With the wonderful Orange County weather we’ve been getting lately, it’s just the right temperature to dine outdoors! Il Palco offers a tasty selection of Italian menu items and has probably one of the best outdoor seating areas you’ll find at a mall as it’s conveniently located on the top floor of The Source in Buena Park!

What are some of the menu items offered?

Complimentary Bread

At Il Palco, the meal starts off with a warm bread that’s actually made with the dough from their pizzas! Served with a side of oil and vinegar. According to a few reviews on Yelp, it look like these aren’t offered with unlimited refills so make sure to share!

Fried Calamari 

Fried Calamari

The calamari here tastes fresh and is served atop an arugula salad with a side of their marinara and garlic aioli sauce.

Margherita Pizza

Margherita Pizza

Made with the same dough as their complimentary bread, the Margherita pizza is topped with fresh basil, bufala campana, and tomato sauce.  If you’re in the mood to try something new, Il Palco has some Korean fusion menu items such as their Potato Bacon or Shrimp pizza!

Pollo Crema

Pollo Crema

SO creamy! If you’re a fan of cream sauce, definitely try this pasta which is fettuccine pasta served with broccolini, chicken breast, onion, garlilc, herbs, button mushroom, all covered in their cream sauce.

Il Palco Cioppino

Il Palco Cioppino

If you ask the servers what the most popular dish is, they will most certainly recommend the Il Palco Cioppino. Cioppino is traditionally a seafood stew so expect it to have a lot more sauce than your average pasta dish. The Cioppino comes out piping hot (you can still see it boiling as it comes out!) and is a great dish to share as it’s a pretty big portion packed with mussel, shrimp, clam, scallop, a huge calamari, and lots of spicy tomato sauce.

Don’t forget dessert!

Passion Fruit Sorbetto, Tiramisu, Creme Brulee

In addition to the traditional sweet tiramisu and creme brulee a la vanilla, Il Palco also offers house made sorbetto or gelato with rotating flavors each day (ask your server to see what’s available)! The server had also recommended their Glace Au Foin which is a Organic Hay Ice Cream from Kansas! Very interesting flavor, but that will just have to wait for my next visit.

Walking through the restaurant, although there are a lot of empty tables, I did notice that each table had a “Reserved” sign atop. So before walking in, I highly recommend getting a reservation ahead of time, regardless of party size just to make the process smoother.

If you have a choice and it’s a beautiful day, don’t forget to request a table in their outdoor dining area which I absolutely loved! It’s a great place for a date, catching up with a friend, or even just to people watch (though, sadly, dogs aren’t allowed due to mall rules).

Recommendations: Il Palco Cioppino

Location: 6980 Beach Blvd, Ste h-304, Buena Park, CA 90621

For More Info: https://ilpalcobp.com/

Contact: OCfoodfiend@gmail.com

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