Rosanna's Pasta shop | Italian Restaurant & Grocery — Restaurant in Encinitas

This review is coming from someone who used to love Rosanna's and has eaten at their restaurant for over 15 years. I just had an experience that made me never want to go back there again.

I called Rosanna's today at 6:20 to place an order for pickup. A woman picked up immediately and said "I'm with another customer please hold" and put me on hold. I waited 5 minutes and finally hung up and re-called. Same thing, "I'm with a customer please hold". At this point it's 6:25 and I know they close at 7, so with the phone still on hold I drive down to the restaurant. I'm on hold again for the entire 20 minutes I am driving down there.

I get to Rosanna's and walk in and I am the only one in the entire restaurant. I walk up to the register and see a middle aged lady with brown hair that I spoke with on the phone and say to her, showing her my phone that is still on hold and ask, "Why have I been on hold with you guys for 25 minutes?" And she just looks at her restaurant phone and says "Oh, I don't know!" and hangs up the restaurant phone. She asks then if I want to order something to which I say "Yeah I guess". Then she replies, "We closed the kitchen at 6:30". At this point I am super upset because why would she even ask me if she's going to respond with "Well we closed." I just reply saying "Well thanks for telling me." and leave.

This lady was incredibly rude and unapologetic. If she acted genuinely apologetic and if it seemed like a legitimate mistake, I would not be writing this review, but her attitude was so smug and the fact that she was willing to waste my time like that is why I'm leaving this review. Now that I know their kitchen closes at 6:30, I have a feeling she was just making me wait on hold until then so I wouldn't be able to order.

I want to reiterate, I have no issues with Rosanna's as a restaurant. The food is fantastic, and the employees there are generally very nice. Both Alex and Brent have always been very kind to me and the service is top notch. My issue is not with anything but this individual. Because of this though, I will not be returning to this restaurant. If you continue to keep employees that have no respect for their customers, you will continue to lose those same customers who have supported you...

I dare you to read this experience: The hot spot for true Italian Food! Lets get right down to it: The restaurant is family owned. Rosanna is the owner, and the one in charge. Everything is made from scratch.

They make their own breads, pastas, sauces, and you can buy them individually to heat up at home. Now that we know everything is made from scratch, lets get down to what they offer... Salads, Pizzas, Panini's, Pastas, Lasagnas, and Desserts. On top of it all you can buy special imported Italian wine, as well as other great food products straight from Italy.

PASTA SHOP not... - This wonderful little hole-in-the-wall is just perfect. One thing to remember is this: Rosanna's is more of a shop, than a restaurant. It is small, so it doesn't fit 100 people. Mostly you see people order for pick-up. No matter the size, they have the capability to take big orders for families, businesses, and more.

FAVORITES: Lasagnas (both meat and vegetarian one). The Panini's are OUT OF THIS WORLD try them ALL! Then I also love to buy their country Italian bread, which I then eat by itself, or spread some lovely nutella on it for dessert.

SERVICE: Rosanna's daughter Alex and her father do a great job with their customers. When you walk in, there is typically a line. If there is a line or not, they make it a point to make you feel welcomed, and say hello. Once the food is ordered, the wait time is pretty minimal. Plus, when you see the employees and family eat their own food, you know it is something special.

It's worth the visit, because it could perhaps be one of the best Italian Pasta Shops...

I'm not sure if this is a café, restaurant, deli or market, but man to they make a mean sub, good Panini and fresh pasta. I've actually never seem so many fresh pasta's offered. Spinach, garlic herb, cheese, spaghetti's, fettuccini's, angel hair's, etc. Probably some 15-20 different varieties including stuffed versions, orzo, large shells, lasagna sheets. Cooking them is tops a few minutes, not 20 for these hardened varieties. They are much more intense in flavor because they are fresh. They'll need very little sauce as you don't want to overpower the flavors. Tiramisu, chocolate mousse, pizza dough, cured meats, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, all here.

They have a few tables outside, a few more inside, a small area selling bottled vinegar, evoo and you can buy their meats and cheese by the pound. They have a few Italian/European bottled drinks and soda's of course. Don't expect much in the way of appetizers, they have olives, chips and a small salad.

My favorite of the more common Italian cured meat is Capicolla, your not Italian or a decent shop worth your weight unless you have that, in my opinion. Having prosciutto de parma is a nice touch, but more than Salami, pepperoni, sausage I'm a Capicolla man. I got mine toasted, but not grilled or pressed, just warm. They thinly slice the onions so it's not quite so pungent, but equally flavorful. Pepperocini's were pepperocini's. Both gals I met working the counter were helpful and eager, it probably helped that I knew what I wanted and asked the...