Pretty sure this was the best Osso Buco I've ever had. The food was amazing !!! We had a family birthday lunch and everyone had nothing but great things to say. The service and staff were friendly and inviting. The birthday dessert was adorable. My family are tough critics because we love to cook and cook well. My mother lived in Florence for awhile so she's the toughest critic ! Lol. Simply the best !! read more

Trattoria I Trulli - Pork Osso Buco ! - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

This is a place where we go to on speical occasions. We love it so much we don't want to burn out like we have with other restaurants we go to too frequently. I cannot imagine EVER becoming burnt out by I' Trulli because they have hit it out of the park every single time we have been there. If I even mention to friends that I have recently eaten here its always meant with "AHHHHH I love that place" Always. I can't single out any particular dish because I try something different everytime. From Lasagne to Gnocchi to stuffed chicken and spinach it's pretty much a safe bet that anything you order off the menu is going to blow your mind. They also have a pretty extensive wine list and pretty great service. It's tiny and fills up quick so be prepared fro a wait if you go after 6 pm. But it's worth it. I have never been disappointed. read more

Great Italian food. The service was A+. I recommend it. I've been coming here for many years

I can't think of a menu in town that is more consistently good. Everything is amazing. I have dreams about the Oso bucco.

I really did enjoy this place! My pasta dish was delicious. The 3 stars is from a mixture of a couple different things. So first... the pros: Bread is amazing Sauce for the bread and calamari is amazing I love pasta in general so I can't complain and mine was bomb (pasta with scallops and leeks in a pinot grigio cream sauce) Cons: We were stuffed up in the corner and the waiter never really came to check up on us The food took almost a hour after the appetizer to come out (I totally understand if restaurants are busy but it wasn't even that) The young man helped us with the beers but couldn't take our order (I believe he was bussing tables) and he was the only one attending to us so it was frustrating It was super stuffy with the fans on and windows open (we weren't the only customers experiencing this since I saw hands go up to fan faces a lot...) The lobster ravioli is too rich and creamy Minestrone was just alright I would definitely love to come back because I have never had this type of pasta elsewhere but I don't know... maybe it was a bad day. read more

See all

I had the most amazing and delicious dinner at Trattoria I Trulli two nights ago. I can't recommend this place enough. The dinner, salad, dessert -- everything! -- was a cut above. And our waiter, Diego, was so kind, attentive and helpful. And the price was very reasonable for the excellent fare and service. read more

Excellent food. Very small venue but this place is bustling. The locals know this place, which is why it's always busy. Everything we tried was excellent. I had the lamb and, it was cooked to perfection. I also tried their cheese and spinach ravioli which was also very good. I will be going back again soon. read more

Mama Mia this place is TASTY!!! For some reason I always thought Trattorria I Trulli was much bigger but it's actually cute, quiet, and cozy! Perfect for an after surf date or a nice place to chill and hang with friends.They've got a small parking lot that they share with the yoga studio next door and the restrooms are outside, behind the restaurant. There's also usually parking on the street and in the surrounding neighborhood too. We came to here for lunch twice now and it's at the top of our list of favorite places! Visit number one was a no holds barred calorie splurge meal. The squash blossom salad was out of this world! The cheese that topped it was so incredibly fresh and melt in your mouth creamy. Beef carpaccio was chilled perfectly and had just the right balance of cheese, arugula, and filet mignon. The seabass special was brilliantly delicious and perfectly seasoned while the duck ravioli was totally yummy. So, after all is said and done, the Linguine Carbonara the freaking ultimate gut bomb! The noodles were cooked al dente and who can go wrong with a parmesan cream sauce topped with a sunny side up egg for the win! Can we talk ultimate pasta love?! Visit number two was when I was back in training and eating low carb. WTH? At an Italian restaurant? Hey, don't judge me, it could happen! We started out with the duck breast salad topped with pine nuts which totally blew our minds! Our awesome server asked if we wanted to split it since we were both ordering entrees but we said no and wish we didn't because it was so deliciously filling and satisfying! I could eat this salad every week! Trattorria I Trulli's Minestrone Soup is seriously the best ever. Made with pesto instead of tomato, it's light and lovely to the palate! Their scampi is also yummy! What really tips this place from 4 to 5 stars for me is their totally awesome Cioppino!!! Being born and raised in SF and coming from a lineage of fisherman, I know my seafood. Every since I moved to San Diego I had yet to taste a Cioppino that really "wowed" me until we came here! The flavors of the broth really made this dish, along with the fresh seafood of course! Truly an outstanding Cioppino and the BEST that I've found in the area so far. Service on our visits was always spot on without being intrusive. It's now my go to nice dining place to bust a gut or to stay lean and mean. If ever we wanted to plan a foodies trip to Italy, Trattorria I Trulli surely inspires us! read more

See all

Hands down the best Italian food in all of San Diego. From the appetizers, to the desserts to the staff. The ambiance is great if you want to take a date, family or even someone who responded to your craigslist ad with the used blender for sale. Here are the dishes that are a must to try: - Calamari adriatico: squid in tomato sauce and spinach (appetizer). Not salty, but extremely flavorful - Pastas: Bolognese, Amtraciana and Vongole....simple, to the point and fantastic! - Veal Milanese: The piece of veal is about the size of Delaware, but super tender and cooked perfectly with some arugula and tomatoes on the side. - Tiramasu: Do I really need to elaborate on why this dessert is a must have They don't take reservations on the weekends, so don't get all Charles Manson just because you might have to wait a little. Trust me, it's worth it. The Stache has never (in the 20 or so times I've been there) had a bad meal at I Trulli, and I highly doubt I ever will. read more

Very disappointed all around. It took over 20 minutes for the waiter to take our order and over 30 min. for my husband to get a beer. The support staff was pleasant and attentive; filled our water, brought bread, cheese, ground pepper on time. But, the waiter was almost non-existent. The food was mediocre. Our Romana salad with Caesar dressing was flat, like they forgot the anchovies in the dressing. My risotto was also bland and not creamy like risotto should be - a big lump of rice with mushrooms and chunks of chicken. My husband's lasagna was over-salted and very small, swimming in sauce. Our friend's Bolognesa was also, "so-so". There are many other places to eat in the area with much better food. Save your money and go elsewhere. read more

We made reservations over a month ago for 3. We arrived this evening to 2 small round 2 person tables shoved together in a corner between two 4 top tables seating 6. There was no way we could sit comfortably, or for 3 plates, wines and appetizers on the table. There were at least two other 4 top.tables open and empty but the host told the air above us that those were reserved already. We told him we couldn't accept that and needed another option, so he turned to a waiter to ask what he could do about it and the guys answer was "not my call, i know it's hard but do what you have to do." The kid turned around and told us that was all he had. We left. We used to.come here every year for christmas eve, and we will never ever be back. read more

Pretty standard Italian fare. The servers were friendly and attentive, but the food was not really outstanding. We enjoyed our appetizers and there was nothing wrong with our pastas, they just weren't that great. Probably the highlight was the dessert which was the tiramisu and the cannoli, both very tasty. Also, it was a cooler night so most of all the other patrons were sitting in the main dining room which made it pretty noisy and tough to be heard or to hear at its peak which was about 7pm. read more

Hands down, amazing. If you don't agree, then you probably haven't tried their cheese ravioli in pink sauce or the lasagna. Loved Buon Appetito (sp?) when I lived in Little Italy, but it was so hard to get a table. I was so happy to hear they opened up a sister restaurant in Encinitas. They first bring you delicious marinara sauce with bread. It's got a little spicy kick to it. Love the tricolori salad. I always get it. Beef carpaccio was ordered by a friend and she said it was delish. My favorite dish is the chicken lasagna. Don't let the chicken fool you. It's not like chunks of chicken in there. It's hardly even noticeable. I am in love with it. They also have the best ravioli I've ever had. It worth every penny. I ask for pink sauce with it. Try it, it will blow you away. I'm not a huge fan of Italian desserts, but the tiramisu is legit. My husband's favorite. They don't take reservations on Friday or Saturday nights. I haven't had to wait too long for a table, but sometimes there is a wait. At night, you can park in the Vuori lot-- always a space open unless they are having an event. Great food, impeccable service. I Trulli love this place!!! read more

See all

Great food, great price. Love every dish. We always come here for comfort food. Great appetizers too.

Intimate atmosphere and perfect for an anniversary dinner! We chose to sit on the sidewalk, which was charming, though you cannot sit out on the sidewalk if you order alcohol. We'd had a couple of drinks earlier in the day and did not plan on drinking anyway, so this was perfect. Eating on the sidewalk really gave it an extra touch of Europe. I had the penne al Baccio [???] which had eggplants squash, and sun dried tomatoes, and loved it. Husband got a spicy sausage penne, which was also delicious read more

The second best part of this place is the Amazing food#amazing. The best part is the warm hospitality of the Manager Jake. He made our birthday celebration so special. Great table, a incredible wine suggestion and Birthday desert. I'd say celebrate here read more

Trattoria I Trulli - What a extensive Italian flavor - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

I would give it 3.5 stars, but that's not an option. Decent Italian food, cute decor inside, service is friendly and professional. on a Tuesday night they were still fairly busy, so I guess the locals like it quite a lot. Here's what we had: -Glass of wine (Italian but resembled Ca. Zin, pretty good) -Calamari (fried--they also have the option of saute over a bed of spinach, which was nice). The breading is perfect and light, and adding zucchini was creative. (see picture) -Cioppino (pretty good, but of course my favorite is still Scoma's in SF) -Good old Lasagna (nice and hearty, but sauce is a bit too sweet for me) (see picture) -bread was doughy, I can see how some may like it but I'm a fan of the Tuscan-oven baked bread from Vigilucci's down the street. Price is surprisingly affordable. $40's range for 2 (not including tip). Typically Cioppino is in the $25 range, but this one was $18 (and it was filled with good stuff) so that was a pleasant surprise when we got the bill. We will probably stop by if we are in the area and craving Italian. Note: My husband is quite the Italian chef, so we are spoiled with some cooking skills and rarely find the need to eat out (Italian) unless we are simply too tired to cook. That means we may be a bit biased when it comes to judging food. P.S. Sorry if pictures are not perfect, we used our iPhone 3GS'. :) read more

Trattoria I Trulli - Calamari fritti (zucchini was a nice touch) - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

We recently returned to this restaurant after taking some time off and we've loved the food. Their specials have been really yummy and the service is outstanding. They have a mushroom /sausage appetizer that is delicious. Highly recommend. read more

What a treat to dine at a quaint Italian restaurant that makes their own ravioli and has waiters that understand the wine menu. My taste buds were in heaven and I can not wait to come back and taste the rest of their specialties. read more

This is a five-star gem located in the heart of Old-Town Encinitas on Hwy 101. A small but festive trattoria which is always ON. The food is fabuloso and the service primo primo. Italian people actually own and operate this cute place and even cook the food. Casual dress is appropriate but I would suggest looking your casual best. Great wine selection to compliment any of their dishes. They carry my favorite regional Italian wines from Abruzzo. They have two selections that are both quite good: Colle Maggio Montepulciano and Montevecoso Montepulciano. The prices won't bury you either. I've tried many dishes but mostly choose the specials I've never been dissapointed with anything come to think of it. They always have a great selection of homemade ravioli as well. Trattoria I Trulli has recently opened up a sister restaurant in Little Italy on India street called: S o g n o D i V i n o. So if you can't venture up here I would only imagine that this restaurant is superbo as well. read more

See all

Friday night we were in the mood for Italian and we had a group of 4. We stopped by this place as it looked super cute from the street and someone in our party had been told that they'd heard good things, it was a 30 minute wait so we decided to go get a drink while we waited. 40 minutes later we were seated and the inside is quite charming. Super cute, on the smaller side and it is a bit crowded but it's warm (literally) and inviting. I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance. They provide you with complimentary bread, marinara sauce and balsamic. The bread was ok, a bit dry but decent. Nice touch with the marinara though. We decided to share a bottle of Syrah which was quite good. We also ordered the burrata alas to share which was so delicious! I got the lasagna, good but heavy on the sauce, my friend got the chicken, he said it was quite good, someone else got the raviolis, those were amazing!! The sauce was so rich and creamy, definitely a heavy meal but worth it. And my boyfriend got the seafood pasta which he enjoyed but he subbed out the standard sauce for the vodka sauce. They are generous with the Parmesan cheese too which was a bonus. There's a lot of great Italian in the area so I don't think I'd make this my go to spot but I'd definitely keep it in the rotation. read more

See all

Great Italian restaurant with authentic Italian food and Amazing service. The Wine special is awesome every week. Thank you for everything Andrea: you are wonderful read more

Very yummy pasta! I tried 3 different ones and all were yummy! I also liked the wine selection they have. Atmosphere is lovely and service is very fast and awesome! Tutto e Molto bene! Grazie! I will be back because i want to try your House Tiramisu!! Cake Napoleon was very good!!! read more

Trattoria I Trulli - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

If someone asked me what my favorite restaurant was in San Diego, this would have been in my top 5... that changed on 2/13/20. My wife (and as we had them) my kids have been coming here for wonderful food and wine, with some of our favorite waiters, for about 15 years. Always crowded, always authentic, always delicious. One of those places that visiting friends and family always ask to go back to. We had such a horrible experience last night, that I'm actually thinking of never coming back. Was it a fluke? Maybe. But it left us with such a horrible feeling, that I don't think I'll ever be able to convince my wife to go back. I even waited to write this review until today, to give myself time to cool down. Spontaneous night out, just my wife and I. We walk up without reservations, ask if there is a chance to eat at the bar (currently occupied). We are told yes, should be about 15 minutes. Provide phone #; receive confirmation text; and we walk down the block to find a drink while we wait for the seats to open up. The call never came. After 30 min, we come back to the restaurant to find the seats at the bar we reserved, taken. The hostess tells us that they are regulars. That's it. No apology. No "but i saved you this table over here". No nothing. We felt like dirt. Zero attempt to treat us with any type of respect, or even like a customer. We stood there with our mouths open, waiting for something, anything. When nothing happened, we turned and walked away. Maybe forever. I know it's just one hostess, treating one customer she doesn't know with indifference, in what is probably a rare occasion, but it felt really awful. We thought about talking to the manager, but I was too upset, and didn't want to make a scene. To the management team: your hostess is your first point of contact with your customer. If the service is so bad that she can convince two people that have been coming to your restaurant for over a decade, and that call your restaurant their favorite, to walk away and never come back, you may want to implement some basic customer service training. I fee like I just broke up with an old friend. read more

Delicious authentic Italian food served up by a friendly and professional crew. Charming not too fancy trattoria style interior creates a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. The sauces and pasta are fresh and nice portions (not too big, not too small), and the wine list has a good variety at fairly reasonable prices. My favorite Italian restaurant in the area. read more

FOOD: had a bottle of Pinot Noir, the meat and cheese Mediterranean appetizer, lobster ravioli and tiramisu. YES, YES, YES, and YES to it all. Apparently their known for their ravioli and my gosh all mighty I can see why. Get it. ATMOSPHERE: romantic, quiet, big enough to accommodate a large party, but the acoustics are good enough that you can hold a quiet conversation. SERVICE: 10 stars all around in this category. Genuine, knowledgeable, not over bearing, and kind... not only from the main waiter, but all the bussers, water dude, and host. read more

Trattoria I Trulli - The Mediterranean meat and cheese platter. Worth it. - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

My husband, myself and our teenage son enjoyed dinner last night, and it was delicious! I ordered the antipasta for one ($8) generous serving enough to share; it was delicious with shaved parmesan, blue cheese, meats, caprese and fried artichoke hearts and they ordered a shrimp appetizer. We ordered the spinach ravioli and the Pollo101 (chicken with mushrooms & a delicous sauce). My husband savored an Italian beer and I had a Pino Grigio. They have a good bread with bruschetta for dipping complimentary. 2 appetizers & 2 entrees were more than enough; even had leftovers to take back to the hotel! Total bill $70. Parking was easy & service was fast and friendly. read more

See all

Great Italian restaurant in downtown Old Encinitas. Sister place to Little Italy's Buon Appetito. Very flavorful food. The ravioli and (when available) the veggie risotto are done perfectly. The wife likes the rack of lamb. So tender. The service is efficient and friendly. The one downside is that the wait can be long for the meal to be served. read more

I trulli is by far the best restaurant in the area. They bring out the most delightful homemade sauce to start that is just fantastic. The menu is diverse and you are sure to find something you love. The balsamic salad dressing is next level amazing. You can bring your own wine with a corkage fee or select from a large Italian selection. Servers are very nice. I've come here for years snd I always have a fantastic time. read more

Best food, best atmosphere, best servers, best wine list. 13 years of exquisite everything in my experience The Wasbund ruined our last 3 visits, but I redeemed my for TT with less argumentative dinner companions and wish I could afford to go weekly! read more

Went there with my wife few weeks ago because i had good experience there for business dinner. Best Authentic Italian I've had in SD. Place is very small and not good for groups and its pretty darn loud in there so probably wont have another business meeting there. We ate curbside and i had my 4 year old daughter with me and there were no other children in restaurant but overall good experience. Only bad taste was when my wife went with my daughter to ask to use the restroom and they questioned her on whether she was a customer. Not a good thing to do to the wives club since they usually determine where we eat dinner. We would go there again as if you're looking for some very good italian food, you have to give this a try. read more

Love this place! Delicious food, good wine, fresh bread and amazing tomato sauce! Salads, appetizers and entrees are spot-on. I love the penne arribiata which is never spicy enough for me anywhere, but they happily oblige when i ask for crushed red pepper. You wont be able to get enough of the bread and dipping sauce that comes while you wait for your meal. I could fill up on that except I know that my meal is going to be so mouthwatering I stuff myself with countless carbs before going home and falling into a food coma. Can't wait to come back and visit - trattoria i trulli is fantastico! read more

Fortunately I have to disagree with some of you, our service was excellent. Our waiter was definitely on top of his game. There were a few seconds when I thought he forgot my wine but those seconds stopped quickly when he set that beautiful HOUSE chianti in front of me. There were a variety of meals on our table beginning with the warm sliced baguettes with a delicious tomato pesto topping, minestrone soup, lasagna, angel hair pasta with tomatoes/basil/mozzarella, a pasta with alfredo and sea bass. All were delicious. The only disappointment is that they didn't have gelado. Oh, one more thing. Get the house salad with the house dressing....delicious. I love dark greens and this salad has them as well as cucumber and tomatoes. read more

Trattoria I Trulli - Italian Near Me - Encinitas, California

See all

Get something w their marinara sauce, it's really good. We didn't have to wait at all for 3 people when we went there on a weekend at 6pm. Portions are big! Great bang for buck. Parking may be difficult bc it's street parking. Here are pics from our dinner, enjoy! read more

See all

I Highly recommend this Italian spot! Straight up amazing food! Service is top notch!

I ordered takeout and the pasta was watery and I just didn't like It. The service was good but the food was so so. I won't be back. Olive Garden is way better than this place. read more

Don't you love to stumble into a gem and get one of the last tables when your feet hurt, you're hungry and far from home, only to get very good food and Great service! Our Waiter appreciatively handled a substitution in a dinner from the menu without me feeling like a high maintenance customer. Plus I ask for my wine to be served with dinner. So then I asked him to choose an appetizer few minutes later. Delicious burrata and that complimentary fresh bread with spicy tomato was addicting! The pasta dinners were cooked perfectly and our waters never got less than half empty. No extra food or desserts or anything were pushed on us. I don't know how they run this place so smoothly when there was also a group of 12 dining too. We absolutely will be back. read more

This is a nice, cozy place to have lunch or dinner, although parking may be hard to find at times. I went for their restaurant week lunch and definitely took advantage of the chance to try something new. I had their veal appetizer, which had an amazing mushroom sauce. I also had their chicken stuffed with sundried tomatoes and pesto, which was pretty good (although I thought the flavor was a bit rich when you got to the stuffing, so I had to scrape some to the side). The service may be a bit slow during busy hours, but the staff was definitely cheerful. read more

See all

Great food, even better service, every time has been spot on, never any complaints. Pasta is always cooked to perfection, wine is always delicious. The only thing that could make this place better is a larger menu, because the food is that good. Any staff I have come into contact with was helping and more than nice. Will be back read more

Oh we love to come here. It's so cozy (but yes crowded and cramped). You can't spread out or stretch your legs...this is not the place. Also too loud for a first date. We watched a nearby 'first date' go bad because it's just too loud. Food is amazing! Wine is amazing! Food and wine toegther? Amazing! The service is also fabulous. My only request from servers is that my water stays cold and full, I want my check ten minutes ago and if I look like I need something you need to be at my feet yesturday...and they do this nicely :) I've tried the chicken fetticini and am in love...with a chianti wine...yummy oh and please try the chocolate mousse! OMG! read more