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Forchettina

4.3 (289 reviews)
Open • 12:00 pm - 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Updated a few days ago
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Order Forchettina Takeout or Delivery

Forchettina Photos

Business Info

FORCHETTINA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Forchettina

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Reviews With Photos

Tatiana M.

Forchettina is a forche-amazing. You might just miss it and just drive by this place. Don't worry, turn around. Find the parking lot and come inside. Enjoy delicious pizzas, pastas and of course the dessert. The wine is delicious. Even the water is delicious. Not to mention the owner - she's amazing - passionate, talented and authentic. Welcome to a slice of Italia in Encinitas. Ciao baby. PS: You know you stumbled up on a great gem, If you are having Spaghetti Carbonara for dessert on top of their amazing Ricotta Pistachio goodness.

Pepperoni pizza
Heather R.

Yum! Tried this restaurant cute little space, very good Italian. Service was friendly, the owner is super sweet. We started with focaccia- good flavor and fluffiness, calamari was tasty. Crust on the pizza was so good, fettuccine cooked perfectly and the Alfredo was delicious. Too full for dessert, but definitely would come back!

Pasta Bolognese
Sai Geetha K.

One of our friends might have just introduced us to our current favorite Italian restaurant. Looking for freshly made pasta with delicious sauce (made from Italian canned tomatoes) and ready to be surprised with their flavorful special soup of the day? Look no more. Give Forchettina a try! You can thank me later. We were here for dinner on a Sunday. There's enough parking right in front of the restaurant. The ambiance was so great with festive vibes and a Christmas tree right in the middle. Several tables were occupied, but there was enough room for us and we were seated right away indoors. The owner of the restaurant is a friendly lady who handed out our menus and took our orders shortly after. The daily special soup was Minestrone. It was perfect for our chilly night, packed with veggies. Next, we had Spaghetti Bolognese -- it was so light for a pasta with irresistible sauce and noodles. To top off this goodness, we ended our meal with Tiramisu, which tasted good and not too sweet. Coming back to try their renowned lentil soup someday.

Eggplant sub
Renee H.

Just revisited the restaurant now that ownership has changed and very happy with the turnover. The new owners are doing a wonderful job changing over and providing great food and nice environment. We had a yummy focaccia and eggplant parm. Service was great. Owner was warm and attentive. Wishing them lots of success. I will be back.

Inside
Sim B.

For the last few years, I've been looking for an authentic Italian spot in north county that has a reasonable price point, good food, and a nice atmosphere. I think I finally found that here at Forchettina. It's a fairly casual spot, but the decorations are very cute and a little kitschy (in a good way!) As soon as I walked in, I could tell it was likely going to be an authentic Italian restaurant, as the servers and cooks were all speaking in Italian. The service was great, and our server was very kind, funny, and helpful in his recommendations. We got the carbonara, parma pizza, cannoli, and a couple drinks. We really enjoyed our main courses as they were both very tasty, well seasoned, and well cooked. My boyfriend had been craving carbonara lately, and he said this definitely hit the spot. The pizza had an excellent crust, had the perfect amount of toppings, and was not soggy. For dessert we shared the cannoli and it was very nice as well. We came for lunch and it was pretty empty, but I would love to come back for dinner and hopefully see it a little livelier! Don't miss out on this awesome hidden gem in Encinitas :)

Tom S.

We had the Diavola pizza and the Primavera pizza, both were great. The owners came by and were extremely friendly and did I mentioned how great the pizza was? Crust was excellent, limoncello dessert was good also. Definitely coming back.

Burrata, prosciutto and melon
Shirley H.

My son picked this Italian restaurant for his birthday and we have the best time. Super quaint and charming while casual. Love the patio option but we sat at an indoor table. The service and food exceeded expectations! Calamari, pizza and pasta were delicious. Can't wait to come back.

Eggplant parm sub--Big!  Great bread. Inedible due to salt.
Mary K.

New owners and a much more classy and cozy design but annoying music as most pizza places seem to have. Very attentive staff. A much bigger menu including pasta dishes too. Pizza was 5 star for us and was. New York style. We're from that area and love NY style. Delicious sauce, cooked perfectly and correct proportions- not cheese overloaded. Meatballs were good, about a four but have nothing on Rosanna's. They really fell down in the eggplant parm sandwich. Huge portion and the bread was amazing and unwieldy to actually eat but I can deal with that. The eggplant itself tasted smokey or burnt-- it was not fried in olive oil in the typical Southern Italy way. It's also not breaded like Italian American style but that's fine. The smoky taste was really odd. But what killed it was the salt level. It was inedible. Everything else there leaned salty but this was just too much. Neither of us could eat it. Eggplant parm is one of my yardstick items when I go to these restaurants too. Decent assortment of alcoholic beverages. Next time we'll try the pasta and salads. But for now I can only recommend the pizza.

Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken

The food was amazing, the service was top notch and the way they decorated the restaurant was adorable. The only issue I had was figuring out 1 where the restaurant was in the shopping center (not their fault) and 2. Where the front entrance was (again not their fault) the front was where the out door patio area was. You can tell they make the pasta and pizza from scratch and boy is it fresh. I also got their ice tea and it tasted amazing. One of the owners took our order and served us and she was very sweet and accommodating highly recommend and can't wait to visit again

Contadina Pizza
Amanda B.

This small business has big flavor when it comes to pizza. The pizzas were perfectly cooked and the toppings were fresh and delicious. The service was fast and they were on top of water refills and checked in with us throughout our meal. The ambiance is very Italian and very inviting. Great outdoor seating and even room for a stroller!

Nduja pizza
Rene S.

We came for the Valentine's Day dinner special. I had the Parpadella and my date had the salmon tartare. Delish. We each had a fantastic pizza with a super Tuscan tasty wine For dessert we had the tiramisu. The restaurant was decorated with all kinds of Valentine hearts and roses. They did a great job. Big crowd. Wonderful service.

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1 year ago

We haven't tried every pizza place in San Diego, but this place has the best pizza we've tried so far. MUST TRY!

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2 years ago

Great food! Really great spot! Also very family friendly for those with kids! The service is great too!

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Excellent service and food. A great Italian authentic experience from the accent, language, ingredients, and ambiance.

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2 years ago

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Forchet T.

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3 years ago

I love their sister restaurant but was not a fan of their meatball sub. Their pizza is really good but skip the meatball sub.

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Page 4 of 8

Ask the Community - Forchettina

I am unfortunately GF, Dairy free and allergic to tomatoes. I so miss Italian food. Do you adapt to these needs? I love pasta with garlic and olive oil base and vegetables. Bring my own vegan Parmesan. Pls advise.

Hello sorry to hear that, we can definitely help you with different options that are GF, Dairy Free and with no Tomatoes. We have different options even for pizza. Feel free… 

Is this place dog friendly?

Yes on the patio

Are there any vegan options?

look at the menu or have the care taker read it to you

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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A friend and I came here for wine after we had eaten somewhere else a few months ago. This time we…read morecame solely for the food.. It was a late afternoon lunch, and we sat at the counter both times. I ordered the Turkey club and just had water. She had a different sandwich and a glass of wine. The older woman helping us had a few issues with the computer and had to get help a few times. We were served pretty quickly once she was able to get the help she needed. We both enjoyed our sandwiches. And she enjoyed her wine. We have enjoyed all the wines we've tried. The Dutch crunch was close to what I remember eating whilst growing up in Northern California. We both agreed we'd come back and try more menu items and wines.

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The Wise Ox Butcher & Deli - Amount of cheese on the second half. Was this originally the worlds smallest slice of Swiss!?

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Amount of cheese on the second half. Was this originally the worlds smallest slice of Swiss!?

Forchettina - italian - Updated October 2026

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