Pizzeria Ortica

We had an awesome dining experience here. Our server Miguel was super nice, knowledgeable and made us feel like we we were his only clients (although he was serving other tables as well)
The pizzas were very unique (we ordered 2 the Prosciutto and the pork cheek and ricotta to share) and one of them had this very unique flavor that reminded me of one of my grandma’s dishes. The desert is to die for.
HAPPY ME!!!

I forget Pizzeria Ortica is still here, just that I live in Irvine, and most of the places I go eat are around my house and gym. We were at south coast plaza, and wanted to get dinner. Something nice/​low key/​light, and I remembered Pizzeria Ortica’s happy hour after 8pm everyday and the margherita pizza that is on the menu for 8bucks. So we headed out that way! the place is still one of the gorgeous restaurant in OC, and the pizza is as heavenly as I always remembered, the cocktail is still pleasant and nice.

I love the food here. The pizzas are amazing — so flavorful and authentic. The ingredients are fresh and the crust is as delicate as Italian lace. The house made fennel sausage was divine.
The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. I went on my own as I’m traveling on business and felt completely comfortable. The waitstaff is friendly, attentive and knowledgeable.
But the food is easily the best part, as it should be.

This is one of our go-​to spots for a casual dinner. Frankly, unlike other reviewers, I don’t mind paying a «kitchen appreciation fee.» The food is always top quality and we’ve never had an issue with service.
Normally we get bruschetta, chopped salad, a pasta and a sausage pizza. We changed it up a bit this last time with bruschetta, chopped salad, mussels (highly recommended!), squid ink pasta and pasta bolognese. The squid ink was the stand out with a light sauce and very fresh flavor.
The wine list is diverse and reasonably priced with bottles starting at $ 30.
Overall, great spot for a casual dinner.

One star now due to scurrilous business practices. Okay, so here’s the deal: the Unilocal algorythm (in order to sort which reviews go higher in «Yelp sort» mode – which is the default), puts those reviews marked «useful» and «cool» higher, and those marked «funny» lower. Many business owners have recognized this, and hit «funny» on any negative reviews.
One way it’s obvious is that every single negative review is marked «funny» when there’s nothing whatsoever funny contained in it – such as mine. Look on this page, and invariably, any negative review is marked «funny» when there is not a comical word in the entire post.
Perhaps the ownership and management of Pizzeria Ortica should work more on making their pasta al dente, their sausage less gamey, offer a better selection of bread, and do away with their pompous «no substitutions» policy (even for health reasons), self-​important kitchen appreciation fee, instead of wasting time using their minions to hit «funny» on non-​funny negative reviews. Truly pathetic – now THAT’S funny!

Ortica has instituted a new «kitchen appreciation fee» of 3%, which is tacked on to all bills?!! This is completely separate from any tips. You’ve got to be kidding me. Are they going to charge a «mozzarella acquisition fee» or a «local farmers support fee» or an electricity surcharge??. Paying kitchen help is part of their overhead. If you want to pay them more, raise the menu prices.
We were regulars before this new fee but no longer. The pizza and salads are excellent. The pasta is good too, though way overpriced for the small portions they give you.

My boyfriend and I arrived for our 6:15pm reservation on a Wednesday evening and the hostess asked us to step aside so she could «make sure everything was all good.» When my boyfriend and I moved from the hostess stand we realized the restaurant was only a quarter full and there were several tables for 2 people empty. We waited … and waited … and waited, and seriously said that we felt like we were on Hidden Camera for an episode on How Long People Will Wait for No Reason. After 5 minutes the hostess sat us even though there was no apparent difference from when we had first arrived.
We were sat at a table directly in front of the server’s table/​cash register so it was very busy and distracting throughout the entire meal.
The food was great. We ordered the Brussels sprout appetizer, the Milanesa pizza, and the Budino for dessert. All really good.
What really peeved us that night enough to prompt this negative review was that we were fortunate to have been seated with the worst server I have ever had in my entire life.
My boyfriend and I knew we were going to share an appetizer and pizza so that we could enjoy dessert as well. The way the server talked to us made us feel as though we weren’t ordering enough for the establishment. His demeanor was so odd.
Then, the server was absent throughout the entire meal. At the end, he brought dessert before our coffees. We even finished all of dessert and our coffees still were no where to be seen. When the server finally arrived with the coffee he dropped them off and walked away. We had to call after him to bring sweetener. He dropped off the sweetener and we had to call after him to ask for spoons since he had already quickly started walking away.
It again took forever to get our check at the end of the night. The server was missing in action and when the manager walked by we stopped him to ask for the check. The manager acknowledged us and told our server that we were ready to leave. Our server took so long finishing at another table that the manager ended up coming back and printing our check. The server walked by when the manager was handing us the check and apologizing for the night and as the server passed by he cussed under his breath.
What a bizarre evening. Too bad the service doesn’t match with the better quality of the food.

I love the arugula salad and margarita pizza! So good! Cute hidden spot behind the West Inn hotel. Crafty cocktails and decent service

We entered the hostess was so rude. Then once we were seated the food took forever. They couldn’t custom make our pizzas at all. Would not recommend this place. 3% added to all checks

Updated review 05÷21÷16 —
Kitchen Appreciation Charge??? Visited here again for dinner. Food and drinks were great as usual, however, what really was a stinker on the night was when the check came. Pizzeria Ortica NOW puts a charge on your bill for «Kitchen Appreciation Charge». It says on the bill that it is used for kitchen employee compensation and we were told it is on all bills to pay for the rise in the minimum wage over the next 5 years. WTF!!! That’s your problem as owners and managers of your establishment, not the customer. Total load crap. First time I have ever seen this on a restaurant bill in Southern California. As the owners, you must have thought about the potential that a lot of customers will just tip equally less as a result, right? Food and drinks here are 5 stars. The new Kitchen Appreciation Charge would get negative stars if possible. Bad decision by owner and management here. #nokitchencharge

I have been coming here for a couple of years and Always craved the tagliatelle bolognese. Hands down it was always better than any other place I had been to.
Sadly, tonite it was different. I am not sure if the chef changed but it wasn’t nearly as good as it used to be.
I understand things change but let’s be honest–
When you pay $ 17.50 for small amount of pasta (see photo) you expect the quality to be pretty good. I dined alone tonite– paid $ 50 with my tip for 1 plate of pasta (no side orders, no appetizers or free bread, just water) and 1 vodka tonic… and it sucked.
I am not sure why, but the price didn’t bother me, it was the charge for «kitchen apprenticeship» which is described on the receipt as «funds to cover the cost of the kitchen staff»…it was not much but I seriously struggled to understand how your quality went down, you obviously reduced the portion size, service was below average, I’m pretty sure you have an apprenticeship and yet you are adding a charge in addition to taxes and tips to offset the reality that you aren’t paying your well deserved kitchen team enough.
If today were my first visit you would get 2 stars. Period.
Thankfully I have been here before (would have rated 4 stars maybe 5 in the past).
When you begin to nickel and dime a customer in a concept that is considered higher end, you eventually become the nickel & dime concept. Reduced food portions, meh service, high prices and a chef surcharge= no return visit.

Came for dinner before a show at the Segerstrom. Noticed on the receipt they wrote that we were attending a show. I think this is to ensure we get our food quickly? Unfortunately there was a mistake with our order and we ended up waiting a very long time and was almost late to our show. One of the workers/​manager (?) came over and apologized about it though and offered us free drinks, which instantly lifted my mood. When the food finally came out it was pretty delicious. My friend and I shared the Salame Piccante pizza and Rapini pizza. While both were good, I prefer the Salame as it had a decently spicy kick.
Also had the Brussels sprouts and while the breadcrumbs and hazelnuts gave it interesting taste and texture… I like my sprouts a particular type a way and this didn’t live up to it.
As for drinks waitress recommended the Hemingway and couldn’t resist with that name. It lived up to the recommendation.

The prices are fair and the service is quick, though the bartenders are a bit stand-​offish.
Their specialty is wood-​fired pizza. The simple, classic Pizza Margherita is sublime, with a charred, blistered thin crust, San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. It’s so good I never try the other varieties. This type of pizza requires great dough and very hot oven and it’s nothing like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, etc. It’s fresh & light.
They also offer an interesting menu of craft beers and unusual cocktails.
Be warned it can be busy when there is a show at the adjacent performing arts center but this is a pre-​show crowd and it clears out by 7:30 or so.

It’s honestly amazing to me that this restaurant only has 3 stars. I live nearby, so my partner and I eat here probably more often than we should — and it’s always been more than worth it!
Pro-​tips:
— Try the cocktails. The bartenders here are above and beyond amazing. You can tell they have serious passion about their craft. The devil’s in the details, and these are some devilish cocktails!
— Order the mussels. So good. So so so good. Literally, drink-​the-​broth-​like-​soup good.
— The pizza! Their dough is incomparably tasty, with just the right amount of chew. I’ve not ordered a single pizza I didn’t like. Note, however, that the crust can be pretty thin, so you may want to eat it with a fork and knife, traditional Italian style.
— Did I mention the cocktails? Yes, those. Order those.
All in all, Pizzaria Ortica is reasonably priced and all around solidly good. I’ve never had a dish I didn’t enjoy. The waits can get long when there’s a show playing nearby, though, so be sure to call ahead to check whether that’s the case.

We came on a Thursday night and throughly enjoyed everything we had. We sat at the bar area for happy hour. The wines are great. Tried Chef’s Antipasto and Mussels for starter. Both dishes are flavorful and go perfectly with the wine. For main entrée, we shared Margherita pizza and Pappardelle. Margherita pizza was simply and done right. The dough and tomato sauce are so good. Love the handmade pappardelle. The portion is small, but just the right amount for a heavier dish. Lamb was tender and flavorful. For dessert, we had Affogato, and couldn’t get enough of it. Service was attentive and friendly. Love everything about this restaurant, and will definitely return again soon

Maybe my bf and I just ordered two really bad things, because let me tell you as we were waiting for around 30 minutes to be seated we were watching the head chef and his crew do their thing and we were practically salivating. I mean the food looked really good! (in a fancy sorta way) but good! It was one of the worst food let downs I’ve ever experienced.
What we ordered:
Harvest Soup: Wow don’t order that soup! It’s sooo bad I thought I was eating hospital soup. Looks good on paper, fennel sausage mushrooms etc, but it’s so bad and bland… I was too sad to finish eating it.
Pancetta Pizza: Again, don’t be fooled by what’s on the menu because what you actually get is a bland mush of flavors that make the pizza look yellowish and a few basil leafs on top. The dough on the pizza however was very good.
So why the generous two stars for such god awful food? Their Italian Pinot Bianco wine was exquisite (probably because they had nothing to do with actually making it). Kudos you have great wine!

Hands down my favorite pizza in OC. Not that I eat a lot of pizza, but when I do I eat at Pizza Ortica.
Crust is light and chewy. Homemade sausage is to die for. While they don’t have a traditional pepperoni pizza, the salami pizza is even better! Lovely spice that blends nicely in your mouth.

Pizzeria Ortica is perfectly placed near the parking garage if you’re going to a play at South Coast Repertory. However that’s about all it has going for it.
The pizza was super boring, and over priced.
The gnocchi on the other hand was INCREDIBLE!
Why the two stars??? The service was god-​awful. Our «server» seemed put out to help us, and we had to stop him as he passed to get simple things for our table, or to get refills. Also the beer menu was tiny and unexciting.
Their website seems to have some issues as well, and menus aren’t coming up.

I chose this restaurant because it’s walking distance from Segerstrom and you can make reservations online!
I ordered one of their specialty drinks which was fantastic! I had two. It was cranberry, vodka, and champagne.
Our server Scott recommended the mussels. They were excellent! Not a bad one in the batch. The salami picante pizza was great!
The size of the restaurant was disappointing. It was super narrow. Our table was tiny and very little room to move. I felt very cramped. The bar seems like the best place to sit.
The bathrooms were immaculate and service was excellent. The pizza was good but not great. I felt like I was at an upscale CPK.

Before I began typing my review, I thought I would search the word «rude» in their current reviews, and boy, did it bring up a lot of results. This is precisely the word that I would use to describe this establishment.
My family and I were in town from Los Angeles last evening for a concert at the Segerstrom — we got into town early and were planning to go to another restaurant at South Coast Plaza, but because of Black Friday we quickly looked for an alternative.
We saw this place as we drove down the street and entered the parking structure behind it. It was around 4:45 as we walked up to the entrance and found it locked (we didn’t know yet that it didn’t open until 5) and watched as at least 8 employees stared at us from inside and made no attempt to simply say «sorry, we will be open in 15 minutes» or «come on in and look at the menu, we can seat you shortly» — NOPE, just stared at us as we stood outside.
Then, we decided to just walk the block to kill time until 5pm. We came back at 5:02pm and there was a man sweeping in front of the entrance and blocking the door, so we stood back a bit and asked «excuse me, are you open yet?» and he snaps at us «NO! We open at 5» in the most condescending tone of all time. We all looked at each other and immediately left. We would have spent a significant amount of money since we had a few hours to kill before the show, and this establishment was certainly not going to get our business after TWO missed opportunities to show appropriate customer service.
Don’t know what the food is like, and frankly don’t care with this kind of attitude!