Trevor T.

Went here after a showcase at La Jolla Playhouse and it is very swanky! The decor is fun Italian which I'm sure you could guess from the name but not in a cheesy way. Very stylish, vibrant, and unique. Pulled up to the bar and the stools are impossible to move which I'm not a fan of but that's about it. Staff working behind the bar was very friendly and ordered an old fashioned which they use old grand dad as the base which I'm all for. Would definitely come here if I was a college student trying to impress my date or before/after a show at La Jolla Playhouse. Wouldn't park in the parking structure. You can find street parking and walk over. My favorite part of the evening were the bathrooms! Definitely take a cute selfie because you deserve it.

Roberto C.

Glad to visit this Beautiful and Wonderful Italian/Sicilian fine dining Restaurant. Me and my wife are borne and raised in Sicilian for 30years only. Authentic flavors, excellent food, from timeless Italian recipes. Presentation, Taste, Flavors, Service, Ambience, wine selection! Wow, I also own a restaurant in Solana Beach, I got to say excellent Job Chef Accursio, the Love that you have for this industry and for the food shows 100% in all you've done on this incredible Restaurant. Highly recommend to ANYONE THAT KNOWS GOOD FOOD and want to try one of the best Italian Restaurants in SD. Congrats to you all !!! Well well Well done.

Caroline K.

Came here before a show at the La Jolla playhouse, this is a great place for a preshow meal with flavor! Got the pre-fix play menu and everything was delicious and awesome! The look of the restaurant is a mix of modern art meet Italy and it's super homey and relaxing. Whether you are sitting at the bar and having a great cocktail or glass of wine or at a table the great staff will take care of you!

Dione L.

this is my second time at Dora and I really wanted to like this place. I think that the restaurant is beautiful itself and the service is great. It's a really good ambience. However, the food is just not good. The pasta is mediocre at best and lacking flavor I've tried four pasta dishes here I would say the only thing they do well as their arancini

Nylah W.

I have been so excited to try this newly established restaurant for months since it is close to me! It's usually never busy, the only time I can imagine it being packed is after a show at the playhouse. Since it's on a college campus, sometimes there will be loud people passing by, but that's only if you're ever sitting outside like we were. Appetizers: They really set the bar for expectations here. We ordered focaccia, Polipo Alla Griglia, Romanesco, and Insalata Di Finocchio. The focaccia was light, doughy, not too rough and gave you a lot to come back for. It was the best compared to most places who offer bread service. My next favorite was the insalata di finocchio, it was tangy but not overpowering. It was a burst of fresh flavor. Our party was HIGHLY impressed. Entrees: I had ordered the Fettuccine and added caviar. I wasn't deeply impressed with this meal for a few reasons. The uni certainly gave the dish a buttery feel, but the same could've been accomplished by using lobster instead. The uni didn't add much to the flavor of the dish honestly. The caviar did all the work, I was glad I added it, until it became too overwhelming. It certainly hits you with a breeze of the ocean, but it made every bite way too salty. There ended up being a combat of flavors that just weren't enjoyable. Usually high grade caviar isn't that salty so I was expecting a light, buttery, firm texture to compliment the sea urchin but I did not get that at all. I think this restaurant is great for drinks at the bar and a quick appetizer to go with! But I wouldn't come again for a dinner meal. I think everyone was slightly disappointed with the taste, and underwhelmed by the serving size. Many in my party even mentioned getting a second dinner unfortunately. I had high hopes! I think if they made a few adjustments it could be great.

Savannah F.

Zoe our server was super friendly and patient. Gave us a run through of the menu and some spectacular recommendations. The decoration of this place is wonderful. I like how everything just comes together. The bathrooms are also decorated, but I think there were only 3 rooms. It would be nice if they had a separate hand washing station outside. Bathrooms needed a little maintenance. The place wasn't busy. The portion sizes for each dish was extremely small. The noodles were a little too undercooked. The plate was nice and hot. Carbonara was not too salty. I've had better pasta at other places, so my standard for that is a little high. I kind of wish they had more pasta varieties. The focaccia bread was delicious. The pricing here is a little higher compared to other places. Probably because it is on UCSD campus. Overall, service is friendly here. There is a welcoming ambiance. Would I come back here? Potentially, just to try their pizza or other menu items.

Gale R.

The menu has a lot of variety and had some great options to choose from. We Went with a group and we ordered for the table: the focaccia with the eggplant tamponade and the ricotta side and the arancini. The tamponade tasted too sweet for me. The focaccia and the ricotta were delicious. More attention needs to be placed by the staff on the quality and composition of the salad. We split the Finochio salad There were stem cores of the lettuce bottom (usually discarded) included within the salad as well as Brown leaves, which was unappetizing. We should have sent the salad back. I ordered the gnocchi with the pork sausage and didn't care for the flavor of the sauce., The gnocchi were tender. My husband had the polpette ( meatballs) and enjoyed that. The service was attentive and good. Ambience, was elegant yet comfortable. I don't think I will be back. There are many better Italian restaurants in town.

Essie K.

We went to Dora for a work dinner party and I can't rave enough about the food quality and excellent customer service we received. Everyone from the hostess to servers to cooks was warm, friendly, and inviting. We had a few special requests for the kids and they were more than willing to accommodate. Unfortunately because I was busy networking, I wasn't able to take any pictures of the food but the food was fresh, tasty, and good quality ingredients. They served a variety of fresh oven pizzas, pastas made from scratch, branzino, and cheese and vegetable appetizers. The bartenders whipped up some great drinks and were very sweet even serving the kids their nonalcoholic beverages. The ambiance is modern and sleek. They have a nice covered outdoor patio area as well. There is a large parking lot right next to the restaurant. When you come in, ask the hostess for the QR code for 3 hours of complementary parking (at least on the weekends they were offering it). They also provide valet parking in the front. A great place for date night, a celebration, or work gathering!

Henri V.

Dora Restaurant is located close to the UCSD campus is a more elevated restaurant in the immediate area of the La Jolla Playhouse and probably caters to its patrons, some UCSD faculty and students. Stopped by for a late lunch, sat outside in the nice cover patio with my pup. The hostess, waitress, servers and staff were cordial, attentive and very accommodating. Special thanks to Zoe who was especially very helpful. Wanted to order pizza, but the oven was out of order :( Also, wanted to order the Branzino, but it was only served in the dinner menu :( With some recommendations from the server Zoe, the selections I had for lunch were spectacularly delish. Lunch order included: focaccia bread with the roasted vegetable compote, winter salad with squash and the seafood couscous. A lovely glass of Chardonnay to pair with the lunch was perfect. Because the selections I had were remarkably all delish, I Would like to return to try other exciting selections on the menu. Overall a positive dining experience worthy of your visit and my recommendation.

Melanie P.

I'm always looking for a hot and new restaurant to try out with the girls. I loved the ambiance from the pics and this was the chosen restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. Since I've never been to the theater district at UCSD, I referenced the website to find where the parking is located. It's quite confusing. If you don't want to deal with this, valet is $12. However, if you're determined, follow the directions on the website. The restaurant does give you a discount code at the end, which will make your parking free. Loved the classy ambiance and we were greeted right away with the waiter and wait staff. We inadvertently were served two breads (we didn't order this), but they were pretty good! Other dishes we tried: Insalata Di Finocchio - Light and refreshing, loved the persimmon on top. Polito Alla Griglia - Get this! This was perfectly tender. Polpette Alla Griglia - This were small patties, one order comes with three. These were deliciously juicy! Carpaccio Di Tonno - Tuna was nice pink and was fresh. The meld of flavors worked with this dish. Gnocchi - This was pillowy soft Cavatelli - There were a few mussels that were deshelled in the pasta but there wasn't much of it. Pesce Croccante - This had the perfect amount of crisp on the fish although there wasn't as much flesh on the fish Cous Cous Di Pesce - We were expecting more from this dish. Perhaps a bigger portion size. They give you the cutest dessert plates, each are different! Loved this touch. Routa Di Dora - I actually liked this dish with the crispy shell (like a super crispy thin donut) paired with ricotta. Chocolato Chocolato Chocolato - It was just okay for me. Affogato- Coffee wasn't warm when poured :( Overall good service and the food hit almost all the marks.

Arwen L.

This place is super fancy! I love the interior and everything is super neat. They have indoor, outdoor, and patio seating. This place would be good for a special occasion. The food is really good here too. I would recommend sharing plates to try different stuff. The service was really great. Our server kept checking in on us and he was really awesome and attentive. What we got: - Gnoochi The sauce is super good and the gnoochi is cooked perfectly. There is a meat sausage sauce which was perfect. I would get this again. - Focaccia Super flaky and crispy and savory. It comes with a tomato dipping sauce. This is a must get!!

Bridget B.

It is always exciting to try another Italian spot in San diego as we are spoiled for choice. Dora is unique because it is nestled on the UCSD campus literally surrounded by dorm buildings. Because of this, parking can be weird.. we parked in the theater lot which had signs stating the parking fee would be validated. We called the restaurant and they said the codes from the school don't work anymore.. No big deal just something to keep in mind. It was about $4. The restaurant is truly stunning and has that classic mediterranean style decor with pops of oranges and bold designs. Gorgeous! The menu was pretty solid covering anything from fish to pasta. As a vegetarian I noted those pastas were mislabeled. A pasta with mussels was labeled 'V' and a pasta with cheese was labeled Vegan. Our waiter said this was a mistake. Be aware if you have allergies! We got the rosemary focaccia, Brown butter ravioli, and the fettuccine. Overall, we were not completely wowed by the food. The ravioli was good but nothing I would return for. The fettuccine was kind of dry. The portions did not live up to the prices. It is a really beautiful restaurant with a cool concept, but quite expensive. Surprising for being on a student campus.

Bhadri K.

Visited Dora exactly a week after opening day - with my mom and two other friends and we all walked away impressed. It's such a cool Italian spot tucked within UCSD, and the design elements immediately set the tone--stylish, modern, and welcoming. Every dish we tried was phenomenal and creatively plated, showing off the artistry you'd expect from Chef Accursio Lota, a well‑known name in San Diego's dining scene. The restaurant truly shines as expected, balancing flavor and presentation beautifully. A quick tip: since it's located within UCSD, parking is easiest in the evenings and weekends. Overall, Dora is a fantastic addition to the area and one I'd happily return to with friends. I also heard that they were introducing Brunch as well - Will have to go check that out soon.