11 Best Italian Restaurants in La Jolla

“Great meal. Dessert was a wow.“

“Recomiendo todo Es un súper lugar cómodo ,bendecido Su personal y su comida Es lo máximo Sus bebidas no hay comparación ,su personal de la barra es súper Cada vez que tengo la bendición de estar en ese lugar me hacen sentir muy especial Todo absolutamente todo lo recomiendo Gracias CATANIA“

“I am sorry that I do not recall our server's name. He was exceptional in his knowledge of wine, food pairing, and his recommendations were EXQUISITE. Lean, handsome, gentleman with short brown curly hair. Excellent service all around. I arrived before my date. He offered me a delicious brut. He paid attention to detail, offered suggestions at the precise time, and followed up with care. I had the steak and frites off the bar menu. Complimented well with the garlic aioli for the fries, a chimmichurri, and a demi glaze for the tender steak. My date had the scallops. He suggested the perfect wine pairings. I had the seghesio Zin. He had the sonoma cutrer chardonnay. The dessert was a creamy cheesecake. All cooked and prepared to perfection.

Update*** came back from impromptu stop to watch the drone show for the 4th and enjoyed the steak and frites at the bar. Maybe even better than the first time with more chimichurri :) service at the bar was phenomenal and all the staff were gracious and friendly.“

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

“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!“

“Had a lovely birthday dinner for a friend. The staff was attentive and the food was good. Especially enjoyed the jazz trio which really added to the celebration and the "old school" style of the restaurant. A very nice experience and will return.“

“Amazing food, staff & atmosphere!“

“Every thing was very tasty , the home made pasta was delicious .. good service - authentic Italian choices. A couple of food issues could be addressed; the chicken substituted for the veal piccata was very dry and tough . The bread served before dinner was also dry and cold , not warm and crunchy. It was not the usual crusty warm Italian bread we are used to in good Italian restaurants , and they didn't not serve it with olive oil , salt / pepper, we had to request it . Also the olive oil would be good if it was seasoned with garlic or if a dry seasoning was offered to season it . A very easy option . We had to ask for the salt and pepper for the bland olive oil. Small things can make a big difference !“

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

“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.“

“We had a great time at The Bella where we celebrated our advisor's retirement. They were very kind to open on Saturday and cater for our party of 25. And that was on a short notice too.
The place is very nice, gave us the privacy we wanted for our event. The staff is also great, starting with Tamara, the events manager. It was a joy to work with her and she made things easy for us.
If I have to make a suggestion, that would be for the food warmers that were not as effective, but that was really minor.“