La Pastaia

Every aspect of this restaurant is wonderful without question. Our waiter's name was Sergio and he was the kindest waiter I've met. He was very professional, pleasant, and humorous. Not to mention the food and setting were very tasteful.

Tucked away in the corner of a Clairemont strip mall with plenty of parking, we were searching for good Italian food without the hassel of Little Italy. From the friendly greeting at the door to the brief visits during the meal to check in with whatever we might need for a good dining experience, we were pleased to find a restaurant that remembers to treat their patrons like something other than an annoyance. The Cesare salad appetizers came lightly layered with small, plump, flavorful anchovies. That's something I'd never seen, and it was a delicious salad of decent proportion.It's Wednesday, so we tried the cheese wheel pasta which is 25% off on Wednesdays. We had assumed this to be a gimmicky trend, so we thought we'd try it out. In fact, tossing the hot pasta inside the cheese wheel, as opposed to topping the pasta with cheese, produces pasta with full, even cheese coverage on every piece. Heavenly! Topped with a generous dollop of truffled porcini, this was a truly enjoyable dish. We tried appetizers from the Happy Hour menu and had some house red wine, which they must have mistakenly taken from their "good" wine bottles. I'm used to acerbic swill that's been left open all week in any "house" glass of wine, so I didn't dare order it. Instead, my husband ordered it. I tasted it, and we ordered a few more glasses from there.Dessert wasn't anything to write home about; a nice little selection, but typical. If you are looking for a delicious meal with old-school polite service, I highly recommend this hidden gem.

Ambiance 4, service 4, food 3.5.Brought a bottle for no corkage Sunday. Pretty inside, but opted for fresh air and sea breeze on the patio. Server Sergio was kind, polite, attentive, efficient.Ordered artichoke and octopus. Both came out room temperature, both had same sauce, capers.Risotto with shrimp/saffron was swimming in a pool 1/4" deep of oil and butter. Flavor fine, but too rich, especially for lunch.

Mixed bag here. 3 of our 4 pastas were quite good - the bolognese and the seafood pasta with the tortelloni the standout - but my tagliatelle short rib was terrible. It should not have been sent out from the kitchen and if my family member weren't there and paying, I would have sent it back. It was highly undersauced with way too big of a portion of overcooked noodles and the short rib was flavorless and highly fatty. I pushed 7/8 of it to the side of the plate. This dish was possibly the worst pasta I have had in the city and a huge ripoff.Cocktails were good enough but definitely not top tier.The other frustration was seeing a table with multiple off-menu items as we walked out. Guess it pays to know the owners! We will be back as we want to support a female owned small business but they get one more shot.

Went here for their special Mother's Day menu- it was good. I didn't know they wouldn't have their special pasta in a wheel bc it was Mother's Day. :/ but it's ok! The decor is super cute- very aesthetic for pictures. The service and food is where I can't confidently give it a full 5 stars. When we arrived for early lunch/late brunch on Mother's Day it was not too busy. However, it took a minute for us to put our drinks order in. The server also seemed uninterested in what we were ordering and the questions we were asking about the menu. So much so, my husband's food was missing an item and it took a while for the item to come. On top of that, some of the food came out lukewarm, despite waiting a little longer than a usual wait time. Overall, it's cute. The regular menu is probably amazing, but the service and the attention to detail could have made this experience 10/10.

One of our favorite Italian restaurants. Visited here on multiple occasions and it never disappoints! The food, the drinks, the service, the ambiance and the happy hour (4-6pm during the week) are amazing. Their menu slightly rotates as well so always opportunities to try new things! Highly recommend.

**Review of La Pastaia Italian**La Pastaia Italian, located off Clairemont Drive, offers a delightful dining experience that truly captures the essence of Italian cuisine. The pasta dishes here are exceptional, with the short rib raviolis standing out as a highlight. The white sauce on this dish is like heaven in your mouth, perfectly complementing the tender short rib filling.The staff at La Pastaia Italian are incredibly friendly and go out of their way to ensure a pleasant visit. However, it did seem like they were a bit short-staffed during my visit, with two people handling the workload of four. Despite this, their professionalism and dedication shone through, making the experience enjoyable.Overall, La Pastaia Italian is a gem worth visiting, especially for pasta enthusiasts. The delicious food and welcoming atmosphere make it a must-try spot.

Review is for happy hour: 5 stars all around!I've had this place bookmarked for a while, since friends' reviews of it have shown up in my feed. But it's not in my neighborhood, and Bay Park is not exactly nightlife central, so it took a while to move this from the bookmark list to the make-plans-for list! I have a friend who lives nearby so we agreed to meet here at 4 pm on a Sat.First, this is ONE OF THE BEST HAPPY HOURS IN SAN DIEGO. Most places don't have happy hour on weekends. 4-6 pm EVERY DAY, including the weekends. $5 beer or champagne; $6 house red or white wine; $7 house cocktails. 40% off pizza and apps!Second, the food was delicious. I got a giant margherita pizza, very tasty, $9 at happy hour prices (v. $15 normally). YUM. My friend got the Pastaia Salad with Chicken, and it was $14. My aperol spritz was very respectable and sippable, and my friend said the house red was surprisingly good.Third, the service! We had Sergio who was extremely nice. He checked on us but also let us linger. Loved it!Finally (last but not least): this patio! Ok, this is a strip mall, and how exciting is the patio going to be? But it's *beautifully decorated*, full of plants, shady... AND was just about the coldest place in San Diego to be today. Up at the hill on Clairemont, just above Mission Bay, we had THE BEST breeze.So, this place is a no-brainer, especially if you're coming for happy hour. Best deal around for yummy food and drinks. Glad I got it off the bookmark list and can send people there myself now!

My hair dresser recommended I try this restaurant for the #PastaCheeseWheel. Came after church last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed the food, service and ambiance (nice piped in music). Watching the server mix my #SpaghettiCacioEPepe in a cheese wheel was a new one for me and it did not disappoint the #GrilledOctopus with roasted potatoes, cannellini beans was delicious. For dessert the #HouseMadeTiramisu was lovely. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I would definitely come back

Fantastic meal, great service. Very family friendly and perfect for all occasions. The decor was quite well done, both inside and out. The homemade Tiramisu was amazing.