Wow some of the best tasty pizzas that I have ever had, the staff was very friendly and attentive.

This was our first time at Buona Forchetta, and we were so impressed. The restaurant has a warm, inviting atmosphere that made it the perfect place to enjoy dinner on a beautiful sunny evening. It was lively without feeling overwhelming, and it was also very family-friendly. Every single dish we ordered was outstanding. The fresh pasta was the highlight of the meal. You could immediately tell it was homemade. The texture was perfect, and every sauce was packed with flavor. The pesto pasta with grilled chicken was fresh, vibrant, and incredibly well balanced. The creamy pasta was rich, velvety, and pure comfort food. We honestly couldn't stop talking about how good the pasta was. The pizza was just as impressive. The crust was light, airy, and perfectly charred from the wood-fired oven. The toppings tasted fresh, and even with all the meat and mushrooms, it never felt too heavy. It had that authentic Neapolitan-style texture that kept us reaching for another slice. The service was excellent from start to finish. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and our food came out surprisingly fast. Even though the restaurant was busy, we never felt forgotten, and everything arrived fresh and perfectly prepared. There honestly wasn't a single thing we didn't enjoy. Every dish exceeded our expectations, and we left already planning our next visit. If you're looking for authentic Italian food with amazing fresh pasta, delicious pizza, outstanding service, and a welcoming atmosphere, Buona Forchetta is absolutely worth the visit. read more

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This place is wow. Came to San Diego for a weekend trip and we wanted some Italian. We were able to make a reservation on open table for 12pm on a Saturday for 6 people and a baby. There is only street parking so you may need to drive around a block or two. The restaurant has both patio seating and indoor. The patio seating feels like you're in Rome with the chairs and decor matching a Roman Fraschetta. Our server Cosimo was wonderful! He took the wonderful to a different level with his Italian charisma. There is an extensive drink menu, all the pastas, pizzas, and other Italian dishes. We went with all of the recommendations that Cosimo made- 4 pizzas and 4 pastas. All were delicious. We also enjoyed the Tiramisu. If you want authentic Italian food and vibes go to Forchetta! read more

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Second time at Buona Forchetta, and it brought back such good memories, plus instant dopamine from the chew of their pizza crust! I came here with a big group of friends on a Thursday night, and the place was packed. The restaurant is located in a quieter area of South Park with plenty of street parking available (no dedicated lot, though). We made a reservation, and they seated us right on time. We ordered a little bit of everything, including appetizers, pizzas, and pasta. What surprised me most was how light everything tasted. The brightness and freshness of the dishes really made the overall experience stand out. Our favorite dishes at the table were the Nicola and Juna pizzas, along with the gnocchi carbonara. By the way, this is a fork and knife place for everything. This place is definitely a carb overload, but absolutely worth it. Come for the classics, stay for the vibes :) read more

I don't even like Italian pizza that much (a sin, I know) but I did really enjoy the pizza giulia here. The free fresh bread was also delicious and my friend had a huge salad she enjoyed. Service was fast and friendly and I liked that they had outdoor seating! read more

Buona Forchetta - I think this is the pizza giulia 10/10 - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

We've had dozens of excellent meals here over the years and last weekend was no different! I highly recommend reservations. We always get the same things: Fatorre salad, eggplant tortino, and two pizzas. The pizza special with mushrooms and sausage was delicious. The tiramisu is worth ordering as well. read more

Buona Forchetta - Eggplant Tortine - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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Service is always so good here. Everyone is so friendly. I love the covered patio seating...very nice. I wish the chairs were better though. I had the Diana and beet salad. Both very good (unfortunately, they do not make good leftovers though ) I was really looking forward to the chocolate mousse, but they changed it. Used to be rich and decadent...seems to be more cheaply made now...and not sure about the middle part. Wish they had the old version back. read more

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I can't believe I hadn't been here before as this gem place is in my neighborhood. My friends are all familiar with it , love it and have always recommended it and I def understood why. All the food is so delicious I almost forgot to take pictures. Was too busy enjoying their wine and chatting with the staff that are extremely friendly, attentive, lovely! A new favorite for me! read more

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Always such a great spot! Great ambiance, amazing food, the staff is super sweet. So nice to sit outside and enjoy a slow lunch. Great spot for a family. We brought our 8 month old baby and everyone was so great with us. Nice options for gluten free for our nana. She was able to modify her pasta how she wanted and have the noodles cooked to her liking! The beet salad, Juna pizza and carbonara were super fresh and had great flavor. The salad was big enough to share! House white wine was very tasty. read more

We just got engaged and came here to celebrate. Walking up on a Saturday night for dinner was about 35-40 min wait but it went by quicker than expected. We got a table inside and they are small tables so be cautious if you want to order full appetizer, entrees and drinks. Great selection to choose from and the house red was only $10 and decent. Their sodas come in the bottle and a glass to pour to yourself. Focaccia bread was delicious! Came with a bottle of olive and balsamic to pour onto your little plate. Well seasoned We decided to split the lasagna and a pizza. Lasagna was so yummy and not too hot. Pizza was amazing! We got the Eva and the hot honey was the perfect topping on that. The only downside was it was hard to flag our waiter down he kept coming over to our area and serve others but wouldn't look at us at all. He finally cane by to ask if we wanted dessert but we just asked for the check. We wonder if he saw the wine glass was not empty and assumed we were nursing it. Overall though great spot big line and lots of to go orders flying out the kitchen . We would love to come back and try more of their pizzas!! read more

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We stopped in for happy hour and were pretty underwhelmed. The service felt very minimal--our server checked in from a distance without coming to the table and didn't offer another round, even though both of our glasses were empty. When we asked a busser for help, he relayed the request, but the server finished a conversation with coworkers before eventually coming over. The pasta was slightly undercooked (less than al dente), though the flavor was there. Looking around, we also noticed the wine bottles displayed above the kitchen were covered in dust, which wasn't the best look. I've had great experiences at the Coronado location before, so I'm not sure why the visit the this location missed the mark. read more

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We come here to celebrate my birthday every other year, I bring my out of town friends here so they can get a taste of local favorites... they do have a location at Liberty Station which is worth checking out! We usually order a few pizzas, pasta and antipasti for our small group of 6. It is usually quite enough to share. The service is great and it is nice to hear Italian being spoken. read more

Dearest Buona, Please bring back your old chocolate mousse. I was so happy to finally come back and have it, and you changed it to something that doesn't taste mousse like at all. Not sure what the white center was either. The old one was perfect, like a true mousse. This new one is not it, and feels cheap for the rising costs on the menu Otherwise pizza still good, and enjoyed the burrata (needed more balsamic though ) read more

Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Everything was so yummy here! We got the montanara and the pappardelle with bolognese. The montanara had three different toppings: olives, pine nuts, and burrata. Service helped explain some of the pastas and their best pairings too which I really appreciated. We came in at 2pm on a Monday, an hour before they closed, so it was really empty, but it didn't feel like they were rushing us and we finished before 3pm. There was a heat source on the wall where we sat outside so it was pretty warm. The pasta was so good! I highly recommend pappardelle with bolognese. The pappardelle is an egg pasta which I feel like makes it taste so fresh! Overall we'd definitely come back whenever we're in San Diego. read more

Buona Forchetta - montanara with three different toppings: olives, pine nuts, and burrata - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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The pizzas are really good and have perfect ratios. Really can't go wrong with any of them. The place is great for date nights

Really sad to say I thought this place was just ok!!! :( So many people really hyped this place up so I was excited to go with my friend! We had reservations for this location on a Wednesday after work but there were plenty of open tables. Lots of available street parking around. The staff was really kind! We sat on the patio. I got pasta with the buona forchetta sauce and mushrooms. My dish came out with chicken instead :( I also think the sauce was wayyy too oily for my liking. Very generous portions though! I'd visit again to try a different dish, but I wasn't wowed the first time around read more

Came here for a second time, 4 years after my first time, and sadly it's gone downhill. They were known for their pizzas, but I've felt like their pizzas did not hit the spot this time around. They had dry burnt uneven crusts with extremely wet centers that were not cut evenly, and fell apart the moment it was lifted. One of the specialty pizzas did taste decent, but looked unappetizing with the globs of cheese that were so uneven and made a huge mess in the middle. Also had the calamari which was just ok, definitely could have been crispier. The best dish was probably the pesto chicken, many of the pasta you can kinda build your own. Pesto could have had more flavor but the chicken wasn't as dry as I was expecting. Don't think I'm going to be coming back again anytime soon. read more

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Best pizza I've had and the service was amazing. The music and the ambiance was also perfect. read more

Buona Forchetta - Regina Margarita was delicious. - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Had a nice time and had delicious food! Ordered the focaccia, polpettine, cacio e pepe and the Margherita. Everything was very quick and tasted so fresh! Loved the seasonings of the pasta and pizza. It was perfectly baked. The service was slow to order but then everything else was done so fast. We got our items super fast! It seems like a lively place so be sure to make a reservation. It's a mixed crowd. This area in general is very cute. The focaccia is simple but delicious. I also thought the pasta was filling. read more

My husband originally ate here and brought me back some leftover pizza. The pizza was so good that I had to come in person! I got the pepperoni pizza, lasagna, and Piemonte salad. Everything was so good! This restaurant is tucked away in a small community with a few businesses to walk around before or after. The staff was very friendly. Ill be back to try the dessert! read more

My mom came to visit and we had the most beautiful dinner here. Everybody was so friendly and they even sat us early on a Saturday night. We loved the focaccia bread as well as the pasta and the meatballs. They were incredibly accommodating and checked on us frequently. I loved the beautiful inside of the restaurant and we felt right at home. I'm glad I have an Italian restaurant I can take people to when they come to town. We didn't feel rushed and the food was so fresh and tasty. All the ingredients were incredible, especially in the tomato sauce with the pasta. Definitely looking forward to coming back, my mom said it was the best Italian food she had had in a very long time. read more

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Had lunch with friends and the food was delicious. The artisan bread is outstanding. We each had a different special. So good. Give it a try! Service was a little slow until our order was taken. read more

Buona Forchetta in South Park is a great spot if you're in the mood for authentic Italian food. The pizza is the star here. Perfectly blistered crust from the wood-fired oven with fresh, high quality toppings that really stand out. Every bite tastes like the real deal. Service was friendly and welcoming. The staff kept things moving and checked in enough to make sure we had what we needed without hovering. Even when it gets busy, they do a good job keeping the experience enjoyable. The ambiance is one of the best parts. The cozy Italian vibe, rustic decor, and lively atmosphere make it a fun place for a casual dinner or date night in South Park. It can get a little crowded, but that just shows how popular it is read more

I was super excited to try this place as I heard raving reviews. I booked a reservation online via open table for my friend and I for 6pm. The inside of the establishment is very well decorated and the ambiance hits the spot. However, service was very disappointing. Our waiter only came to us twice, once for ordering and to give us, to go boxes. We had to wave him down for us to get the check even though the place was fairly slow at the time. I had ordered the LINA pizza and it was overall pretty good. Not the best I've had, but satisfying! I am not sure I would come back however, definitely glad I was able to try this place ! read more

Buona Forchetta - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

enerous portions, beautiful presentation, and excellent service. The ambiance was lovely, and the outdoor patio made this a great spot to catch up with a friend. The calamari and spinach salad were delicious. The pork chops were tender and juicy, and the sea bass was cooked perfectly. My only concern was the salt level, as several dishes were too salty for me to fully enjoy. read more

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Came from Los Angeles to eat at this restaurant and we are very pleased with the food and the service.Giacomo our waiter was very, very polite and very helpful. The pizza was fantastic. Will definitely be back. read more

I'm vacationing in SD and have many allergies. I have basically been surviving on PB and rice cakes cuz every restaurant we've been to has not taken me seriously and I've gotten sick. Buona Forchetta took it seriously and no issues. plus. all of our meals were outstanding. we agreed this was best meal we had on vaca. Cosimo was our very attentive ...great service read more

Very friendly staff and delicious food! Both the Bruna and the Giulia were really good. Anything hot honey for me right now hits the spot. The artichokes were packed with flavor and really good cold the next day in my salad. Outside patio was really nice, caught a perfect weather afternoon. read more

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If I could give this place zero stars, I would, because I wasn't ever acknowledged or even looked at. I've never experienced this before, and it felt very odd for SEVERAL employees to avoid eye contact (including who appeared to be the host) as we were waiting in front of the host stand. The host quite literally stepped to the stand, looked down at his papers/ipad, and left many times despite me being right in front of it. I understand that it is busy, but at least being able to know the wait time would have been great (which I believe is the bare minimum). It looks like recent reviews of how poor the service has gotten is true. It is unfortunate I was never able to enjoy the restaurant previously when the service was better. read more

I've eaten here many times in the past and I'm not sure if it's fallen under new management or if something has happened but I ate here and brought friends, telling them the food is better than Elvira and Cesarina and I looked like a FOOL. It was borderline gross. The pasta was overcooked, the meatballs were flavorless and the server seemed annoyed that we wanted to sit and enjoy our drinks before ordering right away. read more

We have coming here for years was once a favorite. It seems like each time we visit the service and food quality gets worse and worse. Ordered a calzone it was not cooked all the way even had raw dough. Our waiter never came to check how the food was or refill our drinks the restaurant was not even busy, not sure what was going on. Once we received our check I let the waiter know the calzone was undercooked with raw dough he seemed to not care grabbed it and took off without a word. We won't be coming back. read more

Buona Forchetta - Raw undercooked dough - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Buona Forchetta is a must-visit for Italian in San Diego. The customer service is great, and both the pizza and pasta are standouts. Make sure to try their aglio, olio e peperoncino sauce with your pasta--it really brings everything together. Definitely a place you'll want to come back to. read more

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We had a reservation for 6 people at 6:30 pm. When we got there it took them a few minutes to get our table ready before we were seated. We sat outside on the covered patio. When the waiter took our drink order there was some confusion about the cocktails. It seemed that the waiter was telling us there was no alcohol in the cocktails, even though they had a separate cocktail and alcohol free cocktail list. Apparently the cocktails are made with a Korean rice wine, because the restaurant doesn't have a hard liquor license, just wine, so instead of real tequila and such they use a Korean rice wine substitute. Anyway, we ordered some of their cocktails and they were alright. The food was delicious and came out fast, even though the place was very busy. We were celebrating a birthday and they offered the birthday girl a complementary panna cotta desert with Happy Birthday written in chocolate. The dessert wasn't as good as the other desserts we ordered though, the tiramisu and the Straccetti alla Nutella. For appetizers we had the bruschettone, beet salad and focaccia with prosciutto. For main course we shared two pastas (one with vodka sauce and shrimp and one with mushrooms) and a mushroom pizza with sausage. All of that was very tasty. The one thing we didn't love was the vibe we got from our waiter. He constantly seemed to be rushing and annoyed when we had questions or were not quick enough to his liking with ordering. It didn't make the food taste less but it was the difference between an 18% tip and a 20% tip. read more

Buona Forchetta - Straccetti Alla Nutella. It's almost like a funnel cake covered in Nutella, strawberries and blueberries. - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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We were really looking forward to our trip to Buona Forchetta: we had heard a lot of hype about it from YouTube reviewers and online. We were seated right away on their lovely outdoor patio, which is spacious and completely shaded. At first, we were seated at an awkward table in the middle of the walking path that was wobbly. We asked to be seated elsewhere and got a much better table. We ordered focaccia, Burrata Caprese, and Buona Forchetta (a pasta dish). We split everything. The biggest downfall of our visit was that the food was under-seasoned (under-salted) and without pepper, and they don't put either salt or pepper on the table. This made the food BLAND. But let's back up and talk about the individual dishes: FOCACCIA - this is not like most places do focaccia (fluffy, thick dough). This place gives you a flatbread (as it states on the menu), which is really a pizza dough with a hint of rosemary and salt. We got ours with garlic. It was the only thing that was properly seasoned and not bland. This was pretty good, I'd give this dish a 7 on a scale of 1-10. BURRATA CAPRESE - This tasted like they forgot the salt completely. All the components were there for a good caprese, including what tasted like homemade burrata, but the missing salt and pepper were criminal. The whole caprese was on the bland side, not completely bland because there was acid from the tomatoes and balsamic glaze, but bland enough to rate it a 5 out of 10. BUONA FORCHETTA - this pasta dish was supposed to have a spicy marinara. I expected it to sting my tongue a bit. We added chicken breast to this dish. When it was brought to the table, they asked if we wanted parmesan, and we said yes so they just dumped a scoop of parmesan on without asking us how much we wanted. The dish looked okay, it was pink in color and the pasta looked good. The pasta itself tasted homemade (we got fettuccine). The sauce was not spicy in the least, was lacking both salt and pepper, and was very underwhelming. 4 out of 10. SERVICE - The service was inattentive and poor. We were ready to get out of there and had to practically beg for the check. Once we got the check, it sat on the table's edge where the waiter ignored it, passing our table several times. We were obviously done and ready to go, looking his way many times. Finally, I stopped him and asked if he could take it and so he did. Let me make it clear that the restaurant was NOT busy...there were multiple servers and lots of open tables. So, there was no excuse for this neglect. 4 out of 10. Would I recommend Buona Forchetta or go back? No. read more

We come here often - it's one of our favorite restaurants . We switch between this one and the one in liberty station. Tonight we asked for a party of 3 including my baby with a stroller. The hostess tonight said we can't fit your stroller as you can see we are really busy if you still want to eat here ? And we have ate here plenty of times with our stroller. We said we were willing to wait and she still said if you take a look around are you sure you want to eat here? Still said yes but was very confused why she kept trying to make us leave. The first feeling you get from a restaurant starts with the hostess. We ended up leaving early because we didn't feel welcomed with our baby. Probably will have to drive to liberty station instead . Hope you guys talk to you hostess. read more

Focaccia bread for an appetizer is a must (basically tastes like a delicious brick oven pizza with rosemary and garlic, served with oil and vinegar, must try!). They have some great pasta dishes and wines. Service is great (even with it being very busy). Best to stop by Kindred across the street for a cocktail beforehand and then head over for some Italian food. read more

Was the place I was looking for! Was down in SD for the weekend and a friend from OC area told me about this spot. The only problem I had with this place was that when I was craving some good, fresh, Italian, food (that I didn't have to make myself) about a month prior I wasn't here.... Servers/ hosts/ management...everyone was very friendly and helpful. We were guided through the menu, not real complicated but they took time to explain how it worked. Grabbed appetizers, 3 different pasta meals, one was a shrimp special that they allowed us to customize a bit . Unfortunately, it was a little busy for an early dinner, late lunch. We walked down to smaller location for our seats, but was still comfortable...felt like an Italian Nona's kitchen with a bar...so that worked. We had a 2 hour drive home, so we snatched up the left overs and as soon as we got home, we had 2nd dinner. How often can you have a meal that hits the spot twice!? When we go back down that way we will little place again. We do have some closer to us (I hear), but I would hate it if was just the one location thay was this good... I guess if any of you resp9nd to this, would appreciate the recommendation or not read more

We had a beautiful dinner outside on a warm Spring day. The calamari was perfect and the marinara especially fresh, light sweet tomato flavor. Heavy marinara wrecks calamari! We had one of the special pizzas and it was excellent with a nice charred thin crust. Also enjoyed porcini mushroom ravioli. We like the menu with customized pasta & sauce although we ordered chef special entrees. The service was excellent and this would be a 5 star review except restrooms were out of all paper goods. Did find some in a cabinet though. read more

The food was perfectly prepared, and we practically fought over the last drop of the marinera it comes with! I assured him that we could get more if we wanted to, first fight averted. For the main I had the scallops with gnocchi in sun dried tomato cream sauce, yummm now that's something to order if they put it on the special menu! He went for the seafood pasta which he enjoyed, but I know my meal was the stand out winner here!I'm so happy they're still as consistent after all those years in cooking such tasty dishes., Thank you Buona Forchetta my heart and tummy smiles read more

The first bite of this pizza took me to FLAVOR TOWN! The Giulia was delicious and the perfect balance of meat with onion and bell pepper. The hot honey was the perfect touch of sweetness to tie everything together. Came on a Saturday for lunch so it wasn't too busy. We got the calamari as a starter and it came out hot. The batter was nice and flakey. You could also tell the pasta was handmade and fresh. The sauce was creamy but not heavy. Would definitely come again! read more

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