An excellent Italian place in Encinitas, off the beaten path. It is hard to exactly categorize it: definitely not haute cuisine (not homestyle Italian either), ambience and service are excellent. The result more or less matches the experience of a high-end, but not Michelin-starred, restaurant in Italy with somewhat Americanized menu. The restaurant is located at the edge of a small shopping mall, parking is abundant. The area inside is large and clad in dark-colored wood, creating an intimate atmosphere. However, most of the guests prefer al fresco dining outside, where an Italian patio atmosphere is recreated quite well, with a fountain, linen on the tables, etc. The overall mood outdoors is very upbeat, on weekend afternoons there is quite a good chance of hot air balloons flying overhead. The service was efficient and prompt, the server-to-guest ration is quite reasonable. The food fits our taste way better than the typical US-Italian fare (think Il Fornaio). Pasta dishes fared better with us and are less expensive (go figure!), I suggest to try Cannelloni Fiorentina. Portions are Italian-size (i. e., quite large), definitely consider sharing. The wine list is excellent for the type of the restaurant, although the by-the-glass selection is quite limited. For the experience, the place is not expensive, expect a $70-85 bill for the full dinner (per person), can be much less with the suggested sharing. The place can be used for many purposes: a weekend dinner, a meeting with friends, a date. Well worth a 15 min drive from pretty much anywhere in the North County, if you are in a mood for Italian-ish food. Visited on Sunday evening, reservations were not needed. read more

Here's the thing. I truly love the food and will give five stars for the food, but on my last visit there were many lapses of good service that need major attention. First of all, we were a party of six and Firenza does not allow online reservations for six people. When I called I was told either 5:30 or 7:30, not 6:30, as I had requested. Last time in I noticed a note at the hostess desk that instructed her not to accept reservations between 6 and 7 by phone, regardless of prior reservations. I accepted the 5:30 time but noted that there was absolutely lots of open tables at 6, even accounting for COVID spacing. Unforgivable was the waiter who took used silverware from appetizer plates and placed them covered with bits of food back on the table. This is unthinkable, except at the lowest-rank restaurants. Our order was botched ... some appetizers were never served and our waiter offered no apology when I mentioned the problem. Wine service (by the glass) took 15 minutes for a refill. Someone asked for a side of ice and it was served without a spoon. Classy restaurants always bring a spoon! read more

We enjoyed sitting outside with friends celebrating a birthday. The dinner was delicious and the tiramisu was the best we've ever had very pleasant experience and the excellent service by the one and only Julie read more

Firenze Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

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So, found this place on open table, lots of 4 plus star reviews, so thought we'd try for our anniversary. No recognition from anyone on the occasion. Well, this place is stuck in a way past it's prime strip mall in the middle of nowhere where if the apocalypse was happening would be the place to go. Service sucks if your not one of the regulars not up for a drive to anywhere better. Basically ignored by our waitress who felt it was her job to argue with us on wine glass sizes and what gets served how. The busboy dumped the bread and OO/B vinegar bottle on our table - no offer of Parmesan cheese or pepper for the mix to dip our bread in. The mozzarella appetizer lacked any flavor. The food was mediocre. They should pay a little more to upgrade the box pasta and Ragu spaghetti sauce. All in alll, should've driven to Little Italy or gone for steaks. read more

Where do I start? Never once I have not enjoyed this establishment. Food portions are HUGE, which of course we all love bc we have leftovers! Their chicken meatballs are a fave for me, and their Eggplant Rollatini is also my go to. You can't go wrong w their lasagna, or anything for that matter! Lovely ambience outside and inside is also pretty old school and comfortable. Give it a whirl, you won't be disappointed! read more

The place is great, the staff is awesome. Casual atmosphere and a great place for 2 or 10. My only issue is the bartender Mark. Good mixologist, but he should really keep his political opinion to himself EVEN if his patrons are speaking about them, leaning one way or the other, stay out of it. Politics these days are very divisive. We paid as quickly as we could to get away from the conversations. read more

We enjoy this restaurant very much. Food and service are excellent. Ate there a couple of days ago. I ordered my usual Risotto with filet mignon. The risotto was delicious, but I got 3 or 4 tiny morsels of filet and 3 tiny shrimp. The rest was rice with way too many onions. The meat was tender enough to be filet mignon, but the pieces were so small it was otherwise impossible to tell what it was. The previous time we ate there, I ordered the same thing and the filet was in small pieces, but they were a bit more generous with the serving of meat and shrimp with the risotto. My husband had the cannelloni and enjoyed it. read more

Good bread and good wine. That is the sum of our disappointing dinner experience at Firenze. We have been going here for dinner off and on for the past 15 years. In the past we felt as though the food was consistently very good. Something has changed, unfortunately. The mixed green salad (iceberg) was drenched in what tasted like "bottled dressing". The butternut squash ravioli was swimming in a watery/butter sauce encircling a lump of spinach. The trout special was tasteless and overpriced. The service was perfunctory. Very, very mediocre restaurant now. read more

TERRIBLE SERVICE!! We went there on a Friday night at 5pm for happy hour. Took a very long time to get our 1st round of cocktails and the place was only 1/4 full. By the 2nd round we had waited another 15 min. the waitress finally came by to tell us that our drinks were delayed because THEY RAN OUT OF GLASSES. It was 6:15 in the evening!!! We gave her our glasses and said "just refill these" so 10 min later.....our lipstick stained glasses where refilled! We ordered a few appetizers and the food was actually good (that's whey they are getting 2 stars). I asked for our water glasses to be refilled and 10 min later someone came by and refilled ONE GLASS!! I had to ask them to please come back and go around the table. When we left there was no sign of a manager to speak to so I'll just say...."find another spot for your time and money. read more

Food was not worth the insults from the waiter. There was a lack of basic consideration in regards to my gluten allergy. After I had disclosed my allergy during the ordering process, my salad was presented with croutons. When I said that I couldn't eat it because of the croutons, the waiter replied in a very sharp tone "What do you want me to do about It?", read more

Great find! Love this place, the atmosphere and most importantly, the food is so yummy! Highly, recommend eating here! Great service, too! read more

Consistently yummy eggplant Parmesan. Finding really good vegetarian and vegan food is challenging, this vegetarian dish always hits the mark. My hubby loves the salmon, and sometimes they have wild caught too. The bread is amazing as well. read more

I have eaten here many times with my family, and the food itself is usually fine, but the last few times I've gone, the overall atmosphere and level of service have been incredibly disappointing. Following proper COVID guidelines and a new order pick-up system are in desperate need because the current ones are a mess on both counts. Way too many people were sitting too closely together both indoors and on the patio. Staff wearing face masks varies from proper coverage to pulling down their mask to talk to you and exposing their entire face (defeating the entire purpose of a face covering). WARNING: if you are there to pick up an order, be prepared to wait an extra 30 mins, receive crappy and little attention from staff, order errors, confused staff, and no waiting area (you have to wait in the walkway that's full of busy servers and customers and that's also just inches away from unmasked people eating at the bar). Most notable is the main bartender who's very rude and abrasive (making insulting comments about his coworkers directly to customers), constantly touching his gaiter and face and then touching the drinks he's making, and half the time is wearing no face covering at all. read more

Not enough favor for my taste. Great portion size but a little pricey. Very elegant inside. Service was not bad nor good. I wouldn't return read more

Firenze Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

First time patrons. Nicely nestled away in North county San Diego in between Encinitas and Rancho Santa Fe. Very quiet and tucked away. The service is great and the food was fresh and prepared to perfection. From the salads to the salmon to the pasta entrees nothing disappointed just wish we had the time and room to try desserts - next time. Must try. Enjoy - cheers read more

Spending a day in Carlsbad had to include lunch here, according to Laura D - and in my afterglow, I can see why! We walked in around 2pm on this Friday and the place was mostly empty, to the point where there wasn't anyone to greet us til we walked through the restaurant and towards the lovely back patio. It was there that we were seated and brought menus. Our server Julie was friendly and took our orders and brought a bread basket to go with the balsamic and olive oil cruet that sat on the table. The bread wasn't interesting enough for this carb watcher to try, but Laura loved it. We shared a salad as an appetizer, so it arrived beautifully split: Insalata Gamberi ($19.95) - 3 perfectly grilled shrimp for each of us, with baby field greens, diced tomatoes, red and green pepper julienne, toasted pine nuts, and goat cheese crumbles, tossed in a light vinaigrette. This was a very nice salad, lovely to look at and to eat! Salmone Alla Griglia ($26.95) - we each ordered this, 2 different ways. Mine was medium rare, and served with sauteed spinach and Laura's was well done and served with spinach and mashed potatoes. The salmon was very good, the spinach glossy with olive oil, and the mashed potatoes SUPER buttery and yummy! They brought us coffee and decaf, and then we made the unfortunate decision to forego the housemade Tiramisu and instead get: Cheesecake - and it was AWFUL : (. It tasted like a slice of frozen Sara Lee cheesecake. In a bad way. It was topped with a drizzle of strawberry sauce and a sifting of cocoa powder, and adorned with fresh strawberry pieces and a dollop of whipped cream. One tiny bite for each of us was enough to know that this wasn't worth the calories or the carbs - and back it went. The owner and Julie both profusely apologized when we sent it back, and again recommended that we try the Tiramisu. Next time - because yes, there will be a next time - I will listen to them and we WILL try the Tiramisu, and everything will be just fine : D. read more

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Basically this place is overpriced. Sure, it is Encinitas, but come on.. If I'm going to pay 20 bucks for pasta, that shit better be divine. Sadlly I did not read Brooke R's review and ordered the linguini alle vongole. I agree with her: bland city! It was quite dull. Tried a companion's angel hair pasta, was a little more flavorful but it was pretty average. I could have made it at home for no more than 5 dollars. That being said, 2 of my companions got really tasty dishes. Dessert was all right. The tiramisu was decent, while the blood orange sorbet was the highlight of the evening. Basically I think the restaurant has too many items on the menu. While some of the food is top-notch, some of it is sub-par. Given the prices it charges, this restaurant needs to make sure EVERYTHING is excellent. Alas, that is far from the case. read more

I was looking for a nice romantic place to celebrate during our weekend n the area and ran across Firenze while perusing the reviews. The menu looked amazing, the reviews said it was amazing, my only reservation about making reservations was the fact that it is located in a shopping center. Normally I don't associate fine dining with shopping, but you never know. So I made the reservation and headed over to Firenze Saturday Night. There are no exaggerations. The food is delicious, the service is attentive and the prices are moderate. We ordered the Polenta Fungi e Gorgonzola as a starter. The Polenta had a great garlic/cheese taste and aroma which was nicely balanced by the rustic mushrooms, it was fabulous. Then the butternut squash soup - amazing. My taste buds were doing a little leaps with glee they were so exited there was more food to come. I ordered the Mushroom Ravioli for my main dish and the Boy Friend ordered eggplant Parmigiana rolls stuffed with ricotta and pine nuts. No complaints on either, and we were so full and satisfied that there was no room for dessert. I will definitely go back when in the area. read more

Love their lasagna and cocktails! They have a nice HH and a full and sophisticated bar. The restaurant is nice, quiet and they also have a very large outdoor eating space. Great service, nice pastas and all around good Italian food. read more

3.5... Had a very long week at work and Christopher C. offered to take me out to dinner. We had a BOGO to this place so decided to try it. I will only review my entree and experience. I cringe on Italian restaurants only because I figure I could make pasta dishes at home for a fraction of the price. The only time that you could get me to an Italian restaurant is if they offer VERY distinctive entrees. Otherwise, don't even bother asking... Complimentary bread and sticks were offered, which paired well with our glasses of wine. I ordered a glass of Riesling, Chateau St. Michelle ($8). Pretty good. Nothing special and I needed something to wind me down... FAST... My entree was the Risotto Fantastico, which included sliced filet mignon and shrimp sautéed in aged balsamic sauce with shallots and pancetta, then served over risotto ($30). I truly enjoyed this dish. The filet and shrimp went well with the risotto. The filet was very flavorful. There was a bit of meat, seafood and carbs all in one, and was very enjoyable. The dish was piping hot, and I only ate half my entree. Overall the service was great, and our server was delightful. Frequent refills on waters, which was a plus. This is a cute little restaurant, and from the expensive cars parked out front, don't be scared off by the pretentiousness of this establishment. read more

My boyfriend and I recently went to Firenze Trattoria for dinner on a Saturday night and I was impressed! We had spent a good portion of the afternoon researching nice restaurants in the area and ended up deciding on this one based on reviews and convenient location. From the moment we arrived, we were impressed (including by the water fountain feature at the end of the entrance hall). Since we arrived early, we sat in the bar to wait for our table. The bartender was friendly and chatted about Pac-10 football (I'm UW, boyfriend is OSU and bartender was UA). The pineapple martini I had was delicious but very strong (not necessarily a negative except that I'm very much a lightweight). We were promptly seated at our reservation time and we began to peruse the menu. I'm admittedly a picky eater and the waitress was great at accommodating my questions and requests. We decided to forgo the antipastis as I couldn't guarantee that my taste buds could handle the fanciness and instead moved onto soups and salads. I stuck with the traditional caesar salad, which I thought was superbly done with the perfect amount of dressing. Too many places skimp on their dressing but here it was balanced to add flavor without making the lettuce limp. My boyfriend had the shrimp bisque and I surprised myself by taking a risk and trying it (I think my pineapple martini added some bravery to my dinner) and it tasted great. I admit that I don't have anything to compare it too since I've never had shrimp or a bisque before but I give it a pass! For our main course, I opted for the Salmone alla Griglia as I had been wanting some salmon for awhile. It was a great choice as the salmon was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by a lemon for added flavor. The pasta on the side was also a delight. I loved their house mixture of red and white sauce! My boyfriend had the lobster ravioli, which I didn't try, but he thought was good. Dessert was a highlight for me. I picked out the raspberry sorbet in a dark chocolate shell and it was a little piece of heaven. Overall, great food and a great atmosphere that 's perfect for a nice night out! read more

Call it 3.5 stars. Restaurants are all about the food, right? Service is service and atmosphere is atmosphere, etc., right? Well, sometimes. Firenze charges near-big-time restaurant prices, and the food is, overall plentiful and very good. So far, so good. But when I pay near-big-time prices, I figure I'm also paying for top-notch service and an atmosphere that matches the bill. So why then was our server MIA for 10 or 20 minutes at a time? Why was wine service so amateurish (when she even bothered to pour the wine) that I wanted to beg our server to please, please, just put the bottle down slooooowly so no one gets hurt. Frankly, all our waitress was missing was a big wad of bubble gum. She was a total goof. A nice goof. But still a goof. In fact, this may have been her first day on the job. Final rant: I know everyone wears jeans to pretty much every restaurant in SoCal, no matter how "nice" the place. But t-shirts? With goofy sayings? And tennis shoes? Is there no way to stop the seemingly inevitable push to make every place as casual as your living room? What's next, showing up to dinner in your ratty, gray bathrobe and fuzzy slippers? Overall, Firenze delivers on the food but damn it all, improve that service if you want me back. And kick out the idiots in their flip flops. read more

Wow, best Italian food North of San Diego Everything was exceptional. I had the grilled Salmon, with pasta with marinara sauce. The chef was very careful with my food because of my dairy allergy. My husband had chicken piccata, also cooked to perfection and our fried had a gluten free entry that was fantastic. They both had specialty coffees that were delicious and spumoni ice cream served very artistically. Don't miss this place if you are an Italian, Mama would approve! I forgot to mention how very thoughtful and wonderful the waitress was. I'll go back again when I am in the area. read more

I was so delighted to find gluten free ravioli on your menu! It was absolutely delicious! Cannot wait time come back to this amazing restaurant! Loved our server and the beautiful outdoor patio dining experience! read more

Mothers Day. Everyone was on deck. Not too busy. Food was excellent. Server was "Julie" She has worked there at least 22 years. She did not tell us the specials. We had already ordered and heard the waiter at the next table saying them. We were mad because we would have ordered a special!!! Especially the soup! She was asleep at the wheel, I mean literally. We feel for a $230.00 meal we were not taken care of. read more

Outstanding again. I love this place If you are ever in North County and want the Best Italian - go here !! Portions are nice and service is 5 Stars I would eat here every night of the week! Highly recommended read more

This place is located in a small outdoor mall type place. It's beautiful inside and outside in their patio. The servers are nice, but not always attentive, we had to ask for more water because she didn't notice when she came to our table. The calamari appetizers were lightly breaded and very tender, yum! The shrimp bisque was pretty light, it was ok. I got the lobster ravioli (do you notice a pattern here) and at $25, I thought it would be something spectacular, but sadly, it was not. It was good, but not great. (My obsession with lobster ravioli started after I got some amaaaazing lobster ravioli at this buffet in Vegas, I forgot which buffet, but it was a small buffet, but ever since, I've gone out to try everyone's lobster ravioli to find the best one). I still prefer the lobster ravioli at Calypso Cafe. They gave us bread and the first batch of bread we got was stale, which made it hard to dip into the olive oil balsamic vinegar. The second batch of bread we got was very soft, much better. None of the food here was bad, but it just wasn't special, and at the price, I thought it'd be better! They have andes mints by the door!!!! :) read more

Delicious Italian! So why 4 stars? The pasta isn't Eataly fresh, but the sauces and every other item on the menu is phenomenal. I absolutely love the Chicken Marsala and Bolognese. The desserts, particularly the Tiramisu is something you should leave some room for! Can't wait to go back on my next vacay in Del Mar! read more

Lovely, classy place. I had the vodka sauce penne, thought it was fantastic. Bf had mushroom raviolis. The portion for the raviolis was extremely small, but they were creamy and flavorful. Had a bottle of wine from Napa, don't remember the name, but it was a cab, and it was really smooth and fruity. The menu is intense. They have many, many, many different dishes to offer. And that's not including the separate lunch menu. Had a good experience here. Atmosphere was modern, classy, bright, and quiet. read more

Delicious food with a friendly staff. Matthew, our server, took great care of us. We will definitely be coming back again soon!!

Went last night for anniversary dinner. We were both exhausted from taking care of our new baby, just needed a quiet night out. The staff was polite and friendly. Not very many people on a Wednesday evening. The Caesar salad may have been the best part of the meal, I really enjoyed the dressing, which they served on the side at my wife's request. We each had a cocktail - a Cosmo and a martini - both well, and they were $15 each. Seems pretty steep to me, I don't usually order cocktails, though. She had seafood risotto, which was richer/creamier than she was expecting, and the scallops weren't the best. I considered the cioppino, but instead had the lasagne. It tasted great, though it was also fairly rich. They gave us an anniversary tiramisu, which was nice. It added up to just north of $100 with tip, which was a little more than we were expecting but not unreasonable. All in all, A-OK. Not sure if we'll be back. read more

A group of came here last Saturday for a birthday dinner. The place is easy to find with plenty of parking. We sat outside, which was very cute and the heat lamps were awesome! There was complementary bread and bread sticks, and their olive oil/balsamic vinegar dispenser was adorable! I wanted to take one home =P I had a glass of the McManis family Pinot Noir that was very very good. The boyfriend and I shared the Shrimp Bisque to start. It was delicious and full of flavor! The bisque was sweet with faint hint of garlic that wasn't overpowering. You can also take minced pieces of shrimp that added a very nice texture to the bisque. For entrees, I ordered the Capesante San Giacomo that our server recommended. If you love scallops, this is the dish for you. The sauce was a light tomato sauce with a pleasant spiciness. The boyfriend ordered the Main Lobster Ravioli. I was disappointed by how much sauce was on the ravioli because it totally covered the flavor of the lobster =( Our server was very helpful in answering all my menu questions. All in all the restaurant was great. I suppose the only downside is that it's a bit on the pricy side. The entrees range from $18-40, but I think for the amount and quality of food, it was well worth it =) read more

Firenze Trattoria - Capesante San Giacomo - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

Yum!! So good. Sitting outside with a lovely fountain and great candle lighting sets the mood. The burrata appetizer was one of the best I've had. Seriously the homemade pesto... Well done! My husband had food orgasm from his pasta wrapped protein dish Very pleased.... read more

Firenze Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

Veal parm with cavateppi and green beans, pasta fagioli soup, cannoli, Lavazza coffee, breadsticks, oil, parmesan, table top seat with a TV, great service from Bill, easy parking. Cavateppi was excellent with what may have been a vodka sauce. read more

I like the house made pasta and sauce with a béchamel tomato sauce . The ambience here is low key, relaxing and can be romantic. Good warm bread. We went back a second time and ate meatballs, chicken parm and tiramisu with coffee. read more

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First visit, loved it. Billy and Mark were the bar staff that served me. Super accommodating. Ready with recommendations on what's good. Overwhelmingly, amongst the staff and the regulars, was the lasagna. It was truly excellent lasagna. Drinks were great, generous pours, nice portions on food. I also had the Carpaccio, very good. I would definitely come back and definitely recommend. They were very busy with dine in and take out. Billy and Mark actually introduced themselves, which is very overlooked in bar tending and service so I appreciated the personal connection. Very professional and they asked if I'd be back. I will. They were on a first name basis with many other customers as well so they definitely have the loyal clientele, and you can just tell this is the type of place that treats people right. I only review 5's or 1's, so they definitely earned my business. My kind of place. read more

Great service and great meal! A little pricey but worth it. I had the ravioli in Gorgonzola cream sauce and it was delicious!!! We had the tiramisu for dessert and was very satisfied! read more

Friends brought us here for dinner as they are regulars. Nice people. Great manager and staff. I had a house salad and chicken picata. It wasn't as good as mine :(. My hubby had the lasagna, and said it was good, but he'd had better. (We are spoiled as we have a first generation Italian restaurant here in town where we are regulars.). The tiramisu was EXCELLENT. I also tasted the coffee gelato. It was also excellent. read more

Honestly it's pretty overpriced and not amazing food. The tiramisu was fabulous though! read more

Firenze Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

Delicious food and relaxed atmosphere. One of the first couple of restaurants we visited upon re-opening due to the Covid shut down and they have done a great job. Tables are spread out and the place is impeccably clean. Will return again! read more