Mangi Con Amore

Nice small Italian restaurant off Cabot. We were greeted by the owner and served some complimentary bruschetta while we waited for our order. It was made with pesto and really tasty. I had the pasta Fagioli and my daughter had the pasta with meatballs and marinara sauce. It also came with bread and butter. We loved our meals. The place is small but I liked the ambience with Italian music in the background. The portions were plenty enough that we are our meals in two sittings.

Mangi Con Amore is a hidden gem. If you appreciate fresh, authentic Italian dishes with a burst of flavor you must try Mangi Con Amore. The owner is so sweet and greets you in Italian. I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with butter and parmesan… delicious and made fresh, the owner Vitorio suggested I try it with sone Cinnamon and, so I did… fabulous. a must try.

Food is good. I took special notice on how the place is clean and organized, even in the kitchen in the back.

Cute family kinda vibe, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. And the food was great! I got the classic spaghetti.

I had a squash ravioli that was top notch, and my friend had the ravioli and love it. I’ll be back for more. I liked the ravioli so much that I’ll probably order the same thing the next visit.

Wonderful! This is truly a gem! The proprietors are lovely. The cuisine is fresh, home made and delicious!

The food is authentic, homecooked and incredible. Some of my new co-​workers brought me here for lunch my first week working with them and I had to stop myself from licking my plate clean! The owners are the sweetest people and make you feel at home! You MUST eat here if you like Italian food!!!

Great food prepared old school. Had the lasagna –better than my Italian wife’s.
Two more trips since then, same great quality meals
Just wish they were open weekends

Little hole in the wall. I love the tiramisu and mushroom raviolis. My hubby loves the meatball sandwich. This place closes at 7pm, so eat early. Really homemade Italian food. My favorite Italian food in the OC.

Located in a small business park/​strip, this place seems to be a popular spot for lasagna. There were a few other customers there while we were there and all of them ordered the lasagna. Two got it to go. It certainly is delicious but it’s also a bit pricey for what it is. I get it, considering they’re a small shop business park type of joint — pricing at these types of places will generally be on the higher side. We also tried the butternut squash ravioli and that was interesting — very good and the first of its kind that I’ve ever had so +1 for creativity. The menu is pretty simple and straightforward, and friendly service as well. I was tempted to get a tub of the Italia mix (pesto, feta, and sundried tomatoes and jalapenos) but at $ 8 a tub, I decided not to. I’d stop by if I were in the mood for some good lasagna if in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

I’ve had this place on my bookmarks for a while and I took a friend here since I was craving Italian. The place was empty when we walked in, there was just one employee mopping up the floor. We waited by the register for a bit and looked over the menu. After a couple of minutes the owner came out to take our order. I got the spinach tortelloni with marinara sauce and my friend got a panini. We took a seat and the owner set up the table for us. She asked us how we discovered her restaurant and I told her I found them on Unilocal.She said they get a lot of customers from it.
To start we got complementary bruschetta topped with pesto, a sun dried tomato and cheese. I really loved the pesto, you could tell it was homemade. It was thick like a spread which made it perfect for the bruschetta. Our entrees came out at the same time. My tortelloni was soft and pillowy, just little pockets of creamy cheese and spinach. They reminded me of a dish I had in Florence, tortelloni in chicken broth, it was that good. The marinara was good just a little on the acidic side. It was all topped with a very generous helping of parmesan cheese. I also tried a bite of my friend’s panini. It had the same pesto on it as the bruschetta as well as mozzarella, tomato, basil and prosciutto. The prosciutto was very salty and kind of overpowered the whole thing. I really loved the bread on her sandwich though, it was crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. During our meal the owner was yelling at one of the employee’s which was pretty distracting. I ended up eating every last bite of my bowl, it was challenging because I was super stuffed by the end, but it was so good I just had to finish it.
I liked this place, the food is great and the service is quick. I think next time I’ll try their lasagna.

Their food is to die for! So fresh!!! I always get the Tuna Salad and a ½ order of meatballs! Delicious!

I brought my italian grandmother here for lunch and she agreed that this is the most authentic italian restaurant that she has been to in the states.
The lasagne is to die for. The atmosphere is amazing. And the service is always on point. My coworkers and i cone here a lot and i cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for a little taste of italy in california.

Best Lasagna I’ve ever had. Period. I have to talk myself out of going all the time so I don’t turn in to Garfield.
Lasagna Bolognese!

Great place to bring friends and family. The food is delicious and I feel like I’m a tell you for the hour that I’m there. I would recommend a try every dish!

Ok, I was having some work done on my car around the corner and instead of dropping it off and then having to come back… I walked over here and waiting for an hour. That said… I didn’t eat here… but the place is cute! And the staff was super nice. I got there just as they opened the door. Got a soda and sat at a table with my phone so I didn’t have to stand outside in the heat. The smells coming out of the kitchen as they were preparing for the day were delicious! I WILL look forward to coming back and sampling some of their menu!
Thanks Guys!

As a fellow Italian, this place is legit. Homemade ravioli should melt in your mouth like this. Lasagna, pasta, meats, cheeses… everything we’ve had has been excellent. The food is fresh. The cookies are authentic (up there with Claro’s). They ran out of desserts, last time I was there, so don’t wait. The take-​home pasta is as good, if not better than Assenti’s in Little Italy, San Diego.
And seriously, if you choose to eat there, it is like eating at a relative’s house. They aren’t going to ask you if you want Parmesan on the food, because everyone needs Parmesan. And you should probably clean up after yourself.

Have you ever tasted pasta made from scratch versus store bought dried? If not let me tell you the difference. if you eat lasagna from this restaurant all you need is a plastic fork because the noodles are soooo soft.
And the sauce? all I need in life is a bowl of Stella’s marinara sauce and some good bread. It’s perfectly creamy and rich, not too acidic, and packed filled with flavor.
Sure there are a couple of other Italian restaurants in Orange County that offer made-​from-​scratch pasta but their price point is double what Stella charges!
I could probably take off a quarter of a star for not having more options, but being a chef I understand keeping your costs down when you are a mom and pop shop.
I’ve eaten a lot of soups in my life and her lentil and pasta fagioli soups are some of the best I’ve ever had.
Oddly located in a Business Park, look for the colorful umbrella and stop here for some lunch. make sure to take some cannolis home!
Just because a business gets 5 stars doesn’t mean they are a snooty-​Fine China establishment. When you eat here the emphasis is on the food, so don’t be surprised when you are served on a plastic plate with a plastic fork!

Some time ago, I made my way out to Saddleback to give emotional support to a friend. We were famished after running a few errands and ended up in an industrial business park. A small hole-​in-​the-​wall Italian café with a five star rating? Of course, we had to find out for ourselves why this place was so popular, besides the Award of Excellence they were given for 2014.
#1. Plenty of parking spots… and during lunch time.
#2. Excellent customer service… humbly greeted with a few suggestions to our order.
#3. The place had a cozy, warm inviting ambiance.
#4. I very much enjoyed what I ordered (butternut squash ravioli… not too sweet).
Thanks for suggesting cinnamon sprinkles. Mmm, yum! My friend ordered minestrone soup and thought it was just okay. Thank you for the complimentary sundried tomato and pesto appetizers. We enjoyed them too.
So why am I giving this place four out of five stars? I would’ve much preferred real dishes over paper plates for the overall price range. At a little over $ 1 per ravioli, on paper plates just seemed a bit pricey, IMO.

Piece of Italy in South County!
Nice little diner that reminds me of the Italian places I ate at as a kid. Hand decorated restaurant comes with home cooked food and hand prepared sauces. The minestrone was delicious and the tiramisu was amazing. Even something as simple as spaghetti and meatballs is done right here but the dish is called meatballs and spaghetti,
Victorio, the proprietor, is an excellent source for opinions about what to order,
This little shop is easily accessed off the freeway. It won’t take you more than five minute,
Parking is easy. The shop is located in a business plaza, Don’t forget to stop by next door for some home made chocolate.
Overall, I am a fan,