Scusa Italian Ristorante

Started off on the wrong foot with the hostess. She kept taking us to crappy tables and if not for our server who found us a nice table I might have left. Server in control we get drinks and loaf of complimentary garlic bread. Garlic bread is free when you check in with Unilocal.Drinks are priced good and garlic bread is mighty tasty, yep, yep! For dinner I start with the blue cheese salad followed by their pasta fettuccine carbonara. The salad has lots of shrimpy shrimps and a beautiful vinaigrette. It is very tasty and costs $ 6.00. The pasta fettuccine carbonara is huge and loaded with flavor. The fettuccine is made scratch and accompanied by crispy prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, peas and a wonderfully rich Alfredo sauce. Price for this dish is 19.99. Service was outstanding as was the food. No deduction for hostess because the server saved the day. We will return.

I loved every course! I got the grilled chicken and ravioli. The calamari was a perfect appetizer and then lobster ravioli was to die for.

Good Italian food. Would eat there again. Excellent homemade bread pudding.

This place is like the Costco of Italian restaurants. Healthy portions made fresh in a bustling family friendly environment. Do not expect flavor to match size. The linguini with clams was flavorless and disappointing– many of the clams didn’t open– those that did had plentiful doses of sand. The Osso Bucco, was VERY delicious– highest praise for the polenta.
Not sure how they rationalize serving that dish with powdered lemonade (really with all of the Italian lemonada out there?) and a cappuccino made from a keurig machine– In both cases no heads up from the wait staff? Very friendly service; food inconsistent.

Fabulous… both food and service. Our waiter Chris, did a great job. Very professional and helpful in suggesting the lobster ravioli appetizer, it was wonderful. Served with their homemade focaccia, especially for sauce dipping. Entrée also were very good, especially, the linguini and fresh clams. Service was impeccable, both in timing and suggestions. The rooms are tasteful decorated, white linen napkins and tablecloths. I would definitely recommend this restaurant…

Excellent service and top quality Italian food.
I highly recommend «Eggplant Parmesan», amazing!
Our server was great & attentive. We will definitely be back!

Amazing place. The ambiance, music, and the food is amazing. Do not leave without ordering the sole lemon picatta. Best thing I’ve ever eaten. Service was friendly and fast.

Amazing. Highly recommended!
We went here for my dad’s retirement dinner and all of the dishes were great and reasonably priced. The server was super kind and he did a fantastic job.
We ordered two shrimp cocktail appetizers and two roasted garlic bulb/​crostini apps for the table to eat with our bread. The portion sizes of these were just enough and quite generous, but we chose wisely so they weren’t too filling before our main dishes.
I posted four entrée pictures: sausage & peppers with bolognese sauce, fettuccine alfredo, veal marsala, and the seared scallops. I was in love with my scallops and everyone else’s dish, because of course I chowed down and tried everything!
A nice little surprise was that the server overheard our conversation about how we were celebrating my father’s first day of retirement, so he brought a beautiful warm brownie dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This was such a nice treat and really made my dad feel special. Two thumbs up!
This experience definitely satisfied my Italian food craving and I will totally be going back for round two!

Wonderful surprise from the other Unilocal reviews and photos! We had the free garlic bread and our waiter Zack was very accommodating! Everything was so good! The flavored were distinctive and the décor was uplifting. It was a perfect Mother’s Day dinner!
Thank you!

Delirious! Great selection of. Food, tasty. Great service and lots of vegetarian options

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is craving for Italian food while staying in Tahoe. This place had awesome Italian pastas and the service was superb. And I really loved our waiter, he constantly checked on us and refilled our water. They gave us complimentary garlic bread. And he recommended two dishes and they were great. Loved it. I would definitely, go there again.
Parking – they have a private lot so plenty of space.
I would recommend making reservations since this place gets full easily.

On point! That’s the phrase we kept saying throughout our entire first meal ever at Scusa. Decadently salty garlic bread with a thick layer of baked Parmesan cheese. Satisfyingly toothy al dente lobster ravioli in a cream sauce fit for kings… and my garlic bread. She went for the server’s suggestion of pan-​seared Petrali Sole with a lemon caper beurre blanc; He selected the lasagna to measure against his Italian grandmother’s recipe. Both just about cried tears of joy! Who doesn’t relish the moment when you realize the food you chose definitely IS as good as you had hoped it would be deep in the very pit of your hunger?! We finished off with the crazy good brûlée cheesecake and a fresh cup of decaf.
Jason, our server, politely anticipated our needs and made a few great recommendations. His table side manner was unobtrusive yet friendly and timely.
We will most definitely be having another date night in the near future, it’s obvious we have more happy-​tears inducing meals to look forward to!

Craving some hearty, stereotypical Italian-​American food? This place will hit the spot. It’s a nice, neighborhood-​y spot perfect for a family meal. Nothing unique or amazing, but it’s good.
I came with a group of 3 on a Friday night. We had a reservation, and were seated immediately. Everyone was very nice, and there was even live music.
We shared the garlic bread appetizer (free with check-​in), and I got the lasagna for my main dish. It was exactly like lasagna you could get from any halfway decent Italian American place, which hit the spot, because that’s what I was hoping for. The tomato sauce was really good, and I particularly enjoyed the green beans served alongside.
I also tried some of my husband’s sausage and pepper pasta, which was also good — very hearty and peppery. We left satisfied.

Mi scusi! This place is poppin in the South Lake Tahoe area. It has a pretty large parking lot in the front but it can get filled if you come during the peak dinner hour, which is what we did.
The place was packed so we had to wait for a large table. Place seems to be THE place for group Italian dinners. After waiting for 20 minutes, we were seated. Luckily during our wait, I was able to log onto the restaurant WiFi. Gave me time to look at all the pictures on Unilocal!
After looking at the pictures, I wanted a couple of things such as the calamari steak, the lobster ravioli, and the lasagna but in the end I ordered the Chicken Linguine because I saw the artichoke hearts and sun-​dried tomatoes at some of the ingredients. Sounded like a good combination and I have to admit, the artichoke hearts and the sun-​dried tomatoes were pretty BOMB. That was pretty much the highs of this dish though. The sauce was particularly appetizing and even though the menu said it was a «light» sauce, it was pretty heavy. Light in comparison to other sauces?
What WAS pretty BOMB was the garlic bread. REMEMBER to check in for this deal. We had a number of folks at our table with a Unilocal account so we ended up getting 3 garlic breads all for free! Free Carbs! The oil and the garlic flavor was on point and full of flavor. Warm and toasty. It was perfect to start the meal after freezing outside.
Service was decent. He was attentive and came to refill our drinks. It did seem like he forgot one of our dishes but was able to bring it out quickly after we asked him.
Scusa is meh in my book but I guess in comparison to the other eateries in S. Lake Tahoe, it is pretty average because I didn’t completely enjoy any of my meals in S. Lake Tahoe. Been spoiled with the food I’ve been having everywhere else.

Stopped by here for our first Tahoe meal and had to wait about 20 – 25 minutes for our table of 10. I usually don’t nitpick this much, but the chairs were terrible. The metal armrests leave you smelling like rusty metal and it was a pain to slide them.
But aside from that, the food was okay. I split the shrimp scampi and a kale salad. The salad was flavorful but not overwhelming, but the shrimp scampi was underwhelming/​bland and came in a small portion. We also got the Unilocal check in offer of free garlic bread with the order of two entrees. That was probably the best part of meal… pretty sizeable for a check in offer.
I don’t know if there are too many options in Tahoe but this seems like an OK option for a large group gathering/​event. There’s a guy that plays the sax for you if it’s your birthday.

Decided to settle for Italian and we came in pretty early for dinner, so it was still empty. They do take reservations I believe. They offer free garlic bread for Unilocal check in. The garlic bread was delicious and might be one of the best I’ve had. Boyfriend had the Calamari Scusa and I had the Sausage and Peppers. They were both great! Chris was our server and he was awesome. He mentioned their specials for the night that weren’t on the menu, served us water right away, made sure everything was good, packed my leftover food, and made our dinning expieremce good. We were able to go in and out no problem. Prices were decent for an Italian restaurant. The place was clean, felt classy, and everyone was sweet. There’s parking right outside the restaurant. All in all, I’d be back if I wanted to come back.

A fun, family style Italian restaurant that has been a mainstay in South Lake Tahoe since I was a kid. In their new location on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, they have plenty of free parking, live music, and a family friendly atmosphere that is a great place to bring the whole family. Their linguini with clams are literally overflowing with clams, so be prepared for large and satisfying portions, especially with all the pastas.
Definitely use Unilocal to check-​in when you arrive and see if they are still offering free garlic bread!

Great service and delicious food!!! So stuffed.
Kids got penne pasta with butter sauce and angel hair with butter sauce and marinara sauce on the side. Their food came up super quick which was great.
Adults had free garlic bread for checking in, lobster ravioli appetizer, seafood linguine and salon scaloppine.
Everything was delish. Couldn’t finish it all but will be good left overs.

We went here for Christmas dinner on December 24^th and had a great experience. Despite the busy day our waitress was always checking on us and the service was super fast. We had the garlic bread and garlic soup as starters, both were fantastic. I ordered the lobster ravioli and it was perfect! I had the small portion which comes with 4 ravioli (they are pretty big) and it was more than enough for me. You can also order the full portion with 7 ravioli.
My dad had the seafood Fetuccini and said the seafood was fresh and abundant. He loved it! My mom ordered the mediterranean pasta, which was also packed with perfectly cooked eggplant, feta cheese, capers and olives. My brother had the lasagna and said it was good but not spectacular.
For dessert we had the brownie with vanilla ice cream which was delicious, the tiramisu which was pretty good and the cheesecake which was OK. I would definitely recommend the brownie!
I would love to come back and try the sausage and peppers pasta. Next time!

Hello,
We came here on 10÷3÷15 for my mothers 50^th birthday dinner and I have nothing good to say. We had high expectations of this place based on all the reviews. First off, we got seated in their private room and the owner promised that we would have the room until 7:30 with no additional people sitting in the side booths. I had talked to her one week ahead of time since we were traveling to Tahoe from 5 hours away. We were wrong about nobody being seated in the side booths, both booths got filled after we were seated and didn’t give us the privacy.
After that, the food was served and that was just ok. They really don’t have a big selection and the food was mediocre for Italian considering I am Italian blooded so it was just ok.
To top things off, the restaurant decided to charge us around 80.00 for a cake cutting fee for 20 people. The reason why I am upset about this is because they did not notify us in the beginning and our server kindly said to me «Shall we help you cut that», so I assumed he would be cutting for free… we spent nearly $ 750 so I thought they could at least help us out. We called the owner after the servers wouldn’t reverse the charge, the owner was very rude over the phone, not courteous, she did not budge on the cost or even try to lower it by a penny. I did not get a good feeling or vibe from her over the phone.
I was born and raised in Tahoe and anyone can say that any local businesses in Tahoe are very professional and have good service.
Please stay away from this place! We won’t be coming back.