We went to Limoncello for the first time recently and loved it! The food was amazing, ambiance is perfect for a night out, and the service was exceptional. Francesca was the best! We will be back :) read more

First time visiting this evening and were wowed by the experience. Cute modern Italian hidden gem in downtown La Mesa. Food was phenomenal, and Victor and Samuel provided excellent service. We will most certainly be back soon. --Tyler & Matilde read more

Decent food with friendly staff and a quaint setting. Service was a little slow. Our table had a super wobbly seating which was a bit annoying. Enjoyed the meal! Desert way overpriced for what you get. read more

Fantastic food, ambiance, and service. Samuel and Miguel ensured we had a pleasant experience at every step. The cheese wheel pasta is so good, we will definitely be back for more! read more

I really wanted to try this restaurant, it's Great. It's such a cute Italian spot. The food is really flavorful and nice portions. We had the carbonara and the osobuco, both were delicious. Our waiter was fantastic and so attentive. He would come over to see if we needed anything, Great customer service. I will be back for sure. read more

I've been here twice now, and yet just for the drinks and desserts which are outstanding! Discovered the menu when looking for desserts and saw they also featured a martini with a popsicle in it, so of course I had to visit. The place itself is very pretty inside, and would be a lovely place to take photos and dine at. Staff is very welcoming, including close to the night's end. Ended up trying all of their desserts which were all delicious. I think my favorite had to be the crème brûlée. Really hope to come back soon and try their regular dinner menu. Thank you! read more

See all

Exceptional menu and service was top notch. We had Francesca as our waitress and all of her recommendations were spot on. Looking forward to our next visit there. read more

Limoncello - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

I've been wanting to try Limoncello for awhile and have had it saved in my Yelp folder for a long time. I was in La Mesa and met a long-time friend for dinner and we were so happy to have an opportunity to go. The standouts: - amazing Happy Hour. Great selection of appetizers, cocktails, salads, and main courses. All for $10 each! - They have a special "cheese wheel pasta." It's entertaining to watch them prepare it table side. Watching the table next to us be served this inspired my friend to order it. They change the pasta dish offered every few days. Tonight it was linguini with Italian sausage and butternut squash for $50. It was a huge serving and quite delicious. - I asked for recommendations for appetizers from our server. I was going to order the bruschetta, but he recommended the meatballs, which were good. - I really liked the taste of my spaghetti carbonara - They have 4 different types of sangria: traditional, limoncello (which we had and loved...perfect summer cocktail), mango, and watermelon (which was our waiter's favorite) - Bread provided had two options and the butter/oil was really good. - need to try their Limoncello martini next time, which is on Happy Hour! Areas of improvement: - we were never offered fresh grated Parmesan cheese for our pasta, only pepper. - My friend was given a much larger portion size of salad. And we ordered the same item. - The Beet & Strawberry Salad was good but had only sparse amounts of cheese and no nuts or strawberries. Was primarily arugula and onions. - As it got later the restaurant got loud! So much so that it was hard to carry on a conversation with my friend. - We were only provided a happy hour menu when asked for it. - My pasta dish came out about 15 minutes before my friends did. I wanted to wait to eat until she received her entree. By the time she did, my pasta was sadly cold. - I felt judged by our server for ordering off the happy hour menu. He made a few unnecessary comments about not ordering enough food. Whereas he audibly praised my friend for ordering the cheese wheel pasta special. I ordered four items and had leftovers. I'll definitely be back to try other items. As I was walking out another person was eating the gnocchi and it looked fabulous. read more

See all

We were a dining party of 5 and had a Saturday, 6:30 reservation. This was our first time for us at Limoncello, which is located in the popular La Mesa Village. Parking was a little challenging, but we didn't mind walking a few short blocks through the historic Village. Upon arriving we were greeted warmly by the hostess and immediately seated at a nice window table. The restaurant was very busy. The ambiance is "nuevo Italian", brightly lit and a bit noisy; this would not be our restaurant of choice for quiet, romantic, candle-lit, dining. We first placed our order for appetizers and beverages. The calamari appetizer was crisp and tender; the burrata was wrapped with prosciutto, grilled artichoke and fig jam - this appetizer was exceptional! Also ordered their delicious fresh bread. My hubby and another guest ordered the Limoncello Martini and can highly recommend this delicious cocktail. Our entrées were nicely portioned, overall tasted "good", but more a "hit and miss" situation based on the individual dish. The "hits" were the Spaghetti Nero (squid ink pasta, mixed seafood in a wine garlic tomato sauce) as well as the Pollo Francese (chicken breast, mushrooms in a white wine sauce) both scored a 5. The slight "misses" were: Salmone atop risotto (the salmon was over-cooked) scored a 3; Prawns atop a spinach risotto (risotto was dry and not creamy) scored a 4; and the Gnocchi in a light cream sauce (gnocchi was not tender and rather dry) scored a 3. For dessert we ordered the homemade tiramisu which we all agreed was outstanding! The waitstaff was quite attentive and we all felt well served. All in all it was a nice evening with friends... read more

See all

Food and ambiance were great! Cute little Italian restaurant with high quality ingredients. Service was good and our waiter was nice, food did take a little bit but could be that I was just super hungry. Insalata pomodoro was good and fed us both without being too overwhelming and wasn't overdressed. The casarecce Norma was very delicious but very cheese heavy. The papparadelle was good as well. The limoncello martini was good but I misread and didn't see the popsicle part, wasn't sure what to really do with it but was kinda fun. Overall would come back and look forward to it! read more

See all

Had a great dinner out here! They had a beautiful restaurant, delicious dishes and a great spot for a night out with friends! Whether you're a local or visiting, highly recommended and their team was great! read more

Really great ambiance, lovely service, parking is a little tough on fridays due to the farmers market. Food and drinks were very good! Our table all got different drinks and we all loved them. read more

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

See all

We heard great things about this place so we were excited to try! Located on the main street in downtown La mesa. The vibes in here are immaculate. So colorful and bright. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. We came on a wed night and it wasn't too busy. For starters, we got the burrata, polpo, polpette sorrentino and fresh bread. For food my partner got the special of the day (Chilean sea bass) and I got the risotto. For drinks we got the limoncello martini and the classic sangria. Burrata: delicious! I liked the addition of the artichokes and everything was well salted. Burrata was perfectly creamy. Polpo: Octopus was a little overcooked so not as tender as I would have liked. But the seasoning and the olives in it were delicious. Chilean sea bass: the only bad thing my partner said was that it seemed a bit overcooked and not as buttery of a texture as he's had before. Risotto: delicious! It came with four prawns. Also had zucchini, tomatoes and ricotta on it. Everything was well cooked, including the rice. A smaller portion than I would have thought but not terrible. Sangria: this one was just ok for me. Pretty one note and felt like it only had wine in it vs. some additional liquor like brandy. I did like the fresh fruit in it though. Service was very attentive and helpful the entire time we were there. Never felt rushed. read more

See all

The restaurant is a whimsical Italian decor. The staff are very welcoming. The service is slow. We arrived at 5pm and didn't leave until 7:45p. There were long gaps between courses and waited about 15 minutes to receive the bill after the plates were cleared. The food was salty. We ordered the pasta special in the aged parmesean bowl. We also ordered the Brasato. The Burata was delicious and the beet salad was more arugula than anything else. read more

This place is amazing! Miguel provided great service and recommendations. This is a must try in La Mesa. The food is DELICIOUS. read more

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

See all

Miguel was a wonderful server! Had a late valentine's dinner and couldn't recommend enough! The food was incredible and the vibes were great. read more

Limoncello - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

The atmosphere and vibes here are beautiful. The bartender and servers are so sweet. First time coming here and I loved it! 10/10 would recommend read more

Limoncello - The drinks are not strong but delicious - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

Limoncello Spritz, Sangria & Martini. All were good but the martini was amazing. Food was outstanding, we tried the raviolis, beets salad and the salmon. Crème brûlée was delicious and well made. Will definitely be coming back. read more

Limoncello - Limoncello Spritz, Sangria & Martini. All were good but the martini was amazing. - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

Everything was absolutely uhmazing!!! Miguel is magnificent, thank you for the wonderful service Always exceptional read more

The food is absolutely amazing!! So delicious! The ambiance beautiful and romantic. The service is five star! Gaetano was so personable and recommended the best food. His customer service is above and beyond. We felt so welcomed. My new favorite place to eat!! read more

Limoncello - Chicken Piccata - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

Really cool place in La Mesa. Got the fettuccine with crab which they make at the table in a giant Parmesan wheel and the paparadelle which was great. Everything was great just know they charge $5 for bread and $3 surcharge to offset costs so our bill was $8 more than we expected. I never like that as I think it should be included but I can say the service, food and ambience was great. read more

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

First time dining here. Food was delicious. Had the BEST Tiramisu I've ever had. Normally I don't care for it but this was unlike any, from Narnia or something! Lastly, excellent service. Ask for Francesca- Sicilian-welcoming, endured my sloppy Italian attempts. Her brother works there too! Great team. - read more

Came here for a second time and was pleased. Our server Roberto was great! Friendly and knowledgeable. Appetizer- pane fresco- I love the oil dipping sauce. Arrancini- these were huge and meat filled. Great flavor. Cesar salad- I swear there were homemade croutons on it last time, but they said they never had croutons on the salad. It was a crumb dusting this time. Still delicious but was looking forward to these imaginary croutons. Frittata de Paranza- loved it, light breading. Spicy side of marinara. Will definitely order this again. Pappardelle- delightful flavors. House made pasta. Delicious! 4 stars for the dessert- cannoli. Extremely hard thick shell. Filling was non existent in the middle. They just filled the sides which was weird. It just wasn't good. The manager did come by and comp our dessert after we showed him the inside. Happy this is an option in town! We'll be back! read more

Limoncello - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

Thank you Gaetano for a perfect dinner at Lemoncello. He was very attentive and helpful. Food was very good as well. Will come back soon. read more

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

See all

These are the kind of updates I like to do. My dinner here was very pleasant and delicious. I came early before the rush and ordered a Caesar salad, Casarecce al Ragu, and some Tiramisu for dessert. The Caesar salad offered a zesty house dressing and lemon pangrattato of toasted breads that were great. I loved that they used the whole romaine leaves in the salad. The salad was very fresh and tasty. The casarecces pasta in the beef and egg plant ragu was delicious. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the sugo was delicious. It was not only rendered down well for flavor, but the dish came with a lot of it. I do recommend. The tiramisu came in a cute little vessel. It was great, of course, specifically the sweet and creamy mascarpone. It would not have been a successful meal without the service of "Maria" my server. She was very nice, new the menu very well, and made one feel welcomed. read more

See all

We came here on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. We have wanted to try this place for over a year. We had a fabulous time. Great food and a wonderful server named Gaetano from Sicily which is where my family is from. He gave us great service and wonderful recommendations. The restaurant is really nice. It is a little loud inside but it was a bit too cool for us to sit out on their patio. I had one of the best Cacio de Pepe dishes I have ever had. My husband and sister in law had the pappaedelle and loved it and my brother really enjoyed his lasagna. Their Caesar salad is fantastic as are their arancini. We had the house Chianti which was perfect. I loved the limoncello martini that comes with both a sugar rim and its own popsicle. We will definitely be coming back here. Thank you for a wonderful birthday dinner that ended with a delicious tiramisu. read more

See all

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

One of my absolute favorite restaurants! the happy hour is an amazing deal , we get several " small plates " to share that are actually great portion size . The pizza is amazing- the crust and dough are homemade. The drinks- I would say one of my all time favorite drinks ever is their limoncello martini. It is so refreshing , so yummy and comes with a lemon popsicle on top. We have ordered several different plates and have always had a great experience. The service is top notch. The staff is so friendly and accommodating. We never have to ask for refills , the food comes out quick . The restaurant itself is beautiful . I always recommend limoncello to my family and friends when they are talking about going out to dinner. read more

We were looking to try a new restaurant, so checked out what restaurants were part of San Diego Restaurant Week. This is a nice open and bright place. We went with the recommendations of Gaetano, our server. We both had the strozzapreti; pasta in pesto with prawns. You get 3 shrimp. I'm not a huge pasta fan, but this was excellent and I ate every bite of the generous portion. They should serve some bread with this, it would have been a great little addition. I know because I had the bruschetta for an appetizer and the bread is top notch. A little pricey, but very delicious. I saw many things on the menu I would love to try. Can't go often, but definitely will be back. read more

Great night! Thank you Francesca for your wonderful hospitality , we enjoyed spending time with you!

I am not a big fan of Italian food but I enjoyed coming to this place. With the various art work on the wall, the place makes you feel home. I peaked at their wine menu and they have a wide selection as well. This place is very elegant and sends positive vibes. Alejandro is a gentle man who went far and beyond his job. I really appreciate how welcome he made us feel and ensured everything is perfection. He has an outstanding customer service and a pretty smile. He also took our group photo and made us look good. I definitely recommend this place for a visit if you like Italian food. read more

See all

Came for a ladies night for a cute dinner with wine. Appetizers & pasta & service was 10 out of 10!!! Miguel and Samuel are so sweet and attentive i appreciate the amazing experience. I will be back. read more

Good Italian a short walk away? Had to give it a shot for a birthday celebration. We were a party of seven. Things didn't start well with a big shard of glass on the birthday girl's seat. Luckily she noticed before sitting on it and politely handed it to the gentleman who seated us. We ordered the calamari and meatballs for appetizers. No plates on the table when the food was served and they weren't in a rush to bring them until we asked. The calamari was above average and the meatballs were fine. Nothing to write home about for either. The beet salad was refreshing and aesthetically appealing. Main courses were two risottos dishes, the mahi special, two steaks, ravioli, and the cheese wheel pasta dish with chicken and sun dried tomatoes. The risotto dishes were nicely cooked and flavorful. The two steaks were ordered medium rare but were overdone to medium-well. The mahi was decent but lacking flavor. The ravioli were a nice consistency texturally and the cheese filling and pasta provided a great combination. The cheese wheel table-side service would have been great to watch but the cart is too tall for the chairs (I'm 6 ft) so the only way to see the show is to stand, which is awkward. The torch they use to heat the cheese wheel goes out when pointed down or turned sideways so the waiter was struggling. I felt bad for the guy. But he made it work and the dish was by far the best of the night. Dessert was birthday tiramisu and a couple of lava cakes. The tiramisu was great and the lava cake was a glorified brownie with a scoop of ice cream. Overall, this place has a lot of potential but the food was really hit and miss. Some dishes are fantastic, others average or slightly below. The service isn't great but the pasta here really shines. I would recommend this restaurant if they could really dial in three things: 1. The service (no glass on chairs, plates on the table without asking) 2. Make the pasta the star of the show. It's so good! 3. Price the food competitively. It's too expensive for what you receive at this moment in time when other Italian places in La Mesa can really hit a home run with every dish on the menu. Overall, it's a fun place to eat and nicely decorated. All the pieces are in place for success but more direction is needed until they really find their way. read more

The service was spectacular! And the food was delicious! We started with bread for the table and the bruschetta, and it was delicious. The burrata on the bruschetta was heavenly. My husband had the Pollo Francese and it was soooo good! When we go back, that is what I will be ordering. I had the Salsiccia e Friarielli and it was good. The fettuccini al Ragú was also good. The only complain was that the chicken on the salad was a bit dry. It's a beautiful quaint restaurant and will definitely be returning. What made this dinner out extra special was the great service that we received. read more

See all

Great food, great atmosphere and great service. Love this place! Went here for a birthday celebration and it did not disappoint. read more

We visited Limoncello in La Mesa on a Wednesday evening and found parking right up front, which was a great start. We were seated immediately and welcomed by friendly employees. We began with the pane fresco and arancini. The bread was warm and simple, served with butter, and tasted good. The arancini, while flavorful, could have used a bit more cheese inside. For the main course, my friends and I all ordered pasta, and the servers were able to customize them to our liking. All of the pastas were phenomenal! We finished the meal with a birthday dessert and a lava cake, both of which were delicious. The service was amazing, and I'd definitely come back! read more

See all

Best pasta I've ever had made by real, beautiful Italians who have somehow made their way to La Mesa. Even the hostess spoke Italian and everyone truly treats you like "when you're here, you're family!" The Limoncello martinis are to die for and will also cause you to die if you drink too many. Oh, and it is beautifully decorated and impeccably clean! The outdoor seating is perfect for people watching while drinking too many martinis, lol. read more

Cutie little Italian restaurant along a line of stores in La Mesa! We were in the area for Oktoberfest and wanted something that wasn't a food truck/food stand and stumbled upon this gem! The interior design is so well done- clean, vibrant, and happy. The staff is also very attentive and friendly. Lots of great conversation and recommendations! The salad I had was so fresh and great for a hot day, and the pasta was incredible. It was cooked perfectly al dente, with a sauce that wasn't too overpowering but very flavorful. The tomatoes really made the dish pop. The only downside is how far this place is from where I live!! I'll want this every time I want Italian food, but I think it's worth the drive. read more

See all

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

Why did I wait so long to come to one of the coolest restaurants in the Village? We loved it, from the moment we entered the stylish spot to the loud clang when my son's spoon hit the empty dessert plate. The offerings are generous and delicious! It was great value for the quality and amount. I had the Panzerotti, an amazingly mushroomy creation. My husband had appetizers, including the octopus, which, if available, is a must. Our son had the Lasagne Bolognese; he couldn't stop sopping up the sauce with the bread. Our server, Francesca, was sweet, helpful, and never let my water glass stand empty. There is a surprising large amount of seating in the restaurant, which has pop art (who doesn't love Sophia Loren?) and Italian pop music playing in the background. It's a great venue for dates, group meetings and friend outings. read more

Limoncello - The yummy ravioli! - Italian Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all