Restaurants near Little Italy Mercato Farmers' Market

Great restaurant and location. Appealing menu, good food.

Barbusa delivered an exceptional dining experience. From the moment we sat down, everything impressed us—especially the food. The French bread served with the meatball appetizer was absolutely out of this world—perfectly crusty on the outside and soft inside, soaking up the rich, flavorful sauce. The chicken Parmesan was also a standout, especially the cheese—melty, rich, and packed with flavor. If I had one suggestion, the gnocchi could’ve been swapped for standard spaghetti noodles but that’s just a personal preference. All in all, Barbusa hits the mark in every category. Great ambiance, friendly service, and most importantly, outstanding food. Highly recommend dining here if you’re in San Diego!

Friendly staff and nice decor with comfy seating. We dined downstairs. We ordered drinks and the bread I had read was a must order but found quite underwhelming. We had the bone marrow and snail appetizer which did not disappoint. We all had the table side Caesar salad. The server was in training and had a gal instructing him. Super fun to have table side preparation but sales was underwhelming and the croutons tasted like they were out of a package; not homemade, Two of us had the table side Steak Diane again trainee with instructor. Meat was super tender but sauce was a bit lacking. One bone in New York which was delicious but did not care for the bone in ribeye usually my favorite. Dirty hash browns and mushrooms were delicious. No complimentary birthday cake or desert and chocolate cake was disappointing( tasted boxed). They did present my husband with a sweet birthday message at the beginning of our meal. Corkage fee $55 and 4% service charge were definitely a bit of a dealer breaker. Before dinner great expresso martini and one glass of wine. Bill for four was about $550 before tip. Restaurant was super busy on a Monday night and noise level is high. We had a great time but would probably not go back in the future.

We came to attend the Happy Hour, there is no separat menu anymore, confusing. No more Banama pudding…. This was not as Happy as last time….

One of the best meals I’ve ever had. We were up top on the roof at a large table. Music was bumping and service was friendly. Food outstanding. A bit pricey but overall great experience.