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Via Italia Trattoria
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
565 S Coast Hwy 101Encinitas, CA 92024
Neighborhood: Encinitas
(760) 479-9757
- Hours:
Mon-Wed, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
Thu 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
106 reviews for Via Italia Trattoria
Review Highlights
"The lasagna and the gnocchi were delicious."
(in 22 reviews)
"The "pasta fatta in casa" is to DIE FOR."
(in 27 reviews)
"...spinach rigatoni with lobster cream sauce and fresh crab."
(in 6 reviews)
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106 reviews in English
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Review from Essie A.
12/2/2011
Excellent! I thought the pizza was super tasty and the desserts were delicious!
We ordered the salmon pizza and the italian sausage pizza.. they had fancier Italian names but I don't remember what they were!
and for dessert, some type of Pear cake and Creme Brulee!
Delicious and very cute atmosphere. A little pricey but worth it! -
Review from Jamie O.
Carlsbad, CA
1/25/2012
So disappointing! Service was very slow, especially since there were only four filled tables.
My friend and I went for lunch because it was restaurant week and we hadn't eaten there before. It was an opportunity to try something new. We went in and got seated but discovered they weren't offering the special menu for restaurant week. Restaurant week had been extended but the Saturday between the two weeks wasn't included. We decided to stay anyway.
My friend had two glasses of house wine which she said was OK. We ordered crostini which was nothing special, and we each ordered a gnocchi dish. Hers was good but mine was not. I had the gnocchi with spinach, zucchini and broccoli. The sauce was thin and it wasn't seasoned well. We didn't order dessert. This whole lunch came to $69! Outrageous for what we got and again, service wasn't good.
I can't recommend this restaurant and certainly won't eat there again. There are far too many good restaurants within walking distance of this place. I suggest you keep walking. -
Review from Janine M.
Encinitas, CA
12/5/2011
Went there last night with a party of 9...had dinner reservations, so getting to our table was no problem....we were there celebrating a birthday, and they were made aware of that when we made our reservations.
The service was good, our waiter was very attentive....but went downhill from there.
The food was really crappy...I had pizza, the sauce (what there was of it) had no flavor and the condiments were straight out of a can. I could have done better at home....most of us had the pizza and no one was impressed. I tasted one of my friends pasta dishes and it lacked any flavor...I told her to add salt.
We were there for about an hour and a half when the owner (I assume) started coming by our table and looking at his watch and shaking his head. What?!? Really!?! Since our bill totaled over $450.00, I thought this was a major asshole move...so did everyone at our table.
My friends all left very upset. We all vowed NEVER to step foot in there again...which is a shame, since we all live across the street in downtown Encinitas. Thank God there are so many other restaurants to choose from that serve way better food and are actually happy to have us in there! -
Review from Richard B.
Laguna Hills, CA
1/23/2012
Real pastas, made the old fashioned way, using bronze dyes and a heavy yolk to flour ratio. Matched to fantastic renditions of the classic sauces. You can taste the difference. They have great mouth feel. Perfect selection of Italian wines to complement this, including a nice selection of crisp Italian whites. Attentive wait staff. The bread is also delicious.
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Review from Steve M.
San Francisco, CA
11/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had high hopes for Via Italia but after dining here with a party of 7, I have a hard time recommending this place.
First the good - Via staff was very attentive. Our host was able to accommodate our large party within a matter of minutes. The wait staff was very efficient and personable.
The Bad - The food was expensive and mediocre. Several of us ordered the pasta dishes and we all agreed, the cream based sauce was too excessive. It's a shame because I have a feeling the home made pastas were quite good. Of course, if you are looking for a good heart clogging meal then you are right at home.
Those that ordered the chicken dishes were disappointed at the lack of seasoning as well as the fact that the poor birds were over cooked.
To top everything off, Via Italia isn't cheap. Our average tasting bottle of wine was $45. The pasta dishes were $18. This might be in the ball park in some cities but not in Encinitas. -
Review from Melinda D.
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA
10/29/2011
Visited during restaurant week for lunch and this lovely restaurant kind of missed the point on the prix fix menu. It's about getting people in try your restaurant and to like it so much they come back for more.
The food was actually quite good, but the waiter didn't quite seem to understand the offer nor did he seem enthused. He was even apologetic about the portions. Portions were fine for lunch, but the selections were a little odd. We ended up with a beet/gorgonzola salad, gnocchi with cream, gorgonzola, walnuts, and fresh berries with marscapone and a torte di nonna. Nice fresh basket of bread to dip in good olive oil & balsamic as well. Gnocchi seemed hand made that morning and was perfectly cooked. Deserts fresh and made with top ingredients.
Total tab:$34 plus tip for lunch. Will probably visit again because the gnocchi. Chef needs to skip smelt and put a more universally appealing dish on the prix fix fo the male visitors and embrace restaurant week as an opportunity not an obligation. -
Review from Nino R.
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I see a lot of reviews where the word "authentic" is used blatantly to describe the decor/atmosphere/cuisine of the restaurant. But my question is; authentic to what?
The menu is not specific to a region, instead it borrows from many regions in Italy. Browsing through their menu and you'll recognize some familiar dishes.
Arrabbiata from Lazio
Spaghetti from Campania
Minestrone from Tuscany
Lasagna from Bologne
Just to name a few...
I had a plate of Lasagna and my GF had the Gnocchi. We skipped on the apps because we weren't that hungry and I knew we'd get bread. I'm not cheap, we did have wine (a Supertuscan and a Cab to be exact).
Our entrees were out in a flash! I couldn't believe how quickly they were out on our table. If only our server had been that fast. It took nearly 20 minutes to place our dinner order. Normally I don't comment on service, but if I'm paying $75 for dinner for two (without apps or dessert), then I'm expecting good service.
We didn't get that. We had to flag down our server a few times. The best part was when he asked if we'd like to order to some wine, to which I replied, "may I see a wine list?" And then he replied, "that would be a good idea." To which I thought, "it would have been a great idea 10 minutes ago."
The lasagna and the gnocchi were delicious. I'd definitely recommend either as a safety dish. It would have been nice to see Scalloppini di Pollo or even Chicken Piccata on the menu as they are my favorites, but no luck there.
It's hard to be authentic when you're not focused on a region. And it's even harder to justify pricing when you don't specialize, but I wanted to give them a shot.
I might come back again, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend to anyone whose opinion I hold highly.
There's just not enough there... -
Review from Don S.
Imperial Beach, CA
10/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went with friends back in September and thought we'd found a goldmine. Returned (same group plus 1) and seemed like it was a different place. Service was "less than stellar" and the food wasn't great. There was a problem with the order and what we had was not up to any standard. Especially compared to our visit 1 month before.
Disappointment and sadness and we will not be returning. There are far too many places worth going that provide excellence in service and quality that this level of bad experience means "no more" ... too bad. -
Review from John B.
San Diego, CA
9/8/2011
I've been here multiple times in the past 4 years, and while the food is stellar (the pizzas, gnocchi and vodka sauce pasta are my favs), the service is the big question mark which has been on the decline somewhat recently.
Some days, the service was great, but on others like the last time 2x I went, the server was bordering on being straight rude and was very inattentive. "Are you finished yet, hurry up" and "You don't need dessert" are not things I would expect a server to say, especially to my parents who were visiting from out of town. For the record it wasn't anywhere near closing time.
I would like to keep going here since the I love the food, but without better service, I think it might be best to find an alternative.
Pros:
-great variety of dishes
-excellent food
-priced well
Cons:
-Can be a bit cramped during peak dinner hours (you might bump into someone behind you if you excuse yourself from the table)
-Service is inconsistent and will vary from trip to trip -
Review from Chi S.
Carlsbad, CA
8/26/2011
Definitely as good as it gets as far as Italian restaurants go. Atmosphere is authentic, service is authentic, and the food is most definitely authentic. The only thing not Italian about the restaurant are the people eating the delicious food.
It might be a little cramped for some people, which is typical of any good Italian bistro. It's also underpriced for it's location as well. -
Review from Vicky K.
La Jolla, CA
8/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Butternut squash ravioli is my FAVORITE here! =) I know a lot of places that serve ravioli and they give you a couple pieces... not here. They give you generous helpings of ravioli and it is cooked a al dente which i love! Another interesting item my aunt pointed out was that they have some dishes that have crab sauce. Not a lot of places serve that. They also have the black squid ink sauce if you like that. Prices are ~ $16-20 so fairly reasonable.
I love the atmosphere and our waitress was most gracious, checking in with us periodically throughout the meal to make sure we didn't need anything. The ambiance is excellent and very cozy which reminds me a lot of the restaurants in Italy. Love it! -
Review from Mike H.
San Diego, CA
6/5/2011
I had an awesome meal last Friday. Unfortunately I was the only one whose food was up to VIT's usual standards.
I recommend the gnocchi, to all, it was sublime however, my companions' polenta was gelatinous. Service was available but not attentive.
The wine list indicated excellent choices at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, the first 3 bottles we specified arrived at the table from inferior vintages. It felt like bait and switch and that ultimately brought the evening down.
Based on my history with VIT they are three stars. They provide one of the better Italian experiences in Encinitas and charge accordingly.
Friday though the hassle over the wine, the desultory service and inconsistent food led to one long expensive disappointment. I'm not sure if this is indicative of longterm changes at VIT or if it was a momentary glitch.
The gnocchi was a revelation so for now it will retain worth the time, money and trouble if you're in the area and that is three stars.
Mike -
Review from Jennipher W.
Encinitas, CA
11/6/2011
One of my favorite Italian places. Sitting at the bar is nice, friendly staff.
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Review from scott j.
San Diego, CA
5/27/2011
Good happy hour, tasty food, and fast service.
I came here today after deciding not to wait 3+ hours when traffic was bad coming from Oceanside into San Diego. Food was tasty- I had 2 Peroni beers, pizza and calamari. The calamari was yummy and came with a lovely tomato sauce. My only complaint was the female waitress (a Turkish young lady) was snippy and rude to me. So that takes away 2 stars. Otherwise, a perfect spot. The owner and other waiters were friendly and did a great job refilling my water and taking care of me. Would I come back? Sure! Just not to deal with that bitch of a waitress. -
Review from Zonia Y.
Oceanside, CA
I was impressed by the coziness of the restaurant. It's a very mellow, warm, and inviting. The mild lighting made the place very casual.
The service was great! We were greeted immediately and seated right away. Our server was very tentative and patient. (I was being indecisive) He also seemed very knowledgeable about the menu, which is a plus. He also made sure we were comfortable and had what we needed.
I ended up ordering the "Gnocchi di Formaggio Bianchi e Verdi" it's the ricotta cheese dumplings, with spinach, zucchini and broccoli in cream sauce. The combination is great. I thought the portion was more than generous. The gnocchi was VERY good; the texture was light yet firm, like traditional Italian gnocchi. The cream sauce was also light and tied the dish together. It wasn't over powering and complimented the vegetables. The spinach, zucchini and broccoli was perfectly cook, not over done and had a nice bite to it. I could tell the vegetable was fresh, it was sweet and worked well with the savory flavor of the cream sauce. I highly recommend getting the gnocchi because it hard to find an Italian restaurant that serves this dish well.
Lastly, my friend and I shared a tiramisu. The presentation was nice. I have to admit the tiramisu was ordinary and nothing to brag about.
I would definitely would go back to the restaurant and highly recommend this place to friends and family. -
Review from Connie N.
San Diego, CA
8/22/2011
We used to go here regularly when we want to drive up the coast on highway 101 and grab a bite. Sadly, the last time might be the last time for awhile since the pasta was very broken (couldn't get a single twirl of linguine on my fork) and very soggy. Not much tomato in the tomato sauce either, which I personally think is weird since we went in the middle of tomato season (makes me think their sauce isn't made fresh?). We think the wine might have been off too.
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Review from Jack M.
Encinitas, CA
6/28/2011
I took my family there of an early dinner (happy hour) and the service was poor. I felt like we were bothering the server by being there. He was cold almost rude and we were not attended to...simple as we had to flag him down to get more water another glass of wine, bread, etc. he never stopped by the table to check in. If they were busy, ok but there were only 2 other tables. And to top it off, I left a cash tip and they over charged my cc by $20 and I still dont have that resolved.
Simple bad service & over charged my cc and kept the cash= BAD -
Review from Sal U.
San Diego, CA
10/2/2011
We went to via italia because we found it on our Passport Dining Card list and were so glad we did! What a romantic, magical place for a fantastic dinner! Hannah was an incredible server and so knowledgeable about the menu...we started out with a couple of their appetizers which were so delicious. My partner had the steak and I had the butternut squash gnocchi with chicken - soooooooo good and all homemade!
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Review from Nazy P.
San Diego, CA
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Amazing Mother's day lunch, thanks to the amazing waiter (paco?) and the food was incredible, as usual!
Nice touch with the chocolates for the moms & thanks for my super capuccino, delish!
BTW people, if you enjoy your experience on these establishments & give a great review, make sure to give 5 stars, the filtering systems on review sites unfortunately do not help the business owners when you give 4 stars or below. -
Review from Ron L.
Danville, CA
2/8/2011
READ THE WHOLE THING PEOPLE THIS IS A WORTHWHILE ESTABLISHMENT.
I have wanted to try this restaurant for a long while now. Today was the day as it's kind of cold in North County. Well, not that cold but a flavorful Italian homemade soup or pasta sounded really good.
Perfect on street parking out front. I was promptly greeted and seated by an attentive young lady. Very sharp. She went over my options with me quite carefully
I was a bit concerned as there were only a few others in the place. It was past 1:00, however I thought it a bit odd.
I ordered my soup and luncheon special. Tuscan Navy Bean and my servers choice of Spinach tube pasta with mushrooms and (mild) Italian sausage in a brandy cream sauce.
My soup came .... piping hot but not done. Kind of crunchy. I hesitate to say not good as it had obviously not steeped in the pot long enough. My server asked how I liked it and I told her. It was not good. She immediately took it away and asked if I would like to try the Minestrone. I agreed. It too was piping hot but not all that flavorful either. I was disappointed and was thinking, you know I like this place. I've got to give it another try and maybe not post on this visit. I was seriously thinking, hey its not always about the food. I was making up excuses like I was related to the owner or something.
Then, I meet THE dish. Wow. It was outstanding. The pasta was perfectly prepared and the mushroom / sausage combo was delicious. The cream sauce was heavy so it was used sparingly but appropriately. I told my server I was not prepared to be this delighted with her recommendation. They really outdid themselves on my dish.
Two additional compliments. The serving plates and the flatware. Perfect.
A bit of a unplanned splurge .... Entree worth the 15. The soup ... could have done without and saved 7 bucks.
GO THERE. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Diego, CA
1/20/2011
I went here for restaurant week last night. It is a cute place that has a very homey feel.
Appetizer: braised beef with polenta. This wasn't spectacular the beef was a little bit to salty and the polenta a little bit to watery. In combination it tasted ok. My friends got the green bean salad and that was much better.
Main: Striped bass wrapped in prosciutto. I felt this was a little bit of false advertising since it looked like they just threw the prosciutto on top. Anyway I thought this was actually pretty good, the fish was cooked well. But the best part was sort of pillowy pasta with a hint of lemon and some asparagus in a lobster sauce underneath the fish.
Dessert: Tiramisu. They actually ran out of the desserts offered on their restaurant week menu, but kindly offered us tiramisu instead. This was completely fine with me cuz that was the dessert I was hoping would be on the menu from the start.
Overall: Cute place, but the portions were kinda small for restaurant week but thats also because I like to eat a lot. -
Review from Sharon V.
This is a great little restaurant and probably one of the better italian restaurants in town. Here are a few items that we had for dinner last night.
Mista Salad - basic green salad with ribbons of carrots, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with a basic balsamic vinaigrette. One of the cheaper salads but one that won't disappoint.
Salame Pizza - My husband ordered another pizza (go figure). If you enjoy thin pizzas, you'll love theirs. They don't scrimp on the salami and you'll instead find layers of it. It has a great spice to it which pleases my palate just perfectly. The pizzas are large so you can easily share this with another person.
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese - I love a good, meaty bolognese and they serve a good one. I like a little kick to my bolognese so I always mix in a little of the crushed red pepper and then it's perfect. The dinner portions are large but for $16 for a bowl of pasta, you feel like you're getting your money's worth. Expect to have a lot of left overs unless you're a big eater. I usually bring home nearly half.
House Chianti - perfect addition to a pasta dinner but $11 for a glass seemed to be a bit high. I can see spending $11 on a martini but for a house chianti?? hmmm - I do have to admit, it had pretty good flavors.
Our dinner came out to $60 but we did have all the left overs for lunch today so that makes me feel like we got a good bargain for a mid week dinner.
I'd definitely recommend this quaint italian restaurant in Encinitas. This is much better than Vigilucci's a few doors down. If you're on the fence between the two, go here. -
Review from Jenn C.
Updated - 1/23/2011
Came here for lunch again with a friend. I had the arrabiata penne, which was delicious. I really enjoyed it. The sauce was a great texture, and appeared to be made with fresh tomatoes. Service was delightful.
I wasn't hungry enough for the restaurant week menu, but it looked like a great deal. $20 for a 3-course meal, and the selections all looked delicious. It was $30 with 3 wine pairings, which also seemed quite reasonable.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/24/2010
I had a gnocchi dish here. I was told it was freshly made. I haven't tried gnocchi too many times,… Read more »
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Review from Dan P.
San Diego, CA
2/8/2011
Amazed by the 1 star reviews, but then again, find a good restaurant and you'll find someone that hates it.
The food is excellent, we had a party of five who all got very different things and we were all quite happy. I ordered the Pollo Milanese and was shocked at how big and juicy the chicken was. Seriously, it was the biggest piece of all white meat (and good) chicken I have ever seen. Enough for 2 or 3 meals!
The only reason this isn't a 5 star place is because of the prices. I'm not used to seeing Italian food that expensive, not even in the Gaslamp. -
Review from jc c.
Mountain View, CA
8/25/2011
Probably the best Italian food I've had in Encinitas. The calamari platter is huge and delicious (the fried broccoli is even better than the calamari!). Some misses (chestnut gnocci had some weird "old"-tasting pieces) but overall good dishes (seafood pastas, pizzas). Service is hit or miss but I have to say that the waitstaff have been very kind to us and our messy tot.
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Review from T T.
San Diego, CA
2/14/2011
this is the best italian in all of SD. The "pasta fatta in casa" is to DIE FOR!!! service is excellent, the atmosphere is delightful and I have never been disappointed with any dish on the menu.
A true great find in Encinitas. -
Review from Grace C.
5/16/2010 4 photos
Three girls decided to come here during restaurant week to welcome a new roomate. It seemed like a pretty great deal, only $20 for a 3 course meal at a nice Italian restaurant.
We had reservations but it took a while for them to seat us; the restaurant had limited seating and the tables were placed close to each other. All seemed well after we were seated, but little did we know that the $20 meant a really REALLY small plate of portions. See the pics I uploaded. The combo pasta was tasty but cold when it came out, and not enough to get full off of. The squid ink / polenta appetizer was a bit bland and tasteless. The only highlight of the meal was the dessert: a wonderful blueberry mascarpone.
Had I been aware of how small the portions were, I would have just ordered a full dinner plate instead! Sampler reeally IS a sampler here. -
Review from Debbie T.
La Jolla, CA
7/27/2011
This is my second occasion to experience terrible food with horrible service. After an extensive wait, my grilled salmon arrived "hard as a hockey puck".
Our female unavailable waitress claimed "it was necessary to be overcooked due to sanitary reasons". Are you kidding me? If you must eat at the restaurant, ordeer the gnocchi. It is rich but reliable. -
Review from Kelly J.
Encinitas, CA
8/10/2011
My husband and I celebrated our anniversery last night at Via Italia. It was wonderful, from the little table in the corner, to the service to the food. Our waitress was Hannah, and she has a gift in customer service that is very rare these days, like myself in my bussiness, she almost wraps herself around you and makes you #1. Chef Jose is wonderful and the food is outstanding as well as the deserts and wine. The service was excellent and we felt like the only ones there. I would go back again and again and will not wait until our next anniversery!! PS... they have gluten free pasta also which is all I can eat, love this reseraunte
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Review from Atsushi F.
Los Angeles, CA
6/26/2010
I was down in Carlsbad for some contract work and my cousin turned me on to this place. Let me just put it this way, out of 7 possible days, I was there 6.
Now I didn't eat every time because I was getting out of the office after 9:00, but even when I came too late starving the guys took care of me. One time I came after the kitchen closed and James, the bartender, got me some soup and bread to go with a nice cold Birra Moretti. The next night I stopped by after he closed the register, but he still gave me a beer. I tried to leave some cash and James told me it was on him.
Service like that is definitely the exception and not the norm. I would give 5 stars for that alone, but this place has good food as well. When you find a place that has real Italians going there and eating, you are in good hands. Plus Marco makes sure you know everyone and everyone knows you. His charm and personality add to the entire experience.
That's another thing the customers are all friendly. That to me is very telling. The place has a great neighborhood feel. You will never find place with great food and service filled with douche-bags.
If I had to recommend anything it would be the affettati misti and the tiramisu. Don't take my word for it, go and try yourself. I'm sure you'll be well taken care by Marco or James , whether ordering a beer or a pizza. -
Review from Paul S.
San Diego, CA
8/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The homemade pasta is excellent and the salads are fresh and tasty. The ambiance is that of an old time italian restaurant like Michael Corleone might visit in the 40s. The service is attentive from start to finish. Definitely a favorite in Encinitas.
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Review from Gill C.
12/30/2008
This place is amazing. It's in a great location, and has ample outdoor dining tables, and can imagine how cool it'd be to have lunch or dinner here during the summer. Anyway, I stopped here for dinner after a long day of driving, and couldn't have asked for a better Italian restaurant.
Seems like the entire staff speaks Italian, and the interior makes you feel like you are in Roma. There is a ginormous menu selection with pastas, pizzas, entrees, and of course desserts. We didn't have a ressie, but got there before the dinner rush, and they sat us at a table in the back by the kitchen. It was actually a great spot since it was a bit crammed in the main dining area, and I was able to sit back and observe all of the activity.
After studying the long menu for 10 minutes, we decided on the fritto misto (fried goodness sampler of calamari, popcorn shrimp, broccoli, zucchini) with a marinara sauce. This was some of the best fried calamari that I've ever tasted, and didn't even need the sauce! My entree was the rigatoni con polpa di granchio - rigatoni tossed with crab meat in a lobster cream sauce. This was absolutely divine!! It wasn't very rich considering it was a cream sauce, and loved that it had a ton of crab meat and included a crab leg.
My Pops had the linguine allo scoglio- linguini with mussels, clams, calamari, shrimps sauteed in garlic, white wine, and tomato sauce. I know my Pops loved it as he polished off his plate. For dessert, I had the creme brulee (shocker!!), which was decent, and with a solid brulee texture, but the creme part was not as creamy as I usually like it.
Service was great, friendly, and very efficient. It seems like you don't have a single server assigned to your table, as they all help each other out as we had a different person distributing the food, clearing our plates, and refilling our drinks. Our 'main server', the one who took the order, was awesome as he gave us a free dessert wine/moscato to accompany the creme brulee. We also ordered coffee to give us the caffeine fix, and it was strong and brave, just how I like it!
Prices are a bit high for a dinner, but totally worth it for the ambiance, service, and the food. With such an extensive menu, I'd have to come back to try some of the entrees like the gnocchi and risotto.
It seems like many locals are regulars as most of the staff seem to know quite a few patrons. As we were leaving, I felt like a regular as we received a few handshakes from several of the servers and the host! What a way to end the meal, eh?!?
Yep, there's no question about it --- I'm definitely returning to Via Italia!!
Viva Via Italia!!! -
Review from Jeannine C.
Encinitas, CA
9/20/2009
On the first Monday night of football season, a friend and I ventured out to grab a happy hour that did not include shouting fans and spilling beer. Thankfully we arrived at Via Italia just in time and we were not the only ones there, shocking! Sitting at my favorite street side table near the big front window, we ordered and relaxed in the peaceful calm this little trattoria offered.
We shared one of their delicious quarto stagioni (four seasons) thin crust pizzas, with olives, artichokes, mushrooms and ham in each four corners of the pie. My favorite dish there is the roasted eggplant parmesan. It is done perfectly with very thin slices of eggplant, lots of ooey-gooey cheese and fresh tomato sauce to satisfy anyone. We also shared the house antipasto with brushetta, arancino (little fried rice balls), grilled vegetables on bread with mozzarella melted on top, caprese salad and prosciutto and shaved parmesan. Yum! Everything was half off too by the way because we were able to order by 6pm, which is the happy hour cut off.
Along with our feast, I had a glass of the house Chianti and my friend had a mojito. The one cocktail that I wish I would've gotten, but I forgot about it, is the caprese martini. It's a vodka martini with a little tomato flavor and fresh basil infused in it and it is deliciously refreshing and unique. Oh well, next time. This place has become a regular meeting place among my group of friends, so I know I'll be back soon. -
Review from Anna G.
Encinitas, CA
3/24/2010
Hands down the best Italian food I've ever had. The service was fabulous and the bartender rocks.
Had caprese for appetizer. I ordered the seafood fettucine with vodka sauce and hubby had the seafood ciopinno. We got a bottle of wine too. Oh, and there was bread with o.oil and vinegar too. I'm writing this and salivating. My hubby looooved his food as well.
It was valentines day so it was busy but we still had great service.
Then we finished the night at the bar with an espresso. Superb.
Love it, love it, love it.
Btw: I read all the reviews and people complained about the pizza and crazy manager. Who orders pizza at Italian places??? That's just silly in my opinion, go to a pizza place!
Food is fabulous and we will return again and again. -
Review from Therese P.
Cardiff by the Sea, CA
6/7/2011
I want to like this place but the food left a lot to be desired. The staff was friendly (although our server seemed a little overwhelmed and not very knowledgeable re: wine list). The bad: overdone scallops on flavorless polenta. Mussels and clams overcooked in a oily tomato broth that was heavily salted. Perhaps it was an off night for seafood. The pizza was good and staff were helpful...two stars.
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Review from Rose P.
San Diego, CA
1/16/2009 1 Check-in Here
The food here is definitely one of my favorites. My boyfriend brought me here for the first time about eight months ago and I fell in love with the menu. I am a sucker for good food and this place has not disappointed either of us.
The last time we were there, we got to sample new items that they were testing out and I was so very impressed. There was a calamari risotto with this black sauce, it didn't look like much but when you tasted it, it was just incredible. I ordered the lamb chops which is one of the best I've ever had, the meat was just so tender and the flavor was great but not overwhelming.
They have a nice variety of wines and their desserts are wonderful. It is a little pricey but a great place to impress someone on a date. -
Review from Steven M.
4/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
How do you say "YUMMY" in Italian? I have no idea but if I knew how to type it...I would. The food....excellent....service....excellent. My only gripe? $9.00 for a dinner salad to go with dinner x 3. We spent $27.00 for salads that were just lettuce. So, now that we have this out of the way, lets talk about the food.
Honestly? Probably some of the best Lasagna I've ever had. I had ricotta cheese and guess what? Their Lasagna has "NONE". What it does have is tons of meat and just enough cheese to hold it together. If you love Lasagna you better run, walk or drive to this place and check it out before I go back and eat it all.
Great experience and I'm going back...soon!
Enjoy! -
Review from Joe D.
Encinitas, CA
9/11/2009 1 Check-in Here
Good dinner. Place was packed, which was a good sign. The menu is huge and as a vegetarian, I was happy to see so many vegetarian choices. I ended up getting the spaghetti, which was surprisingly delicious. My friend got a seafood platter which was apparently quite good.
The service was pretty lousy. The hostess seemed bored at best, but mainly was irritable. We waited quite awhile before anyone took our order, and when someone finally did, she promptly forgot us. It was so bad that my buddy ordered his second beer when she finally brought the first one over, just because the wait was so long. They got the bill over pretty quickly though.
In short, a solid, red sauce Italian joint with decent ambiance, good food, and lousy service. -
Review from Julie G.
Berkeley, CA
11/2/2006
Yet another Old-Town Encinitas Italian Trattoria. I think we have at least 8 on S. Coast Hwy 101. This is one of the nicer places that offers a modern and stylish approach to Italian dinning. Via Italia is on the upscale side with entree prices in the 20-30 dollar range.
Owned by first generation Italians, you'll find the atmosphere quietly friendly with the decor urban-Soho. Adorned with candles and beautiful cutlery it is a great place to bring a date so dress nicely or at least in your designer genes accented by your stylie Italian leather shoes.
All of the dishes are nouveau Italian-style and the presentation is in that vain. The last time I was there I had a wonderful appetizer featuring shrimp.
The service is good and the owner is present during dinners. You'll also find a great selection of fine Italian wines. -
Review from Barb G.
Cardiff by the Sea, CA
12/22/2008
I love this place. I am dismayed though to read their long time chef has departed, if that is true.
I've eaten there on numerous occasions, and always enjoyed it. Love the chestnut gnocchi. Very extensive menu.
One time (last year) when I was at the bar, there were a few employees of the nearby Italian restaurant eating there. That says a lot.
It's a small place and nice atmosphere. I love one of the current female bartenders who works there now. She is so friendly, interesting and helpful, and she also sings wonderfully (accompanying the guitarist).
I guess my sentiment plays a large role in the places I like, but I think niceness is hugely attractive!Listed in: Top Restaurants
