Pasquale on Prospect
1250 Prospect St
Ste B10
(between Ivanhoe Ave & Roslyn Ln)
La Jolla, CA 92037 (858) 456-7227
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
13 Reviews for Pasquale on Prospect
Okay, this review is outdated, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents:
A couple of years ago I ate at the bar on NYE. We ordered the prix fixe menu, which included the best caesar salad I have ever eaten, to date. As if that wasn't cool enough...
I sat next to Tony Hawk. I didn't know it was him, but the bartender wrote it on a note and slid it to us. He was eating by himself and left a giant tip. This is the single reason I have any bit of cred with my little boy cousins.
Man, I have to remember to go back and have another caesar salad!!!
i ate a spinach salad here and got food poisoning. that may not be their fault, but i won't eat here again. not even for half price lunch. and the lunch is very mediocre Italian food. I read some of the 5 star reviews....wtf? maybe this is a whole different place for dinner b/c i only ever ate lunch here and the quality of food was spotty and i can still feel the pain of it.
Try the steak-- fantastic! The arugula salad-- just like Lago maggiore! Marco-- dry and funny, the Croatian Sensation from Milano--A sweetheart! And ya gotta love Momma in the entry-- Pasquale's in under-rated!
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Italian at its finest! This place is amazing! Its the closest thing to the 'real deal' I have found in all of San Diego. The Grandma still comes in every night to cook the homemade bean soup and homemade meatballs. If you look closely there is a TV that looks down into the kitchen so you can watch a chef at his best!
Service: amazing! The service is unlike any other restaurant I have been to. Ask for Marco! He is the best.
Tips: Ask for a meatball for an appetizer... its not on the menu but they will bring you out one to taste. (not for free)
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Great first-date place to make an impression. The restaurant is a little formal and a tad bit upscale but it doesn't have too much of a silver fox and cougar vibe of La Jolla proper even though it is in it. Okay, well maybe it does but I'm just writing that the atmosphere well suited for a first date. It doesn't feel like you're going to Donovan's but you still get the classy feel of it.
There is a pianist on most nights and further adds to a nice, classy atmosphere.
The prices they charge is the equivalent of giving up your first born. I am not talking about the prices alone but in relation to the quality of the food. Don't get me wrong, the food is decent but I don't know how they get away with charging so much for average food. Actually, I do know how.
$15 for spaghetti and meatballs which just consisted of, you guessed it, spaghetti and meatballs. $42 for osso buco that wasn't even spectacular but tasted like regular pot roast.
Don't get me started on the shrimp cocktail whatever you call it baked in sauce thing. $15 for three pieces. The shrimp were big but small in taste.
During one visit, a $40 for a split champagne in which we ordered was outrageous. I don't even know what champagne it was (I guess it wasn't worth remembering). Turned out to be dinky so we had to order another one. Well, at least the waiter loved it (bling bling for his tip at 15%).
The chicken cordon bleu which I say is just stuffed chicken with cheese was decent and filling nor were they stingy on cheese.
The paella was somewhat atrocious. The rice they used (it definitely wasn't risotto or orzo) was cooked poorly and seemed more like porridge than a proper paella.
The most unflattering thing that I ordered here was the gelato-en-fruit. They sell this at Costco. It's just a piece of fruit that's cleared out then stuffed with gelato. No biggy and not even impressed and comes with an outrageous $8 price tag.
I would definitely come back for a third visit. Not for the food but the atmosphere. Just something about this place. Maybe it's the the aggregate effect of the piano, smell, the booze, the cougars, the silver foxes, the dark lighting, and lots more reasons why. I really like this place.
Chris L., just because you lived in Italy for a few years, doesn't mean you know what Italian food is.
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Went on a very slow Wednesday afternoon with my sis and Timmy from Seattle... there were only a few other tables occupied, but the service was INSANELY slow.
The food was reasonable, and the dining room, though well designed and decorated, was so poorly lit that it gave me the feeling that we're in the pit of despair.
At least we had something interesting to keep us from being bored out of our minds... as my sister was infinitely amused by the table next to us. The 6 patrons spoke in Italian, knows everyone who walks through the restaurant, and exudes an air of iffiness that screams "mafia." Sue was just waiting for one of the guys to pull out an uzi to complete the scene.
Of course, given how bored we were, the story we wove in our heads probably is much more dramatic than real life. The table next door could just be a gaggle of Italian gigolos playing tough guys... okay, may be that's too dramatic too.
Whatever. Give me the Olive Garden over this place any day.
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What's this place about?!?!? "Hey youz guyz, bring me a friggin glass of somethin!!!"
What can I say, I loved this place!!!! Checked a few places out and was just walking on the street, looked down over a railing and said, "what's going on doen here?". This NY guido looking gumba says, "HEY, WE'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 20 YRS!!!". Already I like this little (stocky) 'wise-guy'!!! My wife is from NY...
I had a NY Strip w/ garlic/butter, Ceasar, and pleeease have John-Paul at the bar pair your wine with dinner...trust me!!
Hey, if this scale had a 6, I would put a friggin-SIX on on this restauante!!
Yo, Pasquale, PREGO!!!!!!!
I think the bartender here is running some kind of scam and he's either:
1) trying to rip off the customers
2) trying to rip off the owners
3) very very very very bad at rudimentary mathematics
It's really not that complicated... There were 5 of us. 2 glasses of wine, one martini, one beer, and one cappuccino. I don't remember how much it came to, but the bartender gave us our bill pretty much immediately after serving us. I had the martini... $9, so I gave 15 in cash. Turns out that we were apparently "off" five bucks... My brother-in-law later asked the bartender: "How much cash was there?" and he replied, straight faced, "10 dollars." Hmmm... kind of odd, I think.
We end up getting another round later on. Well, I switched to wine at that point so we had 3 glasses of wine and one beer. We get the bill: 1 martini, 1 cappucino, 3 glasses of wine, 2 beers... "Yo, pops," say we, " we already paid the first round!!" He apologizes and goes back to fix the bill. He comes back 2 minutes later and the martini's still on the bill!!! WTF? He looked mid-50s, jovial, with dark gray beard... Can Alzheimer's hit somebody in their mid 50s already? Anyway, this is the best part... After we bitched a little more about the bill, he replies with:
"Just pay me what you think is right!"
Brilliant!!! Totally brilliant!!! What kind of serious business is this dude running here?
In all fairness, I'd still have given 'em 3 stars because the drinks were ok. Still, the next morning I had probably the worst hangover I've had in about 4 years, and I can't help but blame fishy bartender a little bit. I didn't drink excessively that night, although stupid me did mix way too many types of alcohol into a 6 hour window... FYI, don't ever mix: Chardoonay, Stoli Vodka, Veuve Cliquot Champagne, Bombay Sapphire Gin, and Pinot Noir. It makes for a very painful next morning... believe you me!
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I came here for the first time last Sat and loved it! They had a live band playing which was great! We were seated in a booth setting and our server was very attentive and nice. We started with a special which was very good. It was a large slice of bread/toast with melted cheese, mushrooms, and prosciutto. It was awesome! Then we had a nice arugula salad which they nicely split for us since we were sharing it. Followed by the osso bucco with pasta. It was so filling and tasty that I couldn't even order dessert, as much as I wanted to. The service, atmosphere, and food was excellent. I would definitely go back. Another big plus was that we didn't have dinner until 9:45pm and they are one of few nice places in La Jolla that are open past 10, they are open until 11:30pm.
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Keyword: Meatballs
Pasquale's mom makes them (along with the pasta e fasull). This is the real deal - recipes direct from Italy via the Bronx. The meatballs are so velvety and tender. She does make them with veal, so if that offends you, just pretend you didn't read this sentence. The lasagna is another favorite of mine.
I have always had a great experience here. All of the staff is helpful and polite, but Marco's the best. Ask Marco how he likes the specials, and he'll give you the insider information - like having the oso buco on lightly steamed spinach instead of pasta or rice.
Pasquale's has a respectable wine list - especially some good Italian selections. Last bottle I had was a 2000 Travaglini Gattinara. Yum. Also, BYOB. They're happy to chill, decant, or whatever you need. They advertise a corkage fee, but they have never charged me.
It's quiet during the day and definitely picks up in the evening. If you have a small party, you can get a table without a long wait, but I'd recommend a reservation for 4+ people.
I see some people give average reviews here......hmm, suspect to say the least. I lived in Italy for a few years, the sauce here is as close as it gets. OLIVE GARDEN.....LOL, give me a break. As for Marco, I think you mistook his humor for rudeness. I eat here a lot, I love this place. The waiters are professional, try a few other places in SD and then see if you agree. Any waiter walking by your table will stop and refill your wine, water , or bread. On slow times of the day, it might be slow. Remember, food is made as it is ordered here, not ahead of time. The owner will not need a seating chart to sit you. More than likely he will remember you if you have ever been there....A+ food , service, I love this place. If you are unhappy here, ask for Enzo or Pasquale, they will make it right....PROFESSIONAL.
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Veeeerry slow service; it took about 15 minutes to order and 45 to get the food. But during that time the waiters keep refreshing the bread, which is steaming and soft and crusty and all that you want from Italian bread.
The tortellini is too salty. Seafood pizza is excellent; thin crust, big bubbles, no cheese, lots of calamari, lots of sauce but not soggy. And the chicken parmaggiana sandwich is excellent. Toasty bread, tender chicken, and the sauce is just tangy enough.
I had the occasion to be in San Diego/La Jolla visiting with some friends over the weekend, and they raved about this particular restaurant. They were enamored with it, calling it the best Italian that they'd ever had. Well on that point, I disagree. The food was mediocre, despite their boasting about all of the celebrities that frequent the place and the pictures hanging on the walls.
The decor was actually very nice, kinda dark and moody, with a live band playing on Saturday and Sunday nights. Nice trappings on the walls, and nicely appointed. The menu has a few salads, a couple different pasta dishes, steak, veal, etc. but nothing that I would call traditional Italian. The prices are definitely higher than they should be, but maybe par with this area. I had Tagliatelli Pescatore (seafood pasta) with clams & mussels in the shell, some white fish, and a large shrimp - head and all plopped right smack dab in the middle. I found the flavor to be a bit bland, though they tried to spice it up with some red pepper flakes. My girl friend had their Osso Bucco, which she also thought was just OK. My tomato & mozzarella salad was nothing special either, though I did like a spicy, garlic & olive mix that they "specially" prepared for our friends who are regulars, to go with the bread. I can take or leave this place.
The service was good, and the waiter & busboy both seemed attentive. However, Marco, our waiter turned out to be a jerk. He had just finished pouring more water into my glass, and I said, "thanks, my friend!" He promptly replied in his best pseudo tough guy Italian voice, "I'm not your friend, I'm your waiter! We are not that close!" and walked away. What kinda Tony Soprano wanna be, "I'm a made man, meet a friend da mine" asshole do they have working here!? I'm not in the mob, and neither are you... Chill out, mo' fo'!
No thanks!
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