The quality of the food was very disappointing, and the choices for vegetarian dishes was very limited if any at all, we will not return because of the attitude of the manager He was very dismissive of what we said to him read more

Very limited menu consisting of four main dishes. All items are À la cart. We asked for bread and they charge you six dollars for that. We got our main dish first, and our waiter forgot to bring our bread until the middle of the meal. We also ordered a salad and some green beans on the side, which he forgot completely? If you want healthy cuisine, this is not the place to come. We asked what they prepare the food in, and most items are fried in vegetable oil, which is not healthy. The ambience is trendy and fun, but I probably won't come back because of the menu. To top it off at the end when the check was delivered, there was a service fee on there that the waiter told us was for Covid losses? Also, finally forgot to mention the fact that when we asked for olive oil for our bread that it was rancid, which means that it's improperly preserved. read more

Went here for Sunday brunch and there was no wait at 11:30am. We sat on the sidewalk patio and and it was a beautiful day. They have umbrellas for shade for those who doesn't want to get toasted by the sun! Now the food. We ordered the calamari and the shrimp. The calamari was definitely under seasoned but the shrimp was good. We also ordered the mussels and the steak frites. Both were fresh and delish! Service was overall good! read more

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Yesterday was my birthday and we went back for brunch. We are still loving Valentina. The service was very good. The wine list was great and interesting and we loved the wine we chose. The food we chose was fresh and everyone loved what they ate. My parents who's can be critical loved it so much they are still talking about it. We shared the sashimi, the calamari, the Cesar, the baguette. Our own entrees were steak and frites, muscles, fries and Wiener schnitzel. Churros for desert!! All of us were thrilled and made another reservation!! Great spot read more

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unique dishes. delish and great atmosphere! love the vibe!!!!!!!' i encourage you to go there

Everything was amazing - food, service, potions, ambience, and price. Only reason I don't give it 5 stars is bc I had high expectations for the caviar dish. There are two price options for the caviar. I opted for the lower $45 option. Unfortunately, the sliced potatoes underneath (which was the same thing in my cod dish - check out the pics) were too overpowering. I don't think I should have to get the $150 option to actually taste the caviar. Also, Didn't try the wine this time around since it was a quick lunch but I do want to come back and try next time! read more

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I would like to give this place 10+ stars! Why?! Well, they have oysters, caviar and CHAMPAGNE! Three of my best friends all under one roof. I think this place has gone through some changes in the past couple of years and can I just say it's now perfection! Keep in mind that you can't get oysters and caviar during the week on the lunch menu (learned this the hard way). Go on the weekend, this restaurant is so fun! read more

I love Valentina so much. I get the artichoke, bravas, olives, and baguette. I recommend butter with the artichoke. These will not disappoint and I typically have the palette of a 5 year old. I'm a chicken nugget person but Valentina blows me away every time. Valentina is so special and I hope you love it as much as I do. Update on the other review I wrote, the Caesar is back at dinner time. Screenshot of the review is below, silly me. Thanks Patrick! I still feel the same. I think this is the best restaurant in the whole wide world. My only constructive feedback would be to get bigger patio tables. The squares are fine but the round ones are so little and even though I don't really mind, I think it may improve the experience for people who would mind :) read more

Valentina - old review I accidentally wrote for the wrong Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I went with some friends and ordered a bunch of different plates. Some favorites: eggplant Milanese and the gambas al ajillo. You have to try the eggplant!! Also, we really liked the roasted carrots. This was a great spot for a girls dinner and I'll definitely be back! read more

Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great spot, especially for an intimate dinner or date! I've been here 4 times and it's always a special experience. They have a nice selection of wine & tapas. The food is well presented and unique. I love the candlelit atmosphere and intimate vibes. Make sure to reserve, especially for Fridays or weekend nights, because it gets booked up easily! read more

Went to Valentina for the first time about a month ago. Everything was tasty and delicious. Really enjoyed the paella, which made me think that I want to buy a paella pan for my home... I am relatively new to the San Diego area and don't know of any other Spanish tapas style restaurants. I definitely will be back. read more

All around perfect Spanish immersion. We enjoyed all of our dishes. Server was impeccable professional - sorry do not remember his name. We dined in April 1 and he worked with us to give my 3 year old his steak and his fries followed 10 minutes later. Perfect! I enjoyed the artichoke and the wine selections were great. read more

Best. Food. Ever. 10/10. The vibes, the ambience, the service all exceeded our expectations. Every dish we ordered was delicious!! Our waiter, Kim, was amazing and recommended great wines and dishes. We will definitely be back! read more

Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

My wife and I came by this past weekend for our usual date night and all I can say is we were blown away by how amazing this place is. I had never really been to a "tapas" style restaurant and was worried that I would not be full after eating only small plates, but I was absolutely wrong. We shared about 4-5 small plates and each one was absolutely amazing. We started with the anchovies, and my wife who usually hates anchovies, but loved this dish. The shrimp in garlic oil was amazing, especially with the bread to dip in the oil. We also had papas bravas and jamon ibérico to finish. For all those saying the service is not great, we couldn't disagree more. Our serve Kim was outstanding and really knocked it out of the park with her recommendations since we were new. In fact, after our first couple of dishes we asked for recommendations and she asked "Do you trust me?" and after her first recommendations we did, so she picked out our last couple courses including a delicious Basque cake to finish off the meal. If we ever come back and Kim is working we will let her just hand pick our whole meal that's how amazing she was. It's a bit of a drive for us from San Diego, but well worth to have a pleasant date night here. Do yourself a favor, order a bottle of wine, order some good food, and enjoy a beautiful meal at this restaurant. read more

Stumbled into Valentina on a Saturday evening with a friend for a girls night after our original reservations elsewhere fell through, and what a treat the aversion was! The ambiance was charming, quaint, and cozy while still feeling perfectly upscale. Our server, David, was incredibly attentive, knowledgeable, and overall just made our experience that much more memorable. We shared a few plates that were all delicious, but the bread and butter was a standout for us! Served warm with fresh salted butter - so good! Will definitely be back! read more

Valentina is simple & elegant. The servers are always professional & knowledgeable, but unpretentious (& they won't let you get away with being pretentious!) We've visited for casual dinners, holiday prix-fixes, afternoon snacks & drinks, & always leave refreshed & satisfied. read more

Valentina - oysters - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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The spot always has a reliable wine list. I love that they carry non-traditional wines outside of your typical cabs and Chardonnay. All of the wine pairs perfectly with their well curated food menu. read more

SO GOOD! Stopped by the walk up oyster bar for my husband's birthday. Staff was so helpful and knowledgeable. We enjoyed all 3 types of their current oyster offerings and beer & wine. It was perfect! We can't wait to dine in once they're fully open again! read more

Valentina - Fresh Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great food and service. Don't miss the Basque Cake for dessert. Our favorite restaurant in Leucadia.

Nice ambiance, great service and love their tapas. You won't be disappointed. Cute little place in leucadia

Loved this place! The food was amazing and so flavorful, the staff was excellent, and the night we went the place was nice and quiet. Perfect for a romantic dinner read more

Everything is attention to details here. We came here for Saturday lunch and made rsvp ahead on OpenTable. Decor: Modern rustic decor. Paintings on the wall, dried flower on the tables, lightbulbs, etc. You can see attention to details everywhere in this cute little restaurant. It got outdoor seating and half outdoor seating. Perfect for so cal weather. Food: Everything we ordered were perfect. Oysters were fresh and tasty like you can taste different regions. My steak frites were cooked medium rare perfectly. Fries were crispy and fresh. Mussels were seasoned perfectly in herb butter broth and not heavy. Service: Attentive and quick. We got our food pretty quick. Overall: I love how everything is attention to details here, food and decors. Highly recommended. read more

We loved the steak tartare and Schnitzel plate! The octopus carpacho had a nice spice to it as well! We loved the intimate ambience and it was the perfect date night for us. read more

Valentina is amazing. Was not expecting every dish to be delicious but it all was, such a great place and a nice change up from the normal restaurants around. Would totally recommend anyone to try it out. read more

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Over-rated, bad food, poor services, loud, challenging parking, will not recommend, will not return.

The food and beverages were exceptional. The staff demonstrated impeccable service, being both friendly and efficient.

Amazing food, service and atmosphere! Very nice, highly recommended. We were greeted by a beautiful lady. read more

Fantastic ambiance. Friendly service. But nothing stands out on the menu. Every time I come here I WANT to love this place, but there isn't anything on the menu that makes me want to come back over and over again. Everything else is in place, location, staff, oysters, heck even lighting fixtures. I think the wine menu is far too long for relatively short dinner menu, but that is very subjective (unlike all my other opinions). I think Valentina's is best for a few Tapas and Wine when you're looking for something light. It would be great if they could come up with a few dinner items that really stand out as signature dishes. But... we end up coming back because the wife loves wine and oysters ‍ read more

We had a phenomenal dinner. The owner was super gracious getting us in even though it was last minute and slightly past their last seating. Bravo for the extra customer service. The outdoor area was beautiful with nice lighting and extra partitions for safety. Our server, Felicano was both knowledgeable and fun. He knew his wines and his soccer! He did a great job making it a fun and delicious evening. The oysters were fresh, the baguette was surprisingly good and the food was excellent. We had the paella which had a good authentic flavor, the beets, oyster and a bottle of wine. The coconut creme brûlée was excellent especially at the price point of $7. Thanks Feliciano and the owner for a wonderful evening and meal. read more

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Food was excellent! We had octopus cocktail beef tartare, steak and potatoes and cherry cake. The steak would have been better served on a plate vs a bowl. Serving steak in a bowl made it impossible to cut. Service was nice but didnt keep up with water service and we were thirsty. Too few wait staff. Decor for V day was very nice, lots of attention to detail., read more

My wife and I went to Valentina this past Friday and it was absolutely excellent. Todd, our waiter was incredible and gave us all of the suggestions that we ordered and we could not have been happier. He also helped with suggesting certain wines that went very well with our dishes. Our favorite part was ordering several smaller plates and being able to try more of what Valentina has to offer. I highly recommend ordering multiple smaller plates and just trusting your server with your experience. The Pan was the best addition to most of our dishes to fully enjoy the sauces of the other dishes that we ordered. I highly recommend all of the dishes that we ordered: Seared steak with pesto, cauliflower dish (tasted similar to Mac & cheese ), Shrimp small plate. We also ordered the Halibut which was excellent with the purée but was cooked slightly on the dry side. Definitely recommend coming here with friends or a date. Only thing I wanted was for the inside of the restaurant to dim the lights a bit more to make the atmosphere a little more aesthetic/romantic (overall the lighting was a little bright for a restaurant of this caliber) and I think that would have taken our experience to the next level. Overall great experience read more

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Great little restaurant near the ocean. This was my second visit. Unfortunately my food had plastic in it. Ashamed since I was looking forward to visiting this location again. The server offered another item but my thinking is if my food had plastic in it. What else does or what kind of quality control is not happening behind the scenes.. No thanks read more

Love the interior of this restaurant! The food was delicious and savory. The rice and the patatas bravas were my favorite. Our waiter was very friendly and delivered great service. read more

This restaurant was amazing. Our server was super helpful, accommodating, and attentive. My husband and I went here for our anniversary and enjoyed a variety of tapas. The wine was excellent too. Would definitely come back for any experience with any friends or family. read more

Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

We have been to Valentina many times over the past years. It's a great little spot and an easy walk. The food has always been great and the menu had a wide variety. They now require a credit card to hold a reservation so you want to be certain of your plans. This time we arrived and were led to a small 2 top next to a wait station. Probably the least ideal table in the entire restaurant. I never like these locations and feel that it's just the owner trying to cram in tables. Same price food but not the same experience. There were open booths but those were for other reservations. So here's my advice - be careful if this is a date night for two. Groups of four will get the booths. And the booth area has less noise than the inside where the table are located. It was loud. Plan on taking more time to park if you're driving. The menu has only 4 entrees. Probably best to make sure everyone can find something they like as the options are so limited. read more

Just discovered Valentina and can't wait to go back again to try some of the other menu items. Our server was wonderful and very accommodating when we mentioned the music noise level since we couldn't hear each other and he was able to turn it down - I don't see hard rock as a music choice for this restaurant unfortunately. Other than that, everything we tried was absolutely delicious ... read more

Great food and atmosphere. Service is also commendable. You might need to get a reservation as it gets crowded fast and the place is on a smaller size. It does get loud bc the place is smaller so the buzz created from people talking inside and the loud 101 might be unpleasant to those with auditory sensitivity - I would not recommend this spot for these folks. Great selection of shareable appetizers and they are delicious! They update menus regularly which is a great sign of how the chef adapts to seasonal fruit/veg availability and feedback from people who dine there. The place is a bit pricey as well but well worth it if you want to try a variety of foods which is a classic tapas type of deal. I will be back! read more

Valentina used to be one of my favorite local restaurants since we moved to Cardiff in (deep COVID) 2020. Their modern European style menu always was great, and the patio ambiance was a must. We had a few lackluster experiences probably about 9 months ago where we were not sat where we made our reservation then had loud dinners with parents on the street which was not the move. Anywho, fast forward to last night - wow, have things turned around! Much more Spanish focused dishes, we tried so many (all recommended by our waiter who was amazing) and LOVED them all. Will bring friends and family back, so many more dishes we were excited to try! read more

Got brunch with my coworker here. Ambience was great. Our server was really attentive and even asked the chef if we could get the paella which is a dinner menu. I love the spiciness of the gambas. The baguette was really good. Would definitely come back again here. Its a very pretty place. read more

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My second time here, it's got good service, knowledgeable staff, good wine & great atmosphere! And this stake tartare and fries is a beauty! read more

Valentina - This Stake tartare and Fries it's a beauty! - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California