50 Best Italian Restaurants near Spring Valley

“had takeout spinach lasagna tonight. Outstanding meal! I definitely recommend 😍😍💯💯👌👌“

“My wife and I eat at Ciccia’s regularly but this is our first review after 4 years. Sorry Francesca and Mario! (In my defense I practically never ever write a review.) We keep coming back for the food, ambiance and hospitality. **We’ve gone 3 times in the last week! The crab gnocchi is my wife’s favorite. I get something different almost every time. Every visit I ask Mario about the specials as I like to sample the beef and/or fish (Branzino!) they prepare in addition to pasta. Try the Tomahawk steak if it’s a special that day (call ahead) and you will be amazed. Too many times we fill up on appetizers like mushroom flan, breaded zucchini, calamari, antipasto, and the choices go on! But that’s what to-go containers are for. So much good food to eat at Ciccias we tend to order too many things. It is simply fun to dine there. Once you’re inside the restaurant area (patio area or indoor area) the ambiance is quaint and cozy. Ciccia’s is not big and it’s always filled, but we never feel like it’s too crowded. The energy is always fun and upbeat. Which makes people stay awhile, so let me recommend getting reservations. We’ve had to wait 10-15 minutes but nothing’s perfect! If you want a breezy quick dinner before going off to an event you may want to go to Ciccia’s on another night. Hospitality is what you would expect of a small Italian restaurant run by the owners. Terrific!! If it’s your first time, read their story on the website before you go. They are bona fide top chefs who followed their dreams to open their own place. What a gem it is tucked inside Barrio Logan. One thing regulars may notice is that staff doesn’t appear to turn over much as I’ve seen the same faces working there for years. I think that reflects well on the restaurant. I don’t take pictures of food very often but last night I did. We stopped by at around 9 just to get dessert and a cocktail. My wife had the ricotta cake with apricot and habanero sauce (wow!) and I had cassata siciliana which is traditional cake from Sicily. Pretty to look at and yes, it’s delicious. They do a good job with making an Old Fashioned, which always pairs well with dessert 😜 Buon appetito!“

“Spending my evening at a new restaurant in South Park called Il Posto. So far everything I’ve tried is spectacular.“

“Great food and great service! Food was fresh and expertly prepared! Probably the best service I have ever experienced and the place was busy at the time we were there!!“

“2nd visit and again food and service were great. only complaint was they cleared my dessert when I wasn't finished without asking. took that as hint to leave.“

“cordialità,buon cibo e ambiente raffinato“

“I came to visit my dad in Santee today and decided to go try a new place today. Great pizza. We got the Supreme, but now I have to come back to try the Sizzling Pickle Pizza. Sounds interesting. Anyway, I balanced our lunch with an antipasto salad.“

“good pizza, sandwiches 🥪 at won't hurt ur pockets. nom noms“

“Amazing food and a testament to being a good citizen of our planet.“

“This place is absolutely amazing. The service was exceptional and we felt so welcomed. The handmade pasta and dishes are to die for. My husband has the special and I had the pescatore dish followed with dessert. We will definitely be back!“

“This place food, ambience, decor, patio, services, etc, etc, etc gas not competition around san diego,“

“To sit and enjoy The entire staff is friendly and the owner and his son are amazing!! They have the best atmosphere, food freshly made! Lasagna is so good - pizza is seasoned well and the dough is good“

“The Margarita pizza was the best . Thus far from any pizzaria I’ve had“

“We tried a new restaurant in North Park. Cacio e Pepe is off the hook. The linguine with sugo had italian sausage, meatballs, and pork rib. The linguini was al dente. It was all very authentic and nice sized portions. My Nonna would approve. It's my new "go to" place for Italian food in North Park.“

“The food the service is amazing. VERY bad experience that little Roma restaurant I should’ve known better that there’s no place like Nonna’s.“

“Excellent service, friendly atmosphere..food very satisfying“

“Never had a bad experience here. The staff are always super friendly and make you feel welcomed and take good care of us. This is our favorite no-frills, reliably good food, hole in the wall spot. Our son loves the food here too! Highly recommend“

“very delicious pizza great amount of toppings and cheese , really enjoyed their cheesy bread😋😋“

“nice place and very good and taste“

“Best cannoli of my life. This is an absolute must stop in Little Italy.“

“The food is so good! 100% recommend the vodka sauce! Stuffed mushrooms are fantastic. Ambiance is fabulous and service is so good. Alex was our server, he’s a keeper. This is our new go to Italian restaurant.“

“3/5 for a first timer during restaurant week… the special menu was $50 per person…. we never got any bread with our dinner (and didn’t realize we were left out until we were on dessert)… and, portions were small, so the bread would have been nice, especially for $50… also, the server made us make our food order at the same time as our drinks… personally, i like to have a drink or two before i order my food… so, the service was rushed in that sense… and no one asked me if i wanted a second glass of wine i had the veal and my friend had the lobster ravioli… both tasted decently but, again, small portions… the burrata was amazing and the desserts (tiramisu and lava cake) were pleasant i think i’d like to try again on a night that isn’t as busy, and order off of the actual menu“

“Awesome family owned business. Great food. Been around for decades.“

“I love the food. Fast Service and friendly . I recommend this place. The food is great.“

“Get the white sauce gnocchi! Omg! An explosion of cheesy goodness in your mouth. I wish the plate was bigger, cuz it’s that delicious! It does need some bread of some sort to soak up the extra sauce… because I’m not licking my plate again ?“

“We've been patrons for 61 years; spent our 60th. Anniversary dinner here along with all our family mile stones: birthdays, wedding rehearsal dinners, etc. We love the staff, lovely people and family and the food is always great. We love the atmosphere; calm and private booths... they are family as far as we are concerned...“

“This place is beautiful— everyone that works here is so friendly they went above and beyond to make sure that me and my wife were taking care of, the food is so delicious (best itialian subs I’ve had) and the atmosphere is so cozy (10/10)

Parking: Side of street or in back“

“Outstanding waitress . She was by herself and still managed to keep her cool. Definitely liking this place one thing, the. Chicago beef gravy is way too salty and you guys need to roast the green peppers . pizza was outstanding. Thank you.“

“Their add claims to have "The best pizza ever" or something along those lines. I asked my son how it was and he said top 5 for sure! Mind you he was born in Manhattan. We are also currently on the tail end of a one year, four corners of the United States, camping trip. So needless to say, we been around.It was magical in my mouth!“

“Amazingly delicious! Can’t wait to go back! From Boston😎“

“The food is excellent. Fresh delicious dishes. Too bad the service isn't better and the room is too loud. This food deserves better.“

“The pizza is great! It's perfect California style pizza with a medium crust and quality classic toppings. The staff is friendly and those places is really casual. I highly recommended this neighborhood pizza place.“

“4/4/2022 My first time getting a pizza from here, and it was amazing! I look forward to trying other items as well.“

“Reasonable prices, and generous portions. Dinner come with soup or salad, and the non-pasta entrees come with a side of spaghetti. The lasagna is amazing, and so is the breaded pork chop with mushrooms. Pizzas headed to another table looked nice, and I'll try that some day.
There's an early dinner special with a choice of pasta dishes that's a particularly good value. There's the same special for lunch at an even lower price, plus a 10-inch pizza lunch.
Attractive dining room with booths separated by glass-topped partitions etched with scenes of Italy. There's a good size bar too.
Pleasant, personal service.
Because of parking in front of the restaurant, it's not highly visible from the street.“

“Enjoy the atmosphere and great food.“

“All the food here is so good! Ive tried the pizza, gyros, wings, mozzarella, hamburgers, and I have not been disappointed ONCE. They have so much to pick from, they even have FISH n Chips and fish sticks now. The barbecue wings are so good, they are my favorite wing flavor. I recommend this place!!“

“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.“

“Came here with the family after a day at SeaWorld, the service was great the food was too. The wings were nice and crispy just how we like them they gave us the Buffalo sauce in separate little bowls something new but the Buffalo sauce was really good and the ranch was nice and creamy. We ordered 2 pizza's it was more than enough for all of us there were seven of us, if you like really and I mean really cheesy pizza this is the spot for you. The drinks all tasted great the only thing I found a bit silly is they limit the refill on fountain drinks to 3 if that was removed my rating would go up to 5 stars no doubt. Will definitely eat here aging next time we visit California.“

“Outstanding unique food. Quick and friendly service. You can tell the chef puts her heart into the meal. Old school Italian recipes and fresh ingredients.
You're missing out on a culinary experience if you don't try everything on the menu.“

“After dining at Buona Forchetta, I can't imagine enjoying pizza and pasta anywhere else in San Diego. From the moment you step in, the warm and friendly staff make you feel like you're family. They're sociable, upbeat, and ready to make your meal a memorable one. Our dinner began with two different wines. I'm a wine enthusiast, and I didn't snap any photos or recall their names, but rest assured, their wine recommendations are spot-on. The Regina Margherita pizza was a revelation. With its incredibly flavorful thin crust and the heavenly sauce, it was a pizza-lover's dream come true. The Spaghetti in Due Pomodori was, hands down, the best pasta dish I've tasted in California. With a simple yet tantalizing blend of organic tomatoes, garlic, and basil, it was sheer perfection. The nightly special, Pollo Milanese, was another hit. The chicken was tender, brimming with flavor, and cooked to perfection. And then came the desserts. We indulged in every option on the menu, and each one was a delight. We didn't leave a crumb behind. I highly encourage you to channel your inner foodie and savor each one, just like we did!“

“Excellent pizza! Great food & love the atmosphere!“

“The staff and owner are amazing and truly care about their customers and their experience. I ordered food to-go and was trying to catch them before cooking the pizza to alert them of an allergy. Samantha was so sweet, and went above and beyond, to ensure I had something to eat. She spoke with her manager/owner Lucas and they surprised me with a medium-sized cheese pizza on the house to ensure I could eat too.

The food was perfect and the staff was even better. Highly recommend!!“

“We were served by Skaula (probably miss spelled her name).

But she did an amazing job, made the experience a lot more enjoyable!
Thank you!!

Food was delicious and free refills for drinks, salads, bread sticks, and soups!

Thank you again for the amazing service!“

“Went here probably 8x, mostly made the same order and it came out different each time. If a menu says the pizza toppings, you'd expect those toppings or get told if something was out. Nope 1x we literally had a single sliver of green pepper and 2 slivers of onion.... 2x there were no veggies at all. 1x asked for no mushrooms and they put extra. I even showed the owner pictures of the previous pizzas and pictures of the receipts, he said he would fix it. The next visit was the correct pizza and decent portion of chicken. The following visits were back to the same missing veggies and such.🤷🏼‍♂️ The consistency here is just horrible. Some times the pizza is cooked perfectly and others it is soggy and cold in the middle. As for the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, it often has a very very small portion of chicken. 1x it was what I felt a decent portion. If they were more consistently good we'd be back probably weekly. I would say 6 of the 8x we had issues. I don't like sending food back, but also want what I pat for. Some staff are very friendly and do an excellent job, checking in just enough. However some employees seem they hate their job and we have to ask 2 to 3x for more water or ranch. I was excited to have found a new place, but sadly the overall quality is just a coin flip. For the price it isn't worth the hassle. And our visits have never been during a busy time. I won't accept anything to return, I have it enough chances. Also don't believe their 5 star reviews as they offer you a free desert in exchange for a 5 star review.“

“Wonderful! Excellent service delicious food and great atmosphere .“

“tha best place to eat italy food“

“Testo Pepesto Italian Restaurant is centrally located on Main Street in downtown El Cajon. It is a great family-owned restaurant with delicious food and friendly service. Best pizza and pasta in El Cajon! They also bake their own tasty bread. Everything is absolutely YUMMY!!!“

“It's great thin crust pizza! You can't beat the prices either.“

“I came to this place for lunch and it was a great decision. I liked the chicken soup and the pasta. I would especially like to mention that we had a wonderful waitress. She is really great, she paid us enough attention and I am very satisfied with the service and communication with the girl. She made our lunch even more enjoyable. The food is delicious, the service is great. I definitely recommend visiting this place“

“Great place way under rated, sleeper…“