Finally tried Garbatella Osteria this weekend and it was super delicious I will for sure go back! We loved everything we ordered. Really great service! I loved the relaxing good music playing. Nice open floor plan and super clean. Not crazy overpriced. Really great experience. I have no idea what took me so long to try it! My son ate our leftovers and was raving about it! I had the mushroom cream Italian sausage penne and it was super flavorful my husband had the shrimp pizza and he absolutely loved it he said the shrimp was so succulent! Highly Recommend. I did ask for marinara instead of tartar sauce for the calamari fritti, it was perfect! Large parking lot. Was seated quickly for a Sunday. Large wine selection. read more

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I was really excited to try this spot, unfortunately it just really missed the mark for me. The ambiance was the best part. It's very classy, clean, and it was decorated perfectly for Christmas. There was live music Saturday night which was a nice touch. Other than that I just wasn't super impressed. The scallops were good, just really small. The braised beef was lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. It wasn't a deal breaker, overall it was good but it was just kindof meh. It didn't help that the description said it included brussels sprouts and there were literally 3 or 4. Service wasn't great. Granted - we sat at the bar. But other patrons were very well tended to and we felt ignored. It took forever to get our check, and the bartender took one of our plates with half of the food still on it. I don't know if I would come back. I'd probably try a pizza or pasta to-go if anything. read more

Garbatella - Scallop - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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This is a place I enjoy visiting with my friends. It has a pleasant environment, good service, and great food. They sometimes have live music . read more

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Exquisite addition to Otay Ranch Mall! Located right next to Chili's and Baron's with plentiful. Loved the happy hour - awesome selection of food ranging from pastas and pizzas to oysters, along with beverages. Very modern and contemporary decor created a chic ambiance inside. Service was solid. Many thanks to Ruth for the treat! read more

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Was at the shopping center and on impulse decided to try this place and we were not disappointed. Service and atmosphere were great and there was even live music that was enjoyable but not intrusive on the ability to converse with dinner guests and enjoy the restaurant's ambiance. Will definitely go back! read more

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One Star - Acute Food Poisoning from Oyster Bar, No Accountability I'm writing this review because the restaurant failed to follow up after a serious health incident. I visited yesterday and ordered from their oyster bar, which is supposedly a featured highlight of their menu. Within hours, I became violently ill and ended up in the ER, diagnosed with acute food poisoning--directly linked to the oysters I consumed. Out of courtesy and concern for other diners, I called the restaurant to inform them. The hostess was polite and took down my message and contact information. However, I never heard from the manager. No apology, no acknowledgment, no interest in what happened--just silence. This kind of response is unacceptable, especially for a restaurant that prides itself on serving raw seafood. If you're going to offer oysters, food safety and customer care should be non-negotiable. I sincerely hope they take this seriously before someone else ends up in worse condition. read more

Delicioso Auténtica comida Italiana Con toque personal...he visitado este lugar desde que abrió ... Pero estas últimos meses la cocina ha subido bastante era buena y pasó a ser excelente El lugar está agradable , el personal muy amable , comida de alta calidad ,y música viernes sábado ... Precios accesibles Mi favorito Osobuco ( con carne chamorro ) y pasta vodka Con camarones Y de entrada una pizza ...(con ingredientes finos) Acompañado de una buena copa de vino o una margarita italiana Les recomiendo bastante buen lugar para celebrar o tener una cena bien merecida .... Les recomiendo bastante .... read more

Saturday night I decided to visit Garbatella. It was the first time there. Beautiful restaurant clean but not too busy for a Saturday. The service was very good. They were very attentive and efficient. Once we got seated the band started playing next to us. I was going to ask to be moved further away so we can enjoy our dinner and be able to talk to the rest of my family but they were playing soft and sounded great. The food was delicious. My only complaint would be that the portions could had been a little bigger for the price. I would definitely go back. read more

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Seriously the best Italian spot! The service and staff have always been very accommodating. I have been coming here since it opened and with Diego's management this place has improved beyond my expectations. We are foodies and when we come here the food is spectacular! My friend is from south Italy, and I took her here and she was surprised with how good the food was! Shout out to the staff! Carlos x 2, the rest of the staff! And big shout out to Diego, a manager who goes above and beyond for his customers! Get the pork shank with risotto and their Carajillos are on point! IYKYK! read more

I went here and it was bad! We got sick. . First the water had a funny taste.. u have to pay for bread. The pasta came out with water down sauce.. go elsewhere .. read more

Went for a birthday dinner - had an amazing meal. This was our first time there. Had several dishes from the happy hour menu. Highly recommend, will be back. read more

Garbatella - Happy Hour Drinks - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Service was excellent. Waiter introduced herself, took and prepared drinks as requested. Answered questions about meal options. Meals prepared in a timely fashion. Ambiance comfortable. Seated us in an area that wasn't too busy allowing us to talk without shouting. Food was good and satisfying. Ample serving which allowed us to me to have leftover which I had for lunch the next day. I would recommend having angel hair pasta for customers who would like that option. read more

Really solid Italian spot -- great vibe and flavors. We came here for dinner and had a great experience overall. The vodka pasta lived up to the hype -- rich, creamy, and perfectly cooked. The Quattro Formaggi pizza was super flavorful with a great crust. Service was friendly and the ambiance was classy but relaxed. Only reason it's 4 stars instead of 5 is that a couple dishes took a bit longer than expected and the portions are on the smaller side. Still, definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for modern Italian with a good wine list. read more

Love the ambiance, classy italian restaurant. Very clean, even their restroom. Had an early dinner at 5:00pm, not a lot of customers yet, thus the service was fast! We started with their truffle fries, it was so tasty and crispy! The Saul pizza was perfect to it's crisp. Love the authentic lasagna della garbata, You can tell they're using high quality pasta, meat, sauce and cheese! Paired it with their smooth red sangria, perfecto! We ended with their authentic pistacchio and tiramisu cake. I'll never gonna get tired of these. This is not so sweet, which is good! read more

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Walked in on a Friday night, party of 3. We were able to be seated fairly shortly. They have live music Fridays and I think saturdays. Our server was very friendly, she was able to give recommendations and also one of our party had seafood and nut allergy, she double checked to make sure the item she wanted was appropriate. I got the formaggio- it's a fettuccini with white sauce- similar to an Alfredo I think. My daughter did the vodka shrimp, and her friend got the rigatoni al polpettone- which was a red sauce pasta with meat balls. We all agreed the food was delicious, our server was pretty tentative to our needs and refilling our waters. At the end, they provided a bill with a QR code for you to pay- u don't need the app but my email receipt says "toast app." We asked for boxes and that took forever, our server asked someone else to do it and then she ended up leaving our bag of food on the counter- I guess for our server to bring to the table. So after waiting like 10-15 minutes, I had to call the server over to ask if our food was thrown away. As it was very loud inside with the live music, that I thought maybe she misheard us. Thankfully they did not throw away our food. All in all, I would dine in again for some yummy Italian food. Private parking lot. Located at otay mall next to Chili's. Lots of seating, good for groups. read more

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(7/28/2023 - Friday) My date was so sweet to allow me to select an Italian restaurant of my choice. I browsed online to have found "Garbatella Italiano." Thank you for creating the PERFECT romantic Italian dinner date for us in Chula Vista. I'm a foodie & it was exciting to have found out that they held their "Grand Opening" this past March. My date & I enjoyed each other's company as we savored their Pepperoni Pizza & Boscaiola pasta while we sipped on Lemoncello Gin Collins. The Boscaiola pasta was comprised of cream, Italian sausage, mushrooms, white wine, crushed pepper, & parsley. Every bite of my Boscaiola pasta was immensely rich in flavor The ambiance was perfect. We both enjoyed the live entertainment from Roman Palacios. Be sure to visit this restaurant on Fridays, when there's free live entertainment. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time!! read more

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Upon arrival, the hostess couldn't find our reservation, but we were still seated right away. We liked the simplistic, clean design of the interior. Our waiter was cordial and Italian. For whatever reason, it always feels better knowing that the server is Italian serving Italian food, as if that somehow makes the food much better. We were served bread with oil and vinegar. The bread was basically their pizza dough so it wasn't anything outstanding, but it was cooked well. It had a crunch on the outside while still soft on the inside. We then ordered burrata, diavola pizza, chicken tenders with fries and lobster ravioli. The burrata was scrumptious. The cheese was creamy, the prosciutto salty and the veggies fresh. The diavola pizza tasted fine, but it didn't have the spicy kick we thought it would. We've had this type of pizza from another restaurant and it was really good. Grabatella's version paled in comparison. The chicken tenders were dry and under seasoned. The fries were oily and bland. The lobster ravioli was creamy and flavorful. It had plenty of lobster and its delicate flavor wasn't lost in the sauce. The problem was, I was served my ravioli quite literally 25+ minutes after everyone else was served. There was miscommunication with the wait staff as well, thinking I was being updated on my dish while no one was communicating anything to me. By the time I received my dish, the waiter commented that "at least my dish was good and I liked it." Yes sir, I am now very hungry. This type of misstep for a restaurant, in my opinion, is a sign of disorganization, lack of communication and preparation/training. For my drink, I ordered a whiskey sour and it tasted balanced. We paid 150+ (with tip) and we are willing to make a return visit however, Garbatella wouldn't be on the top of our list, just because the service was disappointingly lackluster. read more

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As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a server and seated immediately. The decor was so cute!! Definitely a place to come back and take pics with friends. Everything was delicious and very flavorful. My favorite was the pappardelle rione - the braised short rib was so tender and the pappardelle had the right amount of bite. The only down side (in terms of food) was that there were parts of our pizza that was excessively burnt and the underside of our vegetarian pizza had a lot of black burnt spots. I understand that it's probably cooked in a hot pizza oven that gets really high heat but I've seen other pizzas cooked perfectly in pizza ovens. Overall, definitely a place I'd come back to, everything was solid. read more

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First time here today. The cheese ravioli was delicious! The pistachio ricotta cake was one of the best desserts I've ever had. They also have a good happy hour menu. The service was great at the bar. The ambiance was modern and adorable. Definitely give it a try! read more

Garbatella - PESTO GENOVESE with chicken - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

We came in on a Friday evening. We had a Germaine spritz, Aperol and Espresso Martini and everything was delicious! For food we had truffle fries and they were deli deli! Manager Diego and servers were extremely attentive our entire stay read more

Garbatella - Aperol Spritz - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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It's too loud. The pasta is overcooked. Nothing especial. The pizza margarita was terrible.

Quiet and good ambiance, authentic italian pasta, reasonable price, a little short staffed when we came, i hope they will have the pay at machine on table like olive garden read more

Garbatella - Arrabiata - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Food is always delicious here, never disappoints. Came on a Thursday night and enjoyed the live music. Carlos our sever was great! I would give it 10 stars if I could. read more

Garbatella - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Garbetella is one of the best dining experiences in East Chula Vista. The service was top tier and Val was amazing! She was the bartender and our waitress and we wouldn't have known unless I witnessed her in motion myself. The food was also amazing! Forgot to take photos but filet mignon was grilled to perfection! read more

Came back !! Well service has come up greatly restaurant seem a little busy for a Sunday , but I have to say Carlos was pretty awesome explain the menu was super attentive friendly nothing like the last time we were here glad we came in . Food was pretty good wish pastas had more protein choices menu May still need some work but for what it is it was ok , now folks I'm super picky I eat all over the states , btw the lemoncello cake recommended by Carlos was fantastic!! Wow must try . (We were getting the pistachio cheesecake but they ran out ) will try when I come again . read more

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Garbatella's interior is beautiful, with modern wooden designs, bohemian lamps, greenery, led signs & a rainbow led small stage for live music. Going into the food, the house bread is amazing with its exterior having a very slight crunch to signify layered texture to it. However, the soft airiness of the bread is what makes it shine. Slightly sweet & beautiful paired with the olive oil and vinaigrette. Moving onwards, we had the salad served to us next. Their salad choices actually conveyed themes of fruits such as strawberry & pear, which were our choices. That being said, the salad was definitely the star of the show. The pear themed salad conveyed very complex flavors, featuring the sweet & slight sour taste of a pear, a slight nuttiness, dried fruit, and surprisingly, a taste of sauvignon blanc new zealand white wine in the finish. A perfectly made salad indeed. Proceeding on, the pastas. We were served 3, them being 3 different seafood pastas. Although they were good, I felt as if they were missing a certain depth & richness to the flavor, along with the pasta texture not being fully realized. The service however was great! No complaints there & appreciate the good service for my brother's birthday. Naturally, I compare this restaurant with other contenders & Must say that they are a very strong italian restaurant & good addition in the Chula Vista Area. Do not overlook their ambiance and very well made salad! read more

I normally order the risotto dish, it's always been good. However, this past Friday I ordered it to go and when I got home it didn't look like white risotto, it had a yellowish color and didn't taste like traditional risotto. It tasted like perhaps a Latino/a had an epiphany and decided to do their own take on risotto. Sad. read more

Garbatella - Risotto - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Nice local place. Can't say food is amazing, I would say very average for my taste, but definitely a good alternative if you want to dine out locally. Restaurant is pretty and service was fast. read more

Garbatella - SALMON - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Went there on a Friday for a happy hour. There is NO happy hour on Fridays! So disappointed

New restaurant in Otay ranch mall! We made sure to make a reservation , our friends had tried to stop by food dinner and explained they needed a reservation . The restaurant is beautiful and the ambience is great! We were seated as soon as we checked in, waiter grabbed water and menus for us. He asked us if we would like bread , which was delicious and soo fluffy but they do charge you for it! Most Italian restaurants do not charge . Food: We started with calamari, it was just okay. The calamari wasn't as crunchy as how I prefer it and the tartar sauce was not my preferred pairing . We tried the polpo agosto (grilled octopus) my husband enjoyed ! For me the coating sauce around the octopus was too overwhelming . We also got a regular pepperoni pizza which was delicious!! Loved the crust and loved that it was very cheesy! Overall I would return again and try a pasta and enjoy drinks with friends ! Loved that it's so close to home! read more

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Let me tell you something, Italian food is not my favorite cuisine. But-- Garbatella Italiano is the only place that truly captures my heart and my stomach. I love all the dishes here, and I love when there's live music! The pizza is delicious and made fresh in their oven, the pasta is perfectly seasoned (not bland at all like a lot of other spots) , and the drinks here will get you on a good one! I love the service and the ambiance of the spot, theres a big parking lot but if you use google maps be careful cause it took me to the other part of the plaza and I was confused when we arrived. read more

To start, there was no hostess, so we had to wait until a waiter was free to seat us. During our visit, we only saw our server twice--once when we placed our order and again when it was time to pay. Both pizzas were burned on the bottom, and the pizza Saul was also burned on top. The flavors were average at best and didn't taste like they were made with quality ingredients. I had checked reviews beforehand, but they seem outdated and misleading. While they did have live music, which I usually enjoy, the speakers were too loud it was difficult to hold a conversation. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back. read more

Garbatella - quattro formaggi - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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I met a girlfriend here after work to catch up and it is the perfect place. We shared the Quattro Formaggi, it had Gorgonzola and Brie on it - different from a traditional four cheese pizza and it was delicious! We had the Tiramisu for dessert which was delicious! Carlos, our waiter, was super friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Plus, there was live music that really added to the vibe making it enjoyable but still able to have a conversation. Overall, it was a fun night out, and I'd definitely recommend it! read more

Garbatella - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Our server, Carlos (with the tattoos!), made our night at Garbatella unforgettable. He was so friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. Every recommendation he gave was amazing. We loved each dish he suggested. Carlos went above and beyond to make sure we had the best dining experience, and it honestly felt like we were being taken care of by a friend. We'll definitely be back, and we'll be asking for Carlos! read more

Garbatella - BOSCAIOLA PESTO GENOVESE - Italian Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Excelente servicio del mesero de lentes, muy rica comida, bonito lugar, Excelentes postres read more

Carlos and Alfonso were supper attentive, friendly, and helpful with the menu items and accommodating. We had the risotto shank and the meat fell off the bone. It was a romantic lunch. We enjoyed our bread service as well. read more

Horrible experience for my niece's graduation dinner. Her parents reserved a table a week prior and was confirmed. Upon arriving we were told we could not enter as there was a private event. Very disappointed in the way a "manager", also stated that he was owners godson, as if that made a difference at how rude he was. Insisting that there's a private event. When confronted with proof that we had a confirmed reservation he said his staff called to let us know, which was a bold face lie. If that was the case why didn't they leave a message. Very disappointed this was how my niece's graduation dinner started. We ended up going to Savoie which was really good! Highly recommend this place! read more

Everything was delicious -- the salad, steak, pizza, and beer! There were 10 of us, and we all truly enjoyed the meal. Great food and a great time! read more

Got the Lobster pasta with shrimp which was so delicious! I didn't think I was going to eat it all but I finished that entire plate. Sauce was perfectly seasoned with an Al dente pasta. The braised beef rib was so good too! I can see myself ordering that next time. Calamari is a must and the oysters was amazing! I don't know what sauce it came with but it was so delicious. Almost like a ponzu sauce. Finished dinner with the pistachio ricotta cake that the waitress recommended. I'm not a pistachio fan but it was so good, I finished that as well. Great ambiance, not too loud but not too quiet. They placed really good music in there. This place can be both romantic but also casual. So good! Can't wait to come back. read more

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An impromptu day/night date. Food was excellent! Our server, Carlos, knows his food. He suggested "Braised Short Rib," and it was delicious!! Chased our awesome dinner with Espresso Martini, Limencello Cake, and Pistachio Ricatta Cake-all of Carlos recommendations!!! Definitely will be back to see what other delicious food he will recommend! Ask for Carlos!!! read more

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