Alice's Italian Gourmet — Restaurant in Encinitas

Like a lot of recovering tourists, we recently got back from Italy and were left craving for Italian food, so we started the hunt for a local authentic Italian restaurant in Encinitas - we were not expecting to land in a strip mall parking lot but we didn’t judge and let the reviews guide us. From the minute we called in a reservation (recommended) we were pleasantly greeted with Italian accent (the owner) who graciously accommodated us for a 7 pm dinner. Upon arriving we were greeted by the same pleasant Italian gentlemen who provided outstanding service throughout the evening. The interior of the restaurant isn’t anything you’ll find in a romantic Italian soap opera but it’s cozy and they have plenty of space for larger parties out on the patio complete with heaters and string lights. We ordered the bruschetta for appetizers, carbonara and baked pasta for our entree and the cannoli for dessert (comes with 4 individual pieces to share). Each bite was more delicious than the last and we’re so grateful that we found such an authentic, family owned and operated restaurant so close to home. Thank you for the wonderful service and food, we’ll...

Best Italian food in Encinitas! 1st When majority of their staff speaks Italian you know you found a gem!

I’ve been coming here since they opened and the food, pasta, sauces, and anything that’s been order has been consistently delicious! I will lick the bowl clean the sauces are so good!

This place is small so dining in can get crowded and take out is always a good option.

Update: I’d give 10 STARS if I could. I came here for my bday dinner and I was told they didn’t have any more Prosecco, we ordered sparkling water to toast, and the owner came out with a bottle with fresh champagne glasses. He poured us all a glass and I got to cheers to close out my day. This place is like going over to your Tia & Tio’s house where the welcoming is warm and food fills the soul....

Excellent authentic northern Italian. The owner and family are from Milan. The dishes are excellent examples of Italian techniques using local ingredients. We shared the Polpette starters which was two good sized meatballs in marinara and three crostini. We could have used another crostini because we stopped up every vestige of the sauce, fantastic! The meatballs were very meaty with a firm sausage like texture, also fantastic. I had the Spaghetti Arrabbiatta with an Italian sausage. Spicy sauce, just enough, al dente pasta, very good sausage. My wife had the Caccio e Pepe and pronounced it excellent, not dry and very flavorful. We finished with the Cannoli, three ricotta filled, chocolate splashed, crispy cylinders of goodness. Too bad we live 45 miles away! But we...