Michael. That's all you need to know. Food is great and ambience is lovely, but the star of our experience was our server Michael. We were visiting from LA for a birthday weekend and he made our entire dinner feel so magical. As someone who works in the elevated hospitality industry, I'd be so lucky to have him on my team. No notes on the food, definitely no notes on customer service. Michael himself earned Marisi 2 new fans and we'll definitely be back! read more

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What a cute restaurant, loved loved loved and the food was soooo delicious. What a cute place to come on a date or just dinner with your friends. Service was fast and everyone was supper friendly. The to go bags are super cute. Loved all the decors. read more

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This is our first Italian restaurant that we actually love after Italy! For the past few years, we could not be pleased with Italian food anymore after having the best of it in Italy, but this place really impressed us!! Taste was 10/10 on everything we ordered! I was so excited to see a pornstar martini on the drink menu! I wish it came already assembled and not in a 3 step process, but i mixed it all together myself and enjoyed it like that! The vibes and ambiance are really really great. The interior is beautifully decorated. Everything looks and feels elevated. Fresh flowers on every table. The beautiful glassware and the attention to detail. The bathroom is also very cute! Everything we ordered tasted phenomenal, and we can't wait to come back for more! Definitely returnable and definitely worth the splurge! read more

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Boyfriend and I came here to celebrate our anniversary. Upon arrival, we got seated right away. FOOD: Ossobuco 5/5 - braised prime beef, polenta, chives, parmigiano-reggiano. Good portion and love the flavor of everything. Polenta reminded me of mashed potatoes. Duck lasagna 3/5 - duck ragu, duck prosciutto, parmigiano-reggiano, parsley sauce. It was too acidic and tasted like it was from a jar. I was hoping they would use fresh tomato sauce. DRINK: Pornstar martini is a cocktail made with vodka, passionfruit, vanilla bean, and lime, served with fresh passionfruit and a side of champagne. It's expensive but worth it! SERVICE: Server, host, water refill person, table cleaner, were all friendly and did their job really well. AMBIANCE: The restaurant has a warm, coastal-Italian ambiance that feels and looks intimate and upscale. read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Located in the heart of Downtown La Jolla so look out for street parking. Made reservations which I recommend especially during the weekend. Beautiful ambiance, service was very friendly and attentive, definitely a pricier menu. For two, we ordered local crudo, mushrooms, hearth-roasted bone marrow as apps. For mains, we ordered the spicy rigatoni and the duck lasagna. I would order the mushrooms and spicy rigatoni again! read more

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Tough to give an overall rating here. Really 3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 in honor of the hostess Aliya. Things that were great: --Aliya the hostess! We had to cancel last week because of the rain and wanting to eat outdoors. She was super this week in following up with me and helping me get a table outside at prime time the next week. That's the mark of a great employee and a well-run restaurant (at least here). Made me feel welcome. 5+ stars! --cocktails! They have an awesome cocktail program here. Apricot old-fashioned last time I was here and it was amazing. I tasted their Marisi Spritz at the Del Mar Wine and Food Festival and it was incredible. Doesn't sound like that different from other spritzes - but the combo of flavors is perfectly well balanced. I love this cocktail - it's like the nectar of the gods for me. 5+ stars. --patio: amazing! One of the best patios in town. a) intimate and cozy, great greenery and design, people not wandering on top of your table like in some neighborhoods; b) the heaters are fabulous. You can eat outside comfortably hear in Jan or Feb. c) The music! Super choices. Very chill. Felt hip to be here. --speed of drinks: nothing to complain about here, they came out fast. Now for the not so good: --pace of food: seriously 1 star. Very disappointing. Our first app came out after a long time, and it was just my sweetie's (meat, which I don't eat, so not to share). Took another 20 mins or so for our bread and my app. --the bread, which impressed me so much last time, was meh. When you're paying $11 for bread, please do not not give me butter. That would be another $5 for whipped butter and aged balsalmic. All they give you comped with the $11 is a meh salsa verde. Bread was boring. We asked if, pretty please, they might give us some regular butter. Sure they said... but it took a good 15 mins. --I was seriously starving by the time my entree came, about 75 mins after we sat down. I can't complain about the pesto itself - the pasta and sauce were very nice, and I'm not usually a pesto eater. It tasted like what I hoped it was. BUT I was so hungry by then it was hard to savor it (wolfing it down instead). And it was not a wow dish like the pasta I got last time. I felt like I could get this in any serious local Italian restaurant, not that it was elevated to be legendary. My sweetie liked his prosciutto, and our entrees were good. Ditto with the beets and raspberries. But sadly we will not be running back here. Amazing hostesses, FAB patio, cocktail that lights up all the happy parts in my brain and palate - but I don't want to wait that long for food and it's not incredible. Bummer this visit even though we loved the patio and drinks! read more

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Obsessed!! We came here for Mother's Day brunch and had a wonderful experience. First off, the decor throughout the entire restaurant, bar, and kitchen was incredible. We sat under their coveted outdoor area but I would love to come back and sit at the bar with live music. For drinks, I loved the Porn Star martini as well as the Espresso Martini. The food menu was a prix fixe, and we loved all of it!! The tiramisu coffee cake was out of the world. The bagel tower with lox was the cutest bagel presentation I've ever seen. And lastly, the lemon bucatini was lovely. I can't wait to come back here and try more items. There was no valet option, so account for time to park. read more

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Dakota was my waiter this past week and he was more than amazing! He was not only attentive, but really paid attention to details. He treated me for my birthday and gave me a nice sparkler. I would recommend this restaurant to people mainly for Dakota. Make those reservations asap! read more

Marisi - The fire wine! - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

Absolute perfection! We had the bone marrow, the beets, the Crudo, the bread, and the pesto pasta, all were a 10 out of 10 Dakota was our server and he is the best, highly recommend you ask for him!! read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

Our first time here. We decided to come for brunch bc we saw that this was a pet friendly restaurant. I adopted my dog 3 weeks ago and she has severe separation anxiety. We were seated in the patio area and the staff was so friendly and helpful. They offered me a water bowl and were patient with us. Alicia (our waitress) was wonderful! Our food was delicious and our Aperol spritz were perfect. I definitely recommend. read more

Marisi - Marisi Aperol Spritz - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Looking for a place to have lunch in La Jolla and stopped by Marisi for a quick bite. First impressions the place was beautifully decorated and really gave off a bright spring vibe with the flowers. Me & a friend shared their Carbonara bucatini and beef carpaccio, and sadly the carbonara bucatini was very creamy but just a bit too salty for my taste. Ordering the beef carpaccio with is definitely saved it by balancing it out, and we both enjoyed the beef carpaccio a bit more. Just a bit disappointed in how salty our pasta was but definitely would like to try other dishes next time. Very welcoming staff overall as well :) read more

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First time in a while I felt really excited to try a restaurant and it definitely did not disappoint. I picked this restaurant to go to out of all the other ones in the area because of its decor and ambiance, and needless to say, we were impressed. Service was quick and our servers were very attentive. We got the spicy rigatoni and short rib gnocchetti. Between the two, the rigatoni was better overall but the gnochetti was more substantial. Both were superb and had such an amazing texture. Sauce was on point and had great mouth feel. My favorite part was the freshly cracked pepper. They added just the right amount. Would definitely come back for the spicy rigatoni. The gnochetti was amazing but the rigatoni was a pinch better. read more

Marisi - Short rib Gnocchetti and spicy Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Love love this place! My girlfriends made reservations here for a pre birthday celebration for me. The restaurant is so cute and is perfect for GNO or date night. Upon arrival our table was set up in the back area with plenty of space. Our server was super sweet, friendly and quick. We had a huge prefixed menu ready for us. I had the cantaloupe margarita which I enjoyed because it wasn't overly sweet and was just perfect. Onto the food... everything was delicious! This was all served family style so we got to try everything. Some of my favorites: olives, focaccia, little gem salad, rigatoni, grilled chicken, and hamachi. We had more than enough food to share. We were bummed we didnt get to try the bone marrow due to the bone undercooked when it was brought out to us so I will definitely come back to try that! Everything from food, service to ambiance was excellent. I will definitely come back because there is lots more to try! read more

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We went for brunch and it was really good. I love that they have gluten free pasta! The cinnamon roll is to die for, but it's huge so plan on sharing or taking home! The iced latte was nice and not sweet. The carbonara is always a hit. Service is great they are very pleasant and easy to talk to. We ate on outside which is perfect vibes for brunch. read more

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Visited on my birthday in September. We sat outdoors. Such a pretty ambiance. We shared the caesar salad, agnolotti, carbonara, and tiramisu cream puff. The pastas were great - great flavor and texture. The tiramisu cream puff was fantastic! I didn't care for the caesar salad at all - the texture was too soft for my liking and the dressing too sour. The rossini mocktail tasted like straight apple juice which was a bummer since it was $15. The pastas were pretty pricey considering the portions were definitely on the smaller side. (The restaurant is in La Jolla after all). Service was really attentive. I mentioned to our server that it was my birthday and he brought out a sparkler with dessert. It was a nice touch (no birthday freebies which was fine). Overall, I really enjoyed my experience - beautiful ambiance, delicious pastas and dessert, and great service. read more

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I rarely write reviews, but after such a stark difference between my two experiences at Marisi, I wanted to share this in hopes of bringing it to management's attention. I first came here in April and absolutely loved it. We had the focaccia, Little Gem Caesar, spicy rigatoni (not the girl dinner) short rib pappardelle, drinks, and the limoncello tiramisu, and everything was phenomenal. The food was so good that I was excited to come back and bring my parents. The limoncello tiramisu was actually one of the main reasons we chose to come back, so we were especially disappointed to find out it had been taken off the menu. Unfortunately, our dinner last night was a completely different experience. We came for the Girl Dinner menu and ordered the focaccia, Caesar, and spicy rigatoni, and also added the short rib pappardelle. The presentation was absolutely there as you can see in the photos, everything looked beautiful when it came to the table, but the actual quality and execution of the food were so subpar. The focaccia was dry, cold, and completely unremarkable. It felt like cafeteria food. The spicy rigatoni arrived cold and was nothing like what I remembered. There was hardly any stracciatella on top, the sauce itself was bland, and there were large, flaky pieces of salt throughout the pasta that you'd randomly bite into, making some bites overwhelmingly salty. The Little Gem Caesar was equally disappointing. The dressing was seriously lacking, and several of the croutons were so burnt and hard that we could barely bite into them. Even the short rib pappardelle, which I had loved on my first visit, was a huge letdown. There was barely any short rib, very little sauce, and what little sauce was there was incredibly flavorless. It honestly tasted like a completely different dish from the one I had a few months ago. On top of all of this, we waited more than 45 minutes for our food. My first meal here was easily an 8-9/10, while last night was honestly closer to a 4/10. I completely understand that restaurants can have an off night, but the difference in quality between my two visits was pretty shocking, especially considering we ordered several of the exact same dishes. I was excited to bring my parents because I had talked up how good Marisi was, and I really wanted them to have the experience I had the first time. Unfortunately, while everything still looked the part, the quality of the food simply wasn't there. I'm sharing this less to bash the restaurant and more because I know firsthand how good Marisi can be, and I hope management takes a look at the consistency coming out of the kitchen. We left extremely disappointed. read more

Marisi - Girl Dinner Tray - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

My wife and I had a pretty disappointing experience tonight celebrating our wedding anniversary. Let me first start by saying the waiter had exceptional customer service. He was extremely friendly. The disappointment was with the food. We came in knowing exactly what we were going to order. The Little Gem, Carbonara Bucatini and King Crab Agnolotti. The Little Gem was great. We were told the Carbonara was not available because the meat grinder was not working. This was the first disappointment. The dish was replaced with a Cacio e pepe which was just OK. We understand that things happen so we didn't make a big deal about it. Then we were told the King Crab Agnolotti "exploded" so the kitchen wasn't able to make it. Not really sure what that means but it sounds like the chef's problem. It was replaced by another dish which again was just OK. The waiter tried to make it right with a complimentary dessert which we didn't care much for but we figured we would just take advantage of since it was complimentary. We ended up waiting nearly 30 minutes for the tiramisu. Kind of ridiculous to wait this long when all the toppings were served on the side and we have to build it ourselves. Finally got the bill and was hoping for some kind of discount, or at the very least a cheaper price than what we originally ordered. We were disappointed to see we still paid full price for everything even though we were served completely different dishes. We were tired and really just wanted to go home so we didn't bring this up to the waiter. We had high hopes for this restaurant and left disappointed. read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Loved this restaurant. It's a great girls night out or date night restaurant. The ambiance is pretty and I loved the tiramisu soft serve. My server was also so sweet. She gave the best recommendations. Would definitely come back again read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

AMAZING EXPERIENCE especially with Noah, Dakota and Justin! Food was 10/10 same with the ambience and I loved celebrating my birthday here. Thank you! read more

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Had the most amazing experience at Marisi! Took my niece there for a special occasion. The ambience, food and vibe were exactly what I was looking for. What really made the night special was our server Britnee. Her natural attention to every detail elevated the meal into an experience we won't forget. Thanks Britnee and Marisi! We will be back! read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

Went to San Diego to visit my bestie for her Birthday Bash Pool Party at her house & I shared with her to pick a place she wanted to eat. So we drove out to La Jolla & ended up at this spectacular place of a restaurant! The year before we went to another place called Queenstown Village & this place was far better. We ordered; Rigatoni, Filet, Focaccia, Brown Butter, Carpaccio, Burrata, Italian Dip, Carbonara, Side Toast, & a bunch of drinks. The Porn Star Martini was my absolute favorite! The Rigatoni, Filet, & Focaccia were to die for! to die for! I really want to go back & wish it was just down he street from my house, but I reside in Santa Cruz, CA. But do not worry, I will come back for the amazing service with Michael B. & Gavin the Bartender who made the drinks with pride & joy! Thanks man for the tip & service you two, keep on killing it! Location is killer & the ambiance is subtle & not overwhelming like most restaurants do that are like this, its not overly done with objects all over the restaurant & doing to much. This place was done elegantly. read more

Marisi - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Initially came to try the "Girl Dinner" set but after looking at the menu, we decided the better option was À la carte due to prices and variety (and we were right). We started the meal with the prosciutto, focaccia, and Little Gem salad. After we finished the appetizers, the pasta took a while to come out, and it came out cold! Everything was unimpressive. The carbonara was salty, did not taste like carbonara. The focaccia was tasteless even with the whipped brown butter, aged balsamic. The best thing from our meal was the Little Gem salad. I will give it to the restaurant for having cute vibes and a nice seating area outside but other than that, I'd skip on the food. read more

Marisi - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

Let's call this a happy accident. My girlfriend and I were going to have brunch and my girlfriend made reservations for the wrong restaurant. We told the hostess and we all laughed about it. We are so happy we stayed to try Marisi!!! All I have to say FANTASTIC!!!!!!!! This place needs 6 stars!!! We ordered the Egg Napolitana dish and the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Absolutely Delicious. The egg dish was great, but the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes were AMAZING!!! This restaurant's decor is beautiful and the staff were great and so nice. Jason our waiter was great and so genuine. We got help from the manager Stephanie, Liz and Bella, Great customer service! I have shout out to the cooks who made this amazing food. Thank you Sam the egg napolitana. Dannia I just have to say, Fantastic pancakes. The Best Pancakes in San Diego! Trust me, I've been to so many brunches and breakfast places and Marisi's Pancakes are by far the Best! My girlfriend and I can't wait to to try dinner at Marisi. We will be back!!! A MUST try spot!!! Thank you read more

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My daughter-in-law's baby shower yesterday was amazing! I had to leave halfway through, so sadly I missed the main course. But I loved everything I tried--the pistachio cinnamon roll was refreshing, just a little too sweet for me, and the other two dishes were delicious. Wish I could've stayed till the end, but overall, such a beautiful experience! read more

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The ambience, service, and overall vibes here are great. 10/10 for the hand soap in the bathroom; I am a soap snob haha! Espresso martinis were also great, and their wine selection was very interesting and unique. The food overall was meh. I may just not be a pasta aficionado....but our pasta was just ok. The short rib paperdelle was tough, and possibly not made fresh? Very tin, metallic taste from the sauce and the short rib itself was tough. Clam / uni pasta lacked that special uni flavor, they say there is uni butter involved but I wouldn't have known. For $300 for 4 dishes and a bottle of wine...there are other places you could go for a more wow factor in food. You are paying for the service which was excellent, and the location. read more

The service was impeccable! Best I have had in SD so far. My friend went to use the bathroom and he refolded her napkin for her. Came for girl dinner, it is definitely on the pricey side but was very good. The caesar salad was great, the spicy rigatoni was not spicy but the burrata on top made the dish. read more

Marisi - Girl Dinner Tray - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

Very beautiful ambiance. Everyone here seemed to be having a great time. Service was excellent! Cocktails were yummy (blood orange paper plane!). Food was good, not exceptional. Our favs were the focaccia with brown butter and the spicy rigatoni. Duck lasagna was lacking flavor. Carbonara was a little dry. Beets were ok. Desserts looked great, but we didn't try them. I'd come back for drinks, rigatoni and dessert! read more

Really good all around: the food, ambiance, and the service. Prices are on the expensive side. Make sure you make a reservation and parking his on the street Short rib papardelle was a highlight! read more

Our waiter, Justin, was amazing!! Gave great recommendations and was super attentive and friendly. We will definitely be returning!! Spicy rigatoni was my favorite. Chicken was also great. read more

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Still dreaming about our incredible night at Marisi--one of those meals where every single dish hits. Michael and Lizzie took such great care of us--attentive, warm, and genuinely made the experience feel special from start to finish. The focaccia set the tone--fresh, aromatic, and hard to stop eating. The local crudo was next level--bright, delicate, and easily the best we've had anywhere. The spicy rigatoni brought the heat in the best way--perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. And the branzino...wow. Light, crispy, and elevated with green chermoula and those crispy Fresno peppers--just outstanding. And just when we thought it couldn't get better, the pistachio/raspberry soft serve was the perfect sweet finish--light, refreshing, and memorable. If you're looking for a place that delivers on food, service, and overall experience--this is it. Highly, highly recommend. read more

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First Time Here We came for brunch on Sunday at 11 AM. Parking is a little difficult to find, there is a paid lot for $20 nearby. We walked from our hotel at Scripps Inn. The reviews on here for brunch talk about how small the portions are so it misled us into getting a bunch of items, but really for two, we could have done with one less pasta. Get the pasta and Focaccia. I highly recommend it. read more

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Dinner at Marisi in La Jolla -- honestly a letdown. We started with the artichoke, which was easily the best dish of the night. Perfectly crispy on the outside, tender inside, and the cream with caviar balanced everything without overpowering it. Next was the grilled beets with goat cheese and pistachios -- decent, but slightly overcooked. The king crab agnolotti followed. It was creamy, but there was no real harmony between the crab and the butter. Just felt off. Then came the carbonara bucatini... and this is where things really fell apart. It's such a classic, simple dish, but somehow it was completely fumbled. The guanciale was barely there -- more like tiny leftover bacon bits -- and overall it was bland. Easily the worst dish of the night. I skipped dessert, but my friend ordered the lemon tiramisu hoping to end things on a high note. It was just okay -- not enough to redeem the meal. What makes it more disappointing is that the staff was absolutely amazing. For a $200 meal, this was a one-and-done for me. Honestly, even with a big discount, I'd hesitate to go back. read more

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Been wanting to try from all the hype we've heard and it didn't disappoint. The food was phenomenal had 3 dishes, along with the drink menu being VERY well put together. The Blantons from the barrel is exclusive to Marisi. Our waitress was so great, we had to get her name for next time, as the night went on the ambiance turned very intimate with the lighting dimming down and music getting softer. 11/10 read more

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The staff who served us (Noah, Dakota, Justin) were enough to want to come back, but the food and ambiance was also incredible!!! but truly cannot emphasize enough how incredible, personable, and fun this staff is!!! will be back read more

My fiancé and I came here to celebrate our engagement! The whole staff was super friendly. We were congratulated by multiple people from the host when we walked in to everyone else who helped serve us. Denisse was our main server and helped us feel super celebrated! The focaccia is a must order, and definitely get the honey ricotta with it! Our pastas were both delicious as well. Gorgeous atmosphere, good drinks, fresh food, fair prices. We had a great time! read more

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Marisi is a gem in La Jolla! Loved the cantaloupe margarita and for starters: Little gem salad Funghi dish For dinner we shared pastas: Rigatoni Carbonara Campanelle The interior patio is beautiful and we had the perfect corner table. Big shoutout to Christine for being such a great waitress. Can't wait to come back! read more

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Highly recommend for brunch!! There are paid parking lots nearby. The food was very great quality and the service Alysha provided was excellent!! Great spot, can't wait to come back. read more

Marisi - Brunch Menu - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

The ambience at Marisi is outstanding! Our server Britnee was so bubbly and passionate when describing the food, she made us want to order everything! We started with the focaccia. The green dipping sauce is magical! I ordered the carbonara, very yummy! Brittany surprised me with a silver platter of ice cream and different sauces as a birthday treat!!! Thank you Brittany, Thank you Marisi for a wonderful kickoff to my Birthday weekend!! read more

Marisi - Beautiful!!! - Italian Near Me - La Jolla, California

My friend brought me here to celebrate my birthday, and it ended up being the perfect spot for dinner. The ambiance is beautiful. We sat outside, but it almost felt like being indoors because of the ceiling and decor -- just with fresh air. It was a warm night, so it couldn't have been better. The vibe and design are on point: fun, stylish, and inviting. We ordered the maitake mushrooms, grilled prawns, and Caesar salad to start. The salad and sautéed mushrooms were surprisingly large portions for a place like this, and both were fresh and delicious. We were already getting pretty full just from those dishes. I also ordered a mocktail, which was nice and refreshing. The grilled prawns had great seasoning. For the main dish, we shared the short rib pappardelle, which was very good. The pasta had a nice texture -- slightly al dente -- and the sauce was flavorful. That said, for the price, there were very few pieces of short rib, which was a bit disappointing. They also brought out a chocolate dessert as a birthday treat, and it was a 10/10. A really special way to end the meal. They do brunch as well which I think it's a perfect place to come after walking around by the beach! read more

The restaurant is so beautiful and I love how open the patio is! Our waiter Nick was so nice and gave great recommendations! He was so accommodating with all my questions and food restrictions. The focaccia doesn't photograph well, but it's incredible! We ordered it last minute and am so glad we tried it. The pasta and mushrooms were tasty as well. There's so many more incredible dishes to try we will definitely be back! read more

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