Oltre Mare — Restaurant in San Diego

Alta Marea is a quaint little restaurant in Pacific Beach across from the PB Library which is very nicely decorated with a handful of tables and a small patio area. Tables and ambiance was nice and open - decorated in sort of a rustic fashion with a few more modern touches.

There's no bar service so you can bring your own wine (or beer) with no corkage fee.

Our waiter, who I believe was one of the owners, was very nice, accommodating and attentive throughout the dinner. (We ate early so there were only a handful of tables being served.) I could imagine the service being a little slower with more tables but that’s part of the family atmosphere.

The first course was mussels in some sort of buerre blanc sauce (or the italian equivalent). The mussels were fresh and cooked perfectly and the sauce complimented them well without overpowering. Additionally, it was a simple dish - all about the mussels. No chorizo or other items thrown in to take away from the mussels. They served focaccia bread before the meal that was great with the sauce.

For the main course, we ordered the Ribeye plate and Wild Boar Bolognese with Pappardelle pasta. The Ribeye was served sliced with tomatoes over a bed of arugula and was amazing. We were warned a couple of times that it was served sliced over a salad. Not sure the menu really conveyed this so it was a good thing she told us but it didn't matter (to us, although some people might not like that style). The steak was cooked perfectly complimented the salad and fresh tomatoes perfectly. Had a light dusting of sea salt that of course made everything taste better.

But the star of the night was the Wild Boar pasta. This dish was so good I got teary eyed - no joke. The boar was just amazing with a very light cream sauce. The boar was fantastic on it’s own but combined with the pasta it was phenomenal and the dish really came together!

The only unfortunate thing about the dinner was that we were a bit rushed to make our play and couldn't spend more time there. But we boxed up what was left of our meals and finished it under the stars at the play downtown - which made the night even more magical. The staff was very helpful in getting us out on time.

I don’t know what authentic Italian is, but this is what I’d imagine it to be!

I'm so glad PB has a new "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant and this one didn't disappoint. I almost don't want to write this review to keep away the crowds but would rather see them do well and if they keep serving food like they did for us they will - reviews or...

Have had my eye on this place for a while as I work nearby and this family far and beyond smashed any prior concept I had of true Italian food.

I ordered the Wild Boar Bolognese (highly recommend, fantastic and tender) which was brought out at a reasonable pace, giving my family enough time to sit and enjoy an appetizer of Caprese salad with the freshest mozzarella cheese you've ever graced your tongue with, this melts in your mouth while the multicolored cherry tomatoes explode wonderfully light juices to complement. Everything was so incredibly satisfying. After our minds and palettes had a chance to process the magnificence they'd just encountered, we ordered some of their homemade Tiramisu, very fluffy with a hint of coffee, TO DIE FOR. THANK YOU!

Remember to bring your own wine ;)

They make everything fresh and we got the chance to thank the chef and his wife before leaving. They were so sweet and kind to us. I...

Extremely disappointed. We were in San Diego for my bf’s bday. I called and made reservations almost a week in advance. I was not told wine/spirits were not served but people could bring their own. I advised the owner of our special occasion and that was the last mention of it. We were sat at a teeny tiny table that could not even fit the plates that held our food. The car parked out front had the car alarm that repeatedly went off while its patrons were inside the restaurant. The food was mediocre at best, definitely overpriced. Service was sporadic and the two ladies that had our table did not communicate regarding when and what had been ordered. Due to the pandemic we were trying to support local but hindsight, we were probably better off going to a corporate restaurant That could’ve given us consistency and possibly made it feel like our evening out...