12 Best Italian Restaurants near Valley Center

“I received a free specialty pizza coupon from this restaurant so I had to go try it. This spot is small inside and nothing fancy for decor but the food I tried today was definitely 5 stars. I ordered the baked ziti with aurora sauce (alfredo and marinara) with meatballs added ($4) and it was excellent! The ricotta was creamy and smooth and the meatballs were so flavorful and soft. I also got chicken noodle soup which was simple but delicious. My boyfriend got the Italian sausage sub with pasta salad. The dressing on the pasta salad was so good and the sandwich was pretty big for $12. The break sticks that came were perfect on their own but you can't go wrong with a dip in that sauce, right? We ordered the Portino's special pizza to go and it was also good. While we ate we saw several people getting pizzas and other items to go. I will definitely come back to try the other pastas and possibly a meatball sub too! Thanks Portino's!“

“I Own a Philly cheesesteak place downtown so I wanted to try this place out. First off the staff is amazing and friendly. Very welcoming. Right when you walk in you see the smiling employees and you can tell this is a family establishment. The hot pastrami was one of the best I’ve ever had. I love supporting businesses like this. 10/10. Thank you Kelly!“

“Excellent food, especially if you’re looking for some authentic Indian-inspired cuisine! We had the chettinad chicken pizza and it was really delicious; reminded me of pizzas that you would get in india. The day we visited, they also had a dosa stand and it was as authentic as it gets!“

“Joes Italian is a good choice when I'm in town. The antipasto salad is an excellent choice. The eggplant parmigiana is very delicious the flavor was excellent. The service is good. They cook the food fresh, the ambiance is good. I like the retro Italian restaurant vibes. I have been here multiple times and Joes never disappoints.“

“Went on a Thursday night and it was relatively empty when we got there. By the time we left a lot of people had showed up so our timing was great. I will say the table we got kinda sucked cause the whole place was empty and we were put in the back corner but it's all good. We had a big party so we were loud. I went with the gnocchi Buona Forchetta and added sausage. Holy moly this was delicious. I couldn't finish the whole thing so I took some home and ate it the next night just as good. The oil and vinegar for the bread was interesting, it was very hard to get the bread to soak up the vinegar haha. Meatballs were also tasty. Nice little spot outside of cal state with plenty of seating if you get there at the right time. Plenty of parking in the garage behind the place so no worries there. I will be coming back for that gnocchi 100%.“

“The Best Pizza in the World !! The crust is slightly crispy and thicker and delicious ,it's thicker to handle the Incredible large amounts of Very High Quality Sauce ,Meats and ? Cheese !! Wow !! Absolutely a Fantastic Pizza ! And everything on the menu is Fresh and So Very Tasty ! Have been Enjoying this Wonderful Food for over 30 years !“

“The food is good. Sandwiches are excellent, but a tad pricy. My only complaint is there was no AC and it was a hot day, my last visit.Rancho Bernardo store does not open till 3:00 pm. No hours on the door.... nothing. That sucked because i was really looking forward to their Italian sandwich.“

“They have the very best pizza, made consistently every single time. The calzones are gigantic and yummy. The salads are made with fresh ingredients. The atmosphere is lacking and it’s small with limited seating but we always get a table. Wish they’re bring back the senior discount, then we could go more often.“

“With a party of 13 adults and two kids, we expected a wait for a table, and indeed, it took an hour, but it was understandable given our group size. The waitstaff promptly attended to our drink orders and maintained efficiency throughout. The service was excellent, and the food was consistently great. I've been dining here for years, and without fail, each visit has been an amazing experience.“

“Portions size and experience was better than Olive Garden. You also get a free glass or two when ordering the Italian soda. Great cocktails. Very fun date night.Parking: The restaurant sits in a plaza so if there was no close parking, a short walk will find parking in the adjacent side of the strip.Kid-friendliness: We didn’t bring our boy, but they had a kid’s menu and a lot of happy, playful kids running around the restaurant- not to say that was okay for them to do, but it was very cute.??“

“3.5 stars overall. Ordered the roasted garlic and goat cheese appetizer, and a Caesar salad through DoorDash. I received the best salad instead of Caesar. The best salad was fine just not what I was craving. I've been meaning to try the goat cheese/garlic appetizer for a while because of the good reviews. I was thinking it would be a fun way for my friend and I to make a few little mini pizzas for ourselves. Overall the ingredients had a good flavor, but the goat cheese was a huge fail for us. If I had known that was the way it was prepared, I never would have ordered the dish. I expected a nice creamy dollop of goat cheese. Instead, it was a fried/baked 1-1/2 inch? ball. It was not spreadable at all because of both the crust, and also because it very dry throughout. Close to being an excellent dish, but ultimately unsatisfying.“

“We did Take Out and it was our first time trying their food and let me tell you, it's DELICIOUS! I'm a big fan of raviolis; every italian place I visit, that's my meal, always. I requested Alfredo sauce instead of marinara and meatballs sauce, no regrets; it was so cheesy, so warm, so perfect. The lasagna was really good too. I would definitely recommend this place.“