<p>While my daughter is at Scripps for SADIOS overnight, I was going to invite my cousin over to Claremont area for dinner.</p>
<p>Any recommendations on restaurants in the village?</p>
<p>I was looking at reviews for Tutti Mangia Italian Grill or Viva Madrid.</p>
<p>Hero's is good, as is Walter's.</p>
<p>Tutti Mangia is a great choice if you like Italian food. I'm not a big fan of Hero's, but Walter's is also good.</p>
<p>Tutti Mangia, hands down. And regardless of whether you like a single ingredient in it, order-order-order-order-order the pumpkin tort...hm. Sounds like tortellini but isn't. Tortellano? I think that's right, at least in sound if not spelling. But trust me. I never want to eat anything else for the rest of my life. I think Tutti Mangia is probably the priciest option in the Village, but I've been a HUGE fan every single time I've gone (friend's birthday, meeting boyfriend's parents...that type of place).</p>
<p>I've never been to Hero's, but its reputation is basically just for having huge, huge dishes. Walter's isn't a personal favorite, but it's another nice option. My family enjoys it. I had a great lunch experience there and a poor dinner one, hence the ambivalence. Viva Madrid is a VERY good tapas restaurant, but note that the dishes are small and meant to be shared, so it's tough if you have any picky eaters, and is also probably the most likely to have a wait (I never like the sound of anything on the menu, but I haven't actually tried a single thing that I haven't loved. Hard to go wrong). There's another Italian restaurant that I can't remember off the top of my head, but it's also really pretty good. I don't recommend the Greek restaurant (overpriced, and with the exception of the soup, hummus, and dessert, not exceptional) or the sushi restaurant (fine, but not excellent, and also a bit overpriced for the fare).</p>
<p>Wherever you go (except for maybe Tutti Mangia, where I can vouch for the desserts), you should do dessert at one of two places (no matter how full you are). Either try Bert & Rocky's (ice cream in the Village), or my personal favorite, 21 Choices (think Cold Stone/Marble Slab, but with softserve frozen yogurt...about a thirty second drive west down Foothill). Both staples of the Claremont experience.</p>
<p>There are also lots of non-Village restaurants nearby, both chain and independent. Bangkok Blue is a nice and reasonable Thai restaurant (a few minutes west down Foothill), and Bombay Bistro is a good Indian restaurant (a few minutes down Foothill...this time I want to say east, but I'm not positive). There's also supposed to be a very good Vietnamese restaurant nearby, but I don't know it. Chili's, Olive Garden, Applebee's, Baker's Square, Elephant Bar, and Islands (the last of which is less widespread, and a great casual burger place) are all nearby. Buca di Beppo (Italian chain...family style, lots of fun) is walkable from campus (west down Foothill). Bigger chains like Red Robin, CA Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, and P.F. Chang's are all around, but farther away...20-30min (Victoria Gardens mall. Sounds like a stretch, but I have an unbelievable love for both Red Robin and CPK, so I figure that I may as well just share the info). There's also a Rainforest Cafe at Ontario Mills mall, about 15min away.</p>
<p>And in conclusion, as long as you're not just looking for a quick, cheap dinner...</p>
<p>I still recommend Tutti Mangia ;)</p>
<p>Thank you all for your input. Looks like there are plenty of good places to eat around Claremont.</p>
<p>I know it is too late for last Thursday, but I wanted to share the name of a wonderful restaurant my family discovered last weekend in Claremont. We are vegetarians, and someone suggested that we try The Press on Harvard. It was great! Moderately priced, nice atmosphere, excellent service, and a terrific menu with lots of vegetarian and vegan options (as well as some with meat). A real find! Apparently they often have live music as well, but we were there too early in the evening for that.</p>
<p>Be careful about live music night. It's great, but also loud beyond all comprehension :p For the record, The Press (as well as a few other restaurant/bars) occasionally provides space for Senior Happy Hours.</p>
<p>Also, and again, recognizing that this is too late for the OP...a restaurant we never mentioned was Harvard Square. Pricier for dinner, but generally reasonable other times...great place to go for a nice sit-down brunch. </p>
<p>kcpdmp -- I hope Thurs. night worked out for you :)</p>
<p>We had a really nice dinner at Tutti Mangia, but we missed the pumpkin tort on the menu until we were leaving and picked up a paper menu to take with us. My daughter turned in her committment form at Scripps on Friday so we will have a chance to order the pumpkin tort on another visit to Claremont.</p>
<p>Also, stayed at the Doubletree Claremont which was nice and very handy for running back and forth to the campuses. I already have reservations for the night before the first day of orientation.</p>
<p>VERY good call getting reservations so early. Congrats to your daughter on her decision!</p>