What an outstanding experience a long-time friend of mine and I had, by every definition, at this restaurant for an early Saturday dinner May 17, 2025. Joele and Giorgia (new owners) could not have been more hospitable and enjoyable in their delightful customer service as were the other staff. The food was delicious, and offered a wide variety. And we could actually have conversations that allowed us to comfortably hear each other even when the dining room filled. Treat yourself to experiencing all of this as soon as you can. If you were there before the ownership changed, go back now!!! I can hardly wait to get back there again. I'm quite sure my friend agrees, and since she lives closer to them (10 minutes) than I do (35 minutes), it won't take much encouragement to become regular customers!! Thanks, Joele and Giorgia!!!! Looking forward to seeing you soon again and enjoying lots of laughs together and your great food. I can't imagine that will enjoy anything other than the best of success!! read more

Everything was insanely good. Service was perfect. Casual place with really good food. All of the bread and pizza items were light and airy and didn't make you insanely full. All pastas were perfectly Al dente. The Ravioli and the Pesto Gnocchi and the Carbonara were all off the charts!! It's a place that you want to scream to all your friends that is amazing, but in the other hand you don't want anyone to know about it so you can have it all to yourself. Amazing!!! read more

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Took the grandkids here. They loved it. You can order from a great selection by the slice or a small or large pizza. I tried the Greek salad, which was fresh and great. Plus i had the eggplant pizza. That was also great. The service was outstanding. Our server was so nice and efficient. Her name is saira. She is professional and will one day be running a restaurant! The place is immaculate and that always helps. Shows workers and owners have pride in their restaurant. read more

I've been to New York once, so it's clear I'm an expert on all things NY pizza and let me tell you... this place just gets it. No but really. I remember the incredible pizza I had on that one fateful trip and I'm blown away at how well this spot does the New York style. Dough is perfection. Topping always complementary. I have to guess their pizza makers are wizards because execution is out of this world. ONLY complaint? They're not next door to my house. Otherwise I'd be here on the daily. They really put a lot of thought into their ingredients but also spared no effort on the decor. The skyline mural as a backdrop to those classic checkered table clothes? It brings that nostalgic late night, piece of greasy wonder back to those who are lucky enough to cross the country for it. Beyond that- the service is fantastic. You get that counter service start coupled with table service for the rest of your meal and you can just tell that not only do these people love what they do- but they're grateful that you do too. Forchettabouddit- not likely. Forgetting about you will not be happening any time soon. read more

Mas o menos! Brought the family to carlsbad to a resort. We decided to eat out because of resort prices and paid the price.We showed up and all the workers where sitting around watching a soccer game. Got seated, mozz sticks where 3/10 and pizza was pretty weak. No pun but digiorno slaps harder. read more

This place has the yummiest pizza crust, so good! It's great for picking up a pizza, and the inside is cute if you want to grab a slice and is kid friendly. Love the pepperoni and sausage pizza. read more

Absolutely the best pesto gnocchi I have ever had IN MY LIFE. Incredible service, especially by the girl who answered the phone and helped me build a custom pizza for my gluten free and dairy free husband. To see him get to enjoy Italian food after years of not being able to get anything was amazing. But seriously get the pesto gnocchi. It's life changing. read more

Forchettina - Pesto gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

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So good! Called in for pickup and it came up pretty quick even though it was a busy Friday night. Had the chicken pesto pasta and pepperoni pizza. Loved it. read more

Very casual, but the food is as good as any other of their restaurants. Meatballs (3) were a very tasty appetizer to our large size pizza. Plenty left over for a meal at home the next day. You walk up to order, and then they bring out your food when it is ready. Very friendly staff. Seating outside was nice and shady with plenty of tables to choose from. Definitely heading back there in the future. Only 28 minutes from our house. Easy peasey. read more

The woman who was taking phone orders and waiting tables around 6:30pm on October 14, 2024 was SO great. I'll get her name next time. She was friendly, courteous, efficient and had great customer service. Overall, it was a great experience and I will continue to come back as well as spread the word to my family and friends. read more

What a disappointment! What happened? It used to be so good. 1) got my to go order wrong 2) the pizza was old/stale. Tough crust 3) the salad was wet/wilty I threw the entire $99 order in the trash. ForchetAbout this place. Yuck. read more

Honestly I was very disappointed with the taste of our food. My sister and I ordered a pizza and wings. The wings had a weird flavor and the pizza too doughy. Just wasn't our type of food. It was not worth how much they charged. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Nice outdoor dining patio also. read more

Found this place on a whim, while passing by. Food and service was A+. The Honolulu was extremely good and the Caesar salad was perfect, with big chuckle of Parmesan. Enjoy! read more

Forchettina - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

Went in tonight because was craving some authentic Italian. Food was awesome and cooked perfectly. Only reason this place isn't receiving 5 stars is because the music coming from what I think was the kitchen was so loud felt like I was at a club. You would think they would play Italian music or something to go with the restaurant vibe. read more

Phenomenal. What a jewel in this small little plaza in Encinitas! We ordered two sandwiches, one was the Caprese with prosciutto. They offered to warm the bread and it was delicious and crisp. Super fresh and perfect. We also ordered the eggplant parmigiana but made in a panuozzo (basically using pizza dough and heated in their pizza oven) their marinara is spectacular. Such a full and flavorful sandwich. We ordered two slices: the Pleasant Ave (chicken and pesto) & Cobble Hill (sausage and pepperoni) for our son. We left with a takeaway container too. Wonderful Italian drinks, wines and beer selection. So great! We cannot wait to come back! Grazie mille! read more

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I was dying for New York style pizza and I normally go to B**** NY style pizza in Solana Beach. After doing a quick check up on yelp I thought I'd check this place out I was greeted by Angela it was great and sweet made me feel nice and warm and fuzzy I love the decorations on the wall and the red and white table clothes made me feel like I was in Italian part of any major city. Friend and I split the 12 inch pizza it was great I love the New York style and mine had a little crispy this to the crust which I loved. I saw other items around me where people were getting onion rings with the marinara look terrific I'll be back with a bigger appetite next time read more

Yum. I like this new spot. Staff was super awesome and the food was delish. I got a slice of pizza and mozzarella sticks. I think it's a great spot to go to if u don't feel like ordering a pizza and staying at home on your couch. Get up and get out people. The world and the staff at this pizza spot wanna see your beautiful smile. read more

Service - Good Service Ambiance- Not much to write home about Chicken Wings- not sure how they prepare these but had the consistency of boiled chicken, absolutely zero crisp. Wings are my go to appetizer and I can without a doubt say that these are the worst chicken wings that I have ever tried. Pizza- I ordered the Special which was red onion, Jalapeño, and bacon. It was a 7 out of 10. Good Flavor and nice coal fired outer crust. It was a little wet for my liking which caused a-lot of flop so you had to eat with a fork and knife, but I would order it again. It was a little pricey, but what restaurant is not pricey today. I would probably recommend as a pizza takeout place. read more

I have eaten at their sister restaurants Buonosera and Buono Forchetta many times and have had some awesome pizza and Italian food so we were very excited to give this location a try. The place is nicely decorated with both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff immediately said hello and offered us to sit anywhere we liked. Within a minute our server came over and offered us drinks. Service was excellent. When both my wife and I started eating our dinner we both had the same reaction. Nothing special and actually kinda mediocre Italian food. My wife had a slice of pizza that she didn't finish. Definitely not the same crust/slice as Buonasera which is awesome NY pizza. My dinner chicken parmigiana was tasteless. The spaghetti I ordered was tasteless. Perhaps we caught them on a bad night. read more

Izzy was our server! What a fun and professional server! We told her that we were familiar with and loved the Buono Forchetta locations. She explained the similarities as well as the differences. This one has a very quaint cafe feel. I ordered the ravioli. So delicious. The pasta was perfect. The filling and sauce delicious. Thanks for the cannol Izzy . You're the bomb! read more

Great spin off from the folks at Buona Forchetta. This is a more casual take on Italian. Limited menu, less decor. I would encourage them to spend some energy on the decor and make it more inviting. The pizza is really good. Maybe my favorite in San Diego. We tried pizza pasta and salad. The pizza is definitely a win but the other items not so much. I would call in your order and pick it up. They haven't really got their service in order yet, so it seems really frantic with customers all over the place waiting aimlessly for their food. We waited an extraordinary amount of time for our order. Maybe it will improve but I've been back twice for pizza and didn't notice any organization improvement. But switched to pickup and been back twice. The pizza is worth it. read more

Yummy pizza & extra yummy nlasagne Small patio so you can bring your pooch. Same owners as Buona Forchetta which we also love on the Coast Hwy in North County. We will be back read more

This place was a bit hard to find within the shopping center, but I'm a big fan of their Encinitas location and decided to pop in on a Friday night. The service is good and the delicious food came out quickly! The ambience is pretty basic, but they have a nice outdoor patio. I'll definitely return when I am in the mood for casual, but tasty Italian food. read more

Forchettina - Gnocchi with the vodka sauce (custom order). - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

the pizza is yummy but this is the second time our order was extremely incorrect. Our pizza had different toppings from what we ordered.

Great service and was able to get a to go order 30 minutes before close. Honolulu pizza was fire (not in a spicy way but savory way) and the sausage & peppers sandwich was reminder of what it's like eating Italian on the other coast. Random part of the order was the onion rings and they went great with the sandwich. Will check them out again soon to catch a glass of wine with a sit down meal. Looking forward to trying some of their specialty pasta and a meaty pizza on the come back. read more

I have been trying all the pizza places in the area and am often dissatisfied. Well this place first got me with the name. A good sense of humor goes a long way. Then you walk in and see that the investment is in this amazing pizza oven that was imported from Sicily. We had the Beeker Street pizza and it was very good. We will be back. read more

Forchettina - The pizza oven is the magic element here. - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Good food Fun atmosphere Loved the outdoor seating Yes I know they're brand new we gave them grace I would say the pizzas, French fries and onion rings were awesome The salads were lacking We had the Greek and the antipasto salad were disappointing I wanted to love them, salad is my fav The antipasto for being served on the plate it was became cumbersome to slice the salamis in cheese, possibly these being cut smaller would've helped. The dressing was very heavy oil light on vinegar and spices The Greek salad was nicely served but again the dressing lacked a lot of flavor. Overall will be back, as we definitely enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. read more

This place is cute and the food is delish. We had the handmade fettuccine with chicken and Alfredo sauce. The chicken was perfect! My husband had the cheese ravioli with vodka sauce - excellent. The pizza is good, my boys just got cheese. But really liked it. Many combos to choose from. It is that flat floppy NY style. The service was great, very helpful and cheerful. We are here on Mother's day before noon, and they are not busy. It was a great lunch! read more

Had a really good experience here today. Food was yummy. Will go back to try other menu items.

I agree with the forgetaboutit comment. There's several other places in the area with much better food. As the waiter was bringing the pizza out to my table, I noticed a putrid smell, that happened to be the scent of the mozzarella cheese they use on the pizza. That's odd because mozzarella is not a strong smelling cheese. It was reminiscent of the nasty pizza they served in elementary school, that had a smell that was across between feet and dirty old dish water. Absolutely disgusting. Definitely wouldn't recommend a place that obviously uses low quality cheese but charges premium prices. read more

Came for lunch with a party of 16. Service was outstanding. Amazing customer service. Food was not only great but the portions were large too. Prices are fair and desserts fantastic. Would highly recommend this place. read more

Excellent pizza! If it's not the best pizza I've had it's definitely one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Ordered a 12" with pepperoni, onions and olives for myself and asked for it to come out crispy and it did. From the very first bite I new it was a special pie. Had nothing to do with my topping choices. A plain cheese pizza would have been just as amazing. Definitely going back for more. read more

This place came recommended by some friends and we're hooked now. As a pizzeria owner myself I am very picky and set in my pizza ways. This place is hands down one of the best Pies in town. I love little family owned places like this that pack such a big flavor punch. The ambience is very comfy and family friendly. read more

Wife and I stumbled in by looking for some other restaurant and love this place...prices are good...good portions and service is always spot on...very happy returns here....wish we lived closer...Pizza is great as is eggplant and other main dishes. read more

Just tried this for the first . So tasty & authentic Plenty of potions and options . Favorite was the pesto gnocchi read more

Delicious pizza! We preferred napoli style and this was close. Service was great. Environment clean and friendly cute bistro table covers. The wine is okay. A little noisy off the main blvd. Definitely a family restaurant lots of children. read more

This restaurant over delivers on the quality of the food as well as the service. I highly recommend it it's one of the special spots in Encinitas that I enjoy. read more

Went in during lunch time & tried the eggplant parmesan & italian subs. The italian sun was great but the eggplant parmesan was 10/10. Staff was very kind & helpful. read more

Everything was good! Not a bad dish and we had several. The pasta, the gnocchi, the pizza all good. And the owners were delightful. Highly recommend read more

Because I so adore the Buona Forchetta restaurant in Leucadia, I felt there was much pressure that this new spot live up to what comes out of Isabela, the wonderful Oven over there on Coast Highway (where Bird House used to serve good Turkish meals). Drum roll... I simply love this new location. The people are great (Angela up front, Manuelo(?) preparing the feast) - as is the Authentic Italian simple cuisine - but it is the combination of all that makes the sum be more than total of the parts. They simply focus on great, tasty fare served in an unpretentious way - like one might find in Italy. The pizza is more NY slice style than is Buona Forchetta in Leucadia (which is a fantastic pie) ... a bit thicker in crust. But where else can one get a great and hit slice for just $3?!! I so far have gone two days in a row and am fearful it will be hard habit to break ... I expect to go very often here as my regular go to. Located next to Rubios, it is convenient - and I will probably regularly be getting the slice of pineapple/bacon/honey for a totally worth it $5. Am happy that Rosanna's has great pasta size nearby (another regular spot for me) - but ever happier we now have Forchettaboutit here... I'm guessing it will be regularly crowded in future here... deserves to be! So in sum, this is now my regular favorite - like VG donuts - I will be here very, very often!! La Dolce Vita, it makes one happy to be alive ... ! Dr. Rob W. read more

Forchettina - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California