The trattoria. The trullo. Fresh pasta dishes inspired by Chef Marco's family recipes from Puglia, with ingredients imported directly from Italy.
From Puglia
to Aliso Creek Road.
Chef and owner Marco Criscuolo grew up in Puglia, the heel of the boot. A trullo, the cone-roofed stone house typical to the region, is what his grandparents lived in. The name is a tribute. The menu is built on his family and home-town recipes from Puglia.
Parmigiano Reggiano, durum wheat, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil are imported from Italy. Orecchiette, rigatoni and bucatini are shaped fresh in-house. Awarded the Marchio Q "Ospitalità Italiana" by the Italian Cultural Institute.
The dishes that get
repeated by name.
Six plates that come back to the table the most. The menu has more.
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01Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa
$29the Puglian signatureEar-shaped pasta, broccoli rabe sauce, Italian sausage, pecorino, breadcrumb.
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02Mandilli de Seta
$30silk handkerchiefsHandkerchief-shaped pasta, lemon cream, pesto drizzle.
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03Squid Ink Bucatini
$44the ink, the biteShrimp, calamari, tomato, olive & caper sauce.
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04Imported Apulian Burrata
$10from PugliaImported from Apulia. Served with focaccia and olive oil.
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05Agnolotti
$38Marco's filled pastaRicotta and spring garlic filled pasta, asparagus, spring onion, guanciale.
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06Rigatoni alla Bolognese
$30the classicBolognese of ground pork, beef and veal. Slow, layered, unhurried.
Orecchiette
alle cime di rapa.
The dish that is Puglia.
Ear-shaped pasta, broccoli rabe sauce, Italian sausage, pecorino, breadcrumb. The signature dish of Puglia and a permanent fixture on the menu. The orecchiette is shaped by hand. The rapini is cooked down with its good bitter intact. The breadcrumb finish is the Puglian touch.
$29. On the menu, every night.
★ 4.6 on 206 Google reviews
Finally, a truly authentic Italian restaurant in Orange County. The food is exceptional, simple, high-quality ingredients prepared the right way. Marco, the chef, does an outstanding job sourcing and importing many of the ingredients directly from Italy.
We went here every week for two years up until we had our son and we're starting to go again. It's truly the best Italian food I've ever had. The owner is super kind and makes his restaurant look and feel so lovely and cozy.
Amazing food! We had the special pasta on menu tonight and I had the branzino, must get the bread to start with the pistachio dip. We've been to Italy and this place is authentic.
The food was delicious, and you should definitely ask about the specials. I had the focaccia sandwich special and it was so good I finished it pretty quickly. Even the desserts were impressive.
Come find us
on Aliso Creek.
26611 Aliso Creek Road, Unit C, Aliso Viejo. Reservations available through Exploretock or by phone. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 9pm.
