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Sanfilippo's Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
2949 5th Ave(between Palm St & Quince St)
San Diego, CA 92103
Neighborhood: Banker's Hill
(619) 299-6080
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 9:30 pm
Fri 11 am - 10:30 pm
Sat 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
42 reviews for Sanfilippo's Restaurant
Review Highlights
42 reviews in English
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Review from Sb C.
San Diego, CA
2/4/2012 8 Check-ins Here
OK, 2-1/2 stars?!! Not right...
To address a couple negative points in the few reviews I saw:
- These folks have been in business forever and recently moved. Any reviews of their creepy back patio are of the old location. New location is bigger and open patio in front.
- The ownership are definitely not homophobes. I personally know a man working there who is open and out with his partner.
- Note the price: TWO $$. Not 4 or 5. imho, peoples' low star evaluations are using unreasonable expectations. People realize that this isn't RainWaters or something!
In the 10+ years I've been going, my ex and I called it "cheese in a bowl" (lasagna) or "cheese on a plate"(pizza). I've had both and they're amazing. The antipasto salad is also great... plentiful portion with fantastic dressing.
My boyfriend who spent a decade in New York said the ONLY time since then he's had proper NY pizza was when he gets the sausage pizza here. And it brings back bigtime memories. I really love their plain cheese pizza.
About the pasta in general: I personally do not care for their meats, as they're heavy with caraway (or some other seasoning) and it doesn't agree with my palette. I've found if someone likes their meaty items they LOVE them.
Ambiance? Well, their decoration is cheesy-diner style but it works. Go, enjoy the cheap, great tasting food and the cheap beer. And be sure to ask for the bread, it's super yummy.
Soooooo, if you are kinda snobby, maybe do the rest of us a favor and quietly go on your way and not leave a 1* rating, ok?
Love you guys! -
Review from Hillcrest G.
San Diego, CA
2/10/2012
What can you say about a restaurant that serves a barely mediocre meal in an uninspired atmosphere and has the nerve to have dinner menu prices around $19?
Although their new location has been open for months, their signage consists of cheap temporary banners, including a large one that assaults the beauty of Balboa Park. Furnishings look like they came from a thrift store. The space is shared with a Vegan take out place & appears to be the location of a former gas station. Both the food & ambiance can be summarized in one word: TASTELESS.
Do yourself a favor. Walk several blocks north on 5th Avenue. There are 2 other Italian restaurants serving far better food in a lovely setting for around the same price as their $19 dinners. -
Review from Sean O.
El Cajon, CA
4/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Decent food...great service!
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Review from Antonio B.
San Diego, CA
4/16/2012
In response to a few negative reviews that i had a chance to read this week .
I and many of my friends have been enjoying the food at Sanfilippo's for over 20 years . The first location (across the street from NuNu's) was very Classic , much like the new Sanfilippo's except now the restaurant is more open and together . When walking thru the doors it still takes you back to a period of history when Italian or any other local restaurant was simple and family owned . Sanfilippo's menu and wine list are simple , but dont let that fool you .The food and service is still wonderful ! This past week i had a chance to stop in for a bite and had the honor to have Stacey as my server . She was fantastic and the service she gave was great . My meal was served in a timely manner , hot and very tasty ( not to mention the New York cheese cake ... yum ) . As for me and all my friends who live on the truths of classic Italian cooking , we will continue to visit Sanfilippo's , a great place to eat and remember when life was simple and the food was good ! -
Review from Mark T.
Beverly Hills, CA
3/25/2012
Delicious! Best Pizza place ever! Spaghetti with meatballs and a combo pizza with peppers, pepperoni and beef! My taste buds were in heaven!
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Review from Katie P.
San Diego, CA
2/29/2012
How is this place not out of business yet? The food is absolutely mediocre - you might as well go to Ralphs and buy some spaghettios. The service is slow and unfriendly. The restaurant itself is dirty and uninspired. And if you thought that at least it was a cheap hole in the wall, well no luck there either - it's actually quite pricey. No idea who gives them their return business.
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Review from Michael Y.
San Diego, CA
3/21/2012
The pizza is ok. The service was not the best and our neighbouring table that arrived and ordered after us was served before us. It wasn't a small order or table either. Pasta is gross and price is way to high. I will expect superb food too difficult to emulate. This was not the case.
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Review from David D.
San Diego, CA
4/11/2012
For years, my partner and I considered this one of our favorite restaurants. Yet, they do not seem to have recovered from the loss of their lease to their new location. The food quality has gone down, while their prices have soared. Tonight we actually returned our meal and the manager/owner was completely indifferent to alienating a decade-long customer. We left and will not return, there is no excuse, we will take our dining dollars elsewhere.
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Review from Dan S.
San Diego, CA
10/30/2011
I was in the mood for some basic good Italian pasta. I ordered the "Half and Half," the spaghetti and ravioli. I enjoyed the spaghetti. But some of the ravioli had refrigerator taste. Someone didn't cover the raviolis when storing them in the fridge! Please don't serve yesterday's food left uncovered in the fridge over night!
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Review from Mika S.
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
9/25/2011
The lasagna here is absolutely amazing. It's always piping hot and it has the perfect amount of ricotta cheese and sauce.
I also recommend the eggplant casserole for vegetarians. Just make sure to ask for extra sauce. -
Review from Kevin P.
San Diego, CA
12/29/2011
My husband and I went here for dinner last night, and all I can say is bravo! The service was fantastic, and the pizza was delicious! This is only my second time going here, but it will not be my last. Great area that has plenty of parking after 6p!
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Review from Ali W.
San Diego, CA
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Slow, food not tasty at all.....beware of clam linguine not only one the grossest things I have seen visually but also One of the grossest ever tasted/( Also, be sure and check out the sticker above the register, it is of a gun, a flag, and a man and woman walking with their children. Homophobic, Tea Party going owner....if thats your thing thing then you have founf the right place...right smack in Hillcrest.
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Review from Matt P.
San Diego, CA
7/23/2011
Got a meatball sub from here. Worst meatballs I have ever eaten my life. They were just a mush of grey, I have no idea what kind of meat they are. There are several good to great italian places in the area but this is not one of them.
Sad because I live on the same block. It would be nice to have a place to get a good pizza or sub that close. Alas... -
Review from Marie D.
7/13/2009
This place is sooooo cute in that old Italian American eatery way. What a great vibe in there. Too bad my chicken parm sub had tough dry chicken and sauce that was bland. The bread was wonderfully toasty and soft and the cheese was stringy deliciousness but overall the sub was a big failure.
I am so bummed to have to report this to you Yelp b/c I really really wanted to love it. The patio out back is delightful and transports you out of Hillcrest and away to a homey garden cafe. Too bad the food sucked. It was $13.00 for my sub and a Heineken which was a more expensive lunch than I had intended and way less tasty than I expected. -
Review from Nadine N.
3/10/2008
The food at San Filippo's, in my opinion, is just shy of okay. Most recently, I had an eggplant parm sandwich for lunch and it was pretty tasteless. I've eaten here other times, but again, the food was pretty unmemorable.
The thing I remember most from my recent visit to San Filippo's was the bumper sticker hanging behind the counter. It had four blocks of photographic images: 1) a cross, 2) an american flag, 3) a family - man, woman, plus 2-2.5 kids, and 4) a gun, which, incidentally from the angle of it, looks like it is aimed at the family in the 3rd image. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that these are the values of the owners. If these are your values too, then you'll likely feel right at home. I'll refrain from any political commentary. Just reporting the facts.Listed in: I amuse me
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Review from Tim G.
San Diego, CA
10/27/2008
It's always a bad sign when the restaurant is empty at 615pm. The food is chefboyrdee at best and the service ranks at the bottom.
The 2nd and last time I'll be eating there. Are the meatballs really meat? -
Review from P. S.
San Diego, CA
11/4/2008
I've been going here for years and have never been disappointed.
Don't confuse it with the crappy chain, Fillipos. -
Review from c r.
San Diego, CA
8/14/2011
.This review is for the Pizza...I have not had pasta here yet...however some have told me it pretty good.....So I will typically have the meatball and mushroom and I am never disappointed......The crust is crisp, never soggy...a healthy amount of cheese amd toppings you can actually taste and see.....The staff is super nice and when the waitress heard that it was my birthday a few days before she brought me the best bowl of Spumoni I have ever had...no joke......I would say that this place ranks in my top five for pizza in SD....yes the ambiance is so so..but its pizza people what do you want......
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Review from Miles T.
San Diego, CA
2/26/2009
CLEAN UP YOUR ACT
This place is Gordon Ramsey style...wilted lettuce...terrible veal parm...I can understand digging a old school restaurant...but the food has to be good...and the kitchen needs to be clean...I don't know if the kitchen is dirty(but i bet it is)and trust me when I say this...The food is bad. I don't know if it was good before the old owner sold it...but it couldn't have been great. I have no idea why anybody would give this place 4-5 stars. It just goes to show you that you have to be very careful when reading reviews on yelp because some people really have no clue...Listed in: Clean up your act
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Review from Nick H.
San Diego, CA
8/7/2011
I had been itching to try this place after walking by it on numerous trips to Extraordinary Desserts next door, and finally we tried it for date night. I was initially attracted to this place by the patio seating out front which looked fun for a summer day or night. The inside area was smaller than expected but for a later Friday night dinner we were sat in 5 minutes. We ordered the Special pizza and Clam linguine. The pizza was cooked great, crust and bottom were crunchy and not soggy...a big pet peeve of mine. The pasta was pretty good too. In fact the pizza probably ranks in my top 5 favs in san Diego!!! I also sampled their Sanfilippo Pale Ale, pretty good with a smooth finish. All in all a great place and we will definitely be going back soon!!!
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Review from danny d.
San Diego, CA
7/22/2011
part of me doesn't like this place because it took the space of what used to be the self-serve section of the now-evolution fast food. boo.
*putting the mourning of my vegan buffet aside*
sanfilippo's does one thing pretty well: lasagna. it's meaty, not too saucy, and cheesier than mid 90s r&b love songs. the best way to have lasagna is with stringy mozzarella-ness and clotty ricotta-ness...yes.
beyond the lasagna (twice baked, btw), this place is plainly alright. the pizza is below average, and the spaghetti sauce relatively mediocre. also, each time i've been with co-workers, it's been relatively empty during lunch time. edible, but not my first choice for italian.
and yes, i'm still bitter at my self-serve vegan food being taken away. -
Review from Carlos M.
National City, CA
7/31/2011
Service was real slow. Lasagne and meat ravioli tasted like Chef boyardee. Chicken parmesan tasted old. Cheesy Garlic bread was just a piece of french bread with cheese on top. Table was dirty .Bathroom looked like one at a rest stop. Waitress did not seem to care what we ordered.. We ask for water and it took 15 minutes to get that. then ordered soup and took 20 minutes to get that. and than another 30 minutes to get the food. Its sucks because we work down the street and its right next door to extraordinary dessert. Never go back there again
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Review from Kris T.
San Diego, CA
6/18/2011
Partner and I went on Friday eve, used a http://restaurant.com to try it out. Had the linguini and clam w white sauce, tasteless.... Partner ordered a pizza tasteless - ambiance tasteless - tasteless
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Review from Jennifer D.
San Diego, CA
2/14/2009
There's a difference between authentic Italian and American Italian. This place does a great job with American Italian food.
So, I go here for American pizza or a torpedo or meatball sub and it's pretty yummy! -
Review from dance f.
San Diego, CA
12/20/2007
Lackluster. Service is good, but that's about where it ends. Prices are kinda high for the quality, but not so much for the neighborhood it's in. Nothing fancy here- garlic bread made with butter and garlic powder, pizza is pretty bland as well. I did try the eggplant casserole that was ok, but it should really come with something on the side- salad, bread, pasta, something. A dish of eggplant, sauce, and cheese isn't much to write home about.
The laid back atmosphere is kind of nice, not a bad family place I guess, though you'd be better off going to a "dive" in a more "dirty" part of town. -
Review from Tanya R.
San Diego, CA
8/18/2011
I had the fettucine alfredo--tasted like they simply added heavy cream to my pasta with nothing else. Service was terrrible....waitress was overwhelmed with too many people and only her to take orders and serve. Glad I used a kgb deal and did not pay full price for this meal....would have been a rip off.
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Review from pete c.
Chula Vista, CA
3/29/2011
I bought a gift card from restaurant dot com for this place thats what made me try it. My wife and i were excited to just get out with our 8 month old. The place is cozy, nice environment. The staff was friendly and accepted the paper gift card without any problem. I ordered a small pizza, with pep, shrooms and meatballs. My wife had the chicken parm.
I was happy with my pizza, my wife was not happy with her chicken parm. The bread they brought out was burned, so my wife asked for un burned bread. The waitress exchanged and was very friendly. I eventually ate my wifes food. The chicken had very little seasoning, so on the bland side, the red sauce was like plain tomato sauce out of a can with a little salt and pepper.
Over all the staff was friendly, but the food was not very good, memorable in a bad way...
If i hadnt bought the gift card at a discount my bill would have been in the neighborhood of $40-50 dollars with sodas and tip. Not worth it.
I would NOT recomend this place to anyone. -
Review from bree m.
La Mesa, CA
3/3/2009
this place is awful and has always been awful. I don't get the yummy pizza thing. The crust is unusually thick and the cheese, which sits on top of all the other toppings (annoying) is even thicker! The atmosphere is less than great and the entrees are overpriced for their quality. Entirely too much bland tomato sauce is used on everything. Skip this place all together.
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Review from Cliff M.
1/1/2009
Their pizza is actually pretty damn good for San Diego. Not amazing, not the best, but solid and you should enjoy it. Order a meatball on the side: it tastes good and comes with plenty of sauce. They have a large outdoor seating area in the back which is very nice and relaxed. This place does some things very well.
Unfortunately there are also some other things they do quite poorly. Their sandwiches are hit or miss: the bread is often very dry and so too is whatever may be between it, be it eggplant or chicken parmesan. The food is sometimes slow to come out even when there's almost no one else in the restaurant. While I can't say the service as a whole is abysmal, there is one guy there who just doesn't get it. You will literally repeat every item you order at least once, and he will never, ever remember what you were drinking when he comes around to do refills. The guy has been slow to check up on us when were pretty much the only folks in the restaurant. We've also had an order or two screwed up and I'm convinced it's his fault and not the kitchen's. I've never seen one individual do so much harm to an establishment in my eyes. It was so bad that I had to tip him $0.10 once just to vent my frustration.
So if you're down for pizza, give it a try. Otherwise it's pretty much a coin toss. -
Review from fred e.
San Diego, CA
7/20/2009
I have to defend this place!!!! I have never been disappointed, I was here last Friday night for pride, It was full of guys all hungry!!! I ordered the sauasage and red pepper casserole YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a charming old school American- Italian eatery
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Review from Kenny P.
5/4/2007
One of my favorite Italian places in SD. Sure, it may be slightly divey, but so what? Their sauce is great, and that is the base of most dishes anyways. Pizza here is also good, but I'm kinda spoiled from spending so much time in NYC. Best bets are the casseroles, especially the deluxe (fried eggplant, ravioli, and lasagna) topped with mozerella.
Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from steph f.
Chicago, IL
1/19/2008
since i live on 5th, i pass this joint just almost every day . the "SANFILIPPO'S" sign with its black on yellow glow finally lured me in. i was pleasantly surprised when i finally went inside for dinner - the ambiance was just how i wished it to be. hushed lighting and old school italian homeliness. candles on all the tables. nothing fancy at all, but completely welcoming.
our waitresses were way personable. they helped us decipher the "combo" casserole dish. the portions are GInormous and the cheesy garlic bread is so very yummy. and the bill for a crapload of food, beer, & cannoli for dessert? under $22. awww yeah. -
Review from Theresa N.
Chula Vista, CA
1/14/2009
This Pizza will always be Our favorite. My son LOVES IT and his dad's side of the fam. introduced it to me. Very Italian authentic and very tasty. The pizza is perfect the salads are good and we always come here once in a while to go out to eat. i have never had anything negative to think or say about the place! People I recommended it to were really impressed too. The food is really good! I promise!
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Review from Joe G.
San Diego, CA
6/11/2009
Avoid this place at all costs!
The food is Horrible.
Pastas are BAD. Salads are BAD. Pizzas are BAD.
Service is mediocre.
Perhaps send your enemies here. -
Review from Ken A.
San Diego, CA
11/9/2005
family-style italian. i have a couple of friends who seem to have an emotional attachment to sanfilippo's, and have made a habit of going there. i'll go along for the company, but hope that they've opened a can of the good sauce the night i'm there.
actually, that's a little unfair. sanfilippo's isn't terrible: the servers are very friendly and attentive, the atmosphere is very casual, and the prices are pretty cheap.
the food isn't a knockout, but it's fine. the spaghetti is a tad bland, as is the garlic bread, but if you branch out a little, you might get a dish that actually satisfies. i like the sausage casserole, and they do make good pizza. -
Review from Kris S.
San Diego, CA
6/9/2009
The only real highlight in the place for me is the Baked Lasagna! Lots of cheese and taste great! The other food well....eeeh....okay.
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Review from MEGAN D.
San Diego, CA
7/3/2008
MMMM deluxe casserole. It's like a heart attack covered in cheese and baked. So ok, this place isn't the best I've ever had but they do some things so well and they're very nice and cheap. And they'll serve you even if you've been drinking all day at Nunu's and you come in 10 minutes before closing.
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Review from Liz L.
Phoenix, AZ
12/1/2009
This pizza place isn't anything fancy which I liked on a Slow Sunday afternoon. Food is a beast feast... We ordered the deluxe pizza, it was pouring over with an extra helping of cheese. It was good, our server wasn't very talkative, but he did the job. This place is a casual spot, next time I'll take my order to go...
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Review from Dave B.
San Francisco, CA
8/25/2009
Good local, family style Italian with fine pasta bake/casseroles
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Review from Sasha I.
Paso Robles, CA
4/28/2011
Following a lunch of a small chicken salad and casserole at Sanfilippo's I experienced the worst case of food poisoning of my entire life. I would strongly caution anyone against dining at Sanfilippo's. The manager I spoke with scolded me for not calling sooner to complain. I have made a full report to the health department and sincerely hope that they take this incident seriously.
