Elvira — Restaurant in San Diego

Public Service Announcement for Anyone Parking in the Lot Adjacent to Elvira

While Elvira lists this lot as a parking option on their website, I want to share an unfortunate experience I had. My vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run, and it was later confirmed that the driver responsible was one of Elvira’s employees.

Initially, the owner, Niccolo, appeared concerned and provided me with some of the requested camera footage. However, once it became clear that one of his employees might be involved, communication stopped. Niccolo did not respond to further emails and refused to share additional camera angles.

After a week with no progress, I had an officer contact the restaurant on my behalf. Niccolo falsely claimed that none of his employees drove a black sedan and stated that he had spoken to his staff, who all denied involvement. Strangely, just a few hours after this conversation, the driver admitted to the incident and confirmed that he worked for Elvira.

When we returned to obtain the driver’s information, neither the driver nor Niccolo showed any remorse. In fact, Niccolo became argumentative, dismissing our concerns and even shouting, asserting that my vehicle was not his priority. His behavior was disappointing, as he seemed more intent on defending his employee than addressing the situation responsibly. Despite having dined at Niccolo’s other establishment, Cesarina, we were left disheartened by how this incident was handled.

While it’s understandable that parking lot incidents may not directly be a business owner's responsibility, I believe there is a level of decency and respect that should be shown, especially when the incident involves an employee. Weeks later, I am still facing the financial burden of the damages, as the employee’s insurance was inadequate, and I’ve learned that the driver was operating on a suspended license. Many employees from the restaurant continue to park in this shared lot.

Please exercise caution if you choose to park...

Even better than expected and we had high expectations!!!! In our opinion, Elvira & Cesarina have some of the best service in San Diego. Despite not being a formal, fine dining restaurant (which isn’t our scene), their service is on the fine dining level and ON POINT every time. We’ve been to Cesarina many times, but this was our first trip to Elvira. Thomas and Daniel (trainee) took wonderful care of us and all tables around us with the help of the other employees pouring wine & water, replacing silverware (fresh for each course), clearing, bringing food, etc. Manager stopped by a couple times too. Very attentive! They explain the entire menu to you, which is a really nice touch.

Noise level was perfect inside! Not loud at all.

FOOD WAS DELICIOUS!! We started with the Supli de Telephono (arancini-style appetizer) since they don’t always have it. That is the stuff pregnancy cravings are made of, haha (I’m pregnant and can see myself ordering this To Go far too often). Then, shared the Misticanza (FRESH house salad dressed to perfection). I got the Rigatoni alla Carbonara, which is not a usual choice of mine. I will be back for this! My husband got Bucatini all’Amatricana, which they pulled off of Cesarina’s menu to serve at Elvira. It was amazing too and something we’d both get again, but next time want to try their pizzas. He also tried the Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (red wine) and has already purchased 2 bottles to share with family for the holidays since we left last night, lol.

It’s also really beautiful inside. We used to frequent Bo-Beau (we live on the same street) and I love the deep greens & decor of Elvira.

Thank you Thomas & Daniel for making our date night...

We had dinner reservations for Elvira on Sunday at 7 pm. We were seated immediately. The restaurant was busy and incredibly noisy. We tried the fritti del giorno which was bacalhau and arancini. The bacalhau was really good - very crispy and well seasoned. The arancini was also good - it tasted like it was flavored with a really intense Bolognese sauce.

For entrees, we had the cotolette del fiorentino, fiori e alici pizza, and pizza special. The cotolette del fiorentino was ground veal that was made into huge patties and fried (it looked like schnitzel) and it was served with arugula and artichokes. This was good but I don't know if I would get it again - it seems like it would be monotonous to eat after a while. The fiori e alici pizza is one without tomato sauce and it had sardines and squash blossoms on it. It was really beautiful to look at and the zuchinni crema on top was tasty! However, my favorite was the special pizza which had prosciutto and burrata on it. The meat and burrata were just perfect on the pizza.

For dessert, we shared a maritozzo which is a fluffy bread roll filled with whipped cream. This was served slightly warm and was also delicious! I have never had this before and we were instructed to use our hands instead of utensils to eat! Overall, I thought the food was good. This seems to be the place to go to if you want pizza. If you want more pasta options, I think Cesarina (same owners) is the better option.

There is pretty limited parking here and they were also out of the pasta special for the day by the time we got there too. I don't think there is an outdoor seating...