50 Best Italian Restaurants near Del Mar

“Great food . Well prepared and tasty , but a rowdy table with loud guests ruined the atmosphere and enjoyment. I asked management to calm the table down , but nothing was done.“

“parpedelle and short rib, pizza, cocktails“

“A great restaurant with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. Branzino was excellent and the spumoni gelato was delicious. Definitely, we will be back.“

“great pizza. amazing atmosphere can't beat pizza by the beach“

“Best pizza I’ve had in as long as I can remember!!! It was fantastic!!! Super friendly on the phone when they called confirming my Internet order (I’m really impressed they reached out to confirm - above and beyond great customer service!) and the delivery person was incredibly nice! Delivery was lightening fast. Highly recommend!“

“Delicious, fresh food, made from scratch pasta, wood fired meat and pizzas....and outstanding service!“

“Great meal. Dessert was a wow.“

“Great food. Fantastic spot inside UTC“

“Had ordered Salad and pizza’s all were fantastic . Server was awesome !!!! We love your pie’s Buona 😍😍😍😍“

“Rosinas is consistently excellent authentic Italian food. The only food downside ( which is why I gave Food a 4 out of 5 rating), is their Ceaser salad...it is consistently bland, really watery, and tasteless...such an unpleasant surprise given that ALL of the other salads are so delicious, and ALL of the other food is delicious. Rosina, PLEASE update the Ceaser salad..it is really awful.“

“This restaurant never disappoints us! Always amazing food and service! Love love coming here.“

“As always, it was a lovely time at Firenze.  From the hostess to the waiters and bus staff, everyone was friendly and gracious. I had the simply grilled trout with a side of pasta and broccoli. Everything was done perfectly. It's especially nice that the broccoli is cooked but with some crunch left! Yum.“

“Tonight I visited Vittorio's for the first time and everything about my experience was first rate! I could see that the hostess had a smile on her face, even before I entered the building. the wait staff was great and the food was wonderful! I've never had a better spaghetti alla carbonara. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'll be back for sure!“

“Delicious authentic Italian meals artistically served .“

“Da italiana, ho cenato più volte in questo fantastico ristorante e vi dico che il cibo è ottimo. Qualità dei prodotti 🔝, servizio impeccabile. Il locale è veramente tanto delizioso. Ve lo consiglio vivamente non rimarrete delusi!“

“We love this restaurant.. we happened upon it years ago and every time we are in LaJolla we dine there not once but twice ! We brought our kids and grandkids here for one of our anniversaries …Amazing dishes , great wine , best gelato , and a delightful owner who is so welcoming and full of great stories and information …sure wish this was in Illinois !!!!“

“We had my birthday celebration at The Godfather and their private room is ideal for large parties. The food was delicious and the service superb! A huge thank you to Salvatore Ercolano, the new Godfather! He was the perfect host for our event and made sure that everything was perfect!“

“Amazing food, staff & atmosphere!“

“My husband and I have been here for the very first time and we immediately fell in love with this place. The staff is amazing, they know how to treat you and make you feel at home. Alice is very passionate about her job and we loved her homemade desserts sooo much. A special mention to Michele, a very young yet extremely professional waiter, who contributed to create a cozy and pleasant atmosphere! As Italian, I can say it's hard to find place such Alice's where you feel so vividly the warm of our country. We will definitely come back!“

“I just wrote this review on Tripadvisor on 5/22/23 Title: A family run restaurant just like in old Italy! Cafe Milano is a hidden gem. After dining there for the first time and being incredibly impressed by the entire experience, I was amazed that my wife and I could get seated without a reservation. There should be a line of patrons waiting outside this establishment every evening they're open. Cafe Milano may be La Jolla’s best kept restaurant secret. First off, I love the ambience of its interior. The place is very attractively decorated in dark, earthy tones with tables covered in white cotton tablecloths with matching napkins. It is clean and very well maintained. The family members (owner, his wife, his sister, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law), do all the cooking, setting up of the tables, greeting and seating the clientele, and serving the food. Actually, there's also a family friend, Bri, who was our lovely and attentive server. It felt like I had stepped back in time to dine at an intimate ristorante tucked away in a small courtyard off a cobblestoned street in Firenze in the ‘70’s. Our dinner started with a glass of wine and a generous serving of bread. Our first course was a Caesar salad for two which was one of the tastiest Caesars I have ever had. For a main course, we both chose a grilled salmon over fettuccine with olives and capers. It was perfectly done to our liking and huge, the biggest serving of a filet I had ever had. In fact, our server offered to box up the remainder of our salmon when we were only half done, apparently because most diners can't finish it at one seating. We did. However, when we were finished, we were stuffed with no room for dessert - but Pasquale, the owner, tempted us with a piece of tiramisu that was out of this world in yumminess for which we somehow managed to find the space. I'll tell you this. When we return to place our order, which will be very soon, my dinner plan will leave room for one of their myriad dessert choices. Right now, I have my eyes on one of their three tartufo offerings.“

“Nice and friendly staff. Great food!“

“I really enjoy their lunch specials, order a penne pasta and it came with a side salad. Food was excellent and the staff was so friendly.“

“fantastic food! one the best Italian spots in so. cal. friendly service.“

“We just went here for our 12 year anniversary. It's our first time here. Our server Alex she was amazing, attentive, fun, and went above and beyond. The food was so good and reasonably priced. We ordered several meals so we would have leftovers. We had the wings and French fries. I ordered the glutenfree Mediterranean pasta, and the garlic chicken glutenfree pizza with extra sauce. My man had the deluxe pizza and the lasagna. For desert he ordered the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. The staff are friendly and it's a very relaxed atmosphere. I love the murals on the wall and the lighthouse. We will definitely be back here again.“

“Amazing food. Casual atmosphere. Great service to go along with the great food“

“What a sleeper!! We are thrilled to have found this gem. Authentic Italian food. Warm and genuine service. Exceeded our standard for local Italian for lunch. They say to arrive early for dinner, by 5:30 because this place gets busy. Make a reservation if dining later.“

“Excellent food, and the leftovers taste great even the next day when reheated.“

“Growing up in NY I can tell you this was the best Italian food I've had in SD in 25 years. Magnificent! There were four of us and we had veal saltimboca, veal chop, cannelloni, fleet tips with past and table side Cesar. Every single dish was fabulous. We sat close to the bar where there was live piano music, signing and dancing. Just a fun and enjoyable evening! We will be back! Well done!“

“Great food. Great wine. Great servers. Dog friendly. Friendly dogs. Friendly dog owners.“

“Generally they don't have pesto, but this time they are running a special menu items for couple of weeks. We were lucky to get our pizza and pasta modified to Pesta souce from the chef.
I believe they must introduce pesto version pizza's and pasta in ther menu.

Overall ambience and service was great and courteous.
Their cannolis are so great !!“

“Tonight was our first time at Colosseo Cucina Italian. My husband and I really enjoyed it. It was a wonderful experience: the atmosphere, the delicious food and the live music with Dora Bonaventura. The fact that everyone at the restaurant spoke Italian was a nice touch for me. We will be back soon!“

“Fantastic, Amazing, wonderful. Atmosphere Perfect. Staff Exquisite. Dined there twice on our 4 day vacation. LUCREZIA is my Happy Place. Jason, Rodrigo, Andrew, and Kat Thank You. Just Lovely Food, Drinks. Service, and more.“

“The restaurant brought memories back from my travels in Italy. The staff was amazing and treated everyone like family. It wasn't easy to pick one entrée. I have to advise to end your meal with a delicious TIRAMISU... We will be returning....“

“Service and food here is amazing! A gem of Encinitas; the staff are professional, engaging, and go above and beyond. The owner is personable and greeted us in person.The food is absolutely amazing literally the best Italian we've ever had. Encinitas is worth coming back too just for this Italian experience.“

“Great food, ambiance and staffs. Thank you!“

“Ok guys the BEST Italian food in the state! Salvador was so great and willing to take our complicated Jewish order :-)
Such an amazing restaurant
Always be back we home this place always be here !!!! We LOve It - thanks Ethan for being so awesome and a part of our vacation every time - no parking issue ! Great prices , great service, best atmosphere!“

“Nice change of pace and it was easy to get A table outside during covid.“

“Grilled calamari… Brussels…. Yum!“

“Clean, grate service,Perfect location.“

“Tasty ice cream, boba tea and coffee in one place“

“Best Pizza & Brew serves a variety of delicious pizzas, salads, pastas, poke bowls and drinks. The workers are always ready to take your order and make suggestions if youre unsure of which dish to choose. The house salad is delicious. It's always served fresh, and a perfect side with pizza. Best Pizza & Brew is across the street from the beach, by other restaurants and stores, so it's usually a busy place. They have plenty of seating, and the dining area is clean. BP&B also sells cool hats, tees and hoodies. You won't be disappointed with the Best Pizza & Brew.“

“Our first time Sunday doing the brunch and everything was so delicious! Our server Nic was superb - very attentive, polite, fun and made sure our experience was perfect in every way. Highly recommend the brunch and be sure to ask for Nic as your server. ❤️“

“Very good pizza and wings. Pizza came out pretty quickly. Sauce is not sweet, which is a good thing. Crust is airy and crunchy. Hot wings were also good. Good sauce. Right amount of vinegar and heat.“

“Feels like You’re eating Sunday dinner at grandmas, but any day of the week you choose.“

“This is a gem of a place. Excellent pizza, fantastic service, and the gelato - YUM!!! It's been around for decades, the founder Pauly is in there early every morning to make the dough and sauce. Authentic and oh so good. Mona is wonderful as well.

They have a sketchy competitor who chose a similar name - don't get fooled. Pauly's Pizza Joint is the only Pizza Joint to go to.

Not the best business park, but their corner is charming inside.“

“Some of the best pizza I’ve ever had definitely recommend the Popeyes pizza“

“Love love loved there pizza“

“Great pizza!! This location is very convenient, quick and the pizza is amazing!! Our whole family loved it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new place to order from! We will definitely be back!“

“Amazing STAFF and food. The General manager was super engaging and grit, staff was attentive even under busy and stressful situations- it’s obvious they have a positive working model. Nice work!“

“All of the food (4 people) was quite good. I had spicy sausage vodka rigatoni which was well served without too.much gloomy sauce. We also had the Ceasars salad, parmasean chicken sandwich, and a chicken pasta dish. All very enjoyable with no surprises. All with friendly service and relaxed atmosphere.“