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Pros
Delicious pizza! - was out of this world!
Salads were fresh and tasty
Hostess was very nice to us including our young kids ages 1-3
She made sure we were comfortable and the kids were too.
Very Clean - bathrooms had fresh flowers
Cons
Waitstaff - took 15 minutes to get water at our table.
Our waiter served the table that sat after us their appetizers before our glasses of water.
Had to ask for bread twice.
Still left a 20% tip, not intended for our waiter, but the other nice waitstaff.
Will be back again, because of the food - hopefully with a better waiter.
S and I went for a late lunch. I thought the waitress was unpleasant, then S charmed her he told her how happy he was: it was his birthday, the food was so good and it was served by a pretty woman. She smiled and brought him a birthday tiramisu after we finished our lunch; he was thrilled.
I had a cocktail while we studied the menu. The Sophia Loren was an interesting blend of Espresso, Baileys, Kahlua and White Vodka
We started with the appetizer of roasted tequila mussels and clams in a cilantro lime sauce, with crunchy crostinni crumbs. This dish was great and I wished I had this as my main course. I had the Chicken Marsala it was good but I would not order it again
S ordered Seafood Risotto it contained sautéed prawns, scallops, shrimp, clams, garlic and shallots with a roasted tomato cream over the risotto. He really liked this dish.
S is trying to convince me that it really wasn't that far from home and we should come back soon, I thought it was pricey for a lunch
There is good pizza to be had here on the Coast, but It's Italia is definitely the best. The restaurant was located in a smaller space up until last year, and this new location is a huge improvement. The space is beautiful -- warm and inviting. There is also a lovely outdoor patio.
We have yet to order anything other than pizza, because it is just that good. But reading these other reviews, I see I need to branch out! It will give me a good excuse to go back soon.
This is a fantastic place to sit and have a drink or fill up on some of the best Italian or seafood you will find. The service is great, everyone from the busboy to the manager is approachable and seems to have a great time working there.
I go back for the pizza and fettucine. Definitely a place I would take friends and family to for a special meal.
Mediocre. Mezzaluna has better pizza by a long shot.
They carry a half bottle of Viognier and make the best chicken Marsala ever...5 stars!
This little hidden gem in HMB hits the mark with their pizzas and gnocchi. We came here after an outing to the pumpkin patch.
The tomato cream gnocchi was wonderful. Not quite as close to perfection as Stella Alpina in Burlingame, but a close second!
I am a fan of thin crust pizza, but seeing it was our first time here, we ordered a thin crust Hawaiian (canadian bacon and pineapple) and a regular crust sausage and portobello mushrooms. Both pizzas were a solid '10'!
This place is definitely a perfect place to come to any day or night and worth the trip if you want authentic Italian food.
I came across this restaurant while I was in Half Moon Bay with my family to check out the local pumpkin farms.
Service was decent. The only thing that bothered me was that our waiter took about 15 minutes from the time we were seated to take our order and he was slow in refilling out water.
The ambience has is nice. We sat in the back patio, which had nice outdoor furniture with clean umbrellas (I've been to restaurants where the patio furniture had spider webs under the umbrellas). There's also patio heaters for those days where it's just too chilly and a big and long (really, it's pretty big and long) patio table with long benches that can easily fit 20 guests. When parties of 4 or less came to the patio, some of they were seated on the ends of this table. I wondered if they sat parties in between. Weird? Awkward?
Onto the food. Talk about warm bread! When they brought out the basket full of bread, it felt and tasted fresh out of the oven. Tasty and warm. I could have eaten a few of these bread baskets! I had a grilled chicken panino and my gf and son shared a thin crust cheese pizza with shredded sausage. Both tasted great.
Overall, the menu has a little bit for everyone. Like seafood? This place has a decent selection of entrees to make you content and the price is fair compared to other similar restaurants I've been to.
I really wanted to like this place. I ordered a Pumpkin Festival Salad for $12 and the server asked if I wanted to top that with a protein -- chicken or salmon. I said sure, I'll have the salmon, figuring at most the additional charge would be $6-$9. Well, the check comes and they charged double the price of the salad. Yes, that's a salad topped with salmon for $24.
I asked the server if the charge was correct, and he was very nice, but said, yup, that's how the owner does it.
Yup, we won't be back.
What a great place! Fabulous food and drinks too. The ambiance and decor are fantastic and for a Tuesday evening people sure were filling the place up. Shared a pear salad with gorgonzola which was great, had a salmon wrapped in phyllo that was fantastic! Overall the place was a success plus I gave an extra star for having my fav vodka Hangar One..ohh how I love thee!
It's Italia moved in February to the old Half Moon Bay in on Main Street, upgraded the decor and over doubled their size in the kitchen and restaurant, plus added a bar and patio. The decor was changed and bless them for doing something about he noise-the previous restaurant was noisy beyond belief.
The food had been upgraded too-they added a rotisserie and now turn on some killer roasted foods. If you are there for lunch as about the "chef's mood"-usually some sort of grilled sandwich and salad. I agree with the individual that it is not as kid friendly as the previous location but they never had a kids menu there, either. And if you ask, they will usually provide a half portion of pasta.
Love all the changes in decor and food. so I have upgraded to 5 stars for that reason.
Not sure what the other reviewer ate but have never had a bad meal here. The pizza is a certain… Read more »
We went to It's Italia because the pizza is good and the restaurant is beautiful to look at. I don't recommend you bringing your hungry kids. There is no kids menu and paying full price for an entree is not a place I call kid-friendly. The host working Monday night was not friendly and we over heard that another couple sat themselves cause there was no one to seat them. Come on, that is the hostess job to be friendly and to seat every guest that comes in the door. And don't get me going on the server who was texting up at the front door in view of all the customers.
Probably one of my favorite places in HMB at this time. Since they have moved to Main Street it has been a great improvement. The place is bigger and the menu is better. The food has always been great. Betsy the owner is very nice. We just recently had a party in the back patio and everything was great. My friends continue to tell me how great it was. I probably go once a week and have not been disappointed yet.
Average food. Not anything spectacular. I had a hard time determining what to order and eventually went with basic spaghetti and meatballs. My friend had capellini with scallops.
Good service. Pretty decor. The new location (now on main street) opened about three weeks ago, so perhaps the average food is just growing pains associated with the move.
MMMM... We went there on a Monday around lunch time to find it practically empty. We were seated right away at a window table, and had the best oven baked bread you could imagine!
The large Eiffel Tower oil and vinegar dispensers surprised me. I suppose a leaning tower dispenser is harder to find.
The pizza oven indicated that a pizza would probably be a wise choice, and we were not mistaken. The Flower Market pizza we had (Pears, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onions) was delicious! We chose thin crust, and the small was more than enough for two people!
The servers were very attentive and the new decor was top notch! (Although it looks like they ran out of budget when they got to finishing the restroom, it seemed clean though.)
There is a large courtyard patio out back that looked like it would be enjoyable as well.
The food is AMAZING!!! The decor is Beautiful! The staff is very friendly...and completely capable of earning 5 stars if they just kick up their service a bit...We waited quite awhile for our appetizer and had to ask for our bread twice. My friend introduced me to this place today because it's one of her favorite spots and I quickly found out why. We started out with a yummy citrus, avocado, mozz cheese appetizer (I forget the name of it). I had the fisherwoman's catch of the day, served with mushroom risotto and green peas. The fish was fresh and very tasty! The risotto was good but had a lil too much olive oil...My friend had a small Kelly Beach Pizza, which was not only delicious but huge as well! I'm looking forward to my next visit...hopefully they'll read this review and get their service issues addressed.
Been There Once (BTO) Review: a very good dinner. We both had the Badland's Martini: tasty vanilla amaretto martinis! Partner's walnut pear salad very good, my stuffed baby artichoke appetizer so-so. Then the pizza: The Kelly Beach, with shrimp and clams and half w/ and w/o tomato sauce per server's suggestion was fabulous (asked for thin crust). Service very good, too.
Extensive wine list (many Italian wines) for this type of place. Also - a tastefully placed plasma flat panel (visible mostly from bar) TV showing sports was a nice touch, confirming that this is not a fancy-pants place, just good Italian food. That said, best to have reservations, especially on the weekend. I'd love to go back soon.
Nice location, AMAZING pizza, I strongly recomend it!
A cute, if not semi kitsch (in places) restaurant on the main street of Half Moon Bay. If anything you get the feeling the interior designer was trying too hard and cramming as much pseudo European crap in as possible, we get it, the name tells the story.
Having said that, the service was good and for the most part so was the food. We both had salad to start and my biggest concern is that in my pear salad 3 of the garnish slices had evidence of bug damage, my question is, if you don't care about that do you care about how clean the leaves are?
All in all good food, nothing remarkable, just a pleasant lunch while playing hooky from work!
Went a second time to It's Italia, and while not enough to up the 4 star rating the food was better this time. Crab cakes that weren't overly breaded; everything fresh and balanced on the feta/walnut salad. I can HIGHLY recommend the Gorgonzola/arugula hamburger on foccacia, maybe the best burger I have had around the Bay. Fess Parker Syrah by the glass a great match for the burger. What offset the improvement in food was the service was a little spottier, still upbeat and friendly, but disorganization reigned over good intentions.
Still a great spot for a warm and welcome drink or meal on a chilly, misty coastal evening. Will definitely be back.
Sometimes restaurants succeed on spirit. It's Italia's welcoming decor, warm feel, smiling even… Read more »
I had a lovely dining experience in their new location on Main Street. Beautiful decor, attentive waitstaff and a very large menu with lots of options!
Our group had a calzone, a cheese pizza and a "make your own" pizza and all three were large, filling and super awesome! Standard cheese was tasty and fresh and the toppings on the creative pizza were plentiful and fresh too!
I had awesome chocolate gelato and was happy with the experience.
Our lunch for 3 people (one appetizer, 3 entrees , two desserts, 4 beers and a soda) came out to $99.00, which was sort of a shock to us.
4 beers = 25.00, so watch the alcohol intake!
Overall, fantastic dining and a lovely atmosphere. Apparently, they have outdoor seating with an outdoor fireplace! I wish I would have known that since the weather on the coast today was perfection!
I HATE HATE HATE italian food. So why a five star rating? It's Italia makes a GREAT pizza....exactly the way I'd make it at home (so, perfect). They also make a great chicken caesar salad (but why order that when the pizzas are so good?).
Note if you're heading here, they HAVE moved to Main Street (a solid location for them...kudos to them for making the move).
They have good, dependable food for the coast. What I particularly like is the spaghetti with meat sauce. Go figure, it's not what I usually order at a restaurant but theirs is always so good. Not as good with the meatballs, don't order those, it's the sauce. I've had other pasta there, the crab and shrimp is particularly good too. The salads and soups are OK.
The vibe and decor of the new location is very nice but they seem to have stopped coming by the table with fresh pepper and cheese. You need to ask, but in my opinion it's worth it.
Not bad. Came here on Easter afternoon for lunch with family. I'd made a reservation on OpenTable for a party of 7, and they had our table ready so we got seated right away. The restaurant, on the corner of Main and Mill Streets, is spacious and clean with the whole rustic vibe going on.
The only (and very major) thing was they had some problem with their oven (or something like that) so they didn't have any pizza or pasta available. Yikes. However, they still had panini and salads, etc., and they tried their best to offer ingredient/dish alternatives and so forth to suit our tastes, so I suppose it turned out OK. I had the prosciutto focaccia panino, which was very good. And the focaccia itself is awesome buttery, herby goodness.
Granted they had an off-day, so if I were in the area again I'd be willing to give them another chance. The service was good, and everyone, especially the lady who greeted and seated us, was super-friendly.
I went there following what other wrote in Yelp. I was disappointed by the Pizza. It was not bad or anything but very very common and not crusty. I could live with that but the service was sooooooo slow.
Don't forget to bring with you a 1000 pages book with you to read while waiting for the service and I am not talking about a busy day, it was half empty that day.
Their desert was not bad
We were so disappointed with this restaurant. It was downstairs from our hotel so we thought it would be the best choice. Unfortunately the staff was cold and not accommodating. We ended up leaving and eating somewhere else.
A plus, the menu seemed reasonably priced and the decor was cute and inviting.
I drove all the way from SJ just to have their pizza for me and my man's anniversry. BEST CRUST EVER! And best pizza in HMB. If all you want is the pizza, I suggest take out cause it gets super packed! And the resturant fits you all in like a can of sardines. It's a tight squeeze. The rest of their food is good as well. Salads are fresh with fantastic dressings and yummy little bits of walnuts, apples, etc.
If only they would deliver to SJ, this would be the only pizza I ever order.
The new location is really nice, It's warm, inviting and very classy. They have a nice patio in the back with fireplaces that will be great some night this summer. I usually always get the Montara Mountain pizza, but last time i had the calzone. I'm going to have a hard time picking which one to get from now on both are wonderful.
I'm Italian and I'm picky about Italian food. This place is wonderful! ESPECIALLY the Full Moon thin crust cheese pizza! It is probably the best pizza I've ever eaten.... I think it might be love! mmmmmm delizioso!!!
And!!! its totally affordable!
We've topped off our annual Half Moon Bay pumpkin patch tour here many times. This place is whatever you're in the mood for it to be --- casual, cozy, date night or family night out, it fits the bill! The pasta is delicious, the pizza is tasty and the salads are great!! We've never had desserts here but, I swear I've gained weight simply looking at them. If you go during the month of October, like anywhere else in Half Moon Bay, there will be interesting uses of pumpkin in dishes. Be willing to give them a try!
NOTE: The place is popular so go prepared to wait for a table.
The pizza is soooo good. Every time we go or order out, we make sure to order thin crust. Out favorite is the Devil's Slide. We always add the spicy sausage. The server usually gives us a look like "that's going to burn your mouth." We love it spicy. Oh and the wine list is wonderful. We have always enjoyed every bottle we have ordered. Betsy (an owner) knows her stuff. My boyfriend and I like "jammy Zins" Betsy recommended a wonderful one to us last time we were there. I just wish we remembered the name. I guess we have to go back, drink another bottle, and then try and remember the name.
This place is kind of like:
Thinking you're going to drink a Long Island Iced Tea only to have it turn out to be an Arnold Palmer
Getting a $50 tax refund
Biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to have it turn out to be oatmeal raisin
Finding out that you may already be a winner of the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes
Scratching off a lottery ticket to find that you've won...another ticket
In other words, it's ok but it's not the best. On the bright side for It's Italia I promise not to compare them to Chef Boyardee at any point during this review... Whoops!
That was really bad, I'm sorry...
On the negative side, the crab cake was more like a crab souffle. It was all poofy. I don't think it was seasoned enough, and the texture just didn't do it for me.
The pizza was fine, but it's pizza. Better than "fast food" pizza but with the thicker crust my wife ordered it wasn't really my bag.
My steak was pretty fatty and had some gristle, but I liked it anyway and the temperature was correct. The mini-squash that came with it were the bomb and cooked al dente as they should be.
The seating is a bit cramped here, especially if you're a big boy like me.
Overall, like I said it wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either. A solid choice if you're passing through town, but not good enough to drive over the hill for by itself.
My hubby and I ate here around...9:00? one night because everything else in HMB was closed. We live 45 minutes outside of HMB, but were staying at the Beach House for a few days. (That's a separate review entirely.)
Walking in, we thought it was a really cute place and seemed inviting. The waitstaff was friendly, the atmosphere was nice, relaxing, and reminded me of my Italian Nonna's kitchen. To a little Italian girl, it seemed very...homey.
That's when it went downhill. We were seated right by the door, so every time someone entered or exited, my hiney got blasted with 10-30 seconds of freezing cold foggy air. Not exactly pleasant during "May night weather. "
Then things got nice again...starting with our Caesar salds. They were nice and fresh, crispy lettuce, perfectly dressed, and had the perfect amounts of cheese. Then, hubby had Garlic Prawns (on pasta) and I had the San Benito Fields (I think) pizza, to which I added Italian sausage.
The entrees were perfect. Generous portions, nicely seasoned, very authentic-tasting Italian cuisine. The garlic prawns were huge and smelled wonderful. (Even to me, the seafood-hater) My pizza was huge and had a perfect crust. It was loaded with fresh, delicious veggies. The sauce was tasty and the cheese was perfect. The sausage was really tasty. It was light, crispy, and buttery, (as opposed to heavy, soggy, and greasy). We were really impressed with our meals.
For dessert, hubby had the flourless chocolate cake and I had the NY cheesecake. Both desserts were amazing. His cake was moist, perfectly chocolatey...chocolate heaven. My cheesecake was just how cheesecake should be.
We also had hot cocoa, which was in the top 3 of any I've ever had.
The price was really good, especially since we both had leftover and couldn't finish the huge mugs of HC.
If I hadn't walked away with a numb back end, I would've given 5 stars.
This is the place in Half Moon Bay for a great meal and a reasonable price! The food is fabulous...lots of vegetarian choices...lots of salads (good salads)! Their pastas are very good...the thin crust pizzas are the best on the Coast! Try the Montara Mountain Pizza!
My girlfriend LOVES the place! They are moving to a new location in town on Main Street around February 1, 2009! Try it!
It's the Pizza, Pannii/sandwiches & salads here. Save the pasta dishes for Mezza Luna and Pasta Moon....they do this better. We've always liked to make up our own pizza and share a salad and have some wine. This is what they do the best. So stick with this part of the menu. We find the service to be good and mostly speedy but there are times you wait.
They finally moved to a place with more room...YAY! So why oh why do they have some four legged tables that everyone seems to bang there knees on? Really all of the tables should be pedestal type tables so getting in and out is easy, no matter you're size or mobility. Also can we get some umbrellas out on the patio? I know the sun is not always out on the coast but when it is, it's brutal to sit on the patio with no shade at 12:30pm. Yes the new decor is rather over the top and does look pretty "faux" and dark, especially in the back.
HMB has quite a few good Italian places for such a small town, and It's Italia is definitely one of them. Went there for lunch and ended up eating enough to last us for the rest of the day.
Started with the beer. They offer a handful of microbrews (some local, some not) on tap for pretty cheap: $14 for a pitcher!
I had the Wild Mushroom and Chicken Pasta (simple ingredients, but everything was fresh) and hubby had a thin crust pizza (also very fresh ingredients and the sausage was just spicy enough). For dessert, the tiramisu and creme brulee (both very good). All of that food with the beer was only $63. Good deal.
The atmosphere was friendly, casual, and very family friendly. They seem to also do a good job catering to large parties.
A good place to go if you're looking for high quality food and excellent service at reasonable prices.
Great little place in HMB. I had the roasted fennel soup - fantastic. tried the Brussel sprouts, also good. And filled up on the Barbecue Chicken Pizza. Which was the best pizza that I have had in a long time.
We went to It's Italia for a late lunch. There are a couple dishes you can always rely on at It's Italia: The gnocchi (best I've ever had), the pizza (with lots of gourmet "create your own" options), and the salads always satisfy. My companions had the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival salad, which had pumpkin shavings that had been lightly charred on the grill, roasted pumpkin seeds, spring lettuce, and goat cheese. I had the 5-Love salad: spinach, lettuce, cabbage, avocado, orange, and bay shrimp tossed in a light shallot vinaigrette.
The pizzas deserve extra mentioning: The regular crust is phenomenal and thick without being too doughy. You can create your own, or they offer expertly crafted combinations like pancetta, roasted garlic, and shitake mushrooms (a favorite during my pork eating days.)
This is a relatively small restaurant, with not many tables. The decor is polished and homey at the same time.
Oh, and you can order these gourmet pizzas to go...but no delivery, yet.
Hey, um. I usually write really long, detailed reviews. But I'm lazy. So here it goes:
- Nice place, pretty decor
- Good chairs, soft
- Pretty view, plants and stuff
- Big sandwich, gooood
- Jalapeos in sandwich too hot
- But big sandwich still goooood
- Avocados? Goood
- Beef in sandwich? SOO GOOOOD
- Salad awesome
- Dressing in salad? No idea, but it was goood.
- Good good food
- A happy camper
Still with me? Kind of pricey. But food is MMMM GUUUUUUDD.
Great place! best pizza i've had in the bay so far! I first found out about this place after driving by countless times and was a bit hesistant about the name of it. Always told myself i would go in, but never did until my cousin had asked me to go with her after she had just gotten back from Italy. She raved about how it was the closing thing to actually being in Italy to eat. I tried the Montero Mountain and wow! great pizza, alot of food, even had some for leftovers the next day for lunch. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day and even ended up going back for dinner after my cousin txt'd me also craving more lol. So 3 meals in 2 days of there pizza, good stuff.
This is a great place, definately check it out, it has surpassed San Remo's as my favorite pizza place
Half Moon Bay, CA
Category: Italian
Half Moon Bay, CA
Category: Mexican
Half Moon Bay, CA
Category: Italian
El Granada, CA
Category: Pizza
Half Moon Bay, CA
Category: Seafood
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