Salvatore's Cucina & Lounge — Restaurant in San Diego

FIRSTLY… DON’T Come Here With a Group, They Charge Gratuity and Treat You Like Shxt Because They Know Their Tip Is Secured! Now Let Me State How My Daughters 21st Birthday Went… She Chose This Place Because She Heard It Was a Vibe. And Although The Place Is Nice… The Service Sucks. And The Food Is Mediocre! First Issue… The Water Taste Horrible! So We Asked For Lemons 3 Different Times. The Server Never Responded, So We Asked The Manager To Assist. Next… It Took Him So Long To Come Back After The Waters… We Were ALL Ready To Eat. He Comes Back, We Tell Him We Are Ready To Order, He Tells Us “NO, Drinks First!” Lol I Was Kinda In Shock! But As It Was My Daughters 21st BDay, I Didnt Want To Make An Issue. My Brother In Law, Asks For The Drink Menu, The Server Says “Oh I Be Back” and Just Walks Off! Instead Of Moving To The Next Person! (Mind You… Its NOT Busy AT ALL!!!) But Anyways… After Another 24 Minutes Of Waiting… He Comes Back and Starts Taking Drink Orders! He Gets Around To My Daughter (Who’s BIRTHDAY It Is!)… And She Asks For A Drink They Offered, But She Wanted To Substitute The Tequila for Another Brand. (Not To Complicated) the Server Responds That He Doesn’t Know About That, and How About You Get The Drink and a Shot On The Side. I Tell Her Its Her Birthday and She Can Get Whatever She Wants. My Sister Speaks Up and Ask The Waiter If He’s Charging Her For 2 Separate Drinks for the drink she asked for? He Says yes and reads her order back as “the drink she ordered + a double shot of patron silver! Lol HE ADDED A SHOT! I say she didn’t ask for a double… and so your telling me… on Her Birthday… Your Charging Her $17 for Her Drink + A Double Shot Which Each Shot Is $15… So In Total… On Her Birthday You Charge a Girl $47 for Her Drink??? LMMFAO

I Could Go On About How The Food Sucks and Your Better Off Going To Ruths Chris! Or Eddie V’s!

This Place Looks Nice… But Everything Else Is a 1 Star...

My friend and I decided to dine at this Italian restaurant after a show, hoping for a pleasant evening. Right from the start, things took a turn for the worse. We requested a table for two, but we were seated at the bar instead, which we were willing to overlook.

Our first interaction with the bartender, who initially seemed friendly, was positive when he promptly provided us with water. However, it all went downhill when "Tommy" approached us. Without uttering a single word, he snatched our IDs and disappeared into the back for an excruciating 15 minutes. This bizarre behavior left us puzzled but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, given our experience in the service industry.

We placed our orders, with my friend also requesting a drink. To our surprise, the manager came over and offered us a table, something we initially wanted. We moved our food to the table at the back, thinking it was a thoughtful gesture. Yet, the nightmare continued when I asked for a drink menu.

Our new server returned with a disheartening message: she couldn't serve us because the bartender claimed he couldn't accept our IDs. Now, we understand the importance of adhering to the law, and we'd have been fine if there was a legitimate reason. However, the manner in which "Tommy" handled the situation was nothing short of atrocious. He was shockingly rude, offering no explanation or even a shred of courtesy.

In the end, our experience at this restaurant was marred by terrible service, a complete lack of professionalism, and inexplicable rudeness. We would never recommend this place to anyone, as it left us feeling not only unwelcome but also insulted by the disrespectful treatment we received. It's a shame that such an incident could overshadow what might have been a pleasant...

I had dinner with someone special to me for Valentine's Day at this place.

Honestly, their server's service rocks it was impeccable during the entire time. She was very attentive and made sure we felt comfortable the whole night. Sadly, we didn't catch her name.

We ordered their Valentine's course, which emphasizes an appetizer, an entree, and dessert.

Appetizer and dessert were decent. On the other hand, the main entree was bland and unadventorous, not as good as it looked like. We expected more for the price (about $75 each course), so kind of disappointed on that.

The first half of the night was solid and enjoyable, they do have a large variety of drinks to choose from, which is a plus. However, by the end of the second half, when we asked for the check, we were surprisingly surcharged for a "large party / gratuity" of 20% total price despite being only two people and not being advised beforehand about that. Their reason for overcharging us was because it was a holiday "Valentine's Day," so they were already expecting and surcharging people an extra 20% for gratuity. On top of that, get head shakes from the waiter and supervisor/manager on your back for asking them about it. They still gave us good service throughout the night, though. Still first time we've ever heard and dealt with something absurd as that. We've been going out to different places for years, and it's the first time that we are forced to pay for gratuity, which is outrageous and non-sense.

Gratuity comes voluntarily out-of-your pocket. It's sad that places like this are scrounging for tips.

Nonetheless, it's a good place to enjoy the ambitious night club looking vibe and have a couple of drinks with friends or SO's.

Overall, this...