Il Cielo

My fiance and I were looking to have dinner in the area since we were in LA getting our wedding bands. I looked online for a nice Italian restaurant to try out since we were there for the evening. This restaurant had a beautiful garden atmosphere! However, our service and everything else about the experience were just awful which ruined the experience. I ordered a glass of white wine- pino grigio that came out to $12 dollars. We both ordered our own entrees and shared a salad. When we got the bill there was a charge that we split a salad even though we ordered our own entrees which was so ridicoulus! We both ate light and the bill came out to $100. Our service there was very poor. Our reservations were at 7:30 and we didnt get out food till way after 9 (we waited forever for the food there) and we finished our meal by 10 after we waited for the bill from the waiter for over 30 min. He never came by our table! It was very strange. We kept thinking is the waiter going to bring the bill by, we were kinda laughing to ourselves because it seemed very empty ourside for them to just forget about us. Yes, the place was very pretty outside, I loved it. However the treatment and the serice were very poor for the high price we paid. I think there are other places that are just as romantic, for the prices and the better service we should have went to Mortons. Anyway just thought I would warn other people about this place. Our experience there was not good at all.

After 8 years I decided to propose to my girlfriend. I was confused on what restaurant to choose from. I read good reviews for il Cielo, but i was concerned over the last bad reviews that were recently posted. Without knowing what to expect I made reservations on 2/16/09 at 6pm. It was a 45 min drive from orange county. As we entered the restaurant we were greeted and we sat by the entrance in the patio. We ordered our dinner and it was served in a short time. Following our delicious dinner we ordered our desserts and that's when I proposed. I asked the question of a lifetime and she said YES. After that before we left I asked if we could take pictures and Thomas Scalfaro, manager, took a few pictures of us. Once he knew I had proposed he felt bad that we didn't mention it earlier. He invited us to toast to end the best night of our lives. Overall the food was great, the service was great, the environment was great, and my only regret was not mentioning it was my engagement dinner.

Wow. Il Cielo would not confirm my reservations for Valentine's dinner until I filled out a credit card authorization for the cost of dinner, tax and a 20% gratuity. The contract stated that if we were late, we would lose our reservation but be charged anyway.

It boggles my mind that if an emergency were to make us late, we would be required to pay for a dinner we did not receive and tip 20% for service not provided. I can't believe they would assume I would not pay, tip appropriately or call if I am running late. Is this the type of clientele this restaurant attracts? I can't believe that businesses can operate this way. I guess I should be glad to learn how they operate before stepping foot inside the restaurant.

I chose Inn of the Seventh Ray as a romantic alternative.

My boyfriend and I chose Il Cielo for our anniversary after reading rave reviews about it being the best romance/anniv. place. The outer area is under a tent canopy, decorated with strings of xmas lights all across the top (Many viewers claimed it was like looking up at the stars-It is not-you could do it at home yourself). They also had lamps/candles around rendering the place much brighter than a 'romantic' place should be. It was uncomfortable.
The service was alright, but we had to push for it. We went on a Tuesday night at an early time (8pm) and had made reservations a week prior to avoid any seating/waiting complications. There were tons of open tables all around the area, but we were seated between two tables filled with old men in suits having a loud/good time. The tables are set up in rows with potted plants and vines as barriers, so one table of loud men was lass than 2 feet away from us with no sort of privacy since the potted plants are placed a meter apart from one another-I bumped elbows with our neighbors accidentally a few times.
Due to the bright lights, and the close proximity of surrounding tables/lack of privacy, we felt very exposed, not comfortable whatsoever.(booth and corner lovers will know what I mean) It was very, very far from romantic.
We asked to be reseated (since all tables around us were all available), and they did so immediately and apologetically. Our waiter was in-training, and very polite/customer oriented (we had to ask for silverware, etc...). It makes me wonder why they seated us in such an undesirable location in the first place-We had stressed it was for an anniversary occasion when we arrived. The new seat, though still bright, and next to the front door, was at least away from the gangs of old, loud suits.
The food was not anything to write home about -I've made better pasta cabernera at home (it was too heavy) and the seafood paella was average. The price/food/service was all average for the area.

Wow, the rumor is true. This place is incredibly romantic. My boyfriend took me here for my birthday. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't been, but everything was so nicely presented; the staff, the ambiance, the food, all of it! I absolutely suggest sitting outside if you want the full effect. And you must try the chocolate dessert - I think it has rasberry or something in it, but OMG it is luxurious. A must go!