Best Lunch Restaurants in San Clemente

Authentic Italian food! Excellent selection of wines by the glass, including some specials. The Calamari fritti was delicately breaded and not over-fried. I had the house made pappardelle with Buona Forchetta sauce - white with a splash of spicy marinara. A kick but not enough to be off-putting. I added sausage to my pasta at the suggestion of Simone, our lovely server. He was spot on with that add. A perfect flavor blend! Others have said portions were on the smaller side but this was an appropriate size and I could not finish it. To their credit, it was not drowning in sauce. It was an amazing dish. My husband had the tagliolini with truffle which tasted incredible. Huge depth of flavor from the truffles without being overwhelming. The only thing that I would have changed was the timing between appetizer and entree. I wanted to linger a little longer in this lovely spot. We can’t wait to go back.

We had a very nice dining experience at Slyvesters. We sat at the bar, the restaurant is beautifully designed and appointed. The food was top notch. From the herbed focaccia bread to the short rib lasagna everything was excellent. The service at the bar was very good. We are excited to try more of the menu and will definitely return.

All the food servers at the San Clemente location are great, but this time we had Zach X2! The 2 of them worked like the perfect team and our entire family enjoyed the food as well as the experience. The best "Home Town" Winery!

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!!