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  • 0

    Average fair. Seem to skimp on the ingredients and the love. They didn't do anything... wrong. Nothing was terrible. Wine list is pretty generic. Seem to be banking on the romantic atmosphere which is nice, it has to be said. I wish somebody in the kitchen had a little more passion for what's being presented, though. Feels tired. I hope they can turn it around. I love local spots with a history.

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  • 0

    Amelia's left much to be desired.

    The BF's family lives on Balboa and so for a pre Mother's day dinner (Grandma was going back to NY) they made reservations here.  I yelped it and thought "oh brother"

    We got lucky and found parking right up front and were sat way way way in the back - we had our own little private area...for a party of about 14.  Appetizers came out...bruschetta, calamari and garlic bread..pretty standard..nothing amazing...the calamari was WAY greasy

    I ordered linguine and Italian sausage..he had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken..it looked greasy.  I did try the butternut squash ravioli and that was the best thing I tried all night.  The "homemade" tiramisu was not up to par.  Overall, we left disappointed.  Probably won't be back.

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  • 0

    My wife and I were vacationing from Rhode Island where we love our food? We truly enjoyed dinner at Amelia's . The meals were fantastic starting with and this is a must the Calamari cooked in garlic and oil  it was fantastic. We also both  had butter nut squash ravioli  and a bottle of   Ferrari cab wine suggested by our server. If your in that area  and would like a quiet , candle lit ,romantic evening with soft music in the the background and friendly attentive service we highly  recommend . Great job Amelia's .

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  • 0

    I'd never been to Balboa Island before so traveling over the bridge from Jamboree was like entering a whole new world, Aladdin style.

    I'm from the east coast (look at my old Yelp reviews!) so I'm used to Jersey Shore, Rhode Island-ey kind of seaside towns.Walking around Balboa Island totally felt like I was back with the gym, tan, laundry folk from my former life. And like the GTL people, I needed to get some Italian food. Gotta get my "mange" on. So wifey and I stopped by Amelia's!

    Not sure if it's a normal menu item but the butternut squash ravioli was fantastic. I had the filet and shrimp scampi and I had no complaints. Wifey dug into the cioppino, and she loved how the seafood was perfectly cooked.

    For those of you not in the know, that's quite an accomplishment because scallops, shrimps, mussels, and fish cook at different speeds. Some serious timing was done in the kitchen.

    Dessert consisted of a chocolate cake which was fantastic and spumoni, which pretty much put me over the edge from full to waddling.

    We enjoyed Amelia's and appreciated the pride our server took in telling us about the restaurant's history. Check it out if you're in the area.

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  • 0

    we dined here on the newport beach resto week... nice quaint place hasn't had an upgrade since the 70's but I'm ok with that!  Food was good, not gushing over it, but i liked it, like the home feel to it - service was good, attentive and prompt food service which likie!  would i run back not likely, but it was good enough to visit a few times a year - prices are steep but i think that's to keep out all the gangsters in newport beach!

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  • 0

    Bread was mediocre. The tortellini seemed store bought.

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  • 0

    Very quaint Italian restaurant with interesting paintings, pictures and wall decor. A nice place to visit and enjoy beautiful Balboa Island.

    We ordered the Linguini Pescatore (assorted fish, bay shrimp, scallops, calamari and mussels in marinara sauce) and the Lasagna Verdi Di Casa. The Linguini Pescatore was pretty good but the Lasagna was below average. We also ordered the an amaretto dessert which was awful and expensive. Maybe the other dessert offerings are better.

    Overall, it's a nice place to relax and dine while you're in the area but the food is average.

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  • 0

    I had a very pleasant time here at Amelia's Seafood & Italian Restaurant! I was greeted by a very friendly hostess and my waitress was wonderful. The place was cute, quaint, and had a romantic feeling about it. I ordered garlic bread and Lasagna con Pollo and everything was very delicious!

    I came here by myself, but I think it would be a lovely place for a date night or a first date :)

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  • 0

    Amelia's serves average Italian fare. Manicotti and Fettuccine Alfreddo were mediocre at best. Fettuccini was bland and the manicotti over spiced. Chicken parm was excellent though. Illy cappuccino good too.

    Service was poor in timeliness and politeness. There are better spots to eat on Balboa.

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  • 0

    If you like the taste of overpriiced microwave food at a ridiculous price you may enjoy this venue. The dishes were tiny, seafood clam soup was tasteless, both our pasta dishes tasted bland, the atmosphere felt very cramped. We spoke with the owner, she seemed very condescending and cocky. The restaurant makes olive garden  look like a 5 star venue.. My wife and I live around the area, we will never go here again... If you like Italian food I recommend visiting ciao which is just seconds away....

    We should of realized  a red flag when there was no wait to get in on a prime time Saturday night..

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  • 0

    Good Italian...service was very good also.

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  • 0

    This is the worst restaurant my family and I can remember eating in.  We are in Balboa for a vacation and have tried almost all the restaurant on the main little strip.  I read a review on yelp from someone who had seen them carrying a bag of costco raviolis in the amelia's kitchen, which obviously is a big red flag. But the place looked cute and like it had nice, old atmosphere so we decided to give it a try.  Bad choice. My seven year-old son could not eat the lasagna because he thought it was awful (and he's really not picky about lasagna). I had lobster ravioli and the raviolis and the sauce were inedible.  Same thing for the other dishes we ordered -- disappointment all around the table.  Yes, it was cute in there, but the food was gross.  I am amazed that people keep the place in business.

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  • 0

    Yep, came here on a daily deals type special deal.  And it was good.  The service was excellent (if you come anywhere near an expiration date for some establishments you tend to get attitude).  The food was great, and this really feels like a family establishment, which it was.  

    Was this worth the regular prices?  Well, maybe, maybe not.  But this was a great dining experience.

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  • 0

    I understand the average of 3 Yelp Stars. The place is Old School and not the fun and nostalgia of Old School :- (

    Great hostess, cute place, attentive bus staff ... food is a B or B-.  The server was not so great as a full 45 minutes was devoted to getting desert, coffee and a cheque.  

    The place has a history in the neighborhood and with the seasonal visitors.  I hope they consider structural changes to keep relevant.

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  • 0

    Great little place right in the middle of Balboa Island. My parents bought a Travel Zoo deal, and included me in on the it...which ended up being awesome because It was totally delish! The decor is cheaky and home-y. Dress up or down, I don't think it really matters.

    We started off with a bottle of wine that was a good label and reasonably priced. For an appetizer we had the classic fried calamari. Which was really great, light and not oily what-so-ever. We each had a different meal containing pasta and some sort of sea-food. I had the angel hair pasts with fresh tomato, basil, garlic and shrimp...it was simple, fresh and delicious.

    Is it the best Italian restaurant that I have ever been to? No. Is it the best pasta that I have ever eaten? No. But it was very good, and when atmosphere, costumer service and experience are considered....this place is definitely a little gem.

    I will definitely be back!

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  • 0

    The place looks tiny from the outside but it can actually seat a good amount of people. The decor is typically Italian, sort of like Buca di Beppo, complete with tacky family photos in mismatching photo frames and giant bottles of wine and oil threatening to tip over any minute, but much homier.

    Our waitress definitely made our meal, even though at first it seemed like she didn't really care about us.

    We came around their peak hours (around 630) I'm guessing, because by the time we left the place was not nearly as filled, with a reservation. We were immediately seated but it took about 40 minutes to get our appetizers alone.

    My mom directed us here thanks to her new travelzoo obsession, so our menu was preplanned, except for mine since the voucher was for couples.

    The waitress recommended the sauteed calamari. Well, I don't recommend it!!! It was like triangles of calamari poorly breaded and then bathed in oil and butter and topped with a ton of lemon juice, lemon zest and parmesan cheese. Sounds good right? But it wasn't. The dish wasn't a complete misfire but I wouldn't order it again. The calamari didn't have the texture of calamari so my mom kept insisting that it wasn't calamari lol. It came with angel hair pasta that was just a bland mound of pasta. Compared to the calamari though, it was a good palate cleanser. I really would've been just fine with some normal fried calamari though.

    The clam bisque was quite divine, velvety and rich. My dad even went back for extra spoonfuls, so you know it's good. The minestrone was decent, I liked the little glob of cheese they topped it with, which really tied the soup together.

    Oh, the bread is just bread. Really lackluster, nothing special, and I don't think it was even toasted or warmed. Oh, well. The reason I bring up the bread is because it was the reason our waitress knocked over my dad's glass of wine, which sadly, made the rest of our evening better lol.

    We got moved to a nicer table inside the room near the restrooms with lots of twinkly lights running across the ceiling. The waitress was also super apologetic (I felt so bad for how bad she felt) and kept checking on us after. She also gave me free dessert lol and gave my mom basically free chardonnay since she didn't really care for her champagne cocktail.

    The butternut squash ravioli was pretty good but didn't look that appetizing. You know that cheese every Italian restaurant offers you when they serve the entree? TAKE IT. Take a good amount of it. The squash was super sweet and the cheese would've complemented it really well, except I didn't ask for enough. Oh, well I still really enjoyed it.

    The jumbo scallops were buttery and perfectly seared, not rubbery at all. The halibut was a-ok. Had a nice little crunch on top but wasn't seasoned too much. Guess the chef wanted to keep the flavor of the fish intact?

    Dessert was kind of whatever. The white truffle dome with passionfruit sorbet sounded a lot better on the menu. It was just super hard white chocolate filled with icy lemony sorbet. I don't really like tiramisu in general so I'm not going to review that. Spumoni is always good, pistachio ice cream is starting to grow on me.

    Not a bad place to stumble upon on travelzoo, but I wouldn't come here everyday without the vouchers. Way too pricey for my wallet.

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  • 0

    Last day to use my Groupon so my partner and I made a last minute dinner reservation.  Restaurant was a little tight.  Cozy homey feel, decorated with photo's, paintings and nautical colors.  40 something year old seating host (who's picture was up on the wall, no doubt Amelia's granddaughter), greeted us without a smile.

    We went there not expecting too much.  We were seated right away.  The place was half full.  Clean tables, walls, floor, ceiling.  Our waitress was very pleasant. Not overly chitchatting or over joyed to see us, which we don't mind at all. I'm pretty leery of people who are "too happy" at restaurants and stores.

    Ordered the mozzarella appetizer, which is basically Caprese elsewhere, large pieces of fresh basil with morsels of soft tasty mozzarella, slices of tomato, drizzled with olive olive.  Yum yum!  

    For dinner, my partner ordered the chicken lasagna with white wine sauce and I ordered Angel Hair pasta with marinara and rock shrimp.  We both agreed that our dishes were not overly salted like the dishes we've ordered from Macaroni Grill or the Cheesecake Factory.  The pasta was cooked al dente, NOT over cooked and mushy.  

    For dessert we ordered the tiramisu which was NOT overly sweet and it was generously soaked in rum, thank you very much!  

    We appreciated that our bus boy kept our bread basket and drinks filled w/o being asked and our server did not constantly, asking if everything was "OK".  We like to get settled in, asked a couple times if everything is OK, but looked at when our server passes by in case we need something.  We really like to be left alone to enjoy each others company and the food on the table.

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  • 0

    I tried a groupon,  but was nervous after I bought it because the yelp ratings weren't great,  man was I happily surprised,  great food,  great service, very good prices and a heart warming story to this 3rd generation restaurant - read the back of the menu.  Highly recommend!

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  • 0

    Owned by the same family for over 50 years!!! Many of the same employees and all of the same great recipes.
    Visit Amelia's for a tasty meal at a valuable price, while enjoying the charm of this quaint Balboa Island charm.
    Don't hassle with parking and treat yourself to a short walk over the bridge to make the most of your experience. Park in the lot at the intersection of Bayside and Jamboree.
    My favorite menu selections would be a Scampi Appetizer, Grilled Vegetable Ravioli (for the table to share), Clam Bisque, Fresh Broiled Halibut, Fettuccini with Chicken Breast in a Spicy Marinara Sauce....and to finish the home-made triple chocolate bread pudding made by the owner. (The bread in this dessert is actually from a local favorite bakery, C'est Si Bon)
    Yum Yum...Enjoy!

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  • 0

    Food was average to poor. Dishes were very plain and standard Americanized Italian food. Vegetables that came with the dish seemed like the same veggie blend I get from Costco. The bread that was served was cold and starting to go stale. Tasted like a day old loaf from a local bakery.

    Service was terrible. Waitress told us that she enjoyed working at this restaurant because it was not as stressful as a busy restaurant. Took over 20 minutes after being seated for her to even come to the table. 40 minutes for drink orders to arrive, and an hour and a half for food orders to start showing up. Service might be better if she carried more than two plates to the table at a time and didn't spend 5+ minutes talking about her personal life at each table.

    The bus boy had some hustle though and did an excellent job. It seems like he is the only person at this restaurant that gives a shit about the customers.

    I believe the only reason that this place even exists anymore is because of the ancient patrons that have been coming here for years and just don't know any better.

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  • 0

    I'm not surprised this restaurant averages a 3. It's nothing more then simply so-so.  We ended up going there because we weren't able to get into Basilica a few doors down.  

    The hostess was great! She had a great personality and was able to squeeze us in on a busy Saturday night. We were pleased.

    My server on the other hand was the opposite of great. First and foremost she never asked if we wanted wine, etc., Why would that not be the first question she asks when she takes our drink order (it's a Saturday for goodness gracious)! I wanted wine and my friend wanted beer but we had to ask her and she had no intention of asking us because we ordered it while we were ordering dinner. We even ordered Calamari for appetizer and she didn't ask us then. My friend thought they didn't have a liquor license but we realized there was a bottle of wine on the table.  If she isn't new to serving she needs to take a refresher course on restaurant service 101.

    Before ordering dinner I did a YELP check-in and it offered $2 off the filet/shrimp dinner. When I told her that there was a $2 discount she looked at me with annoyance and said she's never heard of it and she has to talk to her manager but the way she spoke to me was very rude.  I have NEVER had a reaction like this before, most servers get excited and think it's so funny/great that there was a yelp check-in offer even if they have never heard of it. She also made acted like $2 (are you joking tone). Why wouldn't I take this restaurant up on their Yelp Check-In offer. As an elite yelper I love, love, love businesses that support yelp. So long story short our server made my dining experience quite bad.

    Food was ok.  My friend gave the food a "B". I told them I was going to rate Amelia's a generous 3 because the food was ok.  I ordered the sampler 2 fish and clam linguini. It was pretty good but nothing I'd run back and go through bad service to eat.  I know Amelia's has a long history in Balboa Island but I do hope the owners read the reviews. It's really important to have great service especially in a prime location like theirs.

    Parking is on the street. The restaurant is small so I recommend reservations.

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  • 0

    Rude rude rude. My fiance and I were on Balboa Island to celebrate. We were walking down the street when we smelled something delicious. It appeared to be coming from Amelia's so we walked in. We were given a table almost immediately looked over the menu. After a few minutes we had decided on our dinner choices but a server was no where to be found. When the server finally walked into the room she waited as a large group was just being seated near us. Instead of attending to us, since we had a menus down, had been waiting for a while, and looking around, the server waited till the large party was fully seated and proceeded to walk right past us and take their drink and appetizer orders. And that point we had been sitting for 20+ min without our order being taken and we got up and walked out. This place definitely needs a visit by Gordon Ramsay.

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  • 0

    Some of the food here was average, other things were of lesser quality. I had the clam bisque. The taste was fine but it was very runny & watery. A bisque should be slightly creamy, not watery. My friend had the salad and it was a very generic iceberg salad. I went old school and had the linguine with meatballs for my entree. The linguine was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce was fine but the meatballs lacked any flavor.

    Overall the food was nothing to write home about and I would have given 3 stars if it wasn't for the service. Our waitress was Lisa I think. She started out fine but completely ruined our dining experience once we paid. A minute or two after we finished paying, she rushed over, banged her hand on our table and told us there were reservations on our table so... and rushed away. It was bad enough that we were being told to leave but for her to do it with absolutely no grace or apology completely ruined our dining experience.  

    Will not be returning here again. No need for mediocre food and rude service.

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  • 0

    Dined here with a group of 8.  Nice cozy atmosphere on Balboa island.  Looked like it was going to be a nice Italian dining experience.....
    ...........
    Menu sounded good!
    ...........
    Waitress was a little short and annoyed but after a little joking with her she was great!
    ..........

    Pasta dishes were terrible!!!!!

    The pasta sauce is awful. The pasta dishes ordered were lasagna with marinara meat sauce, spaghetti and meatballs with spicy marinara, linguine and meatballs with marinara.  The entire table agreed that the lasagna marinara tasted like Chef Boyardee.  The spicy marinara was very sweet with a hint of hot pepper flake.  If you like sweet ketchup pasta sauce from the can; this is your place!

    We were very disappointed with the pasta dishes, the side salads were very small with a little iceberg lettuce.  The fish dishes were just fine, properly cooked, but very simple.....you can get great fish anywhere.

    We will never return, sorry.  You need to have much better food!

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  • 0

    I enjoyed this place a lot. Had a party of 5 with no reservation, told us the wait was going to be about 30-35 minutes but ended up being about 15 minutes. The waitress was nice and helpful. As for the food, it was pretty good. I got the Linguine Pacastore (or something like that) and it was good. The only thing about this place I didn't like was there restroom!!! It's a big restroom but the arrangement was weird which made it hard to use. Other than that I enjoy this place a lot.

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  • 0

    Was dissapointed had a filet mignon but taste like old meat and not that so fresh. what happen to amelia? this was supposed to be a good and delicious. paid almost $80 Plus tips. not goin back anymore.

    sorry ;0

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  • 0

    Great location and ambiance.  Food was good too.  Only gripe is no kids menu.

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  • 0

    When trying a new Italian restaurant, I always start by ordering the cold antipasti.  It's usually a good indicator of what to expect from the main course.  We were presented with a dish of prepackaged, supermarket quality meats (no prosciutto) and pimento stuffed green olives.  I expected a better attempt at authenticity and braced myself for the dinner.

    Our entrees were mediocre and not worth the high prices.  The cramped seating and pretentious clientele significantly detracted from our dining experience.  I have no complaints about the waitress, she did her best to accommodate us.

    I definitely won't be returning to Amelia's or Balboa Island for that matter.

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  • 0

    A little restaurant on balboa island. We have had a good meal here as a couple and with a couple of friends.
    The bread is warm and good, they have a nice little salad and soup. Get the fresh fish they put a nice wine  on it and they serve it  with pasta. The lasagna is good as well.
    It's a good place for a weeknight dinner, it wont break the bank and its satisfying.
    Take a walk around balboa after, a nice evening for sure!

    Not a great place but not bad at all, I think they are in the entertainment book.

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  • 0

    I love Balboa Island!
    My BF and I came here for brunch on Saturday around 11:30.
    The restaurant was not busy, just one other couple.
    My BF's boss gave him a $40 gift certificate, so I planned to use is up on one trip.
    When we were seated, they offered drinks. We both ordered water and my BF ordered an orange juice. They served our water and gave us bread and butter, but forgot the OJ.
    I ordered the Eggs Benedict ($14)with canadian bacon, served with hashbrowns and a cup of fruit. Everything on the plate was delicious.
    My BF ordered the tomato, onion, mushroom and mozzarella omlete ($12) with italian sausage, which was also served with hashbrowns and fruit. My BF enjoyed his meal also.
    We ordered two cappuccino's and the gelato.

    I believe our bill was a little over $40. A bit too expensive for the quality of food and service.

    Food and service was OK, but I don't think I will be back to spend out of my own pocket. Pancakes-R-Us is still my FAVORITE breakfast place, they always serve great food at a great price.

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  • 0

    We were extremely disappointed with our experience at Amelia's.  

    It is a Newport landmark, located in a great spot on Balboa Island.  When you enter, you feel like you've been transported back in time.  The inside is (I'm assuming) a converted old house, that has been added on to.    That being said, its about the only redeeming quality it has.

    More than anything, the food here was not good.  We tried a pasta dish and a meat item and we were not impressed.  Our starting salads were also pretty pathetic.  Not at all restaurant quality.  

    With all this we each ordered a glass of house wine and our meal was around $80.  That felt like A LOT to pay based on the crummy food we got.  I am not a good cook, but I would rather stay home and attempt Italian food than go there again.  

    We live in Newport, just a mile or so away from Balboa Island.  We really wanted to like this little old restaurant.

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  • 0

    I'm tempted to give a one star, but I try to reserve that for truly horrific experiences.

    That said, the food is quite poor.  American-ish Italian food, with an okay to less than mediocre wine selection.

    Decor is small town, and tries at quaint and cozy.  I haven't the foggiest whether the eponymous owner would be pleased with how her restaurant has fared since her passing ... but I can't recommend this place in good conscience to anyone...

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  • 0

    I thought I would like to review Amelia's since I usually stop here when I visit Balboa Island. Believe it or not it has been operating here for forty eight years. It is family owned with no big chain influence. The prices ara also moderate. Parking on the is land is like living a Friday the Thirteenth movie. Amelia's is in the center of all the attractions. So it makes sense to have a sit down meal there while taking in the the ambience of  Balboa Boa Island.

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  • 0

    Through most of my childhood we used to call Amelia's the Throw Up Chicken restaurant. Not because the food was bad but because they used to serve wine in these pitchers shaped like chickens and when pours the wine would stream through the chickens mouth. Oh the minds of teenagers.

    It has been a long time since I had dinner at Amelia's. The girlfriend, J, and the parental units wanted to see the boat parade around Balboa Island so in true tradition we planned a meal around the event. Amelia's is definitely a locals place and that is apparent as soon as you walk in because most of the patrons walked a few blocks from their island homes. But even for us mainlanders it's a very friendly and welcoming place.

    Dad and I went with the cioppino. It wasn't the best interpretation of the dish I have ever had but it was exactly the type of comfort food I needed to prepared me for a December stroll on the bay front. Mom and J had something more traditional like manicotti or ravioli. The consensus was "good as always."

    This place isn't the best Italian restaurant but it's world's ahead of the 1-star chains. The prices are very competitive and best of all you are on Balboa Island which is always special.

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  • 0

    I found myself business travelling on my 50th birthday and wanted to eat seafood or Italian near the coast, so I did a search for Italian Seafood and found Amelia's ...I wasn't disappointed.

    I had the Cioppino, it was probably the best Cioppino I've ever had, loaded with lots of different kinds of shell fish and chunks of white fish in a lightly spicy broth but the best part....it was served over Linguine.  I loved it. I mentioned my birthday to the server and was surprised by a great piece of chocolate cake with a candle in it. This was very nice but not the reason why I'm writing this review. The food and service was very good and I hope to be travelling back to the area so I can go back and try something else on their menu.

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  • 0

    I've lived in the Newport-Mesa area a long time, and have probably dined at Amelia's 10 times over the years. It is in a great location, and has had reliably decent food, coupled with friendly servers and a nice atmosphere.  My last two experiences, however, have prompted me to write this review.

    Hopefully, someone at Ameila's will read this.

    Simply put, the food has gone downhill.  The pasta is not fresh, and my fettucine was chewy.  The herb butter sauce was bland and had a too-thick consistency which was quite off-putting.  I needed to add salt  and pepper to make it interesting.

    The marinara tasted like it came out of a can, seriously - bland, flavorless, and too thin.

    The clam bisque was just fine, as was the service.

    I want to support Amelia's, but it is tough when the pasta isn't good.  It  really tasted like the kitchen just didn't care, and that really is disappointing.  Hopefully, they'll turn it around.  It may be because we came early on a weeknight, but that is when they should be trying harder to attract and reward the locals.

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  • 0

    Classic Tourist Trap!!  

    Tried to use an entertainment book coupon here.. The food was terrible.

    The service was horrid.  I don't know how they stay in business.
    We ended up arguing with the manager because they wouldn't let us return our food because it was soo disgusting..  We ended up having to pay because they wouldn't budge.  Very bad business ethics here.

    Parking can be difficult.

    Way overpriced food.

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  • 0

    Love the location on Balboa Island, just a few blocks from the water (makes for a romantic after dinner stroll) and from a ferry that takes you to the other side of the island for only a buck or two. Back to Amelia's though...

    I had the halibut steak, which was amazing, so 4 1/2 stars for that! It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. My date had the cannelloni which he said was pretty good. Only complaint was that it was stuffy inside - they were lucky that I and my then-date werent (arent) big people otherwise we wouldnt have fit into our corner table and theyd have our chairs sticking into the too-small-to-walk-though space until reaching the next table.

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  • 0

    This place deserves five humongous stars because this family owned and operated restaurant is brimming with hospitality, professionalism, and eager friendliness.

    I came here after my sister said that a restaurant named Amelia's opened their closed doors to her and her boyfriend when it was super late on their anniversary and they couldn't find a place to eat their celebratory dinner.  How sweet is that?  I saw the pictures they ended up taking and the ambiance was perfect and the staff looked so damn happy about the whole precious moment.  It was like a mini celebration!  All of that effort from 9 - 11 pm at night??  Now that's remarkable.

    I took my visiting parents here months after that, and the welcoming atmosphere hadn't changed at all.  Everyone is still eager to tell you the history behind the restaurant and to share stories about previous owners and family members.  The set up is tight and cosy, like eating in the kitchen of a good friend. And truly, you really do feel like a welcome family guest.

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  • 0

    I'm no connoisseur of Italian food,  so i probably didn't appreciate the pasta as much as i could have.

    The food was okay.   The desserts are good.   Decent pasta, though  somewhat overpriced.  They don't advertise the pasta as being freshly made unlike Pasta Connection, so I'll assume it isn't.  Parmesan cheese is grated fresh as table side service.    They have an hour window at sunset with a list of discounted pastas.

    The restaurant  is kind of cramped but cozy.  At night the back of the place is more darkly lit than the front.  Somewhat romantic and elegant with tablecloths, linen napkins, and tabletop candles.

    Parking is kind of bad.  The restaurant is on Balboa Island so you have to park along the main street or the residential streets behind the whole block.

    I'd go to this restaurant again just for the novelty, but only if i am in the area, but i wouldn't drive out of my way to go there.

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