I love Filippi's. I don't get to this location too often but today was fantastic. It was not busy and we were seated right away. Our waitress was so friendly and warm. I felt completely comfortable. Of course you'll always have the Chianti bottles hanging everywhere at a Filippi's, along with the red and white tablecloths. I always get lasagna and this time I got it with meat ravioli and a meatball on the side. All of it was delicious, but the lasagna steals the show for me every time. Best lasagna on the planet. I love ricotta lol. And their meat sauce is so good. The meatball was giant and perfect. Exactly what I've come to expect from this establishment. The chicken parm was immense. I could not believe the size of this thing. AND it was amazing. Just enormous. Thank you. Leftovers! Yessss! read more

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This is the second time in the last two months we've ordered pick up and the order isn't ready until 15-+ minutes after the pick up time. Food is decent but it's hard to make plans when you need food at a certain time and they're inconsistent. read more

This place is great food, and it is worth a drive if you're looking for a place to eat, and you'll like Italian. I really enjoyed the anti pasta salad that I had tonight, I'm sure I'll try something else the next time, some of their meatballs, pasta, and some other goodies that I'm sure as good as a salad. read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - A great anti-pasta salad - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

This place has got pizza but pricey food it's been expensive since Covid I haven't been here in a while usually the staff is mehh. When I go to this location I always hope they have new waitresses but that's never the case. Every time I order a salad they never give me enough salad dressing. By the way this is the only filippis who doesn't give enough salad dressing for an anti pasta. Now from my understanding the ani pasta feeds 2 right? So why you pull shyst on the dressing?The other Filippi's gives you more dressing . Anyways when I get charged for extra salad dressing don't be surprised it comes out of your tip. Also the sodas are 4 bucks over here. read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Here's the dressing they charged 2 bucks - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

Overprice and not much flavor. We had a table for 7 and the food just didn't make the standard Italian taste. We ordered several dishes and pizza but the worse was the house salad. 14.75$ for literally lettuce a 5 tomatoes pieces and 5 olives. A total rip off. Waitress never checked on us. Management do better! read more

Our family went here for dinner and then joined the Karoake singing in the bar area afterwards. Service was awesome, food is delicious as always, portions are (omg) huge! All in all, we've been to the other locations and this one was our first time. Well worth it! Will return again. Thank you Filippi's staff for making our visit so enjoyable! read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Half order lasagna and meatball. - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

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If you're a true San Diegan, you've gotta love Filippi's. Why four stars then? Well, I have to compare apples to apples and this particular location doesn't quite compete with the Little Italy vibe, which I do understand is a hard act to follow. What I do love about this location is the full bar. Keep my vodka/sodas coming and I'll keep a smile on my face. Mission accomplished. The pizza is always great, totally different, but one of my favorites... like ever. The cheese is aplenty, and the price is right, especially in comparison to what you get around town for a much steeper price. You really can't go wrong. Oh, grab yourself a side of meatballs and cheesy garlic bread, you won't regret it. read more

I really wanted to love this pizza because it is local and family owned. I ordered a large cheese, a large white, and a medium cheese with bell pepper. My order was $91. If the pizza had been great I would have been able to justify the cost because I would be supporting a small business. But the pizzas were awful, The white pizza was dry without any flavor at all. The proportion of cheese to dough to sauce is so out of whack that the other two pizzas were just not good. It felt like a waste of my time to go pick up, my money and my appetite. read more

Love their antipasto salads, pepperoni cheese pizza (pepperoni is hidden beneath the cheese) Great for family dinners and good service. Excellent parking choices. read more

Wow!! Absolutely cheesy tasty pizza and breadsticks. Bread was fresh and perfect amount of pasta and meats. Customer service is A+++!! The girls in the front were so sweet and really know how to provide customer service. I will definitely be going back. read more

Visiting family in the vicinity and Filippi's is a favorite of my sister and BIL so we came with them. Love, love, love the ambiance/vibe - there are chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling EVERYWHERE! Of course we had to buy a bottle to share amongst the five of us because we had to write our names on it and have it hung with the rest of them. Places with dollar bills stapled to the ceiling have NOTHING on Filippi's!! Now for the important part - the food. We ordered a huge antipasto salad that came with bread/butter and the BEST salad dressing. It's not your average Italian or oil & vinegar. This dressing has a tomato base I believe and is exceptional. So good that we were dipping bread in it too! Several pizzas were ordered and if you eat a pizza at Filippi's, you better like cheese. I've never seen a pizza like it in all my life. The layer of cheese on top is like a half inch thick! No joke. After enjoying wine, salad and bread I could only manage to eat one slice of that ooey, gooey pizza. It's a little much for me but I can see how people might love it. Just be sure to eat a couple of prunes or something afterwards because that cheese could have an impact! LOL read more

The worst torpedo I have ever had! No flavor no cheese was not toasted and no dressing.

What an excellent surprise today. We were getting our car fixed and walked to Filippi's. I'm used to walking by the Little Italy location and forgot they have other locations. One word: old school. From the red gingham tablecloths to the bright Color bread baskets, and why mess w a good thing. We enjoyed a torpedo, soup, and salad lunch special. Everything was spot on and very fresh, as was our server, Cheryl. Please stop by and say hello; she's been there for 14 years With 50s music playing and tasty lunch specials, what else is there? Oh, and they have a full bar, so my next trip will include a cocktail to go with my slice. read more

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Food is overpriced and not good. Pizza's are too thick and greasy. They're not sliced all the way and they overdo with the toppings. The quality is not the same as it was before. read more

The pizzas are simply really good. We usually order takeout, this has been our go to spot for our late night pizza crave. Most importantly my kids love the pizza. But just a pice of advice ask for easy cheese. Everything else is simply amazing. You won't be disappointed. read more

It's a San Diego Pilar of what's good in life. Unchanging unwavering good people and great food. Take the ones you love.

I ordered Chicken Parmigiana that comes with spaghetti. The chicken was very tough and uneatable. I will only go back for the pizza. read more

Filippis is hit and miss, but recently the Santee location has been on its game. Tonight the food was amazing, service was great. It's a family tradition to dine here, keep up the great work! read more

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Pizza is always good. Lots of cheese. $32 for a pizza is alot but it's worth it as 1 Slice is usually enough to fill you up! read more

Very good Italian food and one of the few places left with affordable prices. There's a full service bar with TV's and music on one side or the traditional dining setting on the other - both have table service with full menu. The homemade Italian dressing is the best I've ever had! I love the White pizza, order it with fresh tomatoes on top and the lasagna is moi bueno! Family owned (for multiple generations), family recipes, locally owned and operated. They can also accommodate large gatherings. read more

The food is terrible and the service is worse. It's gone way downhill, the meatball tasted like a breadcrumb ball.

A favorite of my family for years. I've only been to this particular location once but it was great. There were 4 of us, on a Saturday and we got sat right away, the food came quickly, and the overall quality of the food was delicious. The portions are huge so you can definitely share everything and if you love cheese, and I mean LOVE cheese then a pizza is definitely a must. That's what they're known for! read more

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Wish the food had some flavor. No I don't have COVID, but this food literally made me test myself because the flavor was that non existent! read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Spaghetti with no sauce - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

Restaurant is cold and could use a good cleanning ! Maybe when restaurant is not busy the hanging wine bottles and spider webs hanging down from the dirty vents above the tables where you seat customers and serve food could get cleaned by lady's /gents that hang out by front entrance could make them self useful with a rag , 4 of them hanging out chatting , no room for customers walking in for pick up orders or being seated ! Maybe a lack of adult management ! Shame on you Santee Restaurant Take some lessons from Kearny Villa Rd read more

Sigh....this pizza can be really great if they'd just make it with some care for takeout. I just had a Red Baron frozen pizza that was way better. 3 different issues with pizza every time: 1) An appropriate amount of sauce on it. It's actually its just cheese and meat on bread with sauce color on the dough, not any sauce in any bites 2) Knead and spread the dough so that the cheese and meat don't migrate to the center with 3-4 inches of "crust only" around the edge. As it is now, pizzas have sloppy, gooey cheese in the center on an extremely thin, usually uncooked dough with a 3 inch chunk of plain crust around the edge. 3) Cook the pizza evenly to proper doneness. As it is, parts of the pizzas are dough, other parts charred crust and pepperoni cold. This issue may disappear when the dough and appropriate amount of sauce is properly spread so that the distribution of dough, sauce, cheese, meat and vegetables is even. read more

I've been ordering from filippos for years. I noticed it slowly going downhill. I never gave up on them though I ordered a Pizza on New Year's Eve. And I don't know what's going on with these guys? The Pizza was basically a Cheese Pizza. I was searching for the toppings, which is frustrating because I've never had to do that with filibusters, but that was the case. It's a lot of money for a Cheese Pizza. I don't think I'll be ordering from them ever again. I think I'm in a stick with diamados. Because they actually give you what you pay for. read more

I have given this place 3 years to come back from the dump that it has become the staff don't seem to care anymore the food is terrible and service for takeout is worse I just waited 55 minutes for spaghetti and burnt meatball with mozzarella. After tonight I will never go there again even if it's free. This is overpriced garbage and god forbid you ask why only half of your order was made and you have to wait for the rest while the first items get cold NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I give zero stars. but it won't allow it read more

I've been here a handful of times and i almost always get pepperoni pizza, maybe an antipasto salad, and a meatball. I know some people may knock their pizza because it doesn't fit the mold of all the YouTube pizza reviews, it's not trendy and cute, but I just like it. It's pretty thick, it's heavy on the cheese, and the cheese is pretty salty, which I absolutely love.... Just my taste preference I guess... maybe it's not for everyone but if you're down with lots of cheese, maybe a slightly thicker and dense crust, you may enjoy it too. The servers have always been friendly. The atmosphere is dark an old school feeling and I like it... Again, it's just my description, maybe not everyone's cup o tea, but I really enjoy it, and their pizza is a guilty pleasure for me and a great treat. read more

Great place for Italian food. I have tried Filippi's locations across town. This one has one of the better customer service experience. Full bar on site. One dinner meal can feed 2 people easily... it's an Italian dinner here folks. This is a pretty large venue with a main dining room and a separate dining room where the bar is. The main dining room tends to have a wait time where as the second dining area does not. They still have full service in the second dining area. I enjoyed my Veal parmigiana meal. read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Veal parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

San diego classic been going to Flippis for years. Great pizza, and lasagna. The classic bottles hanging from the ceiling, haven't been to one with terrible service. They are popular so can get very busy. read more

We were running errands and decided that we were all starving. We checked on Yelp for a little guidance and decided that Filippi's Pizza Grotto fits the bill! As we walked in, there's a sign to wait to be seated. Shortly someone came and took us to our table. The lady who helped us was very cordial. She gave us our menus and took our drink order. By the time the drinks came, we were ready to order. Too hungry to be fussy. They have a wide variety of choices on their menu. They offer pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, salads, wines, beers, sodas, and more. I had the pizza, my one friend had the meatball sandwich, and the other ordered the lasagna. They offered bread and butter to hold us over. OMGoodness!! My pizza was FANTASTIC!! The pepperoni was on point and lots of OOEY GOOEY CHEESE!! I was in HEAVEN!!! My friends enjoyed their meals as well!!! Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. I will be back... read more

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The food is always delicious but the customer service is why I am commenting. The sauce for my to go order was forgotten and they delivered to my home. You just don't find service like that any longer and I will be a customer for life. read more

Came here on Saturday and arrived at 11am, just as they opened. The service was very good. Monse was our server and she was very attentive. Ambiance was ok. Food was not very good. Everything was over the top heavy cheese, the pizza and pasta. It did not look appetizing. The torpedo sandwich was the worse Italian sandwich I've had. This was the second time trying it and was hoping this one would be better.. but, not tasty at all. No flavor. The bread was hard. I would not recommend. read more

Came in with my bestie for lunch. We were greeted by Cheryl and seated quickly in a booth. The restaurant itself has a homey Italian theme to it, charming in a comfortable atmosphere. Cheryl was friendly and made a few suggestions while she took our drink orders and gave us menus to look over. We started with the fried zucchini. Very crisp, hot, perfect crunchiness, yummy! I had the veal with spaghetti and meat sauce and my friend had the lasagna with a side of meat sauce. I have to say the food at this location edges out the other Filippi's locations! The veal was tender and cheese to sauce ratio on point. I tried the lasagna and oh wow- so delicious! The cheese was perfectly balanced against the noodles and the top was crusty perfection. They're getting it all right here, the food, service, value for your money. Come in and ask for Cheryl! read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Lasagna with Meat Sauce - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

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Always BEST pizza ever!! Always my first stop to eat when in San Diego. Downtown or Santee delicious!! read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Tried the Hawaiian pizza while in town and loved it! The ham, pineapple and cheese perfect combination!! - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

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MIL loves Filippi's pizza so we get it for take out. The pepperoni pizza comes with a lot of cheese. If you look at the y axis of the pizza, 50% of it would be cheese. Not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. read more

Bought a large Hawaiian pizza yesterday it was salty and undercooked. You could still see the flour on it. Don't waste your money. The Little Italy location is way better. read more

I made a date for 3:00 p.m. so I could have a nice, quiet, early dinner with my date. I was told I could not have any one of the many tables empty in the dining room. I was directed to the "lounge." When I questioned if that was the bar, I was told it was a "lounge". It was a bar. As all tables were empty, I was promised full dinner service, and I had bragged about Filippi's pizza to my date as a birthday celebration, I went along with it. This trip to Filippi's was a special occasion for me. It is over 60 miles from my home to the restaurant. All was good for about 10 minutes. Before we were served, the "lounge" filled up a bit. It got loud. Most of the loud was caused by our server, Raina. I could hear the beer selections Raina was naming for other "loungers" so loudly that I could not hear my date talking to me. My date was about 8 inches to my right. I am not hard of hearing. That is not a nice dinner atmosphere. Raina, while delightful, did not provide dinner service. Our pizza was simply plunked down in front of us. No properly raised pedestal for the pizza; nor did she cut and/or serve our pizza on plates. She did, however, make much more noise very quickly. The sound of the blender muted our conversation, AGAIN. Then the sound of glass breaking and Raina loudly saying, "My bad, my bad" overcame our conversation AGAIN. Lastly, to my astonishment, when we received the check, the check had suggested tip and amount. What astonished me was that the amount of the suggested tip included the sales tax. I.e., 15% of $31.09. Our pizza was not $31.09. It was $31.09 including the sales tax. I'm supposed to tip on California sales tax? Unbelievable. And undoable. read more

Not sure what the others are complaining about but I sure love Filippi's Pizza. I knew the owner at the one downtown, San Diego. The service is friendly and the ambiance is perfect. read more

Very disappointed! I love all the filippis so I was excited to go to this location by my house. We ordered a half Margherita pizza and half meat lovers. I love cheese but this pizza had way to much cheese..you couldn't even pick up the slice. Also, the Margherita side was awful. Thick cold sandwich slice type tomatoes and shredded basil like lettuce. When the waitress asked how we liked the food, I told her there was way to much cheese and that the tomatoes were very burger like in style. She laughed and said.. "yeah we put a lot of cheese you can order it light medium or reg cheese." Why didn't she ask that when we ordered then? And the right thing to do would have been for her to ask if she can have it remade for us. I mean the pizza was 40 dollars. We barely touched it. We also got the lasagna and ravioli dinner. Sauce was super salty and very dark like it was burnt. If your looking for the authentic filippis tast its not at the santee location.​ read more

Filippi's Pizza Grotto Santee - Italian Near Me - Santee, California

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