Piacere Mio - South Park

Im a picky person when it comes to food... but man, Id come back to this place weekly if it isn't so far for me. I am over all these overpriced overhyped Italian restaurants which seem to focus solely on the ambience and people will go as long as it's Instagram worthy.Carpaccio - very fresh but portion is on the lighter sideCalamari - thin coated breading, seasoned just right, I could have finished the whole app by myself Carbonara - it's probably the top 3 carbonara I had in San Diego. Lobster seafood fettuccine in vodka sauce - very generous portion lobster, cooked just right, vodka sauce was on the lighter side which I added some chili pepperPan seared sea bass in lemon caper sauce - holy cow it was 10/10. Tiramisu was great. It was enough to be shared by 2-3 people. Waiters and waitress were very friendly and approachable. They definitely made everybody feel welcome. They checked on us regularly and in the perfect timing whenever we needed something.

Been here many times and their pastas are always solid. We like to make our own pasta combo, our favorite being the bolognese with pappardelle. The bolognese is flavorful and meaty and their pasta is perfectly al dente. Simple yet satisfying. We've recently tried their calamari appetizer and that was pretty good as well. They do also offer warm bread with olive oil and balsamic as a starter but we try to save our stomachs for the pasta.Overall we enjoy coming here for dinner and would recommend getting a reservation to minimize the potential wait time. This place is on the smaller side and tables can fill up quickly, especially when there is a party. It can also get quite loud inside, possibly because there isn't good sound proofing. I wouldn't recommend this as a first date or hangout spot if you want to actually hear your conversations. As for parking, it can be tough in this area. There is no lot, just street parking. Usually I find it's easier to find a spot a couple blocks away.

Cesare salad was excellent and the kitchen served exactly half portion for me and my friend, which was fantastic. The lettuce on the salad was the whole leaf and seasoned very well! Would love to get little more croutons but loved the sauce! Lasagna was a bit of a letdown as I was looking forward to more depth and flavor. It was just another lasagna with mild tomato sauce that wasn't anything amazing. I enjoyed the service, details and the ambiance of the restaurant but it wasn't anything that will get me out of my seats.Thank you for the service and the food guys! Cheers!

We came here for dinner on a weeknight around 6pm and there was no wait! We sat on their covered patio because we had a small dog with us. The service was great, very homey and friendly. They give you bread at the start and have specials for drinks and main courses. We tried the Orecchiette ($22) and the Frutti De Mare ($25), as well as their wine special ($9). We had briefly mentioned we were sharing the two pastas and they actually split it for us before bringing it to the table, which was a great touch! Both pastas were delicious but the Orecchiette was our favorite and a must try. Parking in the neighborhood was easy!

This might be the first time Yelp steered me wrong. This spot has so many great reviews and I honestly don't see how. The best part of our dinner was our super friendly server, but other than that this was a complete swing and miss. Food: The first red flag was when I ordered an iced tea and was served a plastic bottle instead of freshly brewed. The second red flag was the bread that was incredibly dry. We ordered the ricotta stuffed eggplant as an appetizer and this was the best food item we ate. For entrees I had a tagliatelle alla vodka con pollo and my husband had the chicken Parmesan. The vodka sauce was really off. I don't know what was missing, but this was hot vodka sauce like I know. The other oddity of this dish was the Kalamata olives in it. There also wasn't much chicken and the homemade pasta was also off. The chicken parm was super thin, overcooked, and salty. My husband also said there was something weird about the pasta, but we. Plant pinpoint it. They have indoor and outdoor seating. I had a reservation and we were seated outside, even though there was ample open tables inside. They have a narrow patio for outdoor seating, but it is right across from target and the street which was a bit loud. Street parking was not hard to find. Unfortunately, I would not recommend or return here.

Came here for a friend's birthday and I was really happy with this place! Parking wasn't that bad, although I did have to park a few blocks away. They gave us fresh bread and a olive oil/vinegar mix (I asked for just olive oil). We started with the Calamari Fritti and the Polpo E Patate (octopus and potatoes). The calamari was a little better than your average calamari. I think it had a nice amount of breading on it, but not too much where it was all you could taste. The shrimp was a really nice addition as well. But the octopus was absolutely amazing! It was a fantastic combination with the potatoes and I wish I couldn't eaten the entire thing myself without sharing with the rest of the group. Packed with flavor with the pesto sauce. I decided to try veal for the first time and got the Saltimbocca Alla Romana, but instead of the potatoes and vegetables, I got the creamy saffron risotto instead. Unfortunately, the risotto was horrendous. It was bland and rubbery and you couldn't taste the saffron at all. The staff was nice enough to get me a small order of spaghetti to replace the risotto, but I wished I had just gotten the potatoes and vegetables instead. Thankfully, the veal was amazing and made up for it. If all veal tastes as good as theirs, then I am definitely a fan now!

4.5 starsCame here early evening as they opened because I hear it can get busy and then parking starts to get harder. We had a reservation just to be sure. There were options to create your own pasta dish by choosing a pasta shape and sauce. Instead I went with one of their composed pasta dishes; Ravioli Di Carne Ai Funghi, Angus beef stuffed ravioli with a mushroom cream sauce.I almost never get stuffed pasta but this one spoke to me for some reason. I thought the ravioli were tasty and cooked well but the mushroom cream sauce was too creamy for me. I usually like sauces that are tomato or olive oil based but I took a chance. If you're into cream sauces, im sure you'd like this one a lot.We split one of the daily specials the braised beef short ribs with mashed potatoes. What was surprising was they split it in the kitchen with out asking! Thats amazing service! The short rib was fork tender and just melted in your mouth. The red wine and demi-glace sauce that it was braised in was very tasty and the mashed potatoes were silky smooth and buttery. Just half was a good size portion, I left really full.. The atmosphere is casual but you can dress up a little if you like. Business casual is probably a safe bet. I'd like to come back and try another pasta dish, maybe a lasagna or a Linguine alle vongole (linguini with clams)Service was great, its not a large place so reservations are highly recommended. I wouldn't take a chance just walking in, I'd imagine it would be a long wait.

Cute Italian restaurant in South Park. The service was absolutely amazing and the food matched. I will definitely be back! The server was kind and patient, answered our questions and made sure we were good. The food was some of the best Italian food I have had in a while! Bread was brought to the table immediately upon being seated which was also super nice!

We're picky when it comes to Italian food because my husband is half Italian from New York where Italian food is abundant. This is our new favorite Italian spot in town! Starting with the service, everyone and I mean EVERYONE was extremely friendly, helpful, and just overall great hosts for our date night. The food was spectacular. We had the calamari, Amatriciana with pancetta and tagliatelle, lobster ravioli (special - please add this to your permanent menu!!!), and ended with nutella cheesecake and crème brûlée. Every dish was full of freshness, flavor, and cooked to perfection. The standout was the lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. Let me tell you that vodka sauce is pure gold and deserves its own show as the main event. Make a reservation on Yelp as they were busy on a Saturday night. Loved the ambiance, fair pricing, food, service, and everything in between.

Amazing food!! The seafood special was spectacular and the portion was sooo generous! I would definitely go back. A great semi casual date night place.