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Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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Do you like pasta? Do you like gobs of marinara sauce? What about loads of melted cheese? Well then Lido's is your kind of place. They serve classic American-Italian food in generous portions at good prices to boot. This place has been around going on 50 years and from the crowds I've seen every time I go, it will probably be around another 50.
Don't expect nouveau Italian here, or "real" Italian or a deconstruction or any of that nonsense. The pastas are pasta, the pizzas are pizza. And the salad dressing is laced with crack, I think; it's delicious. Order the full lasagna or the barbecued half chicken or even a pizza: it doesn't matter, really. It's all damned good stuff.
The cons? Hmm. Service can be kind of wonky, the silverware is a bit flimsy (my forks tend to bend a wee bit) and when it's crowded, the entry can get jammed-up with people either coming or going. But those are really very minor things overall. The food is tasty, delicious and inexpensive and that's all that matters.
This place is nasty. The servers do not wash their hands, then grab a handful of cheese itz to put in a bowl for you to snack on instead of bread. ::Gag!::
I didn't eat here so I can't speak for the food. I just couldn't do it. They might have stepped things up since I was there, but it's so low class they serve half orders....instead of just, I don't know keeping their prices low and sending people off with a take-out box? Many of the customers will then order "the other half" (meaning another half order because the first wasn't enough).
When I was there, they did not even have alfredo as a choice on the menu. Just a lame choice of .....marianara with mushrooms, marianara with meat, marianara with .......snooooooooooore. It's not italian, it's one step up from Chef Boyardee. ::::Quiver:::: They probably call their sauce gravy (and I can be this much of a jerk, because I'm Italian).
The atmosphere is that of a creepy reclusive suicidal italian grandmothers home and looks like it hasn't had a good cleaning since it opened. I've never understood why this place is so popular, even though Lemon Grove is a very low budget town, there are still people who live here who possess taste. Just not enough, aparently.
To start, this place is just old school. You'll either love that fact, or you'll hate it. I happen to love it!!!
Prices are low, and the pizza is great! I especially love any pizza with their sausage on it. Crust and sauce are yummy too.
I used to go here when I was a kid, and it hasn't changed. They still serve a little plate with cheese-its, salami, and american cheese before your order arrives. Its great for kids to munch on and keep em busy.
The wines are okay, the only beer they had on tap when we went was Michelob Amber Bach, Busweiser. That was a bit dissappointing for the people I went with. But, the food is solid, and the prices are great!
Go here, great for families!
Being from the east coast...I've had a few good pieces of pizza....Lidos has mastered crust making!! The style is not the same as what I know from home, but it is DAMN good!! I would classify it as almost a sourdough or cibatta style....really impressive.
The only other crust I have found remotely impressive in San Diego comes from Arrivederci....again not traditional east coast style, but an artisan flair in completing the final product....
I stop in here for lunch about every three months when business brings me out to this part of the county. Absolutely nothing fancy about the food or decor, but everything that I've eaten here is very good.
If you are looking for that old little neighborhood Italian place that serves good pizza, pasta & salads, this is a great place to find it.
I love this place. It is a good, ole family run Italian joint. The atmosphere is old school. It is a bit dark, the art work is about 30 years old, and looks a bit run down. That is ok, for it adds to the experience.
The food is very good and reasonably priced. The menu has lots to choose from: baked pasta, 1/2 orders, salads, and pizza. The cooking is fresh. The ingredients do not come from packaged or bottled sources.
One of the best Italian restaurants in town. My only regret is that I don't live closer.
Is it new? Flashy? Trendy? Nuevo cuisnine? NO! That's just a small part of what makes it so great! Lido's is old-school, homestyle, homecooked Italian food.
The portions are huge, there's typically more than enough to go around with left overs to take home. The pizza is the best in town!
This place makes a GREAT place for large family gatherings! We've had a wedding rehersal dinner here, birthdays, baptisms, graduation celebrations, Mother's Day dinners, Father's Day lunches, and after funneral lunches here! Don't tell me ever that the service isn't great because they have managed to serve large parties here in the back room when the main restaurant has been slammed!!
You want foofy fake Italian food that is less than authentic? GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! If you want comfort Italian food like grandma used to make in surroundings that feel like grandma's house, this is the place!
BARF BARF BARF.
This place's food sucks-- plus it's way ghetto.
I've dined here twice and it is terrible!!!
First time: gnocchi-- alright, that's fine-ish, cheap and crappy tasting, but what do you expect from this hole in the wall.
Second time: pork ribs-- disgusting. DRY, no sauce (even though they're not "dry" ribs like you'd get in Memphis, they're dry because they don't know how to make ribs. It was like chewing shoe leather-- and poor quality shoe leather at that.
The salad is rancid, the dressing is some disgusting concoction of "French" and "Italian". Ew.
The minestrone soup is hellish. I am sure that expired Campbell's would win a taste test. It is flavorless... like chicken soup but no chicken and no flavor. Celery-rama.
I wouldn't wish this restaurant on my worst enemy.
Oh, and the "decorating" (you can't even call it that) is not cute. Or "retro." It's not funny. It's disgusting. If you want to smell musty nastiness and look at the most beat up interior ever then this is your style. Otherwise I would recommend hitting up a C rated McDonalds. The food will far surpass that of Lidos.
SAVE YOURSELF.
So I went here with my fiance. I hadn't been in many years... but thought we would try something different. We got the "pasta lovers" special for that was about 23$ for two people. It came with salad or soup. We opted for the salad.
Had we both liked a lot of toppings on our salad (or even croutons) we would have been dissapointed with the pile of lettuce and italian dressing. (No, they don't have ranch). But we were fine with it. The dressing was decent.
The pasta had manicotti, lasagna, rigatonni, ravioli (both cheese and beef). It was more than enough for 4 people. It was good especially considering the price.
All of the waitresses had ponytails with braids. Our waitress had a weird ponytail that split into two braids like a snakes tongue. It was kinda creepy.
It got very loud in the restaurant. The sound just bounces off the walls. With the fascinating cliental the conversations I could hear were pretty funny.
Anyway... go check it out. We will go back and bring the kids next time. I think they would like it. Watch for the waitress with the snake tongue braid.
This quintessential neighborhood Italian restaurant was a bit outdated especially in decor but, it added to it's uniqueness and charm. Once seated I first noticed their full bar which was perfect since who doesn't like alcohol with Italian food? Our waitress was amiable and possessed perfect timing. She knew exactly when to come to our table and when to leave us alone (a skill in rarity).
We were served cheez-its with sliced salami and American cheese as an appetizer which was a combination I've never had before. The appetizer was good but, I'm somewhat biased since I'm not fond of salami or American cheese. For my entree, I ordered their cheese manicotti which I thought was delicious. The cheese was creamy and the manicotti was topped with an exorbitant amount of marinara sauce (just the way I like it). In the name of Yelp and for the purposes of a thorough review I swindled a piece of Hawaiian pizza from a dining companion (ok..maybe I just pigged out). The toppings were abundant however, the marinara sauce was lacking (it was all on my manicotti) resulting in a dry pizza. The food, overall, could have been better but, I would give Lido's another try.
This place is freaking crazy. In a good way. Everything in the place from the wallpaper to the fake flowers to the booths is ALL ORIGINAL. I totally love this place. My family and I go here all the time.
The funniest part:
If you order pizza, they will bring you an inculded "appetizer" What is it you ask.... a plate of cheez-it's, sliced American cheese, and some kind of weird salami. what more could a girl want.
I like the sign on the wall: "Pizza is like sex: Even when it's bad it's still pretty good."
The food is great though. I've never been disappointed.
But don't fill up on the cheez-its and american cheese before your pizza comes.
I love this place. I grew up in Lemon Grove and have been coming here as long as I can remember! My dad seems to know everyone, everywhere, and Lido's is no exception. We (he) are always greeted by Liz who has known my brothers and I since we were kids. Any time we have family in town, they want to eat at Lido's. The ambiance isn't anything to write home about, but the place is 50 years old and in Lemon Grove, what do you expect? The prices are decent compared to a lot of Italian restaurants, and the portions are huge!
I love their thin crust pizza, especially with pepperoni and jalapeno, or just sausage. It's an inexpensive pizza and well worth the money. It's not a saucy pizza, but I think it has just the perfect ratio of sauce to crust to cheese to toppings, and that is hard to come by! I've been coming here forever, and I rarely deviate from my favorite dishes: pizza and garlic butter tortollini. But this week I tried some of my mom's lasagna and I am going to have to order it for myself next time!
If you're in the area, this place is worth trying!
If you want authentic Italian food...this is the place for you. Very Mom & Pop and it's been there FOREVER, and for good reason.
The Hors D'oeuvres of cheez-its, american cheese and salami does keep the kiddos occupied, while the food is being prepared...but it is not the only appetizers they have on the menu.
My personal fave...Eggplant Parmesan, it includes a dinner salad...LOVE the homemade salad dressing...they bottle the stuff and you can buy it! It also includes garlic bread and a side order of pasta. I get the spaghetti. They also bottle their marinara! If you get a full order of pasta and finish it, they bring you a side order of MORE PASTA!!!
This place is old...and so is the clientele. They have an autographed picture of Tom Selleck on the wall. haha
I went in for lunch today and was surprised that they have a full bar ! But I refrained from drinking, and just ordered ice tea instead.
Lunch combos starts at $7, with either pasta or salad and entrees served with garlic bread. I ordered veal parm and my buddy ordered chicken parm.
Funny thing was that my buddy kept on asking me to decipher items on the menu. He didnt know what veal was or what parmigiana meant.OK....
The food was ok, the servers looked really bored and werent too friendly but they werent mean or anything.
I would go back but only if I was working in the area, which hopefully isnt too soon because I hate Lemon Grove.
As a dedicated (albeit by geography) east county diner I feel it my responsibility to give this place the love and high praise it deserves. My family and I moved from North Park 7 years ago and had a 5x a week eating out habit. Doing that downtown is fun and easy and there are great places (or were) to choose from. Out east that is not the case....taco shops are always there and many are good but beyond that east county dining consists of awful chain restaurants and red flashing vibrators that alert you when a greasy uncleaned table is now available.
THANK GOD FOR LIDO's this is a little slice of pure wonderful family style Italian. Atmosphere is fantastic locals...old and young....grandparents grandchildren....little leaguers....reasonable prices.....and they have a full bar to boot.
In my opinion it is the best pizza in the county. The rest of the menu is above average but not really amazing...."the hor devour" that is served to all patrons is a small plate piled with American cheese, cheeze its and salami. It is awsome!...I recognize that this is not the top end of the cheese plate but that is kind of the point. My wife and I normally restrict our kids consumption of stuff like this but its fun and he digs it...I do too. Cool funky tradition at this place and if you dont get it thats ok. Drink an extra martini..they are pretty cheap an you will come around.
The decor is great as is the building....totally vintage. Families have been hitting this place for over 50 years and for good reason. A cant miss must go restaurant.
Food is awesome, real Italian, lotza mozzarella. the appetizer platter consists of Cheez-it's, American singles cut into small squares, and Cotto salami cut into Squares. although its not the best appetizer on the planet it is free and you shouldn't call yourself American if you do not think these items are perfect together.
the service was a little lacking although the place was not full, but who cares!!! when you order a full order meal it comes with a salad and garlic bread, plus if you eat all of your meal and you are still hungry the offer free refills on pasta and sauce. BEAT THAT!!
i have frequented this place for three years now and the only complaint i have is that my water glass stayed empty a little too long on my last visit, also my wife was jonesin for diet coke.
God bless Yelp for helping me find a restaurant in Lemon Grove. I'm in the area every once in a while and I have no familiarity with it at all. So, there may be more restaurants around but I sure as Hades have no idea where they are...except for my pizza haven. My friend likes it simple so we usually just order cheese and some salad and we're very content with what the place provides.
There's always parking when I go, prices are very fair, and the wait staff is super duper sweet. It just feels so homey and for whatever reason I've noticed that most of the patrons are families having get togethers (aww sweet) or pairs or more of girls looking for a place to stuff carbs in their face and not feel judged (hah rad).
A bizarre touch is that they give you a plate of square cut velveeta cheese and deli meat with Cheez-Itz . Huh, why, who wants to snack on that, what?
I was in Lemon Grove today to visit a friend and we decided to go to lunch. She wanted to try this place and since I love trying different places I agreed.
Wow, I was glad I did. I had Veal Parm. and she the Chicken Parm.
Both were excellent and very tasty. Love the cheese and sauce!!
Can't wait to visit her again so we can eat there again!!!
Damn I miss not living in Lemon Grove ! I would hit up this place at least twice a week every week. Love the Lemon chicken and the BBQ Ribs! The pasta is very yummy and the pizza is ok !
I gotta say, this place ain't that great. At least it wasn't between 1999-2004. (Everyone and their mother who went to Helix High has worked here at some point. Hah!) The pizza really leaves something to be desired.
If you're a bmxer, there's (or at least used to be) a pretty nice wallride in the back parking lot. The wall probably fell down by now. It was in shambles years back.
Kinda creepy that a mortuary is across the alley as well... I love the smell of phemaldehyde when I'm about to eat manicotti...
I ordered the spaghetti and wasn't too impressed. My boyfriend got the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken & he said it was ok but not too great. I would suggest fillipi's
LIDO'S. So much I could say....and the memories to go along with it....
I started going here in high school. It was the place to be after Friday night football games. In college I would gather with friends and have pizza and beer, and now we take the family here for Friday night dinners. I've heard some people say the pizza is too greasy. However, to me it is one of the best. Lot's of cheese and the sauce is to die for.
The best thing about Lido's is if you are seriously hungry you will immediately get cheese, crackers and pepperoni to snack on. If you run out they will generously bring you more.
I provided a link to check out. You will notice they have prices from their opening in the 50's comparing it to the prices of today. Imagine if we could see the same comparison with gas prices...........
Here's to Lido's! May you be in business for another 50 years.
http://www.lidositalia...
Let me start by saying that it's not the best italian restaurant that I've eaten at, but it's pretty good. I've had lasagna and pizza here and both passed the test. The food taste home-cooked, unlike other places (buca di beppo and olive garden = commercial garbage!). Service is always friendly, especially Rose. The decore is not upscale, so if you're a stuck up tramp or someone dining with a stuck up tramp, do not go here because you might be turned off because its not oh so pretty. Otherwise enjoy, and a tip from me to you, go with the minestrone soup instead of the salad, you'll thank me later!
Staff is awesome, especially, Sue, Rosie, and our favorite, Evelyn, who always took great care of Grammy. Liz and Marco are there to greet you, well, maybe not Marco, since he's in the back cooking mouthwatering marinara sauce, or the chicken Florentine, ymmmm. You can ask for your chicken, any style, sans the skin. It still tastes delish! Their eggplant parm. is one of my fav's.. Kimmy has to come down from the Bay area to have her Baked Rigatoni, Chick. Florentine, and we all love the relish dish. Just enough salami, Amer. cheese and cheezits, so simple, but staves the starvers. Their salads are average, but the sauces...marinara and meat are the best in town. I guess in Italy they're called the gravies? Garlic Bread's a must. Pizza is not too thin, extremely fresh mushrooms, sauce, veggies, pepperoni, etc..
We've been eating here, almost extended Family, actually, forever. Angelo used to be the ALPHA, with his piercing blue eyes and red hair.
Very reasonable, large portions on many items. The BBQ ribs are among the best ever; they aren' t drowned in sauce. Yummm!
Bravo to Lido's!
So lidos has the best pizza in San Diego I think and the whole place is great. Im 25 and I have been going here since the day I was born. We have 3 generations of family that have been going here for over 30+ years. The only other pizza that is good in SD is leftys and bronkyns besides lidos. Great place for the whole family or a date or for a party. I know the inside and outside hasnt changed much in 50 years but who cares its the food that matters and its damn good. I like how I read these reviews and people are turned off on how its not all fancy and new looking. Well just stay away from the place so the people who love the food can get in and out quicker. Pretty much this place is amazing and everything they have is great and I have never been let down after I left. And also to clear another thing up the cheese/ritz/salami only come free if you order a pizza but u can also but a side of it. Well go check it out.
I will always be so thankful I learned about Lido's. It's one of those "hidden" gems.
Simple italian decor. A little outdated in the decor but it is so cozy. If they changed a thing I think it would take away from their whole atmosphere. Their faults is part of the charm. It is not a romantic italian restaurant. It is more of a family restaurant.
Unbelievable food!!!!! Best baked rigatoni I have ever had! Excellent chicken florentine!!!!!!! I can't imagine living without Lido's. That's how good it is.
The owner is always there and he is on top of his business. Service is good. The servers remind me of the kind you find in a old diner but in a good way.
Parking is tricky. You have to find a good spot. I would not park in the back because the area is not that safe.
Prices are competitive and affordable. Definite one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the whole wide world...
Ive been coming to Lido's for 20 years +. The decore is old and dim. The food is the bright spot. They make a wonderful thin crust pizza, hand cut peperoni. The pasta dinner for two will feed you into tomorrow. I have eaten almost every dish on the menu and have liked or loved every one. First opened in the 1950s this place is still here for a reason. If you want a posh, polished dinner on the town, dont come here. If you want good food in a family atmosphere, this is where you come.
Having eaten pizza from quite a few establishments in East County, I think Lido's pizza is better than most. It's better than Bottle Shop, Da Boyz, and Milo's. We ordered take-out of The Works with olives. I enjoyed the thin, crisp crust and thought the sauce was also very good. I was impressed by the quantity of toppings. The sausage was especially good. We'll be going back.
I detest this place. We go here once a year for our friend R.'s birthday
because he loves it. No matter what you order: manicotti, lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti, it all has the exact same sauce on it which tastes
like a can of Chef Boy-ar-dee's spagetti-o's. It's seriously sick and
wrong. The "salad" consists of pale shreds of iceberg lettuce with that
disgusting orangey salad dressing that was called "French" back in
the 60's - a truly miserable concoction.I do not understand why this
place has been here for 50 years. The food is repulsive.
LIDOS!! I love this place! It's the type of place you go when you don't feel like going out, but you don't feel like cooking either. It feels like home : )
I love Lido's because I have gone there since I can remember. I love lido's because I run into people I know, my patents run into people they know, my GRAND parents run into people they know, etc.. I love Lido's because they know me and my son by name and seem happy to see us come back again, and again. I love Lido's because when were done, and on our way out, my son runs right over to the lolly pop drawer and waits for his sucker (It makes me smile to know that he know the routine).
I think I've had about everything on the menu, but my main dishes are...
eggplant Parmesan, veggie lasagna, chicken Florentine (w/ fries), I always get the soup, and salad, I like the torpedo baked cold (which means they melt the cheese, then put the fixings on), someone always orders pizza (in this case, pepperoni or the works sub meatball for sausage)...the pizza comes w/ Hors d'oeuvre, which are cheeze it's, american cheese slices, and cheep salami, but I get it even if we don't order pizza "for the kid", but it's gone so quickly (cuz of the adults)we sometimes order more.
I can go on and on.. What's your favorite italian american food? Order it, it will fill you up, and send you home satisfied : ) mmm.. Lido's.
It's all about Lido's!! Great italian cuisine...great service!! I love this place!
When the world was young, and places weren't trendy, and Chuck E. Cheese had yet to rear its ugly head on American culture, my mom and dad used to take my brother and me down our street to a little place called Sodini's. There we could enjoy a sit-down meal, good comfort grub, with a nice atmosphere, but still a place where you could take a snot-nosed six year-old. My brother and I loved it because we'd get lollypops after the meal. My parents loved it because the food was actually good.
Kinda like Lido's. I'd advocate dipping places like this in bronze, for future generations to see what "American middle class" means, but I think, thankfully, it's not necessary. Lido's isn't changing anytime soon, nor is it going anywhere. Business here is very brisk.
And now I feel like saying the Pledge of Allegiance...
I was looking for some good, non-chain store pizza close to my neighborhood. I came across Lido's on Yelp and after reading reviews I thought it was worth a try.
I ordered take-out and the girl who took my order over the phone was a little rude and I felt rushed, but I just figured they were busy. Which they were when I showed up to pick up the order. The food was OK. I've definitely had better. We ordered a small pepperoni pizza and the dinner for 2. The pizza was burnt. Half of it was charred, so that sucked. The dinner for 2 included lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, cannelloni, garlic bread and a salad. The cannelloni and the garlic bread was good, but the rest of it wasn't great. Not sure if I'd ever go there again. I might, since I usually give restaurants a second chance.
This gets four stars, not for it Italian food but for the all around goodness of the place. If you want good Italian food I can suggest some other places that are better. This place is old and I think the decor has never changed. I like that. The service is touch and go sometimes but what do expect from a mom and pop eatery. The sandwiches are delicious. My fiancee always gets the tortellini.
I was in the mood for something different, something I haven't tried before and came across Lidos on Yelp. It had good reviews on the pizza - thin crust is how pizza was supposed to be made - so I decided to to give it a whirl.
I ordered a peperoni and mushroom pizza and a meatball sub for takeout. I arrived a little early and saddled up to the bar and had a brew. Chatting with the bartender, she recommended the chicken and ribs - weird for a Italian spot. She said everyone loves them and I had to try them the next time I came back.
The meatball sub was pretty average, not very impressive at all. The meatballs were sliced thin instead of just serving the whole meatball on the sub. Either the meatballs are huge and need to be sliced for sandwiches or they are saving some money.
The pizza on the other hand was delicious. The sauce tasted very good - almost homemade - and the toppings were excellent. The pepperonis were kinda funky looking, small and dome shaped, but tasted good none the less. In the true test of a pizzas merit, the slices tasted better the next day re-heated in a toaster oven.
I will give Lidos 3 stars for the excellent pizza and friendly staff. Could have been a 4 star with a better sub. I will re-evaluate after I have gone back and tried the chicken and ribs.
I love Lido's I've been going there since I was a little kid. My husband thought it was bland. But I love the pasta. The salad dressing is to die for. I ALWAYS bring home a wine bottle full for later.
The staff are always friendly and attentive.
TRY THE MUSHROOMS!!!!!
Another reason why I love my job!! We get to explore and find random places for lunch in parts of town that I have never even been to! We've made this part of our weekly regime every time we're in the neighborhood. This place is a prime example of a mom and spot that are rare these days. Their lunch menu prices are easy on the pocketbook and leave you very satisfied..I've tried most of it and am a huge fan of the hot torpedo sandwiches that come with a generous salad... if you're into eggplant Parmesan, it is surely a must try... why the 4 stars??? lunch is so great here that you end up having to wait a long time because they do make each dish to order... but it is well worth it!
I've lived in the La Mesa/Lemon Grove area for awhile, and finally decided to try this place. Since it's been here for a million years, I figured that it's a pretty good place to eat. After reading all of the Yelp reviews, I decided to order the regular cheese pizza....well, it wasn't bad, but not great either. If you like cheese, you're in luck. It's about 90% cheese and about 10% sauce. The sauce was actually pretty good, which was disappointing since they put so little on the pizza. We also ordered the lemon chicken, which was great, except for the $13 price for a half chicken. We did take-out this time, but will dine-in soon and give it another chance. Also, not the most friendly girl working the phone and take-out orders....she must be familiy, as I read some other reviews saying the same thing.
I've only had their "Works" pizza and it's a tad on the salty side but hits the spot. I always grab one to go if I'm in the area. It's definitely worth trying.
Yummy just thinking about the cheezit appetizer with cheese and salami is making my mouth water. The pizza here is so good. I would recommend the cheese. The crust is fresh and homemade. The lasagna is also a must try. I prefer the veggie but it's also great with Italian sausage. I love this place and it's the only place for Italian in the Grove. I've been coming here since I was a kid over 10 years! Wow you should really give this place a chance. You might like it.
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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: La Mesa
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: La Mesa
Category: Italian
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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: La Mesa
Category: Italian
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