Pizzeria Ortica - Costa Mesa

This restaurant offers outstanding gourmet Italian cuisine. The meatballs appetizer is a must-try. The Salsicha pizza, topped with homemade sausage, is exceptional; it doesn't come with sauce, yet it remains flavorful and moist. My wife insists that the Salsicha is the best sausage she’s ever tasted. The mushroom Cannelloni is also delicious, though quite rich, and has a subtle hint of lemon that I wasn’t fond of. Plus, there's a happy hour every day after 7:00, featuring half-priced gnocchi, pizzas, and wings.

The Brussels sprouts here are the best I've ever tasted! They're a must-try if you're dining here. The ambiance is fantastic, and while the service was a bit slow at first—probably because the restaurant was packed with people going to a show at the Segerstrom Center—once we were seated, everything improved. We were fortunate to get a great table, and as the crowd thinned out after the show started, the service became excellent. We enjoyed the cauliflower appetizer and the prosciutto pizza, both of which were delicious. We will definitely be returning!

Last night, the service was outstanding. Our server promptly brought us some delicious drinks that we thoroughly enjoyed. The food was almost perfect; however, the fried egg on the Carbonara was a bit overcooked, and the same went for the one on the pizza. The pasta was fresh, and the prices were quite reasonable. The dessert selection was good enough to make me want to drive back for more!

This was my first time here, even though I 've past by it about a zillion times. I hope that it certainly won 't be my last time dining here. The food was absolutely incredible! I don 't like to gush about food establishments, but when I do run across something that is outstanding, I need to make comment about it. The menu selection wasn 't all that impressive, so I 'settled ' for the spaghetti. Little did I know that this was going to be the BEST spaghetti I 've ever eaten..., in my entire life! It had house made 'nduja sausage, broccoli rave, Calabrian chili, and smoked ricotta. I wasn 't sure what all of that was, but combined it was delicious! We got there before the lunch crowd, so it was pretty empty when we arrived at 11:30 am. We had our choice of seats. The wait staff was very attentive and prompt. All in all it was a GREAT dining experience.

Great location, beautifully designed very good food and the service was excellent. I had the Rigatoni and my lunches had pizza. It was delicious.