Delicious and trendy new spot in Encinitas! I came here on a Saturday night with four people, and we loved it. They have a bunch of wine and beer, but unfortunately no hard liquor. Our waitress let us try two wines before deciding which bottle to order. We ended up getting the Tempernillo, but then I got a glass of the cab sauv blend after which I personally preferred. We tried a bunch of the food options, and all were great! The corn chowder was delicious and a large bowl. The cauliflower raclette was super good and not as heavy as I was expecting. The artichoke was fine, but probably wouldn't order again. For main dishes, my friend and I split the lamb and the scallops. Both were really good! The lamb was a huge portion, we didn't even finish it. I also tried the pork weiner schnitzle which was really good even though I don't usually eat pork, but it's thin so just tastes like fried anything. My husband got the halibut which was really flavorful, but he was still hungry after because there wasn't any grains in his dish. Overall, good food, very cute place, reasonably price for what it is. Would definitely come back. read more

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Service from Toni was great and the food was spot on. Especially like the patatas bravas and the anchovies. Looking forward to going back in the future. read more

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Updating my review from 1 to 4 (only taking off 1 for the previous issue in my orignal review). Ricardo the director of operations reached out and apologized, and offered to refund the meal. He stated that they do take allergens very seriously and was dumbfounded that his wait staff did not. I appreciate that Ricardo took ownership of a serious issue and took care of us showing great customer obsession. I hope that this issue was reviewed with the staff so that it does not happen to anyone else. As I mentioned in my original review, the food is great. I hope to dine at Valentina again (with a different server). read more

Went here for Sunday brunch and there was no wait at 11:30am. We sat on the sidewalk patio and and it was a beautiful day. They have umbrellas for shade for those who doesn't want to get toasted by the sun! Now the food. We ordered the calamari and the shrimp. The calamari was definitely under seasoned but the shrimp was good. We also ordered the mussels and the steak frites. Both were fresh and delish! Service was overall good! read more

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Great experience! I am more of a steak person, so I ordered the Chuleton de un Kilo and it did not disappoint! My friend ordered the mussels and said they were fantastic. read more

Valentina - Mussels with fries and steak with garlic broccolini - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Yesterday was my birthday and we went back for brunch. We are still loving Valentina. The service was very good. The wine list was great and interesting and we loved the wine we chose. The food we chose was fresh and everyone loved what they ate. My parents who's can be critical loved it so much they are still talking about it. We shared the sashimi, the calamari, the Cesar, the baguette. Our own entrees were steak and frites, muscles, fries and Wiener schnitzel. Churros for desert!! All of us were thrilled and made another reservation!! Great spot read more

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Great food and date night ambiance. Must order the artichoke and the cod, at a minimum. Service was great and attentive but did not rush us at all. Recommend a reservation if going during prime busy hours. read more

Ambiance: Really great space. Light and airy. Can get a little noisy inside. Service: Always attentive. Very nice. Food: I've been here several times and would say 4 stars. Tonight I was underwhelmed. Mussels dish updated to tomato base. Was too heavy with no flavor. No longer serve fries. Why???? Shrimp was undercooked and had no flavor. Chicken needed salt. All in all, not good. I'm super sad to write this as I've been here multiple times and had a great experience. Bring back fries! Go back to the old mussel recipe. Salt the food! read more

Amazing ambiance, elevated casual, the food 11/10. Fresh, flavors abound. Don't miss this gem of a restaurant! So romantic as well. read more

Great food, great service and great location. The best seafood/paella place in San Diego county. read more

We had a great date night at Valentina. Our waitress was very attentive and gave great recommendations, food and drinks were fantastic. It's a smaller restaurant so it does get a bit noisy, but overall 5 stars. We had white wine and red wine, octopus, mussels, bread, olives, pork schnitzel and basque cake with coffee. read more

Valentina - Mussels....sauce was amazing. We ordered bread to dip in the sauce. - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Very pricy but the food was excellent. We had some wine good as well. Parking is a challenge it's dark area at night.

seafood was not fresh. oysters and mussels had a weird smell to it. Steak came out super rare even after we sent it back

Everything about Valentina is amazing, the service, food, and setting is perfect. Kimi and Kalen have always provide the best service at the bar. My favorite dish is the steak tiradito! But you definitely need to have the patatas bravas 100%!!!! read more

Very limited menu consisting of four main dishes. All items are À la cart. We asked for bread and they charge you six dollars for that. We got our main dish first, and our waiter forgot to bring our bread until the middle of the meal. We also ordered a salad and some green beans on the side, which he forgot completely? If you want healthy cuisine, this is not the place to come. We asked what they prepare the food in, and most items are fried in vegetable oil, which is not healthy. The ambience is trendy and fun, but I probably won't come back because of the menu. To top it off at the end when the check was delivered, there was a service fee on there that the waiter told us was for Covid losses? Also, finally forgot to mention the fact that when we asked for olive oil for our bread that it was rancid, which means that it's improperly preserved. read more

SO GOOD! Stopped by the walk up oyster bar for my husband's birthday. Staff was so helpful and knowledgeable. We enjoyed all 3 types of their current oyster offerings and beer & wine. It was perfect! We can't wait to dine in once they're fully open again! read more

Valentina - Fresh Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Honestly might be one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. The decor and ambiance is the cutest. The wine list is incredible, I found some new favorites. The food was truly some of the best I've ever had. The flavor combinations were incredible and everything was perfect. Last but not least was service. Our server Kimmie (unsure on spelling, sorry!) was so amazing. Cannot recommend this place enough, we will be back for sure! read more

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Extremely loud inside, unless on a calm night. The croquettas have a great fry, but very small and sort of underwhelming. Tasty regardless. The fisherman stew they had was my favorite, although I'm not sure they're selling it still. The bass dish is good! The service is great. I like how personable most of them are, although it sometimes seemed a bit forced. ONE LAST THING. CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE POST A FUCKING PHOTO OF THE WINE MENU???? IVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND THIS VINHO VERDE ROSÈ I HAD THE OTHER NIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS DELICIOUS AND I WANT TO BUY A GOD DAMN CASE. BUT IDK WHO MAKES IT FAAAAACK SOMEBODY HELP. Anyway, yeah I've been like 4 times. Love it. Wine menu please. read more

Everything was amazing - food, service, potions, ambience, and price. Only reason I don't give it 5 stars is bc I had high expectations for the caviar dish. There are two price options for the caviar. I opted for the lower $45 option. Unfortunately, the sliced potatoes underneath (which was the same thing in my cod dish - check out the pics) were too overpowering. I don't think I should have to get the $150 option to actually taste the caviar. Also, Didn't try the wine this time around since it was a quick lunch but I do want to come back and try next time! read more

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I would like to give this place 10+ stars! Why?! Well, they have oysters, caviar and CHAMPAGNE! Three of my best friends all under one roof. I think this place has gone through some changes in the past couple of years and can I just say it's now perfection! Keep in mind that you can't get oysters and caviar during the week on the lunch menu (learned this the hard way). Go on the weekend, this restaurant is so fun! read more

I love Valentina so much. I get the artichoke, bravas, olives, and baguette. I recommend butter with the artichoke. These will not disappoint and I typically have the palette of a 5 year old. I'm a chicken nugget person but Valentina blows me away every time. Valentina is so special and I hope you love it as much as I do. Update on the other review I wrote, the Caesar is back at dinner time. Screenshot of the review is below, silly me. Thanks Patrick! I still feel the same. I think this is the best restaurant in the whole wide world. My only constructive feedback would be to get bigger patio tables. The squares are fine but the round ones are so little and even though I don't really mind, I think it may improve the experience for people who would mind :) read more

Valentina - old review I accidentally wrote for the wrong Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Everything is attention to details here. We came here for Saturday lunch and made rsvp ahead on OpenTable. Decor: Modern rustic decor. Paintings on the wall, dried flower on the tables, lightbulbs, etc. You can see attention to details everywhere in this cute little restaurant. It got outdoor seating and half outdoor seating. Perfect for so cal weather. Food: Everything we ordered were perfect. Oysters were fresh and tasty like you can taste different regions. My steak frites were cooked medium rare perfectly. Fries were crispy and fresh. Mussels were seasoned perfectly in herb butter broth and not heavy. Service: Attentive and quick. We got our food pretty quick. Overall: I love how everything is attention to details here, food and decors. Highly recommended. read more

Super cute spot with the delicious and fresh cocktails and food! We enjoyed everything that we tried + our waiter was very kind. One tip - when we went, the menu stated that if you pay in cash, you could receive 5% off your bill read more

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I went with some friends and ordered a bunch of different plates. Some favorites: eggplant Milanese and the gambas al ajillo. You have to try the eggplant!! Also, we really liked the roasted carrots. This was a great spot for a girls dinner and I'll definitely be back! read more

Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Went to Valentina for the first time about a month ago. Everything was tasty and delicious. Really enjoyed the paella, which made me think that I want to buy a paella pan for my home... I am relatively new to the San Diego area and don't know of any other Spanish tapas style restaurants. I definitely will be back. read more

We had a phenomenal dinner. The owner was super gracious getting us in even though it was last minute and slightly past their last seating. Bravo for the extra customer service. The outdoor area was beautiful with nice lighting and extra partitions for safety. Our server, Felicano was both knowledgeable and fun. He knew his wines and his soccer! He did a great job making it a fun and delicious evening. The oysters were fresh, the baguette was surprisingly good and the food was excellent. We had the paella which had a good authentic flavor, the beets, oyster and a bottle of wine. The coconut creme brûlée was excellent especially at the price point of $7. Thanks Feliciano and the owner for a wonderful evening and meal. read more

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All around perfect Spanish immersion. We enjoyed all of our dishes. Server was impeccable professional - sorry do not remember his name. We dined in April 1 and he worked with us to give my 3 year old his steak and his fries followed 10 minutes later. Perfect! I enjoyed the artichoke and the wine selections were great. read more

Best. Food. Ever. 10/10. The vibes, the ambience, the service all exceeded our expectations. Every dish we ordered was delicious!! Our waiter, Kim, was amazing and recommended great wines and dishes. We will definitely be back! read more

Valentina - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Valentina is simple & elegant. The servers are always professional & knowledgeable, but unpretentious (& they won't let you get away with being pretentious!) We've visited for casual dinners, holiday prix-fixes, afternoon snacks & drinks, & always leave refreshed & satisfied. read more

Valentina - oysters - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Great spot, especially for an intimate dinner or date! I've been here 4 times and it's always a special experience. They have a nice selection of wine & tapas. The food is well presented and unique. I love the candlelit atmosphere and intimate vibes. Make sure to reserve, especially for Fridays or weekend nights, because it gets booked up easily! read more

The spot always has a reliable wine list. I love that they carry non-traditional wines outside of your typical cabs and Chardonnay. All of the wine pairs perfectly with their well curated food menu. read more

Food was excellent! We had octopus cocktail beef tartare, steak and potatoes and cherry cake. The steak would have been better served on a plate vs a bowl. Serving steak in a bowl made it impossible to cut. Service was nice but didnt keep up with water service and we were thirsty. Too few wait staff. Decor for V day was very nice, lots of attention to detail., read more

The quality of the food was very disappointing, and the choices for vegetarian dishes was very limited if any at all, we will not return because of the attitude of the manager He was very dismissive of what we said to him read more

Fantastic ambiance. Friendly service. But nothing stands out on the menu. Every time I come here I WANT to love this place, but there isn't anything on the menu that makes me want to come back over and over again. Everything else is in place, location, staff, oysters, heck even lighting fixtures. I think the wine menu is far too long for relatively short dinner menu, but that is very subjective (unlike all my other opinions). I think Valentina's is best for a few Tapas and Wine when you're looking for something light. It would be great if they could come up with a few dinner items that really stand out as signature dishes. But... we end up coming back because the wife loves wine and oysters ‍ read more

Nice ambiance, great service and love their tapas. You won't be disappointed. Cute little place in leucadia

My wife and I went to Valentina this past Friday and it was absolutely excellent. Todd, our waiter was incredible and gave us all of the suggestions that we ordered and we could not have been happier. He also helped with suggesting certain wines that went very well with our dishes. Our favorite part was ordering several smaller plates and being able to try more of what Valentina has to offer. I highly recommend ordering multiple smaller plates and just trusting your server with your experience. The Pan was the best addition to most of our dishes to fully enjoy the sauces of the other dishes that we ordered. I highly recommend all of the dishes that we ordered: Seared steak with pesto, cauliflower dish (tasted similar to Mac & cheese ), Shrimp small plate. We also ordered the Halibut which was excellent with the purée but was cooked slightly on the dry side. Definitely recommend coming here with friends or a date. Only thing I wanted was for the inside of the restaurant to dim the lights a bit more to make the atmosphere a little more aesthetic/romantic (overall the lighting was a little bright for a restaurant of this caliber) and I think that would have taken our experience to the next level. Overall great experience read more

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Great food and service. Don't miss the Basque Cake for dessert. Our favorite restaurant in Leucadia.

Loved this place! The food was amazing and so flavorful, the staff was excellent, and the night we went the place was nice and quiet. Perfect for a romantic dinner read more

Valentina is amazing. Was not expecting every dish to be delicious but it all was, such a great place and a nice change up from the normal restaurants around. Would totally recommend anyone to try it out. read more

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Over-rated, bad food, poor services, loud, challenging parking, will not recommend, will not return.