Piacere Mio Del Sur — Restaurant in San Diego

First time here and during my niece's 11th birthday for dinner and it wasn't as great as we wanted it to be. My family and I were very excited to try this place as Italian food is in our top 5. Also looks like a top place to come to without having to drive all the way to downtown Little Italy. And even better that this place can accommodate our large party of 22 on a Thursday night. The outdoor patio was very comfortable, covered, and even had heating lamps. There were about 2-3 waitresses handling our large party (3 tables). Drinks were placed and I was able to order my toddlers a plate of spaghetti to calm their appetites.

We started with a couple appetizers; Prosciutto E Burrata was decent but the soup of the day (mushroom style soup) was delicious. We noticed most of our party had just placed their main entree order, so we quickly flagged down a waiter to put the rest of the party's order in (about 4 more entrees) which she had written down.

Entrees slowly came out and it was a mess with waiters trying to remember who ordered what and where ordered should be correctly placed at each table. With some help from our party the first 2 tables were able to start their dinner. 4 adults on the 3rd table (the last) were still awaiting their entrees. We gave it quite some time but the rest of our tables were halfway done if not finished with their dinner.

We flagged down a waiter to ask what was going on and came to find out the last four entrees were not keyed into the computer. On top of that, the waiter had to rewrite our order (what happened to the first time it was written down!?) Ok, we were thinking that this would be a rush order and we would get our food before any other table because of the screw-up on Piacere's part. Nope, we quickly noticed we were again waiting for our food. By the time the waiters came and said "Oh it's almost done." They were literally just keying the order into the computer (we can see them scrambling from where we were sitting). The majority of my party was already done with their food. And the rest of us that didn't get our food, we had mentioned to just cancel it. But the waiter had insisted that it was done but nope it was not. So then we said ok, just pack it up cause we honestly had lost our appetite and the rest of our party was ready for dessert and to sing happy birthday to my niece. And the waiter had the audacity to come back and ask "don't you just want to eat it here!?" Really!? Why would we try to eat and rush our dinner when the majority of our party is done, the kids are restless, and the birthday girl is ready for cake!? The waitress had mentioned that they would comp the Barramundi and it wouldn't be on the bill. Nope! We had to flag down the waitress yet again to remove the Barramundi entree from the bill.

Such a dinner-kill when an establishment can't properly, quickly, professionally correct a major mistake during a special occasion. 1 star for ambiance and 1 star for accommodating large parties (but caution Rsvp'ing a large...

Outstanding experience, great food, and exceptional service! Highly recommended. Set in an upscale shopping center in Rancho Bernardo. Translated as "my pleasure of the south", this Italian restaurant does not disappoint. To my taste, a few dishes were a tad salty (especially the tortoloni with gorgonzola and saussage), but taste profile and quality were top notch. The spicy pene brought the heat but tomato still shone through. The mushroom spaghetti, off the build your own pasta menu was mild and pleasant. The chicken picatta was soft and tangy, the veggies cooked perfectly. Cesear salad tasted very traditional and the pear salad very tasty with a nice bosc pear (though the pear could have been sweeter or drizzled in pear suryp or rum). The lasagna was perfection - flavorful sauce, soft noodles, and delicious cheese, cooked perfectly and toasty on top. Yummmmm. The chairs are comfortable enough for a long meal, and the staff were extremely attentive and efficient. The pana cotta dessert was the star of the show. Perfectly soft and smooth, slight orange Creamsicle flavor, topped with sumptuous plump berries and a raspberry puree. Smiles all around the table. Yummmm. The facility is ADA friendly, and suitable for the whole family, if well behaved. Atmosphere is casual but upscale. Feels like family :) Will definitely go back. Pricing is very reasonable for this day and age, not inexpensive, but a bargain considering the quality, freshness and proper size portions. We split the salads and a half size was ample as a starter course. They have a full bar, even aperitif! We didn't have any drinks, but the cocktail menu looked amazing...next time, I won't be...

I don't leave many reviews, so I have to be either very pleased or displeased. Read on to find out which. 😉

My friend and I came in right as they opened this afternoon. We had been craving Carbonara for some time after something we had been watching got us on a tangent. After researching multiple local establishments, Piacere Mio had what looked to be the most authentic, in terms of ingredients and presentation, so we set plans for lunch.

The place is beautiful, first of all, and it had the wonderful smell of pasta as we walked in.

For our appetizer, we sampled, and finished, the Calamari Fritti. The breading was crisp and light. A tiny bit of grease, as expect when frying, but not at all dripping in it. Great seasoning, and a delicious marinara for dipping. An excellent start.

Of course, for our entree, we each ordered the Carbonara. Mine, the classic with spaghetti, and my friend opted for a different pasta. Let's start with the portion size. It was very generous. I was expecting a moderately sized portion, but it was actually quite decent, which left me pleasantly surprised. The photo below doesn't do justice.

Ah, but how did it taste, you ask? Folks, this dish is a little chunk of heaven! With every bite, you taste the egg yolk and Pecorino Romano, the pasta, and delectable guanciale cubes. The dish was creamy and rich, while also clean and rustic; flavorful without being overly-processed. It was everything I expected from a great Carbonara, and more. I cleaned that plate, and was happily full at the end.

No dessert on this trip, but maybe next time. In total, we spent around $40 each, and it was worth every penny! I'll...