Mattarello Cooking Lab Reviews

Small Italian restaurant with a few tables in the Gaslamp quarter. Nice contrast with the big, noisy eateries in the vicinity. Food is good, and waiters are kind.

If you like a little peaceful meal time in the Gaslamp Quarter, try this place. Warm and cozy with friendly service. Food is nothing fancy but good old home cook meal tasting, non pretentious!

What a great addition to the neighborhood! Started with the Meatballs with Focaccia and Mozzarella, which was delicious and enough to share among the 4 of us in our group. Waitstaff also supplied us with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh cracked pepper and parmesan per our request to use for dipping the fresh baked focaccia bread into. We also split the Mediterranean Salad, the lettuce cut into slivers allowed for all the flavors to mix perfectly. Handmade Lasagna has perfectly thin sheets of noodles and a layer of ham - amazing! The Spaghetti Cabonara is authentic (no cream!) and reminded me of dishes in Rome. They also had delicious desserts which included several versions of Pastiera. This will definitely become one of our 'usual' local spots for a bite. For now, you can bring in your own wine while they are waiting for their liquor license.

How can this restaurant survive. Even if the food is great the management is terrible. After looking at TA I made dinner reservations for a Wednesday through Open Table. Received conformation. Just before leaving for dinner at 6:30 pm I received a message from Open Table that the reservation was cancelled. Not by me. So me glitch somewhere! Wanting to give the restaurant another chance I made reservations for the next day, (Thursday), at 6:30. Received confirmation from Open Table. Went to the restaurant and was told our reservations were canceled! Not again! The owner said they were closed for private cooking lessons and “remodeling” and the problem was with Open Table. I would never go to this restaurant in the future and do not recommend anyone going ever. This should not be a restaurant and should be a “private party” enterprise. Do not waste my time! This is the worst experience I have had with TA and Open Table.

We were in town to celebrate my wife’s birthday and Italian sounded good to her. We were trying to avoid noisy, crowded places in the Gaslamp District that seem to be bars serving food and pack to overflowing. Just one block off the main Gaslamp District on 6th street we found this quiet Italian beauty. The food is handmade to order and everything was fresh and very authentic. We enjoyed the meal and the prices were pretty reasonable although the potions of one dish we selected was a bit small, but still loved it. I probably eat too much anyway. Get away from the crowds and enjoy this place.

I have been here twice in one week. Everything is made fresh daily. Best Eggplant parmigiana I have ever had. Also, one family member has food allergies and the chef took great care in cooking safe food, she even used a new pan to prepare the food. We will return whenever we will be in the area.

At the end of long week of conference activities, a group of us gathered here for a peaceful Italian meal served by a couple recently arrived from Italy. The tiny space only adds to the charm. When we were dining they did not yet have a liquor license, but that was quickly solved with a quick trip to one of several local shops that had a surprisingly good wine selection (without the resaturant mark-up). There were seven of us dining, and seven main pasta courses that evening, so we had one of each, and were all able to have a bit of each. The serving sizes are typical for Italy - so manageable (and not gut stretching Olive Garden size). My favorites were the pesto pasta and the lasagna. Some of the pasta were a little more al dente than I prefer, but the firmer pasta is to be expected with more authentic Italian. This is truly a hidden gem, and we wish the charming chef and his wife success with this venture!

Paid the bill and left after one bite of the pasta Ragu. Cute place and friendly but not terribly competent staff. Waiter (owner?) asked us after we were done with the salad whether we wanted anything more. He had not written down our pasta order and apparently had forgotten.

Absolute disaster of "cooking class" and birthday dinner. We booked a private cooking class and dinner from 6 to 8 pm for a friend's birthday. What we got was chaos, disrespect for time, and a staff that cared as little about the quality of the food as they did about service. We arrived at 5:30 pm as instructed and instead of the "private event" set up that had been promised and paid for, the space was still occupied by a children's birthday in full swing- kids everywhere, parents milling around. We though "OK, they're professionals- this will be cleared out and ready by six." Nope. Instead, our 25 guests were awkwardly crammed into a small side room with no sign of the party winding down. At 5:58- they bring out the cake. So 6:05, 6:10, 6:15 6:20 still kids, still cake, still yelling (kids being kids) and still 25 adults corralled into the tiny side room. Finally at 6:30, the parents start to pick up their kids. No urgency. No apology. No attempt o fix things. Finally at 6:45 we the "class" starts with the bare minimum of instruction. No sense that anyone was teaching anything. We didn't learn a thing. We were just vaguely handed tasks and left to muddle through. Mix an egg with some flour and extrude through a press. Still more chaos, unclear how we pick the pasta, what sauce, what preparation. The pasta? Edible, forgettable, and not served all at once. The last person was served 40 minutes after the first person, when everyone else had already finished, no attempt to pace the service so we could eat together and of course, no explanation, no apology for any of this. By now, no one is having a good time, everyone in antsy, just bring out the dessert and coffee and hopefully we can forget about this huge waste of money. But no- the server said literally, like actually words that came out of her mouth- "I don't know how to make coffee." I brought over another guest to make sure I heard correctly. OH- and was the time for our private event extended because we didn't get started until 6:45- NO, because they had another "private event" coming in at 8, so we overlapped with them for an hour. A $400 gratuity for barely any service in addition to $80 per person for below average food. What a sloppy, amateurish, and embarrassing place. Save your money. Save your time. Save your birthday

The highlight was being able to bring your own bottle of wine (BYOB until the restaurant is licensed to sell alcohol). The service was just average and the food was a little bland. The biggest negative was the number of homeless lurking about the front of the restaurant. Not the best atmosphere for curbside or window seating.

Fantastic service, fantastic food, great ambience and both kids friendly and fun to cook yourself. Best place I have eaten in San Diego.

We discovered this small cozy restaurant very close to our hotel, unfortunately at this time they still are waiting for their liquor license but owner said to bring your own wine and he would waive the corkage fee. Food was delicious/true authentic Italian food. Owner was super friendly and hope to see him and his wife one day in Vancouver when he comes to visit his best friend.

This is a neighborhood restaurant. We had meatballs, lasagna, and carbonara. It was all excellent. Could have been a little warmer which was quickly remedied. The place is small and there was only one server. But I would go back because everything tasted great. Server was nice Nd explained they were new and still working some things out. We need more of these places and not big expensive chains. I forgot to mention that they comped up dessert. Great experience.

My mom and I were visiting from the Bay Area and had a great dinner here. The owners are from Italy and we got to chat with one a bit; he was incredibly nice. I tried the ragu and my mom had spaghetti; both were fresh and delicious, as was dessert. We both liked the decor and ambiance, especially the calm music. It was a nice break from so many of the loud restaurants in the Gaslamp. We aren't big drinkers so the lack of a liquor license didn't bother us, but I can see how some people might care. Also, we would have liked bread with the meal but didn't think to ask. Definitely recommend giving this restaurant a try if you are nearby! You won't be disappointed.

Cooking classes were awesome Brought my husband here for his bday we did two classes the Italian bread and the pasta making class when I say we learned and had fun I mean it My husband said it was one of the best bdays he had they made it fun and educational and the food was excellent The pasta class comes with appetizers and desert We will definitely do this more often right here

Ate here with my family in January. It’s a small, very clean and nicely decorated family-run restaurant. The food was really delicious, clearly homemade with fresh ingredients and a lot of care. Everything we had was great. My son particularly loved the spaghetti and meatballs and is already asking when we can go back.

This is a small quiet restaurant with minimum staff, but the food is fresh and home made. The owner/chef is friendly and a very nice host. Great raviolis and sauce. I will likely choose the Cooking Lab as my go-to Italian restaurant the next time I'm in San Diego.

In the Gaslamp area of San Diego. Stopped in for dinner. Small restaurant with welcoming decor. Food and service excellent. Pasta is made fresh every day. They have a cooking class. You pick you pasta, they teach you how to make it. Then it is cooked for your dinner. Small menu, tasty dishes. Observed diners bringing own wine. Did not ask nor was asked about a beverage. I assumed they do not have a liquor license. Parking available in walking distance, not on site.