Cafe Milano — Restaurant in San Diego

The smell of the food was so good that I forgot taking a photo of it. Wondering around La Jolla late Monday, looking for a place to eat when I stumbled to this little gem. The first impression wasn't all that impressive. The place looks exactly like those old school "Italian" restaurants, that more often than not overcook the pasta. Fortunately, the first impression was really, but really wrong. The owner it's Italian and has a long history as restaurateur, previously running 4 restaurant in New Jersey. He was extremely friendly, and took great pride on his food. As you settle down on your table, he brings you a basket of freshly baked bread and a mix of balsamic vinegar mixed with honey (freaking delicious). I started by ordering a Caprese salad. The cheese was so good that I asked which fresh mozzarella he used, to which he replied "Everything is house made". And you can definitely taste it. After finishing the Caprese salad, I ordered Ravioli di Formaggio. The first thing I noticed was the color and consistency of the tomato sauce. It was absolutely delicious, and I'm extremely hard to please when it comes to tomato sauce. The pasta was light a day the filing was well seasoned perfectly mixing with the perfectly make and cooked pasta. To finish, the owner very gracefully gave me a slice of Tiramisu. Simply put, it was the best tiramisu that I have ever had, so lightly and tasty. In conclusion, the food would make me write a nice review. Now, add to the delicious food an extra nice service and an extremely friendly owner and you just got a new costumer. I will DEFINITELY come...

The owner Pasquale is awesome! We came in at 9:10 and the place closes at 10 p.m. We were greeted warmly and told that the kitchen is still open. After the entire staff left around 10 that's why we stayed and insisted that we stay up until 11. He brought out extra port wine for us during our dessert. Every single plate that was brought out was delicious from appetizer all the way to dessert. Pasquale's specialty Tiramisu was delicious and enormous. Going to Cafe Milano is like going to your most Italian friends house and having their parents force feed you all of their delicious food truly Italian style. Honestly that's the feel. And that's due to the fact that the entire staff is Pasquale's family. This place has a lot of character which is probably why it's been around for 18 years. Pasquale gets in every single morning bright and early to hand make all the pasta and you can clearly tell. Pasquale even offered to give me and my girlfriend a ride home to windansea. That's the one gesture that we didn't accept because we were so full from the delicious meal that we had to walk it off! This is the exact type of business that has gone to the Wayside over the years but it's the exact type of business that you should support and I promise you if you go one time will feel the exact same way that I do right now! After one experience you'll want to support it and you'll tell all your friends because you want to provide them the same awesome experience...

We came in off the street and were greeted and seated shortly. The waiter (I assume he was a family member) was so pleasant and helpful . We ordered the Capellini Bosc/Mare and an extra dish to share, as we are seniors on vacation and would be unable to save any leftovers. It could not have been any better or more authentic.

We added an insalada caprese, which was truly delicious. Never have we had such soft, fresh Buffalo Mozzarella! I guess the chef makes that as well as everything else on the menu, even the bread.

As for the person who said portions were small, we shared this dish and couldn't have eaten any more. And no, the restaurant is not dirty and all staff members were so friendly and efficient it made our experience feel like we were with old friends or family.

As we were about to leave, the owner/chef brought us a tiramasu . I guess I've never had really authentic tiramasu because I've never found it that delicious. This one was!

We regret that we do not live near La Jolla so that we could come often. But we can...