Small but a great local gem. Fine eats and predicable menu done well. Very good staff and fun vibe. Fits right in with the neighborhood ... just wish they were open more days during the week. Do consider reservations. The stuffed mushrooms were a hit as a shared appetizer read more

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Lobster bisque fans, this is one restaurant you'll want to check out! They have notably the best lobster bisque that I've had. What's so great about it, you may ask? Well, for starters, it came with huge chunks of lobster and the bisque itself was a perfect consistency that was not salty. What really stood out the most was the amazing cheesy bread that it was served with. No cheap saltines or oyster crackers here! Definitely order this! I promise you will love it! The caprese salad was delicious, topped with a generous serving of arugula. The margarita pizza had a nice thin and crispy crust. This was also delicious. The linguine and clams was a bit off for me, perhaps because I found it a bit too oily. It was nicely seasoned, but just a tad too much oil for my taste. The complementary rolls were amazing! This restaurant exceeded my expectations in terms of the bread and lobster bisque. The pasta wasn't too bad, but that's where it fell a little short for me. Overall, I really enjoyed the dinner and would recommend this restaurant. This is a great spot for a date night because it's very quaint. Our server was pleasant. He brought a basket of bread and a pitcher of water for us, and after taking our order, he pretty much left us alone until we were ready to pay the bill. They have a small parking lot behind the restaurant, so parking may be a bit challenging. There is free parking along the streets, which isn't too bad. read more

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Great pizza! We each got a 10" create your own pizza, and it was the perfect amount for one person. We got it to-go, and it was delicious and fresh. The workers were all very nice. I will definitely be back to eat at the restaurant next time! read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Craft Your Own 10" Personal Pizza - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Food was fantastic! Appetizers, pasta, entrees, pizza, desserts. We tried it all - and it was all so good. Tables are limited so would recommend making a reservation if you are able. read more

Absolutely delicious! Our family just visited from Vegas & found this adorable and delicious restaurant. So good we had dinner 2 nights in a row. chicken piccata was hands down the best I've ever had. So sad this is restaurant is so far from Vegas! Will definitely be visiting Mission beach again just to come eat! read more

We love this small restaurant. Excellent, large portions, very good service. They always have unique specials as well as their standard menu items. read more

Wow! What an amazing restaurant. The restaurant is adorable, they have amazing outdoor seating, and they allow dogs on the patio. And the FOOD!? So delicious, my seafood pasta had so much seafood i ran out of noodles. Everything we ordered was so so good. We will be coming back very soon, thanks to this amazing experience and our awesome server Bob! read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Parmesan Crusted Calamari Strips - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is a small family-owned restaurant convenient to Cabrillo National Monument and Sunset Cliffs. We were able to get in at 5PM on short notice. The portions are ample and service is good. Not too expensive for a place near a tourist attraction. The absolute star was the chicken piccata. The sauce was perfect and the chicken was soooo juicy and delicious. The chicken parm was fine and the bread was good. Service was very pleasant and attentive. Definitely recommend for the chicken piccata! read more

Great tasting food and service. We stop by here about every other week. Good specials also.

This was my first visit. Service and ambiance was great. The food is hard to judge. I ordered the Pappardelle Colorato. It was absolutely delicious and perfectly seasoned. I enjoyed every bite. But my husband's seafood linguini was disappointing- too much lemon zest, too little garlic, shrimp and lobster were rubbery. I would have to try more dishes to make a fair judgement. read more

Food: very very good. our bruschetta was amazing and the portion was impressive for the price. pesto was very walnut forward and delicious. carbonara sauce tasted so cozy and warm. tiramisu wasn't super impressive but still yummy. Service: our server was very nice and friendly but it seemed like this was her first job ever. not very attentive or able to suggest substitutions well. the male server was knowledgeable about all the menu items and had some great recommendations. there was a large party inside so maybe that was where the attention was, but everyone was still very friendly. Ambiance: we sat outside on the small patio (4 tables) and the street was not noisy, there were twinkle lights. the dining room had booths and the large party was sat at a large table in center of the room. there was also a "bar" with 4-5 stools that looked out to the street. very small inside, but felt cozy. read more

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Have to say the service was amazing. The gluten-free pizza was good as well. This is a tomato forward restaurant which is great if you like them. They even put it in our Caesar Salad. The restaurant reads like a contemporary Italian restaurant. It's somewhat dark and moody. I think I wanted to like it for more than it was. For me I was hoping for a ceasar Salad without bottled dressing. I wanted to see more creativity. I would go back if I were in the area. read more

We came here for Friday date night. I booked a table earlier that same day and it was ready for us right at 6pm. This is a cozy little spot nestled in the heart of OB, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a parking spot a block away. We started with a cup of the soup special and the Cesar salad. They also brought us some freshly made bread. It all felt like a fancier version of the endless soup, salad and bread sticks at a well known Italian chain restaurant. For my main course I had a pasta dish with creamy tomato sauce and dollops of ricotta throughout. It was so good. It was a huge portion and reheated just as nicely the next day. My husband has the short ribs and thought they would just okay. He would prefer to try something else next time we go back. read more

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It was a little pricey but, as far as I know, it's a mom and pop's place, so they have to charge a little bit more. However, the ambience, and just the people they're serving you, were wonderful. It's a great place for a date for sure. read more

Ulivo Restaurant - The inside of the restaurant, and the street view. - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

It's a small Italian restaurant not far away from Mission Beach. If you are in the area, visit this place! There is street parking with a short walk from basically any direction. The restaurant isn't big. But seatings are comfortably spaced. Modest decor. The place was clean. The service was great, we were treated with welcoming smile and recommendations on their specials. I was glad that I took the recommendation. The bread sticks were soft and warm. Yum.entrenain course was served within a timely manner. The food presentation was simple but it was absolutely scrumptious! Not salty and not too light. The amount of seasoning was just perfect for my taste buds and blood pressure. The food was perfectly portion. We barely finished the bread sticks. Unfortunately, we ran out of space for dessert. Overall, this place gets a 5.0 out of 5. Love it! Will visit again! read more

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Parking is free in their lot behind the restaurant they share with Olive Tree Market. The dinner was really good, we had each had an entree, sea bass, filet mignon, and braised short ribs. Bread knots were warm and really good. The beet salad is my favorite starter salad. They have a Tuscany soup special will cheesy bread that is really flavorful that has spinach and Italian sausage in it. I would order this meal again. The service is good and the restaurant ambiance is relaxing. read more

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Feel compelled to leave an update! My family was raving about this place to my dad so we had to stop by after a long day at the San Diego Zoo. He agreed it was definitely worth the hype. He loved the caprese salad and meatballs. The rest of us got the same thing as last time. It was empty when we were there around 4:45pm on a Friday. Mark was our server again and was a gem, per usual! While we hope to come again soon, we will recommend this to everyone! read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Gnocchi Fresco - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

The service was great the food was amazing! Cute little spots, I would definitely be back! The lasagna, the seafood pasta was delicious.

We picked this place for a nice Italian dinner as it was close to where we were staying. Smaller, cozy & friendly. Accepts reservations. We were warmly welcomed. They served us some warm twisted breadsticks that were good but not outstanding. We shared the Beet with goat cheese Salad, which was arranged very prettily on a platter but very over-dressed with a heavy, tart dressing. Hard to enjoy so much dressing; a light covering on the salad greens would have been so nice. We shared a Margherita pizza somewhat different from others we've had, tomato slices & mozzarella all over the top. Their pizza crust is a rather bland white dough, not chewy or very crispy. They had a nice Chianti for $30-very reasonable. Overall, we enjoyed being out but very under impressed by the food. read more

Outstanding dinner. Food was excellent. Ambience was relaxing. Can't wait to try a few of items on the menu. read more

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I visited Ulivo with my children and grandchildren. It was a few weeks ago, so I have no recollection of what anyone else ordered. I do, however, remember very distinctly my ribeye with shrimp and crab risotto. It was amazing! The ribeye was cooked perfectly - so tender, juicy and flavorful. The balsamic drizzle really enhanced the flavor. The restaurant is small, or should I say, intimate. The service was very friendly and attentive. And, while I don't remember what the others ordered, I do remember that they all enjoyed their food very much. All around, a great experience. read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Ribeye special with shrimp and crab risotto. - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

What a nice find. Of course I wasn't the first by any means. The restaurant was very busy on the weekend night. We went out on an impulse and asked if there was a table. They sat us right away. It was a tight little 2-top in a crowded room but it worked. Reminded me of Felicia's in Boston when they were in the North End; small, tight spaces, good food. The service was so friendly and relaxed. The eggplant parm was super tasty and came with a side of veggies which was very cool. Gnocchi excellent also w/ the walnut pesto. Very tasty. And they have Vermentino. That's a white wine that's hard to find and to me more satisfying than other grapes (I'm not really a white wine person but this is good stuff.) Thanks for everything! read more

My favorite Italian restaurant in Ocean Beach and there are several of them. Their food is high quality and the prices are reasonable. I usually get their Spaghetti Bolognese, Pappardelle, Antipasto Salad and Margherita Pizza. The service and atmosphere are always good. I highly recommend them. read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Antipasto Salad - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Recently I tried this restaurant and it's one of my favorite Italian restaurants now. It's a small but quaint Italian restaurant with traditional fare and wine. They use locally sourced ingredients. Their pasta dishes were fantastic but the desserts were simply amazing. I loved both tiramisu and spumoni. If you're looking for a restaurant for a date night, this is it! You can watch the beautiful Sunset Cliffs sunset and then have a nice and quiet Italian dinner at Ulivo. read more

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Such a quaint little place. The staff were very attentive and friendly. Quality food at reasonable prices. The Cesar salad, filet with risotto, and pasta with chicken and pink vodka sauce were all excellent. And I am a sucker for free bread. Their garlic knots (I would call them twists) were delicious and super fresh. read more

This restaurant is such a gem. The quality of EVERYTHiNG is top notch fresh and delicious. As a small restaurant, it is relaxed with perfect attentiveness to needs without being overbearing. The pizza is excellent, all the specials top notch and the stuffed mushroom appetizer is so delicious you want to scrape the plate. Have to try other dishes to experience everything. In the past , the seafood specials are so good with fresh clams, shrimp, lobster. Have been a fan since the old days of Espresso when the pizza was incredible also. Same pizza oven, they say. Have to go more often. read more

Overall mid experience. It's kind of weird whenever you walk in everyone is standing by the kitchen entrance. They brought out bread but no butter / oil / vinegar I had to ask for it. I ordered the spinach ravioli and I got 6/7 raviolis and it was $23 , the profit margin for that must be insane. And the plate wasn't very good. The gnocchi was good. But I'd definitely skip on this place, the atmosphere is awkward read more

There were tables available when we walked in and we were seated right away. It's really cute inside and out of this restaurant. I always walk past it and had been wanting to try it for a while since it looked so cute with the lights! Service was fast and the staff member who helped us was attentive and helpful. All the food was pretty good. There are twisted, soft breadsticks that come with the meal and they are good but especially if you dip them into your entree sauce! The bruschetta had a good flavor and a nice crunch (enough to hold it together and make it easy to eat). The Burrata ravioli romano was unique. I've had a lot of ravioli in my life but I liked the addition of the capers and the burrata cheese in this one. read more

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Food was amazing! Went on a Wednesday evening walked right in with no wait and our server was the sweetest answering all questions and even offering to make something off menu for a very picky eater. Highly recommend! read more

Date night San Diego: Must have seafood -check! Casual, cozy -check! Wine -check! Support Local -check! GMonkey do specials: SEABASS- huge filet over capellini SEAFOOD PASTA- huge plate of lobster, shrimp, scallop, mussel and clams Amazing dinner after full day of driving and sunset over waves just below nearby cliffs. Night of the Blue super moon, seated at bar facing outside patio. Busy street but indoors, still romantic scene. Service is superb. Absolutely delicious food and seeing other tables enjoying beautiful pizzas, GMonkey plan to return after this unplanned visit. This place is a gem. Terrific find! Wonderful date -check! Happy Girlfriend -check! read more

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DELICIOUS ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN OCEAN BEACH =========================================== I did my research for a few days before my trip to South Mission Beach for my wedding anniversary. Not saying how many years because I don't want to date myself. My husband and I have been to Little Italy which is great, but after checking Yelp for every possible restaurant I ended up making a reservation at Ulivo which means Olive in Italian. I love that name too as I just planted an olive tree in my front landscape. Easy to make reservations on Yelp and we showed up on time. Our waiter was great and my husband and I decided to go with the featured items for the evening. I ordered the seafood dish with clams, lobster tails, scallops, shrimp and a mussel. My husband ordered the osso buco. We both loved those so much. My husband always has to order tiramisu and we liked that, but my husband is a bit of a tiramisu snob and likes it made a more traditional way. That didn't stop him from eating it though. After dinner I felt like a coffee, but they only have cold brew. This is when I felt really old, but I just went with it. It was good. It added a hipster spin to the restaurant. Let's say it's like Silver Lake at the ocean. I guess I can hang with that. read more

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Veal parm special was great! Service was great, atmosphere amazing :) five star break pudding!

Food was good, service excellent. Reservation was acknowledged. Ambiance was very nice.

This place was such a pleasant surprise. We were all very happy with our meals, very delicious! Feels very local, highly recommend for a date or a birthday read more

amazing find! Went on a Friday night and no wait, not sure why because it was insanely good. Music was great. Friendly staff. We ordered the Cesar salad and seafood chowder to start, the garlic cheese bread was amazing that came with the soup. For dinner we ordered the filet mignon, Cooked PERFECTLY. and we got the saffron linguini shrimp pasta which was very good. Shared it all two of us. We left very happy and full. Ps: there is free parking in the back!!!! read more

Loved dinner here. Came by Saturday night with no reservation right when they opened. Seated right away - but in the future I would definitely try to get a reservation here if not arriving shortly after opening because it filled up quick. Service was excellent - I wish I remembered our servers name, he was young & blonde. He's awesome. Can tell he's been doing this kind of work a long time. Everything was delicious - the caprese, pasta, garlic bread, & wine. Loved everything about the food and flavors. I will definitely be back to try something different next time. Inside and outside seating available, gender neutral restroom, minimal parking in the back of the building or on the street. read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Po Pazzo Fettuccine - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

What a wonderful surprise and absolutely delicious meals. My wife and I enjoyed a local Saturday night dinner date together at a restaurant we have not tried before and what a fantastic cozy dining experience it was. Ulivo's menu is authentic Italian with wonderful Mediterranean seafood options; the special of the day was a seafood pasta that was nothing short of extraordinarily delicious. My wife Brennen chose the seafood pasta special with the white wine sauce and the dish arrived with a generous assortment of shellfish served over a very light linguini pasta. Super fresh and delicious. Our Server, Robert, who was delightfully informative of the specials, also shared one of his favorite adaptions of my favorite meal, Pollo Parmigiana. His favorite and now mine, this "must ask for" version of Pollo Parmigiana was served with tender lightly breaded pieces of chicken over a bed of creamy Fettucine Alfredo. The fresh mozzarella melted over top the chicken dressed with a very light marina sauce, is as traditional as it gets. The blend of the white and red sauces was perfect. This wonderful meal came with an assortment of fresh vegetables slices, zucchini, peppers, and broccoli. It was so surprisingly delicious I had to stop in the middle of the meal and take this photo to share. We chose to share a desert, which was outstanding, but you be the judge. I do recommend you save some room to try the bread pudding or a cannoli. An almost perfect meal. My only regret is that we did not try this best kept secret restaurant sooner. Thank you for a very enjoyable evening, we'll be back soon. Jim and Brennen read more

Have been to Ulivo for a birthday dinner and had both a tasty and lovely experience. Taking a special friend back for his birthday. Can hardly wait to again enjoy the cozy and personalized service! read more

This place was nice! The staff were friendly, the food was good! The only thing I think was that our dishes could have used a pinch more salt, but other than that we really liked it. It is a smaller place, but felt intimate. Hope to go back and try some more! read more

Ulivo Restaurant - Cavatelli Di Ricotta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

simply the best italian neighborhood restaraunt around. Jackie is wonderul. I live in OB and highly recommend this place