Pappalecco — Restaurant in San Diego

GOOD FIND ! My wife and I enjoyed a fun packed weekend down in San Diego...Padres game on Friday night & Stray Cats concert on Saturday night. TIME TO GO ! On Sunday morning we zipped out from our Marriott hotel for breakfast here. We used to be big fans of Pappalecco years ago when we lived in University Heights...the Hillcrest and Little Italy locations. The food and cappuccinos were always top quality. We arrived here around 7.45am and parked our wheels on a corner private parking lot at the side of the cafe. JUST TO BE SURE ! When we walked inside the cafe I checked with the female cashier that we could park there...no prob was her reply. VERY QUIET ! It might have been early but I would have expected a few diners here before us. The cashier told me her name was Tah ( probably an abbreviation ). OUR BEST CHOICE ! We decided on 2 x Ham, Egg & Cheese Croissants and 2 x double shot Cappuccinos with 2% milk & hazelnut syrup. TIMES HAVE CHANGED ! This location certainly didn't have any of the early morning vibrant charm of the Hillcrest and Little Italy cafes where we would run into the 2 co-owner brothers Lorenzo & Francesco. In fact this place had no vibe at all. Still the quality of our breakfast will be the judge. Our cappuccinos arrived and tasted fabulous...rich & creamy just like our recent experiences in Italy. Soon after our Ham, Egg & Cheese Croissants arrived..they look darn good and tasted outstanding. Of course they also have a range of gelato and I saw a big pizza oven on my way to the restroom. WE TOTALLY ENJOYED...

BEST little Italian place in town! From cafes, to croissants, pizzas, paninis, focaccia, sweets, and salads!

My parents recently moved to Kensington and my husband and I were in town for two weeks to help.

We walked here almost every day to try something new and it NEVER disappointed us.

The breakfast croissants were delish - my fav was salmon and hubbys was the bacon. Made fresh and made to order - I love how the croissant was lightly toasted on top. The flakes were messy but incredible.

Fav pizza for me was the breakfast pizza with bacon and over easy eggs - hubbys was the pepperoni pizza. This pizza didn’t even need ranch! The dough is house made - per a server we asked. Perfectly thin in the middle with the crust being fluffy. One pizza was perfect for two people.

They have 30% off pizzas on Tuesday and 50% off panini’s on Wednesday.

The paninis we so crispy and the stack was delish! I loves the sauces on them - I’m drooling already thinking about them.

Before you leave you MUST get the affogato! It’s their espresso which is imported from Italy - and they pour it over a scoop of house made gelato!we tied a few flavors but our favorite was vanilla. When I say we basically had it every day - I’m pretty serious. It was the perfect treat. The espresso was frothy and creamy - then on top of the gelato … I miss this place already!

Loved being able to eat outside and enjoy the air. The staff was always so nice. Place was always clean. Bathrooms clean.

Just go...

I really wanted to like Pappalecco, really I did. I came here on a first date a few months ago (truly identifying details have been redacted to protect the innocent) and my date suggested this place. Wow, I thought; here is an individual who not only is proactive in picking a restaurant but who has selected an establishment that I've heard good things about AND said establishment is Italian. Solid start. Unfortunately, the restaurant was kind of ho-hum. The interior layout was awkward; simultaneously crowded and also too loosely laid out. The floors and decor had gone beyond the "charming and rustic" and were venturing into "can we still call this shabby chic or just shabby" and when I'm noticing the floors of a restaurant that is probably not the greatest sign. The salmone salad was quite good, though. Enthusiastic thumbs-up for that dressing. The food in the glass cases did not look especially fresh but obviously partway through a warm afternoon I probably looked a little wilted too. (Just kidding, I was obviously glowing.) But still. Overall, eh. Question mark, ellipses. I would not come here again unless we were getting food to go, and even then, there are just so many more (spectacular) options for Italian food...