Bencotto Italian Kitchen Reviews

Service was great. Food was overrated my wife had heard so much about this place we had to go. Nice place clean busy close to most of the action in little Italy. Pasta was fresh drinks were good. A little pricey. Overall good

Been there several times. Always a great meal. Service could be a bit better (let’s say 4 out of 5), and some of the tables are a bit cramped and awkward to use, but the food is a 6 out of 5, so I keep coming back.

The food was excellent. The lasagna was authentic & very delicious. My penne pasta w/ pesto was very good. My only negative comes with the service & feel of the place. We made an early reservation but were stuck upstairs with a family of small children (although they did try to seat them away from us) when there were clearly tables on the main level & outside. Our server upstairs was hit & miss & rarely to be seen. (with another person delivering the meal which leads to no one bothering to ask if you'd like another glass of wine) The whole experience felt cold & was not relaxing in the least -- like we were being rushed through as fast as possible. So maybe they take less reservations, hire more servers, or find a way to lose that 'hurried' vibe? Something... *not ideal for a nice romantic dinner

Very good Italian food, nice local with nice atmosphere, nice to sit out in the evening. Nice service and good service. Recommended!

From the reviews, I expected a really good Italian meal--it was very meh. Our pasta dishes were nothing to rave about--the sauces were meh--a real disappointment. The interior has no particular ambiance--very modern. Curiously enough, the place was packed on the Thursday evening we went. Not sure what the draw is here.

We were looking for a place to have a nice lunch, we parked nearby, and we tried Bencotto, service was good and quick, the place at 3pm was almost empty, and food was good and plentiful, but I cannot say that it was outstanding, pretty simple pasta place and place looks nice. Service was good.

We stopped by for apperitivi - a glass of wine and a little snack, as they do in Italy. Extremely nice outdoor seating area. Menu looked good; we will definitely be back another time for dinner. Off the main drag of Little Italy, so quiet and pleasant.

Everything good, the service excellent , Francisco ( the busboy) incredible nice and helpful! THE ONLY COMPLAIN , the bread ! For such a nice place they should be more careful in the bread selection ! Perfavore fatte più attenzione !

I took my family here at this restaurant and I have to say the food was spectacular and the prices were very decent. I am very picky on Italian food in general but I must say I was impressed. I forget name of the server waitress but he was very kind and friendly and make sure the food clear of the things that trigger my allergies. I would definitely come here again!

Good Italian food, primarily pasta dishes with ability to mix and match pasta types, sauce, and other items. Good service and drink menu.

No no no waiter. I forgave you for having no idea what canneloni is. But condescendingly calling women 'dear' is not OK.

Little Italy is definitely worth a visit if you love Italian food. It's not as good as in Italy, but it's close. We tried Tagliatelle al Ragù d'agnello and Tagliatelle Bolognese, homemade fresh pasta.

their warm bread with olive oil is one of the best we have had. loved their margaritas, penne entres and zucchini appetiters, great fast attetive service

We tried items from the specials menu and there were several unique items that I thought were tasty. Things I wasn’t impressed with were that they never called when our table was ready and I received a dirty napkin to start. It was a very busy Saturday so I’m guessing another night we wouldn’t have had the same issues.

We were looking for a late evening pasta meal and found Bencotto much quieter than the big names in Little Italy. Both our pasta meals were terrific and the atmosphere and service excellent.We did not have a chance to return but will do so on our next trip. We expect that any pasta on the menu will be top notch.

I really wanted to love this restaurant in Little Italy. First, it was very drafty & cool after dark INDOORS. It was May, but honestly, it is always cool all year round after dark in San Diego. Please consider closing the windows after dark! I was dreaming of the SQUASH BLOSSOMS filled with cheese. I was disappointed as they were breaded & fried & sort of tasteless. I had the SALMON with a very gelatinous brown sauce that had black olives. I love sauces, but not this brown gravy on fish! My dinner date had the LASAGNA. He was disappointed too, as the top was slightly burned and the interior was “mushy” (his words). The SERVICE was so nice, though, from the hostess to the wait staff. I really wanted to give a good review. I’ve had much better Italian food in San Diego!

Both pasta dishes we had were delicious. You feel as though you are in someone's kitchen in Italy eating fresh made Italian fare. Our starters of salad and zuchinni soup did not disappoint as well. Wonderful spot in Little Italy!

What an amazing restaurant - they make all the pasta in-house and it's worth the cost. We started with a burrata appetizer; then we shared a lamb osso bucco and a squid-ink tagliatella with shrimp in a delicious tomato based sauce. Great food / great service / great meal

Went for dinner and had some wonderful pasta dishes, along with very friendly service set in a beautiful space. It is a bit more upscale but still fine for families (though maybe not as much for younger kids). It is on the expensive side though we found the quality to be worth it. The pasta dishes were the stand out for us.

We had an early dinner so no waiting. The service was very timely and not rushed. We aren’t big eaters and we split our pasta Bolognese. Will definitely go back before we leave SAN DIEGO.

Incredible pasta. All the pasta is made in house and very fresh unlike several of the other restaurants we tried in Little Italy.

Both my wife and I ordered pasta at $28 per plate. I chose the lasagna and it was enough to feed a small family. We could have definitely split either dish and it would have been plenty for each of us. I boxed up the 3/4 of a dish of lasagna and gave it to a homeless person. The other thing to be aware of is the service is very rushed. Definitely felt like they were trying to turn tables quickly. Not a place for a quiet romantic meal.

Top notch dinner! Service was outstanding! From our server who constantly checked in on us, to the owner/manager who stopped by to even the food runners and bar employees who dropped off our drinks, everyone was great and genuinely cared about our satisfaction. Most importantly the food, OUTSTANDING! Started with a salad and the fresh table bread with olive oil and balsamic which was fantastic and then we each chose a customized pasta dish. I had the spinach ravioli with the cream saucy which was wonderful! Husband had gnocchi with a meat sauce (not sure which) and he also liked his very much

An obviously popular place, loaded with diners on a Saturday night in Little Italy. Prices reasonable. A variety of choices on the menu. Veal osso bucco recommended.

We have eaten here many times and had excellent meals, today not so much. Sat outside after being assured that the heater would be turned on,despite asking 4 times, this was never done. I ordered the crab filled ravioli topped with caviar….no caviar, said they couldn’t get it.. I would never have ordered. My wife was asked if she wanted grated parmigiana for her pasta, said yes, took 10 minutes to arrive when she was almost done. So attention to detail was really lacking on this visit.

My colleague and I took a customer to this restaurant during a recent company event in San Diego. The menu wasn't as long as I expected but all of us ordered pasta--I got the Fettuccine with lamb meat sauce and they got squid ink pasta--and all of us liked what we ordered. Pasta tasted freshly made with just the right amounts of various ingredients. Would have given one more star if the chocolate ice cream I got as dessert tasted better, but my colleague thought his lemon sorbet was fantastic.

We were a group of five friends and after the main course the waiter came to our table to tell us that he wouldn’t serve two of us anymore (apperently they were drunk) - how did he know? We weren’t loud at all or misbehaving & it was especially weird because it was only two of us…So why would he serve drinks to us but not our friends, that makes no sense at all… It was very strange and altough the food was good we left the place with a very bad feeling and we won’t return.

Online it said no reservations available but at the restaurant we were seated at the bar immediately and lots of empty tables. Food was ok, fantastic service from bartender. Cheese wheel was lovely tasting but as it cools it loses that flavor. My squid ink pasta was not unique, that flavor was missing. Overall not worthy of the praise.

Bencotto has many wonderful menu items, but for fans of pasta, you're in for a treat. It's all handmade and you can choose from a variety of sauces and add-ins to create your own dish. The pesto is superb!

We had a wonderful meal here. The create your own pasta with gnocchi, marinara, and meatballs was incredible. The crab ravioli with lobster bisque was delicious (and topped with caviar!). The service was friendly and fast. Left with a carry out bag and full stomachs!

Bencotto is basically a high priced pasta joint. The different pasta dishes are excellent but a tad small for the charge. The wait staff promotes the pasta specials since they are the most expensive. Don't order them, not worth the extra money. Appetizers too small for the price and $11 for a bowl of pasta fagioli is outrageous. Crowded and loud-difficult to have a conversation at dinner. But, as I said above, the pasta is outstanding regardless of size.

Possibly the freshest and best pasta I’ve ever had. If you love pasta this is definitely a place you have to visit. The field is very casual, like a café. However the food is a superb. Also great service. If I’m back in San Diego I will definitely could be coming back and recommend to anyone who’s looking for a great pasta.

The sauce for the calamari was excellent--I will give them that. But then dinner was just meh. It had no pop. I had the squid ink pasta. Its just black pasta. This just left much to be desired. Once you got past the novelty, you realized how tragically bland this "modern spin" on Italian food is. Its just a fancy way of providing inferior food.

The title pretty much says it all. Nice choices on the regular and special menu. Service was attentive, perhaps overly attentive. Can’t go wrong if you don’t mind the noise.

Excellent homemade pasta and very generous portions. Prosciutto excellent. Located in a newer building and decor rather austere and uncreative. Appreciated waitress pacing service for us. Wine list limited.

Bencotto came highly recommended but our dinner was nothing to rave about. It was early New Year’s Eve and we had a 7:30 reservation. We were on time and were told we had to be out by 9:30 for the next sitting. No problem. We had osso bucco which cost $34 and was small. No vegetables or sides. The appetizer of rice balls was small and tasted like it had been in the refrigerator for a while. Both dishes were almost thrown at us in their haste to move us along. We had cannolis for dessert which also tasted like they had been refrigerated for a while. All in all, $200 for a non-satisfactory dinner. Maybe because it was New Year’s Eve and the kitchen was busy? But still, given the other choices in the area, we made a poor one.

I ate there once before and decided to visit again. My previous experience was pleasant and I truly enjoyed my food. This time around not so much. It was a pick up order for a few items but the disappointment came from their cheese wheel option of the week. I follow them on IG and the pictures looked amazing but I feel like I got catfished because what I got didn’t look anything like the photos. Mind you their cheese wheel option for the week is one of the most expensive items on their menu. Will stop following them and take my money elsewhere since there are plenty of other options in this area.

Italian spot with variety of pastas. Stopped by for lunch per my sister’s recommendation with my boyfriend, and we enjoyed our meal. We found a free street parking spot a couple of blocks down and walked. Since it’s in Little Italy, there are various cute eateries to peruse. We had no reservation but were able to walk in easily. Indoor and outdoor seating available. We had the tortelli di zuca and the ravioli al tartufo. Both dishes were excellent. The tortelli came with a generous amount of crunchy bacon which offset the creamy pumpkin filling. The tartufo was creamy and rich. We left full and satisfied. Credit cards accepted, but they add a 1.99% fee for that. Overall, this meal is on the more pricier side but it’s high quality and delicious.

Great Service, Good Food. The pasta they make is fresh and very good. The menu is very broad, but I would recommend the pasta. Drink are also good.

This was our last night in San Diego and we decided on Italian. The food was really good. And our server was fast and efficient. Our seats in the loft section overlooked the lower dinning level and the street which gave it an airier feel. The desserts were the perfect way to end the evening.

Great pasta restaurant, great staff, quick serving which is good for kids, inside was quite noisy and a little bit pricy.

Trying to find a good place of all the choices in Little Italy so looked at TripAdvisor for recommendations. This had a good rating so made a reservation here. Arrived early and they were able to seat our party which was nice. Server was blah, not much personality and didn’t tell us much about the menu. We had the spaghetti in the cheese wheel and crab ravioli, both were ok but nothing special. Also had calamari which was good, glass of moscato not so much. Probably would not recommend or go to again .

For the last three years, we've been in search for the best bolognese/ragu in the world. And, excluding Bologna (for obvious reasons), this is the BEST we've tasted. the Pasta = WOW the sauce = WOW X2 They really did blow us away with this Ragu. A must have when going to Bencotto. Thank you.

We were told to come to little Italy to have an amazing experience regarding Italian food. Someone told us to come to Bencotto and Oh surprise! The worst food in my last two months, time that I’ve been traveling the world. The bread was old, food had no taste, microwaved, and very poor in flavors.

In the heart of the Little Italy district, a rather modern Italian cuisine restaurant. No pizzas but a wide choice of pastas. The dishes are really good. The service is friendly, a little slow but we were a group of 12 On the other hand, uninviting decoration. Tables covered with rough plastic, room a little cold

Excellent location, pricing, and delicious food!! The pasta was to die for; I crave a simple pasta that is cooked perfectly with a lovely sauce, and they provided. The only reason they didn't receive a 5-star was ambiance: ask to be seated in the lower level as the upper level is feels a bit like a closet. Not bad, but not anywhere as lovely as the lower level (or outside, weather permitting.) Eat here!

Fresh made pasta every day, excellent ingredients and pride of service all shown through in my dinner here. Braised beef gnocchi with Parmesan cream sauce. Lots of wine selections. I went early and ate at the bar, which may be your best bet since this place gets busy quickly on the weekends. Also fun to walk around Little Italy that’s all decked out for the holidays.

I try to return here when I am in San Diego and was able to get in several visits on my trip last month. Some of the reasons I like Bencotto are 1 the food is wonderful 2 the staff could not be any nicer 3 the service is great and 4 it is an excellent value for the area.

Excellent authentic Italian with homemade noodles. Large portions, but we still found room to share a piece of tiramisu that was so good! Great service with good atmosphere - both indoor and outdoor options available.

Tasty dishes. Kids had Alfredo, chicken parm was great. Eggplant parm a little too soft for my liking. Ravioli was a delicious dish. We ate outside and it was lovely. With so many places to choose in “Little Italy”, I would probable choose a different restaurant the next time.

This restaurant is beautiful to look at but it all stops there. The staff was friendly but apparently thought 1 - 4oz glass of water was enough for each of us to drink during our entire meal. No one EVER came to refill our beverages. It’s not a big place and it wasn’t busy sooooo I’m not sure what kept them from noticing that we ALL needed water. The food was labeled with pretentious names but let’s get real - it’s pasta and sauce. I had the bolonaise sauce and it was “iffy” at best. It was certainly nothing to write home about. At $21 a plate plus $5 for meatballs (that looked and tasted strange) I felt the quality should have been WAYYYYY BETTER than it was. I think you’re just paying to feel “snooty” because the food is definitely not worth a second glance, or taste. I’m only giving it 1 star because the restaurant IS beautiful.

Incredible service (thanks David and Team), food was some of the best Italian fare we’ve ever had and a great wine list. The atmosphere, right in the middle of Little Italy, completed a great experience.

awesome place. fresh pasta daily and ingredients from Italy. Lovely family and friends restaurant. Something for everyone, plus great wines. Service is well done.

Not our first time eating here. Everything deserved a 5 star except the service. All of the tables near us had constant attention…not us. Ask for a 18, 20 or 22% tip and ignore us…good luck.

Amazing as usual. Pizza oven was not available today but no worry. Plenty of amazing options to choose from. Margarita Arancia was sooooo good. Try to gf gnocchi with pesto & shrimp. Yum!

Our waitress Audrey gave us superior service! From the craft cocktails, appetizers were a good portion size, to the crab ravioli in a lobster bisque sauce topped with caviar. Decadent!

I was vacationing in Pacific Beach for my bday, and we were lucky enough to get a Friday night reservation for 2 that same day. Little Italy was an easy 20 minute Uber away. Sitting outside on an elevated patio was great for people watching. The ravioli al tartufo was delicious! Our waiter was great- attentive, and helpful with suggestions (tall, Polish...Yahn, maybe?) He brought me a perfect little serving of tiramisu since I was celebrating, which was fantastic! We also ordered the cannoli. There was an original and a pistachio. I never would've ordered the green stuff, but it was really good- nice and light. And the original was absolutely amazing! Overall, so happy with the dinner choice! And I loved that we could walk around Little Italy. The piazza with the fountain was a lovely stroll just a block or so away. Great night!

Parking in the Italian section of San Diego is awful let’s just be clear on that! The area is charming though. I’m from the Philadelphia area and makes parking in philly look like a breeze! Very good pumpkin pasta dish. Would go back just for this. Had the arancini balls as a appetizer. We shared it and I’m glad we did because they were not good. Gummy and flavorless. Our waiter was average at best and no personality, bordering on snooty lol. But as i said the tortelloni were so good I’d go back.

This was supposed to be the food highlight of our vacation. The food was a 3 star at best but what killed it for us was the rude service we got upon entering the restaurant, we were told to go back outside where there was no host to seat us rather than the server helping us out as it wasn't busy (5 tables at the most) finally the hostess arrived found our reservation and seated in the same section of that rude server (too bad I didn't get his name) again he was rude and not very happy to describe the dishes I asked about and just wanted to take our order. We didn't even want to entertain a dessert menu as we just wanted to leave. As someone who has spent most his life in the restaurant industry I still left a 20% tip. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting San Diegos little Italy as there are many other places to get better food. What a disappointment.

I really wanted to go out on this day (instead of ordering take-out so often done during pandemic) so we made reservations. They have two covered outdoor patios & we had a corner table that caught the last of the afternoon sun. I liked the faux greenery dividers between tables, too. Great food, service & vibe.

What a great restaurant in Little Italy! Bencotto was wonderful! The service was great very friendly and efficient. The food was incredible! I had the Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp and it was delicious. My husband had a pasta dish from the “oven” with sausage, olives, cheese and penne pasta, he loved it. The dessert we had was truly to die for, Semifreddo al Pistacchio, fantastic! We sat outside on a narrow porch and it was a beautiful night. We would highly recommend Bencotto when in San Diego!

I tried to book a solo table the same day. Got a late night time. Was in the hood so chances a walk up. The hostesses were do accommodating and assured me they would help. The hostess walked me to their sister restaurant next door where in no time she came back to take me to my table, 45 minutes earlier than my reservation. The inalata mista $9 is gigantic. Pumpkin ravioli of the gods. Service is tremendous. I lived in Italy and go there often. This meal took me back. Cheers to my excellent server Lynette!

Incredible homemade pasta—had a wonderful butternut squash tortellini with a bacon and cream sauce— Lovely! Scott our server was outstanding—

An absolute gem! Food, service, atmosphere FANTASTIC. Nothing negative about our whole meal from beginning to end.

Saturday evening with a reservation, and were seated promptly. Very friendly staff. Waited 12 minutes to get water, even after the Server stopped by the table. Wine did not arrive until after the appetizer arrived. Apparently a separate staff member needs to make runs downstairs for the drinks, and the bartenders have a hard time keeping up. Pasta dished were excellent, pasta al dente, cooked perfect, sauces were fabulous. Noise level, and the seemingly low concrete ceiling and concrete floors made it truly feel as if we were dining at tables placed inside a parking garage. Ambiance completely lacking and average service at best.

We had an excellent meal here on our final evening in town. The service was first class even though the restaurant was quite full. Cadence was good and not at all rushed. After a good cocktail, we enjoyed the cheese board and seasonal vegetable soup, followed by the truffle ravioli and the cheesebowl special which was pasta shells with bacon and peppers .... and extra cheese. These were enjoyed with a pleasant Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Carley was our server and did an excellent job.

Arriving at the airport rental car service, I always ask locals for the "happening culture" of a city. This was one of the places recommended. Absolutely loved it! Location and aura inside are wholesome. You can view downtown and be in the midst of what the city is about. Preparing for some night life, we stopped here. The food is amazing. Very well prepared and the quality of the ingredients is great as well. Hearing accents, leads me to believe this is place where natives of Italy and other countries come to for authenticity. We ordered the daily special which is very nostalgic when the the cheese wheel is retrieved from the ladder and prepared in front of you fresh. We prefer "experiences" so this is one that created a vibe with us so much so that we took an "heirloom" with us that now sits in the bar at home. Definitely will be returning here next time in San Diego.

I visited this restaurant with a group of "foodies." There was a pasta making demo which was terrific. The pasta is fresh and delicious! Definitely worth a visit!

Food, drinks and service were excellent - thanks to Mario our server who was friendly and helpful and made our experience even better. We have travelled to Italy numerous times and the food and drinks were as good, if not better, than anything we have had in Italy. If you love a Hugo Spritz - cannot look past this restaurant. Lamb Shank and Osso Bucco were also amazing. We were only in San Diego for 4 nights and 2 of them we dined here - thoroughly recommend.

So much food in little Italy but this place is so worth the visit. The service was awesome from the front where the staff was very welcoming to the food which was really good. The place was very busy and staff was able to keep up.

Had 4 dishes pasta too al dente bread cold sauces so so desert menu limited, a much less cozy and ambient. Waited longer for a table even with a reservation and many empty tables table was dirty even after cleaning. Less than average but maybe spoiled by buon appetito.

We decided to try this great place in Little Italy based on the reviews. We didn’t have a reservation. We had just been to a matinee performance and took a chance that we could get a table. We were seated immediately. Extremely polite and efficient staff. I had a delicious pasta dish with sausage and mushrooms. Absolutely delicious. My husband had the veal Marsala. The veal was a little tough, but the Marsala sauce was delicious. We will definitely return!!

The pasta was terrific, staff was very nice and the veggies be was modern casual. Desserts were great and I would go back again. Worth the trip from Coronado for dinner. Fun part of town.

This area is very busy although spacing of tables was good. We were away from the sidewalk and passerby’s which was good in these COVID times. But many tables were not. Food was tasty. Service was good.

Last minute decision to eat here and glad we did. The mushroom risotto was beyond delicious...best I've had! Nice menu selection and enjoyed the live music.

The pace of service in this popular and crowded Little Italy restaurant was uneven and not particularly warm (the answer “no” to “Have you dined with us before?” was met with a slightly disdainful attitude). But, the fresh pasta is excellent and attracts tourists and locals alike. The choice of pastas and customizable sauces was enticing and comforting, with excellent consistency and generous portioning. One picky note: I found the standard fare bread basket to be surprisingly poor quality for such a high quality Italian restaurant. If you can overlook some flaws, it’s worth a stop.

The pasta was delicious, especially the noodles :) Lots of options to create your own dish. Dessert was amazing too!

Great spot for authentic Italian pasta in little Italy. We tried local Zinfandel from California which was lovely. We opted to not have appetisers and just went for mains with salad and 2 pastas. The gnocchi was fantastic and the crab ravioli was lovely too.. I definitely recommend this restaurant!

I had the gnokki and it was very good. I would eat here again, the service was good and the ambience was cozy.

Food was to die for and our waiter was excellent. Highly recommended for real Italian cuisine. Being in Little Italy made the experience even better!!

Granted, my friend and I arrived to the restaurant at 9:40pm and they close at 10pm, but we asked if it was alright if we each got a beer and dinner before being seated. They sat us, we ate quickly, and just had to finish our beers after paying. Our waiter was a jerk and clearly just wanted us out. Then another woman that works there (maybe hostess?) came over and said that they’re closing and basically need us to leave. We said okay we’ll finish our beers. Then 5 minutes later she comes over and says to my friend, “Um you’re a little too drunk, so we decided that you have to leave.” That was a terrible excuse to get us out and they were still cleaning up anyway so we don’t know why it happened. I would have given this place a nice review if our waiter was friendly and the other staff members weren’t jerks. Very disappointed in their service. Don’t seat us that late if you’re going to make it a big deal and make up excuses for us to leave.

We decided to skip our usual choice of Caesar salad in favor of 2 unique and delicious appetizers. One was deep fried stuffed olives and the other was deep fried rice balls. Both were served with a dipping sauce and both were equally delicious!! We both chose the same entree, pumpkin stuffed tortellini. So very delicious!! We have never ever ordered 2 desserts but this was the exception. I ordered the semifreddo pistachio mousse and my husband ordered a chocolate dessert. The best ending to a wonderful meal! And our waiter was so nice and attentive without being annoying.

This trendy restaurant in Little Italy is the real deal. The food is absolutely amazing. The pasta is fresh and made daily. I had the fettuccine with lamb sauce. Prepared to perfection! The service was also great. I can't wait to go again next time I'm in San Diego.

Generous portions, good sauces. Cream gnocchi with mushrooms... I still miss them! You can order to go (it was what we did), the prices are the same as on the menu to eat on site. Impeccable attention It's to recommend and return

Had a pleasant dinner here last Sunday. Nice modern decor with a nice view out into the street. Had the pappardelle with the bolognese sauce while my chose the penne with the same sauce. The sauce was amazing! Finished with a tiramisu which was also good. Service was also very good.

Really enjoyed the fresh ravioli stuffed with squash in a cream sauce with bacon. Vegetable soup was also very nice. Good place to eat outside and service was excellent.

The restaurant located right in heart of Little Italy area, modern but not fancy. Parking is challenging as expected. The staffs was very pleasant, they were very attentive and gave good recommendation on their menu. Portions are pretty generous so you can definitely share and do family style! Great organic wine list from Italy. Some classic Italian with different flavors for sure, but with enough twists added to make it a great spot. Great choices to build your own pasta using all their varieties of fresh pasta types that you can combine with any sauce and any protein... Their unlimited bread and olive oil or creamy butter - Nice touch For appetizers we had ordered calamari and special cheese of the day to share with family - Average I ordered their famous Tagliatelle Al Nero Di Seppia (squid ink with shirmp) which has their signature sauce - The texture of the pasta was firm yet the saucy. Can't really taste the black ink, feels more like ascetics but I was so amazed Gnocchi Neri - consisted of black squid ink potato dumplings in a lobster bisque sauce with shrimp. The gnocchi was very chewy and soft. It wasn't something I wanted to finish nor take with me. However, the sauce was to die for especially paired with the complimentary bread Tiramisu which was again - just okay. Overall. Really great experience here in Little Italy Will define recommend and be back to explore the menu further

I ordered the black pasta with shrimp and it was fantastic. But my colleague ordered the ravioli (I think) and he said mine looked better! Therefore 4 stars not 5, but still a really good choice.

Found a spot at the bar on a Monday evening about 7:30pm. Fast service, wine within 3 minutes of sitting down, fresh bread w/olive oil shortly after and food delivered hot within 5 minutes of ordering. Sergio at the bar was attentive and always checked to be sure you were taken care of. Ordered the Tortelli Di Zucca (hand made ravioli filled with pumpkin, parmigiano and amaretto, served in creamy butter and sage sauce with crunchy bacon) which was so wonderful! Quick walk from my hotel on Pacific Highway.

Went on a Monday night and it was surprisingly busy. Glad we had made reservations as apparently they are busy no matter what night of the week it happens to be. Great attentive service. Enjoyed the bresaola e rucola and the squid ink gnocchi in lobster bisque sauce and shrimp. Not inexpensive but a good value for the quality.

Seafood risotto was authentically cooked to the right hardness with fresh Australian king shrimp, rib-eye steak was grilled to medium with the right tenderness with some salted egg custard pie on the side, tiramisu was creatively made in a deconstructed form, among other deliciously prepared selection. Highly recommended.

No reservation so we sat outside. They were quick to light all the outdoor heaters which made it quite comfortable. We ordered a couple glasses of wine. We don’t eat as much as we used too so we split our meals. We had the Buratta as appetizer, Insalata Salmonella, and Stinson Di Angello as our salad and meal. Perfect portions for sharing. Loved our mea and the service was fantastic. We will be going back.

We wanted to visit "Little Italy" in downtown San Diego, so we researched a restaurant. Zagat gave this place a great review. What a disappointment. The salad was mediocre...we had to ask for extra dressing..seemed like it had none; then the main course. I ordered the Lasagna....it was below par. For one thing, it was to be Bolognese...but when I started to eat it, it had big pieces of meatball. To me, it seemed as though they had meatballs left over from the night before and used them in the dish. I guess our expectations were high given the reviews. The bill for two of us, with tip, no alcohol was @100. On the plus side, the restaurant has a really cool vibe...beautiful decor etc., good service...but I would not go back.

came here after an absence of several years...trying not to be hyperbolic but this may be the worst Italian restaurant in Little Italy. We live about 2 blocks from Little Italy and have been to almost every Italian point there......slow service, harsh lighting and mediocre food..at best. Had the squash blossom appetizer with a sauce the consistency of thick water and no taste....the caesar salad, and our appetizer came within 3 minutes of placing our order...faster than Taco Bell. Semi-moist lettuce and again, little to no flavor in the dressing. Everybody can make a better caesar than this. My wifes Osso Buco was 50% fat. The atmosphere is office space with tables. You can do so much better than this in Little Italy.

Enjoyed the location, the food, and the service. Pasta made fresh here. There is some limited outdoor seating and some street parking in the area.

Although it was a little cool, we sat at the patio where they had heat lamps and it was just perfect to enjoy our wine while people watching. Everyone was happy with their orders and service was good.

The service was excellent and a few of the dishes were really great, but some were not very good. The meatballs were too dense and the marinara was not very good at all. Barrata was excellent. The pasta special in the parm wheel was very good and the osso bucco wasn’t bad. I did enjoy the tiramisu.

We absolutely loved this place! There are so many different flavors and combinations to make if you can't find anything you like from the regular menu. We had an asparagus souffle and it was fantastic. I also ordered the zucchini soup. Melanzane is my favorite dish and I ordered that as my meal. We also had the housemade pasta with bolognese. Our server was awesome, the neighborhood is cute for walking around and it was an easy uber from downtown at night. If you are a fan of any restaurant in the North End in Boston, this should be your go to in San Diego.

This was recommended by a hotel staff and we decided to go try it out. I made reservations and we went. I had the lamb ragú and my partner had the squid ink gnocchi. They were truly incredible. The best Italian since Italy.

This is a "trendy" restaurant that is very popular with the millennials due to the super large portion size and lots of cocktail choices. It is a typical fashionable Italian restaurant that has many trendy elements. The quality of the pasta was OK, and the sauce was on the heavy side. If your expectation is not set too high, then there is nothing to complain about the food. The problem is the COVID safety. Because of its popularity, the outdoor tables were really close to each other, and of course they opened indoor seating as well, with the windows all open of course. Imagine all these young people sitting close to each other, drinking, talking and laughing loudly, without any masks on, there is really no social distancing. Luckily we got the last table in the farthest corner of the parking lot, which had more space for us to move the table away from others. It was dark, but at least we did not have to worry about getting the free virus together with the food.

I was visiting my son in San Diego and he said he would like to grab a bite in the Little Italy section of town. With no particular expectations, I found Bencotto and booked a table. Turned out to be delicious! I had the wheel which was perfection.

Fantastic homemade pasta. Gluten free options were exceptional. Bolognese was amazing. Great service. Just go!

A nice meal on a warm San Diego afternoon. Dining under umbrellas outside is tough when very hot outside. Not their fault, due to Covid protocols. With that said, our meal was delicious. Insalata Mista and Caesar Salad were presented perfectly. Cold, crisp and delicious. Our pasta, all homemade, was served piping hot and delicious. This is a nice experience, but probably much nicer in the cooler evening.

Thought it was a favorite in Little Italy in San Diego. Homemade pasta was undercooked and heavy. The sauces were average and missed the mark. Ambience is modern, food was very much a miss on our visit. The high point of the meal a great Cesar Salad. You gotta cook your pasta al dente yes, undercooked a huge no- no.

Bencotto has been recommended to me by many of my clients in the past. My husband and I were craving Italian and decided to give it a try . The place is very modern decor . The best dish is the squid ink pasta . It’s the number one dish on their yelp page for a reason it’s delicious! We also ordered the calamari appetizer and that was very good also ! Save room for the semifreddo dessert because it’s absolutely delicious. I prefer the pistachio!

I am in USA only for a week. Bencotto in Little Italy was strongly recommended by a friend. It did not disappoint. Friendly and helpful waiters and modern interior made me relax and enjoy the atmosphere. The Amaretto Sour and Squid ink pasta with shrimps made this the best meal I had since arriving at San Diego. The only drawback was it’s extreme popularity. You should reserve well ahead.

I ate here twice in 4 days time because the food was that good. Our hotel concierge recommended it and wow, is it good. It is in the Little Italy section of San Diego and unlike other Little Italy areas throughout the country that are shrinking, there are so many choices. I would not have found this place on my own so I was thankful for the recommendation. You will need reservations for dinner. It was full when we arrived and we were promptly seated. On a weekend I know you will be turned away or have a long wait so use open table or have your concierge make a reservation. All pasta is freshly made here as well as soups. You see the prosciutto slicer; fresh cheeses and home made pastas when you arrive so you know it’s going to be a good meal. You can be as casual as you want. The wine list is extensive and I highly recommend the sparkling rose’. Get the bottle if you plan on having more than one glass each. Menu is not overly big but it has quite a few specialties. The cream of zucchini soup was amazing, had to add a touch of salt but a great appetizer. There is the typical fried calamari and tomato/mozzarella capers but get something else: there are fried zucchini flowers, fried risotto balls, artisanal cheeses, and meats all on the menu. The pasta selections are available to order with multiple sauces. The arrabiata sauce is the closest I have had to home made. On both visits I had this but once with papardelle and the other time with fettuccine. Pasta is cooked to al dente perfectly. Ravioli are large and filling. There was a pumpkin filled option with a sage butter sauce that a co worker had and she said it was very good. (Note the lunch menu is the same as dinner so you will be able to get the full experience whenever you go). I did not have dessert because I was so full. Service is attentive and not overly intrusive. The waiters also make good recommendations if you cannot choose between two dishes. Bread is baked on site and is light and not too filling. Prices will run you about 30 a person with an entree and wine. Enjoy!!!

Our dinner at Bencotto was an enjoyable experience from start to finish. The service was great. We did the create your own pasta. Their homemade pasta and Bencotto sauce was amazing! We enjoyed our experience so much that we made another reservation before leaving. Can’t wait to try more wonderful dishes.

My entire family enjoyed their pasta/cioppino/fiori di zucca 🔝 Definitely recommend Bencotto when you're in Little Italy, San Diego!

A week in a depressing conference hotel (I’m looking at you, Sheraton Marina!) meant my friend and I were desperate for real food at not exorbitant prices, and this place knocked it out of the park. I had penne with arabiatta and it was perfect. She went with the bolognese and reported that it, too, was perfect. Affordable and delicious wines by the glass and great service, too- I’d be back!

We had an amazing dinner and the service was 5 star! Definitely would recommend to anyone who will be in the area. We sat outside and it was perfect. Order the Parmesan cheese wheel past, delicious!

Popular eatery specializing in pasta choices which are presented table side by the wait staff. We had well prepared ravioli, penne , plus Osso Buco and all were hearty portions.The stuffed zucchini flower starter was light and tasty. Great bread made on the premises. Service was courteous and for the most part prompt. The space is bustling .... the upstairs tables are less cramped for space. Our first attempt to eat here, we arrived about 7:45 and were told we would most likely not get a table by closing time; reservations are recommended.

actually was trying to go for dinner at Monello italian restaurant in little Italy as our daughter had gone there recently and had recommended to us...However we were unable to get a table so the Hostess told us to go to their Sister restaurant right next door Bencotto...it was awesome...home made pasta is their specialty..we had the Lasagna and the chicken Fettuccine both were excellent with some unlimited complimentary fresh on the premises home made bread and some nice wine..we sat outside on their fabulous patio and really enjoyed ourselves..would definitely dine here again next time in san diego....

So if you want to eat before 10 pm you will need a reservation. The place is small and it is loud but not unusually so for a trendy downtown restaurant, just don't expect a quiet romantic meal. The burrata is excellent and the gnocchi with pesto is so good I haven't tried any of their other homemade pastas. I have been twice and it has been consistently good. So far I haven't been a big fan of any of the cocktails I have tried and the fried gnocchi ( basically fried dough ) is really not worth the space in your tummy. The arancini bolognese is quite good, the bolognese especially. The real disappointment this visit was desert. The server raved about the tiramisu, but the bowl of very soggy mush covered in way too much cocoa powder was not at all an impressive way to end the meal.

My favorite Italian Restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy.... Have tried many of their dishes, and I have loved them all...my favorite being Penne Arrabiata, a spicy dish, not too spicy hot, but has a little kick... I paired that with a Red Wine ~"SUPER TUSCAN".....a smooth wine, no bitterness, will not destroy your pallet.. The restaurant is a very popular destination, so make a reservation, as it gets very busy....ambiance is warm with prompt and courteous service... Prices are very reasonable, and the serving is ample as you will not leave hungry...

The food was absolutely delicious. Prepared to perfection. The Burrata was creamy and smooth. The Tagliatelle was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was on point. The atmosphere was great. The service was top-notch. The cannoli for dessert? YUM. No one in our party left hungry or disappointed. If you're looking to sort out all the Italian restaurants in Little Italy, do yourself a favor, and just start here. Superb!

The food was excellent. The Osco busco was so tender it fell apart. The pasta is fresh an well done. The black gnocchi was good and the salmon spinach salad was impressive. The staff is friendly and attentive. They were accomodating with a high chair and kids. I would go here again when I am in the mood for quality Italian food.

Absolutely delicious salads and pizza. The service was really good and the food was brought out really quickly.

The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect for a large group. The service was very attentive and they even offered gluten free options. I really enjoyed this place.

Wanted a really good Italian restaurant so I picked Bencotto. The photos were very inviting, but reality was a bit different. The evening was not memorable but adequate for a good meal If one is not having pasta than the menu is actually very limited. Selected the burrata for the starter which was very good. Highly recommended. The pesto that accompanied it was excellent. Selected the lamp shank for the main. The meat was tender and fell off the bone. The accompaniment of mashed potatoes could be questions for perhaps roasted potatoes. There was no vegetable served with this dish. The wine list was adequate with a large offering of Italian wines as one would expect. The atmosphere however was a bit disappointing. Was seated upstairs where is was dark and very very cold. Everyone sitting upstairs were wearing their jackets and coats. Memorable no, adequate for a good meal, yes.

Fried olives were stuffed with some kind of meat pate, pretty good if not what we were expecting. You can choose your type of pasta and type of sauce from a list. Both of our pastas were delicious. The service was a little slow, but they were very busy. It got a little noisy. We had a nice table by the window so we could watch the goings on in the street.

We had dinner at this location on Sunday November 5. We had made an open range reservation. Service was impeccable, server was responsive and food was amazing. We had Lasagna and fettuccini with chicken, all was flavored! The tiramisu was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. The Joseph Carr Red Wine was just right to compliment. We will revisit on our next trip to San Diego and you should as well!

Great Italian food and great drinks. I had the Penne Pasta and my girlfriend had the Fagottini. Both were excellently prepared and tasted great.

If you have a craving for Italian food while in San Diego, you must go to the area of Little Italy. Although the neighborhood is filled with Italian restaurants, Bencotto is unique in that it allows you to choose your pasta AND sauce in various combinations. Of course, there are several special dishes on the item and a fine selection of appeitizers and salads. However, we all particularly enjoyed choosing our own pasta type and dish. Wine list was adequate and service was quite good. We were quite surprised unfortunately that the manager asked us to leave the table as there were people waiting. We had just paid the bill and were considering staying for dessert and coffee.....that immediately convinced us to leave and go elsewhere for dessert!! It was a less than enjoyable ending to a good meal.

We went there for lunch after looking at Frommers reviews. Everything was good except the salmon salad, which was pretty bad. The salmon was extremely dry (too much time in the microwave?). The fried calamari and mousse chocolate however were good. The outside setting and service also were good. It's too bad that the salmon ruined it for us.

We went here because of a suggestion by locals. Exceptional food. We had the Fiorri di zucca ripeni flowers for starters and they knocked our socks off. Then Lamb shank and Short ribs, both excellent, for mains. We are not taken to gush over good food, but the meal impressed us. Very good pasta with very good sauces. Great shared souffle for dessert. Service, outside, was efficient and cordial. We wanted to avoid the din inside, even though it is an elegant restaurant. There are many hard surfaces and the chatter makes it hard to hear across table (at least in our case). The outside eating area is very pleasant and comfortable, with a lot of space. We will go back when in San Diego.

We had some very tasty pasta here and thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the front terrace watching Little Italy go by. The desserts were delicious (biscotti and panacotte) and although the food is not cheap, it's a great place to enjoy some Italian food.

Had the homemade gnocchi in an excellent sauce with prosciutto. The staff was very friendly and it was a great atmosphere with indoor & outdoor seating.

We were visiting our daughter, she made a tairs reservation on open table for the 3 of us. Arrived on time, checked in but were told she reserved an outside table. She did not and it was a cold nite. Disappointed! The owner/manager apologized and sat us at the end of the bar while she circulated the restaurant for any possible table opening up soon. She returned about 15 minutes later and managed to find a table finishing up. My wife accompanied her upstairs to see the table and decided we were better off at the bar, more room and more comfortable. The food was fantastic as were the drinks. She also set us up with champagne after dinner on the house. Left with a good feeling. Great food and exceptional service!!

Loved our meals here. Great staff, nice atmosphere. I got the special prepared in their cheese wheel. It was fabulous! You can taste the difference in it being prepared in the cheese wheel. The Lobster ravioli was also wonderful. This place is a must try.

The food was okay. They were busy but it shouldn't be a reason for the waiter to not do a good job. We asked for recommendations but really didn't help much. Oh well. We are not going back there.

Everything was wonderful from the pre-dinner drinks (I highly recommend the Gin-Gin) to the dessert. I loved the option to choose the type of pasta and sauce combination you prefer. Bencotto offers a wonderful culinary experience and I highly recommend it! The area of town provides a nice place to walk around before or after dinner as well!

Visited Bencotto on our first night and I have to say that it set the bar HIGH for the rest of the trip! Food and service were excellent and the desserts were delicious

The manager Stephano provided top notch customer service, he was very professional, polite and gave me and all the customers around us attention to ensure that we are having a good experience. I had an issue and Me and my group were extremely satisfied with Mr. Stephano’s customer service solutions. He also invited us back in. With a restaurant that cares to make sure that everyone in enjoying their experience, good food isn’t the only plus at Bencotto restaurant. You are guaranteed to enjoy your experience here regardless of how busy it gets, it was so worth the long line. Definitely coming back again.

We stopped in here for an early dinner on the way to the airport for our red-eye flight home (recommended by family members). After a little initial wait to see who would serve us, our friendly waiter brought us drinks and our food. We chose to share three small plates-meatballs, a beef/arugula/shaved parm dish, and stuffed zucchini blossoms and they were delicious! For dessert we had the cannoli and chocolate mousse- a happy ending to a wonderful California vacation!

Chose this place to meet an old friend in town on business. Good decision. The lasagna bolognese was flavorful and hearty. Her cioppino had a wonderful broth and lots of yummy seafood. There were lots of other choices on the menu, but I'll be back. Service was attentive. Place started to get noisy as it got more crowded.

Gluten free penne and gluten free gnocchi!! I had the gnocchi with bencotto sauce *chef's kiss* 1 went for a work lunch most recently, but it's also a good date spot!

Had a dinner with a few friends. It ess about an hour waiting before we got a table. The restaurant is quite and friendly welcome. We ate black tortellini with lobster sauce and shrimps and ravioli filled with crab together with a lobster sauce. Everything was excellent. The portion size of the ravioli was on the smaller scale. We also tried some ice cream and dessert cannolies for dessert. We were dissapointed about the dessert, Two out of five in rating. The service was really good. In total a weak four in rating.

The food is good, with some dishes better than others, i.e. the Lasagne Bolognese was delicious, but the Penne CAPRICCIOSA was just okay, lacking sufficient filling ingredients to make it much other than baked penne pasta. If I go again, I would stick to the fresh pasta with a sauce, which is where I think they set themselves apart. For dessert, we tried the three small cannoli for $9. They are, indeed, quite small at $3 each, but the fillings were tasty. I would have preferred a single, large, traditional cannoli. Service was good. The bread is outstanding. I would go again, but order more to their strengths and my taste.

First time, not last! I’d heard great things and boy were they right! Fabulous fresh pasta! You can create your own if nothing on the menu sounds good which would be hard to understand! Nightly specials including wine. Come hungry because the portions are huge. You could spilt an app, a salad and a main dish and be stuffed! Great staff, great Italian wine and great fresh pasta! Bon Appétit

This place could be so good, but I’m afraid it missed the mark with us. The food was generally ok, but lacked the care and attention to detail that would make it great. The pesto served with the burrata starter was a little salty, but the Caesar salad was fine - the Parmesan tuile was very good. The bread was basically a warm submarine roll - bizarre in an Italian restaurant. The mains were tasty, but huge portions. I sent mine back ( house specialty pasta stirred through a Parmesan wheel) as it was cold when it arrived 5 minutes after my husband’s butternut squash tortellini, but it was replaced and was much better. The fennel sausage it came with though (really tasty) was just plonked on top. Service was generally haphazard and disjointed and it’s didn’t feel as if the staff worked as a team. We were seated upstairs, which was busy, but there was no manager overview of this busy area to support the staff. Our server Jacob was extremely apologetic and resolved our issues when mentioned. The complimentary tiramisu was delicious. We still had a memorable fun night, but perhaps not for all the right reasons!

A friend and I had dinner at this restaurant and both of our pasta dishes were absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend the gnocchi with braised beef in the truffle mushroom cream sauce. Out of this world!

If you are craving Italian, stop searching yelp and whatever other sites bc you have found your spot. Nestled within Little Italy, next door to Monello (their sister Restaurant) is an Italian gem that everyone must try at least once, if you love Italian food. The pasta dishes are so flavorful, I keep ordering them every time I visit. My go to plate is the Squid Ink with Shrimp. This probably has to be their best seller bc at every table, someone is ordering this plate. Make sure you make reservations in advance. If it’s just a party of 2, we recommend going straight to the bar, no reservation needed.

Bright and busy feel, and a great waiter were the standouts here. The food unfortunately wasn’t. What was described as a soufflé was more like some baked ricotta. Pasta was rolled thick, and then slightly to al dente, and the worst crime…a poor lasagne. Lasagne portion should be halved, nd the quality doubled. It had too much pasta, was sloppy barely any mince - but there was enough for 2 or 3 people, and no I don’t want a box! Two Luke warm espresso’s, which were replaced thank you, finished off an underwhelming meal.

As promised, we came back for dinner after just stopping in for a drink in December. A busy Saturday night, but the attentive manager found us a place at the bar. Pasta was superb. Friendly and capable service. Pleasant atmosphere. There are plenty of places to choose from in Little Italy, but why bother looking around when this spot is so great. We'll be back.

Very busy restaurant! They worked us in without reservations but we only had one hour to eat. It was good but not the best. It was way too busy to have great service. So service was just average. I suggest going on a weekday not a Saturday night.

Upscale Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Service was attentive, friendly, and very knowledgeable of the menu. I ordered the Ravioli Di Granchino which was homemade ravioli stuffed filled with crab meat in a lobster meat sauce topped with caviar. The ravioli was thick, chewy as it should be and cooked nicely, stuffed with fresh crab meat and cheese. The lobster meat sauce was decent, although it could have been a little bolder. The raviolis topped with caviar was a very nice touch. The caviar pops in your mouth with each bite of the ravioli. I also tried the Pollo Alla Pizzaiola, which was a lightly breaded and fried chicken breast, with tomato sauce over (menu calls for mashed potatoes, but wife substituted spaghetti). I think it would have been really great over the mashed instead. Sauce was pretty good, and chicken cooked to perfection. Family spoke highly of the cheese wheel pasta, and raved about the tortelli di zucca (hand made ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, topped with a cream sauce and bacon pieces). I also had a Montenegro Manhattan which really topped off the dinner. The menu has the traditional Italian fare, or you can go a little more upscale and elevated. They do it all better than average.

The staff were the BEST. The pasta was home made and delicious the red sauces spicy and not tasted great. I felt the white cream sauce was a little to sharp in taste.

OH MY GOSH! our server was Josue Camejo. He was amazing. First time and I selected this Kitchen because of the fresh pasta and Cheese Wheel which we wanted to experience,.Josue explained the menu and helped with suggestions. We started wiith the fiori de zucca (stuffed zucchini flowers), Burrata, Polpette,and watched our pasta in the cheese wheel. also the Gnocchi, Salmon, and celebrated with Tiramisu . My Grandaughters and My son and wife and Nana, Famiy style and all tasted everything was so delicious. 10 out of 10. We will be back!!

We travel to San Diego twice a year for our daughters regattas. We have been going to Bencotto for dinner the last 3 trips and always had amazing food. The restaurant is very small and crowded so you are really never at a super comfortable table and you feel like people are right on top of you. Barely room to walk, my friend was in a corner where we had to get up and move the table for her to get in and out and I was touching the chair behind me while people standing crowded around the bar are hovering over you while you eat. But all this you can overlook because the food was so good. But that was not the case this last trip out of the 3 entrees we chose only 1 was good. We tried the gnocchi stuffed with braised beef and it was very gummy and dense, the gnocchi off the regular menu very perfect but the pesto was very dry and thick, way too much basil. We brought it to the waiters attention but he offered to replace it, but we where going to get desert and did not want anything else. I was a bit surprised given that we had cocktails, an expensive bottle of wine and appetizers I would have expected that they would comp and entree we did not enjoy.

Solid Italian food in a modern setting. The menu offers great appetizers to build your own pasta (in a good way, but I personally wouldn’t choose this track) to creative “set” (don’t even think of adding or subtracting - this is what I like to see) pasta dishes and mains that speaks to the good, if mot great chef. Service was very good.

Our concierge recommended Bencotto and we were glad he did. When we first saw the contemporary concrete feel we were wondering how good this Italian place could be but then we saw the tray sampling the various freshly made in house pastas. We all had different pastas and different sauces and all were delicious. We were surprised to find any descent Italian in San Diego let alone great Italian food.

Some of the best gnocchi I have ever had! Really fun energetic place in a hoping neighborhood. But don’t try to drive. Impossible to park.

Brought some friends here from out of town to try their fresh daily homemade pastas. Very enjoyable. The food is good, the servings are not overly large, but still big enough to share with someone. Everything is fresh and tastes like prepared after you order.

We had just flown into San Diego from the east coast, were dressed casually but wanted to grab a bite before turning in for the night. The neighborhood was hopping and Bencotto looked busy, people seated outside with heaters on a chilly evening. We had parked on the street and walked right in to sit at the bar. The bartenders were super attentive and helpful. I believe we both ordered off of the specials menu, I got a sort of ravioli or tortellini filled with butternut squash, sage, and amaretto in a cream sauce. My boyfriend ordered a gnocchi filled with short rib also in a cream sauce. Neither portions appeared huge but filled us up before we could finish because the dinners were so rich and delicious. We had also probably eaten too much fresh bread before our meals arrived. Overall, I would recommend Bencotto and return on my next visit. I trust that anything on the menu would be delicious with a sort of dark, romantic environment!

Well located and with a very typical Italian menu, Bencotto is an excellent option for quality Italian food at acceptable and affordable prices. It's worth trying the place's starters, as well as the wine list, which is very varied and delicious!!!

Had dinner here, suggest reservations as this place is really busy. Located in the heart of little Italy section of San Diego. My wife a lamb and fettuccine special which was great. All pasta is homemade. It was cooked to perfection. I had tagliatelle which was stuffed with pumpkin with a white sauce and shaved Parmesan. Crumbled bacon was sprinkled on top, very good. The desert was a partially frozen pistachio mouse with black cherries and sauce. A perfect match in taste and textures. The only negative was we seemed a little rushed because I had a zucchini soup before my entree and felt that I should have had more time for my soup. This is a minor thing as the food was wonderful and the was outstanding as well.

We had an incredible time at Bencotto. We ordered drinks about 3 min before happy hour ended, but they still gave us the "free bites" on the house (pasta, meatball, pizza slice). Drinks were amazing. Service was amazing. Pasta was the best we have had in a very long time. I had the tortelli di zucca and wished it would never end. This is somewhere we will absolutely be returning and will recommend to anyone in the San Diego area! Seating was limited due to COVID, so we are happy we made a reservation ahead of time.

Ticked this off my bookmark list at long last. We braved our way here to get a table without making a reservation and with pure luck, were offered a table of our choice, outdoor or indoor. A very minimalist and modern interior greeted us as we decided to get seated inside. Our server was prompt and friendly and in no time, dishes slowly arrived at our table. The pale Fried Calamari came first and I didn't want to judge by appearance so I indulged myself being already hungry. You should skip this and find a better appetizer. The Ossobuco came next in vivid colors and flavors so robust. The meat was fall-off-the-bone-tender with the marrow meat oozing in its glory. The saffron risotto was so rich that I could only have a spoonful of it. For our pasta dish, we got the Tagliatelle Al Nero Di Seppia or squid ink pasta with shrimp which was lathered in a spicy and flavorful pink sauce. Being in an Italian restaurant, I expected the pasta to be cooked al dente which it was not. Really disappointed there and regretted not getting the Cheesewheel Pasta instead. Don't make the same mistake because as you can see from my photos, the Cheesewheel pasta looks mouthwatering plus, you get to watch how they prepare it by the window.

Excellent menu selection and wonderful house made pasta. Good wine selection also. Would definitely recommend

A nice Italian restaurant with large portions and very tasty pasta that the customer can 'configure'. It is located in Little Italy

My husband and I came here for dinner largely because I so enjoyed it last January. Sadly....just not as good as my memory. Still good, though. Bread and olive oil came out AFTER the appetizer which was a little weird. Portion sizes were all over the map. Service good, drinks drinkable. The arabbiatta could use a little more fire, but it’s a nice, fresh tasting sauce overall.

OMG!! Yum! This is THE best pasta I have ever had and my family agreed!! So delicious. The service was great. Restaurant clean. Fabulous atmosphere. Definitely recommend. This restaurant is a must if you’re ever in the area!

Little Italy is of course full of choices to eat Italian food. We’ve eaten at many and decided to try something new. We were not disappointed! The service and food were outs. We started off with Caprese salad which was served in a very unique way. Quartered Roma tomatoes, a large whole piece of Mozzarella and a nice amount of their Pesto. I had their Cioppino extra spicy and it was outstanding. My wife had penne pasta with four cheese sauce and she loved it. Highly recommend trying this place and it has a modern upscale motif which was more stimulating than most.

Had the pleasure of dinning at this establishment on a weekday. Service was prompt and attentive. The two pasta dishes that were ordered turned out to not have much flavor. That is very hard to do...especially when your sauce has truffles infused with it. While the mea was a disappointment, the service was attentive.