I am about to write a review which is probably far too long for a Trip Advisor review but truly I cannot begin to even express how incredible this restaurant is in only a few sentences. Catania was on the list of suggested Italian restaurants from the hotel, and I decided to go for it given the already great reviews. But seriously, none of the reviews on here can even come close to expressing the phenomenal experience we had!!! From the moment we even saw the restaurant, the atmosphere was perfect. It's situated on a beautiful street, with beautiful lighting and ambience all around. It is tucked away on the upper floor of the building and whilst we were not sat on the side for ocean views, I am sure they are beautiful. The hostess at the front was immediately very kind. When we sat down, we were greeted by one server who was lovely and continuously topped up our drinks. Our main server was Kirstin, and we were so incredibly lucky and grateful to have had her. She is genuinely the best server I have ever had in my entire life - so incredibly kind, knowledgeable about the food and the restaurant itself, and just wonderful service. I cannot thank her enough for making our time here that much more special 🤍 I had heard that this was Michelin awarded, and to be honest I have no idea what really constitutes a star or not, but in my personal awards the quality of the food at Catania is unmatched. It's unreal. Absolutely divine - every single thing we had was perfection. Even the simplest things like the water which is "orange infused" may sound like stereotypical Michelin star highbrow stuff but genuinely it does actually make every difference and elevates the experience so much. We had the tuna crudo and grilled octopus to start. For $24 each, they are a little pricey for the portion but to be honest the pure flavour and quality to them both is more than worth it. The crudo was just divine, and the grilled octopus is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. Perfectly grilled on the outside and crispy, almost like a chicken karaage type batter, and then down to the lamb sausage and chickpea additions on the side - just perfect. Definitely a must order. For the main, we shared a margherita pizza between three of us (with extra toppings, that are only $2 - $3 each which is incredible!). As Kirstin said to us upon introducing the ethos of the restaurant to us, Catania strives to use local ingredients and the dough for the pizza and pasta is made fresh daily in-house and you can truly taste that in the food. The first thing I could taste when I had a bite of the pizza was the tomato - it's so obviously incredibly fresh and it's just delicious. Margherita is such a basic dish, and I was hesitant to order it because of that reason in favour of one of the other pizzas, but truly Catania manages to elevate even a Margherita pizza to an incredible standard. Finally, for dessert, we had the nutella semifreddo. This was also amazing and so light! It even used olive oil as a dressing which was so special - it just shows the quality of the ingredients used because this olive oil was so incredibly highgrade that it didn't even taste of olive oil, and instead gave this really elevated taste to the whole sweetness of the dessert. Truly, I cannot speak to Catania's excellence enough. I have no hesitation in saying that this is the best restaurant I have ever been to in my life. There was absolutely no flaws - every staff member I had the pleasure of talking to was so kind and attentive, perfect food, incredible atmosphere, and even though it is quite expensive it's completely justified in my opinion for the pure quality you get. Especially coming from England, with the food in America being often quite different and varied especially in terms of "healthiness" and general "quality", this is truly truly truly an absolute diamond of a restaurant. If you are willing to spend those extra dollars for the phenomenon that Catania is, I tru
Nancy
Food was excellent as always. We always order the Smoked Duck Liver Crostini and Roasted Cauliflower. Service was great as well.
Carmen
Catania was AMAZING! Cutest rooftop terrace with heaters. The food was incredible, loved our waiter and the supporting staff were over the top attentive. Food was quick and authentic.
Opentable Diner
The food is very good, but service a bit spotty, the noise a bit much, and it's quite expensive such that the value is moderate. It also felt a bit "clickish" with the owner/manager interacting with some tables but not other tables. Overall, not my favorite place despite having quite tasty food.
Alan
The food and ambiance at Catania was excellent. Our server, Clinton, was well versed in wines, and took great care of us and the table. It was our first time to this restaurant and would highly recommend others to visit.
Deven
Always great service, food, and drinks. The seasonal dishes are always top notch and the octopus dish is the best we have had! Continues to be one of our favorite.
emme
Catania is the best dinner spot in La Jolla! Service is outstanding and the food is phenomenal and the ambiance of the space is always perfect. The servers and bartenders know the menu like the back of their hand and always make the right recommendations. We never have to wait to order something, water glasses are always full, and finished dishes are cleared swiftly without interrupting conversation at the table. The entire staff is so attentive and genuine with their care! Love the seasonal menu too, always something new to try (even if you come here as often as we do) and it always hits. Pizza Steve is so warm and welcoming and treats guests like family.
David
Salad was excellent and so was the pizza. Our waiter did a great job describing the menu options. I'd go there again to try something else as the food coming to other tables looked delicious.
Nazan
Best mushroom pizza in town. Always one of our favorite restaurants. Kevin was very friendly and attentive. We love this place!
Lynne
Excellent night at Catania ~ even with the rainy weather the ambiance, service & food were perfect!
Just a fantastic little gem in La Jolla. Did lunch here and had a delightful time outside on the patio with great views and food. Service was wonderful with a very attentive Serilia. Napolian style pizza is this places secret power. Just incredible. Had multiple pastas, salad and the arancini, all were wonderful. Highly recommend.
him3
This restaurant in the center of town was charming and cozy. The wine list was extensive but the wines by the glass were few and pricey.Pasta entrees were delicious and a vegetarian would be satisfied. All in all I wasn't that impressed by the food or service.
Soleil
We shared 4 appetizers and 3 main pasta dishes and everything was delicoious! My friends from out of town loved the fresh quality and taste of the dishes as well as their cocktails and mocktails. 😁 Kale Salad, Roasted Cauliflower, Bread, Caramelized onion Farinata, Duck Sugo Orecchiette, Shrimp Rissoto and the buternut squash ravioli. Ooh, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the Nutella semifreddo was. Just the right amount of sweetness that didn't over power the taste of the hazelnut. Service was outstanding as always! Great team work. Thank you!
L MAY
Overall, I felt that the food was good but not great. However, the dining experience was very enjoyable and made up for what the food was lacking.
We appreciated the N/A offerings and in addition to the traditional cocktails on the menu. In addition, the outside patio is home to one of the best views in La Jolla - which is a plus for sure. I felt the food, specifically the seafood pasta and bruschetta, left something to be desired in flavor. However, I still think I would revisit this restaurant for another evening out in La Jolla.
EDIT: Dropping service down to 2 stars based on the owner’s response. I believe this review of 4 stars was very reasonable based on the price, service, and food served. But clearly, we aren’t welcomed back. 🤷♀️🤷♀️
EDIT2: Owner deleted the response. lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Tagliatelle Alla Portofino, Tuna Crudo
Annie
Catania does it again! We were sitting outside on a two top and I was feeling claustrophobic so we asked if we can move inside instead and they found us a table, without any trouble. Service was great, food was amazing and the menu said Happy Birthday for my birthday dinner.
I am about to write a review which is probably far too long for a Trip Advisor review but truly I cannot begin to even express how incredible this restaurant is in only a few sentences. Catania was on the list of suggested Italian restaurants from the hotel, and I decided to go for it given the already great reviews. But seriously, none of the reviews on here can even come close to expressing the phenomenal experience we had!!! From the moment we even saw the restaurant, the atmosphere was perfect. It's situated on a beautiful street, with beautiful lighting and ambience all around. It is tucked away on the upper floor of the building and whilst we were not sat on the side for ocean views, I am sure they are beautiful. The hostess at the front was immediately very kind. When we sat down, we were greeted by one server who was lovely and continuously topped up our drinks. Our main server was Kirstin, and we were so incredibly lucky and grateful to have had her. She is genuinely the best server I have ever had in my entire life - so incredibly kind, knowledgeable about the food and the restaurant itself, and just wonderful service. I cannot thank her enough for making our time here that much more special 🤍 I had heard that this was Michelin awarded, and to be honest I have no idea what really constitutes a star or not, but in my personal awards the quality of the food at Catania is unmatched. It's unreal. Absolutely divine - every single thing we had was perfection. Even the simplest things like the water which is "orange infused" may sound like stereotypical Michelin star highbrow stuff but genuinely it does actually make every difference and elevates the experience so much. We had the tuna crudo and grilled octopus to start. For $24 each, they are a little pricey for the portion but to be honest the pure flavour and quality to them both is more than worth it. The crudo was just divine, and the grilled octopus is probably one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. Perfectly grilled on the outside and crispy, almost like a chicken karaage type batter, and then down to the lamb sausage and chickpea additions on the side - just perfect. Definitely a must order. For the main, we shared a margherita pizza between three of us (with extra toppings, that are only $2 - $3 each which is incredible!). As Kirstin said to us upon introducing the ethos of the restaurant to us, Catania strives to use local ingredients and the dough for the pizza and pasta is made fresh daily in-house and you can truly taste that in the food. The first thing I could taste when I had a bite of the pizza was the tomato - it's so obviously incredibly fresh and it's just delicious. Margherita is such a basic dish, and I was hesitant to order it because of that reason in favour of one of the other pizzas, but truly Catania manages to elevate even a Margherita pizza to an incredible standard. Finally, for dessert, we had the nutella semifreddo. This was also amazing and so light! It even used olive oil as a dressing which was so special - it just shows the quality of the ingredients used because this olive oil was so incredibly highgrade that it didn't even taste of olive oil, and instead gave this really elevated taste to the whole sweetness of the dessert. Truly, I cannot speak to Catania's excellence enough. I have no hesitation in saying that this is the best restaurant I have ever been to in my life. There was absolutely no flaws - every staff member I had the pleasure of talking to was so kind and attentive, perfect food, incredible atmosphere, and even though it is quite expensive it's completely justified in my opinion for the pure quality you get. Especially coming from England, with the food in America being often quite different and varied especially in terms of "healthiness" and general "quality", this is truly truly truly an absolute diamond of a restaurant. If you are willing to spend those extra dollars for the phenomenon that Catania is, I tru
Food was excellent as always. We always order the Smoked Duck Liver Crostini and Roasted Cauliflower. Service was great as well.
Catania was AMAZING! Cutest rooftop terrace with heaters. The food was incredible, loved our waiter and the supporting staff were over the top attentive. Food was quick and authentic.
The food is very good, but service a bit spotty, the noise a bit much, and it's quite expensive such that the value is moderate. It also felt a bit "clickish" with the owner/manager interacting with some tables but not other tables. Overall, not my favorite place despite having quite tasty food.
The food and ambiance at Catania was excellent. Our server, Clinton, was well versed in wines, and took great care of us and the table. It was our first time to this restaurant and would highly recommend others to visit.
Always great service, food, and drinks. The seasonal dishes are always top notch and the octopus dish is the best we have had! Continues to be one of our favorite.
Catania is the best dinner spot in La Jolla! Service is outstanding and the food is phenomenal and the ambiance of the space is always perfect. The servers and bartenders know the menu like the back of their hand and always make the right recommendations. We never have to wait to order something, water glasses are always full, and finished dishes are cleared swiftly without interrupting conversation at the table. The entire staff is so attentive and genuine with their care! Love the seasonal menu too, always something new to try (even if you come here as often as we do) and it always hits. Pizza Steve is so warm and welcoming and treats guests like family.
Salad was excellent and so was the pizza. Our waiter did a great job describing the menu options. I'd go there again to try something else as the food coming to other tables looked delicious.
Best mushroom pizza in town. Always one of our favorite restaurants. Kevin was very friendly and attentive. We love this place!
Excellent night at Catania ~ even with the rainy weather the ambiance, service & food were perfect!
Restaurantji Recommends
Just a fantastic little gem in La Jolla. Did lunch here and had a delightful time outside on the patio with great views and food. Service was wonderful with a very attentive Serilia. Napolian style pizza is this places secret power. Just incredible. Had multiple pastas, salad and the arancini, all were wonderful. Highly recommend.
This restaurant in the center of town was charming and cozy. The wine list was extensive but the wines by the glass were few and pricey.Pasta entrees were delicious and a vegetarian would be satisfied. All in all I wasn't that impressed by the food or service.
We shared 4 appetizers and 3 main pasta dishes and everything was delicoious! My friends from out of town loved the fresh quality and taste of the dishes as well as their cocktails and mocktails. 😁 Kale Salad, Roasted Cauliflower, Bread, Caramelized onion Farinata, Duck Sugo Orecchiette, Shrimp Rissoto and the buternut squash ravioli. Ooh, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the Nutella semifreddo was. Just the right amount of sweetness that didn't over power the taste of the hazelnut. Service was outstanding as always! Great team work. Thank you!
Overall, I felt that the food was good but not great. However, the dining experience was very enjoyable and made up for what the food was lacking.
We appreciated the N/A offerings and in addition to the traditional cocktails on the menu. In addition, the outside patio is home to one of the best views in La Jolla - which is a plus for sure. I felt the food, specifically the seafood pasta and bruschetta, left something to be desired in flavor. However, I still think I would revisit this restaurant for another evening out in La Jolla.
EDIT: Dropping service down to 2 stars based on the owner’s response. I believe this review of 4 stars was very reasonable based on the price, service, and food served. But clearly, we aren’t welcomed back. 🤷♀️🤷♀️
EDIT2: Owner deleted the response. lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Tagliatelle Alla Portofino, Tuna Crudo
Catania does it again! We were sitting outside on a two top and I was feeling claustrophobic so we asked if we can move inside instead and they found us a table, without any trouble. Service was great, food was amazing and the menu said Happy Birthday for my birthday dinner.
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