Capones Italian Cucina

Loved this place and our server Nina. Food was delicious. We’ll be back, that’s for sure!

Lived in HB for years, and had never eaten here. Meanwhile, I’ve been complaining for years that there’s no good Italian food around. Well that’s all changed, because how did I miss this little gem of a restaurant? Best Italian food I’ve had in a long time. Fresh, full of flavor, the most amazing bread. Love it there and this will be my new go-​to for Italian!

I enjoyed the entire experience! I ordered the Salmone al Limone which is a great entrée for those who like salmon with a little lemon flavor. I loved the environment of the restaurant and the service was great! I definitely recommend this restaurant but I would like to add that the space isn’t very kid-​friendly.

Wow I never ever in my life would go to Olive Garden again this place is a piece of heaven eveything is made from scratch you won’t regret it the experience here was unforgettable

Wow super wonderful experience at this delious Italian Restaurant. Jose our server was not only sweet and polite helpful and nice but wonderful and friendly. Definitely this won’t be my first time dining in this restaurant

A lovely person has recommended me this place. I’d love to go back again.
A great place for a first date I should say.
Food was really good.
Ambiance is perfect for a date night. We sat outside of the patio, little burning candle on the table.
I need to go back… Haha

(Interior photos don’t reflect recent remodel)
Last night was our first time at this little hidden gem and it was fantastic! Ambience, menu, pricing, service, and quality is all there.
*Romantic, intimate (its on the smaller side), classy interior with comfortable seating upholstered in tufted black leather, dark wooden tables, and soft ambient lighting with candles and wine bottle chandeliers. Perfect for date night.
*Pricing is similar to other Italian restaurants in the area but the food is far better than bigger chain restaurants like The «C» Factory and That Garden of Olives place.
*Chicken Marsala and Chicken Picatta were hands down the BEST we’ve had from anywhere and those are our signature dishes to order when we go Italian.
The picatta was full of lemon, zest, and flavor while the marsala offered up a saucy explosion of earthy spices, flavors, and aromas. DELICIOUS.
*Long list of wines, both red and white, and they bring you samples of any that are available by the glass.
*DESSERT YUM! They bring out a tray full of semi fancy, decadent delights. Lava cake, big key lime pie, cheesecakes, creams/​pudding, chocolate ganache… To name a few. Wonderful presentation. We couldn’t decide so the server chose the chocolate ganache cheesecake with vanilla ice cream and strawberries on top. It was dark, rich, visually appealing, and delicious.
Looks like we finally found a go to local spot for Italian and a little romance.

Small place, but great ambiance and old-​school Italian feel with music from Sinatra, Martin, Bennett, etc. Classy place but not overly so, you can be casual too. The service has always been superb from the chef to the server and everyone else.
Love the food what I’ve tried so far. The lasagna was cheesy and delicious, although I thought the noodles could have been more firm. Every other pasta dish I’ve tried has been perfectly cooked al-​dente. The marinara sauce is really good and tasty. My favorite so far is the spaghetti grecia (no olives), no doubt the most underrated dish on the menu. I’m no expert, but I think it may be a Greek twist on an old Roman classic. Great texture with the red onion and pancetta and delicious, off-​the-​charts flavor.
I’ve yet to try the pizza. I’m looking forward to coming here again and again.

Service was awful last night. Our waitress was rude, never smiled, and obviously did not want to be there.
We chose Capone’s as the spot for our family dinner the night before my brother’s wedding. It was a special night, but I guess the waitress didn’t agree. When she asked us what the occasion was, I told her he was getting married, and all she said was «oh.» in the most unimpressed tone and then walked away. No «congratulations», no nothing.
Then she kept taking things from the table that we were still using as if she wanted to usher us out as fast as possible. She took my dad’s wine glass when there was still wine left in our bottle, they took my water glass when there was still water in it!
The food was fine, but this waitress was terrible and that spoiled what should have been a night to remember.

My girlfriend and I came here on NYE. There was a wait, but it was worth it! The best Italian food I have ever had! The dining room is small, and doesn’t seem like anything special. But the food they dish out is amazing!
Also try The Black Trumpet Bistro and Mona Lisa.

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Orange County along with Mona Lisa Cucina. Definitely stop by and try it.

Seriously I have walked by this little place for years and never went in, boy have I been missing out. The food was amazing… Customer service was great.
It is small so be ready to wait. Currently the outside is under construction for more outside seating.
Will be going back.

Went to Capones for my birthday dinner with the family. We ate:
Spicy Seafood Pasta
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Salmon on Pasta
Veal Special
All four entrees were fantastic. Our waitress was very friendly and knew the menu in detail.
Great atmosphere, perfect lighting.

New Year’s Eve at Capone’s was a very good call. Walking distance from the house, a few friends were able to reader over and happily deal with the 75 min. wait with the help of well hidden bottle of wine in paper cups in the courtyard.
We ended up with a great table and were only charged $ 15 corkage for our own wine. Service was spectacular as always. The room was packed with holiday spirit and Owner/​Chef Dino was on hand in the open kitchen working away.
Besides the super hot and fresh bread, we had the beef carpaccio, fried calamari, arugula salad, and Brussels sprouts as appetizers. My wife had the chicken piccata and I had Dino’s signature cioppino. Everything was delicious but the cioppino was off the charts fabulous. I ordered a side of linguini to make it more of a pasta dish but there was still lots of tangy broth to be sopped up with the fresh bread.
We were all way too full for any dessert and we wanted to make sure we turned the table on this busy night, unlike the idiots before us who made us wait so long. Another fabulous meal at Capone’s.

We found Capones by way of the Black Trumpet (if you haven’t been… go!). We’ve been going to the BT for a few years and on our last visit talked to some other regulars who said we must try Capones (Dino’s original restaurant) if we like Italian.
The feel is very similar to Black Trumpet, in that it is located in an unassuming strip mall in HB but once you walk in you are transported to a bustling yet cozy and romantic restaurant. Expect a wait, but plan to grab a drink up at the bar. They have a full bar with seats so you can get martinis or wines while you wait. The bartender was friendly and talkative so he helped make our 40 minute wait go by quickly (or maybe it was the wine).
Food menu is exactly what you’d expect at any Italian restaurant except that they offer a low calorie menu! I didn’t take advantage of it this night, but surely will in the future. Both our meals were served hot and delicious. One minor setback for them is they do not serve a complementary dinner salad with your meal as many other places in this price point do.

The food, service and ambiance are all-​around excellent. It is undoubtedly one of the top Italian restaurants in OC, with a warm and homey vibe. The restaurant is on the small side, so you’ll most likely end up waiting for a table. Patio seating is cute but very cramped, so sitting inside at a table or at the chef’s counter are your best options. Every waiter and waitress that we have had has been highly personable and attentive.
You’re started with warm bread, crunchy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I love their Caesar Salad which comes with large pieces of shaved parmesan on top. My entrée this most recent visit was the Lasagna «Capone». Ohhhhh my goodness. Even the presentation of this dish is exquisite. It is served straight from the oven, resting in a pool of slightly sweet tomato sauce with cheese oozing out from every direction. Layers of perfectly cooked pasta cover not only bolognese sauce, but actual house made small meatballs. Meatballs! I’ve never tried a lasagna like this. There are so many fantastic dishes on the menu but I know that I’ll be drawn to this dish again next time.
If you aren’t in the mood for pasta they also offer pizza, chicken, fish and filet. There is a low calorie and heart healthy section as well, so that enjoying Italian food doesn’t have to be heavy.

This restaurant is located in between Luna B Boutique and Slapfish (I may have missed a few shops, but those are the two that I remember), really easy to find with plenty of parking.
There is indoor and limited outdoor seating (maybe about 6 tables?). I suggest sitting outdoors because it seemed kind of loud inside.
We did not have a reservation and got lucky with two open patio tables upon arrival, and waited just a little under ten minutes to get seated.
What’s nice about this place is that they have no cork charge, so you are more than welcomed to bring in your own bottle! I went on a Wednesday (8pm), so I’m unsure if it was the deal of the day or if it’s like that every day. They also have a variety of wines to choose from off the menu.
We ordered the Farfalle O’sole Mio (bow tie pasta with sun dried tomatoes), Penne Con Petit De Pollo, and Spumoni for dessert. I felt that both dishes were tasty, and came in a reasonable portion. I didn’t think I’d finish my plate, but I cleaned it pretty well! The Spumoni was alright for my liking, and could have been better without the chocolate dipping. The pistachio portion was good though.
Overall service/​atmosphere was great, the workers were very friendly and attentive! I’d come back to try more things off the menu.

This place takes me back to my trip to Italy last year!
We came here on a Friday night (party of 3) and were asked to wait 40 minutes for a table. I was super hangry and was actually considering going elsewhere to eat (good thing I didn’t!). We ended up only waiting half the time asked.
There is seating indoors and outdoors. If you want to hold a conversation with your party, then I recommend eating outdoors because indoors was pretty noisy. When sitting outside in the patio, my brother mentioned that he didn’t feel like he was in Orange County, so they did a pretty good job on their exterior design and atmosphere. We had Nina as our waitress and she was really nice and funny at times. Couldn’t have asked for a better server.
I ordered a birra moretti (draft Italian beer $ 6), bruschetta ($ 10) and seafood pasta ($ 22). All of which was so delicious! I have absolutely no complaints. My brother got the lasagna ($ 17), which he ate every single piece of it and my friend got a chef’s special pasta (which had seafood as well $ 27). The portions were pretty good (not too BIG and not too little, just right).
The water refills were on point! It doesn’t taste like tap water either. The free bread they gave in the beginning was better than the bread I remember eating in Italy (because Italy bread is hard). It came with butter or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. At the end of our meal, they brought out a dessert tray and my friend went for the lemon cheesecake. It was good but we were too full to finish everything. This place will probably be my go-​to Italian restaurant so I will definitely be back!

The Skinny:
Nice Italian restaurant in a nice area of Huntington Beach, good food and portions. Décor is just as Italian as it can get, and servers are just as friendly as you expect them to be.
Environment:
The parking in this area is so good, because it shares the lot with a large market. The restaurant itself appears to be small, and I did feel a little claustrophobic with the seating arrangements, but I think it may be something they didn’t anticipate when they first opened up. Could be better, though.
Service:
Our server was great! She was always asking us how we were doing and she would directly answer our questions with her personal answers rather than how some other waiters would answer with pre-​set answers from the owners. We asked her favorite dishes and were given a straight answer.
Food:
I didn’t order much, but I always order Beef Carpaccio at nearly every restaurant that gives me that as an option. Love it, love it, love it. It was just perfectly sliced and seasoned to perfection and I definitely put it high up there on my personal Beef Carpaccio list. We also had wine, but I guess you can’t really judge about wine since the wine itself is not in control of the restaurant. I guess I can also say the bread, oil, and vinaigrette was good as well. My friends ordered pizza and pasta and they loved their dishes as well. Portions were just right to either be shared (if it is an entrée) or for yourself (if you are ordering an appetizer as your entrée).
Overall: ⁴⁄₅
I think this is a great place for Italian food if you don’t want to venture out of the OC area, and if you want to avoid the big commercialized places. The only issue I have with this is the spacing of the seating, but other than that, I’d recommend this place to anyone who likes Italian food.

Food is great. had a super Tuscan Super Tuscan, Casal Moro, Rosso del Veneto, so very nice and smooth and the chocolate cake desert finishes everything nicely
and I’m not a sweets kinda guy.
good and effficient service, only complaint is a very loud diner right behind me. the dining room is cramped, but that’s the only negative.
proper service, and all the bites were great from the calamari to bread to main pasta dish Farfelle O solo Mio.
and my kid was happy with her marguerita pizza and limonata.