I never thought I would eat here after years and years of driving by. From the outside, it's very sus. Once you are in, the authentic Italian aroma takes over any prejudice you might have from its outward appearance. Great people, great service, amazing food. read more

On a whim, my friend and I were looking for a simple, good value, yet delicious place for Italian cuisine. Italian is not something I normally go out and seek when dining out, but I'm glad I gave it a chance! The restaurant itself was nothing fancy, which I didn't mind. It felt more homey and you can tell they have regular customers. The parking lot is a tad small, but right across the lot there is street parking. I couldn't decide what to get because multiple things sounded good, but the dinner special lobster ravioli was a great choice. Upon suggestion from the waitress, I added shrimp into the dish, which made it even better. Overall, I would love to come back and try out other menu items that caught my interest! read more

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Food tasted like it was made from a jar. Definitely didn't taste like it was homemade. The service wasn't fantastic either. Our food was dropped off and no one came back except to ask if we were done. Definitely a one and done. Not recommended. read more

Food and service are great. The ambiance is clean and comfortable not fancy. We had pizza and pasta. Good old school Italian choices.

Simple. Rustic. Flavor mountains. Great portions. Been 17 years since we visited Volare, and we were glad we ate there again on Valentines Day. Food was epic!! Everything we tried from the stuffed artichokes to the table bread to the main entrees, every one of them was a home run! Strongly recommend the grilled calamari steak and pasta and the pappardelle and scallops dish! Do yourself a favor, go EAT HERE NOW! read more

Absolutely delicious and wonderful dining experience. My friend and I had the pleasure of dining here for the first time last week. I've driven past this place for years but finally decided to look it up and discovered a hidden, longstanding gem of San Diego! The atmosphere was quaint and warm with beautiful artwork and music and the servers were friendly and helpful. The portion sizes were generous and the food was delicious without being pretentious. The prices were reasonable as well! The only suggestion I'd make to them is to update their menus to reflect the price changes we received on our bill; our desserts (while still reasonably priced) were significantly lower on the menu than on our bill. Still, we plan to come back here again soon! read more

I tried to like this place... three times... I really did try. The best thing about this place is the food, which is mediocre at best. Most of the food is not mediocre, it's just flavorless. But the staff? Horrible. I would write more detail, but they are not the type that would take constructive criticism well. The place itself would be cool if it didn't feel cramped. read more

Where do I begin... The ambiance? Perfect. The food? Everything I was hoping for. The service? Felt like I knew them for years. Volare is the spot to go if you're looking for the perfect American-Italian meal. The portions were perfect and the food was outstanding. Also the prices were unbelievable. Such a great meal for such a reasonable price. I cannot begin to recommend this place enough. read more

Went to this little restaurant tonight for dinner. Order the spaghetti with marinara. My husband had the lasagna with eggplant and a mushroom pizza. The portions are very generous the service nice prices are great but the food is under whelming. read more

Really enjoyed everything we tried here. It feels a little bit like going back in time in a good way. Friendly staff with great food. We also ordered a couple super large pizzas on New Years eve. Not only were they open but they had them done in like 30 min. Highly recommend this place. read more

Fast service. Pretty decent food. Really affordable prices if you're there for the lunch special. There was enough food to feel full but not feel like you need a nap. read more

I took four friends to dinner last night and had another great experience. My interest in the pork osso bucolic was reinforced by our server and it did not disappoint. The calamari fritti was perfect as was the antipasti shared by all. read more

Service was a little bit slow as it took a bit to get us seated and take our orders but the waiter did tell us that they were short staffed after we got seated. It's a little bit hole in the wall but thats where the good food is. They did not disappoint at all. The food was absolutely amazing. This was probably the best pasta that I've had in a long while. It was so tasty and the mushrooms that were in my pasta added the perfect balance of flavor. My sister who is in this area often says that this place is one of her regulars, and we are some real foodies. read more

Volare - Pappardella Pasta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

I was at home alone last Tuesday, not feeling like cooking, craving Italian, but not wanting to deal with the hustle & bustle of Little Italy, or the high cost of eateries in Bankers Hill or Mission Hills, or the mundaneness of a chain restaurant like OG. Like Nick's review, I too have driven past Volare a gazillion times after buying a house about 1.5 miles away in 2010. I never stopped in because the times I did drive by, I'd think, gosh, that stand-alone building looks really old and is located in a strange corner, or they were closed, or I didn't know where to park. First, don't judge a book by it's cover, and actually the cover of Volare is quite charming when you understand it's a family business that's been around for decades. Two, as of May-2023, Volare's is open M-F from 11am-9pm, and on the weekends from 4pm-9pm...lots of time to get your Italian fix. Three, there is actually a decent amount of parking in the Squidco lot and the street parking is ample, because you're not dealing with the crowded circus that Little Italy has become. Four, the home style food is delicious, the serving sizes ample, the service polite and friendly, and the prices incredibly affordable for what you get! I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana to eat in. This came with a choice of salad or minestrone (I got the soup), bread brushed in a light garlic butter, and the eggplant with perfectly al dente spaghetti and a delicious red sauce. I could only eat half of this, because I wanted to save room for their tiramisu, which was the BEST, especially the generous dusting of bittersweet cocoa powder. Molto delizioso! But it doesn't stop there, because I also ordered a pepperoni and mushroom pizza, and the pappardele in creamy 3 mushroom sauce topped with seared scallops and truffle oil as takeaway to drop off to my sister and kids. The pizza was devoured, and the scallops and pasta were again cooked perfectly. Like Nick, (whose relatable review I happened to open and read while I was waiting for my food) the inside seating is simple, and clean, no fancy chairs, decor, or lighting, which I didn't mind. It did harken back memories of the original Little Italy in San Diego where I lived in the early 2000's before full gentrification and condo/tourist chaos took over. I felt comfortable in this homey restaurant, dressed casually, mingling with the obvious locals, and enjoying the great food! I imagine it will get even busier once the new apartments by the old main Post Office open up soon, so go visit them now. Grazie Volare! As a new loyal customer, I hope you stay open for many decades more! Ciao! read more

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I had to have driven by Volare a million times before finally have a chance to try it. To be clear, I'm not leaving a 5 star review because of their fancy interior, the instagramable plates, or the huge beer selection. I'm giving them five stars because they claim their business is a casual Italian family restaurant, and that was exactly my experience. The service was great, the vibe was quaint and intimate, and the food was exactly what I was looking for. My girlfriend and I were looking for something new and good, but wanted a place where you don't need to dress up, Volare was perfect. We got the special of the day, which was a Lobster Ravioli plate, and a half cheese half pepperoni pizza. The lobster ravioli was amazing and I would highly recommend it. I recently had a lobster ravioli meal from another local Italian restaurant in SD which tasted very similar, however that one was $32 for five medium size raviolis while Volare's was $15. The pizza was also good. The toppings were underneath a thick layer of cheese. If you are looking for good authentic Italian food at a great price, this is the spot! We'll be heading back there soon. read more

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Can't believe the rudeness from 1 staff member here. The short summary is- we called at noon on Valentines to place a take out order. Was asked to pick up earlier than we wanted to accommodate the anticipated crowd. Done. Go to pick up the order and told by the same woman "we don't have it". Then gaslit that the order must have never been placed and "never would have been accepted". She continued to argue back and forth about whether there is an order, what it is, etc. But then later said we called too early, that's why they didn't make it? Phone call, in person, just so rude and uncomfortable from start to finish. I thought food was fine, husband said it was good. read more

This restaurant is amazing!! They have the best food ever for GREAT AMAZING prices. It makes you feel at home and cozy like you're in Italy. The place is decorated cute with old style Sicily stuff. The staff are super nice, my favorites are Antonella and Gigi, they are the best! They're amazing and really makes sure you have the best experience. Pasta is great and all the other dishes. Best Italian food in San Diego. read more

As you can see from my check-ins, I'm a frequent flyer at this spot. But after my experience this past Tuesday, this spot is out of my rotation and I'll never be back. Came in to an empty restaurant and no one came up to the front for a few minutes, it's earlier in the lunch day so fine. I'm seated and am told they have a massive catering order and to be patient, also fine. She asks what is like to drink and I say water while I browse the menu. Water comes 10 minutes later. People trickle in. A couple of older white women who seem like regulars are seated and have their order taken before me. Also, whatever. Eventually I order. And then I wait and wait. I've been here many times for lunch before and it's sometimes slow when they're busy but as you can see from my photo, besides the pre-order, there was no one else there when I first got there. Then a Latinx family walks in and the woman who works there is not nice at all when the family was ordering. At one point, I heard the customer say, "Sorry, this is my first time here" because it was cringingly awkward how rude she was being and responding super curtly to normal menu questions. I didn't mind the rude service that much but it irked me when it was so blatant with only certain types of customers. The meal itself was ok. Veal was less meaty than before but the lunch price makes sense. And I used to always substitute garlic instead of marinara free of charge, but the woman let me know it would be a small up-charge. I said yes, but it would've been nice to know it was $3-4 versus $1-2 since the lunch meal itself was $9.95. I heard a rumor the ownership changed. Not confirmed, but I miss feeling welcomed to a nice home cooked meal vibe. read more

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Came down from Vegas for a vacation here in San Diego and I always stop here to get dinner because they are so authentic reasonable price

I'm surprised this place gets 4 stars. It was recommended to me so we got a pizza one time and it was not good. But I thought it was just a fluke so I actually went to the restaurant for a meal. The atmosphere is so outdated and dusty, which would be fine if the service was ok or the food made up for it. Both were awful! The pizza was gross! And it took SO LONG. Definitely not giving this place another chance. I only gave two stars because hopefully I'm not going to get food poisoning. read more

Very good food here! Tried the lasagna and spaghetti and loved it! My boyfriend got the pesto and that was also very good! Was busy when we went but service was still quick! Cute little restaurant! read more

Volare - Pasta - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Wow! I loved the veal Parmesan just as much as the lasagna I had the last time I visited here! Kudos again to the best Italian Chef In the West! By this East Coast girl in a California world! read more

Volare - Sooooo Good I ate 1/2 before I realized I forgot to take a picture! Lol! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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The best Osso bucco and risotto Ive ever had. Amazing. And love the artichoke appetizer. Juliana our waitress is awesome. Only reason a 4/5 is it was sooo loud in there. They need sound deadening things in the walls. There was a family and their friends with kids and it was sooo loud. Maybe add some sound deadening devices. read more

Volare - Mediterranean stuffed Artichoke appetizers. Yumm - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Interesting old-school italian spot in San Diego. Came here twice with family and family friends. Place appears to be family-owned and according to the multiple articles framed on their walls they've been around for decades. Classic booth and table seating. Sort of a rectangle dining room with what looks like a room for hosting parties in the back past the kitchen. Service was ok. Not great, sometimes the server took awhile to check on us and at least one of them does NOT belong in the restaurant business. Food was good for the price. Entrees are generally a protein with a side of pasta. Maybe 4-6oz of protein with the appropriate sauce and spaghetti with basic tomato sauce. For $12 its hard to beat. And it tasted good! Tried the scallopini and the piccata. Had a fried zucchini appetizer. They have some great lunch specials and overall I would go again. They don't make'em like this any more. read more

I found this in 2000 because it was close by, I got the lasagna and ate it for 2 days. Its 2024 and I still remember that plate of cheese and sauce and the food coma. Now we go with the kids, and a family of 6 eats enough and leaves with leftovers and you know you will get the same great quality and service. 20 years never been disappointed. Dine-In or Carry Out its the same behemoth portion. Don't be fooled by the appearance. It's like your own local Italian family dinner. read more

Been coming to Volare for over 10 years. Everything I order is made with love and tradition and is reasonably priced. I always get the Manicotti and Meat Sauce, because it is perfect. Piping hot and the meat sauce is a perfect compliment to the ricotta filled pasta. Their specials are awesome, the young one ordered the seared salmon with pesto and mixed veggies. It was fresh, tasty and delicious. We love the wine prices here as well. A liter of San Antonio Chianti for $15? Yes please! We will keep coming back for years because of the consistency and dedication to cooking awesome Italian food. read more

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So good and so cheap! Basica Sicilian-American food. Completely unpretentious, with great lunch specials as well.

Located in the most peculiar part of town, this old school Italian joint has been open since 1978. The menu hits all the old Italian-American classics with some newfangled stuff thrown in, mainly on the specials menu written on a black board near the entrance. Seafood, Chicken and Meat entree are served with soup or salad, garlic bread & pasta (red sauce) salad portion was modest, garlic bread was crispy & buttery. Shrimp Volare is sautéed with wine, butter, mushroom and garlic, it was flavorful. Chicken parmigiana was good, nothing special. On their site it says "When you dine at Volare, it's as if you were dining with your long lost Italian relatives in their home". In my experience it felt like it was dining with a relative that doesn't even want to be related anymore. We didn't feel the warm and inviting experience that they claim. No water refills, took a while to take our order and we felt ignored. Food was good though. read more

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Not much parking but well worth the effort finding a spot! Feels like family. Very quaint. Nothing flashy but portions and prices are super reasonable. I ordered the lobster ravioli My wife ordered the lasagna ravioli, which was huge hit as well! Definitely order the tiramisu! read more

Volare - Lobster Ravioli very filling and sauce was AMAZING! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

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Great mom&pop Italian... Made from scratch ....delicious!!!!.... Great artichokes, meatballs .... Grilled seafood and Seafood pasta....never found a meal I didn't enjoy Parking is next door at the Bait shop SquidCo.... J read more

Let me preface by saying I was a little hesitant to go in, that is until I got about 20 ft from the entrance and could smell what was cooking. It's in an unincorporated spot of town. Not too much goin on at night, except for the adult superstore a couple buildings over. And if not for the lights coming off of both signages I think it'd just be black. I was by myself, parked my truck, couldn't see into the restaurant by the way the windows are set up so I thought no one was dining in ... there wasn't really anything to indicate that anyone was. Boy was I surprised when I entered and rounded the corner - the place was full. I won't drag this on; it's an older building with no real aesthetic appeal or fluff but I'd visit it again no hesitation. Super reasonable prices *i told the owner I haven't seen numbers like that for 20 years*, generous portions, great food (although I only ordered one plate) and super friendly staff. I think mama's name is Volare? And her daughter is a server ... warm and welcoming people. Super. To think I almost didn't go in ... I am so glad I did. read more

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I come here at least once or twice a month because their food is so good and reasonably priced. I can definitely say that this place beats most restaurants in Little Italy which I've been to most of them. The food have been very consistent since 2018, the year I discovered this place. I think I've tried almost half of their menu and my go-to are the gnocchi romano, lasagna and tiramisu. I've both dined in and ordered takeout and service is great but expect a little bit of wait especially at nights and on the weekends because they tend to be at their busiest. Parking is ample and there's always parking in the back of Squidco which is next door. read more

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Spent a week in MV and had family over - they brought the lasagna and Caesar salad. Wow! They carried it in and the smell was divine! We couldn't even try to heat it up more becasue the smell was driving us crazy! We dished it up and I don't think anyone spoke for like 10 minutes while we devoured the lasagna and salad. Later that week when headed to the airport, we were diverted to Barnett road and THERE WAS VOLARE! a small unassuming building. Don't be fooled! Go in and get yourself some food! Wow! read more

Food and service need major improvement. We went to Volare for many years and enjoyed their delicious family food. Based on our previous experience, we took visitors there for dinner. Unfortunately, the food and service were terrible! We ordered the chicken parmesan, which was their signature dish. What we got was a plate of pasta with a small piece of chicken "parmesan" under the pasta. That piece of chicken bore no resemblance to the chicken parmesan that we had ordered there for years. It looked and tasted like a small piece of frozen deep fried chicken was warmed up with a piece of mozzarella and some canned tomato sauce on top of it. The sauce on the pasta also tasted like warmed up canned tomato sauce - not marinara. The bread took a long time and was burned when it arrived. The small salad was chopped lettuce with one cherry tomato and one marinated pepper on it. For years Volare portions had always been generous. These chicken portions were 1/4 the normal size - an imposed diet. However, worse than the small portions was the poor quality taste and appearance of the food. The food did not have a good flavor. The sauce tasted like heated up canned tomato sauce - not even canned marinara. I ordered a glass of their house wine, which had always been a generous pour. What I got was a small glass 1/3 full. Right after we sat down, their employee spilled a full glass of water on one of our party. I thought maybe the same employee spilled the wine on the way to the table. But no, that wine portion is what they consider normal. They charged us an automatic 20% tip, for their terrible service. Definitely unreasonable, but we were just happy to get out of there. Based on the terrible food and poor service and since I didn't see any family members there, I surmised the family had sold the restaurant to a new owner. I asked the waitress and she denied there were new owners/managers. However, I'm convinced there must have been a management change. That wonderful family, Anna and her sister would have been ashamed of the poor quality food and service. Their family took pride in their customers having an enjoyable visit with good food and friendly service. They would not have allowed such a dismal dining experience. I will never go back to Volare restaurant and strongly regret I exposed my visiting relatives to such a terrible dining experience. Very sad that such a great little restaurant could go downhill so fast - very sad indeed. read more

The best hidden gem for 45 years!!! Blows away any Little Italy restaurant and the price is right!!! Brought us right back to NYC/Jersey Mom and Pop days. All about the food not the decor. read more

Definitely worth a try, the place is small and authentic so we were happy about it. We got sitted after 15 min without reservation. The food is fresh and tasty and prices are more than fair. read more

The food was fine, not the best italian I've had, but totally enjoyable. I got the luncheon sized chicken parmesean and ordered a $2 house salad as an add on. The chicken was real chicken breast, sliced very thin and breaded nicely. It came with a generous shroud of melted mozzarella and spaghetti on the side with marinara. The ambience is pretty grim, a dark dining area with banquet chairs and painted concrete block wall. There really is no decor, however, the price is right, the portions are generous and the service was friendly. I might return for lunch and try another lunch special, or if I'm craving spaghetti and meatballs. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. read more

Food and service top notch. It he ambiance was like eating in someone home . Can't go wrong

Volare Restaraunt took great care of my Family for our Granddaughter's 18th Birthday. There were 17 of us and the place is small. They had us get there at 2pm so we had the place to ourselves, there was only one server and she took great care of us. The food was excellent and fairly priced. We had some Family come from Yuma and we were from Anaheim, others live in San Diego. It is a little off the beaten path but so worth it. I highly recommend this little gem. read more

Volare - Granddaughter's 18th Birthday she wanted to share with Family at Volare - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

I haven't written a review in so long but felt it was necessary after my visit to Volare. I have always been super curious about this spot since I was a kid. I'm in my 40s and have seen this place (unchanged exterior) for, what feels to be, over 30 years. It's a small and quaint spot located on a busy road but you can't miss it. It looked quiet from the outside but once inside you see how busy they are. Mind you, this visit is still during the pandemic but with restaurants now opening up to near capacity for indoor dining. We went on a Saturday evening at about 6:30pm. We waited quite some time (about 20mins?) but we could see that they were busy with both in-dining and take out. There were a few scragglers the waitress had told us they were waiting on and we could understand that it was really on those patrons who decided to just hang about although their checks were long paid for. Anyhow, we were seated and the waitress did ask us if we minded if they sat another party at the table next to us which we thought was mindful of them considering we were still in a pandemic. We ordered a full spread (lol) because the prices were very reasonable and everything on the menu sounded good. We ordered the Fettucine Carbonara ($10.95), Tortellini Volare ($11.95), a side of one meatball ($3.50) and an 8" Volare Special (pizza) ($8.95). We also started with Garlic Cheese bread w/marinara (typically $3.50 on its own but our dishes came with garlic bread so instead, she upgraded it for $1.00 extra on top of our dish cost). Everything was DELICIOUS!! Absolutely loved each dish. The meatball was large and tender. The sauce was good, not too acidic or tart but just enough mild sweetness. The garlic cheese bread was simple but was a good compliment to our hearty dishes. The Tortellini Volare and the Fettucine Carbonara were equally delicious and they serve hearty portions so expect to have some leftovers to enjoy later :) The pizza is traditional so a little soggy in the middle due to the hefty toppings but doesn't take away from the overall yumminess of the pizza :) We were more than satisfied with our dinner. The service was fine. Our waitress was nice and although she was not as accessible as would be ideal, she was clearly very busy. We were hardly ever in wont of anything so it was fine. The place is old so it looks a bit hardy in decor but I tend to like old restaurants full of history. I definitely would recommend this place if you like traditional, yummy Italian outside of the crowded streets of Little Italy :) Great prices and even better food. PHOTOS TAKEN of each dish. read more

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