I think Romano's has been permanently downgraded for me to a no wait restaurant or else I walk away. We showed up at 3, added our name to the waitlist and were second in line for a table. We then waited 45 minutes to get a table. Maybe a cook called in sick or something, there could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation, but seeing half the tables in the restaurant have empty tables whilst sitting outside was deflating. They still have great food and my go to is the pesto, which has super generous portions. But I think this might be my last time here as I will likely be checking out different restaurants in Julian next time I visit. read more

We went here for our super late anniversary dinner, This hidden gem did not disappoint. We enjoyed delicious Sicilian style food and the ambiance was wonderful. Super quaint! The service was excellent. Our waitress and Joe both waited on us and helped us make the best decisions. We were feeling a bit adventurous and ordered what they recommended. Joe also surprised us with a yummy dessert for our anniversary and delicious Moka coffee to boot. We will certainly be back! Thank you for helping us celebrate our anniversary dinner. UPDATE: Okay, we stopped by here for a second time for a quick early dinner (same week) and it was delightful once again. We sat on their quaint patio with our dogs this time. It was very peaceful. Could hear many different birds and the church bell. We received a huge surprise when some angel who blessed us with paying for our dinner. Wow, what a special surprise!!! We do not know who it was, but what sweet act of kindness. We will certainly be paying it forward. Thank you to whoever you are and may God bless you immensely!!! Thanks again Joe for a wonderful meal and visit as always! You're the best!! We stay here in Julian around 3 or so times a year for a good couple of weeks. We will surely be back again and again when visiting the lovely town. :) read more

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Shrimp and scallop pasta was incredible!Romantic ambiance, loved the stained glass chandeliers and glow of the candles. Service was fast and sincere. Rating 4/5 due to the Pasta Romano... It is the signature dish that is named after the restaurant itself. I would rate this dish 2/5. It is dreadfully rich, the sauce was as thick as sour cream, and it was not balanced with any heat, acid, etc. The cost to add a protein was excessive as well. read more

Romano's Restaurant - Garlic shrimp and scallops - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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My favorite thing about Romano's is their Caesar Salad! Now THIS is exactly how I want my Caesar done! Such a rich and creamy anchovy dressing, yet not overly dressed. So delicious :9 I enjoyed the Spinach Tortellini with Florentine Sauce for my entire, as did my friend who ordered the same thing. It was a huge portion, so it also provided me a rather large breakfast the next morning. I think their Spumoni is home-made because it was very rich, filled with candied cherries and nuts. Almost tasted like it had liqueur in it. The dinner roles were soft and fresh. The service was friendly and attentive. And the atmosphere inside was quaint and comfy. My only suggestion would be to spiff up the outside seating. The day we went, Sunday evening, none of the outside tables looked cleaned. We were offered to sit out there, and typically I choose alfresco over inside, but it looked pretty messy with table clothes blown off, a big garbage bin in view with no trellis or plants to provide a divider, and nothing bussed or set. The outside area could be really charming, if given some care, like the inside. Otherwise, the experience was great. Whenever back in Julian, I look forward to going to Romano's again. The Caesar would be a must and I'd look forward to trying another dish. read more

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There are these little gems in San Diego. Romano's is a diamond!! Generally you go to Julian for Apple Pie but I actually hit up Romano's, especially when I want some legit Italian Food. The ambiance is truly something special, it's a quaint restaurant with plenty of room - but it feels like home. It's especially wonderful during the colder days, when you enter you are greeted with a warm fire in the furnace. Which let's be honest adds a certain romantic charm for those special occasions. The staff is always very friendly, I've had various experiences with larger parties along with just my wife and I. They are always very accommodating and just make it work, even during the busier months - when all the tourist hit up Julian for some snow. The food is stellar, something I look forward to whenever going. I generally stick to the Cheese Ravioli with the amazing Parmesan Cheese they use. They also have a solid wine selection, recently had a Chianti that was recommended. It was a solid choice and really complimented the meal. I highly recommend Romano's, it's one of those special places that make Julian truly special. read more

Took a little day trip to Julian with the hubby for a fun break, and after walking around town we worked up an appetite. Several locals recommended Romano's, so we decided to give it a try. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan and my husband got the Torpedo Sandwich. Before the entrées came out, they served fresh bread, which was warm, soft, and really tasty. The portions here are huge, so definitely come hungry or be ready to take leftovers home. Both dishes were tasty and yummy. The restaurant has that cute, homey, mom-and-pop feel ..that fits perfectly with Julian's charm. The wait staff were friendly, attentive, and made the experience even better. Overall, Romano's is worth a visit if you're in Julian and craving some hearty Italian comfort food. read more

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We're back in Julian again for our anniversary and we always come to Romano's. The first night, we had our usual pork chops. It was too cold to go anywhere our second night so we called in in order for a sausage, mushroom and olive pizza, Caesar salad, and a dinner salad. We ran down and picked it up and brought it back to our Airbnb. It was very good. Everyone is always so nice at Romanos. We've enjoyed supporting them over the last 30 years. read more

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Wow! We found ourselves in Julian and thanks to Yelp we found this restaurant and we actually went twice in one week! And we live 2 hours away. The food and service is that good! I got the eggplant parmigiana and it was phenomenal. Honestly if I lived closer I'd go every day lol. We were told there is usually a line but luckily we went on a Wednesday and Sunday and were sat right away. If you're looking for food Italian food and are close by (or don't mind driving) definitely recommend! read more

Romano's Restaurant - Such a great and cool spot for a nice dinner! - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

The host was the rudest, most disrespectful person I've ever come across in a public setting. The food is okay but due to the host's service, I'll never return and would not recommend the restaurant to anyone. read more

Normally I wouldn't leave a review but my boyfriend woke up sick with salmonella poisoning from the food last night. The pasta was bland and the chicken that we added in was sketchy. Thankfully I barely ate mine since I was full from the bread but not worth $97 for him to be throwing up and worse. Unfortunate because we were looking forward since it had decent reviews and we were celebrating our anniversary. read more

Hands down our favorite place to eat in Julian! Parking is in the streets where you can find it but there is a lot diagonally across the street next to the church. They have a QR code to add yourself to the waitlist inside just scan it. Worth the wait. In peak season it can be 30 minutes to an hour wait. Order the Cesar Salad! Great pizza, great lasagna great fettuccini. Pork chops in that garlic cream is heaven. The pesto is not our favorite ask for butter for your bread. The place is always warm with a fire inside. The servers seem a bit stressed they need training in just bring calm and smiley. But the food is so darn good! We are forever custoner read more

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No longer ordering from here. The previous order was poorly handled. This time we ordered a family dinner and paid waaaaay too much but worse the pizza was thin and burnt (forgot to put yeast in the dough?) and the eggplant parmigiana was the worst ive ever had and im from brooklyn. Bottom line just another formerly good eatery turing to garbage in the name of tourism. Good thing the people you are now catering to have no taste in food. read more

-Didn't feel like the hostess addressed our party for a while - Homey interior -Table was quite low in comparison to the seats -Homey like someone's house -Bread was just ok -Mussel appetizer was delicious! I liked the parmasean and lemon-y mix. Would have been down to order it again -Spinach tortellini- I liked this, but it was a bit salty and heavy. The heaviness is just the nature of the dish though -Margarita pizza- good, typical -Service- the two older ladies were so sweet. There were also two younger ones. One was nice, but the other one seemed a little stressed/ on edge -Overall, this was fine, but would rather try another place next time read more

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Excellent service from waiter David. Food was excellent, Caesar salad,Lasagna & Pistachio Cream Cake. Lovely atmosphere.

It has been over a decade since I've been to Julian. Hubby and I went this weekend, the drive up their is so beautiful. While most of the restaurants are over croweded in the main street, this little spot is located off the main street. Whatever the wait is for this spot, is well worth it. We hadn't had a good Italian dish in such a long time. Portions are pretty hefty too. We started with a salad that came with our pasta. This is no small side salad folks. It had mushrooms, artichoke, cheese, salami, pepperchini and other goodies. It was a full side salad. We then ordered the mussels as an appetizer which is like a whole mean for one person, we shared it but next time we agree to get our our , that is how delicious this plate was. This mussels dish was the best thing ever! Mussels came in a what seemed like olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon juice and parmesan. If you order this, same your table bread to dip into this delicous garlic, parm oil dip. Hubby even wanted to bring the leftover sauce lol. Romano's needs to turn this into a pasta dish too :) By the time our main pasta dish came, we where already stuffed. I had the Spinach Tortellini w/ Florentine sauce and he had the Lasagna al Forno, a pretty hefty size. So we basically just drove up there to eat at Romano's. So next time we visit, we will make sure to get extra dishes to go. We will be back, pretty soon. read more

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really incredible service, i wish i could remember our server's name so i could commend him specifically!! he was so kind, attentive and quick with helping us out, and he made sure we had a great time! as for the food itself, everything was phenomenal, especially for after a long roadtrip! we had two pizzas, two pastas, a salad and the mussels, which all tasted wonderful. trust me, you do not want to skip out on any items you're curious about here because they'll probably make it perfectly and it'll be so, so worth it!! the restaurant's ambiance is also very nice, it's super cozy and low lit at night which made for the perfect dinner vibe :) 10/10 would recommend!! hope to come here again if i'm ever in julian another time read more

Romano's Restaurant - margherita pizza - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

One of the best old school family restaurants still operating in Ramona like they have been for last 30 plus years only place I recommend you to go ciao read more

Came here on a Saturday evening with my partner and it was such a nice rustic cozy vibe. The service was great, our server started us with some bread and helped guide us to a wine we liked. My partner and I decided on the Sicilian Sauce with the side soup which they were both excellent. We paired it with their Zinfandel which was also phenomenal! Overall a really cute spot to check out if you're in Julian and craving some Italian food read more

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Amazing food and fantastic service! Very cozy and romantic. A wonderful way to end an eventful day in Julian. Complimentary bread rolls are served with olive oil and vinegar. You MUST try the creamy pesto, I got mine with cheese tortellini. read more

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We visited this place on a very busy weekend this winter in Julian, great costumer service, we were sit at the bar (we were o my 2 ppl) and the server was always taking care of us, food arrived very quick and the best part is that is was very very good! is a small family restaurant with authentic Italian Sicilian food! Totally recommend this place, and very clean also read more

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Excellent! Easily the best Margherita Pizza I have ever had! Great atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonable prices. An easy 5 Stars!!! Worth the trip!!! read more

We stopped for lunch and we're happy we did! Roll for my sandwich was made this morning -- you could taste the freshness! I was able to custom order a chicken parm sandwich that was outstanding! I told Manager Joe to add it to the menu! Cannoli was fantastic also. We'll be back! read more

Romano's Restaurant - Torpedo sandwich. - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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Second time visiting. Saturday night dinner around 7 PM. Restaurant was full, but we were seated very quickly (party of two). Very cute ambience with tablecloths and candles. Ordered the Eggplant Parmesan and the Seafood Fettuccine (not sure the exact name) but it had shrimp. calamari and scallops. Absolutely delicious dishes. We opted for the dinner salad, which was a meal in itself. Just like an antipasto salad with salami, cheese, olives, peppers, artichokes etc, again great, bread and butter of course. Our server Alex was exceptional. She and her backup team were on us better than most fine dining restaurants. For dessert each ordered spumoni ice cream, best I've had to date. I couldn't be more pleased with this dinner experience. Wish we lived closer to experience more often. One last thing... the prices are very reasonable. read more

Five Stars is not enough to describe the sheer greatness of this restaurant. It was once an old house, but they converted it into a restaurant. There's early 1900 music playing very softly, 1900's family photos from the family who might have founded it, and the ambiance made me feel like I was eating a homecooked meal. When we arrived, they gave me some homemade rolls with some Balsamic Vinegar and Oil. I thought that was a little weird, but I dipped the roll and it was surprisingly delicious. I ordered the 14'' Pepperoni Pizza. It was at a very desirable price, and the meatball, only $8, was massive! Italian Food is my favorite type, and even I couldn't finish it. The Waitress was very nice to us, she never tried to get me to buy more things, like some servers in other restaurants. She joked with me, and I ended up ordering, and everything came fast and hot right to my table. When you arrive in Julian, one of my favorite towns in the world, Dont go for Julian Apple Pies. Dont go to Mom's. They can wait. If you want a fine cooked genuine Italian Food (I should know, I'm mostly Italian myself), that you never thought was possible, Head to Romano's Immediatel. read more

It has been quite some time since we have dined here, but my dad loves Italian food so we decided to bring him here for dinner while we were visiting him...well, really late lunch. The place can be busy, but we hit it right and didn't have to wait long for a table. The server was very nice as was the busser. It was pasta dishes all around...my dad went with the classic spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were the size of softballs. I went with the creamy pesto, my husband had the fettuccini Romano and my dad's wife had the pasta primavera. I heard no complaints and the portions were ample and we all took another meal home with us. read more

Romano's Restaurant - Creamy pesto - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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The cozy Sicilian family style feel of the restaurant is very welcoming. We had been trying to go here for years. We were at first disappointed because and old review said there was a ribeye on the menu, but they don't have that anymore. We eat mostly low carb so we weren't sure what we would order. When we first arrived Ashley immediately gave us low carb options and they were perfect. The servings are large and the dinner salad was huge with cheese, salami, olives, mushrooms and sauteed peppers. Highly recommend visiting this vintage spot. read more

Romano's Restaurant - Breaded Pork chops with veggies with garlic gravy!! Sooo good! - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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From the moment we walked in tonight, we were greeted with a bright smile, and feel very welcomed as if we belong here! And the food, we ordered the chicken Parmesan, with the anti pasta salad, and OMG! I hope you brought an appetite with you. The food here is incredibly delicious, that married with a great service, this is a no-brainer while you're in Jullien to come and make a visit here! read more

Terrible!! Dishonest people!! 2 of our guests ordered the Creamy Pesto pasta. Instead of telling us they ran out of rigatoni noodles they just made it with spaghetti noodles instead and brought that out to us. Never mentioned it which is BS because they would not have ordered it. It as too late on the night for them to make new meals. Secondly they claim to be a nice Italian restaurant. Pesto pasta should always be made with pine nuts which everyone expects, but they use a cheaper substitute with walnuts and my daughter is very allergic to them. We had to take her to the emergency room. The employees and owner were completely indifferent and said we should've told them she was allergic to walnuts. No one uses walnuts in pesto pasta except very cheap restaurants. That's all you need to know. Food is terrible!! Service is terrible!! read more

At first it was good but when my wife got her food there was a fly in it, waiter stated that it must of just landed on food, but it was obvious it was dead and had been cooked in the food read more

Romano's Restaurant - Chicken cacciatore - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

Best fettuccine Alfredo (Romano) I've ever had. Online waitlist didn't work the night we were there (we were second on the waitlist for 2+ hours and never got a text) but all was forgiven once I had a bite of that fettuccine. Might have to make a special trip up to Julian just to have that dish again. Loved the cozy ambiance on a rainy evening and the old romantic Italian music playing was the cherry on top. Will be back! read more

Pretty cool restaurant in Julian w/ an old school bar. Was there 3 weeks ago during rain/sleet and cold weather and Romanos was a welcome stop just a short walk to our BnB. Really good pizza. And the meatballs; though plain, were pretty good. No filler good but a little light in the seasonings. All in all, good place and will def return if back in town! read more

I can't remember enjoying a pizza more than this meat-lovers pizza. Services was casually slow, but extremely friendly ... thanks Ashley. Ambience felt a lot like Italy. read more

Food was delicious and the staff was amazing . We were surprised by how good the food was. There was a wait for the food, but it's because they are making it fresh. Plates come out hot ! The seating is a bit small but gives a cozy feel. Definitely coming back read more

Romano's Restaurant - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

This place is so amazing! It's very homey and cute. The food is absolutely amazing, better than any high end Italian restaurant I've ever been too. On top of that the employees are super nice and welcoming:) read more

Romano's Restaurant - Creamy pesto pasta - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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Warm and inviting with their red checkered tablecloths and hard wood floors - it's like having a family dinner in someone's house - very cozy and hearty - and one of the few dinner spots in Julian open later than most. If it wasn't for their sign out front, I really would've thought this was someone's house haha! Very quaint and so welcoming! They have quite a large menu and the staff are friendly and all smiles. They start you off with some of their homemade bread and olive oil/balsamic for dipping - the bread is fantastic!! For my dinner I went old school with the spaghetti and meat sauce and a dinner salad to start. The dinner salad is huge - I got a small and it's like a giant antipasto salad, complete with artichoke hearts and salami! It was good but just a tad salty for my liking. The spaghetti with meat sauce was tasty and the pasta cooked perfectly. Portions are huge and I was really irritated I didn't have access to a microwave in my hotel bc I bet their spaghetti is even better leftover! I intentionally left room for dessert and tried their spumoni - again, huge portions of the trifecta of chocolate, pistachio, and cherry ice cream - lovely! Prices are a tad high imo. And while the service is extremely friendly, it was very slow even when they weren't busy. Not a big deal bc I wasn't in a rush but I was pretty exhausted and it did drag on just a bit too long for me. Probably should've tried to grab an earlier dinner. Great location just off the main street area with all the shops and businesses and right across from the main historic hotel in town - very convenient. All in all a solid choice when visiting Julian. read more

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Boy are they busy . So when you go , especially if it's prime time 630 -730 . But it's well worth the wait . And extra point go to the servers . Smiles , smiles , smiles ..... I don't know how they do it . Great meal ... it's Italian. read more

Food and atmosphere is amazing! The staff is so friendly and helpful definitely my new favorite go to for any and all Italian food. It's a little Italian cottage tucked away!! read more

Romano's Restaurant - Spaghetti with meatballs - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

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Came here while in town for a mini vacation, for my partner's birthday. There weren't many places open for dinner, so we opted to try Romano's. Really cute little spot with friendly servers. Everything we ordered was delicious and they even brought out a birthday canolli for my partner. We enjoyed it so much we came back the next night for dinner to try different dishes. Highly recommend Romano's! Don't know how they are rated only 4 stars! read more

Romano's Restaurant - Big portions, very flavorful - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

Everything we ordered was very tasty, and the service was great. We ordered lasagna and fettuccine and they were perfect! read more

Romano's Restaurant - Sandwiches Near Me - Julian, California

We ate here years ago the last time we were in Julian, and I am happy to report that the food, service, and ambiance were as good as our previous visit. Their fresh bread is tasty, the salad large, and the pasta serving huge while the creamy pesto very creamy with no skimping on the sauce. It is a small, cozy, friendly, rustic family owned business, definitely worth a stop for lunch or dinner, with an extensive wine list and fresh brewed iced tea. read more

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