Award-winning

Cesarina

Name: Cesarina
Address: 4161 Voltaire St Ste B, San Diego, CA, United States, 92107
Telephone: (619) 226-6222
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.9

4.9

4370 Reviews

$30 and under

Italian

Top Tags:

Cesarina is a grandmother, a mother, a daughter—our personification of a nurturer who feeds and cares for her community. From meticulous attention to detail and fresh ingredients to the warm and inviting atmosphere, this restaurant is a celebration of the power of food and family.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Oct 3, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 194 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri–Sun 3:00 pm–9:30 pm
Phone number
(619) 226-6222
Website
http://www.cesarinarestaurant.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Cesarina Mezzoni
Catering
We offer Catering options for parties of 20 guests or more. To inquire about our Catering options, please complete the Event Contact Form at https://cesarinarestaurant.com/events/, and Simone, our event coordinator will reply via email within 48 hours
Private party facilities
For all parties of more than 8 guests, we only offer private dining. To inquire about our Private dining option, please complete the Event Contact Form at https://cesarinarestaurant.com/events/, and Simone, our event coordinator will reply via email within 48 hours

Location
4161 Voltaire St, Ste B, San Diego, CA 92107
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Neighborhood
Ocean Beach
Cross street
Catalina Blvd
Parking details
We have a private parking lot on the left side of the restaurant, at the moment only 2 slots are available. Each slot is marked by the Cesarina sign. Additional public parking lot, on the other side of the street, is available daily for 3$/h.
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in San Diego

Popular dishes

What 4,370 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.9Food
4.8Service
4.8Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Diego
Best Food
San Diego
Italian
San Diego
Most Booked
San Diego
Best Overall
San Diego
Best Food
San Diego
Italian
San Diego
Most Booked

4,370 Reviews

M
Mattaboy
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Incredible food, incredible service. Really made a birthday celebration special!
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A
Abby
San Diego
8 reviews
vip
5.0
8 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Hands down, I ❤️ this place! My favorite server is Miho and we were lucky to get him this evening. He is so personable and such a sweet person- he truly wants you to enjoy yoir moment and savor your meal. He makes our dining experience so memorable! The octopus app was out of this world as is their Cesar salad. Everything, all the time, is SO SO Good!! I love Cesarina ❤️
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p
paulb
Greater Boston
6 reviews
3.0
6 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
overall3food4service3ambience3
This place needs a better sign to identify where they are. We were from out of town and felt like it from the start. The noise level outside is loud with air traffic and auto traffic . Wine list is over rated, pasta was good.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 3 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Best pasta in san diego highly recommend to reserve in advance
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
The waiter was attentive and made suggestions. The entire staff took the experience to the next level.
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JA
JANU
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing place to hangout. Great food. Definitely visit the place again.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Wonderful place ,awesome service, amazing food!!!!
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DH
DonH
Washington DC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Always the best in San Diego, a must go as a local or guest
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KM
KevinM
San Francisco
8 reviews
5.0
8 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience3
Here’s a neighborhood restaurant with fabulous food and great service! My wife and I celebrated an anniversary there and cannot stop talking about it. We started with a shared plate of Cesar salad that was wonderful. My wife enjoyed an evening special of baked cannelloni and I had the rigatoni carbonara! Both dishes were excellent, but the rigatoni carbonara was simply amazing! Wines were great, recommended by our knowledgeable and super friendly server, Mave. She had great ideas and suggestions and her service was impeccable. This is a great restaurant you must try, just be aware it’s in the flight path of the airport.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall4food4service5ambience4
Love the Tiramisu and the appetizers. Great vibe, very rustic.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 6 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience3
This establishment never fails. Incredible food amd service. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you never gave this place a try!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
overall1food2service3ambience3
Food was very average, the quality is not the same as previous years. It’s sad to see that they grow their business and the quality of their food got worse
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
The fish is unbelievable Can’t wait to come back and try everything on the menu
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C
Cindy
San Diego
17 reviews
5.0
17 reviews
Dined 6 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Owner came to our table and welcomed us back. Very impressive.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
We ordered the Lasagna and Vegan Funghi pasta and it was consistently delicious. The best italian spot in SD. GF and vegan options available. Staff are very nice and accommodating!
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LT
LauraT
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Hands down my favorite pick for a meal. The food is always delicious, the service is phenomenal and the attention to detail is spot on.
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TD
TerryD
San Diego
7 reviews
vip
5.0
7 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great time! Good food, great desert!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 26, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
This is one of the best experiences I’ve had at an Italian restaurant. Or any restaurant for that matter. For starters, our server, Adriana, was so sweet and extremely helpful with her suggestions and descriptions of the food. She recently came to the US from Rome and was one of the best servers I’ve had even though she said she’s only been a server for 6 months. Her Italian only added to the authenticity of the restaurant and the food, which was fantastic. We did the fried calamari, insalata romana, and then followed the menu to create our own pasta. All homemade, for you to see, pasta noodles and sauce and it was absolutely delicious. Will be back next time we visit SD 10/10!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 26, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Everything about our experience at Cesarina was amazing!! We sat on the back patio which is absolutely gorgeous. Our server was super knowledgeable and we loved his recommendations. We appreciated the vegan options so much!! 100% job well done thank you team Cesarina! We will be back. 🙏
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N
Natalie
San Diego
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
I have always been a bit skeptical about Instagram-friendly restaurants, but Cesarina blew my expectations out of the water. In addition to being beautiful and festooned with pink plants and solimene pottery, the food was fantastic. I came for my birthday dinner and was not only thoroughly impressed by the roasted octopus, short rib pappardelle, and truffle gnocchi, but also the delicious (and complimentary) tiramisu that was made tableside. The birthday Polaroid was also a sweet and thoughtful touch (especially for someone who dies inside when people sing happy birthday to them). Everything was perfect, and there's no doubt I will be back.
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DO
DinnerO
San Diego
10 reviews
4.0
10 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2023
overall4food4service3ambience5
We’ve been to Cesarina’s at least 15 times, and it has always been exceptional every time…that is until our last visit this week. After setting the expectations so high with our friends who were first-time visitors, the experience was a bit underwhelming unfortunately. SERVICE Some of the staff seemed a bit grumpy (no other way to explain it), although our server and the owner were quite friendly. Moreover, we had to remind them of our orders on multiple occasions after only getting some dishes some of the time or small requests seemed to take 10+ minutes - VERY unusual for everything as we’ve never had this type of experience at Cesarina before. FOOD QUALITY AND TASTE The appetizers were also quite unusual for some reason. Carpaccio was served without arugula or Parmesan cheese; it was as if they served “Cold Cuts” on a plate and lemon wedge in the center - never had it like that before…very plain and somewhat flavorless. We had fired calamari as well which came with fried shrimp and chips. The shrimp and chips that arrived with the calamari were outstanding and should be an appetizer on its own - full of flavor and texture! The fried calamari, however, not so much. It was very chewy and hard. One of our friends even labeled it “Calamari Jerky.” To Cesarina’s credit, I believe it was taken off the bill when we mentioned it to our server and with a smile. OUR MAIN DISHES were ALL OUTSTANDING as always and made up for the appetizers by far! SUMMARY: After having so many positive experiences on every occasion at Cesarina’s prior to our last visit, we feel that it was an unusual night for Cesarina and sometimes things happen. As a business owner, I’d be thrilled to have Cesarina’s record of customer 5 star experiences. Will we go back? DEFINITELY!!
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JD
JD123
San Diego
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 24, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience5
The staff were incredible! They made every effort to ensure the experience was a good one.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Orange County
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 24, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great experience, friendly staff. Great food and helped us celebrate a birthday
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F
Foodie
San Francisco
10 reviews
vip
5.0
10 reviews
Dined on September 24, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience3
Food was very good, beef tartar and fried octopus stood out Our server was excellent
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AC
AndreaC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Came here for the first time and celebrated my birthday! I am sooo happy I did. The environment and the staff are very welcoming. I felt special too by my waitress who made my birthday a great one. The wine and beer was delicious. If you're vegan I definitely recommend this spot. I am vegan and the food and dessert was amaziiinnng! I will definitely be coming back here again when I visit San Diego again! Thank you to all the staff especially my waitress for making my bday a special experience while dinning in. See you soon!
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J
Jayz
San Diego
4 reviews
vip
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We had such a wonderful time here yesterday! Our server Adriana and her assistant were amazing! Always cleaned our table, made sure our glass of water are filled and provided us cute fans for the flies since we were seated outdoors and you can’t avoid having flies around during the warm weathers. They could buy those fly fans for the next summer though. I’ve been to restaurants with those and they work pretty well. The food were amazing! For appetizer we got the octopus which was a big size and the sauces they made for it all complimented each other. For the main course, We got the ravioli of the day with prosciutto and cheese inside and my bf made his own noodles with arrabiatissima sauce which was amazing! The traditional tiramisu was also super good, make sure to get that!
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GP
GiovanniP
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Went on a date here. Great place! Good food. Good vibes. Me like.
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L
Loaf
Mexico City
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food4service5ambience5
Sweet little place, wonderful friendly staff, tiramisu is a must try
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a
alexh
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
service was great, the salad was very fresh, pasta was cooked to perfection.
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KR
KevinR
San Diego
12 reviews
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on September 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
It was outstanding. First time there. No pizza on menu, so don't look for it! Ask any other questions and they will be patiently answered (we had a ton and Jonathan was great!).
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 22, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food and service were great, definitely would recommend to a friend.
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VZ
ValerieZ
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent food, service an ambiance! We will definitely be back!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
New York Area
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Th food was very good. We have the octopus for entrance and was great. The pastas were great too.
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JG
JodieG
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
The menu is in authentic Italian and I couldn't understand it but the staff was so helpful. The food was delicious.
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KS
KevinS
San Francisco
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great food. Wonderful service. Amazing restaurant. We will be back!
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g
goldenwonder
San Diego
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
I went for a birthday dinner and it was just wonderful! We changed our seating with the host being so very patient and accommodating. Our waiter John was extremely knowledgeable and his suggestions were spot-on. I would highly recommend this very well run restaurant with delicious food!!
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L
Luna
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Cesarina knows how to cater to people with food intolerances! Having a severe intolerance to gluten and dairy, I don't go out to eat often because of fear of getting sick from cross-contamination. This was not a problem at Cesarina. They had a gluten-free bread basket for the table, and everyone took my dietary restrictions seriously, treating me with care and concern. There were so many options for me that were of the same quality as their non-restricted menu. I had one of the most delicious meals of my life, didn't get sick, and wasn't stressed. I can't recommend them enough!
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LF
LailaF
San Diego
15 reviews
vip
5.0
15 reviews
Dined on September 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent authentic Italian cuisine food. Love love ❤️ love the customer service. Beautiful ambiance
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Baltimore
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food and ambiance were amazing! Definitely recommend especially for a birthday dinner.
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G
Greatgreatgreat
Los Angeles
70 reviews
vip
5.0
70 reviews
Dined on September 19, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
I'm a regular customer because their food is excellent, they even use grass fed beef for their meatballs. Servers are top notch. Everything is good. The amazing thing that happened yesterday was when I told the server I couldn't remember which wine I had the last time she said "No problem I'll go look it up." And she did. WOW. This restaurant is one of my favorites for food and service. Parking sucks but that's not about them. You may need to walk a block or two. But it's worth it both ways!
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily

Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Cesarina using the Order Online button. Cesarina also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 226-6222.

Cesarina is rated 4.9 stars by 4370 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Oct 3, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 194 times today

Order delivery or takeout

4161 Voltaire St, Ste B, San Diego, CA 92107

Dining areas

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Cross street
Catalina Blvd
Neighborhood
Ocean Beach
Hours of operation
Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri–Sun 3:00 pm–9:30 pm
Cuisines
Italian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
We have a private parking lot on the left side of the restaurant, at the moment only 2 slots are available. Each slot is marked by the Cesarina sign. Additional public parking lot, on the other side of the street, is available daily for 3$/h.
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Cesarina Mezzoni
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.cesarinarestaurant.com/
Phone number
(619) 226-6222
Catering
We offer Catering options for parties of 20 guests or more. To inquire about our Catering options, please complete the Event Contact Form at https://cesarinarestaurant.com/events/, and Simone, our event coordinator will reply via email within 48 hours
Private party facilities
For all parties of more than 8 guests, we only offer private dining. To inquire about our Private dining option, please complete the Event Contact Form at https://cesarinarestaurant.com/events/, and Simone, our event coordinator will reply via email within 48 hours

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in San Diego

Cesarina

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in San Diego

Popular dishes

Vegan Nuova Cesarina

VEGAN Lasagna alla Bolognese

Vegan Tiramisù

Menu

What 4,370 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing

Screening

FAQs

Does Cesarina offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Cesarina restaurant rated?

Is Cesarina currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

A Guide to the Best Date Spots in San Diego