- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Buon Appetito
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
1609 India St(between Date St & Cedar St)
San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood: Little Italy
(619) 238-9880
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
671 reviews for Buon Appetito
Review Highlights
-
"Farfalle con Pollo Affumicato was delicious." In 29 reviews -
"I can't wait to go to their wine bar next door." In 15 reviews -
"and order the Linguini allo Scoglio with red sauce." In 6 reviews
Loading...
670 reviews in English
-
Review from Tanya G.
Washington, DC
5/4/2012
My first experience with Italian food was watching that romantic scene from Lady and the Tramp and munching on Spaghettios. . . Don't laugh, I come from a very VERY traditional Chinese family!!!
Wait, my high rating is not because I am comparing Buon Appetito to canned pasta!!! Keep reading!!!!!!!
I have come a long way since Spaghettios and Mr. Boyardee. . . Since my love of Italian food became evident, my mom and myself started experimenting with pasta and a variety of sauces. We made things from scratch, tried several different authentic and fine places to get fresh ideas (reads I know what I'm talking about).
This is by far my favorite Italian restaurant in San Diego.
They do not take reservations on Friday or Saturday nights but they will take down your cell and call you when your table is ready. Yayayay freedom to wander and roam around. I have been over quoted and under quoted regarding wait time, once caught buying boots across the street!!!
Everything I have sampled there, my own dish and bites and samples of any unfortunate person sitting at my table, was wonderful. My favorite, which I can't remember the name of, is some bag of pasta with lobster and asparagus. It was on the special menu a few times I was there (safe to say that it's a regular special).
Wine list, more extensive than my knowledge base. . . I know, not really saying much.
Romantic atmosphere a tier or three higher than the back alley way in Lady and the Tramp and with all the fireworks!!! At least between you and your food, I can't control what kind of date you choose to take there :-PListed in: First date headaches - SOLVED
-
Review from Taylor D.
Encinitas, CA
5/24/2012
Put on your stretchy pants and invite your taste buds to join you in a feast you're going to enjoy so much you'll wish they were open for breakfast after your body wakes you up at 6:00 a.m. (to all my late night drinkers you know what I'm talking about) from a night of indulging in copious amounts of vino.
Red sauce and meat all up in your business, get on my level.
Lets talk meatballs, big, juicy, succulent, marinara covered meatballs. I'd have to assume a man created such an amazing concept like the meatball. The fine food masters at Buon Appetito took the meatball and mastered it by adding some care, sprinkling a pinch of love, and drowning it in marinara sauce to make it absolutely delicious.
If you're a wine drinker (which means you swallow the wine after putting it in your mouth, get on my level!) then spread those wings and go for one of Buon Appetito's delicious wine blends, you wont be disappointed in fact you'll probably come back to Buon Appetito's Yelp reviews, search my profile and thank me profusely.
Critiques: While the marinara sauce is so very tempting, be advised it is a little on the acidic side. Don't get yourself carried away, but if you do I certainly hope you picked up the big booty bottle of TUMS at your local Costco.
As the Italians say, don't be a bastardo! (not sure if they really say that) Tip well!Listed in: Foodie paradise in San Diego
-
Review from Ticha B.
Walked in for a quick lunch after my work was done in downtown San Diego and before coming back to LA.
The Italian food was ok. I think I ordered the wrong pasta dish. For the lunch hour, the food came out pretty slow considering the restaurant wasn't too busy. The service and hostess were nice. It's nice to see the hostess not only seat the customers but also help out with grabbing drinks and refilling drinks for the wait staff.
I ordered the pasta dish with the DUCK. I've never seen any Italian restaurant with a duck dish (besides pate). I love duck but the duck in this pasta dish was really gamey. There was a lot of small pieces of duck bone throughout the plate. Not really enjoyable.
Will I come back? Maybe. There's a lot of other Italian restaurant options in Little Italy, so it's going to be tough.Listed in: San Diego...the other SoCaL…
-
Review from Nina V.
New York, NY
5/8/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Buon Appetito's menu did not disappoint, nor did the service. Our classic ravioli and pasta seafood dishes were delicious and satisfying!
The only downside to the experience was the noise level inside the restaurant.
Sure, a crowded restaurant is the sign of a good meal, but if you are seeking for a quiet, romantic dinner for two, this place can be challenging while having an intimate conversation.
Parking after 5pm can also be challenging, but this quaint restaurant is worth the experience! -
Review from Melissa C.
San Diego, CA
5/21/2012
What a cute little restaurant in Little Italy! For a restaurant this small, they have menu items with BIG taste. My favorite is the super savory meat lasagna. Wines are delicious too.
-
Review from Tiffany T.
Dedham, MA
5/5/2012
Cute place. Pretty good pasta. I had bolognese that was topped with marscarpone cheese. The marscarpone really made the pasta that much better.
They had an extensive wine menu. The menu was pretty typical for an Italian restaurant. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't disappointed either. If you're in Little Italy, I would also recommend Bencotto. -
Review from Glenn H.
They said that this Little Italy here in San Diego had some great Italian cuisine.
They are correct-oh-mundo.
Thanks to the amazing Yelp community we settled on this tiny first-come, first-serve spot that indeed served us one of the best Italian meals we've had here in California, or anywhere else in recent memory.
They started us off with a remarkably light, but crispy, Italian bread with a garlicky fresh tomato bruschetta that was both delicious and instantly addicting.
Then on to a very tender-crisp calamari appy with another fresh dipping marinara that was distinctly different from the first in balance and flavor but a perfect compliment.
I had the Ossobuco Maiale a fall-off-the-bone tender very large, slow-cooked pork shank served with risotto. This was a seriously hungry-man's serving--my grainy picture hardly does justice to it. It was covered in a rich gravy and sauteed mushrooms. I don't know what they simmered this bad-boy in but it was extra-tender and moist. The thick and rich risotto almost paled in comparison to it.
My wife had the Scampi Serenata which was surrounded by freshly sauteed organic spinach, garlicky fresh baby carrots, squash, broccoli and red potatoes. Need I add that the shrimp were large and expertly prepared.
Add to this great, friendly service and a surprisingly moderate bill to boot ($57 before tip) and we were very happily stuffed.
Yes, this place can be a bit cramped (and no reservations) for some (lines were literally forming as we ate.) but if you get here early and can get a seat, this is very much worth it. -
Review from Angelie D.
Arcadia, CA
4/18/2012 1 photo
The advantage of being in Little Italy in San Diego is the vast amount of places to chose from. I have made it a goal to explore this part of SD more every time I visit it! I can't get enough!!
I also have been to this place once before. I can barely recollect the last time I was here, possibly because of the amount of alcohol I had already consumed.
This time around, I was ready to take note of every bite, every flavor, and every sip of greatness this place had to offer.
I actually ordered the same thing - Seafood Linguine. I was not disappointed! The first bite is how I remembered it! The true stars of this dish were the perfectly cooked seafood (shrimp, clam, mussel, scallop). They brought all the flavors together with the red wine sauce. My pasta was cooked al dente! Each bite was in perfect unison. When I find a great Italian place, I am sure to rave about it!
Only disadvantage... this place is all the way in San Diego!
Little Italy.. I will conquer you one day!Listed in: Wine Galore
-
Review from Chau V.
4/9/2012
Buon Appetito has been on my bookmark for a while, so on our trip to visit Sea World and San Diego Zoo, we couldn't pass the opportunity to have dinner here. The restaurant was packed when we arrived. Luckily, we got seated within 10 minutes.
There are tables both inside and outside. The restaurant has a casual dining area with some cool paintings on the wall.
The busboy brought us water and the complementary appetizer which was similar to tomato bruschetta. The bread was warm and crunchy and the tomato sauce was very flavorful. We were so hungry that we finished everything within minutes.
The boyfriend enjoyed the soup of the day which was truffle mushroom soup with a splash of olive oil. For our main dish, we ordered Fafalle con Pollo Affumicato (smoked chicken breast with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms in a white whine cream sauce) and Lasagna. The chicken breast was tender and the white wine sauce was creamy and delicious. The latter dish - lasagna - was super meaty and wonderfully seasoned.
Their menu is diverse.
Food is moderately priced. Decent portion.
Customer service is awesome. My waiter is knowledgeable and concerned.
***Buon Appetito*** -
Review from Sarah C.
San Diego, CA
5/21/2012
We (3 ppl) went to eat a late dinner and asked for outside seating since we had a puppy with us. The hostess made it work, even with only tables for two left. We shared the penne with tomato sauce and aged ricotta dish and the little purse pastas stuffed with lobster. The penne sauce was so delicious, it was beautifully balanced and didn't need anything else. The lobster was also very good. It's nice to get distinguishable chunks of lobster in each purse. The three of us shared those two dishes, as well as the bread and sauce they bring out while you wait, and we left full. BTW the sauce they give you with the bread has a wonderful peppery kick, bread was just ok. Our server had a good personality and was helpful even though he was the only server left, I'm sorry that I forgot his name.
Overall very surprised to have such well developed flavors for something so simple as penne and tomato sauce, and in a touristy part of town. We left with bellies full and still some change in our pockets.
Although I felt that we didn't get the "full" experience because we arrived so late and only ordered two dishes, I still gave 5 stars for the little I could review on. -
Review from Ellen M.
Whittier, CA
5/13/2012
So glad we found this place, quick, attentive, and very genuine customer service, great wine recommendations, and the best Italian food I have personally ever experienced. We will most definitely return to Buon Appetito on our next trip to San Diego!
-
Review from Su C.
San Diego, CA
3/29/2012
First off... Let me just start off by saying that I hardly, if ever give bad reviews.
With that being said, let's unfold the scenario.
So I called in last night to make a reservation for two @ 730pm.
(Mind you, the hostess that answered the phone was the same lady who checked us in when we arrived.)
So I made a reservation, and clearly from the attitude of this lady over the phone and her demeanor, I should have already just hung up and not even have gone to given this place a second glance.
When we arrived, there was about 3-4 parties in front of us, that was fine we understand there is a little bit of wait, that's normal..
After checking in, the same hostess explained that there was a "10-15min" wait. That's cool.. 7:45pm rolls around, and it looks like the "15min" wait actually turns into another 15mins on top (so we're standing out in the cold for 30mins already). So 8 o' clock rolls around and we notice that all the people that were in front of us had already been seated and we were the only ones waiting in addition to the new parties that arrived to be seated. The hostess comes out and calls a name, which sounded very familiar to the name we used to check into, but she says you guys are next, we're setting up your table right now, this was at 8pm...
Thinking we should be up fairly soon here.. 8:15pm comes around and my lady notices that the other 2-3 parties that came after us were being seated before us..
Hmmm..Uhhh, excuse me? We have actually been waiting for 45mins already and clearly nothing, not even a lack of we'll get you guys seated asap?..
We were polite however and continued to wait, being the "nice" people we are. Well, what do you know? 8:30pm, hello 1hr wait and good bye "15min wait". This is clearly unacceptable to wait 1hr, have 2-3 parties that came after us to be seated before us, and if I didn't know any better the hostess is clearly to blame for her lack of judgement. Her "15 minute" wait turned into an hour long wait, which in anyone's book is unacceptable. Our "table being setup right now" apparently takes 30mins to setup?
So we finally get seated, the usual bread and water arrived promptly. We ordered our appetizer and entrees and they came out in normal time and was pretty good, but definitely not wow I'm going to go back or that hour long wait was worth it.
So my lady excuses herself to use the rest room, and upon returning tells me about the same hostess lady that she ran into in the hall way (literally). Typically, workers would wait for you to pass or make room for any guest to walk, but she said that the hostess clearly walked as if no one was there and she had to squeeze out of her way to pass. WOW... how rude is that?
This has got to be the most poor excuse for customer service that I or anyone had to deal with. The hostess clearly wanted a bad review, so here you have it. Just because the food is good, not great, she thinks that she can act like the clown she did? Highly unacceptable!
Even if the food is excellent, I would never, let me repeat NEVER go to this restaurant ever again. The service and attitude shown by this hostess was clearly unacceptable, and if 0 stars were an option then they would have received it.
Let me add that customers are the people who make restaurants great. Without us, your establishments would not exist, so you can go about with your arrogant attitude and think highly of yourself all you want, but what it boils down to is customer service, and this hostess clearly lacks anything of it!
0 stars for utter disappointment in customer service experienced by the arrogant hostess. She definitely needs to get her head on straight and come back down to earth.
1 star for the food.
I actually feel bad that this person works here, without her, this place would probably be a better place and people wouldn't have to write such harsh reviews, but hey she clearly asked for it.
Hopefully she comes to her senses, not only on how to calculate time ("15min" / "table being setup right now"), but how to be considerate and RESPECTFUL as well.
There are PLENTY of Italian restaurants in San Diego to spend your money at, don't waste your time at this place. -
Review from Linda C.
West Hollywood, CA
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Arrived early, a party of one. Nicely gave me a table. Waitress very friendly and attentive. Lively Italian white wine and cioppino. Cioppino a little heavy on the tomatoes, but really nice flavor. Seafood very fresh and perfectly prepared. The bread is to die for. Crisp crust, soft light center. Held up to the cioppino sauce. I thought the tomato sauce that game with the bread was rather meh. Overall, excellent, just not omg amazing. A keeper
-
Review from JENNY A.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Excellent wine list and the meals were well portioned with Great flavor! Atmosphere was nice, quaint but bustling, a nice after work release!
The receptionists attire did throw me off a little bit though.. Tights, long t-shirt and boots.. Although there was a broad variety of customer attire, this outfit is not something I would think would fly on an employee.
Still giving 5 stars though because despite this one small detail, the location, cooks and wait staff definitely deserve it!! -
Review from Maggie P.
San Diego, CA
5/8/2012
Wish the waiter would have told that annoying girl to take her feet off the chair and put her shoes back on. Even my teens mentioned what bad manners that is and GROSS for other diners. Food was good, service was perfect...wine....always yummy!
-
Review from Allison L.
San Diego, CA
3/3/2012
5 stars for the food, 2 stars for the service.
Our server was incredibly impatient. We asked for recommendations from the server and she seemed annoyed and unwilling to help us. Her overall attitude was very unpleasant. Then when we sat down, one waiter came around way too many times asking if he could take our plates. My friends and I were joking that they must be short of plates in the kitchen and we should run to the convenience store across the street to buy a few. I'm pretty sure the waiter came at least five to six times during our meal asking for our plates, once when there was still pasta in all of them.
The food, however, was amazing. I thought about giving a 3 star review, but the food really did redeem the workers' terrible performance. I can NOT remember all the italian names, however. The lobster stuffed pasta was utterly divine, as well as the pasta with roasted chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Buon Appetito's pesto is also delicious and incredibly fresh, so I recommend any dish with pesto.
I'm torn regarding this restaurant. I would love to go back because the food was so delicious, but I'm scared of receiving frustrating service again. I hope the workers get their act together. -
Review from Dave A.
Newington, CT
3/2/2012 1 photo
The reason for 5 stars?
1. The food is delicious.
2. The ambiance is comfortable.
3. I am a huge fan of their seafood risotto.
4. Their ingredients are fresh.
5. The tastes are true to what I grew up with (for Italian cuisine).
If you are in San Diego and crave Italian food go to Buon Appetito. I hope you enjoy your experience as much as I have. The next time I am in San Diego I will be back. For the record I have only dined here during lunch time (twice), so I cannot speak for the dinner atmosphere and crowd. -
Review from Ron L.
Seattle, WA
3/16/2012
Delightful Italian restaurant. The food and the staff are appropriately ethnic. Service was sincere, caring, and friendly without being overbearing. Orecchiette with broccoli rab and sausage was prepared to perfection, and the portion was generous. Wine list is complete and there are ample offerings by the glass. After-dinner espresso took me back to the pre-Starbucks era. Buon Appetito strikes me as competitive with comparable restaurants in the Little Italies of SFO and NYC.
Some Yelpers have commented about challenging parking. Take note that this area is served by multiple bus lines, light rail and a commuter train. Why not leave the car at home and enjoy the city? -
Review from M L.
San Diego, CA
3/21/2012
Buon Appetito has great service and decent food. Expect a wait on a Friday or weekend night of at least 30 mins during dinner time. The hostess was accommodating though and reassured us a few times that a table would arrive soon. She also knew we wanted to sit indoors instead and kept us informed on the status. I did notice that once I was inside, a lot of diners had already completed and paid for their meals, but lingered forever!
Ordered the calamari to start and the penne bolognese and lasagna with beef as our entrees. The calamari was really good. The meat was very soft which is rare to find with calamari as it often comes back tough. I wish the batter was a little crispier as it seemed a bit soggy. The sauce was good, but I ended up dipping it in the marinara sauce for the bread because that sauce had a slight kick to it.
As for the entrees, both were decent dishes with the penne being the superior one. The marsacapone was a nice touch on the pasta adding a creamy texture and balance with the bolognese sauce. I loved it and would keep eating more. The lasagna was good, just not the most amazing lasagna ever. I had leftovers and the next day it tasted very sour.
I was a huge fan of at the attentive service from the hostess, waitress, and buss boy. I'll come back again for sure to try out some of their other dishes. -
Review from Yuhi K.
Picky eaters in Little Italy will find solace at Buon Appetito.
A friend and I moseyed around a few of the restaurants downtown in Little Italy. A lot of the menus were a little too "creative" for her taste. We found that the selection here was classic and traditional. And we definitely found this place the most appealing to eat as we were menu-shopping.
SEATING: This is a tiny restaurant. Indoor space is limited; I can imagine this place being packed to the brim on a Saturday night! Indoor seating is definitely more intimate and will give you that romantic feel--warm and cozy. If you're dining at lunch and the weather is nice, opt for the patio / sidewalk seating. People watching and basking in the sun goes quite well with good Italian food.
FOOD: We didn't leave disappointed. While you wait for your entree, you're served a loaf of bread that has the perfect crusty / squishy ratio. Your dipping options are traditional: EVOO, Balsamic, and a chilled marinara. We started with a bada$$ plate of beef carpaaccio. There was a healthy serving of arugula on top. And I LOVE ARUGALA. It comes dry so be sure to dress it yourself with some olive oil & vinegar. We went with shellfish pasta in white wine sauce and the pesto linguine as our main courses. The seafood pasta was good but lacking deep flavor. The seafood was definitely fresh but the dish as a whole was missing seasoning. The linguine, however, was MONEY. It was immiscible that the pesto was made fresh in-house. Drench it in Parmigiano-Reggiano and you've got yourself a dish that will make you salivate a little.
PRICE: Entrees are in the teens'. Expect to spend $14-20 on your entree. But portion sizes make everything well worth ordering.
Maybe it was the vacation high, but I really enjoyed our meal here. Waiters were painfully friendly and our fellow diners seemed to be in such high spirits. I was eaves-dropping and it seemed as though most diners were locals. I left here quite satisfied with my experience! Buon Appetito! -
Review from Jim L.
Springboro, OH
5/5/2012
Outstanding evening! Food was tremendous....fresh, authentic and generous portions. Prices were very reasonable. Service was top-notch, especially our waiter/server Griffin. His in-depth knowledge of the menu and wine list made for a flawless experience. Business trip...but next time in town we'll be back.
-
Review from Tammy G.
DeFuniak Springs, FL
5/2/2012
Wonderful service! The food was authentic and delicious. Nice atmosphere. We took our time and did not feel rushed. This is a must while in San Diego.
-
Review from Linda T.
Long Beach, CA
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Love the food, the service and the ambience here! My only gripe is that our 30 minute wait ended up being an hour plus because I think the hostess forgot about us, but we decided to wait it out because we didn't feel like finding a new place to dine at.
Once we were seated the service from our server more than made up for the long wait we had to endure. A basket of bread and tomato spread was brought out almost immediately, which we devoured almost immediately too.
While you're patiently waiting for your food you can look at the wall arts that they have. They have original works of arts decorated on their wall that is up for sale. If you find one that you fancy then right next to it is the artist's name and the selling price. I don't know why I find these types of things so intriguing, but enough about that.
I ordered the Fafalle con Pollo Affumicato-- smoked chicken breast with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms in white whine cream sauce. This was absolutely delicious! The sun-dried tomato wasn't overpowering, the mushrooms were amazing, and the white whine cream sauce was perfect! Everything combine together gave it a really good and robust flavor. And yes, the bread kept on flowing which meant that I was able to enjoy the bread with my pasta.
Great service, great food, coupled with great company. -
Review from jolie c.
San Diego, CA
3/10/2012
Last Thursday night after searching online for a great restaurant in Little Italy we ended up at Buon Appetito. The funny thing was, we were trying for a restaurant that we'd never been to before, and when I rolled up I realized I've eaten here for both lunch and dinner previously.
Not remembering the name of the restaurant... was this to be a scary clue?
RESTAURANT: Given that I assumed forgetting the place was a bad sign, I didn't expect much. It was a Thursday night and the hostess asked our party of 2 if we had a reservation. We didn't, so they placed us at a table at the front door. Yes, it's a small restaurant, but people who complain about this have likely never been to Europe, where restaurants are commonly small, tight, and noisy. I've been in Euro restaurants where people in wheelchairs could never get past the threshold, and you're bangning your knees against the water heater when you go to the toilet. I digress.
DINNER: The wait staff was amazing. Attentive, fun, and happy. My BFF and I split a bottle of red. I ordered the Orrecchiette alla Barese and it was wonderful. Some of the pasta "ears" were stuck together, but *you* try making orrecchiette without having some of them spoon each other. The sauce was divine, and it was chock full of broccoli rabe. The Italian sausage appeared home made, was in small chunks and not sliced, and was seasoned perfectly. The textures were lovely.
My BFF had Fafalle con Pollo Affumicato and liked it very much, but I didn't ask her details because I was too involved with my meal. I liked mine so much I took half home and ate it for lunch the next day - awesome. Note: Leftovers were served in a recyclable clamshell (yay!) which meant that some of the sauce soaked through the box (boo!).
NOISE: While we were there three (3) other tables celebrated birthdays. The place is small and tightly packed, it was a noisy night, the wait staff sang along, and it was clear that people were enjoying themselves. If you want a quiet, romantic place, this is not the joint for you.
Bottom line: The food was good, and if you don't mind a small place with noise, you'll be set. INCIDENTALLY: While we were there a guest in a wheelchair came in and joined friends at a table in the bar area. It might be small, but it's ADA, so take that, small European restaurants.
I'll remember the name and the place next time, I promise. -
Review from John W.
Cambridge, MA
First day back to San Diego for another visit. Just had to return to Buon Appetito for dinner. I made reservations at the airport. :) I love this place, guaranteed good service, and a great meal. This visit my partner and I shared the golden fried baby calamari and zucchini (calamari d' orati). Light on the batter, crispy, just right! So good! For my entree I had the linguine with shrimp, clams, mussels, and bay scallops in a white wine sauce (linguine allo scoglio). More than generous amount of seafood, and so fresh. The linguine was al dente. The white wine sauce was packed with incredible flavor. My partner had the grilled sword fish with vegetables. He enjoyed his dish, but was unable to finish due to the large portion size of fish.
Addendum:
Returned two nights later. :) That's how much I love this place! I had the fettuccini alla montanara. Fresh fettuccini with wild mushrooms and English peas in a brandy sauce, I added shrimp to my dish (I need protein!). Delicious!. My partner had the seared sea bass with a lemon caper sauce topped on bed of sautéed spinach, accompanied with sautéed vegetables. This dish was a special, so it had to be fresh. Indeed it was! -
Review from Miki C.
Chula Vista, CA
4/18/2012
awww great pasta. good service.
I went to this place about a year ago for lunch. It looked like a fancy restaurant so i asked if it's okay to bring my 3 year old. I was surprised they had highchairs for kids. So 2 friends of mine and we were seated at a table in the center. It was crowded and lively.
I love bongole so ordered "Linguini allo Scoglio $15.95
Fresh clams, mussels, bay scallops and shrimp"
I think i was asked if i like white (wine) sauce or red (tomato) sauce. I chose white. It was delicious, but when i tried my friend's tomato sauce pasta, i regretted not to order the red sauce. The tomato sauce is the bomb here!
Oh i should re-visit place soon! -
Review from Christine Y.
New York, NY
2/6/2012 5 photos
Is the size of the Little Italy in San Diego really bigger than the sizes of of Little Italy in San Fran, NY & St Louis combined??? That's what the driver of the SD trolley told us, which made every passenger wow & laugh.
Too bad we came to Little Italy too late at night and it was already dark, so we didn't get to explore it much, though were glad to dine here.
The staff was friendly. One of our friends was running late, so we had to wait outside (they couldn't seat us until everyone showed up). But the hostess didn't forget us. She came to check on us a few times, and said she'd try to keep a table for us so that we could be seated as soon as the party was complete. Very nice!
The bread was served with tomato spread, which was special and tasty.
With a late lunch still in stomach, we skipped appetizer and went straight to entrees. I had the risotto with seafood in red sauce - the sauce & seafood tasted good, but the risotto was not the best risotto I have had, I gotta admit. The risotto at Gigino near my office in NY was better. My fiance was also just okay with the chicken breast dish he had.
With dimmed lights and cozy decoration, this place "looked" romantic. However, there were a bunch of groups there, therefore it was quite noisy.
Overall, 3 stars for food, 4 stars for service, 4 stars for setting & decoration, 2 stars for the noise level. -
Review from Danna C.
I ventured to Buon Appetito on the advice of a coworker. I'm glad I did.
We were given fresh bread with oil and balsamic vinegar and a tomato spread. It was addictive, especially with the tomato spread.
For an appetizer, we ordered the Carpaccio di carne sliced filet with asparagus. It was very good. Simple, light, and tasty. Just how it should be.
For my main course I ordered the Borsettini di vitello (homemade stuffed pocket pasta filled with veal and cheese in a creamy marinara sauce). The pasta was light and fluffy and the sauce was well-balanced and tasty.
My wife ordered the Fusilli al ragu d' abates (homemade, slow simmered ragu of duck topped with shaved Parmeggiano). It was also good, though I preferred my selection.
Overall I was really pleased with our meal and will definitely go back the next time I am in town. -
Review from Michael M.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2012
Perhaps my favorite restrant in San Diego. Exceptionaly good food (especialy considering its San Diego).
-
Review from Van L.
2/12/2012
Finally came here for dinner. My expectations were very high since I've heard great things and they did not disappoint.
Came on a Saturday and expected a long wait. It was going to be 45 min. for an inside table or get an outside table right away. We opted for the latter. It was cold and drizzling but we didn't want to wait for good food.
We shared the beef carparccio. Great starter. My only beef (pardon the pun ;) was that I hope it was bigger portion.
I had the pasta of the day; don't remember the name but it was pockets of lobster in a light cream sauce with asparagus. They were cute lil pockets of love. It wasn't full of lobster meat but you can taste the lobster flavor. I wish they threw some lobster meat on top. I'll pay more $ for that. (hint hint to the chef)
The hubby ordered the sea bass with mussels and clams over linguine. I dabbled a bit from his dish and it was delish. The tomato sauce was awesome. It was the same sauce as the dipping sauce they give you with the bread. Linguine was el dente but it was pretty sparse. They were very generous with the sea bass, it was a huge piece.
Love love this quaint lil heaven. Well definitely be back. -
Review from Royce Y.
12/29/2011
OVERALL RATING = 10 / 10
The EATS:
House Bread w/ Marinara Sauce = 10
Linguini allo Scoglio = 10
Farfalle con Pollo Affumicato = 9
The DRINKS:
Castellani Arbos Primative ~ Puglia (Zin) = 9
ATMOSPHERE = 8
SERVICE = 9
APPEAL = 10
I could go into detail about each item and how awesome everything was but I'll keep this short and sweet.
My wife and I like to find a good Italian restaurant in every town we can. We chose this place for lunch over all the other Italian eateries because of the 660 Yelp reviews / 4 star ratio and found it to be not only justified, but we found an Italian place that we will probably visit every time we're in town. We probably shouldn't make this call when we haven't tried any other Italian place in Little Italy. We just don't care. That's how good our visit was.
Cheers. -
Review from Patrick P.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2012
Overall, I wasn't impressed with this restaraunt. I went there with a group of 4 on a friday night. We called ahead by an 20 min and they told us there was no wait. When we got there, it was packed and the hostess told us the wait would be about 15 min. There was no sitting area so we had to wait outside (it was raining). We ended up waiting almost 40 min . The only reason we didnt leave was because we didnt want to walk anywhere else in the rain and it was late. The hostess never updated us on the wait or even bothered to acknowledge we were standing outside in plain site.
Once seated, the night got a bit better, but not by much. We ate through the pre-meal bread they offered quickly because we were starving by that point. When we asked for more the waiter acted reluctant and took a long time to bring it out. He took even longer when we asked for him to bring out olive oil and balsamic vinegar to go with it. In addition, he seemed irritated when we said we didnt want to order wine with the meal.
FOOD: Food was good, but wasnt spectacular. The prices definitely did not reflect quality. The lobster soup tasted awful. It was lukewarm and tasted super fishy. I did enjoy my pasta however, it was fresh and was a good portion. I tried my brother's gnocchi and it was meh'. I have definitely tasted better in San Diego.
Overall, I wish the staff here was more attentive to its guests. I did not feel welcomed and felt that our server was indifferent. I honestly could had a better experience and meal at the spaghetti factory a few blocks away for half the price. I know for a fact that me and everyone from my group will not be going back here. There are SO MANY better italian restaraunts than this one in San Diego. Overrated and does not meet expectations. -
Review from Janice S.
Scotts, MI
5/13/2012
My daughter and I were looking for a good Italian restaurant in Little Italy. We took a chance on Buono Appetito. We were so very pleased to find everything we ate to be exceptional! If I ever return to San Diego, this is where I'd want to eat first!
-
Review from Alexander Y.
Rowland Heights, CA
I hate dropping a 2-star review on a place that I know is and should be better, but I can't justify anything higher based on this particular visit.
First off, somehow the greeter managed to mistake a three-person party for a two-person party so we had to wait longer. And instead of just admitting it would take a while, "15 minutes" was closer to 45 minutes. Keep in mind we're freezing our asses off outside already , and even though there was a heated gas lamp outside, I would hardly call our wait optimal.
Finally get in, waiter provided good service. But the bread was cold and stale, and the sauce that came with it was lacking that bit of flavor. Had the calamari and caprese, and didn't really have too many complaints about it.
The real problem was the food. My lasagna seemed almost oversauced with tomato flavor. I need to be able to taste the other flavors in my lasagna, but all I had was tomato. My friends also both said that their pastas weren't very impressive due to the lack of any noticeable flavor.
Can't say I was very impressed about the place on this particular night. Even my friend, who has previously given this place a five star review, called it a "massive disappointment." I'd like to try it one more time just to see whether or not this was a fluke of a night. But given my penchant for giving five stars on whims, the fact that I'm giving two stars here speaks enough. -
Review from Paul K.
San Diego, CA
1/2/2012
I've been here multiple times. I usually enjoy it. We ordered on their menu and when the bill came the prices were higher. I asked the waitress why this was. She brought me the menu to show me that the prices were correct. I asked if there was two menus and sure enough they had one for lunch and one for dinner. I ordered off the lunch menu they gave us. They brought me the dinner price. The waitress was extremely rude about this. Gave me a ton of attitude
I would never go back because the waitress left a bad taste in my mouth. -
Review from Teni A.
La Crescenta-Montrose, CA
4/15/2012
Love this place! been there once with four friends! All of us were happy with our choices! def stop by if you are looking for a real Italian food!
their pastas rock! -
Review from Shy A.
1/10/2012 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
Yummo.
I'm not a huge Italian fan...I really have to be in the mood to pile away copious amounts of carbs these days but I'm stoked that I finally came to check this place out. Having read the previous reviews, I made sure we had reservations. The boy assured me that we would have a table. Yay!
It is limited seating-but that helped really make the space intimate and so romantic it made my heart flutter!
So on to the food-we pigged out as you will see.....
Melanzane Amalfitana-I LOVE eggplant! If you like eggplant, I highly recommend this dish. It's covered in mozzarella and just to die for!
Caprese Platter-simple-but the fresh mozzarella was the hit!
Calamari-fresh and well done!
Risotto-Perfectly salted and delicious!
Linguine boscamare-seafood heaven. Huge shrimp, bay scallops in a decadent sauce.
This night was total overkill on my tastebuds. Deliciousness piled on, I couldn't have asked for a better Italian meal. Add a few bottles of wine and you're set! -
Review from Daisy B.
Chula Vista, CA
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Well ive been here twice, tge first time i dont remember what i got but this time around i ordered the salmon and rissoto.... the salmon was over cook.. -_- but overall it was ok, i also tried my sisterinlaws pasta which was...delcious!!! It had mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and
bowtie pasta.
the bread and sauce they give you is amazing :) -
Review from Jinny C.
San Diego, CA
1/26/2012
Excellent service. Extremely classy waiters who want you to have the most enjoyable dining experience. I know this because I went there on a date with my boyfriend and we didn't particulary like the fried calamari. It was a bit bland for our tastes. Our waiter noticed we had barely eaten it and asked if it was ok. We politely told him it wasn't very good. Within a minute, they apologized and graciously said they would take it off our bill--no attitude or awkwardness involved. Impressive.
The rest of our meal was fantastic. We shared a salad and pasta dish--both were specials on the menu that night. I unfortunately don't remember what they were called, but they were equally delicious and very filling.
The atmosphere is cozy and intimate--we sat inside and I'd definitely come back to try another meal out on the patio. -
Review from scott j.
San Diego, CA
I have heard about this restaurant for about 4 of the 5 years I've lived in San Diego and decided to give this a try when I had a work event in Little Italy. The service was phenomenal, my water glass was rarely ever half empty. I ordered a mushroom risotto which arrived in a parmesan shell. The presentation was 5 stars, and texture and taste were heavenly. I was very filling and quite deliciously rich, so I took the other half of it home and was able to reheat a bit of this perfection again. I look forward to going back and trying other things here based on the great experience.
Read more reviews for this business:
Italian (1)
