Since the pandemic hit in early 2020, nearly three dozen new Italian restaurants have opened around the county. Could it be that people are craving comfort food and familiarity since those uncertain times?
From a 2-year-old Michelin-recognized tasting-menu restaurant in La Jolla, to a pizzeria in Ocean Beach, there are lots of new Italian options to visit around San Diego County. Here are 35.
Ambrogio by Acquerello, La Jolla
This year, only one San Diego County restaurant was selected to the California Michelin Guide, Giacomo Pizzigoni’s Ambrogio by Acquerello, a fine-dining new Italian cuisine restaurant in La Jolla Village that opened in November 2022. It features dishes by Michelin-starred chef Silvio Salmoiraghi of Acquerello restaurant near Milan, Italy, reinterpreted through a Southern California lens. Diners can choose an eight-course prix-fixe menu or, on Tuesdays-Thursdays, order an a la carte selection of two courses plus a dessert for $99. On Nov. 8, a six-course black truffle dinner will be offered for $220. 7556 Fay Ave, La Jolla.ambrogiobyacquerello.com
Acqua e Farina Trattoria Romana, Chula Vista
From the founders of Cacio e Pepe in North Park, this petite new Italian restaurant opened earlier this month in the former Farmer’s Table location in Chula Vista. Its house specialty is the 24-month Parmesan Cheese Wheel pasta specialty. Freshly cooked hot pasta is tossed tableside in a hollowed-out wheel of Parmesan cheese . 330 F St., Unit B, Chula Vista. acquaefarinasd.com
Allmine, Oceanside
Roxana Pavel opened this Oceanside scratch-kitchen, Italian-European restaurant in May 2022. Originally from a small village in Romania, she learned from grandmother how to cook for large events. Later she worked for multiple restaurants, including Hyatt’s Michelin-starred Blue Duck Tavern. She makes her burrata and bread in-house, her pizza (try the top-selling Better than Pepperoni pie) was picked among AAA’s top 10 in SoCal and her uniquely plated round lasagna with Mornay sauce is an Instagram influencer’s dream. 119 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. allmineoceanside.com
Amalfi Cucina Italiana, Oceanside
The Amalfi restaurant collective of Giuseppe Annunziata, Emiliano Muslija, Marcello Avitabile and Joseph Serra have opened five Amalfi restaurants and enotecas over the past four years in San Marcos, Carmel Valley and, most recently, in Oceanside this past July. The restaurants are known for their beautiful dining rooms and views,housemade pastas, pizza and seafood dishes. The new Oceanside location took over the former space of Orfila Vineyards Tasting Room & Kitchen. 221 N Cleveland St., Oceanside. For more locations, visit amalficucinaitaliana.com
Amalfi Llama, UTC
Open since March at the Westfield UTC shopping center, Amalfi Llama is a 152-seat, live fire-cooking restaurant that blends Italian and Patagonian cuisine. It’s the creation of the Eureka! Restaurant Group and Grupo Carolo Hospitality. Chefs use fire, smoke, coals and embers to cook meat, seafood, grains and vegetables in dishes such as cedar plank-roasted branzino, Ora King salmon and burrata, lobster arrabbiata spaghetti, baked tagliolini, roasted mushrooms with white truffle oil, tomahawk and Wagyu steaks and more. The restaurant also has a central, 28-seat circular bar and 92-seat patio. 4575 La Jolla Village Drive. 858-224-9606, amalfillama.com
Basta!, Little Italy
The latest culinary creation of Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien and Grind & Prosper hospitality company, Basta! opened in June. Located on the Piazza della Famiglia near the Little Italy Food Hall, Basta! serves a menu of shareable starters like crudo, sardines and focaccia, as well as pastas, plated entrées like chicken Marsala and braised short rib, entrée salads and desserts. The kitchen is led by culinary director Gavin Mills, who’s worked at No. 1 Lombard Street, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and who won an episode of the first season of Chopped in 2009. 550 W. Date Suite, Suite B, San Diego.bastasd.com
Best Pizza & Brew, Vista and Escondido
This homegrown casual pizzeria chain has opened multiple locations in the past few: Vista in 2021, Escondido this past July and Murrieta in August. Founded in 2013, Best Pizza & Brew sells pizza by the slice ($4.25) or full pies, sandwiches, salads and desserts, as well as craft beers by the pint. 230 S. Santa Fe Ave., Vista; 311 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido; 39832 Los Alamos Road, Murrieta. bestpizzaandbrew.com
Buona Forchetta San Marcos and Coronado
Matteo Canneo’s South Park-born Italian restaurant chain opened two more San Diego County locations in recent years: Coronado in 2020; and San Marcos in 2021. Buona Forchetta translates as “good fork,” but in Italy it’s slang for a person who’s a hearty eater. The restaurants regularly top local “best of” lists for pizza and Italian food. It’s known for its Neopolitan-style pies, homey decor and friendly service. 1000 C Ave., Coronado; 250 N. City Dr., Suite 3, San Marcos. buonaforchettasd.com
Cacio e Pepe Trattoria Romana, North Park
From the founders of Rusticucina restaurant comes this Roman-style restaurant that opened in the former Seventh House speakeasy space last spring. It’s known for its risotto and classic Italian pasta dishes, as well as seafood specials, pizza and cocktails. 2835 University Ave., San Diego. cacioepepetrattoriaromana.com
2051 Cucina Italiana, Carlsbad
This hidden gem opened in a business park near Palomar-McClellan Airport in 2022. Co-founded by Simone Vezzali and Giacomo Giovanetti. and led by chef Musmeci Santo, the restaurant serves traditional Italian cuisine in an open-format space that can be used for special events and large parties. The restaurant’s specialty is house-made pastas, as well as pizzas, plated entrées and a robust selection of Italian wines. 2051 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 175, Carlsbad. 2051cucinaitaliana.com
Cucina Carnevale, San Diego
Launched in 2022, Cucina Carnevale is an Italian catering and pizza delivery business co-founded by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs chef/musician Mikey Carnevale and booking manger Sara Carnevale. Since 2023, Cucina Carnevale has operated as a periodic pizza pop-up on Friday nights at Vino Carta wine bar in Solana Beach. For updates, visit instagram.com/cucinacarnevale
Del Lusso Napoletana Pizzeria, Carlsbad
Carlsbad chef and entrepreneur Walter Wong opened this Italian restaurant and Neapolitan-style pizzeria with a few friends just a month before the pandemic hit in March 2020. For nearly a year, they gave away pizzas and home-delivered meals to essential workers, the unemployed and shut-ins who couldn’t risk leaving their homes before the vaccine arrived — all of which earned Del Lusso a loyal community following. Wong, a native of Montreal, creates all of the recipes for the dishes, ranging from pastas to pizzas, plated entrées and desserts, and serves as the restaurant’s manager and maitre d. 6021 Innovation Way, Suite 120, Carlsbad. dellussopizza.com
DivoDiva Café, Hillcrest
San Diego opera singers Victoria Robertson and Rosario Monetti opened this opera-themed Italian-themed café and wine bar in August 2023. Robertson is a soprano who co-founded the local Opera4Kids nonprofit. Monetti is a tenor from Naples, Italy, who owns the drive-through coffee kiosk Meshuggah Shack in Mission Hills. DivoDiva serves Italian-style coffee, toasts and paninis by day, then transitions into a restaurant-wine bar serving beers and wines with Pinsa Romana flatbreads, charcuterie and more. The singers also perform pre-fix opera dinner shows at the restaurant ( show dates are Nov. 6, 13, 15). 3650 Fifth Ave., Suite 104, San Diego. (619) 906-5566, divodivacafe.com
Elvira, Ocean Beach
Last December, the Italian trio behind the Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Italian restaurant Cesarina in Point Loma opened their second restaurant in Ocean Beach, Elvira, a Roman osteria and pizzeria in the former BO-Beau space in O.B. The restaurant serves Roman-style pizzas and pastas, as well as daily specials (“piatta del giorno”) where specific dishes are available on certain days of the week, including gnocchi, meatballs, tripe and seafood. 4996 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego. ciaoelvira.com
Il Posto, South Park
From the Italian cofounders of 4-year-old Maurizio’s Trattoria Italiana in Encinitas comes this casual Italian pizza and pasta spot, which opened in the former Eclipse Chocolate space in December 2023. Under the direction of pizza chef Alfred Pappalardo, Il Posta serves an extensive menu of antipasti, salads, plated entrées, wood-fired pizza and house-made pastas and make-your-own pasta dishes. 2145 Fern Street, San Diego. ilpostosd.com
Lala, Little Italy
Lala, a 60-seat restaurant/bar concept from Busalacchi Restaurants, opened last winter in Little Italy. The menu has about 20 dishes, including cioppino, veal Parmesan, caviar blinis with crème fraiche, steak tartare with chicharrones, “loaded potato” gnocchi, New York strip steak and tiramisu. 1919 India St., San Diego. lalasd.com
La Pastaia, Bay Park
La Pastaia (which means “the pasta lady” in Italian) was opened in June 2023 by two Italian women: Sicily native Priscilla Scardina in the kitchen and Maria Lo Cascio as the lead floor manager. The restaurant’s specialty is house-made pasta dishes, but its showcase is the tableside pasta cheese wheel service, where hot pasta is tossed and melted in large wheels of imported Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese. The menu also features antipasti, salads, meat and seafood dishes. 3055 Clairemont Drive, San Diego. lapastaiasd.com
Lucrezia, UTC
Lucrezia, an upscale, 10,000-square-foot, 300-seat Italian dining destination, opened in fall 2023 at the Westfield UTC shopping center near La Jolla. Built by Grupo Hunan of Mexico City, Lucrezia was inspired by the elegant restaurants along Italy’s Amalfi Coast. The indoor-outdoor restaurant features a Calacatta Viola marble bar, imported Marra Forni pizza oven, grand piano, full-size outdoor olive trees and a formal white-jacketed wait staff. The menu features Italian classics interpreted through a modern lens, including oreganata pizza, Calabrese Romaine salad, rigatoni spicy vodka, veal Milanese and bistecca alla Fiorentina. 4301 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 1050, San Diego. lucrezia.us
Marisi, La Jolla
Open since fall 2022, Marisi is an 111-seat trattoria-style pasta restaurant owned by La Jolla’s Adler and Lombrozo families, best known for their 10-year-old Mexican restaurant company, Puesto, but who also have deep family roots in Italy and Spain. Before ing Marisi as executive chef, Cameron Ingle spent four years working as a sous chef and private dining chef for Michelin two star chef Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, N.Y. Ingle. who grew up working in his family’s Italian resaturant in Detroit, hopes to bring Michelin recognition at Marisi, too. 1044 Wall St., La Jolla. marisilajolla.com
Maurizio’s Trattoria Italiana, Encinitas
Three Italians — Maurizio Carbone, Fabio Montagna and chef Antonio Pappagallo — opened this restaurant in March 2020. Despite the debut coinciding with the arrival of the pandemic, the business has thrived, serving new Italian cuisine in a modern environment. Chef Antonio hails from Naples, so some of the dishes reflect his native Neapolitan training. Some of his house-made pasta dishes are orecchiette salsiccia e friarielli, spaghetti polpette and linguine ai fruitti di mare. 505 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. maurizioca.com
Pizza & More, Vista
In mid-2023, Lola Craviotto took over this casual strip mall pizzeria and turned it into a finer-dining Italian restaurant (but kept the original name) Executive chef Jair Santos’ menu features classical Italian dishes and pizzas, along with a chalkboard menu of daily specials that includes dishes like roasted rabbit, baby back ribs, lobster ravioli and quail. Pizza takeout service is available. 1461 N. Santa Fe Ave., Suite 103, Vista. pizzamoreofvista.com
Postino WineCafé, Little Italy and Del Mar
This Arizona-born Italian-inspired restaurant/wine bar chain opened two locations in San Diego County last May. The 23-year-old chain’s name comes from its first location in a 1940s-era post office building. Postino is known for its happy hour menu, unique lineup of bruschettas, paninis, salad, charcuterie boards and shareable plates designed to complement its rotating menu of boutique wines and craft beer. 2100 Kettner Ave., Little Italy, San Diego; One Paseo Del Mar center, 3745 Paseo Place, Suite 800, San Diego. postinowinecafe.com
Pop’s Pizza, Otay Mesa
Pop’s Pizza, a family-owned pizzeria, opened in July in Otay Mesa. The restaurant serves a salads, wings, pasta, subs and calzones, but its specialty is hand-tossed pizza, available in 12- to 26-inch pies. It offers takeout and limited dine-in service. 750 Beyer Way, San Diego. popspizzasandiego.com
Prince St. Pizza, Gaslamp Quarter and Pacific Beach
This New York City-born pizza chain, known for its Sicilian-style rectangular pies, opened its first San Diego County takeout-only location in the Gaslamp Quarter in January 2023. A second opened in July in Pacific Beach. The chain’s top-selling pies are the Spicy Spring, made with spicy fra diavolo sauce, hand-sliced spicy pepperoni and mozzarella and Pecorino cheeses, and the Prince Perfection, a Sicilian version of the Neapolitan-style margherita pie. 415 Market St., downtown; 4505 Mission Blvd., P.B. princestreetpizza.com
Roman Wolves, Little Italy
Roman Wolves, a bar and restaurant inspired by the cocktails and cuisine of Rome, opened in February. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant is the creation of Sicily native Nino Cusimano, who co-owns the 4-year-old Rusticucina restaurant in Hillcrest. Chef Enrico de Santis’ menu feature classic Roman dishes, including pasta carbonara, amatriciana and cacio e pepe, as well as pollo saltimbocca and pinsa alla mortazza (Roman-style folded pizza). 1980 Kettner Blvd., Suite 10, San Diego. romanwolves.com
Rusticucina, University Heights
Rusticucina, which opened in February 2020, is owned by three friends from Sicily — Nino Cusimano, Marco Provino and Mario Liga — who worked with Palermo native Vincenzo Lo Verso (head of San Diego Dining Group) to develop their “farm-to-neighborhood” culinary concept. The restaurant’s specialty is pasta dishes, where diners can either choose their own noodle, protein and sauce or order a house specialty, like Salsiccia Cingbiale, made with wild boar sausage, mushrooms and two kinds of Italian cheese. Italian cheese wheel pasta service is also offered tableside. Rusticucina recently renovated its patio to expand outdoor eating options. 3797 Park Blvd., San Diego. rusticucina.com
Seneca Trattoria, downtown
Seneca, a Roman trattoria from the prolific San Diego restaurant/bar group CH Projects, opened in July 2021 on the 19th floor of the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown San Diego. Lavishly decorated and offering one of the city’s most scenic views, the indoor/outdoor Seneca specializes in Roman-inspired dishes, with offerings of pizza, pasta, calzone, seafood and plated entrees including chicken alla diavola and ribeye tagliata. 901 Bayfront Court, Level 19, San Diego. instagram.com/senecatrattoria
Trattoria Da Sofia, Kensington
This Sicily-inspired Italian restaurant opened Aug. 15 in the former Cucina Sorella space in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood. Co-owner Andrea Carbonara said the menu at the 4,000-square-foot restaurant features fresh-made pastas, local seafood and shareable plates. There’s also tableside whipped-to-order tiramisu service. 4055 Adams Ave., San Diego. trattoriadasofia.com
Trattoria Don Pietro, Old Town
In August 2020, Pietro Busalacchi, his father Sal Busalacchi and family friend Gustavo Rios brought Italian dining to Old Town (which is known primarily for its Mexican cuisine offerings). The restaurant serves authentic Sicilian dishes made from recipes brought over from Italy nearly 60 years ago by Sal’s mother, Cristina. The restaurant is known for its fancy plating, cocktails and celebratory atmosphere as a date-night destination. 2415 San Diego Ave., Old Town. trattoriadonpietro.com
Vincenzo Cucina & Lounge, Little Italy
Vincenzo Loverso, head of San Diego Dining Group, opened his own namesake restaurant in the former Farmer’s Table location in Little Italy last April. It serves a traditional Italian menu, but its signature feature is the reservation-only cheese wheel pasta bar. Diners choose their pasta and one of six Italian cheeses and the hot pasta is tossed inside a wheel of cheese, that melts and coats the pasta as it’s stirred. The restaurant also serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and Italian-style aperitif cocktails and more. Raised in Palermo, Sicily, Loverso arrived in San Diego in 1992 and has opened several restaurants around town, beginning with Oestra Paevino in the Gaslamp. 550 W. Date St., San Diego. vincenzosd.com
Venchi, UTC
billed by its owners as the first “cioccogelateria” in Southern California, this Italian dessert and candy shop opened in July at Westfield UTC shopping center. Venchi sells up to 50 varieties of imported Italian chocolates as well as up to 20 flavors of Italian-recipe gelatos, which are made fresh in-house daily. 4303 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E-25, San Diego. us.venchi.com
What did we miss?
Do you know of an Italian restaurant that has opened since 2020 in San Diego County that didn’t make our list? Email us the information at [email protected].
