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good italian food
fffuuuhhh i forgot what that cheesy white pasta was called (sry im asian)
but that was like jizz out of every taste bud G_G cheese ftw
Renato's is one of those places in a run down strip mall next to a radio shack that you wouldn't even think that they would have good or even decent Italian food. BUT... SURPRISE! they do!
The staff isn't overly talkative but friendly. The seating section behind the wall is more romantic leave you alone type of atmosphere. There are a few tables by the counter and a few outside on the patio as well. I like the patio because the air seems to be a bit stuffy inside but that could be just me.
Now the food: It's delicious. Renato's has been around for a while (over 15 yrs) and in this time their recipes and quality haven't changed one bit. They have the best Salmon with Vodka sauce pasta and my favorite is the spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. The garlic bread that comes with each order of the pasta is fabulous. They use thick slices of soft Italian bread and coat it with garlic and butter. The result is a buttery crunchy garlic bread that is soft in the middle to soak up some of that extra pasta sauce that may remain in your dish after you devour your pasta meal. The antipasto salad is big enough for 3 people and is piled high with tons of Italian meats and cheeses. I like the pizza's here too but becareful not to get too many toppings because they are fresh ingredients and can get to be a bit soggy if you get too many on your combination of pizza.
Overall it's a great place for just the food but also a great place for a little romantic dinner too. It's quiet enough to have a private conversation and enjoy your dates company.
Next time you are sick and tired of all those boring commercial "chain restaurant" Italian restaurants go to Renato's you won't be disappointed!
I've only had the Pizza here and it is so good. The enviorment is very romantic old school setting. This place has been here for over 15 years and is still doing well in this area. You wouldn't expect this spot to be in this heavily populated asian area. Everything is cooked to order so it comes out hot and frresh. I will come back to try the other things on the menu and have some Moscato deserrt wine.
I can't attest for the food but I've been meaning to try it but the tiramisu there is awesome!!!!
Yo, this place has got mad flavor! Straight up! It's tucked away, so that's a plus in my book so it doesn't get all bombarded by annoying ass people. It's been there since I moved down to the Westminster/Garden Grove area over two decades ago.
Honestly, I can only speak for a couple of items on their menu because I can't bring myself to go there and not have the same go-to items. I love them that much! If I want pizza and Renato's is open, I won't have any other. On-the-realz! Sh!t is freakin' amazing. They have excellent zuchinni. Their chicken parm sandwich is always a winner. Tastes like victory!
When we dine in, we always see what other people order and it all looks mad tasty. It seems like a lot of the other patrons order the linguine and clams more than the other. So based on that observation, I'm recommending that. But the pizza is what has us coming back!
The staff is nice and efficient. The decor is nothing spectacular, but who cares, you're not there to pretend you're in Italy. Enjoy. Trill.
My favorite Italian restaurant ever. I've had Gorgonzola cream sauce gnocchi and the combination pizza.
I'm going to start out with the pizza. To be honest, reminded me of Pizza Hut pizza, which I like, but is nothing to write home about. Nothing really pops about it; it's good, but it's average, which is ironic because I was inclined to try Renato's after a friend raved about their pizza.
The Gorgonzola cream sauce. Immaculate. The sauce is so creamy and the gnocchi is wonderful! I tried to get gnocchi at Olive Garden and was seriously disappointed. Renato's has it down to a science. The portion is wonderful. They never do it wrong either. Always a hit.
The reason I took off one star is because the service is terrible. Takes forever to get refills; the wait for the bill (from asking for it to receiving it) was longer than the wait for the food; and they always seem like they want people to eat and get the hell out.
Back when The Sopranos was at the height of its popularity, I would frown in disappointment at certain episodes, knowing that all of the artery-clogging foods Tony and the gang enjoyed were far from reach. In Southern California, there aren't that many restaurants like the fictional "Vesuvio", and chains like Macaroni Grill and Buca di Beppo can't stand in as an appropriate substitute. If anything, we have plenty of up-scale Italian restaurants, serving up all sorts of regional specialties... but what I REALLY craved was the Italian American dishes made famous on HBO's award-winning show, without the inconvenience of flying over to Jersey.
Enter Renato's...
It's a cozy little place in the middle of Westminster- definitely not the first place that comes to mind for good Italian food... But that just means Renato's is a hidden gem! While there are times when the restaurant is completely empty, Renato's is usually bustling with customers, dining in and picking up take-out during lunch and dinner. At any given night, you can even see Renato himself, taking care of catering orders and talking to older customers.
Again, if you're looking for authentic Italian dishes, go to an up-scale place in Beverly Hills. Renato's has wonderful comfort food entrees, like chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, lasagna, baked ziti, manicotti, spaghetti with meatballs, and an AWESOME dish called Rigatoni Renato (rigatoni, fresh vegetables, chicken, and cream sauce). They also have delicious hot and cold sandwiches, and even hard-to-find items in SoCal, like capicola... better known to Sopranos aficionados as "gobbagool"!
On top of that, Renato's is well-known for quality catering- they do weddings, corporate meetings, graduation parties, and even Hawaiian luaus! I have been to a few events with Renato's catering and it's always been top-notch- fine pastas, savory meats, and fresh seafood.
So take it from me, if you want some quality Italian American food within easy reach in Southern California, head to over to Little Saigon for a delicious meal... or you can always pick up an order and bring it back home to chow on while watching The Sopranos on DVD.
The few times i have been here the food was pretty good. I tried the mozzarella sticks..AMAZING!!!! The pastas were awesome and everything was reasonably price. I have yet to try the Gorgonzola sauce with the pasta but the next time i go i will certainly try it. The down side is that the garlic bread there is marginal at best, but hey it comes with the meal. The staff was sometimes hard to find but when we needed something they were prompt and polite about helping us.
This place is for those who are tired of places like Olive Garden and are looking for better alternatives
This place is delicious. My friends and I went a couple months ago, but I didn't eat. They vouch it's the best pizza they've had in Orange County. Naturally, I find myself not wanting to go anywhere north of Brookhurst past McFadden, nevertheless, I crossed the gates to ____ and entered an oasis of hope for humanity.
The outdoor patio makes the restaurant for me. It's cozy, you can drink beer, they have 94.7 The Wave playing, and you have a waiter.
The pizzas are soft and light. The angel hair pasta is made from scratch. The two dishes I had were filling and flavorful. They will definitely be in the back of my mind in my next visit.
Sadly, I'm Asian and don't eat Italian food from scratch at home. I remember a comedian saying, "Why would I want to eat homemade food at a restaurant?" Well, in my case. Homemade Italian food is enough for me to shun my nationality and wish I was Italian to eat food like this everyday.
Small little restaurant that has been around for years.
decor - alright for a little area; less than 600sq ft
food - try their "meat lasagna", "chicken rigatoni" & surprisingly their "rack of lamb" (dining in) was not bad. Calamari - hit & miss @ times
price - decent $10-13
There are some days, as a resident of Garden Grove, that I just don't want Asian food. No Pho, no boiling crabesque type places, no korean bbq, no sushi, no chinese, etc... I just want something familiar and comforting to my kraft macaroni and cheese raised tongue. Not that Renato's and Kraft are on the same level, but I was raised in a non-asian culinary little world. Don't get me wrong, I love all sorts of food but some days, italian food really does give you a happy face.
It has become increasingly hard to find non-Asian or non-chain food around GG that isn't near disneyland. I googled "italian Garden Grove" and came up with one restaurant that appears to have closed and another that is over by D-land so no go on Italian in GG but there is this place called Renato's over in Westminster/FV area.... hmm off we go.
In an Asian supermarket parking lot with a Hong Kong Dim Sum and other asian cuisine eateries, Renato stands in its glory. Outside it looks like a little pizza place or something but once you walk in, you know you are in for a treat. The seating area is cute and quaint with a painted scene on the wall.
I ordered the Tortellini dela something that came with ham, peas, cream sauce and tortellini & a salad. Sooo good. Shaved garlic in it, mmmm. Okay, I just drooled on my keyboard while typing that. The bf ordered a red sauce dish with "farfalle" in it. Can't remember the exact name even though I had spotted it first we have this "never order the same thing" unspoken rule between us. (It happens more often than not that one of us wants what the other one wants... weird.) All I know is I left with a happy tummy. Full, but happy.
We ordered tiramisu to go. So later that evening we ate more of our leftovers from dinner and the tiramisu. Holy cow. Fresh tiramisu. ..insert more drooling...
Renato's welcome to my world.
While talking pizza with a grocery store cashier, she told me the best pizza was just down the street and she had been going there for years. Renato's. I had never heard of Renato's, but since I am always on the hunt for new great pizza I made a point to go check it out.
I was initially off-put by the shopping center, and the mouse that went running by my feet when I exited my car didn't help, but upon entering Renato's my hesitance melted away. It has a homey Italian feel, with some basic murals of Italy and a statue of a fat Italian chef with a mustache. Bonus points!
One of the first things I noticed upon ordering was that I was the only customer that ordered pizza. This showed me that pizza is not the only thing Renato's does well.
I was really pleased with the Pizza! It's best if you eat it there rather than taking it home because the crust can get a little soggy, but it still tastes great. After subsequent visits, I have confirmed that Renato's is a definitely a great Italian restaurant that happens to serve great pizza as well.
The Tortellini is fantastic. I've had it numerous times. The Chicken Parmigiana is HUGE, and the batter is not overly spiced, which for me, works better with the tangy marinara. The spaghetti with meatballs is pretty good as well. The prices are also tasty.
I recommend this place for all of those Italian-American comfort food obsessed people.
Who would have thought you could find great Italian food in Westminster right next door to dim sum? Oh, and if you're ever in Naples, apparently there is another Renato's there. Naples and Westminster? Was that always the plan?
Some friends (Lori, plus Tony & his wife) took us to Renato's for lunch. Since this was an Italian restaurant it was time to try their spaghetti and meatballs - a standard way to measure Italian restaurants. It was uncrowded - so that was nice. I felt safe know that both Tony and his are Italian and they would know good Italian cooking.
Our servers were of Italian descent so that added to the ambience. Well, it didn't add much - not as much as their friendly service did.
We started with appetizer that Bump likes at Roman Cucina. Good - but Roman Cucina's had a more exciting taste.
The spaghetti was great. Two meat balls with the pasta. I liked it. I liked the company better. Overall it was a nice place and I would go back again.
I would give this place a better rating if I liked anything else besides the pizza. The pizza is very good. Unfortunately, I found all the other dishes bland. I use to live behind this place and have given many of their dishes a try, but have found them pale in comparison to their pizza. So if I'm in the mood for pizza, this is a great local place to get a pie.
My Husband's stepfather is Italian (from a small town in Italy), and we're always looking out for new and good places to eat, including Italian. He read the previous reviews and since everything looked on the up and up, we took our 4-year old son here for dinner on a Wednesday night.
What can I say? The minestrone was lukewarm and was not good enough for me to send it back to reheat. The calamari was obviously pre-frozen and was rubbery. The bread (some kind of garlic bread, by the looks) was over-baked, almost black on the edges. At this point, my significant other and I raised our eyebrows, praised the Lord we didn't order pasta, and prayed that at least my son would like the pepperoni pizza we ordered.
He seemed to like it okay, which was a relief. H and I thought it was alright. We're still looking for a Pina's Pizza (over in Downey - best pizza this side of Chicago) type place in the OC, but so far we're still waiting.
The waiter that we had was quiet, fairly attentive, and polite. H grumbled just a little bit about how long we had to wait for everything (there was no one in there but us at first, but a few folks came in after we had ordered). I was too surprised at the quality of the food to notice.
The question that we always ask at the end of a 1st-time visit is "Would we come back here if this was the kind of food we were in the mood for?" The answer is no, not even to order pasta.
In my spare time, I fantasize how I want to spend my saved up calories here. Shall it be deliciously savory lasagna or perhaps the delectable puttanesca? Or a perfect slice of pizza rolled around any other pasta dish... mmm. The fantasies of a major foodie on a diet.
This place is quite the enjoyable break from the usual bombardment of Asian restaurants in this area. The service has always been very attentive and friendly. The wine list is not extensive but the selection is not your usual Francis Coppola garbage
Eat here. Do it nowwwwww
I admit it, I am a food snob and would rather eat something I made than go out and have someone else make it. My wife and I moved to Westminster around 18 months ago. I would pass this place as I rode around the neighborhood. It stuck in my mind one night when we wanted some kind of Italian food. I figured, what the heck, let's try it. We have tried many of the items on their menu, including a few of their Pizzas and have enjoyed them all. The Linguine and Clams is my favorite, and the Ravioli in Pink Sauce is outstanding.
I had lunch here on a Friday and it was only slightly busy. The service was very good and the restaurant, while aging and in a odd strip-mall location, was clean and pleasant. This is a casual place with average to lightly above average food at moderate to affordable prices. I had the chicken parmigiana sandwich and it was fast and d-e-l-ic-i-o-u-s!. I would recommend it. I don't normally travel in these parts because of the all the usual craziness that goes on and the uniquely Bolsa/Garden Grove area traffic flow problems, but Renato's is a hidden little treasure in the mist of all that. It gets 3 out of 5 stars and is A-OK in my book.
Never been until my boyfriend took me --- already been back a few times since then. Friendly service and good food. Prices are reasonable and hearty portions. I believe its closed on Mondays. Easy parking and have been sat promptly every time.
Renato is one of my favorite Italian restaurant in Westminster.I have been coming here for many years and they have yet to disappoint me.
They're located in the heart of Bolsa..and in the same shopping center as Saigon City Supermarket(Formerly Ralph's).
The atmosphere is simple but cozy...they're not a big restaurant but they can catered to large group parties comfortably.
We recently visit Renato with a group of 12..it took them about 15mins to set up tables for our party and we also took into consideration that it was a busy night for them.
They have a nice area out front where you can chill..so it was all good and we were seated in no time.
I'm not going to go into the entire menu..just try them out and I'm sure you will agreed with me.I will simply say the food(appetizers & entrees) here are EXCELLENT...they are served in generous portions.
I'm not much of a wine drinker but they seem to have a good selections on their wine menu..we ended up ordering 3 bottles of wine which was the majority of our bill.
I thought the food here were all resonably priced and well worth it to have a delicious meal in a nice atmosphere.
The service is always good..they make it work even for a big group parties like ours..the drinks and appetizers were brought out promptly to get things started.The entrees soon to follow and they timed the food preparations perfectly.
There should be no problem with parking..they are located in a big shopping center and lots of available parking spaces for your convenience.
Renato should feel special..they're only the 34th 5 Stars review I gave out from 307 reviews!
I had lunch here and I was surprised to find it completely empty on a Saturday because it had fairly good reviews. The sauce was a bit watery. And they don't even serve bread while you're waiting.
So the other day i was sitting in my room enjoying a movie and a beer. I realized that hey a pizza would go great with this case of newcastle... so i started searching for pizza close by... Pizza Hut and Dominos came up first on my trusty laptop but i thought if i wanted cardboard pizza i have tomato sauce and string cheese and some old cardboard in the garage... so i kept looking... then i saw Renato's. I had gotten a sandwich from them before but honestly forgot what it tasted like. So i decided to order a pizza. I bought a medium Pepperoni and Mushroom and lasgna because you have to spend 20 bucks when using a credit card... i was not too impressed by that but thought oh well... i was wondeing why a two item pizza would cost 15.30 though... i found out when they gave me my pizza... 15" pizza a medium?!?!?!?! i was shocked and very excited. i took my food home and took a bite and i must admit this pizza is pretty damn good... not the best ive ever had but hey i dont mind dropping 15 bucks for pizza that tastes good. So Renatos is now part of my pizza diet...
yum! went here for dinner w/ a group of friends... i kinda scratched my head when one said "good italian in westminster"
i had the lasagne (which is pretty much as big as your face) - so good.
the bolognese sauce is just the right consistency, the alfredo sauce isn't overly heavy, the minestrone is really good.
didn't have room to try the desserts but i'm eyeing the tiramisu next time
I really like this place, I have never been to Italy but this is what I imagine true Italian food would taste like. (The chief is from Italy) I can't even start, everything is sooo good. I have tried their stuffed mushroom, mozzarella sticks, and bruschetta. All sooo good!!! For their main entrees I have had their chicken, chicken fettucini.
Along with their restaurant they also cater and are priced very competitively. They are very professional and easy to work with.
Here we are looking for a sat. night dinner. Seeing how this place has been around for ever, I suggested we give it a shot. So, first of all everyone was friendly there. And it was a cute, quaint little place. We ordered mozzarella sticks, lasagna, meatballs and spaghetti and some the shrimp diablo. All the dishes went pleasantly well. Very pleased! My dad even commented how he thought the lasagna was way better than they 1 they served at Maggiano's. And you know how expensive that can yet. Anyhow, that was last week. Going back this weekend with husband and friends and we'll try somethings different this time. Thanks for all the reviews!
I use to come here all the time as a kid, my sister would always take me along to pick up some pizza for the family. The pizza was always fresh and authentic tasting. The prices were right, but im assuming the prices might have gone down since all of this five dollar pizza craze. But there pastas were always good, mm, lasagna. I'll probably give this place a try sometime since I haven't been here in a while.
Calling Lasagna Lovers!
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