Great location if you’re attending a concert or show nearby Civic Center. We reserved a table for 9 and they were willing to accommodate an extra person last minute. The food is great and they have a Special Menu on top of the regular menu. All the pastas were delicious. Drinks and wine were good as well. My friend complained about the waitress not answering a question regarding mixed drinks when she asked what’s the difference between 2 drinks. Besides that I felt it was all good. Place is a little hot during summer. They only have one ceiling fan working. Place looked clean. One bathroom only but it was well stocked and clean.
What a great place! We tried Operacaffe because it's across from the Balboa Theater but we'll come back for the cuisine. Everything was delicious! We started with a special bruschetta; it was great and things only got better. Salads were crispy and fresh. Lasagna is made with bechamel, not tomato sauce, so it's incredibly rich and the meat flavors dominate. We also tried the handmade spinach and cheese ravioli. Delicious! So good we forgot to take pictures!
Looking forward to our next visit. Maybe we'll have time for dessert!
The cuisine at this place is truly exceptional! We tried the truffle ravioli from the special menu and the Maine lobster ravioli, both of which were absolutely outstanding. The Opera pizza, our appetizer, was also delightful. However, it's worth noting that the atmosphere was more casual than expected, as mentioned by previous reviewers. While it didn't detract from the overall experience, it's advisable to dress for a more laid-back outing, despite the high quality of the food.
Truly delicious, authentic Italian cuisine. Their house made pasta is honestly one of the best we’ve ever had. Our waitress and all other staff were super professional and knowledgeable. My fettuccine with truffle oil was really good. Not too oily. I enjoyed it very much with a glass of red wine. We concluded our dinner with a dessert that was just right.
The food here is absolutely amazing! We had the truffle ravioli from the special menu and the maine lobster ravioli, and both were mind blowing to say the least. We also had the Opera pizza as an appetizer and that was great as well. However, the atmosphere is a lot more casual than anticipated according to previous reviewers. We did wish the environment matched the quality of the food. It doesn’t take away from the experience but just be wary of dressing for a more casual outing.
The cioppino was good but the pappardelle duck ragu was just phenomenal. It was so sublime that everytime I go do SD, I have to eat it!! The orange zest touch was in perfect harmony with the texture of the pasta and the truffle oil. Definitely, one of best Italian dishes I have tasted in North America. Other great dishes include the Ossobucco, linguine tartuffo Nero and the ravioli with crab. Great service, friendly staff.
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Came with my fiancée for dinner on a Sunday evening around 6pm. Since it was Sunday, street parking was free, and we lucked out and found a parking spot just a few blocks away. We had a reservation, but it wasn’t overly crowded so probably would have been okay without it. The hostess brought us to our seats and gave us an overview of the menu and the specials, which included ossobucco paired with a saffron risotto. As soon as she started describing it, I knew I had to order it. The server started us off with some complimentary bread (seemed like focaccia to me) paired with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which was quite good. Next we had the fried burrata, which was excellent - perfectly crisp on the outside, melty and creamy on the inside, and paired with a delicious tomato sauce. The ossobucco was divine - melt in your mouth tender, rich, veal that was braised all day long - and it went perfectly with the saffron risotto. We were pretty stuffed after the meal, but took some limoncello cake to go. All the staff was very friendly, and we really enjoyed the experience. Would certainly recommend this if you’re looking for some more upscale (but not overly expensive) Italian fare in downtown San Diego!
Let me start by saying this is the BEST Italian food I've ever had. It was beyond my expectations and absolutely incredible. The staff was so attentive and kind. My daughter and I went to dinner while celebrating her birthday. The restaurant is bright and cozy with a exciting vibe. We started with homemade bread with olive oil & balsamic to dip it in... amazing. Our appetizer was arancini with another dipping sauce... incredible. My daughter got the ravioli aragosta and it was delicious!!! I got the asiago pepper gnocchi that was pure pillows of love!!! We finished with cannoli and that was out of this world!!! But the experience was beyond the food. We felt like family and were treated as such. The entire staff took great care of us, thank you !!! If we lived in SD we would be here every week. I will absolutely be back to try it again. If you are in the Glass Lamp district and want an amazing meal stop by!!! You will not be disappointed!!!
Top notch authentic Italian. Had the bruschetta with mozzarella, then the lobster ravioli. Both were incredible, the lobster ravioli had the most creamy rich sauce and some shelled shrimp cooked into it. Great service, indoor and outdoor seating.
Excellent service, quick and efficient. The space was surprisingly more casual than I expected.
The food was delicious, though not ground breaking. The fried burrata was interesting, wish I had tried both burrata dishes for comparison. The lobster ravioli was tasty, though the ravioli themselves are not very plump. The creme brulee was a solid option for dessert.
Amazing food! Freshly made pasta and bread. Staff was excellent! The whole restaurant was nicely decorated. But again, amazing food! The gnocchi was so good!v lobster ravioli was very good as well.
Superb dinner on our last night in San Diego. Read previous reviews and decided to give it a go. Wasn't disappointed! Ravioli porcini was delicious! Homemade ravioli and you could certainly tell . My husband had Bucatini Mare e Monte which was also amazing. All well presented, flavoursome and well priced for the quality. Only gave 4* for the atmosphere as there was only one other couple eating at the same time as us but we were very early evening.
Friendly and polite! Gave great recommendations when me and my friends couldn’t decide what we wanted. The food was absolutely AMAZING! I can’t wait to come back!
If you love homemade pasta as much as I do you have to go to Opera Caffe . They specialize in authentic Italian cuisine cooked by a real Italian mom Patrizia. Every dish is made to order and everything is made from scratch, including their amazing pizza dough
🍝 Duck pappardelle: homemade noodles in a rich duck ragu with truffle oil
🍝 Ravioli: stuffed with spinach and ricotta with shrimp, scallops in an amazing saffron sauce
🧀 Fried Burrata: ooey gooey melted cheese that’s so crispy on the outside
🍕 Capricciosa: loaded with olives, ham, mushrooms and artichoke
🦑 Calamari and shrimp: golden crispy with the perfect tenderness
🥖 Bruschetta: toast topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and prosciutto
🍨Chocolate bomb: crispy chocolate shell with pistachio, chocolate, strawberry ice cream
Make sure to check out their rotating seasonal specials too. True Italian hospitality and delicious food makes this one of my favorite Italian spots.
Excellent service and food exquisite! We had dinner before our show at Balboa Theater. Cozy and romantic atmosphere, and we will return again. Thank you!
Fantastic food. Fantastic flavors and freshly sourced ingredients. All pastas made in house.
The fillet mignon SanDiego is out of this world complex with flavors.
I had the Halibut and it was wonderful.
Freshest tastiest mozzarella I've ever had.
Prices very reasonable compared to similar restaurants in the area.
Seating is limited. Plan accordingly.
Wow! I didn’t even want to go here but the concierge raved about it. I’m so glad we came! Everything was unbelievably great! It felt like we were in the beat restaurant in Italy! Take me back! Yummmm! The drinks and dessert were amazing too!
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