For starters, I left an earlier review panning this place because of an experience I'll explain. But somehow they got the review taken down, which is even more insulting. When we were here for my birthday, as usual the noise level in the restaurant was absolutely deafening. Idiotic ceiling design, but that wasn't the issue. Reservations were made indicating it was a birthday celebration, and not only did they completely ignore that, they brought our check to get us out of the there before they even asked if we wanted dessert. We did not ask for the check, but they waited by the table until we paid because there were folks standing out front waiting for tables. I said we'd never go back, and we haven't. Their service has always been poor, but that was the final straw. However, we did decide to try takeout there a few weeks back. When I got the takeout bag home, they had failed to include the salads I ordered. I called them back immediately and explained what happened to the guy who answered. He yelled at me "I'll take it off the bill" and hung up on me before he asked my name. So I called back, spoke to a young woman and again explained what happened. I told her my name, and I could hear her speaking to that same guy. She said that he told her he wouldn't charge me anything for the meal. I told her that wasn't necessary, just to not charge me for the salads, but she insisted that's what the owner wanted to do. When I got my credit card bill, I found that I had been charged for the whole meal, including the salads I never got. So they ruined my birthday dinner, and now ripped me off. Horrible, horrible place. Avoid at all costs. And don't try taking this review down, Limoncello. I'm not a competitor; I was a repeat customer whom you treated awfully and people should know. read more

Enjoyable dining. Easy to find, parking is easy, and service staff is attentive. Had a birthday lunch with my family on a Sunday after when the restaurant first opened. They have outdoor dining as well as indoor dining. Loved the decor, peaceful light green colors -from the velveteen couch to the light green water glasses, and splashes of yellow adorned the walls. Food - plenty of choices to choose from. Appetizers - arancini and polpo. Both delicious and highly recommended. The octopus was tender and the sauce with the fingerling potatoes were a nice touch. The arancini were not too big or small. Just the right size. We received two with our order. Good balance between the rice stuffing and breading. The sauce also complimented the order. Any leftover was used with the complimentary bread we received. For drinks, we had the limoncello sangria and martini. Delicioso! Highly recommend them particularly since it was a hot day and the drinks were light, refreshing and not overly sweet. Entrees- spaghetti nero (loved the fresh pasta and squid ink), brasato (beef was so tender and the risotto was a perfect match) ravioli di aragosta, gnocchi (pillowy soft), cozze & vongole (plenty of clams and mussels) and parmesan wheel (if you love cheese with your pasta, this dish is for you). We loved how the parmesan wheel presentation was done - heating up the wheel to melt the cheese, then adding the pasta, mixing it until everything is covered in cheese, and plating your food. Good table side entertainment! Dessert: lemon cake (to die for!), tiramisu, and creme brûlée. Dolpio (2 shots) expresso to accompany dessert. EVERYTHING tasted good!Appetizing to look at too. Definitely will recommend to others. Will come back again to try other dishes. I deducted one star because while the server was preparing the parmesan wheel, a little bit of cheese splattered on our purses which were positioned on a chair in-front of the wheel. Otherwise, we enjoyed our meal at Limoncello and you will too! read more

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Great food and service by Miguel. We ordered the fish of the day with a pasta and lovely cannoli to end the evening. Will definitely return. read more

They asked me to leave a review, so I'll oblige! Decor is nice, very good space. Easy to get in and out and the tables have adequate room. Service is good! Attentive but almost too much? One girl kept hovering to clear plates so we felt a little rushed. The food, I mean... it's good. Don't get me wrong. It tasted fresh and was prepared nicely. The portions aren't great. They also charge for bread ($5) without telling you and if you pay with a credit card they ask 3% on top of your bill, which, is already a bit overpriced. Ravioli dish, $26. Pasta with sausage, $27. I guess we would be back but only if Aromi is closed. A lot better of experience! read more

Limoncello is the cutest, most homey and elegant place! Our waiter Mateo had great recs. Definitely get the artichoke heart app!! What an experience with a flaming cheese wheel pasta, I'd come back every time they update their pasta special to try them all. The staff are all so very friendly and went above and beyond to celebrate my birthday. Their tiramisu dessert is amazing. Thank you!! read more

Limoncello - Crab Alfredo out of a 15 month old Parmesan cheese wheel, delicious! - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

Havent been here in years and now wonder why. Wonderful atmosphere, perfect service and memorable food. Really looking forward to coming back soon. read more

Limoncello embraces its citrusy name with bright decor and flavors. Great spot for dinner and drinks. There were plenty of tables during dinner time and we were seated immediately although reservations were preferred. Drinks came out quickly while the food took some time to prepare. I was nearly done with my cocktail before the appetizers arrived. =ORDERED= *Limoncello Martini: not as strong as other martinis but it's a fun specialty drink. The lemon popsicle was diluted and more for texture and presentation. Overall this would suit those who enjoy lemonade inspired drinks with a subtle alcohol taste. *Tartara Di Bue: a simple meat tartare with slight acidity. The bread was toasted perfected and paired well with the chewy beef. Although the menu listed a truffle infusion, there was no earthiness. The mustard and capers added the most flavor as I didn't see much Parmigiano, baby pickles or red onion. The arugula was fresh and the portion was notably bigger than a standard appetizer. I would get this again although it wasn't accurate to the description. *Strawberry and Beet Salad: would have loved a bigger scoop of lemon ricotta and more smoked hot honey. The dressing tasted more like a lemon vinaigrette and there wasn't any smokiness nor spice. The lemon ricotta was light and smooth. The mixed greens went well with the balsamic pearls and mustard seeds although the ratio was very skewed towards the prior. The strawberries and beets were sweet and simple. *Pappardelle: the tomato sauce was bright yet robust. The dish surprisingly had a lot of meat from the meatballs, sausage and pork rib. The flavors were savory and rendered but everything was a bit overcooked. The pasta tasted good although it was a tad over al dente. *Lasagne Bolognese: beautifully layered and then sauced on top. The pasta wasn't overly mushy and the cheese was well incorporated. There wasn't much bolognese sauce spread throughout the layers so it was more creamy and cheesy. Our servers were friendly and our table was consistently cleared. Limoncello is a beautiful addition to La Mesa, serving downtown SD vibes without the bustle. Just a few modifications to the food and it would be perfect. read more

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We ended up eating here on a whim, literally as we were just walking by. It was a little chilly, but there were some cute tables outside available, and there was a heat lamp, and without a reservation, they were able to accommodate the two of us. We ordered a couple of entrées, an appetizer, and a couple of glasses of wine... Everything was really good. Service was great. read more

Perfect night with an amazing dinner Service was the best I have had! Roberto was excellent, and very friendly! Will be back read more

Limoncello is always a favorite of ours. We love the Salmone, Ossobucco, and the Short rib. The ambience is lovely, service is always amazing. Miguel was our server and he was attentive, answered all our questions, and was so lovely. Highly recommend! This is a staple of ours! read more

Atmosphere is great. Food was delicious. Miguel was our server, he was very attentive and kind.

Wow, we found a little jewel! The service was amazing, thank you Filippo, the food was delicious, try the grilled artichoke, and the ambiance was chill. read more

Gorgeous restaurant! I love the artwork on the different walls. I believe it was the owner of the restaurant, but he was standing in front and was greeting everyone as we walked in. Customer Service is excellent here! They have seating inside the restaurant, very classy setting. It's pretty small but very cozy. This restaurant is located in downtown La Mesa. There is a lot of street parking. I found parking across the street right away. We ordered bruschetta and arancini for appetizers. Both were great appetizers to share. We were a party of three and each appetizer had three pieces. The arancini were my favorite. They had a fontina cheese and some beef with the rice mixture and it was fried crisp outside and gooey inside. Delicious! We ordered bread for the table, which was a little bit of a charge, but the bread and the oil was delicious! For dinner, we each got a pasta and all of us loved our food. I ordered the.Pappardelle and it was filled with sausage, short rib, and two huge meatballs. This definitely was a filling meal. read more

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The food here is so delicious! We went during happy hour and ate the roasted beet salad and eggplant pasta dish. The service provided by Victor was amazing. He took amazing care of us and we had a fabulous time dining at Limoncello. Sadly I didn't take any pictures of my meal. We'll be back soon for sure! read more

What a pick-me up during the rainy day to have finally tried this cozy, beautiful, and most delicious Italian restaurant. It is eye catching with the happy and bright colors not only from the outside but inside. The design is reminiscent of being in Italy. This restaurant has Sicilian food with a Modern Twist. The pasta, food, desserts, and everything is made from scratch. So if you want some authentic, flavorful, and extraordinarily delicious Italian food stop by Limoncello in La Mesa! It will transport you right back to Italy and warm your heart when it's cold and rainy outside! This is my new go-to favorite Italian restaurant. What made my visit so lovely was first being greeted by a gentleman by the name of Miguel outside who escorted me into the restaurant. He was friendly and made me feel at home. Then he introduced me to the Assistant Manager and server named Tala who made my experience out of this world by her friendliness, sweet and cheerful personality, efficient service, and making sure I left happy and satisfied. I was not able to eat my food because the portion size was large in size which is so great, but I am on a WW plan so I will be bringing it home for my Italian Mother to try. I appreciate the dessert Tala! I really appreciate you going out of your way to make me feel welcomed and at home. There needs to be more people like you in the world! I will be back, and I hope this business thrives forever! #sandiego #sandiegomagazine #limoncello #la mesa read more

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Great service, loved Victor!! Food was awesome too !! And they had a super cute bathroom

Victor was amazing! We loved his wine recommendations & the service was perfection. The ambience was so cute!

Victor was fantastic, brought his sense of humor to our table and was very attentive to our needs

Great new place for a date night. Delicious food. Great friendly & welcoming service. Maria, our server, was so attentive checking on us regularly to make sure we were taken care of. We love the ambiance and decor. The only drawback we experienced was the noise level. It was great at first. But after the place was filled, it was hard to hear each other for relaxing conversation. So we had our dessert on the patio outside. We were so thankful they didn't have a problem with us doing this. They were very accommodating from beginning to end. We will be back for more. read more

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Looking for Italian food on a Wednesday night and Limoncello did not disappoint! Gorgeous restaurant with equally delicious food. We got the gnocchi with shrimp and prawns, eggplant parm, limoncello salad, and bread/focaccia! It was too hard to choose a favorite. Our server Miguel was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back! read more

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I'd been wanting to try this place and I heard they started serving lunch on the weekends, so I brought my cousin and kiddo here last weekend. We couldn't get over how cute this place is! My son loves lemons and was so excited to see them used in their decor. It's so bright and charming, with open air breeze flowing through. Our server Maria and the manager Miguel were so warm and welcoming, they made us feel so at home! They explained the menu items and made some recommendations that we absolutely loved. We tried: Limoncello Martini Aperol Spritz Frittura di Paranza Strawberry & Beet Salad Polpette Panini w/ fries Spaghetti Nero Tiramisu The Limoncello Martini comes with a lemon popsicle and it's so tasty! The salad was topped with dreamy whipped lemon ricotta & smoked hot honey. The Frittura di Paranza has calamari, octopus, shrimp & fish. And that panini is loaded with thick meatballs & burrata on the most amazing bread. And the squid ink spaghetti nero has so much delicious seafood packed in there. I already want to go back again! read more

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The food here is absolutely delicious. The strawberry and beet salad is outta this world. I forget the name of the bread and tomato jam appetizer we had but it was brioche bread I recall--insanely good. The service, excellent. Miguel took care of us and was very attentive and thoughtful. The whole staff and the ambiance in general is absolutely wonderful, I look forward to visiting again. Thank you Limoncello for another fantastic experience. read more

Limoncello - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

First time visiting and everything was delicious! The atmosphere was busy on a Saturday night, and the decor was beautiful. Our waiter was attentive and made excellent recommendations. The food was perfect, from the best Cesar salad I've had, to the allergy-friendly pasta the waiter recommended. The crème brûlée was made to order and amazing. 5 stars!! read more

Limoncello - Gluten free pasta with Pomodoro sauce and cheese recommended by the waiter. - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

Excellent service by ROBERTO and FRANCESCA Bread and butter Squid ink spaghetti Cute interior Delicious cocktails Allow reservations Despite how busy restaurant week was, there was very quick service! We will definitely be back :) read more

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I was really looking forward to trying this place out, unfortunately I didn't want to dine in, so I got it to go. Luckily, I live in La Mesa, so when they got my order wrong, I was able to get back quickly. I should've checked before I left, I usually do, but it seemed like everything was put together. They ended up giving me the wrong type of sauce, and the wrong noodle, this is a fettuccine Gorgonzola pasta, they gave me a fusilli noodle and a different tasting sauce and the one that you currently can see in my picture. When I went back, they quickly apologize, and I was happy about that, but when they came back and gave me my food, I realized that there was no walnuts anywhere on my dish. So they just seem to be really discombobulated tonight. They're supposed to be walnuts, pears, and I added shrimp, and they used my previous shrimp from the first dish for the second dish, which is fine, but it just all threw me off. At this point, I was just ready to go, so I just didn't comment on it, they gave me a free cannoli, and that is why I have a three star, rather than anything lower because of their attempted hospitality. The flavoring was decent, but again I think they just dropped the ball on my dish tonight. read more

Limoncello - Fettuccine Gorgonzola - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

This is probably one of the trendier restaurants in town. Glad I called for reservations as I'm certain walk ins were getting turned away. It was packed on a Friday night. I've never had risotto in my life but glad this was the first place to try it. It was silky smooth and the prawns added in made it a seafood delight. Their limoncello martini with the lemon popsicle was a visual treat. They didn't skimp on the liquor either. It was a nice buzz. I thought the bread being served was free but after getting the check they actually charged $5 for it. This spot is not a cheap eats place. Expect to drop triple digits upon paying the tab especially if you get any liquor served. Service was pretty darn good with Roberto (as other Yelpers state) being on top of it all. read more

Limoncello - Risotto - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

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The menu and food at Limoncello are both great. The portions they serve are just right, the Caesar salad was ample enough for my husband and I to share, and was delish. The wine "pours" are very generous. The ambience is comforting and so cheerful. The service we received from Miguel Gabiano was 5 star, and his assistant was so friendly and nice.Our friends were new to Limoncello's, are Italians, and they raved, too. I can't wait to go back!!!!Mangia read more

We really enjoyed our visit to Limoncello! We started off with their homemade bread which they served with a delicious butter. We shared two plates - a special of the night which was a short rib tortellini with cream sauce plate and gnocchi plate. the Gnocchi plate was phenomenal! It was roasted butternut squash with gorgonzola, amaretto crumble and pistachios. One of the best italian dishes I've ever had. Kudos to the kitchen on crafting such a delicious plate. Service was also really great! The server was attentive and checked in on us often. Finally, the restaurant itself had plenty of seating. read more

Limoncello - Short Rib Tortellini and Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

- highly recommend to make reservations - decor is aesthetically cute - food is excellent and fresh - staff are all friendly ESPECIALLY our server, Tala! She was friendly, attentive and fun! She's AMAZING!!!! read more

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Miguel provided excellent customer service!!! I highly recommend trying this restaurant. The food was delicious and service was prompt and attentive. read more

Limoncello - Espresso Martini - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

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My husband and I decided on a spontaneous dinner date and I'm so happy we found this restaurant. As soon as we entered we were greeted and seated at a clean, cute table. The staff was very friendly, Victor explained the specials and answered all our questions. We ordered the gnocchi, panzerotti, and pane fresco. Every single dish was fresh, hot, and incredible. We cannot wait to go back! read more

Limoncello - Menu - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Miguel was a fantastic server. We were celebrating a friends birthday and it was a really nice dinner. Great food, service, and overall a really nice place with authentic Italian feel. Would go back. read more

Some girlfriends have chosen this restaurant as our happy hour gathering place and I fully understand why. It is bright and charming, has excellent food, and great service. The polpette have become an addiction, and their limoncello martini with frozen lemon popsicle is just too adorable and delicious. Plenty of nearby parking. Stay for dinner and try the gnocchi, it's amazing. read more

Stopped without a reservation but said I could sit at the bar. The place was packed and extremely loud. The food was good but not really exceptional as I was hoping for. I had a caesar salad and the dressing was bland. Definitely made without anchovies which is too bad because it needed some kick. My entree was the Carbonara and I enjoyed that. Wished they used guanciale rather than pancetta. Oh well. Service was as expected for such an insanely busy place. My meal wasn't rushed so I had plenty of time to eat. Overall had a nice experience. read more

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We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the wonderful service by Miguel. We will be back soon!

I was visiting friends there and saw the page on Facebook showing your pasta and had To go!! Everything delicious and the limoncello martini to die for! Only thing shocking on the bill was $5.00 for bread!! Never been anywhere and paid extra for a bread plate with butter. I highly recommend the pasta. read more

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Tried Limoncello for the first time tonight and was really satisfied with the experience. For a Monday night, they were jumping which was so nice to see for the neighborhood. We had: - Arancini: absolutely delicious - Bread with truffle butter: really really delicious - Caesar salad: really good. They served it with the leaves uncut so it held all of the cheese and breadcrumbs well - Sausage broccoli rigatoni: delightful. The sausage was light and flavorful - Spinach ravioli: amazing. Delicious and creamy The service was kind and attentive. It did get a bit loud in there but it's nice to have a lovely atmosphere for a Monday evening in downtown La Mesa. Can't wait to come back! read more

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Limoncello is a slice of Italia! Savory eats that please the palette, with hearty, saucy and lip smacking good dishes. Their signature Limincello cocktail sin alcohol is zesty and refreshing, so good! loved the pasta con carne, with a rich thick sauce and beef, so textured and flavorful!!! read more

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As someone who lives nearby, I was really, really excited to try this place. I saw they had a restaurant week tasting menu so we thought this would be the perfect time to try. Unfortunately, I had a very disappointing experience last night. Ambiance: it is VERY bright in there. Service: it was not super busy and service was pretty slow. It took a while for our server to come and get our initial order, clean up dirty plates after first course or even check if we needed more water. Drinks: I ordered a mocktail mojito and the drink tasted bad and like dry soda water. We let the server know and he took it to make a new one. The "bartender" added drops of syrup to the existing drink, stirred it with my straw and then poured it into a new cup instead of making/shaking a brand new drink. Food: the only good things we had were the assorted bread (listed as a side on main dinner menu) and the meatballs. The salad I was brought was a very plain salad and nothing at all like the description on the menu (I was not told they were out of anything so getting a completely different salad was surprising). The pollo Toscano entree - chicken was extremely tough to cut/chew. The potatoes were hard and bland. My entree was missing broccolini. Lasagna - presentation alone does not look like lasagna. Cutting into it, there was very little meat and cheese in between, just layers of pasta. Both entrees came out luke warm at best. Very disappointing for what we paid. I was still hoping to give this place another try, but after the entrees came out and seeing how they "remade" my drink, we won't be coming back. read more

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Very good meal! Came here on Christmas Eve. They had a special Christmas Eve 4 course menu that night. Roberto was our server - he was fantastic! Great food, great atmosphere, top notch service! Keep it up! read more