Vinarius Wine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

I will never go anywhere else when I come to San Diego from now on. First, I walked in and sat at the bar and was greeted by the kindest, smartest bartender (female, dark hair, Italian) who literally was just chef’s kiss. SO NICE and she knew the wines and was so fast!!! And so happy! And sooo welcoming. I’m shy and love to find bars that make me feel wanted, and not only did she make me feel wanted, she made me feel like family!

But then the night continues and she lets me know the kitchen will close soon if I want food, which was so sweet because I’ve been places that don’t warn you, and she genuinely cared.

And then I see the food coming out not placed under a heat lamp and I know that this place is the real deal. They serve food fresh as soon as it’s done, they don’t place it under a heat lamp to sit forever and overcook it like so many places do. And then I see the man who is clearly the owner walking around filling wines, running food to tables, and I’m floored. I’m from a place that a restaurant owner would never even show up, yet here I am in and this owner takes PRIDE in his restaurant and his guests’ experience. And he was happy! I could tell the pride in his restaurant was deep (as it should be). Mind blown. There are so few places like this.

And the food and drink- perfection. I had the filet with mushroom sauce and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. They were even out of the filet because I came around closing time and they actually cut another one and prepared it for me because I was willing to wait, which meant they had to be there longer. I have worked in restaurants where I’m from where the kitchen will refuse things like that because they’re ready to go home. So it was even more special to me that the chefs were willing to make the meal I ordered for me instead of saying they had run out. 🥹

I’ll never go anywhere else. I may live in Memphis but when I come to San Diego this will be home. Grazie!!! I’ll be back...

I travel all over the country and had the pleasure of finding this hidden treasure based off all of the wonderful reviews. I just finished my second meal at Vinarius in 3 days as my wife and I simply fell in love with this charming restaurant. Let me first say that every restaurant should learn from Vinarius. First and foremost the food was simply amazing. We tried 4 different pasta dishes as well as their eggplant parm and the everything was nothing short of spectacular. On top of that, their espresso martini and their pistachio ricotta cake for desert was the perfect way to finish a perfect meal. As my wife and I sat at the bar we were talking about how the entire restaurant and staff make you feel so welcomed as if you are having dinner with your family. Our bartender Mark was spectacular and made us feel like we were locals who are there weekly. He gave us great recommendations, was incredibly attentive and just a pleasure to be around. If you have a chance to dine with Mark you will not be disappointed at all as he will take great care of you. I would also be remiss if I did not point out that the entire staff all shared the same love, passion and genuine happiness for working there. Lastly we also had the pleasure of speaking with the owner who truly cares about providing the best quality food at a fair price in an environment that truly makes you feel like home. I would run not walk to this amazing restaurant as it was overall one of the best restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of eating at. Thank you to Mark and the entire staff as you are all truly amazing and made our trip to San Diego so memorable. We cannot wait to come back and visit our new family. ...

UPDATE: I got reached from the owner of the restaurant and they clarified the misunderstanding apologizing for that, showing that they take care of customer satisfaction and they invite me to come back soon and offering me something from their italian cuisine.

Everything went well with the quality of the food (really good and tasty) and the wine until they brought the machine for the bill, where at our table we were 3 people ordered a tagliere di salumi to share as appetizer, 2 parmigiana di melanzane and a wine bottle, they charged us $197!!!! They didn't bring any detail of the bill but just showing the total amount on the display and when we asked for clarifications they said the Italian food is expensive and the appetizer has a lot of stuff (where they decided to customise with extra stuff without saying that the price would be more than twice! Because we were aware for $24.95 for 2 people or $44.95 for 4 people!) I know the wine was $40 because I read that on the menu and I agreed with that, but how we can reach $200 ?? I still have no idea for the details of the bill because they never printed to us, same for the receipt, nothing! Unfortunately, despite the good quality of the food, I will not recommend that restaurant until they will clearly explain any extra charge they omit when you place an order. I eat in so many Italian restaurants in San Diego and I've never ever spent...