Had Christmas Eve dinner with family. Food was not worth the $80 menu. Asked if this set menu was only menu available and was told it was. Felt rushed to order each course by server. Food was average. Dessert dry! Noticed others around us getting other items not on set menu, when I asked hostess on our way out she responded that if it was asked for they would accommodate. read more

I've been longing for an authentic Italian restaurant! This is the one!!! After learning of my ancestry and realizing everything my dad has ever told me about my grandmothers cooking such as clams in her pasta sauce all makes sense now! In New England and some parts of Florida seafood pizzas are a bit hit! Here in San Diego if I mention clams or calamari/squid on pizza most ppl cringe. This new Italian restaurant has an amazing diverse and authentic menu for any Italian foodie lover. We ordered 4 different items, seafood pizza, a steak, lamb chops and a sausage and chicken penne pasta in garlic cream sauce. read more

This place offers excellent live music. Carlos our server offered us excellent food selections. We truly enjoyed our dinner read more

Garbatella - Excellent service offered by Carlos. (Thank you Carlos!). Excellent entertainment, live music. - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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My first visit was amazing! I couldn't wait to bring my mom to visit Garbatella to enjoy the Italian live music and delicious food. However, my second visit was very disappointing. Was really looking forward to have my mom try their mezcal cocktail, since she loves mezcal, but the waitress told us they ran out of mezcal. It was a Saturday at 8pm, how do you run out of mezcal?? Strike one. The next thing was we were told all the tables near the live music were reserved and the only table available was immediately next to the musicians. One of the musicians was literally right next to us and kept looking over and listening to our conversation it was awkward. Even when we took a selfie he looked and made himself part of the picture, yes he was that close. Strike two, we noticed the "reserved" tables remained empty the entire time until closing, so they easily could've sat us there, but instead they told us they were reserved. Strike three was that my linguine al mare was disgusting. The noodles were very dry, absolutely no sauce on them and the mussels smelled rotten and one of them tasted horrible! I eat a lot of seafood, one of those mussels was rotten, it stunk up my whole plate! And strike four was that we were told the Italian musician only comes on Fridays. The three reasons I wanted to bring my mom here were a complete strike out! Never going back! read more

It's a little dark inside but service was very good. I think it got busy but there was only one waiter (female) but a lot of workers standing around in the tables area. BUT food was excellent ‼ I had the risotto e osso buco. It's was delicious. My friend had the lasagna, she said it was delicious. I had moscato, very good. The very busy was very good and friendly. I am definitely returning. read more

Garbatella - Garbatela Osteria Bar - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

First time at Garbatella, and it was wonderful! My husband and I had a variety of things from the Happy Hour menu: oysters, Caesar salad, penne pasta with a cream sauce, and pepperoni pizza. All of it was good, but the pizza was the best I have ever had anywhere! I intend to make my way through the entire pizza list, one item at a time. Carlos was a very attentive and informative server. We got our food quickly. The restaurant is very beautiful, and we didn't hear anyone at nearby tables. This restaurant is truly magnificent and, I think, the best in the South Bay area. read more

Andres was a great server. I think he also made or drinks and they were very delicious. The food itself was served to perfect temperature and tasted just as great. I had the braised short rib pasta, and it was phenomenal. I would have taken pictures, but we couldn't stop ourselves. read more

Great food and wonderful service thank you, Andres!!! Beautiful ambience inside, warm and inviting.

Food, service, and ambiance were excellent! Portion size was good. We'll definitely be back. read more

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First timer. Impeccable service, a charming ambiance, and culinary mastery come together to create an unforgettable dining experience. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a taste of Italy, this is a great gem in the heart of Eastlake, Chula Vista. Thank you Carlos and team for taking care of my wife and I! See you soon. read more

Garbatella - Braised Beef Rib - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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5 stars for this place! Food is delicious! I had the braised beef *chefs kiss* so good!! My husband had the meat pizza, and enjoyed that as well! What makes it even better is our waiter, Carlos! He is amazing and gave a 5 star service, first time here and will be coming back! The ambiance is relaxing and the live music- two thumbs up!!! read more

Been a couple months since my last review, not sure if because this place was new they were really trying hard to impress but seems that they totally let that go. Service terrible, food runners were great but no one to take your order. Guys at the bar continuously talking and not helping, one guy with tattoos even looked like the manager but he was just talking and doing everything but work. Places that are not customer centric usually never last in Eastlake... hoping they change for the better. Food is still tasty, but service definitely could be better. read more

Lousy organization for seating!!!! Made reservation at 7:30pm on a Friday night. Arrived on time! Had to wait! That's fine! However, they seated another party (same size) before us, whose reservation was at 7:45pm, & they arrived at 7:40pm. When I asked the hostess why they were seated before us, that hostess had the guts to lie to me that they waited for an hour???? What a joke! This used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but now I have to blacklist it for a while read more

Very clean and food was great just remember this is not a FAST food restaurant so you will be waiting, but don't worry because the wait was worth it. Flavors were amazing and highly recommend this place. read more

Food was delicious and Andre's our server was great! Definitely will come back! Our family enjoyed ourselves the ambiance and esthetic fit the vibe. read more

Love their food, customer service and their live music atmosphere! Their desserts are heavenly as well.

Very cute spot that my husband and I tried for dinner. Decor and ambiance was pleasant. Service has a bit of a lag, but welcomed since they are still very new. Watermelon salad was amazing! Fruit was sweet and fresh. Hummus was very tasty. Pizza was decent, but did not have the crunch we anticipated. We will be coming back to try other options on the menu. They have a cute bar as well which we will likely try our next go around. Overall, this is a great addition to our neighborhood. Our waiter mentioned they play live music on The Weeknd from Friday to Sunday, so I really want to see the entertainment. Hoping for a Sunday brunch in the future. read more

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The first time I went earlier in 2023, I loved it because they were serving a Milanese veal cutlet that was absolutely DELICIOUS & worth the visit. The second time I went it was no longer offered, so it was quite disappointing because I took my 92 year old mother who had been sick and wanted to go out & I was telling her she would find a great veal cutlet, that was no longer offered! Sadly they eliminated it. The new menu is a bit limited & leaves a lot to be desired given the price point. In my estimation, the restaurant could benefit from a more ample selection in its Menu. The staff & servers are exceptional and kind. We appreciate that very much! The restaurant looks beautiful inside and the ambience is nice. I would recommend it but check the menu out first to see if there's anything that you like before you go. read more

Thanks Kimberly for being an amazing server tonight. It was our first time dining here, and we really enjoyed the food!

Loved this place! We just went in this evening for our very first time for our anniversary dinner. We were seated immediately. Tala took amazing care of us. She explained the menu, her recommendations were spot on, and she was very attentive to us. The food was delicious, fresh, and very good portions. Tala made us feel welcomed, and treated us like we were the only ones there in a pretty busy restaurant. I can't wait to go back and try some other dishes in the future. read more

Everything was amazing! Great service from Juan since he was so attentive and helped us decide what to pick from the menu. We ended up trying the pasta wheel which was an Alfredo with grilled chicken and not only was the presentation gorgeous, the food tasted delicious! I loved how much they transformed what once was the macaroni grill to this place and they killed the aesthetic! read more

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Great service from the moment we stepped in. Food was brought quickly and tasted amazing. Overall had a great experience and definitely recommend for a cute dinner date night. read more

Garbatella - Dinner party for 10 people. - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

We have been coming here since they opened, and it has always been amazing. The service is efficient and friendly. The menu has changed, but they still offer a variety of excellent food choices. read more

Tala rocks! Awesome service and food and drinks. All the staff are super friendly and professional, Tala is one of the best in the hospitality business. read more

The food was delicious I enjoyed our appetizers I would definitely recommend this dining experience

First time coming here and was not disappointed. Service was excellent and everyone was so helpful. Ambiance was nice and every table had plenty of space. Didn't feel cramped at all. And the food was delicious. We'll definitely be back up to try their other courses. Highly recommend! read more

Great atmosphere food was ok but I made reservations here and still had to wait almost an hour to be seated the staff was very unorganized. If I'm gonna pay a lot of money to go to a restaurant I expect good service as well. read more

I hate to post this review because I have been here twice. The first time was great other than the table we were sitting at was next to the live music and it was too loud. This time was a doozy. We had a 7 pm reservation for my friend's birthday and we arrived right at 7. Our server came up right away and took our drink order. And she pretty much didn't come back for about 15 minutes. No drinks in hand. We reminded her and finally we got our wine and drinks. Another 25 minutes pass before our order was taken. She grabbed our order and we asked for two baskets of bread since we were pretty hungry. 8 pm hit with no ask of a refill of drinks and no bread. One of our friends pizza came out and the rest of us sat. We reminded her of the bread and she brings one basket when we ordered two and it had 5 pieces and there are 6 of us. The second basket arrives 10 minutes later. Finally at 8:30 we see a glimmer of hope for our food and she brings out two Cesar salads and one had salmon on it which we didn't order. We wanted a two plain Cesar's. We sent that back. We all sort of split that salad and the other salad never arrived. Food started coming out and the second salmon dinner never came out. She had rang in a salmon Cesar rather than a Cesar salad to start and the salmon dinner for dinner. Keep in mind the waitress is not dealing with all of this but the food runners and bartenders who had to help us get the proper amount of glasses for our wine and place settings do dinner. Finally the other salmon plate arrives and it is horrible and dry night has been sitting under the heat lamp. It was the most chaotic horrible experience I have ever had at a restaurant. Literally everything was wrong, food was average, we had to flag down at least 6 people to get basic needs like water, the food we actually ordered and more drinks. The positive was the music was amazing and one of the salmon dishes was amazing! We did mention the food quality to the manager and he did comp the salmon that was dry and offered desert. By the time our dinner was done it was 9:50 when we paid the check. The server did tell us at the end it was her first day. I feel like this experience was partially not her fault since she looked to be very busy if it was indeed her first day. Regardless she got a big tip because this what we do. But long story short I do not recommend this restaurant and will not be returning. read more

Garbatella - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Tala .c provided me and my friends with excellent service her attitude and personality was brilliant we will definitely come back :)

This is my second time at this restaurant and both experiences have been great, the food is amazing and Tala really took good care of us, she made sure we had everything we need and was very attentive, will definitely be coming back soon to see her, thank you Tala. read more

good food and good server and they speak spanish. i really liked the food and this is my second time coming. Carlos gives an excellent service. read more

Garbatella - pistachio cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Love the happy hour service, the food (pepperoni on seasoned pizza) was great and paired with a blackberry margarita awesome! Also, the ambience was clean & inviting along with some music in the evening. read more

i love this addition of such a cute and fun new restaurant in the otay ranch mall. I sat at the bar and was served by Andres and Emily who gave amazing service. Will be back. Not to mention the food and drinks were great. read more

Garbatella - Espresso Martini and Whisky Sour - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

We came in for Happy Hour and were delighted by great service by our server Carlos and spectacular dishes! An amazing price for delicious pasta, pizza, and fries with an aesthetically pleasing dining area. Definitely a fancy yummy place to come eat, hoping to come back soon! read more

Garbatella - Saul Pizza, PESTO GENOVESE - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Pistachio cake! Yum! Got the Caesar salad.... Well dressed/seasoned love the breadcrumbs they use! I ordered the White CheeseWheel Pasta no meat and it was delicious, a little heavy so definitely pairs well w/ a salad. Was able to take half home. Duck fat fries were bomb as well! The BBL cocktail was amazing. Refreshing and light easy starter drink. Our server was Tala. She's super sweet, pretty and was very attentive toward our table and every table she was tending to aswell. Definitely a must try! read more

Garbatella - Pistachio cake - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Carlos B. was an amazing and attentive server. The ambiance was great! We visited on a Friday evening and the live music was wonderful!! read more

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Wife and I had dinner here a couple nights ago. It was our 1st time. We were seated right away. Ambiance was nice place clean very presentable. I had as suggested by our wonderful server Carlos the Papperdelle Rione which is pasta with Braised beef, tomato & burrata cheese & the Gianluca Pizza which has mozz, prosciutto crudo shaved parm & arugula. Service was fast I barely touched the bread they served us. The food was great I forgot to take a picture. Braised beef was so nice like it melted in your mouth. Pizza was good given I wanted to order a meaty kind, this was pretty good. Carlos checked up on us whenever he can. Wife had the Gelato & I got the Panna Cota Berries for dessert. Will definitely be back for more as I'm dying to try the Osobusco next time. Thank you very much for a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this place. read more

My son came home from college and we wanted to have a nice family dinner in a nice restaurant. He loves Italian, so we picked this restaurant because it is close to where we live. WOW! GREAT food and service. We ate till we were stuffed. There were four of us and we each got different dishes so we sampled each other's dishes. Loved all of them! We even had dessert which we completely demolished. We will definitely be back. Our server, I believe his name was Juan Carlos (so sorry I should have written it down his name), was excellent. We told him it was our first time dining with them, and he went out of his way to make our experience excellent. He made great suggestions and made sure we were well taken care of. We will definitely be back! read more

Hostess couldnt/didnt try to find my name on waitlist and just asked for my name and said itll be 20 min. 20 min later i get skipped in line

If you are looking for an enchanting Sunday chill evening in good company, great food, superb dessert and the absolute best service.,,,then first and foremost, as you walk in the door, ask for Carlos! If you are fortunate to have Carlos table side, you have scored! This handsome young lad will take you through amazing appetizers and fine wine selections and eureka moments at time of dessert! Go with what he suggests! It is 100 a win ! Cheers to Carlos for going 360 to assure a most enchanting evening! Class dismissed! Carlos is what vanguard customer service is all about! read more