Ciccia Osteria

We recently arrived in San Diego and couldn't wait to try Ciccia Osteria after hearing so many great things about it--and it definitely delivered!The meal started off with a special treat: the octopus salad. It was simply outstanding, with perfectly cooked octopus that was tender and full of flavor. Another highlight of the starters was the mushroom flan, which was a unique dish that brought rich, earthy flavors to the table.For the main course, we decided to sample a variety of their pastas, and we were not disappointed. The gnocchi with crab was exquisite, the squid ink pasta had a delightful depth of flavor, and the frutti di mare was bursting with fresh seafood. Each dish was a testament to the skill and authenticity that Ciccia Osteria brings to Italian cuisine.To finish off, we indulged in two desserts: the apricot habanero cheesecake and the classic tiramisu. Both were absolutely delightful, with the cheesecake offering a surprising but perfectly balanced kick, and the tiramisu capturing all the traditional flavors we love.It's not easy to find a place that offers such authentic Italian food, but Ciccia Osteria is a true gem. San Diego is incredibly lucky to have this spot. We'll definitely be returning to savor more of their menu.

What an amazing find! You'll feel like family when you come here. The tuna tartare and mushroom flan are amazing appetizers. We have the ravioli and ragu, both were excellent.I'd recommending coming here not just once, but many times to try the whole menu.

This is a great choice for an elevated Italian meal. The menu is well thought out and plenty of great options. There is plenty of seatings outside and some inside. For appetizers, we did mushroom flan, fritto misto, and roasted vegetables and potatoes. The star of the appetizer round was the fritto misto: the calamari was tender enough for the littles to eat and the shrimp and bass were a nice mix and so well flavored. The mushroom flan was so creamy with a crispy light crust, would recommend. The roasted potatoes were not standout, solid potatoes if that is what you're going for. The roasted vegetables though were tendered, good variety, and perfectly seasoned. The 2 toddlers had the fettuccini bolognese from the bambini menu, split in 2 and it was well enough for them to be full. I had the orzotto, and my husband had the Milanese which was huge in size and definitely worth the price. The salad on top of the Milanese had light citrus dressing that paired so well with the veal itself. The lobster and shrimp in the orzotto made the meal. Overall, this was one of my favorite Italian restaurants stateside. Everything was light yet filling and so flavorful.

I had some difficulty locating Ciccia Osteria, with the roads in Logan Heights/Barrio Logan going at all different angles. The neighborhood remains in transition, and parking is greatly problematic. When I entered Ciccia Osteria at 5:00 pm on a Saturday, I was met with a sign to "WAIT" to be seated. There were about three tables occupied on the patio, but no one at all to seat me. After waiting about three minutes, a man who had been seated at one of the tables got up and seated me in the interior, as I had requested. The interior has an worn charm that I appreciate. For example, there is a bookcase leading back to the bathroom that even includes a signed cook book by Tre Stelle Chef Gualtiero Marchesi. Be aware the restaurant does not properly store its wines. They are casually kept in bins in the narrow hallway leading back to the lone gender neutral bathroom. In other words, be prepared that your Barolo, or Pio Cesare Nebbiolo or Montepulciano Abuzzo/Toscana will NOT be served at proper 55 degree cellar temperature, so there will be a required bit of cooling in an ice bucket. Allesandro was a kindly presence throughout my meal, as were the shy Hispanic women who may have had language difficulties but did not lack in quiet professionalism and pleasantness

Made dinner reservation for 3 on day of 7pm. Arrived and waited about 5min to be seated. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating but it was completely packed so highly recommend getting a reservation in advance. Pretty loud ambiance, cool decor, mix of homey and garden vibes. Service was good with friendly staff. Meals came out in 10-15min but the complimentary bread and olive oil was a good appetizer.All the pastas were cooked well and al dente. Well coated and mixed in their sauces. Medium sized portions that is just enough to be satisfied with room for dessert. 9/10 Mafalde ragu dell'Aia $19.8 - Flavors were creamy and savory. Bits of meat were also good. 9/10 Frutti di Mare $21 - pretty solid seafood flavors with good amount of protein. 8/10 Beet Ravioli $25.60 - Seasonal option which also good. The beet filling was cooked well but I wished there was a meat version of this.7/10 Mushroom Flan $13 - Savory flan that was creamy, thick in sauce consistency, but flavor was just ok.

I'm speechless. The food is absolutely amazing amazing. I'm gluten free and their menu went there for my wedding anniversary and they surprised us with a dessert! Gluten free mushroom Marsala ravioli was to die for. I've never had such amazing GF pasta, let alone ravioli. My wife had the lobster barley risotto and she was in love with it more than me lol. Customer service was amazing! Highly recommended in general overall but a great place to go for a celebration. Also extremely reasonably priced!

Do you serve dogs at your restaurant? It sounds like the opening to a bad joke, doesn't it? But alas, I think going forward it's going to become my go to question before making reservations at a restaurant.Let me preface my comments by saying I realize this will likely be very controversial and polarizing. And I should note, for context, that the experience is only a few hours old and I'm still angry. Perhaps I should have slept on it before posting this. But here goes...I love Ciccia Osteria. I think the food is amazing. Chef Francesca and Mario are culinary savants, engaging and elevating simple ingredients to spectacular levels. They are deserving of the "Bib Gourmand" designation bestowed by the Michelin guide. The reviews praising their food and service from the professional critics at San Diego Magazine, San Diego Times, the San Diego Reader, to the keyboard warriors on Yelp, Google, Trip Advisor, etc, -it's virtually unanimous; everyone LOVES what you do.To be clear, I believe this is a restaurant worthy of all the praise it has received, thus the 5 stars. In no uncertain terms, this is my favorite Italian restaurant anywhere outside of Italy.But today... Today may have been my final meal shared at Ciccia Osteria, because I don't care to dine with dogs.I struggle to make sense of who's exactly to blame. I don't know what portion or percentage of responsibility to assign to the other patron, myself, or the owners of the establishment.Maybe it's 100% my fault, and I'm just unreasonable. To be sure, this is the point in my life where I will forever more be known as a curmudgeon. I accept my fate here. But this is the last time I will pay for a meal if I am seated with dogs.I understand some people may truly need service animals. And there are laws to protect those individuals. But these weren't those people. These were not service animals. I really doubt these were even "emotional support animals", because in theory, even "ESA" aka "Emotional Support Animals" should be well trained and preferably wear a badge designating them as such. (Note: by law; an ESA is NOT a service animal just because you say so, printed out a certificate from the internet or wish it to be true. Moreover, people abusing this term are messing it up for the individuals who truly need service animals... But I digress)These asshats just decided to bring their dogs to dinner, and you ruined my meal. The barking, feeding the dogs from the table, getting them riled up and there wagging tails smacking into me... It took every bit of the little decency I have left to not drag the dog owners out of the restaurant and walk them like dogs down the block. And to be clear I don't think the dogs are at fault here at all. They are just being dogs, doing what dogs do... To the entitled asshats that brought them, shame on you.Somehow the social contract we used to all abide by has slowly been unravelled to the point that inconsiderate, arrogant, delusional, entitled dog owners presume it has become acceptable for them to bring there dogs wherever they like. How that sense of entitlement is bestowed upon them isn't for this rant; not because I don't have strong opinions on the matter of how we got here, but because I frankly don't care about the how anymore. I just want it to stop.As an aside, thank you; cat owners of the world. Thus far it seems you're more intelligent and considerate of others than dog owners, as I'm yet to see anyone bring a cat to a restaurant, presumably because they realize it would likely inconvenience other people... But maybe I'm giving cat owners too much credit.A dinner at Ciccia Osteria isn't cheap. I paid about $250 for our meals, including drinks, desserts, service fee and gratuity. And perhaps it is unreasonable of me to expect for that price that my fellow patrons would have the common courtesy to NOT. BRING. DOGS. (Yes, plural.)For the record, I myself am not a cat person. I am very much a dog person. I have a wonderful old dog at home, and I have had 4 dogs over my life that I've loved dearly. But I've never been so arrogant so as to presume that everyone else will love my dogs too; especially not when they are having dinner at a restaurant listed in the Michelin guide. So this is it. The final arbitrar will be you, Francesca and Mario. You have the right to refuse service to anyone. If you decide that you will continue to serve dogs, arrivederci. If you would be so bold so as to stand up to the arrogant, ignorant pricks treating your restaurant with the same respect they show a dog park, then I look forward to seeing you again soon. If not, I won't be back. Chef Mario, mi amici, I'm looking forward to your response. I hope others will share these sentiments and also refuse to be seated with dogs.Either way, the next time I make a reservation, here or anywhere else, I will first ask: Do you serve dogs at your restaurant?

Enjoyed a special evening with friends at Ciccia Osteria on a Friday night. I have talked to a couple of friends and they highly recommended this cozy and unpretentious eatery.Immediately we were welcomed into a charming table on the patio seating. The owner and Host was very delightful. The menu had something to offer everyone. Some gluten free choices, vegetarian. It appears they feature farm to table Italian fare. I am looking forward to going back to possibly experience of their breakfast/brunch. Lunch would be charming and afterward walking the many galleries. I willMost certainly return!

Delicious food. My favorite was surprisingly the appetizer focaccia with whipped butter. Loved that it was dog friendly and my pup got to join. Also appreciated that they had plenty of vegetarian options. Cozy ambiance and welcoming staff was the cherry on top. It felt like home and I'm not even Italian

CicciaThe mushroom flan is so good, I almost gave them 5 stars in spite of everything. *=starsBread *****Mushroom Flan ******Chianti Reservo *****Pinot Noir * (personal preference, can't fault them for it)Truffle mushrooms *****Ragu * (meat was dry and somehow didn't coat in the delicious sauce it was served with)Crab gnocchi * (tasted, cold, undercooked and fishy)Ricotta Cheesecake ****Service **I really want to give them more stars because i see the effort and genuine care they try to give to everyone but it was 2 steps forward, 5 steps back all night. Strong start, warm greeting but went downhill from there. A disorganized staff can ruin the good intentions of the few. It was my perception that everyone was trying to serve everyone without talking or taking time to get on the same page. Some people take orders on paper, others use an electronic device. They got our first drink order wrong, served us a second flan we didn't order (honestly a win since I couldn't stomach the gnocchi and it filled me up...honestly this gave them extra credit they needed to keep a ), left us with a wine and entree I had already returned while my husband reluctantly finished his meal and I was left nibbling on the truffle mushrooms. There were a lot of genuine apologies along the way and I was really hopeful when dessert came. But then we got the bill and we were incorrectly charged for a bottle of a wine of which I'd only had one glass. I genuinely liked our server and I am sure we would have had a wildly better experience on a less busy, less hectic night. No