Operacaffe Reviews

We swung into this place on a Friday night - our last night in SD. We were seated right away even though it was crowded! My teen had the fettuccine alfredo (which she really liked) and I had the fettuccine al pesto, which was delicious. Service was attentive and warm. Italian comfort food with a smile - we enjoyed it a lot and would definitely go again the next time we are in town. I saw a review that said it was noisy...but that's just like in Italy (Italians are LOUD) and so I thought it added to the ambiance!

I was in town for a conference and this one was close to the hotel. The ravioli was very salty and greasy, nit really palatable. The starter was rucola lettuce and funghi. The dressing was not evenly spread out. The service however was good, but you go to a restaurant for the food .....

An excellent place to get simple healthy snacks during intermission. Staff is friendly an accommodating making the experience at the San Diego opera a family friendly event.

Found this lovely little restaurant by walking towards little Italy and found it very appealing in food, quality and service. Not enough praise given when are due and certainly this restaurant need to be praised for quality, food and service! Caprese was well presented, plentiful and enough on the plate. Calamari were superbly cooked and very tasty. Spaghetti with pomodori cooked al dente, tasty and hot. Farfalle and gnocchi were even better with heat, taste and look. Well done to the lady from Toscany which is a gem of an individual, friendly, attentive and well mannered.

Had an incredible dinner at Operacaffe tonight. It may not stand out but the stand outs are inside. The staff are warm and welcoming and the food exceeds expectations. I had the pesto and shrimp pizza and planned to only eat half. Oops ate the whole thing! Special shout out to Umberto. Table staff are often invisible bringing water and food but his cheerful engaging presence said this was not and ordinary place. I’ll go back the next time I visit San Diego.

Wonderfull atmosphere had a couple glasses of wine and a great chocolate dessert highly recommended command and enjoy yourself with a nice quiet atmosphere. Staff was very friendly very accommodating and very relaxing with music playing softly in the background

I give this a "very good" rather than an "average" because I appreciate their gluten free offerings, and my meal was enjoyable. However, the service detracted from it a bit. It wasn't poor service, but it wasn't particularly attentive either. The restaurant isn't huge, but the noise level is fairly high. I would come back here, but not before trying some of the other Italian restaurants in the area first.

I arrived in San Diego on the same day as Comic Con’s conclusion. I strolled up 4th from my hotel and found this delicious spot. The bread is terrific. I had a salad that was listed as a chef special. I asked the waiter if I could get grilled salmon. He warned it would be pricey, because he was adding a salmon fillet to a salad. The whole thing, with a couple of non-alcohol bar drinks, was $37. The porch seating was pleasant, and the hostess told me a bit about the city.

Found this hidden gem, while looking for a quick bite before the Randy Rainbow Live performance practically across the street from the Balboa Theatre. The hostess was aware that we were on a tight schedule, and managed to get us seated, served and satisfied within an hour. Obviously, fine dining shouldn't be rushed but it was what we asked for and it was what was provided by the restaurant. The bread along with the balsamic vinegar and oil brought to the table prior to the meal was absolutely delicious! I had the penne carrettiera which while simplistic in its preparation and presentation was absolutely delicious! The freshly grated parmesan cheese and ground black pepper accentuated the pasta and sauce. My dinner companion had the duck salad which came with an ample amount of duck along with a nice sized bed of mixed greens. The glasses of wine were poured generously. A harp player provided live music during the meal as well, and what could be more mood setting than listening to the theme from "The Godfather," while enjoying authentic Italian cuisine. The wait staff were friendly, helpful, polite, prompt and attentive with their service. Looking forward to a return visit when we will have more time to sit and enjoy the ambience and the fine food. Would highly recommend this Italian restaurant to anyone looking for authentic Italian cuisine at very reasonable prices in downtown San Diego.

Wonderful Italian restaurant in the Gaslamp district for the ordinary crowds. We had a great dinner there early before the whole place get fully packed. Everything was well prepared especially the freshly baked focaccia bread which was the most delicious. This is definitely a place that we would want to come back as it is slightly out of the restaurant row on 5th Ave but none the less was one of the best in downtown S.D.

Great atmosphere. Quaint, excellent food, good wine, good staff and reminded me of being in Europe. Would definitely eat there again.

We went to the Operacaffe for a Tuscany Italian style dinner before going to hear " The Ten Tenors " in concert at the Balboa Theatre. The Operacaffe is located across the street from the Balboa Theatre and Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. We were nicely greeted as we entered the restaurant and seated in this very small, quaint, and nicely decorated Cafe. Pete our server was very friendly, and answered all of our questions that we had about the menu. We started our meal with the Bruschetta Toscana, which was Italian toast topped with chopped tomato, fresh basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. The overall Bruschetta taste was very good, but the Italian toast was hardly toasted. For our two meals we enjoyed the Spaghetti Bolognese, and the Fettuccine Al Pesto, which was deliciously made Pine nuts, potatoes, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. Both entrees then had freshly grated parmesan cheese put over them. If you don't make a reservation especially on a night when the Balboa Theater has an event, you will not get a table in this small, very cozy Downtown San Diego Gaslamp restaurant. We will be back !

The restaurant itself doesn’t tell much but the food is outstanding. Everything was impecable served and super tasty. We tried the carpaccio di manso to start. A must. We also ordered three different pastas —carbonara (not in the menu), porcini ravioli in a truffle sauce and bucatini mare e monti with spicy sausage (the best!). Good prices. Highly recommended.

We were enticed in by the waitress hustling passers by, having walked past a number of other local restaurants. The waiter was Italian and we conversed in his native tongue, which is always fun. Unfortunately, both our dishes were far too salty, which was disappointing and so easily avoided. The waiter was horrified when we informed him and immediately offered to replace both dishes (Ravioli Boscaiola and Bucatini Norma) but by the time he had come to us, we had eaten the majority of the food so declined but he did give us a free dessert, that we did not ask for.

The best pasta dish I have ever had! The truffle ravioli with cream sauce was heavenly. Service was amazing and a great location. We WILL be back!

The pasta here was the best I've ever had, with perfect consistency and was definitely fresh. The gnocchi was also perfect. The service was great and the menu had a lot of options, but not too many. I'd definitely recommend Operacaffe to anyone.

Last weekend we had dinner again at the Operacafe. We stop here every time we are in town and we are always blown away. The food is full of flavors, the staff full of smiles and the atmosphere is just perfect.

Up UNTIL 5 pm (probably weekdays), they have a nice variety of beer, red and/or white glasses of wine with some tantalizing and filling food plates. The prices are generally 5 bucks per item. Penne pasta with a spicy tomato based sauce, meatball marinara, etc... They have the dessert chocolate profiteroles (but they were out of it today). The chocolate chipped cannoli's for $8.95 were delicious though. The value here was quite good. The food filling enough. I would come back here, for sure.

This restaurant came highly recommend by our hotel and it did not disappoint. Service was very efficient and friendly, and the food was excellent. Portions were just right. Value for the dollar was very good.

We stopped here for dinner while in town for a Padres game. We ordered the Maine Lobster Ravioli, Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken, Linguine Alle Vongole Veraci, and another ravioli dish (don't recall the name). Most of the dishes were excellent, though the clam dish was fairly bland. However, there were only 2 servers for the entire restaurant, so the service significantly declined throughout the meal, with zero table visits after the food was dropped off. We would have ordered dessert but it was never offered to us, so we just paid and left. All in all, the food was mostly great, and on a less busy night, perhaps the experience would be better.

Unassuming quality Italian This is a small quaint restaurant which serves pasta if unusual quality. The subtlety of the truffle oil on the papardelle was perfect. And, as a solo traveller. J was welcomed to a table.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and the service is good. Caesar salad was decent. Pasta dish was slightly overcooked.

Upon arrival in San Diego, we walked down Fourth Street looking for something to eat. There are so many restaurants -- we never took the time to research them on Trip Advisor, so we were on our own. As we walked by Operacaffe, the outside hostess tried to get our business by giving us a card good for free bruschetta, and the knowledge that everything was freshly made. We decided to eat here, and had no regrets. The Bruschetta was served on a wooden serving board -- four pieces of toast covered with chopped fresh tomato, basil and garlic. It was absolutely delicious. I had a house salad ($6.95), and Chicken Parmesan ($19.95). The entree was also delicious. Even after consuming two pieces of the bruschetta, I couldn't resist the bread bowl. The combination of the bread with the remaining sauce from my meal was too hard to pass up !

We were looking for Italian while staying in the Gaslamp Quarter. There are several choices, but this one was rated highly by Tripadvisor and I can see why. The prices were reasonable, but the food really stood out--it was wonderful. Our server, peter, had a smile on his face from the get-go, as if he knew we were going to like our meal and we did. It was not overly crowded, just enough folks to lend it an atmosphere. Completely unpretentious too--very comfortable place to dine with genuinely great food, and the people watching is a hoot.

I am really baffled by the good reviews... I attended a business dinner at Operacaffe and 3 out of the four of us found our meals to be terrible. The fourth had pizza and I that’s kind of tough to screw up too much. The bolognese was swimming in a mind boggling amount of grease and the meat was of such terrible quality it tasted how I imagine dog food might based on the smell. There wasn’t even a hint of cream in the sauce. Just straight low quality over cooked meat, gallons of grease and a tasteless marinara over what I assume was boxed penne. The meatballs in the appetizer dish were like oversized versions of what you’d find in a can of spaghetti o’s based on my childhood memories of them. The sauce that accompanied them was runny, almost orange in color and tasted just like it was from the same can. I’m usually quite tolerant of just about anything but had I not been being treated to dinner by a client I would have sent my meal back and promptly left. Something I have never done in my life. The wine was good and helped me choke down some of the meal so I did not appear ungrateful, and our waitress was pleasant. About the only positive notes. I would not at all recommend this restaurant, especially if you have any hint of a clue of what good Italian food should be.

We have been coming here for years. From celebrating special occasions to "just because" days, this is our favorite place. The food is prepared with quality ingredients and recipes brought over from Italy. The Filetto a la Chianti served with risotto and grilled asparagus is the best dish and not to be missed. My wife always orders a hearty bowl of minestrone soup and believes it is the best she has ever had. The service is impeccable. We have traveled a lot nationally and internationally and would rank this restaurant as one of the best!

We visited Operacaffe during our visit to Balboa Park hike. The restaurant is not far from there. We were charmed with true Italian decor and atmosphere. Food was delicious! We had bruschetta, pepperoni pizzas and seafood spaghetti (highly recommended!). We finished our meal with cappuccinos, gelato and gelato desert. Everything was so yummy that we forgot to take pictures of authentic Italian pizzas and seafood spaghetti. By the time I realized, I did not take a pic, the food was almost gone! :D We are planning to visit this restaurant again. ❤️

Stopped by for a quick snack and a few drinks before the comedy show. Service was fast and attentive. The pizza was very tasty and did not disappoint. Please give this review and photos a helpful vote.

It looks like an old casona. Like the calamari fritti, spaguetti with shrimps and the minestrone soup. Is expensive restaurant. Quick service.

Went with another couple before a play a couple blocks away. Very convenient location. Food was very good, but a little pricey. Disappointed that they wouldn't honor two Groupon coupons at the same table.

Found Operacaffe while wandering the streets of Downtown San Diego looking for a place to eat on a Saturday night. Very glad that we found it. Service was above average, with our server being accommodating with our wine sampling while trying to find a good red to go with our dinner. She even brought something for us to try just to get our impression of it. The food was very nice. I had the chicken parmigiana, and was glad that I did. The portion size was filling, the sauce was pleasant, and the side of pasta complemented it well. We also ordered a pizza and seafood risotto. Both well prepared and excellent taste. Something that made this restaurant stand out was the piano player. The restaurant had a gentleman, probably in his 60's, playing songs on a piano and singing in Italian. He would take breaks occasionally, but was there throughout our 90 minute+ meal. It was not loud, a perfect background sound compared to the canned traditional music piped in to your more commercial restaurants. The music here definitely adds to the atmosphere without overpowering it. This restaurant will be high on our list of options when we go back to the area. I suggest you try it as well.

When we arrived the restaurant was a little quiet, however we were quite early. My wife had a vino to start $10.50 with Filetto Chianti $30.95, which was very good. I had a pizza, which was far too big, so I took a box. Service was good and is included within the bill at 15%. Highly recommended.

This was a last minute reservation and one of the best meals we enjoyed in San Diego! The bread with olive oil/balsamic is delicious. There were 4 of us and we enjoyed the chicken parmigiana, bucatini, seafood ravioli and tagliata. The sauces are amazing and everything was cooked perfectly. Save room for dessert because it was scrumptious. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and we had a wonderful meal. I am so glad we came to Operacaffe.

No way to sugarcoat it....bad food. No tomato taste in bolegnese sauce😟 Gosh I miss the old Busalachhi's on Fifth Ave! Service meh...good bread.

Nice variety of pastas offered. My crab and artichoke stuffed ravioli was very good as was my wife's pesto fetuccini. Found the wines to be a little pricey. Service was for the most part excellent but our server did fail to check on us after our entrees arrived.

I came on a Wednesday night with a friend. I had purchased a Groupon & being a huge Italian food lover, I was very excited to try this place. We ordered the I COCCOLI and GLI ARANCINI to start and the RAVIOLI DEL FATTORE for an entree to share with a bottle of red wine. Everything was good, nothing really amazing except for the I Coccoli. Fried dough with mozzarella cheese inside topped with prosciutto... it was absolute heaven! I would come back for those alone. Unfortunately, I wasn't super impressed with the ravioli. The sauce was bland and the filling was average.

An absolutely fantastic Italian food experience - the Calamari fritti was brilliant, the Farfalle campagnola amazing and the Tiramisu should be banned - it's so good it's dangerous!

We had dinner here two years ago and loved it. This year we felt overlooked, not tended to by wait staff. He forgot our salad and never checked with us about our meal until we were nearly done eating. Expensive for food portions and food was very basically prepared...nothing special. Quiet, not many customers so it was efficient in that regard.

We stopped for lunch at the Operacaffe today. The food was delicious and the service very friendly. My mom had the pear and cheese salad—beautifully displayed! I had the farfalle campagnola, my sister mushroom ravioli in a butter cream sauce, and my dad the Hawaiian pizza. It was all delicious and well prepared. Would definitely come again!

Maybe 2.5 stars? Smallish restaurant with small outdoor patio. It was busy and it did get pretty loud in there. Not the place for a romantic meal. Convenient location for a pre-theatre meal. Someone said this is the best Italian food in San Diego - sorry I cannot agree on that, The food was decent, nothing really standout about it to be the best in SD though. Pasta was overcooked - not al dente. Party of 6. The place was busy, so some leeway in amount of time it took to get our entrees, but service was not very welcoming or warm and in fact while ordering our food, the waiter just stepped away from the table without saying anything....odd. Prices - pretty much what you would expect for a downtown restaurant. Wine list was good.

Just returned from SD with my wife and had a great dinner at this restaurant. Right in the heart of Gaslamp. We had the pleasure of meeting Cecilia the awesome hostess who provided lots of information about this great city. When you're in SD, don't hesitate to check this place out, great food reasonably priced.

We arrive without a reservation, the place was full. But the manager check the list and give us a table after one reservation was cancelled. We order a tuna salad and one pizza, all was exquisite. The tuna on the salad was perfectly cook and the the taste was fabulouse. On the pizza the tomate sauce was delicious simple with a perfect taste, the pizza dough has an excellent presentation, size and texture. And the dessert is a perfect finish for an excellent dinner.

One of the best Italian dinners my husband and I have ever had. The service was excellent. The staff made you feel welcome and did a great job making excellent recommendations. The dessert was wonderful. We even thought about going again the next night.

The polenta aperitif was great with a wonderful sauce. The bruschetta was done perfectly. The seafood risotto was good but I've had much better risotto. The Caesar salad dressing tasting like it was homemade - not from a bottle. The place can be quite noisy inside so we were lucky to get one of the few outside tables on a Friday night. They were out of house white wine (Pinot Grigio) so they substituted a slightly better one. Service was pretty good considering how busy they were.

I eat dinner there and the service was excellent also the food was excellent to. I found it good value for what you get.

Nona is in the kitchen! Homemade pasta, lovely starters and in a Gas Lamp district little restaurant. Staff was friendly and helpful. Caesar salad and Brushetta starters were delicious. We each had a different entree and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. We shared a tiramisu for dessert.

I've been here many times, never disappoints. Simple decor, comfortable, friendly service and nice downtown location.

We loved this place. It is a super cute place with indoor and outdoor dining in gas lamp but just outside the really busy area. The food was excellent. Delicious homemade pastas. Everything tasted so fresh. The homemade desserts with espresso were amazing. The people could not have been nicer. Highly recommend!

We were actually looking for a different Italian restaurant I had read about when we passed Operacaffe Italian Restaurant almost right across the street from Balboa Theater. It did not disappoint! As we were standing outside looking over the menu,the hostess offered us a coupon for a free bruschetta. We started our meal with the Bruschetta- four slices topped with fresh tomatoes and herbs. It was very good. They also brought us complimentary bread with fresh garlic butter. They offered fresh ground pepper if you chose. My husband had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. I chose Pollo Parmgiana. We both were happy to have the fresh grated Parmesan which was offered to top. Both of our meals were very delicious! The staff was exceptional, friendly, and were very attentive to our needs. I definitely would recommend this restaurant when visiting San Diego

Arrived early for our dinner before our play Hershey Felder Beethoven. Were given a table near the window and were served by Stephanie. We order one meat entree and two pastas which were all delicious. Stephanie was very helpful and made us feel special. Enjoyed 3 different desserts which were very tasty. Had enough time after that to go for a walk before going to the REP which is across the street. Definitely recommend this restaurant for its food and service. The spumoni on the picture was delicious.

Excellent and authentic Italian food, we spent some time in this restaurant with my family, always we receive an excellent service and quality food. If you are local or tourist, you will enjoy it ! Ask for Peter, I'm sure He will give you the best service. This restaurant deserve a 20 Star Thank you !

A perfect thin crust margherita pizza, just like home. Fresh delicious focacaccia made on site. Outstanding lobster ravioli. Very friendly staff, several of whom are real italian, as is the Fiorentine owner. Grazie ragazzi!!!

We had a fair lunch here. Pasta with clams was good, but not extremely flavorful. The clams were definitely fresh. The salads were just OK, as the lettuce was not the freshest.

Great selection of standard dishes with a few twists and yummy options. Had Lemon Chicken, Gnocchi with Crab, Homemade Ravioli - all were really good and I'd order again except the Gnocchi was a bit too crabby. You can order it Gorgonzola instead, I'd probably do that next time. Smaller portions than expected but we didn't leave hungry because of the bread and appetizers. Great service - the waiter was perfect with his sexy accent, and every time we turned round his #2 was there with water, pepper, cheese, balsamic, etc. We were well taken care of considering it was a very busy Saturday night. We had reservations so the table was waiting and we were seated immediately.

The food is Italian, but not as good as elsewhere. The menu is fairly limited, but adequate. The atmosphere is great and the restaurant was just busy enough to create the right ambience. Service was good, so we had a very pleasant evening out.

Recommended by Sergio, the concierge at the Gaslamp Westin. Small intimate setting, lots of people speaking Italian. We asked the waiter to recommend dishes, and he was spot on. Burrata cheese, arugula, walnuts and truffle oil appetizer was amazing. We both had home made pasta which was some of the best we had. Great service, friendly people, excellent food. I will definitely go back.

Operacafe is an Italian restaurant in the gaslight district. Happy hour features 5 dollar beer, wine and appetizers. Small and friendly. Good value, good food.

To really judge the quality of an Italian restaurant you have to try a classic dish. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and found the homemade pasta to be cooked perfectly with just the right amount of tomato sauce. It was a rather large portion which was difficult to finish after sharing the burrata appetizer. Service was good. Our waiter provided a wonderful wine recommendation (get the Syrah!) and the food came out fairly quickly. The atmosphere is intimate, but the tables are very close together. I nearly bumped elbows with the guy at the table next to me and could hear their entire family's conversation. It was a little frustrating that we were sat directly next to them as there were only 3 parties in the entire restaurant.

Had an early dinner after spending most of the day at the San Diego Zoo. We enjoyed our dinner with a bottle of Barbera wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. I started with a caprese salad then had the pollo armigania. My wife had a salad followed by veal scaloppini.

This restaurant is a little north of the dense concentration of restaurants in the Gaslamp. district We had the bruschetta with chopped tomatoes which tasted like tomatoes, The fettuccine with shrimp was tasty but the small 4-5 shrimp added to the price but not much to the dish. The fettuccine with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes was superb. We will go back for sure.

Just had the pleasure of a late-night dinner at Operacafe, and I can confidently say it was an unforgettable experience! Here’s why this spot deserves all the praise: Ambiance & Service The restaurant was impeccably clean, sparkling in a way that truly stood out. The star of the evening was our waitress—friendly, radiant with a smile that could brighten anyone’s mood, and a voice so angelic it made us wonder if we were at an opera-themed cafe for a reason. Despite appearing to be the only staff on duty, she was incredibly efficient, moving at lightning speed while maintaining her poise. The Food 1. Minestrone Soup • This was northern Italian-style perfection, loaded with hearty potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and other fresh vegetables. Every bite felt like a warm hug, capturing authentic Italian flavors with a rustic twist. 2. Tomato Soup • Just as amazing, this soup wasn’t the traditional Italian version but rather an adapted American-style take on it. Even so, it was the best American-style tomato soup we’ve ever had, perfectly rich and flavorful. 3. Spaghetti Carbonara • A delightful plate of perfectly cooked pasta with a creamy, flavorful sauce. The balance of flavors was spot-on, showcasing the kitchen’s skill in creating a dish that felt both comforting and refined. Conclusion Hot, delicious food served with care, in a spotless and welcoming setting—it’s clear that Operacafe takes pride in its service and cuisine. This late-night gem exceeded all expectations, and we left completely satisfied. Highly recommend stopping by for authentic flavors and unparalleled service!

The food was so delicious. The service was on point. We had the chicken Parmesan and the Spaghetti Pomodoro. Both dishes were amazing. We were not able to eat everything and the leftovers were even better.

Operacaffe is second Italian restaurant I have been to that has been “Quality Approved” by Ristoranti italiani nel Mondo. The recognition is well deserved because you can enjoy a good meal here at a reasonable price, considering the location. The fettucine primavera hit the spot as the both the pasta and vegetables were cooked al dente. My companion enjoyed Linguine Veraci, linguine with white clam sauce. Stephanie, thank you for patiently answering our questions about the menu and for your attentive service!

portions were small. My son and I both ordered a cocktail. His was so bitter we asked to have some simple syrup to sweeten it up, but it still was undrinkable. I got Bolognese over gluten free pasta and it was good. My son ordered a pasta dish with shrimp. It was scary looking when served. the shrimp were still in their shell, and it looked like they were kind of chewed up and spit back out still in their shell. I don't know who he ate it, but he said he was hungry. Even with a living social certificate it was pricey. I would not go back

had a reservation, but really did not need it. I hear the restaurant can get fairly busy during dinner hours but since I was here approx. 4pm there was only one table occupied. an extensive list made it very difficult to decide exactly what to order but all on the list sure sounded good. I opted for the calamari fritti and cesar salad, both were very good, the calamari was substantial, took some home with me. the salad was equally a good portion, during the afternoon they have happy hours on certain wines and bellinis and mimosas and the like. the atmosphere is very comforting and cozy, a page out of the past. extremely good service and good food to be had. buon appetite. laurence

The best thing I can say about this restaurant is that it is convenient to the Balboa Theater. I ordered the spinach salad and others in my group ordered pasta dishes. I should have ordered the pasta because the spinach salad was one of the worst spinach salads that I have ever had. The spinach was soaked in a heavy, slimy, bland dressing. A few pieces of feta cheese and walnuts were sprinkled on the top. It was a pricey $15 disappointment. The only enjoyable part of this meal was the basket of warm bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

My husband and I were attending a play at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza and wanted to have a nice, but not lavish, pre-show meal. The Opercaffe was great! Located directly across the street from Horton Plaza it was perfectly convenient for our needs. It is a rather small restaurant but very charming with high ceilings and some older pieces of furniture that give it a very warm look. As we were there early (5:30), we were easily seated, but by 6:00 the place was packed and we would have needed a reservation. I ordered the seared Ahi salad and my husband had the Fettucine with shrimp. The fish was very good, although a slight bit too cooked for my taste, but I found the dressing on the greens unimaginative and and the sliced tomatoes just don't work on an Ahi salad, in my book. On the other hand, my husband really enjoyed the Fettucine and commented that the shrimp were not over cooked, which is often the case. Service was a bit slow at the end of our meal as they were very busy by then, but it was definitely enjoyable and we would go back again.

We were walking around the Gas Lamp District and randomly came across the Operacaffe. We order a pizza which was cooked to perfection. We then proceeded to get homemade Ravioli which were excellent. They definitely have great food and wonderful service. Definitely worth having lunch or dinner here. It is a little off the beaten path but definitely worth stopping in.

We just had a most amazing meal. Gorgonzola gnocchi, pollo limone and salmone al rosmarino. The first two were exceptional, the third was very good. Stephanie the waitress was fabulous. We are looking forward to coming back the next time we are in town..

I took the kids out for dinner and decided to go to Opera Cafe as soon as we walked in we were greeted by the wonderful hosts who was very informational on everything literally the best Italian food place I’ve ever ate at. I let the waiter choose what I ate because everything looked so amazing. Opera Café will definitely be our go to the Italian restaurant

Great food, sat outside and had a great meal. Chicken Limone was top notch. Service was great, very friendly staff and very attentive.

Very enjoyable setting. Nice outdoor seating with linen and a good view of the activities of the main street of Gaslamp area of San Diego. Food was excellent and came quickly. Service was some of the best in San Diego. Recommend the restaurant.

Amazing food and service. I love this place and Peter was so nice with us. I’ll come back………. Me encanto el lugar y el servicio súper bien

The pasta is to die for! And the service was perfect, attentive but not pushy. Great Italian wines as well. I'll be back!

We had the Ravioli Aragosta and Penne Portofino. Both were wonderful. The La Caterina (chocolate lava cake) was exceptional! We will be back next time we visit San Diego.

Loved this place. Excellent pear salad and clam pasta. Service was great. Easy walk from our hotel and enjoyed the stroll through Gaslamp District. Highly recommend!

If you like Italian food, this casual dining experience will serve you authentic Italian in a small intimate style setting. They have really good cheesecake as well! Also a great place just for dessert if you don't want a full meal.

We have great luck with the recommendations on TripAdvisor and this was no exception. Our dinner was wonderful as was the service. We were not going to get dessert but one look at the menu had us trying to decide which of the choices to get. All the desserts are made on the premises. You won't be disappointed!

Good Italian fare. I had the spaghetti carbonara which was done very well. my colleagues were happy too.

Was looking for an easy dinner for our last night in San Diego and was recommended Operacaffe by a friend. Service was fine. We didn't feel rushed nor forgotten. We split arancini and had penne and ravioli for mains. All tasty stuff. We'll come back the next time we're in town.

Boyfriend and I went here for a nice dinner on a Monday night. We sat outside at one of the small tables and started with the arancini balls (fried rice & mozzarella balls) as an appetizer. I was so excited because I love these and find them so rarely at restaurants! They were fabulous and a great start to the meal. My boyfriend got the fettuccini alfredo and it was wonderful--not incredibly rich (a downfall of many fettuccini alfredo dishes, in my opinion) and a little buttery, served over homemade noodles. The shrimp he had added were cooked very well, too. I got the crab and shrimp stuffed tortellini. The "tortellini" were HUGE (it only comes with four) and very, very good. Unfortunately, we didn't have room for dessert. Prices were reasonable overall. Highly recommended!

Stumbled upon this restaurant when looking to eat. Our expectations were that we’d at least get fed so no real out of reality experiences. Took a bit of time to get waited on but once we did…it was clock work. From appetizers to our meal, to refilling our water…the service was awesome. Food wise…I have to commend this place..the flavor was awesome! The best thing I liked about this place was the owner was running orders, waiting on tables, checking every facet of the restaurant… He and his help-mate made the restaurant work! If you love an owners touch.. If you love an owner that’s involved in the business Top that with great food This is a place you won’t regret

Very good Italian food in downtown of San Diego. Service is perfect ! Home made pasta and fresh product. Very good place !!

Been there 3 times. Will go back again every time in San Diego with someone special. If you want an intimate, authentic experience, this is the place.

Had dinner here whilst in San Diego, after recommendation from the hotel we were staying in. Overall it was OK, nothing special, no wow factor and what I would call expensive. 2 appetisers, 2 entrees , 1 dessert and 2 drinks and bill was $100. What annoyed me more was the fact that they added the 18% gratuity and then had the cheek to present the bill with a blank line for Gratuity, so if you didn't notice you would be likely to leave another gratuity. This is the same as some other reviewers have mentioned. Also paid via Debit card and they authorised the total mount included gratuity and then another 20%, on the assumption they would get an additional gratuity! Would I recommend, no not really, would I go back - I'm afraid not!

They do a happy hour between 2-5 which is $5 for certain dishes. I had gnocchi and arancini. Perfect light late lunch. So happy I stopped off here after my bike ride.

Food was amazing. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Really enjoyed the ravioli with a great bottle of Madalena Chardonnay. Highly recommend it to anyone wishing to have a good dinner with great service at a reasonable price. Federica and Urban provided friendly and quick service. They were great!

Arrived for pre theater meal. Were seated immediately and promptly served water and drinks. I had the raviolis and my wife a Caesar salad with chicken. Both of our meals were very tasty. I have read some other reviews that indicated the food was salty, I did not find that to be true. Would have liked to asked those critics if they opted for the Parmesian cheese which is salty but very tasty on my raviolis. My wife raved about her chicken its moist tenderness and forced me to try some. This was some of the best tasting chicken breast I have eaten. Overall this was an excellent dining experience and was reasonably priced. I highly recommend the Operacaffe. Additionally they serve my favorite Italian desert tartuffo. For those who don't know what this is it is an ice cream confection covered in cocoa and crushed hazel nuts and is wooooonderful!! Highly recommend the dining experience.

We came to this restaurant on Christmas Day when there were not many restaurants opened in the area. When I asked if they have a kids menu, I was told I could get a half order for a toddler as they do not have a separate menu for kids. The server didn't mention how much it would cost us for the half order. When she gave me the bill, the price for the half order is only $1 less than the full order. When I asked how the price was determined, instead of providing an explanation, the server asked me how much I expect to pay - how rude she was! Though she offered to reduce the price by $3 (I neither asked for the reduction nor received an explanation how the price was determined), I would not recommend anyone come to this restaurant at all for such bad service plus the food we had was so salty and we had to wait for about 40 minutes (3 pasta) after placing the order. The server did not come to check with us how was the food after she brought over the food.

Our waitress was so friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious and authentic. This restaurant was exactly what we were looking for at the end of a long day of travel. A live pianist was a nice touch in the warm and cozy atmosphere of the restaurant. The deserts looked AMAZING but we were too full to try them. Will definitely seek this place out next time I'm in San Diego.

We read the reviews prior to going but decided to check it out outside of the reviews. The menu selection was wide range for those that eat vegetarian as well as those that would like protein or seafood. We have the Italian sausage penne and the mushroom raviolis with the truffle oil sauce. Both dishes were very good and tasty. We also ordered a bottle of wine to pair with our dinner. All choices were very good and might make a trip back just for the dessert menu only.

I dined here last evening and was overcharged on my card. I signed for the bill at one price, they charged me an additional 20% on my card (per my immediate text message from the card company) and when I called and asked Peter the self-described "manager/part owner" he became rude, disrespectful, insisted I was wrong even though I have the receipts and text to prove it. Called me hysterical and then later hung up on me refusing to return my money. We left the wait staff Davide a more than an 18% tip IN CASH on the table yet they still added 20% onto the bill. There was only 2 of us dining so it wasn't even a case of 6 or more. He (Peter) was belligerent and rude and refused to return my money. Sneering at the fact that I would be upset over $14.24 overage. Listen, if they overcharge every person that comes in there and uses a Credit/Debit card then essentially they are making hundreds/thousand then pretending like they didn't do it. Feel free to please see my yelp of them for the full review of this and the food. Save your money, and your time. Go to Little Italy! Note to Peter: You're a horrible person and a horrible business owner...part business owner. I hope your business partner feels as proud of how you handled that phone call as you do.

A few summers ago, we were in Italy for 5 weeks and LOVED the food. Very different from region to region. We always seek out restaurants with authentic Italian taste and found a real gem in Operacaffe. We were in town for a concert. We had reservations for 5:45, enjoyed a wonderful dinner with friends and finished just in time to walk across the street to the Balboa Theater. We had many options for dinner as there are so many restaurants in the area, and thankfully made the Operacaffe our destination. Great food, excellent service. Squisito!

I had early dinner here today and not only was it delicious, the service was impeccable, friendly, and just all around a great experience!!! I loved the bruschetta.. I wanted a creme brûlée but I was just too full lol.. wishing now I had ordered it and just brought to hotel ...

My wife and I had dinner with our family and really liked the food and service. You felt like you were in a venerable Italian restaurant. The waiters were nice and helpful. My wife and I split the penne with bolognese and had enough to eat. The misto salad was very good. The young children liked their pizzas. Operacaffe has an excellent wine list.

We were there on a Saturday night with a local who recommended the place. We had a piano player and a singer to entertain us while we ate. They were great, as were our dinners. I had the salmon salad, which was great. Two of my other friends had pasta that they said was delicious. The fourth person had a different salad. Portions were generous -- 2 of us took home left overs. I would definitely go back.

Hidden gem in the heart of the gas lamp district! Both of our dishes were absolutely amazing…Tortellini Di Granchio and the Scaloppina Ai Porcini! There was nothing left on our plates! We chose the La Caterina for dessert. It is a Belgium chocolate lava cake stuffed with melted Nutella and a scoop of vanilla ice cream! It was delicious! If you are a chocolate fan, this is a must have!

I was in SD for 4 days on business and had the opportunity to sample several restaurants both in the Gas lamp and Little Italy areas for lunch and dinner. Operacaffe was by far the best value and experience. I ordered the La Tagliata. The filet steak was cooked to perfection. The staff was so friendly and welcoming from the moment I was greeted by their lovely hostess to my waiter Giuseppe. I will be back!!!

We have experienced many Italian restaurants where the food falls a little short and the prices are just a little too high. This one hit the spot for us. Although it is a little lacking in ambience, the food was excellent and the service professional and attentive. A good find right in the heart of the Gaslamp district.

We came here during our family vacation with our two children after a very long and stressful day. We walked from the Omni, which was about a 15 minute walk, and we were starving by the time we got there. This place is an AUTHENTIC Italian restaurant. The bread was delicious and served with a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which is one of my favorite things to start a meal with. Next we ordered the coccoli as an appetizer, and every last one of us were practically licking our fingers and plates clean, including the 1 year old. I had the gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, and my husband and 9 year old had the pepperoni pizza. My 9 year old said it was the best pizza she had ever had, and my husband agreed! As for myself, gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes, and this one certainly did not disappoint! I usually save a portion of my meal to eat as leftovers, but I finished this completely because it was just that delicious. Needless to say, we have found our favorite Italian restaurant in San Diego and cannot wait to go back!

Authentic Italian food from Florence native. The Ravioli Porcini in the creamy truffle sauce and crusty bread was so delicious and I teamed it with a glass of Riesling. I told myself I didn't need dessert but could not pass up the la caterina lava cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. - Oh my! I passed on a strong coffee to go with it and instead had a glass of the Classico Chianti. The bumped out seating across the sidewalk was enclosed to give it such a nice ambience. I was enjoying conversation with a gentleman at the next table and had another glass of the wine. Peter was so on top of service and it was such an enjoyable experience. I had a Groupon for $30 off so with tax & tip it was $45 and worth every penny. Grazie.

The staff were very attentive and knowledgeable. The food was awesome. We had 5 adults for dinner so we had the lobster ravioli, the salmon, pasta bolognese and the gnocchi. Ended with the lava cake and tiramisu- All were delicious!!

Food was really fantastic! We had crab tortellini, veal Parmesan and fettuccine Alfredo. All fresh Italian and great flavors. Ambiance could have been better.

Without a doubt the best Italian food in San Diego. And the family who own it are friendly and down to earth. The ambience is romantic casual. We arrived a little early for a 9 pm reservation for 8 and had no bother getting seated. I am not going to begin to list all the food we ordered but it was a huge variety. Everything arrived at the table hot and made perfectly. I personally had eaten the ravioli in vodka sauce at lunchtime that day so I had farafelle with broccoli and chicken in an Alfredo sauce which was spectacular. And the quantity was huge with enough for lunch tomorrow left over. We had about 6 bottles of wine, then a desert selection and the waiter treated us to a desert and to a round of Lemoncello shots. I will return here time after time.

With a last minute need to find a restaurant that was open on Christmas Eve, Operacaffe saved the day! As soon as we walked up to the restaurant we were greeted by a lovely, kind lady; we were a quite a few minutes early for our reservation, but our table was already set and ready for us. She introduced us to our server, he went over the menus and was awesome! He was always checking on us throughout the meal, making sure everything was alright. I was taken back by the attitudes of the staff at the restaurant, usually on Christmas Eve, people who are working don’t have as much pep-in-their-walk or as good of an attitude that everyone at this place had. Our food was great! As was the wine! But once again, we were so pleased with the service, we will definitely be back!

Sidewalk tables are a wonderful way to dine. Dinner, wine, dessert, and espresso were absolutely delicious, and the location is far enough from Gaslamp to minimize passerby revelers, but close enough that you could still walk there if you wanted an after dinner drink somewhere else. We came at the suggestion of our hotel concierge and it ended up being the best meal we had while we were visiting San Diego!

There were 8 of us who decided to eat there one night after work. This place is so great for several reasons; FOOD was excellent - oh my the raviolis I had were great, my friends had the Osso Bucco (sp?) and others had linquini and clams and other stuff and we all were almost licking our plates. The SERVICE was fantastic - they made sure we never lacked for anything. The atmosphere - lovely decor. Very relaxing - great place to go and talk and eat. Not too noisy - very very nice. I could have stayed all night. I also had cannoli's for dessert -YUM.

Loved it. Probably the best saltimbocca I've ever had. Accompanied by a nice risotto and broccolini a nice basket of fresh bread and smooth red wine equals a lovely rustic Italian dinner. Highly recommended.

Great food and serving size. Extremely good service. This was the best Italian food we have ever had in San Diego. The Veal was so tender! Worth going for the home made bread alone!

We have been in San Diego for 6 days and this was easily the best meal I have eaten. I had the Pollo Limone with asparagus and risotto, and Tiramisu for dessert. My waitress was very friendly and efficient. I would highly recommend Operacaffe to locals and travelers alike.

Good service, nice ambiance. Great location in Gaslight area and good food. Extra treat was server, Beppe who was delightful, friendly and warm. Even got to practice my Italian with him. Recommend both inside and outside eating. Thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. Recommend the Ravioli Fattore!

Menu had many great choices!!! Atmosphere was very much like being in Italy, small, cozy, with wait staff very attentive. Our food was good, probably not outstanding, but good. I would definitely go back.

After a fun day watching the Padres win at Petco Park, we strolled around the Gaslamp district and enjoyed a delicious meal. The menu has a lot of variety. We shared the Tuscana salad, gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce and Margarita pizza. Food was fresh and flavorful. Service was great - very attentive, pleasant, knowledgeable and fast without making us feel rushed.

We arrived at the height of dinner hour and needed to get to a concert. We were greeted by a wonderfully friendly your woman who expedited making a table available. Our server was equally warm and welcoming. And, the food was terrific and quite reasonably priced.

The food was delicious, however the blonde hair woman waitress was cold. Been to other parts of California on our holiday from Australia where the waitress is so friendly and kind. Disappointing.

Operacaffe is one of the best authentic Italian food restaurants--------and now it has one of the best Happy Hours in San Diego! Daily, 7 days a week, 2:00pm to 5:00pm serving their fabulous home made food at $5.00 a plate. Just to mention some, but not all of their wonderful selections on the Happy Hour Menu---- Bruchetta, Insalata Caprese, Gnocchi Gorgonzola, Penne Carrettiera, Meatballs E Marinara----even desert, Profiteroles. The $5.00 Drink Menu is equally impressive serving quality Red and White Wines, along with Bellini's, Mimosa's and all Beers. OPERACAFFE IS A MUST for the best in food as well as value. This I know, because I have been to Italy several times, and know what true Italian food should taste like.

it smelled so good we decided to eat here. His chicken was chewy. The pasta it was served with was good. I had the gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce. While the sauce was good, the gnocchi was tasteless and lumpy. At $28 for the plate, I expected sublime. I got mediocre food. We felt that our 100 bucks with just a single glass of wine and no desert, was way overpriced for the serving size and food quality.

Great food awesome service. Clean. Felt like home. Homemade pastas. Fresh sauce you must have dessert.

We went on a Sunday night and we were the only patrons in the restaurant. We were led to our table right away. Our server Peter wasn't as friendly as I'd expected by reading reviews on TA. We started out with the Pear Salad which was very tasty and really loved the dressing. For our entrées we ordered the Fettuccine Pesto, which was suppose to have come with pine nuts but not even one pine nuts could be found. The other entrée was the mushrooms ravioli... both were delicious, freshly made and had a very good flavor. I would have given this restaurant a Score of 5 but I felt the service was somewhat lacking as I had observed Peter on his phone not really paying attention to us especially when we were the only ones in the restaurant.

The Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego is known for its great diversity of restaurants. There are about five good Italian Restaurants there, but only one has true Italian cuisine at very reasonable prices, the Operacaffe! It is a hidden jewel located on 4th Avenue, across from Horton Plaza. The interior is quaint and the highlight is actually the open kitchen which takes up one side of the space. This is fine dining but without all the costly extras, like linen tablecloths, which is one reason the prices are so reasonable. The owner/chef is a charming lady named Patricia Branchi and you can find her busy in the kitchen almost every night, She uses the freshest local ingredients and imports all of her dry-goods from Italy. It makes a difference in the spectacular flavors of every menu item she prepares. I have dined there several times and the service has consistently been as outstanding as the cuisine. The personable manager, Peter, has always stopped by the table to make sure our expectations are exceeded. I have had a lite meal, like splitting a Caesar salad and one of the delicious gourmet pizzas, which is great before going to the theater or a play. I have also enjoyed several multi-course culinary feasts. For "Antipasti," I like tuna and also the beef "carpaccio", thinly sliced with the appropriate garnishes. I judge a restaurant by how good their simple "bruschetta" is, and theirs' bursts with flavors of fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. For entrees I have tried several varieties of their pasta exquisitely prepared with choices of sauces and either sausage, shrimp, chicken, or meatballs, or more. I have enjoyed two versions of their handmade ravioli. One was stuffed with porcini mushrooms and served in a creamy wild mushroom and truffle sauce, and the other was stuffed with ricotta and spinach with a mild spicy vodka sauce with porcini mushrooms. Equally as delicious are heartier meat and seafood entrees. The 'Ossobuchi Cinghiale" is a great version of the traditional veal shank dish but it is prepared with Wild Boar Shanks. The unique flavor was excellent and not too overpowering or gamey tasting. They have several versions of filet mignon, fresh seafood (even lobster,) all prepared with Chef Patricia's Italian gourmet touch. The "Tortelli di Granchio" is handmade jumbo tortelloni stuffed with Alaskan king crab and shrimp in a buttery thyme, rosemary, sage and shallot cream sauce. The only thing more amazing than the quality and combination of ingredients and flavors is the price. Most entrees are under twenty dollars, and the most expensive is under thirty dollars. Another plus is that they have the Gluten Free and Vegetarian items indicated on the menu. I have to finish my meal with dessert and a cappuccino, and these again are superlative. Of course they have killer chocolate cake and tiramisu among others, but the standout is their cheesecake topped with home-made jams and fresh fruit. Operacaffe is a gem of a find, one I highly recommend as I plan many return visits there.

We were so lucky to stumble on this little gem in San Diego. It's in a street full of restaurant but I think this is the best one. The food was absolutely delicious. The service was outstanding and the ambience of the restaurant was lovely. My daughter has a nut allergy which we didn't tell them. So when we asked whether the dessert had nuts they quickly got my daughter a plate that had no nuts. Totally not necessary but very lovely thoughtfulness. This was our one night in San Diego and we thoroughly enjoyed it,

I had a veggie pizza. It was good. Too bad it took forever for the food to come. Tables around us ordered at the same time and had their checks before we got food.

Incredible food. Great people. Would come back in a minute this 100 characters crap is bs by the way. Can’t just recommend a restaurant? Ridiculous.

The food was good, but unfortunately that is the only positive aspect I can tell about our visit to Operacaffe. We were late with 7 hungry persons but while we were served with small simple portions of Italian food, the food as well as the beverages were very expensive and every 5 minutes we were asked to order additional food or beverages (my glass of beer was even taken away unnoticed before it was empty). It was clear that Operacaffe wanted to earn as much as possible from us being tourists in San Diego. By far the worst dinner experience we had during our 3 weeks trip through South-West USA to which we have often referred to throughout our holiday.

My wife and I were taking in a show at the Balboa Theater and decided to try the Operacaffe since it is directly across the street from the theater. We started with an order of BRUSCHETTA TOSCANA which was light and tasty. We then shared a LA MISTA salad that had a very nice house balsamic dressing. For entrees my wife had the RAVIOLI ARAGOSTA and I had the AROGOSTA FRA DIAVLO and both were very good. We finished off with the chocolate lava cake which was very tasty. All in all the ambiance, service, food and proximity to the theater were very good. A nice dining experience recommended to all.

This place is a poor excuse for an Italian restaurant, maybe because it's in the Gaslight District where tourists outnumber the restaurants 10 to 1. My wife and I shared a Caesar salad, which had decent bones, but it was drenched in dressing. I then had the gnocchi, which turned out to be doughy lumps. My wife had a pasta dish that was so spicy it was almost inedible, and we like spicy dishes. Further, the pasta was thick and tough. Our companion ordered tuna carpaccio, and it came out swimming in olive oil. Further, the fish was not fresh. She sent it back in exchange for the beef carpaccio, which again arrived with way excess olive oil. Three strikes. We won't be back to this place.

We enjoyed excellent pasta at Operacaffe. Service was prompt and efficient, and prices quite reasonable. Its location is perfect for dinner before a show at one of the theaters that are just across the street. Many of the San Diego Gaslamp restaurants are touristy and not all that good, but this is an exception. The atmosphere is very casual, not fancy, but much like the trattorias you find in Italy.

I was in town recently for a national convention. After a Mardi Gras function we wanted to find a local place out of the noise of the Mardi Gras party for dinner and we wanted pasta. We looked and found Operacaffe. It was a few blocks away, so we decided to give it a try. I am so glad we did. This little gem is wonderful. I had the pasta bolognese (sp) and friends had the Fettuccine Alfredo and pizza. My red sauce was fantastic -- hearty and obviously simmered for hours. The pasta was perfectly al denti. The fettuccini ribbons were thin and homemade -- delicious. The pizza, as did all pizza in San Diego, had too much cheese for our tastes but was wonderful. We didn't get dessert, but the lovely hostess even hailed our cab for us, curbside, when we were done. Prices were very reasonable, especially considering it was San Diego. I would recommend without hesitation.

Had a great meal and service. Grabbed a table at the window to people-watch. Service is excellent and the food great. I recommend the appetizer I Coccoli, which was divine. And the sauce for the bucatini was very good. From the looks of it, they have live music a few nights a week, which would be a great way to spend dinner. Definitely we are coming back.

The food here was amazing. Everything was so good! The service was great and the drinks too. I would definitely go back again.

The is in the Gaslamp next to another favorite - Italia Mia. This place also has Italian food. I had a great salad which was filling, Other had and like the gnocchi. Casual and friendly.

Stopped in to have dinner while working in San Diego. The restaurant had good reviews and I thought I give it a try. The food was good but did not meet the expectations set by the reviews. The service was very good and the staff very pleasant.

Food was great and loved the outdoor seating option on a summer evening. Reservations highly recommended.

Enjoyed our dinner here recently. It has a nice open feeling with high ceilings and leaf wallpaper. We thought that the service was good. We really enjoyed the limoncello cake although it didn't have any berries on it as pictured in a few other reviews. They are very generous with their wine pours which is nice. One of us had the pasta piazolla with chicken and it was salty but it has capers in it so they might want to back off adding as much salt to the sauce and the dish since capers are very salty. The pasta dish with the chicken, sundried tomatoes and broccoli was really good. They have beef carpaccio as an appetizer which was okay (average) only because it wasn't very flavorful. The salmon was cooked well so we recommend that as an entree. The chicken parmigiana was good. The wait staff wore masks and seemed careful which we appreciated.

Stephanie was our server - she was excellent. We ordered a bottle of wine (Villa Antinori) along with the gli arancini (risotto balls) and carpaccio di Manzo - muah! It was delicious. The best I have ever had! For dinner we ordered the Linguine alle vongole Veraci, Spaghetti Marinara, Spaghetti Pomodoro, and risotto pescatore - mama Mia it was soooooo delicious. We had stumbled across this place on our last night in the gas lamp district and will definitely come back on a return trip. All of the pasta is homemade and is top notch. I should know - I grew up eating home made Italian and this is immediately in the top five Italian restaurants I have eaten in the US in the past 30 years. Stop in - you won’t be disappointed!

From A to Z, it was just amazing. The staff is really kind and the food just amazing!! I really recommend this place.

Was there on restaurant week and they had a special menu. Wine, food and service were great. I'll be back for sure on my next trip to San Diego.

From the greeter to the waiting staff through to the food it was faultless. The portion sizes are huge - so bring an appetite! The downside is that we had no space for dessert! We shared the rice balls to start followed by traditional pasta dishes. All cooked fresh and beautifully seasoned. Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.

It was a very quiet night in SD we were here for the night before leaving on a dive trip and were staying close so had to try this out. It was great. We were seated quickly had great service and really tasty food. All in all a very satisfying meal. At a very reasonable price.

Loved this little cafe. Service was on point and our pizzas were delicious. Good wine list also. Very authentic.

My wife and I went to the Operacaffe Restaurant in Downtown San Diego before we went to the Balboa Theater across the street to see the Righteous Brothers Concert. Davide our server was very nice as he explained the menu to us. Humberto the busser was so good as he hustled from table to table all over the restaurant taking care of everyone's needs. My wife had the ravioli boscaiola which is homemade ravioli stuffed with porcini mushrooms, sage, pine nuts and a creamy butter sauce. It was very tasty. I had the fettuccine alfredo with shrimp. For dessert we shared the baba which was traditional Neapolitan soaked rum cake with whipped cream and strawberries. Very different and good.

Went here just by accident as we were looking for a place for dinner. What a wonderful find! Great Italian food in an intimate unpretentious atmosphere. Very leisurely dining experience. It is hard to find great Italian food such as this outside of Italy. They have a " Negroni" cocktail on there drink menu which is quite unusual to find.

I first visited Opercaffee in December with my family who was in from out of town and fell in love. The food was home made and the service was wonderful. When we finished our meal our server handed us a postcard that was good for $10 off our next visit. Not knowing if I would be back to San Diego or not I tucked the postcard away in a safe place. This past memorial day weekend my friend and I took a trip to San Diego and I automatically remembered this restaurant and knew I needed to take her there...and yes, I remembered the postcard. Each of us ordered a three course meal and not a single dish disappointed. I got the ravioli and it was beyond phenomenal and the tiramisu is unlike any other. I would highly recommend!

Authentic fresh pasta - the gnocchi with pesto was sublime! All the pasta was outstanding. The fish dishes - sea bass and salmon were also outstanding. The minestrone was fresh and delicious. We did not have time for dessert - next time!

Super good food and fantastic service! Definitely would recommend eating. 4 people all loved their food, wine, and dessert!

Operacaffe is a quaint restaurant with a nice decor. The servers are friendly and the food is delicious. The La Pera Pazza, salad with pear, watercress, gargonzola, walnuts and honey lemon dressing was excellent and beautifully plated! The chicken parmigiana was delicious too.

My kids love the bread, paste and pizza. The staff is friendly to explain the meal to me. But they forget to refill my water bottle.

Was a bit of a walk from our hotel, but was nice to get away from the core young party mode for dinner. Made reservations, but wasn't necessary. Food was really good (still talking about the soup!). But the decor is old, dated and faded. It definitely needs some love and attention.

With a much more central Italian cuisine than most of the establishments in San Diego (very Tuscan; Sicilian is over-done. I'm still looking for Veneto or Piedmonte style here), and a traditional style menu, I was drawn in. And glad I was! A well made spritz and delicious ensalata before a wonderful wine and primi piatti (I had the gnocchi with scampi in pesto sauce). I was too full for secondi much less dessert. Next time, I'll plan on eating over the course of a few hours with some friends and do it properly Italian style. And there definitely will be s next time.

The restaurant serves excellent food but they utilize predatory discount dining. It is a classic bait and switch. If you eat here they will pump the specials, which they know do not qualify for the groupon and when you go to pay they say that this does not include"specials". I then asked to share a plate. Not split plate and when I saw the bill he said that is what we do. Well that should be disclosed when ordering. Lastly they say nothing about no refills because "they do not have fountain drinks because their machine is not working." Be aware the food is good but their business practices are predatory. Especially for out of town people who don't see this coming. As a former dining manager it made me sick. 4 to 5 star food and a zero for their practices.

Great Italian food. Service was perfect. Wine was good. Appetizer of calamari was yummy. Dinner perfect. Ravioli great. Salmon cooked perfect Dessert fabulous. Don't miss it!!!

Excellent pizza Friendly staff Good location Like it You have to visit Regards Amer AlKhaldi Saudia Arabia .. ......

We have been in San Diego several nights and finding good restaurants can become tiresome. We decided it was time for pasta. The pear salad was a beautiful presentation. The pastas were very satisfying with reasonably sized portions. We were able to finish without feeling stuffed. The dishes served to other patrons all looked tempting. It was a busy night but our server was able to take good care of us. We would definitely go back.

We were staying at the Marriott courtyard downtown and were craving Italian so I yelped close by restaurants and seen this restaurant had good reviews and was close to hotel. The front desk said she would recommend places to us earlier so I asked her about this place and she said "definitely a good choice" and gave us coupons for free wine and tiramisu with entree purchase. We walked a few blocks and had an awesome dinner! Place was quaint and comfortable and menu had much to pick from. We had just been to Rome a few months ago and no joke, this food was better! I even told the waitor and he said they are only 1 of 2 restaurants who had recieved an award in san diego for most authentic italian food. We got gnocchis and chicken alfredo and both were delicious. Even the free wine we recieved with our coupons was good. Tiramisu also good! Average plate around $20. I definitely recommend this place if you want good Italian food and I will definitely be back on my next trip to SD!

An old style Italian cafe. We picked it based on Tripadvisor rating and also because it is not too far to walk from our hotel. I like the atmosphere. Old style Italian reminding me of the Armando al Pantheon in Rome. The clientele also are more middle-aged. Service was efficient and food was about average. We two people split a salad with palm hearts and arugula, a pizza and a crab meat tortelli. The salad was okay, the thin crust pizza was very decent. As for the totelli, the pasta was very good but the sauce which was supposed to have "a little cream" turned out to be like a cream soup. Imagine clam chowder soup with stuffed pasta. To me that's what it tasted like. 2 people sharing a salad, a pizza and a pasta plus ice tea and a beer came out to be app. $68.

This small, family run, classic Italian restaurant was the perfect place to enjoy dinner with my friends.The food is fresh, flavorful, hot and delicious. The environment is small and intimate. Truly a gem! Give it a shot.

Stopped in for a quick dinner while walking the Gaslamp area of downtown - service was efficient and friendly and the food was delicious. Expect to spend around $100 for 4 including a drink and a shared appetizer.

My wife and I love this restaurant. The food is wonderful and the dessert -- the limoncello ricotta cake -- is magnificent. Waitstaff is from Italy with wonderful charm and service. Highly recommended!!!

This is the most authentic Italian meal I have had in the United States. It isn't fancy but is certainly wonderful. Excellent mixed salad. Amazing calamari. Then the most deliciously al dente linguine with clams that I have had outside of Rome. Amazing. The limoncello and custard pie that I had for dessert topped off a great meal. Great Italian wines by the glass too. And all for a reasonable price. Nice service.

The restaurant is off the main street of the Gaslamp District. Very good Italian food and delicious desserts. Service is fast and friendly.

My wife and I needed a meal before a show. The restaurant was busy but we were warmly welcomed and found a table. The server was most attentive and knowledgeable and the food was excellent. The atmosphere was good, as one might expect in a traditional Italian restaurant. Highly recommended!

We enjoyed our dinner at this beautiful location. We tried the bruschetta, pasta, ravioli and 2 desserts. Everything was delicious. The only thing you should know is, that 15% service charge are added to your bill automatically. All in all a really nice to get authentic and good Italian food.

We had an excellent pre-show dinner at the Operacaffe. The Cioppino was superb (excellent sauce), and they created an off-menu item for us (Pollo Picatta), which was tasty. Juan Carlos provided great recommendations and service. This will be our new “go-to” place for early dinners prior to the theatre.

Unfortunately this restaurant is on 4th Avenue not 5th. It's just a block away from all of the activity of 5th avenue. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, not too expensive, many options on the menu. We all chose a different pasta dish. All great! Wonderful bread, salads, pastas! We had Nutella cheesecake for dessert.

Pesto, clam linguine, seafood risotto and campagnola were excellent. Cannoli and the gelato desserts were to die for.