Ottavio's Italian Restaurant

Such a pleasant surprise, a hidden gem! We've lived in the neighborhood for years but hadn't heard of the place. We were headed home from a roadtrip and were looking for a quick and easy sit down family restaurant nearby home. The staff were very welcoming and I briefly mentioned it was our first time there. After the hostess sat us, my children were quickly served pizza dough to play with (with a cute little onion slice and olive smiley face). It was such a surprise and my kids (2 and 9) were thrilled. We also were served fresh focaccia bread for the table. We ordered two kids meals (pasta and nuggets) and my husband I split an antipasto salad (half order which was huge!), chicken parm and spicy angel hair. Everything was incredible! The portions were large and the leftovers we had for an entire dinner the next night. The pasta was cooked to perfection (and I'm picky about my aldente). Before leaving they surprised us with two cannolis to celebrate us on our first time at their restaurant- such a nice touch! We have already referred a few of our friends and family. We can't wait to go back! They had us in and out in an hour (we didn't feel rushed or had to wait for anything) which is exactly what we needed after a 3 hour drive and tired kids. Thanks Ottavio's for making this such a great experience!

As good as it gets. Such a wide variety of offerings while still nailing the classics right on the head. We've tried so many menu items and you really can't go wrong. Their ingredients are top notch, you can taste the love in the food, the place is buzzing with locals, and service is friendly and prompt. During COVID we frequently ordered the gnocchi toscana and pizza to go. Consistent and delicious every time. Today we had:-meatball appetizer with mozzarella: meatballs are SO tender and flavorful, meat sauce is perfection. Not too sweet, very robust. -focaccia: amazing, fresh, soft, no lingering starchy flour-linguine vongole: WOOOOOW! This was everything my husband was hoping it would be and more. Perfect flavors, white wine butter sauce didn't fall flat at all, and tooooonnzzzz of fried garlic slivers in it!-Gorgonzola artichoke mushroom ravioli: WOW. This is absolutely fabulous. Don't be afraid to order it. It does seem rich but when you eat it, it's not overly so. Definitely a share dish. Portions are HUGE! -kids spaghetti and meat sauce + kids cheese pizza: both were perfect. Pizza crust is the perfect combination of fluffy and coal fire crispy. Spaghetti and meat sauce was delicious and again, HUGE portions! -ended with spumoni ice cream and cheesecake. All so so so good.

This place was a pleasant surprise. Atmosphere was lively, service was friendly and food was good. We ordered calamari, 1/2 antipasto salad, a pepperoni pizza and sausage sandwich. For cocktails we had an old fashion and vodka tonic. The old fashion was not good. The orange was muddled at the bottom of the glass & it was so bitter but that's my only gripe. The bread served before the food was the best we've had, the calamari was ok, antipasto was abundant, the sausage sandwhich with marinara was amazing & the pizza was good. We would def be back to try more items on the menu.

Any time we want Italian food we now go here. It is always delicious, they make homemade herbed ricotta, have friendly service, and have the best employee of the month-- check the photo behind the host stand.Solid 5/5

Don't trust the menu online, the specials are incorrect. When you order what you want, they will charge for each individual item. They should honor their online menu, even if it's not accurate

Re Visited 3/24/2023This place is very consistent with good Quality Food and Great Friendly Service.This visit I went a bit overboard ordering as I love most everything I've tried here.My recommendations are, The Salads, fresh and a good variety.The Seafood Chowder, (Only on Fridays and Saturdays) It's addictive. Each bite draws you to keep eatingMore and more.My go to Pasta Platter is The Sicilian Feast. Enjoy The Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Fettuccine Alfredo, and a chunk of The Excellent House Made Lasagna. All three on the same plate and comes with a Side Salad and Tasty Garlic Bread. You won't leave hungry.I'll be back again soon.

It's definitely worth a short trip to Lakeside for Ottavio's! The pizza and salad was our choice and it was delicious with leftovers for the next day! We topped it off with Tiramisu... outstanding!! The service is top notch! Ambiance is quite nice and plenty of parking.

Always a hit at the house. We love this place. One of the few culinary treasures in Lakeside.

Came here only because of coupon but walked away impressed and satisfied.Lived in Santee for nearly 15 years but never knew that nearby Lakeside had such a wonderful Italian restaurant until now. The food was great, portion generous and price fair. Will be back with or without coupon.

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. I took my son and family out for a Father's Day celebration. The wait was not too long. The service was fantastic! Jessica, our server, took great care of us. Our group was eight people so she had help which was great to see the encouraging teamwork. The kitchen and bar got our appetizers and drinks out very quickly. The Cran Lemon Drop martini was delicious along with the sangria. I had two of each because they were so yummy!! The appetizers we ordered were the Caprese, ravioli fritters, bruschetta, and meatballs with mozzarella. Scrumptious!! The entrees were outstanding!! We all had different dishes and everyone enjoyed their meals. We were seated at their patio. It was very comfortable and roomy. I didn't feel boxed in. We'll be coming back, especially during Happy Hour.