Best Lunch Restaurants in San Clemente

Buona Forchetta is by far the best restaurant in all San Clemente area! Classic, perfectly cooked real Italian pasta, pizza and antipasti. The staff is warm , happy and very welcoming =) We eat there at least once a week, reservations recommended because good food + reasonable price + cute atmosphere = always full!

We had a reservation for brunch, and it was delicious! The sparkling wine and Riesling were especially good, as were the fig bruschetta and fried cauliflower. The pesto burrata chicken sandwich was a bit wet (the pesto and burrata really just oozed through the sourdough onto my hands), but the lemon truffle fries were really good. Also liked the crab cake and filet Benedict’s, and the sausage in the ranch breakfast was really good. Our mains were quite slow in coming out, but it gave us a chance to digest after the appetizers, so I wasn’t really that upset!

The lasagna was delicious. We also enjoyed the skirt steak. The lemon cake for dessert was a lovely finish.

We didn’t even know the place existed until we ordered several dinners thru Door Dash. We decided we had to go to the restaurant to see where it was and what was it like. We were pleasantly surprised. It’s located in the San Clemente Inn that in the 70s was where the Nixon support and news groups would stay. The decor of the restaurant hasn’t changed, and it’s neat to see the “retro” 70s surroundings. The service was excellent. I had the salmon and my wife the filet mignon. Both were excellent. The menu is limited but adequate, and they are working on expanding the wine selection. We were surprised that the restaurant was almost empty on Sunday night. That reflects the lack of publicity since we have lived in San Clemente for 35 years, and even if it has only been open for two years, we and our friends didn’t know it existed. Maybe consider it “ a diamond in the rough”. Great place and easy parking. Worth a try.

Fabulous food and very relaxing and peaceful sitting outside. Wonderful fire pit!!