Alza Italian Kitchen - Italian restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita - 22411 Antonio Pkwy c170, USA

I was not planning on dining here today but I heard the music and decided to change plans! The burrata board was new on the menu and I decided to try it. It was exactly as described. The sparkling wine from new Mexico was great. Pierce was a very professional server. I appreciate it that the hostess didn't mind finding room for ONE and made me feel very welcome. Kudos to all!

Enjoyable experience at the restaurant - friendly staff and a pleasant atmosphere. While the food was good, it fell short of excellence. Still, a positive overall impression.

First impressions matter. Place is clean and plenty of nice decor. Ambient feels like a sports bar not a fine dining spot. Appetizers came after our meals. Not impressed with their mix drinks. Food was blend and cold. Waiter offered bread but forgot to provide it. They have plenty of competition around. Step up your game. I will update if things change. Enjoy!

Sharing as I came in on a night where it was not a normal night (winter formal for the local high school). This restaurant has pretty decent food although there were some flaws with regard to service and overall ambiance. At the corner of the restaurant was an employee catch-all table that was littered with jackets, water bottles and random items. Walking by this really had me in question. Also, booths seem tiny and confined. I would recommend sitting either at the bar or high top table when visiting. I did not try the pizza but was told it has a nice crust.

Wow! This was amazing! The restaurant Is spacious with booths and table tops. You can eat outside under heat lamps if you choose. Our server was kind, and knowledgeable on the food which was excellent as everything on the menu sounded great so guidance was helpful. Tonight I decided to try the chipotle shrimp flatbread with a Cesar salad! Mm mmm mm flavor galore! My daughter went with the spaghetti, mother-in-law went with the piccata and partner went with chicken Parm everyone is extremely pleased! We will be coming back.

I was happy to see a new restaurant in RSM and decided to meet a friend there for dinner. When I first walked up, I waited quite some time for a hostess. When no one showed up, I went inside to speak with the gentleman behind the cash register. He seemed bothered that I was asking about getting seated. There were only 2 tables with customers and a few folks at the bar so I wasn't sure why he seemed annoyed. I asked to be seated outside and he said sit anywhere I want and he'll get menus. We sat at a table which we had to clean ourselves. When my friend and I ordered, it took about 20 minutes to get our meal. I wanted clams but was told later they didn't have enough clams to fulfill my order. The only saving grace to the evening was the food was delicious. I love supporting local businesses, especially now, and I hope they can train their staff on good customer service. During this challenging time, I would hope there would be more appreciation for customers who chose to give them business. Especially a new restaurant.

Great pricing and really good wings. The main issue was the service. The lady had to leave every time she got asked a question because either she didn't know or it was her first day? The manager was also very strange and inserted himself in weird ways that conflicted with the service. Like the server would ask do you need xyz and we would tell her and then he would follow up asking the same thing and we would end up with double of one thing and basically had no communication with the server

Last night was the second time we went to Alza's for dinner. What got our attention and led us there to begin with was the band, Vintage Vinyl, playing in the courtyard area. You can also eat outside or go into the air-conditioned restaurant and bar. We chose to be outside both times. The band plays 60's through 80's music, I believe and are really, really good. Not too loud - you can still have conversations while they are playing. The food is very good - the charcuterie board (small) is absolutely beautiful and has way too much on it for 2 people. Salads were good, mushroom risotto was awesome, pizza was fantastic. I don't recall what dishes everyone had but we all had ample portions and brought a to-go box for home. Comparable prices to the area. If you want to have a fun time in a fun-filled atmosphere, go to Alza's when Vintage Vinyl is there. You might even get up and dance!