Cori Pastificio Trattoria

The first time I came to Cori, I honestly didn't really remember the experience, so I wasn't sure what to expect on my second visit. But, I'm happy to report that the food is delicious and absolutely worth a visit. We made reservations ahead of time, which are a must! This place is popular. Both sitting inside and outside provide a beautiful and cozy ambience. The inside can be loud and lively, but still great for conversation. We ordered a really unique bottle of wine thanks to the recommendation of our server and started from there. It's best to enjoy the food here family style. We started with the focaccia, arancini and the donuts and continued with a short rib pasta special and the gnocchi. Everything was so flavorful and fun! We probably could have ordered a little bit more as the portions were well crafted, but on the smaller end (quality over quantity). A truly lovely experience!

We arrived at our reservation time and were seated immediately for a birthday dinner outside. We were seated in a corner area of the patio by a see through wall. Unfortunately there were some people on the sidewalk next to this wall talking loudly but were able to switch seats.The wine list and food were delicious. The salad and appitizer (fried rice balls) were delicious. I had the ravioli but felt the portions were about 2/3 what they should have been. Unfortunately the birthday girl had Seafood Minestra (Cioppino) that was missing squid infused pasta. The service was appologitic and was able to recook the dish immediately.In general the food was good quality. I would grab a snack before dinner and sit inside next time.

Update: Every time someone leaves an honest review (that isn't 5 stars) I find it strange all of a sudden this restaurant gets flooded with 5 star reviews what seems to be from not real accounts...to drown out the honest ones, not a fan. I honestly don't know if I want to rate this restaurant 2 or 3 stars. Let's get into it.. this place has been on my foodie radar for the past year or so, I had reservations for Paradisea but my group was running late so we had to do a last minute change which we finally got to try Cori. The waiter came over fairly quickly and gave us his recommendations and told us the chef was from Palermo and this was true Italian food so naturally myself and my entire table got very excited because we are all very familiar with Italian food (spent a lot of time there) and it's one of our favorite cuisines, let's just say the bar was set high. Here's what we got with ratings; BUFALA.Bufalo Mozzarella -3/10 would have honestly tasted better with OG balsamic the mozzarella itself was very good quality but I wasn't a fan of the accompanimentsFRITELLE.Savory Doughnuts - 2/10 Not my favorite thing on the menu which we were told was a fan favorite.. seems like it was meant to be innovative but fell flat in flavorRAVIOLI - 5/10 Two members of my group ordered this. One dish came out fine the second was totally cold in temperature super disappointing because the braised beef inside was very underwhelming being at such a cold temperature. LASAGNA 9/10 - Best thing on the menu excellent PESCE (fish of the day was seabass) 2/10 - I was extremely excited for this but it was dry like overcooked chicken and tasted like overcooked chicken (see photo) it was not tender nor moist both of which are seabass's usual characteristics. TIRAMISU ALLA NOCCIOLA - 11/10 EXCELLENT one of the best titamisu's I've enjoyed in my lifetime. All in all I would not go out of my way to come back here. A lot of the reviews you see below have 5 stars but look like fake reviews since this is the only restaurant they are reviewing. If you do still decide to try this place out for your own I recommend getting only 3 things: FOCACCIA, LASAGNA and TIRAMISU if you stick to these 3 you'll enjoy your meal here.

Cori is a gem in North Park with an open interior, patio, fantastic service, and delicious food. My husband and I shared a few different things to try. He had a couple of Negronis which were bitterly delicious while I had a glass of Lambrusco. Olives were delivered to the table while we decided what to order. We ended up getting the warm focaccia with an eggplant dip, the meatballs, savory donuts, and the pasta specialty which was carbonara that night. The cacio e pepe donuts were out of this world and so memorable. We talked about these after we left and how delicious, warm, and unique they were. It reminded me of an Italian version of biscuits and gravy but a million times better since the choux dough was light, fried, and airy. The focaccia and eggplant were superb, the meatballs were tender and swimming in a wonderful marinara that we dipped our bread in. The carbonara was nice, salty, creamy, and had a great bite to the perfectly cooked pasta. The service was outstanding and the restaurant was packed by the time we left.

If I could give this restaurant more than 5 stars - I would!Visited San Diego and our friend Craig is a wine seller and absolutely raved about Cori. We decided to go for our first dinner on our trip and we are so glad we did. Coming in - so cute!! The vibe is great. The decor is gorgeous. I loved everything about the way this place feels. We ate outside, our server was amazing! Attentive and kind. Federico was also great and came by our table many times to make sure we were happily satisfied with our night. My husband got the lasagna and it was the best lasagna I've ever had. So creamy and great flavor!I had the cavatelli and it was also delicious. Good portions! We also had the savory donuts and the focaccia. The eggplant compot for the focaccia was heavenly and I don't usually like eggplant. Absolutely wonderful spot and we will definitely be back on our next trip

If you want to be transported to Sicily for an incredible, traditional Italian dinner, this place is it (not that I've ever been, but I certainly felt that way!)The chef is Sicilian and the attention to detail from every staff member there was above and beyond and made this one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. The ambiance was cozy yet elevated, the food was so incredible with melt in your mouth pasta bursting with flavor, and the waiters (shout out to Justin!!) made you feel like you were right at home. This was a great date night, all around 10/10P.S. their Sauvignon is SO GOOD and one of their least expensive bottles

Excellent food and friendly and efficient service. Highly recommend tortellini with short ribs and tiramisu.

The food and ambiance is always incredible but we also keep coming back because Bridget is the absolute best. She always has the best food and wine recommendations and is also super fun to talk to

If someone asks for good Italian in San Diego, and they don't say Cori, don't trust them. Also, ask for Bridget.

Wow, just wow. Every meal at Cori has exceeded expectations and the staff us incredible! The restaurant feels like an escape to Italy and Acursio, Frederico and Bridget make you feel like family. I don't want to give away the secret that is Cori, but I think I just did...