We had so much fun and had a great dinner at Cafe Milano! We were in town for a birthday celebration and had 6 in our party. We were the only ones in the restaurant, but heard the place packs it in on the weekends. All of the food we had was great. The bread was soft and warm and I had the Fettuccini Milano which was very tasty! We also had Tiramisu for dessert and it was so delicious. The owner was very friendly and funny. He wanted us to have a good time. He offered his limo for our ride home....which was a joke. There was a super tiny car with large teddy bears sitting in the driver and passengers seats. It was a great time! There was a guy repairing the piano ...I hope to hear him next time we are in La Jolla! read more

Cafe Milano - Our "free limo ride"! haha. - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

After reading the many happy reviews I was excited to try someplace new. The owner (Mr. Pasquale) was very nice to me and the dining room was pleasant indeed. Unfortunately for me, the food was not. The Veal Marsala ($21.95 excellent value and generous portion) lacked flavor and was very bland with little to no actual Marsala. Tasted almost boiled, not pan-fried in Olive oil as it should be. I'm sure it was, but tasted like a piece of boiled meat to me. The Fettucini Alfredo ($8.95 half order) was 2 stars. Little Parmesan cheese and practically no Ramano Cheese, and a little on the watery side I'm sad to say, I happen to like it thick. But understandable, that's how they do it. The bread was cold, not hot, or even warm, you'd think as slow as they are the food would have more love. Can't see myself returning. Just goes to show you, the reviews on Yelp San Diego are questionable. read more

A fanatic hidden Italian gem in La Jolla! We found this place just by seeing the car in front of it. Walked inside sat down, and we were taken a journey thru Italy. Delicious wine selections, succulent food choices, and a great server who walked us thru the whole experience. The food was phenomenal (I had some pasta with lamb that just fell off the bone, delicious! My wife had the salmon and pasta). We also had some cannoli and wow what a finish to a Great dinner! It was so tasty and my wife kept saying wow This is now our favorite Italian place. One extra cool thing! During the evening they had a guy come in and play some Italian soulful tunes. It was such an amazing experience. And the owner came out, greeted us, filled up our wine and kept asking us if we needed anything else. Even taught us a couple Italian words! Prego! Overall if you are looking for a great Italian experience that you will never forget, check out Cafe Milano. Our new favorite! read more

We always feel welcome and very well taken care of at Cafe Milano. We try to dine here monthly and everything is consistently delicious from appetizers to entrees to desserts. Their homemade tiramisu and cheesecake are must haves to complete our meal. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. First off service was HORRIBLE. As soon as we got there, they rushed us into ordering and when we said "we need a second," the lady said "hurry because I have other tables." Then all of our foods come out and some had no taste to them. Then we got the check and it's $184. We got charged for the bread we didn't order AND we got charged 27 dollars in gratuity even though our table was only 5 people. We asked what's the gratuity for and he said, "because we had to move the tables and the cloth is expensive that they put in the table." Overall we left unhappy, and like the owner said when we walked in, "the food is better across the street," we should have believed him. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY YALL. read more

Cafe Milano - Like mind yall this is fettuccine alfredo... - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Food excellent Service pretty good Be back pretty soon I love the place and will be my favorite Italian restaurant read more

Wonderful ambiance. Staff makes you feel like family. Loved the live music. Delicious menu. We'll be back!! read more

Cafe Milano - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Came here for the first time in a while and was underwhelmed with the food. I feel like the quality has diminished over the years. With that being said; the business owners were friendly and attentive to my table. I'll give this place another shot in the future, but I'm not sure if I can call Cafe Milano my favorite restaurant anymore. read more

Found our new favorite Italian restaurant. Walking distance from home! Incredible authentic Italian (Milan) food. We completely enjoyed the entire evening. Met the owner, Pasquale, and our waitress, Sabrina, was incredible too! Strongly recommended. read more

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We have been searching for the perfect intimate venue for our wedding rehearsal in La Jolla. We have already tried a few restaurants that we just didn't love. We are so, so glad we found Cafe Milano. It is only 3 blocks down Draper Avenue from our wedding reception location (La Jolla Womans Club). The owner and his wife are incredibly warm and welcoming. Cafe Milano offers truly personal service and a delicious, authentic Italian menu. It's so hard to find that these days. I always would prefer to support local family owned restaurants and I am really glad to support this one. Thank you Pasquale & Sandra, we can't wait to celebrate our wedding with you in April! read more

Pretty good, the best Italian food I've had in San Diego so far, definitely better than Cesarina. I ordered tiramisu (as always) and also had their Fettuccini Milano, the pasta sauce was super runny (I dipped their nice bread in it to make up for that, which was enjoyable), but it was flavorful and came with cheese on the side which was very nice. I enjoyed the seafood in it as well. I also really liked the tiramisu, was very flavorful and authentic. Could definitely see myself returning in the future read more

This restaurant is adorable! The owners are a sweet couple wanting to make sure their customers were very happy! It's off the main drag of prospect on Pearl St, so it was easy to get a parking space!. When you walk in, the is a large aquarium to your right. A little strange, but we paid no attention and we were greeted by the owner. He didn't ask about our reservation and sat us at a lovely table! I compliment this small restaurant with crisp white linen tablecloths, and their attention to detail in our cloth napkins with a special fold. We received the wine menu and before we could look at the food menu the owners wife was greeting us with a rundown on how delicious their specials dishes were. She also said, our menu is big so take your time. We ordered a carafe of wine and gobbled up the fresh bread, and balsamic mixture that was put on our plate! We ordered the calamari which is a favorite of mine and it came out with a light batter and looking perfectly fried! Oh my I had my hopes up. Since living in SD for over 2 years now we are still looking for great calamari, but unfortunately we have Not found it and tonight was no different, rubbery, but better than others we have tried. We both ordered the veal. One veal parmigiana and one veal Marsala. The parmigiana came with pasta and the Marsala with vegetables. Both very good!!!! We had no room for dessert, but as we finished our wine and paid our bill the owner stopped by with a piece of tiramisu. It was fantastic! So glad we found this place, and I am sure we will be back soon! Thank you Cafe Milano for such a warm and delightful evening. read more

Are you kidding me!!!!! I have Travelled through the entire Italy and was excited to give this place a try for remembering the country and their food! The food was terrible with a watery pasta and a tasteless sauce! The waiter makes personal jokes which I didn't care for.......... Finally Why go to Italian restaurants to pay extra for meat balls in addition to misleading pasta menu.... Don't be tricked by the name Milano and the red car parked on the front......... $150.00 is just too much money for for simple pasta and cheap appetizers! There are much better Italian restaurants in San Diego for much better value and service. read more

What a wonderful experience! Freshly made pastas, all fresh ingredients with beautiful simple preparation that takes you back to your favorite restaurant in southern Italy. Very welcoming and outstanding service. If you're looking for a authentic Italian meal, Cafe Milano is a must. read more

Due to a location glitch, my phone stopped working as it assumed we were in Italy . The warm welcome made us feel like family, and our server provided a detailed tour of the menu. Despite initially planning our orders online, we all ended up choosing different dishes. The food was both hot and delicious, and the dessert, complemented by espresso, was equally delightful. I even picked up a bottle of "the bread sauce" because it was so good--I might have picked up a bit of Italian during the experience! read more

The most authentic Italian cuisine in La Jolla. You feel like you've been transported to a little cafe in Italy. The staff are beyond friendly and so sweet. The food is also incredible. If you're searching for a small, authentic, cozy Italian restaurant, this is the place! read more

Riding bikes and looking for a place to eat with the family and saw this cozy looking place. They sat us right away! Kids got pizza, steak, pasta. I had some spicy shrimp dish.. forget the name but it was delicious. The service was PHENOMENAL! I would definitely come here again! read more

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Before I review let me state I should have known better to order a salad at an ITALIAN restaurant and not pasta! I ordered the Del Bosco salad and bruschetta to go. When I got home my salad was so sad looking. It only had 4 little walnuts and 3 tiny pear slices. The salad was $11! So I can't give this place a true review except don't order the salad as your main dish. read more

Cafe Milano - Del Bosco for One - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

My husband and I are visiting here in La Jolla and while we were walking around the neighborhood we are staying at , we came across this cute Italian restaurant. When we got home I Yelped the restaurant and the next day we decided to get dinner here , and so happy we did ! We sat inside, and were seated right away ! Everyone greeted us so kindly ! I ordered the fettuccine chicken Alfredo , and if has to be one of these best I've had! Pasta was so fresh and the sauce was delicious! The owner even came by to ask us how our food was. He was super sweet ! And our waitress was amazing as well ! Next time we are back in La Jolla we will have to come here again ! read more

What a great place, took my wife to have lunch and some wine and where attended the whole time by the owner of the restaurant Pascual. Really great guy! He attended us as and made us feel like we where visiting his home, it's very welcoming. We didn't take pictures of our meals unfortunately but it was delicious and the pasta was fresh, it was a great experience and we ended our lunch with dessert we had the tiramisu and from a scale of 1-10 it's a 20!! Amazingly good we will definitely visit again soon and add some more pictures. I highly recommend this little jewel in La Jolla. Very authentic if you're looking for a nice Italian dinner. read more

Cafe Milano - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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The service is really good here. The food is good here but there is better Italian in San Diego so the food 4 stars but not near 5 stars.. I found it interesting they charge a dollar for bread which is fine and the bread is really good. $1 for bread I am good with. I really dislike that I was charged $7 for water when I order regular water which should have been tap water or filter water. This seems very unethical and dishonest to me. They lose several stars for that. read more

Good service, but very mediocre food. Not a good value. Their decor is long since outdated. Pass.

Long overdue review of a charming place run by a wonderful family with great food! We started coming here almost ten years ago and had been away for a few years. We went back yesterday to be treated to excellent food and service by the same people who have been there since we started coming. Can't wait to go back. read more

Cafe Milano - Veal Marsala - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food here was amazing and decently priced as well. Friendly staff who were attentive and seated us right away. I recommended asking for chefs specials since most of our dinner was ordered from that menu! Parking will street parking and there's a nearby resident that you can park in. Bruschetta 5/5 was amazing. The bread and tomatoes were cooked to perfection. Lamb shank 5/5 was amazing. The meat was soft, linguine was great with the sauce, overall my favorite dish of the night. Lobster cioppino 3/5. My boyfriend liked the taste but I felt was a little bland. I liked the scallops and mussels but the lobster was a little undercooked. We asked the waiter about the undercooked lobster and wish he was able to cook it a bit more for us. Overall, would I come back? Absolutely! Would love to try out their other chefs specials. read more

Cafe Milano - Lobster claw - a little undercooked - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Best Italian food in SD/La Jolla with great service and very high quality dishes. We tried the lobster ravioli, penne vodka, spaghetti with meatballs and a chicken dish I cannot spell lol. All were 5/5. The chocolate truffle dessert was to die for. read more

Cafe Milano - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

The veal marsala was good, had friendly service. But, the owner had to change the toilet paper in the single bathroom, and he touched the toilet, and did not wash his hands after. Also, the bathroom could've been cleaner in general. They sneak things to you on your table, and the price adds up on your bill. Like bottled water, and the bread they serve, it costs $2, they don't let you know before they put it on the table. Why don't more restaurants just give you bread with your meal? We will never go again, the restaurant needs to be cleaner. read more

Best seafood Alfredo I've ever had in my entire life. Bold statement, but honesty true. Pasta tasted fresh, shrimps were huge, taste was perfect. Incredible customer service, highly recommend. Also super cute for date night. Wine by the glass was affordable and delicious. Love it! read more

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Strolled by this place as we were looking for a place to grab a dessert. And we were not disappointed. Ambience was nostalgic, with Italian spoken by who I assume are the family owners, live music from the grand piano and then switching to classic guitar, and the food was simply excellente! The owners were super friendly. Definite looking forward to coming back to La Jolla so I can go back to this restaurant. And don't forget to read the license plate frame of the car parked in front with the teddy bears. read more

The food was so good here! I order the lobster spaghetti and it was very light yet filling. The service was good as well with water refills to bread. The great thing about this place too is that it's pet friendly so that was nice. Now my pasta was 40 dollars, but everything is fresh and homemade so definitely worth it. read more

Cafe Milano - Lobster Spaghetti - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Family owned - perfect Italian ... Great service! The waitress was incredible and recommended the best food and wine! We had the calamari which was perfect, fresh and never frozen. For entrees, we had the spaghetti vongole e cozze and a special of chicken, spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Both were exceptional. They even gave us a free dessert! Highly recommend. read more

Too busy with takeout to pay attention to diners. Food preparation has suffered badly recently. Complaints fall on deaf ears. read more

If you are looking for some good Italian food - this is the spot! It is hard for me to come by good Italian restaurants because my husband isn't a big fan of Italian food. Well until now at least! Cafe Milano is the cutest little hole in the wall in La Jolla. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but you will be intrigued by the little mini red bug (car) parked outside. I would say it is kind of like their mascot. At any rate, my family and I have been here twice and upon arrival we are practically greeted in Italian, I'm assuming it's by the owner. Really nice older gentleman. They always have a special of the day. You will be greeted by warm bread with the best balsamic I've ever had and fresh water bottled in glass, it is so refreshing. I'm torn between what my fave dish because Both times I've order the same thing, the Fettuccini Milano!!! I am a sucker for homemade pasta and this little gem of a restaurant makes their own pasta. Yummm! It's fettuccini with mushrooms, scallops and shrimp in a creamy pesto sauce !!!!! It is light yet flavorful and they don't skimp on the seafood. And I can never have enough sauce and this dish is nice and saucy. My other favorite dish is the penne in tomato cream sauce (vodka sauce). OMG!!!!! I can eat the sauce with a spoon! The pasta is cooked perfectly! It is Devine! Anyways, that's what my kids order and they eat it all up! My husband lives for the veal parmigiana! It's like no other! Parmigiana's can usually be a little too heavy, but this one is perfection! Their dessert menu is awesome - my husband like the bomba which is a vanilla/chocolate ice cream ball dipped in dark chocolate and at the very center of the ice cream you will find almonds and a cherry. I like their ricotta cheesecake and that says a lot because I am not usually a fan of cheesecake. 5 stars for sure !!!!!! Go visit! read more

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Cozy family-owned Italian restaurant with good food, but... the problem we had was with their shady business tactic. Passport dining members beware. My husband and I have a passport dining pass and found this place as one of the restaurants offering the "buy one entree, get a second free" deal, so we decided to come here Saturday night for dinner. Parking was easy on the side street nearby. We got seated right away as the restaurant was half empty and waited a few minutes until we were brought menus. When I asked our waitress for recommendations, she gave me a blank stare for a few seconds as if I'd asked an impossible question then somewhat hesitantly gave a few suggestions. Anyway... They served us complimentary bread and vinaigrette which was really good. We got the mozzarella caprese as an appetizer which was very light and fresh. For entrees I got the pollo contadino and hubby got the capellini bosco and mare. I thought my dish was pretty good (really liked the marsala sauce); hubby said his "tasted okay" but nothing special. The food was a good portion for the price. Now the real problem was when we got our check: since we received the check before giving the pass, the bill didn't initially have our second entree deducted. We sent the check back with a credit card plus the pass and when the new check was brought, we noticed that the new bill ($42) was not that much less than the first bill ($51). Upon closer look we realized that even though the second entree was now deducted, they had also now included a 20% gratuity charge! And the fact that it wasn't included on the first bill made it clear that they did so to make up for the deducted entree. I'm not sure why they participate in the dining program if they don't truly want to honor the deal? Or, if for some reason including gratuity only for passport members is their policy, then they should make that clear beforehand. Hubby and I usually tip well... and we were about to give an additional tip on the new total, which is what I think they were hoping would happen. The food was decent and I hate to give a low rating for a family owned restaurant, but sadly because of our experience we won't be returning. read more

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If you like classic Northeast Italian-American food, this place is where it's at, and the owners and staff are outstanding!

This place is a totally hidden gem! The food is absolutely delicious and authentic! The service was amazing and the atmosphere was great!

Hubby chose Italian for dinner. We opted for Cafe Milano because it presented an authentic feel versus a more franchise or commercialized feel. We are so grateful we chose correctly. The owner is friendly and beyond attentive. We ordered crab cakes and minestrone as appetizers. Fettuccine Milano and lasagna as the main courses. Ricotta cheesecake and a cappuccino truffle for dessert. read more

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It's always great to visit Cafe Milano, great food with excellent service. The entire staff is so friendly, highly recommend this restaurant. read more

The best people ever. We had booked a reservation for 14 at 8 pm at another restaurant but they had cancelled our reservations without telling us. As it was a surprise for a friend who was moving away we were all panicking on quickly trying to find a place. All in all, we came across cafe milano and it was the best decision ever! they were so kind and made us feel special! PLUS the food was bomb ! read more

Horrible service. Horrible food. The owner is very rude and they rush you to order. The owner also said that we should eat at the place across the street. Do not eat here! read more

Our 2nd visit even outdid our 1st. The appetizers of Calamari and Carpaccio were each prepared wonderfully, and among the entrees we ordered were an exceptional Risotto w/ mushrooms and a generous, delicious Lasagna with an amazing meat sauce. We were equally impressed with the house-made desserts of Tiramisu and Profiteroles. Thanks to our hosts Pascale and Sandra and our pleasant and knowledgeable server, Sabrina. We didn't meet him, but a particular thanks, too, to our chef!!! read more