Sonnys Pizza in San Clemente

Sonny's is a San Clemente institution. It's been around for years and it's not hard to understand why. It's got great atmosphere for starters. We always try to get outdoor seating but that usually fills up first. They have heaters built into the ceiling so you'll stay warm on cool evenings. It's a smallish place, which serves to enhance the coziness. Servers are usually good at their jobs. Food- this is what keeps people coming back. This is good Italian food. Last night we had their Monday spaghetti special. $7 for soreness with meat sauce, a side salad, and garlic bread. You can't miss! Really tasty meat sauce. I've also enjoyed their lasagne and pizza. We keep coming back week after week. This is a great neighborhood Italian restaurant.

Amazing Italian food! Pizza is delicious, baked rigatoni is my favorite. Always feel welcome and can't wait to go back!

Nice to find authentic Italian meals. Everything on the menu is delicious! The garlic bread is the best I've ever had. This restaurant has been around almost 40 years. I ordered the white mac'n'cheese with lobster...amazing!

Pizza and pasta were delicious. Staff was kind and efficient. Parking just in front. To be recommanded.

Food was great. Had the stuffed shells and sausage and peppers. Place was busy and it was only around 5:30 BUT...waitress did not refill my water and so half way through my meal I had nothing to drink. She only checked on us once right after the food was served. That's not to say that the entire wait staff is like that. Just would have been nice to have liquid with my meal.

Fabulous scenery, food, portions, service, and sangria!

You must eat here! The sauce is simply amazing and it's even sold in jars. We had the spaghetti squash, eggplant parmigiana and dinner salad. The garlic bread is also special. Service is amazing. One of our favorite Italian restaurants!

Love the atmosphere here! Also a fantastic smell in the restaurant from the wood fire oven. My girlfriend go pizza and I got a pasta dish and both were fantastic. Highly recommend

High expectations going in, because there always seems to be a line. But was let down by the quality of food, and felt very rushed by the staff to eat and get out so the next person in line could be accommodated.

Probably the best pizza I've ever had. The garlic bread was very good but almost had a seafood taste to it, not sure if that was intended or not. I thought it made it taste good, but is worth noting that it has quite a different flavor than most garlic breads. The manicotti was good. We tried it with chicken. Next time I plan to try that with just the cheese, as the chicken was okay but not my favorite.-1 star only because we didn't get much service after our food came out. Waters were running out on the table, but our waitress was never unpleasant, perhaps just busy.

We always return it's the red sauce. We have going for over 30 years it's kept true the service is great the staff so helpful and even in these times amazing.

Their takeout is delicious! My husband and I got it twice during our visit to San Clemente. We recommend the white pizza and the Alfredo.

Love this place. You can’t go wrong if you love Italian food you must try Sonny’s.

Best Italian restaurant in town. Love the cozy ambiance. I’ve never had anything on the menu I didn’t love. The inside was a little noisy. The patio was warmed with heaters and quiet. We tried the spicy calamari appetizer. YUMMY! The Chicken Parm. DELISH!! And the Chicken Scallopini. FANTASTIC!!

We went here last night and they had limited seating due to the covid staff ... we had to wait 30 min to be seated , which made us even more hungry ... the staff is sweet, girls are very friendly and I was amazed .... with all this new rules they have to follow I had such a good experience here ... food was just WOW ... fast service, drink refills ... we will be coming back again and again ... you just have to go there ... the vibe, service, and food 5 starts ... thank you, keep it up ❤️

Hands down best pizza I've ever had! The service is amazing and the atmosphere is so fun! I definitely recommend Sonny's 👌

This is my favorite Italian restaurant. The food is better than any other place I have gone. I ordered the gnocchi and asked them to add some chicken. It was beyond delicious. The gnocchi melts in your mouth and the sauce is the perfect compliment to the dish. I high recommend this restaurant. It is a whole in the wall family restaurant with a gorgeous interior aesthetic. They have an outdoor patio seating area as well as inside. They offer to-go services. And the service is always phenomenal! If you are ever in the area, definitely worth going for a visit.

Great food and close to the ocean breeze.

I've been here twice, I drive from La Mirada to San Clemente just to eat at Sonny's. I'm determined to eat everything on the menu because I haven't tasted anything that wasn't absolutely delicious.

Food was superb. Ordered spicy fried calamari, lobster mac and cheese, and pepperoni and onion pizza. The calamari was cooked to perfection; if you're not a fan of calamari I would still recommend as it is tender and not fishy. The mac and cheese was delicious. The lobster was high quality and, as it should be, cheesy. I am a fan of thin crust pizza and this was excellent, not to mention the combination of spicy/peppery pepperoni and sweet onion. I shall be ordering Sonny's again!

Its cozy and the food is great! A little pricey, but worth it.

The food is wonderful, so is the service. Parking can be a little tricky. Sometimes the wait is long but it is well worth it.

It’s difficult for red-sauce-centric Italian restaurants to stand out. It has to have amazing sauces. I’ve been to Sonny’s twice over the past few months. I had pizza both times and the sauce is remarkable. Extra oregano 🌿 is the secret, I think. The aroma reminded me of those scratch-n-sniff pizza stickers from the 80’s. Regardless, it was really tasty. And my 14-year-old has spaghetti with marinara🍝 . She is HARD to please these days; but in her words, Sonny’s makes a “mean sauce.” Just one word of caution: don’t wear a white shirt! 😉

Best lobster mac & cheese anywhere plus the pizza is to die for!!@

Pizza was overcooked. Not enough cheese. Taste was meh. I regretted my decision to get pizza almost immediately as after seeing it, I did not need to taste it to know that the pizza wouldn't be good. My wife's sausage and peppers were very good except the noodles were super mushy. I overheard my neighbor comment on how good the lasagna was, so there's that. The ambiance is nice, the staff were nice. We went when it was busy and it took - from the time we sat down - to get service, about 10-15 min, and then an additional 35 minutes to get the food. That's too long in my opinion.

Was there yesterday, not great, salad was obviously not washed as there was a smashed bug in it. Pizza too salty and not enough cheese..

Quaint spot with intimate indoor and outdoor seating, authentic meals and nice staff.

This place is delicious! Great atmosphere and awesome service... we started with the vegetarian salad - the salad dressing was so good I’m going to try to take it home on the airplane. We shared the Botta bing pizza, baked rigatoni with sausage and the meat lasagna. So good we talked about going back for dinner!

I have eaten here many times and every time the food has been great. You can tell this place has been here doing its thing for a while. The atmosphere is a open doors place and is like eating on a patio anywhere you sit. It's very laid back and feels like your in a beach town. One of the favorites.

Great experience! We were seated within 10 minutes on a Saturday night, delicious garlic bread on the house. Food was fantastic, excellent variety, authentic Italian dishes. Personal favorite: Pizza Ramoni

Friendly service. Everything I've had is delicious. Try the lobster tortellini. Big chunks of lobster in an awesome clam sauce. Sangrias are yummy.

Amazing Pizza and Pasta place. The staff puts their heart and soul into this place to ensure that they are giving you a great dining experience. You can see and taste that in the quality of their food and service (really enjoyed every bite of my Anchovy pizza, side of house sausage smothered in their homemade marinara sauce, garlic bread and finally spaghetti. To drink their homemade Sangria 😘). If I lived in San Clemente I would be dining with them almost everyday. Next time I am in the area, I will make sure to have their food.

Amazing Italian comfort dishes. Both the pastas and the pizzas are great. Parking is pretty limited, but not too difficult to find parking nearby.

Ok so we walk in straight away. Before we know it boom customer service the nice waitress got our drink order. Then 5 minutes later they take our orders I got the handmade gnocchi and oh boy PLEASE ME WITH THE CHEESY. The best was the alfredo no doubt it was awesome

Great lobster mac, great little spot

Been Italian food in South County. It's worth every bit of the drive to San Clemente. I recommend this hidden gem to every on in the OC

Love this place. Sooooo good. Local favorite. Can't miss with the food here. Great price average price is $12 to $17 a plate, clean, staff is always friendly. Best time to visit is 2pm to 4pm. After that you will wait.... Avrage time 30 min... But they will bring you drinks. My only 5 star review.

This place is a must stop every time we are in the area! Been coming here for years now. Love it

Standard Italian American fare ... good but not notable. The waitress described the specials, but didn't know if they were made fresh or frozen. As far as I could determine, all of the pasta specials are made off-site, frozen, and then reheated at the restaurant. Fish is also frozen. Wine selection was limited. Both of the servers I talked to were very friendly, but didn't seem to know the menu well. Also, be aware that they don't split checks - we had a large party and they wanted us to pay on one card.However, the setting is good for conversation. Great location in the Northwest corner of San Juan Capistrano near the beach (but no views of the beach). Parking is free but limited.

Atmosphere is super cozy. Service was great and food was wonderful! Definitely will be back next time I'm in town.

I swing by when I'm in the area. Usually around lunch. Delicious. What can I say.

I have never given an Italian restaurant 5 stars (for food), but this is the real deal! If you're looking for southern Italian or Sicilian...this is it! Expected to see my family in the kitchen. You can't go wrong. Definitely a Jewel. Thank you!!

This is the ABSOLUTE best place to eat!!! We’ve been coming here to eat for 34 years! The food is excellent. The service is great! You can eat indoors or outside if under the patio.

Squash spaghetti was my favorite. Kids liked the spaghetti with meat ball and gnocchi. Vegetarian lasagna was tasty, especially on the garlic bread. Spicy calamari was good, but the serving portion was a bit smaller than anticipated. Servers were nice and provided very reliable suggestions. Parking was a bit challenging because the lot doesn't have enough, which is the only reason why 4 🌟, not 5.

My husband enjoyed the manicotti. Our server was sweet and friendly. I just wasn't a fan of the Alfredo. It was very bland.

Delicious pizza! We came here after a bad experience at another restaurant. We ordered a few pizzas for take out. They were quick, and super nice. We'll definitely be back to try some of the pasta choices.

I actually was driving from San Diego to L.A and randomly went inside to use the bathroom. I had already eaten dinner previously, but the food smelt fantastic, so I picked up some standard spaghetti and meatballs. I ate them back at the hotel a little while later, and they were AMAZING. I'm very glad my bladder was full and had to stop.

Amazing pizza! Friendly staff. Delicious pasta! Beautiful setting. Excellent choice! After a long day of work my two co-workers & I were craving some delicious locally owned pizza & Sonny’s did not disappoint. We were greeted by a smiling staff member & given the option of indoor or patio. The pizza was phenomenal & the chicken Parmesan was spot on. Highly recommend Sonny’s for pizza & pasta!

Some of the best pasta I’ve ever had! A romantic atmosphere and great prices for how much food you receive. Came here the next day to show more of my friends once I had it the first time. Can’t get enough of it and the service is so welcoming.

Good food - always consistently tasty. Eating outside is a plus :)