Cancel

Open app

Search

Volare

4.1 (944 reviews)
ModerateItalian
Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Volare Photos

Business Info

VOLARE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Volare

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Lunch specials
Leah G.

Stepping off a cross-country flight from New England, my boyfriend and I were craving comfort food -- specifically Italian. Volare delivered exactly what we didn't know we needed: rustic, home-style cooking in a peaceful, family-owned atmosphere. The dining room had that lived-in, timeless charm that reminded me of my Sicilian dad's decor -- nothing flashy, just warm and familiar. It was lunchtime and a couple families were scattered around, but the vibe was calm and inviting. We split a chicken parm sub and the Basilica Paolini (a thin spaghetti tossed in red sauce with garlic and basil). Both were excellent -- generous portions, straightforward flavors, done right. Their homemade bread arrived warm (complimentary!) and the minestrone soup I started with was hearty and soothing. To top it off, we shared a half-liter of rosé -- and somehow, the bill for all of this came in under $50. In San Diego, that's basically a miracle. Even with the phone ringing nonstop, our server (who seemed to be single-handedly running the floor) was attentive, kind, and didn't miss a beat. You could feel the pride in keeping this place running smoothly. It feels like Volare hasn't touched their prices since the early 2010s, and honestly, I hope they never do. It's a neighborhood gem where you can eat well, be treated well, and leave full and happy without breaking the bank. We'll absolutely be back.

Menu
Shawn T.

Food hot!! Sauced & seasoned with perfection.. Fast service not sure how many waiters & waitresses Old school ambiance. But do go .. Get there early.. it does get packed Maximum seating. 50 people's. Do visit.

Pizza
Ben A.

Total hole in the wall, but has excellent pizza. Sauce and cheese were superb, although the crust was a little floppy. Prices are phenomenal and food took a little long to come out. But it was worth the wait Pizza was even better the next day. Reheat in the oven/toaster oven to fix the floppy crust and it's a 10/10

Lasagna with extra cheese on top
Ashley A.

Comfort Italian food at its finest. They have the best lasagna I've ever had. Boiling hot straight out of the oven and extremely cheesy. It's hard to find a really good lasagna and they take the win. You just have to try it to find out for yourself. I live in Los Angeles and plan to come back soon just to order this again as I can't stop thinking about how great it was. Service was very friendly and attentive. The restaurant very old and dated and I guess would be considered "a hole in the wall" but the food is really good and the prices are below average so not a big deal.

Fettuccine Alfredo
Karen U.

Small, hole in the wall restaurant in San Diego. Super authentic Italian. Everything was so delicious! Customer service was also the best Thank you!

Chicken Parmesan
Judy C.

Great Italian food on a budget. It is family owned and has been around since 1978. We dined here last year while on vacation and wanted to come back again this year. Cheese bread was delish!!! Bread was hot and loaded with cheese. My scallop dish was amazing as I'm a big fan of both scallops and truffle mushrooms. I cleaned my plate up! My BIL really enjoyed his Ossobuco since he rarely gets a chance to eat it. It was paired up with risotto and he polished off his dinner too. My SIL had the chicken Parmesan and said the chicken was too dry. So she was a bit disappointed. We also ordered a 20 inch pineapple/pepperoni pizza to-go. Pizza was ok but we wanted to try it as the diners that were sitting next to us were ranting about how good the pizza was.

Italian lunch
Elizabeth O.

Volaré is my favorite Italian resutaurant. They have the best pizza and pasta. I got the fettuccini alfredo for lunch the other day and it was to die for. It was so incredibly creamy and delicious. Anytime I'm craving Italian I will go to volare.

Maiara C.

I went to celebrate my birthday this weekend at the best Italian restaurant in San Diego, The food is delicious, my friends and I ordered calamari, and from the special menu the artichoke, Jumbo Lobster ravioli, Fettucine pasta and Papoardelle pasta in a creamy 3 mushroom. I loved my Nero d'Avola wine and beer Peroni Nastro Azzurro from Italy. For dessert, of course, I couldn't miss Cannoli and Tiramisu. The ambiance is very cute with several photos of Italy, I feel at home. The attendant Juliana and Andrew are very attentive. Juliana is wonderful and gave me several tips on which dishes, wines and desserts to choose. The service was spectacular. We loved our night, it was more than special!

Tortellini Volare

See all

16 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

8 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 1
Photo of Chris H.
410
44
18

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Shawn T.
6
177
225

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ashley A.
3
123
18

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 month ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 month ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

18 days ago

Food is delicious, prices are amazing! It does get busy on the weekends so don't go hangry cause you will wait, but it's worth it.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Marcy T.
59
47
26

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Brooke L.
143
10
3

2 months ago

Wonderful spices- authentic sauces and meat preparations. The portions are generous and the staff is incredibly friendly!!!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 2
Love this 5
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 9
Thanks 3
Love this 4
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Antonella P.

Antonella P.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 7
Thanks 2
Love this 3
Oh no 1

1 month ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Adam G.
1
109
78

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tony A.
1222
748
3048

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Antonella P.

Antonella P.

Thank you for your support!! Hope to see you again soon

Helpful 4
Thanks 2
Love this 4
Oh no 0
Photo of Lottie L.
56
24
15

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Antonella P.

Antonella P.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

10 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Kyle R.
109
71
46

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

6 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Antonella P.

Antonella P.

Ha! We could work something out! Thanks for the great review!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

Page 1 of 24

Volare Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Volare

Menú de calzone?

Pretty sure the do

I'm allergic to soybean. Is everything soy Free? Mainly the red sauce and pasta?

Do you have gift cards?

They don't have gift cards.

View All 4 Questions

You might also consider

Cesarina

Cesarina

4.7(3.5k reviews)
2.1 mi•Ocean Beach, Point Loma
•$$$

I hate that I love this place!! Let me explain why because this is seriously the best pasta I've…read morehad in my life. I ordered the lumache pasta with tartufona sauce and added guanciale on top and it was smooth, peppery, with the cured pork cheek perfectly topping everything off. The only problem was that it was so dang expensive! The price came out to be around $52 with tax and tip and the only thing I ordered was the pasta, that is a lot for a college student. Though they have free focaccia which tasted superb. Therefore I recommend this every once in a while for special occasions, unless you're super rich!

We enjoyed our lunch at Cesarina in Point Loma, CA…read more This was our first time dining at Cesarina and it won't be our last. The owners are from Rome, Italy and opened restaurant in 2019, sharing many delicious authentic recipes from Italy. Cesarina is an award-winning Italian restaurant in San Diego known for its fresh, handmade pasta, vibrant atmosphere, and "build-your-own" pasta options. The restaurant is recognized by the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand for good value and quality. We enjoyed the following and recommend trying: *Mozzarella Milanese appetizer *Build-your-own: Gnocchi pasta in Tartufona sauce with bone marrow *Lasagna allá bolognese *Their famous tableside tiramisu *Affogato ice cream with espresso *complimentary focaccia bread All of these dishes, desserts, atmosphere and excellent customer service from our server Jake and management get 5/5 stars!! We made reservations on Open Table. There's indoor and outdoor seating with limited parking across the street on building 4160. Give this place a try! Happy Yelping :)

Photos
Cesarina - Dining room

Dining room

Cesarina - The signature chicken pitcher with their soft delish breads

The signature chicken pitcher with their soft delish breads

Cesarina - PACCHERI VODKA and SCAMPI

See all

PACCHERI VODKA and SCAMPI

Bencotto Italian Kitchen - Lamb Ragu pasta

Bencotto Italian Kitchen

4.1(3.6k reviews)
2.2 mi•Little Italy
•$$

Bencotto was an outstanding fine dining Italian experience at a reasonable price. I had the cheese…read morewheel pasta and it was of an extremely high quality. On top of that they allowed me to take a video of them mixing my noodles and chicken in the cheese wheel itself which I thought was a nice touch. Additionally they had a large selection of bottled Italian beers as well as wine. The service was fantastic and so was the ambiance which was less Tuscan and more modern with some references to Italy which I appreciated

On a Monday evening in San Diego, we stopped by Bencotto Italian Kitchen for dinner. Located in…read moreLittle Italy, I was surprised by how busy this part of town is. Restaurants and bars filled to the brim. Lack of street parking availability. With that being said, after circling around for a while, I found a free parking spot on the street five minutes away by foot. Ambiance (4/5): While Bencotto has a nice interior, I went with some al fresco dining on their front patio. There are 20 or so seats available right off the street, so it's not a large patio by any means, but it's nice. The weather was a little chilly by San Diego standards, so they had some heaters out there. It always reminds me of Europe when I'm dining al fresco. Service (3/5): A little slow at times, but overall, pretty good. My waiter was friendly, he just could have stopped by a little quicker. Still solid though. Drinks (4/5): They have a nice selection of wine. I ended up rolling with an Italian beer I had never had before instead. It was a lager and they served it with a chilled glass which is always a nice touch. Food (4/5): The reason I came delivered. Their most popular entree is pasta cooked in a cheese wheel. The pasta is in a creamy truffle sauce with mushrooms. No protein but you can add some for an additional charge. I added grilled chicken. What's awesome about this dish is that they cook it for you inside by the hostess stand. So you can go there and see it happening. My server didn't give me a heads-up (shame on him) but luckily, someone at a table close to me did after me, so I joined to see their food being prepared. I also ordered the gnocco frito which is puffy fried bread. You get four pieces and I had never had this type of Italian bread. Not amazing, but it complemented the pasta well. All of their pasta is made in house and you can taste the difference. The cheese wheel pasta was absolutely delicious. I was pumped to cross this bucket list item off my list.

Photos
Bencotto Italian Kitchen - View from window seating inward

View from window seating inward

Bencotto Italian Kitchen - Gnocchi neri

Gnocchi neri

Bencotto Italian Kitchen - Manhattan

See all

Manhattan

Rusticucina

Rusticucina

4.6(1.6k reviews)
3.0 mi•North Park
•$$$
Happy hour specials
Locally owned & operated

Delicious food and great espresso martinis. Our server Nathan was amazing and took such good care…read moreof us!! 10/10

We had dinner here the other night (compliments of my sister as a birthday gift). Neither of us had…read morebeen here before and we were excited to try out a new venue. One thing we learned: if you decide to make a reservation here, especially on a weekend night, arrive early to accommodate the time it takes to find parking. The restaurant does not have its own parking lot, it's street parking-only and space is tough to come by. We circled around for at least 15 minutes before securing a spot and wound up a little over 20 minutes late for our reservation. Thankfully, we still had a table set up and waiting for us. It was very busy when we walked in, it appeared as though the restaurant was near-capacity. The restaurant has a nice, rustic charm to it, but I'll admit some of the charm is taken away by the crowd of noisy people. The restaurant space is small with as many tables and chairs that can possibly fit, which inevitably means tables are very close to one another. It would help if the restaurant acquired a much larger space, or if it got rid of maybe 30% of the tables/chairs so that seating could be more spaced-out. Service was initially slow, but understandable considering the completely packed venue. Our servers were incredibly friendly and provided exceptional service. They were patient and informative in answering our questions (particularly about the "cheese wheel"). We ordered the house specialty bread with 3 different spreads as an appetizer, the lamb shank was my date's entree choice while I ordered the pappardelle pasta with short rib. The bread was truly excellent, we both devoured it. My dish was also excellent, the short rib was very rich and flavorful and the pasta was cooked well. I tasted my date's lamb dish, which I felt was bland compared to mine and I wasn't crazy about it. My date seemed to enjoy it, though. We were too full to order any dessert, so I can't speak for their desserts. The food I did try was mostly amazing. We will likely be back, although we might try coming on a Monday or Tuesday night to avoid the crowds and have an easier time with parking.

Photos
Rusticucina
Rusticucina
Rusticucina

See all

Piacere Mio - South Park - Calamari

Piacere Mio - South Park

4.5(2.3k reviews)
4.2 mi•South Park
•$$

This is my favorite resturant okay I said it. Great times here, what a great vibes…read more What Great staff here, so happy & kind too they are amazing here! I had pasta Orecchiette We raviolis with crab and shrimp Chicken parmigiana And a smoked mozzarella ravioli with eggplant Di Melazame everything was delicious And we had Caprese to start with a large heirloom Tomato slices the was so tasty too We all enjoy every bite until we couldn't And they bought out a dessert Nutella cheesecake That was sweet of them Plus tiramisu we ordered It was funny there was 2 ladies celebrating by our table their birthday's too same day also It was a perfect birthday

A cute and charming little restaurant in a really fun neighborhood. They started with a basket of…read morebread, but honestly, it tasted like it came out of a package from the market. Would've been better if it was at least heated. I then had the Caesar salad and it was excellent. I've had many many many Caesar salad salads in my day and this one ranked right up there. The Romaine was in large pieces so I definitely needed to cut it before eating. The dressing was very tasty and they are very generous with the cheese. I moved on to the papperdelle Primavera with shrimp and it was very, very good and a large portion. It came out nice and hot. The sauce could've been a little more flavorful, but it was good nonetheless the shrimp were a little on the small side. We decided not to have dessert. I found the price is very reasonable and there is street parking in the area and a large Target parking lot across the street.

Photos
Piacere Mio - South Park - Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Piacere Mio - South Park - Caprese

Caprese

Piacere Mio - South Park - Lasagne alla Bolognese

See all

Lasagne alla Bolognese

Cucina Urbana - Mushroom goat cheese pizza and short rib pappardelle

Cucina Urbana

4.4(4.9k reviews)
2.4 mi•Banker's Hill
•$$$

Our family would definitely go back to this spot the next time we are in San Diego! Kid friendly…read morewhich is so perfect when you and your spouse want to enjoy a more sophisticated meal and not have the usual burger and fries that the kiddos usually want, although I'm sure they do have if that's what you are wanting and I am pretty sure that the burger would be amazing too! Ambiance was great with good vibes. Grilled octopus was so delish we had to order two because our kids (5 & 7) ate up the first plate all to themselves. Italian chopped salad, Butternut squash ravioli, and goat cheese mushroom pizza were all so good! Kiddos both enjoyed their own pepperoni pizza. Oh, and can't forget to mention that we also enjoyed our cocktails. Can't go wrong with the pitted martini and the Mezcal cocktail. Making me hungry just telling you about it! Yum!!

Large, inviting, high ceiling, dark dining space that always seems to be busy. Came here to try…read morebecause it's Michelin bib gourmand. roasted delicata squash + farro salad: deep fried delicata squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and served with a cilantro salsa verde. This was the most unique thing we ate and quite good. red wine short rib mafaldine (short rib pasta): this dish is kind of a mess and there's a lot of things going on. I like short rib, but I think it would taste better not in this pasta. Nothing stood out. roasted half chicken fra diavolo: a well done dish cooked to perfection. Flavorful but chicken can only be so good. Service was excellent and very attentive.

Photos
Cucina Urbana - Inside

Inside

Cucina Urbana - Grilled octopus

Grilled octopus

Cucina Urbana - Squash blossoms with goat cheese

See all

Squash blossoms with goat cheese

Parma Cucina Italiana - Lasagna

Parma Cucina Italiana

4.6(1.3k reviews)
2.2 mi•Hillcrest
•$$

While visiting from out of town, we decided to spend Mother's Day at this amazing place, and it…read morehonestly felt like we were back in Italy. We were greeted with warm smiles from every employee, asked which open table we preferred, and the staff did everything they could to make us feel like weekly regulars. I loved seeing the hugs they gave their regulars, and I completely understand why people keep coming back week after week. My definition of a great restaurant is simple: great service -- attentive, anticipates needs, and does everything possible to take care of guests -- plus solid food and drinks. This place was a home run, and we will definitely be back when we are in town. We started with the artichoke, and everyone loved it, even our kids. We ordered the chicken parm 10/10, bolognese 10/10, spaghetti with meatballs 9/10, and Pappardelle Al Brasato 7/10. With the brasato, there were a few questionable pieces of meat/fat, but overall it was still a solid dish. The highlight of the meal was the tiramisu. Damn -- it was light, airy, and full of flavor. It wasn't heavy, nothing was dry, and all four of us dug in and devoured every last bite. Loved the place, loved the service, and loved the food.

We died for the first time with Parma Cucina Italiano for Valentine's Day…read more They had a nice price fix menu that you can choose from. We loved Barbara our waitress. She had a lot of great energy and excellent recommendations.. We started with the artichokes in Lemon for our appetizer. It was tender and flavorful. For the pasta , we had the boar Papperadella Ragu, which we really liked a lot and we had the squid ink pasta with seafood, which had a really light sauce that wasn't fond of. I have squid ink pasta with a lobster reduction sauce elsewhere which I prefer. We also had the brasata as a main course which went well with the paparedelli.... A few glasses of wine and the profiteroles with Nutella were a wonderful finale for the meal. I would love to try their fish some other night. The ambience is charming, but the restaurant is quite small and it was packed on valentines so it was a little hard to get around the tables. We will be back.

Photos
Parma Cucina Italiana - Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Parma Cucina Italiana
Parma Cucina Italiana - Seafood Risotto

See all

Seafood Risotto

Volare - italian - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...