Been to north italia many times in OC. This my first time eating at this location. I love the ambiance. There's seating inside. Bar area and a patio. It's right next to Bloomingdale's so parking may be hard to find especially on the weekend. For appetizer I always get the truffle garlic bread. For pasta I always switch between spicy vodka or squid ink. This place has always been consistent for me. Good for casual, special, or group dining. read more

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Where do I start - San Diego CA Restaurant Week! Table for two please, North Italia Chicken & Vegetable Soup (not pictured) - tasted like soap water with chicken in it. No MSG, salt or pepper! However, tons of other herbs that gave the soup no flavor. Chicken Parmesan - noodle were not al dente, and if they were, they were too "firm." The noodle were almost hard and cold. The chicken Parmesan had enough salt in it, that it made ocean water taste clean. Tiramisu (not pictured)- this had more coffee in it than a military field operations coffee mess, on a cold winter night, but still eatable. Overall experience was a negative four stars! Oh and let's not forget the multiple gnats in my lemonade. On a positive note, our server Sebastian, was awesome and the ambiance was amazing! read more

North Italia - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

One star because their kids alfredo is much better than this dry alfredo I received. I also can give credit to the truffle bread they have and the ambiance, but other than that I'm highly disappointed! I had to add my own seasoning too! $40 on an Alfredo pasta, + chicken and mushroom.... just a waste of money honestly. I should've just went to South Park or Little Italy and grabbed pasta over there. read more

North Italia - Dry Alfredo - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Last night I tried ordering from Door Dash after coming home from a trip. I ordered a pasta dish as well as some truffle garlic bread. I was not notified that the pasta dish was unavailable (this is partially Door Dash's fault I get that) but when I tried calling North Italia to figure out a solution, I get a whole run around. Call me crazy, but I did not want to just have garlic bread for dinner. I had to speak to 3 different people, all of whom essentially said I would have to make another order through Door Dash - pay an extra $30 + door dash fees, and wait another hour for a new driver to come get it and deliver it to me. They could not rectify the situation at all. No discount, no solution, which is frankly just bad customer service. I eventually gave up after being on the phone for 20 minutes. Oh - and when I did eventually receive my garlic bread - it was ice cold and hard as a rock and frankly inedible by that point, so I went to bed hungry. I understand this is partially on Door Dash, and I did speak to their customer service and came up with a solution with them directly, but it doesnt change the fact that you guys could've helped make things right but chose not to. You guys have officially lost a customer. read more

Ordered delivery from here and it made me wish I dined in! It's just a hard to enjoy a good meal with a 1 year old wanting to run around, so we opted to get delivery. This place was so good! We got their prime New York tagliata (must), truffle garlic bread (OMG A MUST), funghi pizza (added burrata + pancetta), broccolini, and dessert hazelnut torta (yum). Would totally order again! read more

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Finally got to come back for food this time! Took a friend here for her birthday lunch and loved the lunch specials! I was initially surprised that the entire inside of the restaurant was packed even at 1pm on a random Wednesday. After seeing how great the lunch specials were, I understood the hype. Super affordable with tons of options and big portions. I went with the arancini and the spicy rigatoni which were both fantastic. The pesto sauce for the arancini was to die for. My friend ordered the charcuterie board and the bolognese. We were amazed at the size of the board! Edible art. I totally forget our server's name, but he was wonderful. He even brought out a dessert on the house for my friend's birthday. We went with the lemon and blueberry donuts which are not pictured, but you can see by the empty plate that they were DIVINE. Save room for dessert because those donuts were the best dessert I've had in a long time. Hands down, I'll be back again soon! read more

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Unfortunately, for the amount we paid for 2 people I would have loved better service. The food was great (Lasagna and Spicy Rigatoni) our server barely touched our table the entire time we were there. It was a Friday night so I understand that it was busy, but it took almost 20 minutes to get my drink, we didn't see our server again until we were done eating (no touch on how the food was) we ordered Tiramisu, which is one of my favorites and while good, the lady fingers hadn't been soaked so they were hard but our server never hit our table long enough to even mention it. It's unfortunate while I watched other servers be more attentive to their tables. The restaurant is very nice, I'm sure we'll be back but hopefully the tiramisu is better next time. read more

The North Italia restaurant chain is owned by Cheesecake Factory. The vibes are quite different as North Italia has a higher end date night feel and more focused menu compared to the Cheesecake Factory. I was excited to try the Mission Valley location with our party of 5 for a weekend lunch at 11:30 am. We were fortunate to be able to walk in and sit immediately as it got crowded very quickly almost immediately after we sat. Service was attentive and friendly and very accommodating for the -1 year old baby in our group. For food we ordered: Chicken Pesto Pasta Fungi Pizza Spicy Vodka Pasta Calamari My favorite as the Chicken pesto pasta - they just do such a good job of blending the delicious nutty flavor into the pasta. This is my go to dish here. The fungi pizza was also quite solid with chewy flavorful mushrooms. Overall, this is a great spot to eat with your friends and family. read more

North Italia - Chicken Pesto - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

My wife and I have been to many North Italia locations, and this by far is our favorite one! Huge shoutout to our sever Kayla and chef Franky!!! We haven't been able to try the lasagna at any location because of it's popularity, but it also has been fishy because we haven't come in early lunch and dinner and it was already sold out. But Kayla and the chef made one special for my wife and it was AMAZING! The summer specials were also amazing and I hope they add the garlic knot sliders as a staple menu item. We cannot wait to come back to this location and love all the help we got as well as relaxing ambiance for a mall location. read more

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Wild Shrimp Scampi is so rich with butter and garlic. Standout appetizer menu item for sure. The toast was perfectly crispy crunchy as well Spicy Rigatoni Vodka has to be my favorite from here. Deathrow meal, specifically THIS one from North Italia Chicken Parmesan... that chicken is so juicy. No more notes. Love the ambience in here read more

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We came here to celebrate a special occasion, but unfortunately, the experience fell short. The restaurant was extremely busy--even with our reservation, the food took over two hours to arrive, and the quality was just okay compared to what we normally expect. The bright spot was our server, who was very nice and clearly trying his best. However, the service at the host stand was unacceptable. The hostess made me feel unwelcome, and after stepping away, I overheard her bad-mothing me to another employee, not realizing I was still within earshot. A disappointing visit overall. read more

Always delicious food and good service at North Italia. I went for a business lunch and the person I went with had the meatball garlic knot sliders and really liked them. I stuck with my favorite of the seasonal salad. It's always good. It does change with the seasons, but is great every time. Plenty of room to sit and eat. And you can have a private conversation easily. read more

Came here on a week day during lunch, it was mostly filled to my surprise. I split the Eggplant parmesan as an appetizer and the Lasagna as my entree. The eggplant parmesan was very nicely fried and crispy and topped with gooey mozzarella cheese and a spicy vodka sauce. The vodka sauce was mildly spicy which i appreciated, its a nice touch rather than just plain tomato sauce. The Sunday Night Lasagna, as its called, came formed it its own serving dish, not cut from a large lasagna made in a larger square pan. This kept the lasagna tender and all the stuffing in the pan it was made in. I did wish it had the spicy vodka sauce that was in the eggplant parmesan. None the less it was delicious, the noodles tender but not mushy; i liked that it was made with braised short rib not ground beef. Service was attentive and friendly. The place is large and can hold a lot of people, its rather modern and fancy but you can just come as you are. Since they are located in the Fashion Valley Mall (on the Friers road side) there was lots of parking. A very good choice if you're craving Italian. read more

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We love this place, and it's always a solid choice. We made a reservation and were seated quickly, and service was great throughout. The Aperol spritz brought me back to Italy! Overall the food is delicious, just slightly smaller portions for the price. - Spicy Vodka Rigatoni 5/5: So yummy, one of my favorites. Perfectly savory with a nice kick. - Calamari 5/5: Divine, crispy and flavorful. - The Pig Pizza 4.5/5: Really tasty, but the crust was a little burnt. read more

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As usual, this is some of the best food in San Diego. They've never missed. The restaurant is always clean, the food is consistently excellent, and the staff is usually friendly and welcoming. I ordered the lunch special, and for $25 it's hard to beat. It came with the Sicilian meatballs as an appetizer and the garlic knot chicken sliders with a fresh salad and Italian dressing. Everything was flavorful, fresh, and well prepared. If you haven't tried the lunch special yet, definitely do. It's a great value. I came in and sat at the bar, which is where I usually sit when I visit. One of the things I've always liked about this place is that the bartenders are typically engaging. They'll make recommendations, chat a little, and help make the experience feel personal. Today just felt...different. I was handed the regular menu and only received the happy hour menu after I asked for it. Why not lead with that if it's available? Maybe point out a few specials or make a recommendation. That's part of hospitality. When I placed my food order, no one asked if I'd like something to drink. The bartender simply walked away. A manager noticed and came over to help, and she couldn't have been nicer. I ordered my drink through her, eventually received it, and later had to ask for a straw because one wasn't offered. On the bright side, another server, Sophie, was fantastic. I asked her about the tattoo on her arm, and she actually took about a minute to sit down and chat with me about tattoos. She always had a smile on her face, seemed to genuinely enjoy her job, and was incredibly personable. Before I left, she invited me to come back when she was bartending. Sophie represents this restaurant extremely well. At one point I even asked the bartender if he was having an off day because he just seemed...aloof. I would've completely understood if he'd said he was distracted or dealing with something. Instead, he told me this was him being "locked in." Really? It came across more like being disconnected than focused. If that's locked in, I'd hate to see distracted. None of this changes how I feel about the food. It's still outstanding, and I'll absolutely be back. This just wasn't the level of service I've come to expect from a restaurant that's usually so good at making guests feel welcome. Hopefully this was simply an off day, because they've definitely set a higher standard for themselves. read more

Went here for a birthday lunch with 6 people. Every time I go here (which is always for a weekday lunch) we get the same server and she is awesome, very kind and patient. I ordered the Strozapretti pasta, but substituted with pappardelle pasta instead. Amazing! It has all of my favorite things in a pasta. Will order again and again when I go here! read more

North Italia - Strozzapretti (with pappardelle pasta) - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

We were off to see the Wizard For Good and since it was my bday, I picked this place for it's convenient location afterwards. This is post Christmas but many people are either returning/exchanging gifts so the Fashion Valley mall (where the movie theater and the resto are located) was very busy. Parking was a bit of a hassle but you can find a spot. North Italia, never been although my friend fellow Yelper Alicia has been to this location and other location for HH. She thought this space was bigger than the other ones especially the outside patio which was not the location on a Dec evening. The hostess shows us to our table and we ordered drinks. I find mysel ordering cocktails but never finish them. I ordere from their holiday cocktails. Naming them would be useless since these were specials for the season, I did know it was similar to an Aperol spritz and Alicia ordered an Old fashioned, it came with holiday cookies. For the meal, we did order the crudo, I ordered the scallops and Alicia, the ink squid seafood pasta. The appetizers and entrees were both delicious. We both are not heavy eaters so we did have to take some of the leftovers home (the crudo was finished clean off the plate). Since this was my b-day, yes another celebration, Bosforo came after and Javiers after Christmas, went to Flora for lunch. I was on vacation so I had opportunity to dine out with family and friends. Overall, I think North Italia is a pleasant, nice restaurant to go to if you are in Fashion Valley mall shopping for yourself. Reservations are always good. read more

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I visited on Christmas Eve. The staff were so welcoming and festive, especially Mattie. I sat at the bar and it was really enjoyable. I ordered the La Spezia to drink. I really appreciate the selection of alcohol free drinks I ordered the scallops and was so excited. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. The scallops were so salty, almost too salty to eat. The rest of the dish was also a little too salty. It also lacked texture. It was soft on soft on soft. I got the tiramisu to go. It is amazing. Little malted balls on top is unique and delicious. The restaurant is located at the mall but has a more sophisticated atmosphere. Inside and outside seating. The staff really take it over the top. The food got two stars the staff got five stars. So I settled on four stars overall. I'll be back to order something different read more

North Italia - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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It's more on the "authentic" Italian, not really big back pasta, but it's still really good. The pasta was creamy, the Parmesan bread was my favorite. We ordered pizza as well but it took a while so we canceled it. As we were canceling it, the pizza was arriving to the table. The manager came over and took it off our check and got it boxed up for us. That was very kind and I'm glad she did bc the pizza was actually really good and my in laws liked it (they're not a fan of pizza) read more

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They took a really long time just for 2 pastas and the food was not that great either it wasn't awful but I won't be back here and the prices were high for a medium food read more

My third time eating at NI at the Fashion Valley Mall with the first being in Dunwoody, Georgia of all places followed by last year dining at their Del Mar location here in San Diego. Ordered the simple salad which I had ordered when I was in Del Mar and it did not disappoint. Four quarter slices of Toasted bread soaking in EVOO and balsamic was tasty but they were sitting on all that EVOO which I ended up eating 3 of the 4 quarter slices. Spicy vodka rigatoni not pictured was very good but I forgot to request easy on the sauce which I would have much more enjoyed. Not a deal breaker as I ended up eating all of it. read more

North Italia - Simple Salad with some grilled bread with EVOO Olive Oil & balsamic - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow, what a delicious spot! I'd been wanting to try this place for quite a while, and I finally made it--and it did not disappoint. The food was outstanding, with perfectly balanced flavors and just the right portions. The burrata appetizer was one of the best I've had in ages--sweet, fresh, and not the least bit overwhelming. The eggplant parm was rich, comforting, and full of flavor. Their holiday drink menu is adorable, and the cocktail I chose was excellent. Service was also top-notch. Our server was wonderfully patient--especially with my 96-year-old grandmother, who understandably takes a little extra time. She never rushed us and made the whole experience feel relaxed and enjoyable. I'm already looking forward to going back to try more dishes and drinks! read more

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Alexis was our server. She was really nice. First time here at North Italia, we ordered the today's pizza, bucatini w/meatballs, Chicken Scarpariello, calamari, and grilled artichoke. They were yummy but my chicken had a pot pie taste, which personally don't like. It really threw me off. However, the Tirimisu was on point. I've had it all over the world and it ranks up there. I was a happy girl regardless if the chicken scarpariello didn't work out. read more

North Italia - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came here to eat after AMC and this location is very nice. The ambiance is elegant with dim lighting. We were seated right away and our server was very attentive. The food was really good, I ordered the squid ink which had a slight kick to it and the other was the shrimp scampi pasta. Beverages were great! read more

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Went to lunch here on a Monday. Was not too busy and easy to get a table without a reservation. We both had salads. I had the kale and the person I was with had the chopped chicken. I wish I had asked for light dressing on my salad. It was drenched! I typically have my dressing on the side but for this kale salad it's knew I wanted it tossed. The chopped chicken salad looked great and received good reviews from the person I went with. They also recommended their eggplant parm sandwich for the future. I like to get the charcuterie style boards to share with a group. This location has a large indoor and outdoor space with a sizable bar. read more

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We celebrated my husband birthday with the family. Always love this restaurant especially the fashion valley one because of the vibe of the restaurant. It was a lovely evening with family and our server was very nice and made our night special. We had the white truffle garlic bread, calamari fritti and the Classico chief boards. My husband even got a complimentary dessert. Great way to end a wonderful dinner. read more

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What a delight. I had never been here. A friend invited me so off I go. And.... Our server was a delight. The atmos wa buzzing but not loud. The food was amazing. We asked what our servers favorites were and the bolognese and the spicy pasta were it. So wee ordered and wow! Superb choices. A delight for sure. read more

North Italia - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Restaurant was relatively busy on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant style is nice with a very classical vibe to it. Menu was decent with a good handful of items but definitely a lot of drinks. We ordered the mussels as an appetizer and honestly that was the most disappointing. The mussels were comically small - majority of them dime sized, nickel sized when we were lucky. Spicy rigatoni vodka was good, decent sized portion. Tiramisu was actually nice and probably the best part of the meal. Service took a hot minute for ordering, waiting for our food, and even to pay. Will probably order tiramisu and the pasta for togo next time. Overall rating: Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Menu: 9/10 Restaurant Vibes: 10/10 Price to Overall Dining (POD): 7/10 read more

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We arrived for a late lunch and perched ourselves at the bar where John was conducting business. John had a wonderful personality with the staff and customers. We ordered our drinks of Marco Polo which was delicious and creative and a white wine from Sicily, Grillo Montoni. Our order arrived shortly, the Sunday night lasagna and the short rib dip sandwich. Both items were very tasty but the dip for the short rib was extremely small and only half filled and trying to accommodate the very large and generous sandwich was hopeless. We enjoyed the baseball game on the television and the low murmur of the customers as the restaurant is open to the flowing air from outside and the families walking past with unhappy children. read more

North Italia - Short rib dip sandwich. - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing customer service from the bar tender and even better drinks! The New Italian Spritz is a must try and super refreshing. I love the open layout and the choice between indoor and outdoor seating. Great happy hour vibes and I'll definitely be coming back. read more

North Italia - Sicilian Margarita - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Went with a coworker the crushed meatball was good, sadly idk what happened but the red sauce gave me a lot of reflux. Overall nice place great service ! read more

Very disappointed with a recent visit to North Italia. Basically, the food was either not good or not cooked correctly. Going through the list: Artichoke appetizer: horrible, literally inedible. You get the entire artichoke, including the fibrous outer layers (which of course cannot be eaten). After you remove that, you are left with a heart which is very small and was not cooked well. This was a completely wasted appetizer. Calamari fritti appetizer: poor, not fresh. A good calamari fritti dish starts with fresh calamari cut in rings, then breaded, then quickly fried in high quality and freshly poured olive oil. These seemed like they were originally frozen, then defrosted, and then fried (in probably over-used olive oil), and so did not taste good (especially the breading, which had a burnt oil taste). Pasta bolognese: undercooked. I have actually had their bolognese in the past, and it is one of their better dishes, as it is made with fresh pasta and the bolognese meat sauce is tasty (though a little too spicy for a true bolognese sauce). I also understand "al dente". This was not al dente, this was undercooked such that a lot of the pasta (which was pappardelle) were stuck together and you could easily tell the inside was not cooked at all. Espresso: weak (they fill the espresso cup up to the brim, making it very watery rather than rich and strong). Tiramisu: not bad, except that it took 10-15 minutes to arrive. It seemed to simply be refrigerated prior to bringing it out, so why did it take so long? As mentioned above, I've been to this restaurant before and it is not bad, so perhaps the cooks and service were simply off (this was for a lunch). Given a $160 bill for lunch for 2 people, we will likely not be returning. read more

I came here with a group of friends during a weekday holiday. I had never been and wanted to check it out, so we went for lunch. The parking lot is huge so no issues there since it's in a mall. Although it did seem like everyone was shopping that day, so I had to park a little ways away from the entrance of the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant itself is pretty big, was very clean and modern, and doesn't seem overly crowded. Our server was very nice, and he explained the dishes we had questions about. One thing I was disappointed about and seems to happen at a lot of restaurants now, is they do not have any free bread for the table, you would have to purchase it. I decided to order the lasagna because it's made with a white sauce instead of ricotta cheese, and I have been wanting to try this version of the dish. It was pretty good, but very rich. I don't think it's something I would order often, but every now and again if I had a taste for lasagna. The drinks we had were pretty good as well, but not very strong, which was fine because it was early. I noticed when i paid cash they didn't give my coin change, which i think is something becoming more common. It wasn't a big deal but seems to me it would be worth a mention from the server. read more

North Italia - Roman Holiday - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

It's been a minute since I've been here. We did make reservations for Saturday 1p lunch. We were seated promptly and the server poured us some water. We signaled him as we wanted to begin ordering. He took our order and was friendly, helpful and attentive. Our food came pretty quick. We started with Calamari Fritti which was good and White Garlic Truffle Bread which I thought was a bit well done but still tasty. I ordered the Tuscan Kale which was very delicious and continues to be my favorite. My party ordered Chicken Parmesan, Margherita Pizza, and Chicken Scarpariello and all seemed to enjoy their choices. I did have a slice of the pizza and it was yum read more

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I'm gonna be honest and that I'm not a big fan of Italian food but agreed to meet a friend for dinner here. Of course, my kid was upset. There was no fettuccine Alfredo on the menu, but our server was quick to say they could make anything we asked and sure enough they provided a wonderful pasta dish with their Parmesan cream sauce with chicken on top. I thought that was five stars alone for pleasing a hangry kid! Also worth noting, the food was delicious, they accept reservations, decor was elegant chic, the server was attentive, but not hovering, bathrooms were very clean and service was quick. read more

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Tried a new spot today and was happy we did. This chicken parmasan was fantastic. The crust on this chicken was a crispy panko texture. Juicyiest chicken breast with a marinara sauce full of flavor. The pasta was al dente with a creamy alfredo sauce. I tried the kale salad and it was not my favorite. A little to much lemon for me I do believe this salad would be a hit with strawberries and a berry vinegrette. It needed some sweetness. Next time I plan to get their cesear salad. Dessert menu is also a must-have. They have the espresso with ice cream i need to try it. read more

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We went to North Italia as 2 groups of 3 (moms and daughters) last Friday, to celebrate my daughter's friend's birthday. 3 stars for our attentive server, Kendrick, the sangria and ambiance. Minus 2 stars for the pathetic serving of braised short rib in the Braised Short Rib Lamache dish I ordered. This is the first time I've ever received braised short rib without a bone [note to self to ask if it's bone-in or not in the future, although I've never needed to]. Overall, the dish lacked flavor, had a minimal serving of pasta and an even smaller/ pathetic portion of braised short rib. It left much to be desired, and after spending $27 on the dish alone, I left hungry.... Such a disappointment. I've included a photo of my dish with my knife across the plate before taking a bite so you can see the toddler portion size, along with a screenshot of the restaurant's photo of the same dish advertised on DoorDash (solely used for this review)... read more

North Italia - False advertisement.... See the photo shared in my review of how this dish was actually served to me(approx. 1/2 the size of this). - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Kale Salad, Mozzarella cheese with CHICKEN- Excellent! Yummy, so Good! Calamari- Very tasty. Margarita Pizza. FYI although Kale Salad comes with "Goat" cheese, they graciously accommodated me by swapping it out for "mozzarella" cheese read more

Parking is hard to find + long wait time (~30 minutes) + friendly service + gorgeous interior and ambience, very much like an open house with high ceilings and outdoor seating that embodies summer. We ordered the moscato d'asti ($13), crushed meatball ragu ($25), trottole chicken pesto ($26.5), hot honey & smoked prosciutto pizza ($24), and tuscan kale ($17.5). The pastas were okay, salad and pizza were delicious, and the white wine is perfect for those who aren't really into alcohol drinks but still want something a little sweet. Overall, come for the vibes and ambience as my friends and I enjoy catching up at this place! :) read more

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We were led to our assigned table by an excellence host at 12 pm. Of course the banquettes were ripped. Charming. I guess their upholstery guy passed on. A waitress came to take our order and we both ordered the chicken Parmesan sandwiches. A little while later the sandwiches came out and I personally liked the food I thought the salad was great and I thought the chicken palm sandwich was terrific. It might've been a little sweet both in the sauce and the bread for some people but I really enjoyed it. There was literally no service during the whole time we were there our food was dropped off by a food runner and we never saw the waitress again till the end of the meal. I have to tell you that I am having a hard time wrapping my head around A $20 chicken parmigiana sandwich. However now appears to be the way of the world. I really liked my food and some of the menu items but some of the prices were so extraordinary I don't think I can afford it read more

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