I had such a great time here! I stopped by on my way back to San Diego proper after visiting the…read morelocal alpaca farm (yay feeding alpacas!), and from the moment I arrived, I felt so welcomed. Diane was an absolute joy--she had me laughing every time she came by the table! We did the wine and olive oil tasting, and while not every wine was exactly my style (wine is all about personal taste, after all), they were all well-crafted and enjoyable in their own way. The balance of fruit and acidity was spot on, and I really appreciated the lower alcohol content (most around 13.2%), which is rare for the area. Unfortunately, we missed out on trying the Pinot Noir since it had just sold out, but the newly bottled Montepulciano is going to be a perfect light summer wine! Chris also stopped by, and we ended up having such a fantastic conversation that I truly didn't want to leave. This is the kind of winery that makes you feel like an old friend from the moment you walk in, and it absolutely makes you want to return. And I definitely will! Highly recommend!

I have been wanting to visit this vineyard for some time now and it didn't disappoint . The wine…read morethe ambience was all 5 star . We did a wine tasting and loved each and every single wine . The owner Diane went above and beyond to make us feel at home . You must try their olive oil tasting as well . Had a great experience and will definitely be returning !

This pizza place is a family owned business in the corner of a shopping center, it's a hidden gem!…read moreThe family who owns this place they are all very nice people and I can tell they take lots of pride in their restaurant. Two things that I absolutely love and recommend would be the Fettuccine Alfredo and Rigatoni Pesto, the sauces are made in house and are fresh and creamy. Not pictured but the pepperoni pizza is also really good as it replicates that's feel of authentic new york pizza. Most times I take my food to go so I don't really get to eat that much inside the place, but when I do they always serve my food with care. Absolutely love this place, me and my partner frequent here often!

Delicious homemade Italian! Family run business!…read more I had the Lasagna w/meat sauce and a side of meatballs. Sooo good! A definite favorite now.

I go to this restaurant a couple times a month. Last night I ordered the (10) wings and side of…read moremeatballs. IT WAS SO GOOD. It is a bit pricy but for me the size of the order is 2-3 meals. I will order this again. Highly recommend.

A secret of east El Cajon, or just south of the 8 in essentially Lakeside, not far from Santee--we…read morestopped for dinner after picking up supplies at a neighboring store. They are still sticking to the original recipes and I appreciate the dough of our Italian Sausage & Mushroom pizza. We also shared a Caesar salad. I like that they have a room for private events - they had the Padres game on in that room. Our server would pass by a few times so that we could ask her for anything additional. We skipped dessert this time. Our pizza was better the second day! The way they prepare mushrooms was the way my hometown pizza place did. And the CHEESE! So delicious and melt-y!!!! Enjoy it

Love coming here! The food is great, I always feel so comfortable and welcome thanks to Tony, he is…read morethe best!

Went to Dolci for a family dinner and to carb load before my tennis match. Really great experience,…read morewe all thoroughly enjoyed our food. I had the linguine piccata and it was exactly what I was looking for. It really hit the spot. My husband has the ravioli di carne and the sauce was perfect for scarpetta (taking bread to sop up the leftover sauce). We cleaned the plate! My parents also enjoyed their ravioli and seafood fettuccine. The thing that really set Dolci apart was the service. I only comment on service if it's really good or really bad, but the service here was phenomenal. Shout out to our waiter, Tony, who took great care of us and had a great sense of humor. Everyone else that stopped by to check on us was also super friendly and made our experience great. The owner even stopped by to chat for a bit, which was really nice. Our meal ended with a pistachio gelato, that the owner told us was imported from Italy. The quality was great - there were hunky pieces of pistachio in it. We all really enjoyed it. We'll definitely be back for the food and the great vibes. There are so many more dishes on the menu I want to try!

been going there for years and years absolutely love the…read moreservice and food i would drive miles for the best quality of food.

We ventured to the other side of El Cajon tonight to try out the early bird special and 1/2 price…read moreappetizers. Opening the door we were greeted with the old school charm of a restaurant that has been around for over 50 years. Our server was delightful and very fast. In fact the entire staff had a warm energetic family feel. And, happily we beat the rush giving us the ability to hear each other and take our time enjoying the meal. Dad and I started with the chicken tortellini soup which was a little too salty for us. Tortellini was slightly overcooked making it flowery and missing meat or cheese. Mom's house salad was ok. She did comment on being disappointed in the oil served with it. Our appetizer was shrimp scampi. This was good, full of flavor. Shrimp was slightly overcooked giving it a semi rubbery edge. On to the entrees. They were huge! I had lasagna. I think when you see it delivered in a sea of sauce you need to be a bit wary. The sauce was spicy, as it should be. Noodles were thick and prominent . Sadly that left little to no room for my favorite part - cheese and meat which were limited. Dad gave the manicotti a try which was ok. Mom had eggplant parmesan, one of her favs. Her sauce was a little bit tart. Eggplant was a nice moist and tender slice with just the right amount of cheese. She loved how the strands of spaghetti wrapped around her fork so she could dip it into the sauce without a spoon. Yup, she really liked the Pasta. Overall she felt it was a nice Italian meal. Very popular spot as it filled up before 6pm and a party of 30 was expected! You can see it's a neighborhood

This place was excellent! I really liked the decor inside, it was very old Hollywood. The menu was…read moregreat, with a lot to choose from. They do have complimentary bread but you have to ask. It's very soft and delicious. The half Caesar salad is huge and plenty for a whole table, and it was excellent. All of the pastas were cooked perfect and had so much flavor as well. I really liked how I was able to change up the sauce on my seafood pasta which made it hit the spot. Service was fantastic the entire time, food is delicious, definitely a hidden gem!

We came to El Cajon to join the Celebration of America 250 at Dr. David Jeremiah's church. We…read moredecided to tried this local Italian restaurant. What a great find. They have a big patio seating as well as inside seating. There were 8 of us. We sat at a table facing a wall full of the old time Italian actors and actresses. We had so much fun trying to figure out who is who in those pictures on the wall. The food were awesome. We ordered Linguine with clams, Antipasto salad, and other pasta dishes. They were all excellent. The Garlic Bread and the Cannoli were amazing!! Definitely will come back.

Such a wonderful night with amazing food and amazing service. Cindy was our server tonight and her…read morebright spirit and enthusiasm really shined bright in every interaction. As first timers here, Cindy provided a welcoming and personal experience through meal recommendations, drink pairings, and community events. She truly made our night so much more memorable and meaningful throughout her kindness and hospitality. It is truly so refreshing to connect with such a warm-hearted and radiant person and have the opportunity to hear about their love for the industry, food, and connection to the people that they work with. It was such a pleasure to enjoy the amazing food and atmosphere that she provided tonight! Looking forward to our next time here!

Testo Pepesto Italian Restaurant in El Cajon, just off Main St., was a great experience! Street…read moreparking was easily available, and the restaurant offers both indoor and patio seating with plenty of space for larger parties. We were a party of eight, including three little ones, and our waitress, Ms. Cindy, was AMAZING! Her service is truly the reason this restaurant is getting a 5-star review from us. Ms. Cindy consistently checked on our table to make sure we had everything we needed. What impressed me most was how attentive she was around the children. When bringing out hot dishes, she was very mindful about where she placed them and made sure they were safely out of the children's reach. That level of attention to detail was phenomenal! If you're looking for amazing table service, ask to be seated in Ms. Cindy's section, and be sure to leave her a generous tip because she is worth every penny! Now, on to the food: Gnocchi Tuscan: Good flavor. Sicilian Lobster Mac & Cheese: Delish! Double Deluxe Pizza: Delicious and absolutely true to its name. DELUXE and packed with goodness! Garlic Cheese Bread: Delish, and the marinara sauce was SO GOOD! Calamari: Well cooked, although there were no tentacles. Teriyaki Chicken Wings: Good-sized wings, but the breading made them look HUGE. They were a little over-sauced for my liking. Shrimp Lobster Linguini: I was told it was amazing! Rigatoni Fra Diavola with added shrimp: AMAZING flavor! Margherita Pizza: I'm normally not a fan of pizza without meat, but this one completely surprised me. AMAZING flavor! Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience, but Ms. Cindy's exceptional service really made our visit memorable. THANK YOU, MS. CINDY, for taking such great care of our family and giving us an AMAZING dining experience!

I had an amazing birthday dinner here for my roommate! Brad was our wonderful server--he was…read moreinformative, made the perfect wine recommendation, and gave us excellent suggestions throughout the evening. The food was unforgettable. I loved every dish and ate to my heart's content! The location is cute, with plenty of parking, which is always a bonus. If this place were in Little Italy, they could easily charge an arm and a leg, but the prices were incredibly reasonable, especially for the portions and quality. Definitely come here for your next Italian fix. I can't wait to come back!

We decided to have lunch since we were down the street. This place was on my to try list. They did…read morelag for the restraunt being empty. There was only one server so that could be why. The chicken parm was the main thing we wanted to try. The presentation was off and I noticed the cheese was still in shreds. Not even melted over the chicken so we were disappointed. My pasta was dry I had to ask for Alfredo sauce. It did add to it and I did enjoy my pasta. The garlic bread was soft, but for me it was missing butter. It had a slight garlic taste loaded with parmasan. It wasnt my favorite. We tried and it wasnt horrible food it just wasnt what we expected.

My wife and I just came from Jamul Casino and wanted some Pizza and we stopped by Filippi's Pizza…read moreGrotto. Before we got to the front door, I could smell the Pizza's coming from the ovens with all of the Italian herbs, pizza sauce, etc. We were greeted by the Hostess, Elise as we entered the restaurant. She was very pleasant, friendly and we felt comfortable with her. We asked our server Maxwell to recommend what Pizza is popular and he recommended the Fit for a King. When the Pizza arrived it had a massive amount of Mozzarella and or Provolone cheese, with Sausage, Pepperoni, black Olives, green Bell Peppers, onions, pizza sauce. It was nice and thick and had a crisp darkened crust. The Pizza was one of the best my wife and I had in San Diego. Unbelievable!!!! I asked Maxwell for a good glass of red wine and he brought me a very good wine that was perfect.We also ordered Antipasto Salad. The Antipasto salad was enough for both of us. The mixed greens had Salami, Pepperoni, Coppocola Ham, pepperoncini, provolone cheese cubes, green olives, artichokes, black olives and Vinagrette dressing. It was outstanding!! We also was served hot warm Italian bread with margarine-very good. I like the old fashion Italian restaurant look with the red and white table cloths, with lattice design with the vineyard look and wine bottles. I want to personally thank Elise the hostess, Maxwell the server and Dan Miller who cooked the Pizza. Your service was top notch and you should be commended for your superior performance, customer service skills and most of all your hospitality. Thank You, Ed and Janice

I've always loved Filippi's, which is why this experience was especially disappointing…read more Last night (9/18/26), we picked up two cheesy breads on our way home after being out of town. When we got home, we discovered that parchment paper was stuck to the cheese on both cheesy breads. We tried to peel it off, but the paper kept ripping and sticking to the cheese, leaving a layer of parchment paper covering the bread. Obviously, we couldn't eat them. I called the store to explain what happened, and I was told that I would need to bring the cheesy breads back to the store and they would then decide whether they would make us new ones. We live 45 minutes away, so I was not going to drive an hour and a half round trip just to return two defective cheesy breads. I asked to speak with the manager, and unfortunately, the interaction became even more frustrating. The manager was extremely rude and dismissive. He told me that in his 20 years there, he had never heard of parchment paper sticking to the cheese and he didn't believe me. I told him I would send in pictures to that he dismissed. He also told me that I should have checked my food before leaving the restaurant and that I needed to do that next time. I explained that I have three young children, six and under, and that driving 45 minutes back to the restaurant was not a reasonable solution. After a lot of back and forth, he reluctantly agreed to give me store credit for one cheesy bread. The problem was that I had ordered two, and this happened to both of them. When I pointed that out, he responded, "What? Now it's two cheesy breads?" I told him it had always been two that was my order. He then said he would write down that I had store credit. I asked how I was supposed to know the credit would actually be documented when he had never asked my name or looked up my order. After putting me on hold for about 10 minutes, he apparently went through the orders to find mine. The food issue was disappointing, but honestly, the way the manager handled the situation was the worst part. Mistakes happen. I understand that. What I don't understand is making a customer feel like they are lying, blaming them for the problem, and making them feel like they're asking for something unreasonable when they're simply trying to get what they paid for. I love Filippi's, but after this experience, I will not be returning to this location. Customer service makes a huge difference, and this was one of the worst manager interactions I've ever experienced.

June 26, 2026 visiting relatives in the El Cajon California area…read more Everyone was in the mood for pizza so I decided to try Rancho giant pizza we enjoyed a Godfather's pizza and a Philly cheese pizza. They were both delicious. The food was delicious a little bit more well done on the crust and I like, but it was still delicious. Everyone seem to have enjoyed it. Highly recommend enjoyed it bon appétit.

Rancho Giant Pizza is a family owned pizza spot in East County that not only has the largest…read morepizzas in East County (a 28" one that's GINORMOUS), but they also have a ton of other Italian items like pasta , calzones, sandwiches, and salads along with other great appetizer options including wings , fried zucchini and cheese sticks. Our go to pizza is pepperoni and jalapeno and out of all the pizzas we tried, that was the first to go! We also really suggest getting the fried zucchini spears with their house made ranch