Anthony's Lounge - Murrieta

This review is for people who are looking for venues to hold special events. Although Anthony's seems like a nice place for a casual outing my experience holding a private event felt more like a mugging. The food was good and the service was good, but I am convinced that the owner manipulated the private dining prices to take advantage of my relatively high budget for dinners. Because of my party size and the fact that the owner did not mention a prefixe menu, I planned on allowing my guests to order a la carte. We were told to choose entrées that were not on the menu and without any written price. I asked the server twice throughout the evening if I was near my budget and twice she reassured me that I was nowhere even close. Then at the end of the evening the owner disappears for almost 20 minutes to calculate the bill that conveniently pushed close to my per person maximum. He also did not tell me beforehand that there would be a charge if my party was less than 10 (I had 4 people not show up out of 10) and a $65 charge for the screen. I have held private dinners at many restaurants and never in my career have I run up a bill for $1000 for 6 people even with a room charge and screen rental. If you plan on doing an event at Anthony's, make sure you have a contract in writing and the prefixe menu upfront with the prices. The owner seemed more interested in making a quick buck rather than for any repeat business. So simply put, I will plan on taking my events elsewhere, I urge you to do the same.

Great food and great service! We will be back. My husband had the poached sea bass. Best ever!

Very nice Italian restaurant! The food is excellent. Nice ambiance.

Regardless of how busy they are, the service is always good and the staff is welcoming. Delicious food, our favorite is their halibut served with pesto pasta and veggies. Always accommodating and servers never try to upsell anything. House Cabernet is good as well as the martinis.

Excellent atmosphere,selection, and the food was delicious