to be before going to the Arts Center with all the small plates!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2009
Special Features: special occasion, scenic view, hot spot
"Although the waiter did inform us that the portions were small and meant for sharing and tasting, we would have appreciated larger pasta plates. Overall, DELICIOUS, great service and cool/relaxed dining experience."
Dined on 02/17/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, hot spot