11 Best Italian Restaurants in La Jolla

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

“Great meal. Dessert was a wow.“

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

“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.“

“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!“

“Amazing food, staff & atmosphere!“

“Fettuccine Ortolana was very good, pasta is fresh, cream sauce was just right. Our server Danko knew the menu well and recommended their special of the day, risotto with scallops, calamari and lobster on top. It was very good. Plates are a good size portion, not too little or too much. Their house made Belgium chocolate bread pudding with ice cream alone would have me coming back. Prices are fair. overall we’re glad we chose this spot for dinner and would definitely come back.“

“Went here for a date night and it was just perfect. I highly recommend the table side Cesar salad!! The preparation was amazing. I also enjoy the clam pasta while my date had the penne pasta. The live music was a perfect touch. Which was low enough to still enjoy conversational. Very romantic.“

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

“Amazing venue and staff! 5 stars!“

“My bride and I just spent 4 nights at the hotel. It was very nice. The restaurant, to us, is the crown jewel. We had a superb dinner. The seafood was fabulous, our server (Steven) was a delight and of course the sunset! We had breakfast on our last morning and it was very good! We came here years ago when it was Elarios and we were not disappointed this time either! We will return!“