This place is AMAZING!! My fiance and I have been looking for a great Italian restaurant for a while and we were both pleasantly surprised to find this place! Upon arrival we were greeted by the hostess, our server, and the owner. We were promptly served a flight of wine which we selected, all three were delicious. Then we started with the delicious house salad. it was served with feta cheese and their house dressing, which was to die for. both of our pasta dishes had to be the best we had both ever had. The customer service was outstanding, the food was terrific and the price was reasonable.
Review Source:Glad we found this spot! My girlfriend and I were looking for a good Italian restaurant near my work and decided to give this one a try. It's tucked in a shopping center strip mall and because I like my restaurants quaint with a good atmosphere, strip mall restaurants rarely let me down. Right when we walked in, we felt very comfortable. The tables are spaced nicely and there was beautiful live guitar playing in the next room (wine room). We had Lauren (owner) as our waitress and she was wonderful! She introduced her husband Pablo (the other owner) over and he was very nice as well. Pablo helped us decide on a wine. You can tell they are passionate about their restaurant and the type of experience each customer has.
Ok, The FOOD.... We split the Rigatoni alla Lauren and the Lobster Ravioli. They were  both EXCELLENT! Both plates were loaded with meat and lobster and they complimented each other perfectly. The Rigatoni had a real flavorful yummy sauce and the Lobster sauce was lighter which was ideal with a less zestful meat.
Not sure what the name of the wine was but it was fairly priced for the quality. We ended up hanging out well after our dinner to take in the music and enjoy our bottle of wine.
Since Sebastiani's is our new favorite Italian Restaurant, we will be back, often!
I came here with a girlfriend and had a quiet dinner. The mood is casual but the lights are perfectly dim for a romantic date. Their appetizers are delicious, their pastas are reasonably priced and portioned and the service is just perfect. They also offer alcohol; we ordered an Italian beer called Peroni. Not bad but next time, I think wine is the way to go.
They, of course, serve you bread, which I think was a delicious rosemary focaccia. Dip that in the olive oil/balsamic that is in the grape-shaped glass container on the table or the green sauce. That green sauce is SO delicious, they need to give more of that. For the appetizer we ordered the arrancini siciliano, which is basically fried risotto.
They are located next to their wine bar where you can do a bit of wine tasting before or after dinner which I think makes this spot a great date place.
What an incredible dinner! Â
Loved the meatball and calamari appetizers. Â The arancini was ok, but didn't compare to the other two. Â
Had a fantastic waitress; not just easy on the eyes but also great with the advice in ordering. Â After asking her opinion, settled on the chef's special "Risotto Milanese." Â If they can make this part of their permanent menu they should. Â A delicious risotto topped with Veal Ossobucco?!?! Â One of the most delicious meals I've ever had, and enough food for 2 servings. Â I can only hope the leftovers are half as good as the dish was upon serving!
Was told the Lamb Canelloni was amazing as well, but could't get away from the Risotto long enough to share a bite of my friend's dish. Â
Everyone in our party seemed beyond satisfied with their entrees.
Can't wait to go back!
VERY solid italian food. Â It's fresh and homemade and the location is family owned. Â How can you go wrong?
It's in a small strip mall but don't let that fool you. Â It's romantical inside and the overall vibe is very chill and nice. Â Great spot for a date!
I've tried the spinach ravioli and the Penne Arribiata. Â Both were fantastic. They serve bread ahead of time (too bad it's not warm ... but it's soft and tasty) along with a pesto type green sauce that is delicious!
Their salads are simple and delicious. Â I tried their minestrone soup last time and it was great - probably the most flavorful minestrone i've ever had ... without being over powering.
The service is always super friendly and efficient. Â Oh and they offer a house type wine for a cheaper price than what's on their wine list - ask about it!
I don't usually do Italian, but when I do I will definitely prefer Sebastiani.  Why?  First visit with great company and a meal to die for...really I could die..I am a diabetic so I shared an entry with my dear friend.  My gosh this angel hair lemony taste pasta with salmon and cooked to perfection was phenomenal.  Wait but that's not all....we also ordered a creme brulee  My sugar level are off the roof, well..at least If I die I had a great meal. Â
But that's not all, if you go on certain Friday, you will be entertain by live musician. Â This completed an excellent dinner with a dear friend. Â
Your stupid yelper,
Rene
P.S. Â Tip the musician and the waiter/tress don't be a cheap skate.
We are regulars at this family owned bistro and hesitant to write a review for fear that it will increase the crowd. Â That siad, we owe it to the community and the hard working folks that run the resturaunt.
The food is excellent (lamb shank is my favorite) plenty of affordable wines, and live music in the wine bar. Â They have great wine paring dinners and specials on Thursdays.
Well worth a visit, you will not be disappointed.
david
I discovered this little hidden gem while trying to find Cafe Cup across the street. Â I'm very glad that I had to search a little, because I would have never seen this cute little Bistro and Wine Bar. Â We had been at Bella Terra waching a movie, and didn't want to deal with the chaos of the Bella Terra restaurants. Â So, I checked my trusty bookmarks, and this place popped up. Â
When we walked into the restaurant (you enter on the wine bar side), we were left standing there and not greeted for like 5 minutes. Â Also, there is no hostess stand, so we were unsure of what to do or where to go. Â What was worse, is that the owner was there walking around and chatting up the regulars, while we were just standing there..Bueller....Bueller...
When we were finally seated in the jam packed restaurant side at a little two top. Â It was right in the doorway of the kitchen area, and the servers couldn't manage to pass by our table without bumping into me or my purse on the chair back. Â Just a bit cramped to be sure. Â
They had a very decent wine and beer list, and I opted for a nice crisp Chardonnay, and my Husband enjoyed a Peroni. Â My husband went with the soup (perfect choice on this very cold night), and said that the Creamy Mushroom soup was excellent. Â I started with a Caesar Salad- very fair, but I like a lot more anchovy in my Caesar.
For our entrees, my Husband went for the Beef Short Rib Rissotto. Â This was not to his liking. Â After trying a bite, I explained to him, that this was not a well executed dish. Â The rice was overcooked, and not toothy, and it was a bit bland. Â Also It was too thick and congealed. Â It needed to be looser. Â I tried the Braised Lamb Canneloni. Â It was a much better dish, and very delicious. Â
We both decided that when we return (and we will), we will stick with the classics, such as Chicken Marsala or Piccata. Â The dessert list looked great with many of the standard Italian desserts- Tiramisu, Panna Cotta, Spumoni, etc.
Was looking for a place in OC to meet up with some out-of-town friends on Thanksgiving weekend and really wanted to avoid anything near a busy shopping center. Then I remembered Nino R's review of this place and it sounded like it would fit the bill. Sure enough, it's located in a sleepy shopping center and when I rolled up at 6pm there was plenty of parking. The place itself was pretty bustling, though--when I walked in a fair amount of the dining room and the bar area was full. I hadn't made reservations but there wasn't a problem getting a table in the bar area, which looked more appealing, anyway. That is, until the "live entertainment" showed up. I should've been suspicious of a guy walking around in a sparkly black shirt. And when the median age in the place is like 60. Yes, it was a Neil Diamond tribute guy! Uh...look, I love "Sweet Caroline" as much as the next person but I don't necessary want to hear the entire ND oeuvre while I'm eating dinner. Especially when it's kind of on the loud side. So let that be a warning to you if you're thinking of dining in the bar area.
That said, my friends and I really enjoyed our food. The complimentary bread was a good start, and I ordered the Rigatoni alla Lauren--"rigatoni pasta with white mushrooms, pancetta and Italian sausage in a spicy special pink sauce". The pasta was nicely al dente and the sauce and ingredients had a nice balance of flavors. I forget what my friends ordered but I know they liked it. I think I might have enjoyed my experience better overall had we come at a less busy and "entertaining" time, but since I wouldn't mind coming back here I'll have to give it the designated "fan" rating. Good reasonably-priced Italian fare in a pleasant atmosphere--could be worse.
I had an amazing experience. It's in a strip mall towards the corner but don't let this detour you. The atmosphere was romantic and cozy. The service was excellent
I'm not a big fan of Italian, all Italian food tastes like Prego to me or a Costco family pack. The food there made me change my mind. It was amazingly delicious. I had the risotto and my girl had the spinach ravioli along with a delicious Malbec to accompany  a fabulous evening.
Thank you Sebastiani's!
We went to Sebastini's for the first time and think it's a Neighborhood Gem.  The staff is attentive and friendly.  The food was interesting and good  with a nice assortment of specials.  The ambiance is nice and romantic.  There is a wine bar next door which we will try another time.  There is even entertainment on the weekends.
Looking forward to going back!
There are a plethora of Italian restaurants within a couple miles of Sebastiani's (Lino's, Mangia Mangia, Baci di Roma Trattoria, Buon Gusto and Vittorios), and they all have their benefits, but Sebastiani's Italian Bistro stands out. Where the others provide the standard Italian fare, (lasagna, spaghetti, pizza) Sebastiani's menu rises to the level of fine dining at reasonable prices.
Over the dozen or so times we have been here we have learned that the daily specials are some of the best deals. The owner selects fresh cuts of meat, poultry or fish and will put them on the menu for a couple days. So one of my most memorable experiences was a blackened salmon fillet on their fresh spinach salad. My wife, on the other hand, will almost always order the Oso Buco.
We generally go here for special occasions or when we have friends in town that we want to impress. However we have also participated in a couple of their wine dinners which are conducted in their very nice wine bar, a room adjacent to the main dining room. In addition to the owners, Pablo and Lauren, the staff has remained the same which is always a good sign. To that end the wine dinners are well presented and represent a nice value for a four course meal with wine pairings.
The only pizza they do is Wednesday/Thursday $25.00 pizza & a bottle of wine. So if you are in the mood for pizza, you should probably pick somewhere else. This is a place for quasi-fine dining at a reasonable prices in a nice atmosphere.
Sebastiani's is a great local Northern Italian Bistro. service is great, and food is really good. The place is small, so be prepared to wait, or make reservations on the weekends. I disagree with the comment that it is like Olive garden, it is in no way like a chain Italian restaurant. The menu is varied, and a little pricier, but always good.
Review Source:Sebastiani's newly opened wine bar is a real treat for those living in the north part of Huntington Beach. Â I've had the pleasure of coming here on both Friday and Saturday nights to enjoy wine with my wife and each time we've had a great experience. Each time there was nice live soft jazz and blues being played. Â One of the Saturday nights there was even a young wine rep pouring good size tastes of a lovely wine from Italy a montepulciano reserve.
The only thing I could recommend to the owner would be to expand the wine list. It's my understanding that a wine bar, especially one connected to an Italian restaurant should be boasting at least 30 different wines, varying from key wine regions. If Sebastiani's wine bar really wants to attract the crowds seeking a wider range of choices then the wine list will have to expand.
Overall, Sebastiani's wine bar is a wonderful evening. Have dinner then head over to wine bar for some fun wine and fun music.
I've had dinner at Sebastiani's at least 15 times. Â But . . .. I'm not sure I will return. Â Maybe one more time cause I want to give the owner a chance to grow and make corrections.
Here's the good part: Â
Fantastic food, almost always. Â
Some unique sauces and specials. Â
Quality preparation.
Here's the bad part:
The loss of a couple good servers who were friendly, caring, and fun to be around.
Coupled with the now obvious concentration on getting your money and getting you out of there to free up a table.
This is taking the fun out of it. Â Seriously. Â
You are a neighborhood place. Â I bring family, I bring dates, I bring friends. Â Make it friendly and show you want us to return.
"Sebastiani" listen up!! Â
Dinner is supposed to be an experience. Â Not just a plate and a bill. Â
Make the wine reasonably priced. Â
Acknowledge and enjoy your regular customers. Â
Have some fun with us. Â
I hope you hear this and take it with the affection I've had for your culinary efforts and delicious food.
Below is my first review. Things change. Both of the very charming servers who used to work at Sebastiani's have moved along. The website no longer gets updated and the customer appreciation program (earning points toward food) has been dropped. All the apparent energy is going into the wine business. Sebastiani's is still good, but a whole lot less fun. And the gnocchi mentioned below hasn't been on the menu for months.
Original review:
Absolutely outstanding for a mom & pop type strip mall eatery. Â Everything is good, from the bread and sauces, to appetizers, to salads and soups, to main dishes, whether pasta or flesh.
I would particularly recommend the gnocchi in creamy pesto.
Sebastiani's has a strong wine list and seems to cater to an older clientele.
Incidentally, Sebastiani's is catercorner from Vittorio's, which used to be one of HB's finest Italian restaurants, but which is being run into the ground by new owners who clearly have no understanding of food or quality. Â So make sure you're on the right corner.
- Locale Destination -
It's on Warner Ave and Springdale St in Huntington Beach. It's in "Warner Dale Square" (shopping plaza) though google map kinda tells differently. Very attentive service. Decor is a bit outdated but had a sort of "Italian" restaurant feeling. It's like a Olive Garden sort of.. Nothing fancy, that's what I meant.
- Gluttony Expedition -
Lunch time - everything around $9.
Lasagna di carne: Tomato sauce, ground beef and lasagna. Big portion. Bland flavors. It was so 80s to put minced parsley on the corners of dish. Yeah, they must have paid attention to the presentation, but it's so outdated.
Pizza sebastian: Sun dried tomato, chicken, onion, and basil on the pizza. Crust is fresh yet thick. Bland but so big for $9.
- Conqueror's Deduction -
Homey and fresh Italian foods but bland flavors. They got a quality but lacked in flavor profiles. Decent quality but foods need to WOW me if you wanted me to come back. It's disappointing..
I just moved to Huntington Beach and have been trying to find my new 'go to' places to eat ...this place is good... Â I thought the ambiance was ok but honestly,I don't care as much about ambiance if the food is good -and this place does it right.
I ordered the braciola because you just don't ever see that on a menu anywhere!!! usually you eat braciole on sunday in someone's moms house who is really italian...or at least, that has been my experience with it.. The braciola here was good! Different than how i have had it before, but really good.... Â There were three others with me that night at dinner and not one person had a complaint about the food. We all loved it.
Also, I liked that our server seemed to be one of the owners or managers.... he checked on us, and was friendly.. having an owner or manager so interactive gives the place a very welcoming/homey feeling which i like.
And lastly, i don't think it was overly expensive at all. Some dishes are on the higher end i guess, but i believe if the food is good, it is worth paying for! I have eaten at too many places in Newport/Laguna/Huntington/Los Angeles that are not nearly as good and much more expensive...
I will definitely be back! :)
Adorable little place- very cozy.
This place was alright. The bread was nothing special, though they do give you pesto and a spicy marinara for it. Neither of which were amazing either though.
The food was pretty good. I got a meat ravioli in meat sauce. It was decent- hearty and filling. The sauce was a little bit lacking.
Husband got the spinach ravioli. He loved his. Personally, while I thought the ravioli itself was great (homemade, with fresh spinach, and sauteed spinach in the dish too), I think it would have been better paired with a marinara sauce instead of a cream sauce.
They have free refills on soda, but beware- it is canned soda, not from a fountain, which was disappointing.
Overall, it was just ok. We didn't hate it but we didn't love it either. Probably would try somewhere else next time we are in the area instead though.
I came here with my parents on a Sunday night for the Paella Sunday. Two people share the paella and pitcher of Sangria for $40. Because there were four of us, my dad ordered a different entree. I thought the Italian theme in the restaurant was nice - except for the plastic grapes hanging from the ceiling - that's just over the top and obvious. Come on now!
We ordered the paella and entree and when the server came over to pour the drinks, we brought the two glasses and sangria and immediately began pouring for my mom and dad. Now I understand mistakes happen, so when I told the server I'm the one drinking the sangria, he just gave me a funny look. What an odd and rude assumption. Guess I didn't receive the amazing service that everyone is talking about.
I found the salad and sangria to be a bit lame, but the paella was pretty darn good! Lots of seafood and I could definitely taste the saffron.
After all the rave reviews, I had on okay experience. Nothing out of this world. I would like to come back though and try out the wine bar. Maybe I will have better luck there.
I was here again last night and everything was just as amazing as the first time I Â came here. Â It's official. Â It's not a fluke. Â I had the Salmon this time and the sauce was another major hit. Mustard cream sauce with capers? Â Yes, please. Â They also had a home-run with a roasted red pepper soup. Sweet and creamy and wonderful. Â It was the soup of the day so I hope they will have it again because it was just that darn good.
Service again was great and friendly and always made sure we were happy with our meal and our glasses were filled. Â LOVE IT!
Wow... Where do I start ? Ok, with the martinis... They were ice cold and delish. I had a cosmo and the man had a lemon drop. They also deliver a wonderful focaccia bread with parsley butter and a arrabiata dipping sauce that are out of this world to your table. We asked for seconds and they had them there in in less than a minute.
We started with the Beef carpaccio and it was awesome. Perfectly thin beef with capers, argula, parmesan and a perfect drizzle of good quality olive oil. With our dinner we each had a glass of their house wine. Â Pinot grigo for me and a Cab for the man. Â Nice pour and fine tasting wine.
The man ordered the roasted sea bass and it came with a wonderful spicy sauce and beautiful roasted vegetables. I ordered the special roasted porcini mushroom ravioli in the pink sauce. It came with a beautiful salad and ice cream for dessert all 3 courses for $12.00. You just can't beat that kind of deal.
Even though the place was packed (on a Tuesday) and they were short handed the service was spot on. M.C. is a lovely lady and was so attentive and made great suggestions for us. Â I don't know how we have missed this gem, but we are thrilled to have found it... Helllooo Sebastiani's !!!
I went here tonight and I tried to find places to mark off stars - but I just couldn't really. It was a great find and I was very glad I had dinner here tonight.
I was intending to go to another restaurant, but they were closed so I had to think fast and go on yelp to find a good place with the quickness. This place worked out great!
Nice quiet atmosphere where I could hear my conversation. A tasty cream of carrot soup to start and a Chicken Marsala with white wine and veggies as a main. It was simple, moderately priced, and perfect for a date.
My friend and I came on a Friday night and didn't really expect this place to be as busy as it was. Â It was our first visit and once we walked into the door, the manager greeted us but was pretty rude and acted as if he didn't care how we find a seat. Â So, we sat in the area for a little bit and ordered their Bruschetta and it was terrible!! Â The bread was nice and crunchy, the tomato and basil was fresh (not enough basil to be honest), but the olive and capers were over salted! Â It over powered the light dish. Â Definitely was not worth $6. Â After our Bruschetta, we snagged a table at the bar and ordered our entrees. Â The waitress was really nice, funny and helpful. Â We sat there for about 5 minutes when we were told that a table finally opened up in the dining area. Â Basically, we moved around a lot. Â
Anyways, i ordered this fettucini cordina or something like that and it was delicious!! Â It had sausage and chicken in a creamy brown butter sauce. Â My friend ordered the Tri-Color Tortellini with a creamy marinara sauce. Â I forgot to mention the free bread that they served in the beginning. Â It was really fresh and warm foccacia bread paired with a smooth and creamy pesto dip and marinara sauce. Â Definitely trumps the usual bread and butter combo. Â
Overall, the service from the manager was poor, but the waitress and waiter we got was pretty good and fast. Â I would definitely return but make sure to call in advance to make a reservation.
So close... A family owned Italian eatery where the good is that food is quite fresh, the bad being the creations are only mediocre in taste and preparation.
Started out with the soup which was cream of broccoli. It was very light in cream and a bit too watery for my liking. Luckily didn't taste too "green" so ok for me.
Tried some of the veggie pasta. Sauce was fresh though lacking overall flavor and veggies nicely cooked if not a little on the limp side. I really had problems with the angel hair pasta though; it was overcooked and soft, mushy even, not good. Close but ultimately disappointing.
I ordered the braciola. Unfortunately the description of it was better than it tasted. The only things giving it flavor were the sauce and a little from the ground veal mix. I was expecting a considerably more meaty, savory experience than what I got, where the slices of beef disappointed in what they brought to this dish. Sauce while fresh tasting was a bit watery for me. Just ok.
The desserts were well made though nothing too special. The tiramisu being on the more delicate and lighter side, not too rich. Enjoyable enough.
Overall the experience was lackluster. While I do not believe that everything has to be heavily flavored to be good, where tasting fresh ingredients can overcome flavoring, it just did not have enough in the cooking to bring it over the top to anything other than a generic experience.
Two star with promise to revist and re-review in about three months. Â
The wine bar is next door to the very successful restaurant. Â The bar is only open on Friday and Saturday nights. Â Okay, so why a 5-star to the restaurant, and only 2 stars here? Â
1. Â Limited wine selection. Â Wine bars need to have a minimum 30-40 wines by the glass.
2. Â Server with absolutely NO personality, no sense of service, and did not impress with knowledge of wines (although, told she was...)
3. Â Live music is too loud. Â Sax player? Â Hmmm....prefer soft guitar music.
4. Â Food was 'meh'. Â No cheese, no chaucuterie, nothing really savory or sweet. Â Just, meh. Â
5. Â "Cheesy" paintings of movie stars for sale on the walls. Â Tacky in my opinion. Â Having art for sale is nice, but this stuff reminds me of strip mall/grocery store sidewalk material. Â If art on the wall for sale is desired, get some better local artists - consider wine related subject matter.
Just doesn't impress, and unless some changes made, don't know if it will take off.
In preparation for the carbo-loading pre race dinner I searched out a spot in HB to hit up after we got our race packets and found Sebastiani's. My rationale on this spot was that since it had such high reviews from so few patrons, it much be good - a "hidden gem" as one reviewer spoke of. I don't think I'll use that formula again in the future.
HB is full of strip malls and Sebastiani's is inside of one. It's not a bad looking place and the staff was very pleasant. We arrived early because of a prescheduled date with an Avatar in LB, so at 5pm the place was empty. Within a half hour, patrons of the "wiser" sort began to arrive for their Saturday night good times.
The Brit and I are on different sides about the bread - I liked, he didn't. He also wanted to know where the rest of it went since we were only given 4 very small slices. I mean, very small. I didn't mind since I always hate to get filled up on bread, and I can easily let myself do that. They served it with a spicy arrabiata sauce (I didn't think much of, kind of watery) and a parsley butter of some sort (she said parsley, it looked like guacamole, it's definitely garlic, but it was good!).
We didn't order any of the fancy, inventive dishes, mainly because we needed simple carbo loading food and that was it. I ordered the pasta with vegetables in marinara plus a side of meatballs and the Brit ordered an arrabiata with meatballs and penne. His definitely had more flavor than mine, though both of us got tasty meatballs. He said it tasted like a burger. I just wish the sauce had that much flavor, not that I had much sauce in mine. The little I did have was terribly watered down. Bottom line, basic Italian food. Maybe it would have been different having one of those more inventive dishes, but when the cooks are people who probably don't even eat Italian food, I doubt it.
There was no atmosphere, no ambiance, and much of that was due to the music, an Easy Listening station found on satellite radio. That alone can say so much. As I said before, the staff was nice and the price was decent, but overall, I doubt we'll be back to try some of those more inventive dishes which might make this place the hit it seems to be with the "wiser" crowd.
*wiser = older, not meant to offend!
Good Italian food is hard to come by in this fair city, people tend to prefer the predictability of large chain restaurants. But Sebastiani's is the Italian restaurant I have been waiting for. The food is amazing and each dish offers something new and exciting. The bread and sauces alone would be worth giving this place a shot, but the soup, salad and appetizers go much further than that.
I recommend going off the monthly special menu for dinner as every dish sounded fantastic. I had a grilled chicken stuffed with ham and cheese with white wine sauce I could not stop eating despite being stuffed. The vegetables with the meal also tasted like much care had been put into their flavor. I think the best bet would be the ravioli special on Mondays and Tuesdays for the price, but give the regular menu a shot as well.
I am not a wine drinker but it looked like there was a good selection. Italian beer is also very complimentary to the flavors and they do have that.
The ambiance is relaxing and makes the experience more enjoyable. The owner and staff clearly take much pride and care in their establishment.
A solid 3.5, rounds up to 4. I stumbled on this place while browsing my Entertainment Book. Seems like Huntington has a plethora of mom and pop Italian red sauce joints. Food roundup:
Small house salad: Mixed greens with some olives. The dressing was actually really good, a bit of a dijon creamy vinaigrette. Salad was slightly overdressed. I hate when salad is an afterthought on the menu and it's sub par, not here!
Fettuccine Sebastiani: Pasta had chicken, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms in a cream sauce. Definitely had good flavor and the fettuccine was not the gargantually wide stuff I'm used to, more linguine like, yumm. Not a ton of chunky ingredients in this dish, but tasty.
Penne Arrabiata: Waitress warned it was spicy, but there wasn't much heat at all. Nice flavor though, good tomato sauce with good balance of acidic, sweet, and savory.
Roundup: Cute little neighborhood joint with slightly cheesy decor, think fake grape bunches on the ceiling (vineyard effect) and some Christmas lighting near the register. Prices are good, lunch pastas no more than $9 each with hearty portions (food comes in bowl) and tasty. Nothing groundbreaking here, but straightforward red sauce type of joint. When you feel like some cheap pasta, but not from Pasta Bravo or a pizza joint with meh pasta options.
We went out to celebrate Brenda N.'s birthday/graduation last night, and she accidentally found this little piece of heaven by accident on Yelp (Best. Choice. Ever).
It's a very short drive to Sunset Beach, so if you're looking for an absolutely adorable Italian restaurant to appease your stomach, here's the place to go.
It's a bit difficult to find because it's in a plaza that's not labeled, nor is the name of this place listed. So check your directions before you go!
The establishment is rather small, but it's very cozy and homey. The ceiling was decorated like a vineyard or outside patio, with lit-up grapes dangling from vines from wood planks. The wall had Michelangelo's Creation of Adam...clinking wine glasses.
Now. The meal. OMG so good. The service was very friendly and gladly accommodated the 6 of us immediately. They serve great fresh bread from the oven, with a tomato and a garlic sauce, along with the typical olive oil and vinegar. When we ordered, they even offered to replace the side with pasta if we wanted.
They have new specials every month. The servings are huge and will leave you full and happy. I had a lamb dish (the Italian crepe with lamb) with a roasted vegetable bisque, and both were amazing. I'm only sad I didn't have room for dessert, which they show to you on a plate after everyone finishes the entree.
We paid with 3 separate credit cards, and no complaints from them about splitting the bill.
This place is wonderful.
It sits in a small strip of retail shops and looks nothing on the outside as it does on the inside. The exterior gives the impression that it's cheap and poorly kept. Once you step inside, you find that this is not the case. The place was dimly lit and there's really no "reception" or greeter podium. The staff simply approaches you from the back to seat you. Once seated, you realize how small the place really is, but it doesn't feel cramped. It's comfortable and they keep it pretty dark with lighting provided by candles and plastic grapes (with lights in them).
The staff was great. I believe the owner, Pablo seated us and took our order. The guy was very friendly as were the servers and wait staff. Always had a smile and got the food to us just as we expected it. They even brought out an extra order of bread when they saw we had finished our appetizer earlier than they had expected.
The food was amazing. I had the Chicken Lasagna with a side of their soup special, a cream of vegetable soup. The soup was seasoned to perfection...made of primarily squash, onion and garlic (I believe). If I could make it myself, I would make it every day. The Lasagna was one of the best Lasagnas I've had. I believe the pasta was home-made. If not, it was high enough quality that it made it difficult to tell the difference. I don't remember much else: just that when I finished, I wanted more and wished I hadn't eaten it so fast.
In short, I'll be back. The food itself would bring me back for more so having a great staff and comfortable environment is like icing on the cake.
I would rate this a 3.5 but good enough for a 4 on yelp.
The atmosphere is great. Â I only got something to go but I really enjoyed the place.
I got the Ravioli Bologese (Meat Ravioli in meat sauce, a little to much meat after thinking about it). Which was decent but nothing more special then a place like Olive Garden. The bread was just regular bread with rosemary (not bad, but a bit to crumbly).
I think this place is definitely worth another try for a sit down dinner.
Easily the best Italian food I have ever tasted in Huntington Beach. The spinach ravioli is orgasmic. They hand-make the ravioli fresh and serve it in a cream sauce garnished with red peppers, sun dried tomatoes and herbs and spices.
I've also had the chicken picate and the brushetta. Everything taste great and is served in a relatively prompt fashion.
While the food is amazing, the best thing about Sebastiani's is the service and atmosphere. The restaurant is run by a brother-sister team from Peru that is extremely passionate about their food. The two really try to engage the customer and make them feel like they belong to the Sebastianis family. The restaurant is small and intimate and everyone that eats here loves it.
A great find! Love your neighborhood.
Another Entertainment Book find. Â I'd actually probably give this place 3 stars because I was slightly annoyed about how hot it was inside the restaurant but I'm guessing they were just having some issues and normally its not a problem but if I go back and its hot again, you're losing a star! Â
Anyway, on to the review. Â We just stumbled upon this place on Sat. night, needing dinner before seeing Dan in Real Life (funny movie, big fan of Steve Carell and the office, worth seeing!). Â We walked up and the place was packed and we were told it would be a 20 minute wait. Â Normally for a small place like this we would have moved on but the fact it was so out of the way but still packed, we decided to wait it out and try it. Â They served us some glasses of wine on the front patio/sidewalk so that was nice while we waited. Â
Once we were seated, they gave us some GREAT foccacia bread. Â It tasted very fresh and was served with cold marinara sauce and a green spread that I was hoping was pesto but turned out to be some parsley-mayo mixture (yuck!). Â There was also oil and balsamic on the table which was good. Â
My wife ordered the mushroom risotto and loved it. Â Very flavorful and a huge serving so she easily had lunch too. Â Normally she'd want to add chicken to this dish but it already had chicken included so she was happy. Â I ordered the veal parm. Â It was served with potatoes and not a side of pasta which was a bummer. Â The veal was good though but I'd probably try something else next time. Â
No time for dessert but maybe next time. Â Nice find!
My boyfriend and I just discovered this place with a little help for the Entertainment Book. It's hidden away in a bit of a run-down shopping center which honestly made me think twice about our decision to dine there.
However, we were delighted to discover that this place is wonderful. The menu has alot of really unique and delicious items. They have really good garlic bread that you get before their meal, and their minestrone is one of the best I've had. Our dinner was delicious and we had enough to take home for dinner the next night.
We will definately be eating here again, and were very happy to have stumbled upon this place.
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