Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant

06/29/24 - Late PostI came here for lunch with my sister and her 7 month old baby. We ordered the following:* Medium Blanco Pizza - White Sauce, Fresh Garlic, Provolone, Romano, Gorgonzola and Mozzarella topped off with our Sicilian pepperoni* Antipasto Salad -Small - Assorted fine Italian meats, Provolone cheese, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, pepperoncini, olives, and optional anchovies* Butter spaghetti for the babyThis place is really nice. I think it just opened when we went but there were more people when we left. We came around early lunch time. Our host was really nice and friendly. They served us a good amount of fresh bread and butter which I enjoyed very much. I probably would've been okay with that. BUT the pizza was very good. The pepperoni and crust had a nice crisp to it and the cheese and sauce was very savory. I loved that the garlic flavor was just enough not to overpower the overall flavor of the pizza. The antipasto was also good, but I just wish it had more greens. Blasphemy right?! but it had such a good amount of meats and cheeses that I felt like it needed more greens. Overall, I highly recommend this spot. I want to go back but just haven't been able to since I don't live there, but excited to try their other menu items and pasta.

We were providing dinner at our friend's house. We wanted it to be easy and something that we could simply toss into the oven when we decided we wanted to eat. A tray of lasagna from Nicolosi's seemed perfect. Turned out it was.We ordered two days in advanced for a Saturday afternoon pick up at 1:30. It was ready for pick up right on time. A very large tin that seemed like it weighed 10 pounds. They also threw in two loaves of bread to go with it.45 minutes or so before it was time to eat we tossed the lasagna into the oven to reheat it. It came out almost perfectly. Nicolosi's had cooked it to perfection, so the second heating did result in some crispy bits, but did not dry it out.Layer after layer of pasta, house made meatballs and sausage, ricotta, Romano and mozzarella cheeses. It must have been four or five inches deep in layers. Pasta, meat and cheese in every bite! Despite our collective love for it, Becky and I, nor our friends eat pasta very often. When we do, we want it to be worth the carb and caloric intake. Nicolosi's lasagna was oh so worth it! Delizioso!We had a bunch leftover that I portioned into Food Saver bags and put them in the freezer for future feasting. The tray rang in at about $100. It easily could feed 10 - 12 people which is a deal at $8 - $10 per serving.

I must say that we were both very disappointed in our entrees. We started with a small Antipasto with their excellent fresh baked bread with butter. Salad was very good, along with the fresh hot bread.Our server was really nice and welcoming which is one of the reasons why I'm rating this restaurant 3 stars instead of less. Here's where things took a turn. The Chicken Picatta had no flavor except for lemon. It tasted as if the sauce used was hot water. So hot lemon water. Now the Linguine with White Clam Sauce looked amazing. It took a while to take the clam out of their shells and I was excited with anticipation because it looked and smelled so good. When I had my first bite, all I could taste was the overpowering heat from the Red Chili Flakes. Now I am someone who enjoys spicy food at times and for me to say it was too spicy is huge for me. I asked the server if the restaurant normally adds Red Chili Flakes in the Linguine with Clams, and she said yes. It wasn't listed as an ingredient on their website and if I had known I would have asked to not add it. There was so much Red Chili flakes which made it not enjoyable. If I ever go back it'll be because of the service. It's just disappointing because we used to frequent their locations off Waring Rd, Navajo Rd and El Cajon locations and the only thing that tasted the same was the salad and bread.

We heard about the move from downtown El Cajon to Santee and had a coupon so we thought we'd check it out. We used the coupon to buy a large pizza and get a free small (or was it medium) pizza free.We enjoyed that it's a family owned business and getting background on the restaurant. Sounds like the family has done very well and has a few locations.My parents enjoyed the pizza making it their new top pizza location! I was a little more persnickety wanting more flavor in the sauce and even the cheese. For me it was a bit bland but my folks were happy which is more important! I was eyeing the ravioli which we may try next visit. One hesitation is that it's a bit pricy but I understand that portions are large so perhaps we can try splitting.Overall a good experience and definitely one of the better Italian restaurants we've been to lately.

This was our first time visiting the new location, we loved the Navajo restaurant. Upon arriving I was definitely disappointed that it was no longer a big, homey Italian restaurant feel. The new location is more a sports bar/ fast casual spot, concrete floors, bare walls, lots of large TVs with sports on. I missed the old Italian, family restaurant decor. Their sandwiches are still amazing, we had my 2 standards the meatball and the torpedo. It was a little confusing as the waitress kept asking what I wanted on the Torpedo and I said just how it comes and she told us she didn't remember what meat was on it. She also asked if we wanted cheese on the meatball sub which we thought was standard but we realized at the end we were charged $2 extra for it. Overall food still great, didn't care for the atmosphere, service ok.

Amazing food and service here at Nicolosi's! Jenn and the rest of the staff were very friendly and welcoming. The rigatoni with pink sauce (add mushroom) was the absolute best!! Definitely huge portions, I got the half order of pasta and still took half home. We've ordered to go before but we decided to dine in and it was a nice family atmosphere. Btw the blush wine was amazing!!!! I will def return to have some more

Nicolosi's in Santee is now the new headquarters of the restaurant, since the other branches have now closed. The interior of the restaurant is pleasant, with a bar up front where you enter. On each side of the bar are multiple hightops on two sides. The dining room is on the far right. There are paintings on the wall with amusing sayings. As for the food, i Ican recommend the Tortellini, if you order it with light cheese and sauce. And the "Tony's Special Pizza" is better than expected.

Welcome back Nicolosi's!!When Nicolosi's moved from Waring to Navajo is just wasn't the same. I had little hope when they moved to Santee but we decided to give it a try.Oh My Gosh it was DELICIOUS!!! I had the Gnocchi Parmesan and my husband had the trio (spaghetti, lasagna and ravioli). We topped our dinner off with their Frittole (deep fried pizza dough topped served with a berry and a chocolate dipping sauce). Even though we were UBER stuffed, we demolished the Frittole. So good!!Our server Victoria was delightful and the restaurant has a great vibe.The only 2 things I wish for are for them to bring back the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and I'd LOVE for them to sell their sauces jarred. I personally would have bought at least two jars of their Marinara to take on an upcoming trip to Texas. One of my best friends completely misses Nicolosi's.

As a "kid" I worked at "the" Nicolosi's, on El Cajon Blvd., when Sam Nicolosi owned the restaurant. Sam got the place from his father, who started the restaurant in 1952. Sam was a great guy to work for and had me on the day shift during the summer, Monday through Friday, so I could hang out at OB to surf with my buddies. I was impressed that many of the ladies that worked there then actually retired many years later. How many servers today work 15-25 years at the same restaurant?When a new freeway was built through the 40th Street intersection, Sam moved to a location on Waring Road. Sam had no children to pass the baton to. So I believe when he decided to retire he sold it to some nephews or cousins. They moved the restaurant to another location but it wasn't the same. Now, the Burn's family owns Nicolosi's in a small shopping area, and the place has a more up beat sports-bar feel to it. Very little, if any, of the restaurant's history is evident. Food was not bad and better than most places (chains) I've been to for something Italian. Had a half pepper steak sandwich (soggy) with marinara for $17 and a small lasagna for $24. The sauce was a little watery but not bad. The bread was fresh although they don't bake their own anymore. Service by Betty was good. This new location is more for the "locals" in Santee. Too far for tourists to drive to as there are some excellent Italian restaurants closer to the beaches and downtown. Overall, I wouldn't say great but it was good. Last thing: Very expensive as noted above and two scoops of spumoni was $9 and a glass of soda was over $4. I know rent in San Diego is high but this seems excessive.

We ordered the meatball sandwich for pick up last night and ended up throwing it in the trash. It was so salty that it was inedible, The sauce and meat were horrible. So disappointed as we have been going to Nicolosis for many years. What happened to their food?