Love – love – love this place!

Mouthwatering pasta, spaghetti – noodles were just amazing.Food was delicious as well as the wine. My mouth is watering as I type – great and friendly staff, old school atmosphere! Definitely going back soon! After this trip, I can hardly wait to go back.” ~Manjula S.

Finally, we found one real Italian restaurant in all of Northern California!

After spending a week traveling between San Francisco, Napa Valley and points in between we landed in Lake Tahoe and went to Scusa off of yelps recommendation and we were sure glad we did. The staff was very friendly and attentive. The decor was fitting, and the food was masterful. We ordered lobster ravioli and veal Marsala. Both our meals were great. We capped off our meal with an espresso which was perfectly brewed and served with a lemon wedge as traditionally done in Italy. This was honestly the only place in all of south Lake Tahoe I would go to again. Avoid all the tourist traps on the strip and head to Scusa. You will thank yourself.” ~Renee B.

Food and service were both great.

Perfect place for a Sunday night. I’ll eat there again. ~Jean-Pierre C.

Nice romantic place.

A man with a saxophone was playing lounge, relaxing music. The customer service is awesome. The waitress who took care of us was caring and very nice. The garlic bread scusa was delicious. We got a brownie with a raspberry chocolate sauce and a vanilla ice scream, it was extremely yummy the Chef’s Special. We will definitely be back when we will be in Tahoe again. ~Cristelle M.

Excellent choice, dining under the trees.

Alyssa and Chris were great wait staff. We tried sausage and peppers and the scallops and angle hair pasta, both were great. ~Pam M.

Great experience!

We shared calamari, escargot, linguine with clams, and chicken Parmesan…all dishes were very tasty. Our server was pleasant and the pace of the meal shockingly fast considering how busy they were. We also took desserts to go, so delicious!!! ~Tiffany

We love tasefully prepared Italian food and attentive and courteous service.

Scusa was top-notch in both categories. The veal scallopini marsala was tender and had the perfect blend of marsala wine & mushrooms. The pasta and asparagus were served al dente and they perfectly complimented the meal. The creamy garlic soup & the italian salad were both very good. For desert we had the cannoli and topped it off with an espresso. Well done! The wait staff were attentive even when business picked-up. A good dining experience in Lake Tahoe. ~Mark H.

Our current “go to” special occasion restaurant.

Great for a large group or a small romantic dinner. We celebrated my mom’s 75th birthday in the beautiful outdoor area. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Our favorite appetizer is the unique one with caperberries. I usually get seafood, and it’s always delicious! ~Jeannine

Offered us a free drink as well as bread and olive oil.

Baked lobster ravioli and garlic bread to start was. This place is fantastic.” 

Wow, way to go Tahoe!

Finally a good Italian restaurant. Got the shrimp scampi and it was one of the best I’ve had! Free garlic bread doesn’t hurt either. Great staff, nice atmosphere, pleasant but not snooty. Will be back for sure! ~Rebecca

We came here for dinner and sat outside on their back patio.

Very attentive service and very good food. We ordered lasagna and veal picatta. Both were delicious! A wonderful evening! ~Valerie M.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

My favorite!!! Bravo! Bravissimo! Great feel from the new location on the main drag through town.” ~Jay R.

This place was our favorite in South Lake Tahoe!

Everything was delicious. The Eggplant Parmigiana included 3types of sauces and they were all wonderful. My husband had the Seafood Scallop Meda and loved it as well. The service was great and they even brought over a heater for us on request.” ~Vicky R.

Love love love this place!

The service was Amazing! I brought my two little ones and they had a great kids menu! They even had a saxophone guy come to our table and play a fun song for the kids! The portions were huge and the food delicious! We will definitely be back! ~Marlena

My girlfriend and I are visiting South Lake Tahoe, and stumbled across a review here on Yelp.

Average review being about 4 stars, we gave it a shot. First of all, this place lives up to its hype. Our food was delicious, every scrap of it. We started out with Garlic Bread Scusa, which was a massive portion of garlic bread that looked and tasted more like pizza, but wasn’t as heavy. I had the sole, which was remarkable. My girlfriend hit the jackpot with a Fettucine Alfredo, which I normally wouldn’t order in a restaurant. Best sauce I’ve tasted. Tiramisu and the brownie ala mode(for my girlfriend)Baked lobster ravioli and garlic bread to start was – excellent food and atmosphere.”

Tried the lobster ravioli…OMG IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!!

My other half had angel hair with garlic butter which was good too. The service was quick and he was very polite. ~Aishwarya A.

For Italian in Tahoe – this place is pretty nice!

They moved to a new location in November 2011 on Lake Tahoe Blvd, after being on Ski Run Blvd for over 20 years. The place has a nice clean, cozy feel to it, with a comfortable vibe and fairly upscale in feel, for a Ski and Gambling town. Our waiter was polished and professional. The food is quite good for Tahoe standards. They are known for their lobster ravioli appetizer, which is really about 6 raviolis floating in a sea of sauce. But that same sauce is perfect for dipping your foccacia house bread into, or your tasty garlic bread strips into, to soak up all the flavors of the sauce. We did, and liked it. Scusa serves mostly southern styled Italian food dishes on white linens, with a bit of an upscale twist, in an elegant venue that is more suburban chic rather than gritty city Little Italy with red gingham tablecloths and chianti bottles for candle holders.We had a party of 8 and everybody enjoyed their meals, from Angel Hair Pasta to Lasagna to Veal Marsala. The desserts were very nice, with strong plating pinache and great tastes, like the fudge brownie covered with chocolate and raspberry sauce with a dollop of whipped cream (under $6). They have smooth jazz solo Sax live Friday thru Saturday, which gives this place a more older, sophisticated feel than your ski bum’s dive Italian place.”

Anthony Bourdain and other foodie insiders say you should avoid Monday nights.

Because sometimes, Monday night comes and you just need to go out. If you’re in South Lake Tahoe on a Monday night, have no fears about going to Scusa. Food: top notch. A surprisingly wonderful Greek Salad (red and yellow peppers, tomato, olives, cucumbers, fresh feta, not too much dressing), half order of Cappelini with Roma tomato sauce (good, a bit heavy on the oil) and an outstanding sole piccata (so lightly breadedI thought maybe tempura, but no, just a little flour and butter) – plenty of food for two to share (granted, two women, but we’re not petite), without feeling either hungry or overfull. Service: quirky but efficient. We’ll definitely go back next time we’re in Tahoe… And wish it could be sooner! ~Anonymous

Had a nice dinner with my girl.

The veal tasted great, bread pudding was delicious, the service was perfect. ~Joe. J.

We can always count on great food here.

The waiter Chris was extremely knowledgable with excellent service. ~Gail H.

Oh. My. God. I got the linguini and clams.

For real, it was spectacular. In fact I purposely saved half so I could have some the next day even though I wanted to chow it all down at the table. An unusual show of restraint for me. We were staying at a near by hotel and had an ice chest in the car. I put it in the ice chest and felt excited at the thought of having left overs the next day 🙂 Then, the saddest thing happened. Maybe I had too much wine with dinner? IDK? But I forgot to bring it to our room and put it in the fridge. Found it floating in all the melted ice in the chest the next morning. I was so mad. That was over a year ago and I still think about that yummy dinner and my lost opportunity of a spectacular follow up meal the next day. We are going back to Tahoe in a week and I am sooooo going back for more linguini and clams at Scusa. I seriously can’t wait! 🙂 it’s gonna be so good! ~Robin

Everything from the appetizers to the service to the dessert was mind blowingly amazing!!!

Rory was our server the night we went and was awesome, very personable and professional and a character. I would go again anytime while in south Lake Tahoe. ~Chad

Had the Angel Hair pasta, which was amazing.

Capers, black olives, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Sat outside with the heaters on and it was perfect. Nicollette V.

So delicious!

Came here on a rec from our hotel. What a cool place!! Live music and dimmed lights as you enter. But very casual and relaxed, our kids like it, it was beautiful without being stuffy. Our dinners were all amazing. I had the salmon scaloppine, wow, have not had a dish that delicious in a long time. My husband liked his chicken and kids were happy with their pasta and garlic bread (free with yelp check in!). Reasonably priced, and actually a great deal considering how great our food was. Service was kind and it was just a fantastic dinner. We’ll be back!!! ~Michelle

Very amazing place.

We had been hiking all day, so I am sure we were a bit tired and hungry, but the place was very upscale, and our server was very kind. I mentioned to my family that he reminded me of Kronk, from the Emperor’s New Groove movie, and they mentioned it to him, and thankfully, he took it gracefully, even laughing with us. We ended up taking a good portion of our dishes home, and had them for lunch the next day, but wow, what lovely place! ~Heidi K.

Delicious!

A table of five, with all different items on the menu and we all left fully satisfied and very happy! Would definitely recommend. ~Nat J.

This place is really good!

Came here for my boyfriends birthday and on a Saturday with live jazz. The food is really fresh and exactly what you would want from an italian restaurant. We got the garlic bread [free when you check in on yelp] which was delish and a great size. When got the antipasto which had fresh tomatoes,mozzarella,garlic,salami,roasted red peppers. We split the carbonara Alfredo and it was so yummy and perfect for two. Lastly the server had a brownie sundae sent over and the jazz player came over and played happy birthday on the saxophone. Perfect way to end our trip to Tahoe. Thanks for a great night. ~Nicole B.

This is a hidden gem in Tahoe.

Been to Tahoe so many times in the past decade & never knew this was here. One of the best Italian eateries in South Lake Tahoe. Their garlic bread is addictingly good. Get some! -Eggplant Parmesan (4*). Surprisingly good stuff. If you don’t tell the kids it’s eggplant, they won’t know. The texture is awesome. It’s not mushy at all. A little firm bite to it. The marinara, Alfredo, pesto sauce is fresh & delicious. -Sausage & Peppers Linguine Bolognese (5*). The meat sauce in this dish is to die for. The sausage slices are so good, my wife could not stop talking about it. They really know how to make some good tomato sauces here. -Shrimps, Clams & Mussels Scusa (4*). Again, great tomato-red wine sauce. The star of the dish & brings everything together. Such a flavorful sauce. The seafood goes well with the sauce. ~Daniel

I love this place.

Every time I’m in Tahoe I make it here at least once. Best Italian in town by far. Yummy. ~Greg

Great food, and great prices for Tahoe.

Nice ambience. Hard to find a delicious place serving steak and seafood for less then $30. Had the calamari, lobster raviolis, lasagna, and Scallop Mediterranean pasta…..all was flavorful, fresh, and filling. ~Sarah

Loved this restaurant!

Food was absolutely amazing. Our waiter went above and beyond the normto make sure everything was to our satisfaction. ~Sandie

Ate there tonight and I have never had such delicious Lobster Ravioli, it was amazing.

I would go back for that alone. We happened to drive by and decided to stop and it was the best food we have had on this trip so far. The Garlic Bread Scusa was also outstanding, being a Monday night we came early enough to get a table right away, but the crowd came a few minutes later. The service was top notch, the atmosphere comfortable and our table faced the snow-topped mountain. We could not be more pleased and the prices were great in comparison to some other choices we looked up online. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in this area. Tammy

The service was amazing.

The server kept checking on us frequently and giving us updates on our food. The food was DELICIOUS. Had the seafood fettucini ad my sister had the salmon over angel hair. Both were out of this world! Definitely will come back whenever I am in town. ~Janet

Get the lobster ravioli, garlic bread and seafood linguini prepared with scusa sauce Cioppino style!

We had lasagna, chicken and sole with caper sauce and angle hair pasta. Everyone loved their dishes. They have reasonable prices with a good range that everyone can find something find an item in their budget or tastes. We will go back again. The lava cake was good as well but would get it without the fruit sauce. Our server was great as well. We weren’t as excited by the low ceiling and look of the white walls but it was easily forgotten once the food came out. The musician came over and played happy birthday to my friend as the server brought out her birthday dessert. It was a nice surprise and made it extra special for her. ~Jo

One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.

My wife and I made the reservation online and asked for a booth near a fireplace if possible (I didn’t even know they had such a place, but just wanted to ask anyways). When we got there they knew right away who we were and said they had our booth reserved. They took us to a booth that was cut away into the wall and had a curtain on it for extra privacy if wanted. Right outside of the booth was a fireplace! The service was great and very knowledgeable. Food was fantastic! We even had a professional saxophone player serenade us as we ate! It’s going to be very difficult to top that!” ~Anonymous

Back again in 2013 and now in 2015, and equally pleased.

Our server Drew was wonderfully professional – attentive and efficient without being intrusive. The food was outstanding – lobster ravioli (decadent, recommend the app-sized portion); pasta carbonara (creamy and well-balanced); sole piccata (light, but substantial). Salads were great also. We missed Scusa last year, but won’t skip again – it’s a reliable and wonderful tradition! ~F.H.

WOW! In So Lake Tahoe celebrating Anniversary, and a friend suggested Scusa as a possibility for dinner.

This place is fabulous! From the garlic bread to the lobster ravs (appetizer) to the linguini and clams (my wife) and the veal scallopini saltimboca (mine)…all was first rate. I’ve eaten a lot of Italian, including in Firenze and Venezia, and our dishes were top notch–mine was in the top five Italian meals I’ve had, and that includes our time in Italia! Our server, Drew, was helpful and watchful and professional…did a great job! ~Tom

This restaurant is ALL about service… your glass is never half empty, you always have hot, fresh bread, no asking for refills.

If you are visiting Tahoe, leave the overpriced, generic hotel restaurants behind &drive a mile or so down Hwy 50 to this gem! Lobster ravioli and the whole roasted garlic with toasted crostini were amazing starters. On New Years Eve, the busiest night of the year for them, they were very willing to create an off the menu entree for one of our more finicky dining guests… They don’t know the meaning of the word no. The sole over angel hair in a beurre blanc & caper sauce was unreal.” ~OT Diner

My husband and I were in Tahoe celebrating our anniversary –we also spent our honeymoon there.

The atmosphere seems kind of “fancy” but the prices are very reasonable. I had the grilled chicken and ravioli, while my husband had the shrimp, clams and mussels Scusa. Both were excellent! We shared a dessert–the espresso gelato which was good as well. They did forget to serve a coffee my husband ordered, but promptly removed it from the bill when asked. This is one of the best places we ate while on our vacation!We started with the lobster ravioli with tomato sauce which was incredible. Dinner was outstanding!! Our waiter was very attentive !! Next time we are in S Lake Tahoe we will have dinner here again.” ~VIP OpenTable Diner since 2007 – dined on 06/26/2012

It was really good.

It’s often busy, so the food takes a while to get to you. The garlic bread is good and the waitstaff is friendly. My mom loved the salmon salad. I strongly suggest the brownie sundae for dessert, it was delicious! Would go there again. Skyler

The food and service were both outstanding.

They couldn’t have done anything better.” ~OpenTable Diner since 2011 – dined on 07/20/2012

Food was fantastic.

Our server George was funny and attentive, and the outdoor seating was wonderful. I highly recommend Scusa!!” ~OpenTable Diner since 2012 – dined on 07/15/2012

Very nice dinner.

Service was great, outdoor dining area was very nice. Appetizer was lobster ravioli, excellent, with garlic bread. Main dish was eggplant parm, good, not great, but good. Buddy had salmon and said it was very good. Totally would go again. Reservations recommended. Parking is limited. ~John T.

My husband and I recently visited Scusa for the first time.

We were pleasantly delighted with this restaurant. We were seated outside on the very lovely courtyard right next to a bubbling fountain. Everything about our experience here was five stars! Food was exceptional, and beautifully presented, beautiful music played while we dined. We could hear some of the live music dining room as well. Our waiter was Drew. He was fantastic! Can’t say enough about this wonderful restaurant. A gem! We will return when in town. 🙂 ~Kathleen G.

Excellent garlic bread and friendly service.

We had a great family dinner with delicious food for a fair price. We will visit again when we are in Tahoe. ~J.M.

Scusa! is getting a five star rating from us.

We have been coming to Scusa’s for about five years, on my birthday. We are from the LA basin area and spend a week in south beach for the fourth of July. We accidentally found out that Scusa’s had vacated it’s former location and was replaced with another eatery. I was devastated when I thought that Scusa’s had closed it’s doors for good! It’s our fave dining place in Tahoe, so we were delightfully surprised to learn that they simply moved to the corner of Hwy 50 & Sierra Blvd. On to the review: Rory was our server, at our request, as he was our server last year. He is accommodating, knowledgeable of the menu, friendly and personable. We requested outdoor dining and even though Rory was stationed inside, he went out of his way to personally serve us outside. As for the cuisine, delectable. The lobster ravioli, scrumptious. The seafood fettuccine and salmon special were tender and flavorful. The pasta was cooked al dente to perfection. We brought our own birthday cake which was served by Rory with pleasure and many happy birthday wishes!  This is a long review, but way overdue. We absolutely love Scusa’s Italian Restaurant and will be coming back every year! Thank you Scusa for helping to make my birthday the happiest ever :0) “