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Giardino Neighborhood Cucina
Giardino offers an Italian-inspired menu of seasonally-driven dishes that use timeless Italian techniques and fresh ingredients. Guests will find items such as fresh seafood, pastas, pizzas and salads, as well as a variety of elements made in-house.
Private Dining
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Experiences
Thursday Date Night
Multiple dates available
Enjoy a 3 course meal for two people (shared app, 2 entrees and a shared dessert) for $45 every Thursday night.Sunday Family Meal
Multiple dates available
Enjoy a family meal for four for only $50. You'll have a choice of family-style Caesar or Mixed Greens Salad, then you Build Your Own Pizza and Build Your Own Pasta!
Offers
Pizza Tuesdays
Multiple dates available
Tue 4:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Every Tuesday night, get any pizza from the menu plus a carafe of house wine or sangria for only $19.Cheese Wheel Pasta Mondays
Multiple dates available
Mon 4:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Rotating pastas served table side from a giant parmesan cheese wheel. Every Monday night.Half Off Wine Wednesdays
Multiple dates available
Wed 4:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Every Wednesday, get half off select bottles of wine all day.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Penne Salsicia
wild boar sausage / peas / diced tomato / vodka cream sauce / parmesan
2 reviews
Garlic Bread
Freshly baked daily
2 reviews
Calamari Fritti
calamari / lightly breaded / pomodoro sauce / chipotle aioli
1 reviews
Great service. My friend didn’t love her burger but my panini was delicious. Big portions and great atmosphere. Can’t wait until Covid is over. Thank you for being an island in the ocean of chaos happening right now. Thank you to owner for running a tight ship. Italian food from a Russian. I love it!
Great food and great service!
Every visit the food is consistently great!! I love the lasagna and Alfredo. They make their own pasta and it’s so fresh. I look forward to going there every time.
Food and service is fantastic! Decor is charming and inviting. Love this restaurant!
Fantastic as always! Tried the Sicilian ribeye for a change and it was amazing. Everything we have tried is always good. Friendly service with a smile.
Birthday brunch on our last day open befor lockdown was perfect. We love it here
Such a lovely neighborhood restaurant. The decor is so beautiful, we're always so happy with our food bub we were blown away by their weekend brunch menu, yum! Staff is very kind & accommodating, this is one of our favorite restaurants!
I recently moved to La Mesa and have been gradually checking out the nearby restaurants. Giardino Neighborhood Cucina has been on my radar for awhile and I finally gave it a try and was not disappointed. I got the lasagna and my sister had the shrimp and crab ravioli. Both of us were completely satisfied. I can't wait to return and explore more of the menu.
This is undoubtedly the best restaurant in Lemon Grove! Great food; love the different homemade Italian foods. A splurge? The garlic knots. Unbelievable.
The seating arrangement was too close and not in compliance with the current COVID-19 orders, which caused a little anxiety and we could enjoy our meal. The food and service was great.
Great service
Solid Italian cooking !
One of the best Italian restaurants we have been too! Food was exceptional and tasted amazing!!
Started off good with a cold bottle of water. My wife and I started with fried squid and clams and mussels antipasti which were good, but we had to ask for bread. Next came our entrees which at most Italian restaurants are preceded by soup or salad and bread. Neither were offered. We asked our server for bread with the entrees and were told that it would be coming, but it never showed up. Granted that the pasta entree servings were huge, the sauce was pretty bland. A good marinara or meat sauce would have been more enjoyable. This place is a bit too pricey for what we got, though we both enjoyed the iced tea. The bill including a 20% tip came to $93 with no dessert.
Very Tasty
Great service! Food was really good.
It is a neighborhood gem on a busy street with a comfortable "California" appeal. Obvious attention to detail with decor and cleanliness. Good selection of brunch items on Saturday morning. Plenty of parking in rear although hard to see on a first time visit. Access is through a narrow entrance between buildings on the right side of the restaurant as you face it. The front parking has been converted to outside tables and the noise level from the traffic is disconcerting at first. Traffic is not detectable from the inside. Service was responsive and friendly.
This was for a going-away party for a friend and as usual the service and food was stellar!! Thank you!
Our waiter Alessandro was terrific! He made very good suggestions on what to order, pleasant and prompt service. Food was great too. It was a little noisy on main street but the best that they can do during these challenging times. We will be back, supporting small businesses!
Had the Pear Gorgonzola pizza-was awesome. Service a little slow. Ate outside due to covid but seating still comfortable.
The food is excellent, the environment is too noisy with indoor dinning. Outdoor dinning is currently in the parking lot that is at an incline. More heaters will be needed as we enter the winter season.
My husband and I love Giardino’s!!! We enjoy getting takeout (several times a week) or dinning in on the new front patio too. We always love sharing Giardino’s with local and out of town friends. Karina and her staff are amazing and work so hard! A few of our favorite dishes are the; garlic knots, bruschetta, lamb lollipops, cannelloni rosini, fettuccine carbonara, penne salsicia, steak siciliano, stuffed sole and their prime rib dinner (when available). Also the mini cannoli’s are amazing!
Wine tasting events with Roberto and Karina are so much fun as well.
And we loved taking the cooking classes (pre-COVID) and can’t wait until they return!
We can’t imagine the neighborhood without Giardino’s! It’s such a wonderful and much needed gem!
Giardino is a hidden jewel in an unexpected neighborhood. Excellent ambiance, a high level of customer service, and great food. The owners are friendly and make you feel welcome. I would recommend everyone to experience Giardino.
Giardino has the best food I have had in a while. They have been open throughout the Pandemic with food to go, meals to make at home and recently opened the front patio. Moderate prices and well worth it !
Best Italian food in San Diego hands down. Service is outstanding 👏
One of my favorite places for happy hour or weekend brunch or dinner for 2 Thursdays
Always love going to this place! The food is amazing, the drinks are good, and the service is fantastic!
The food is delicious, and the pricing is reasonable.
My husband and I love this Giardino! It’s one of our all time favorite restaurants! The food is absolutely amazing! The staff is incredibly accommodating and friendly. We always come back because we always have such an amazing experience. They have done such an amazing job in the midst of the pandemic with their take out options, outdoor dining and more. They really have put the customer experience first. Love them and will keep coming back! Can’t wait! Thank you for being such a light in these challenging times!
Amazing food and incredible service!!! Will definitely be back!
We had a great brunch! Service and food was excellent. Try the breakfast pizza and the unlimited Mimosas
Food was delicious. No complaints.
Given restaurants are supposed to seat only 25% of their indoor dining, this was not the case. The inside of the restaurant was full. Most of the outside dining, full. The owner is obviously taking advantage of the situation.
The food, terrible at best. My wife's ravioli were cold. I ordered carbonara, which tasted like watered down alfredo. My son's meal, alfredo, cold and lacked flavor.
This spot used to be good, great even. But the last few times, lackluster at best.
Not going back.
Always a pleasure to get together with friends at this neighborhood jewel. Was gratified to see the community support during the pandemic shutdown, everyone wants this place to survive! Great food, friendly service.
Family get together. One of our favorite places. Garlic knots are the bomb and you Must get one or 2 orders. Very attentive service. Pizza’s were perfect. Pasta was very tasty and Lamb was Amazing. It was an amazing evening with my family and every one was happy with several tasty leftovers to taste for later. A great find and we keep coming back 😊
Drink and food service was a bit slow. Service was very friendly and they let us know what the delays were and made sure we were taken care of. The food will bring us back over and over again. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality for the locale. This place was a truly unexpected treat!
Nicely & comfortable restaurant...the food very good.... The best italian rest. In sandiego...
I already loved how this restaurant brought a touch of class and elegance to a corner of town that was otherwise simple and functional. With the pandemic, this place immediately pivoted to wonderful take-out, then special deals, and now safe outdoor dining, making it one of the very few places I have felt comfortable going during this time. The food and service remain excellent as ever, and the outside ambiance perfect for San Diego's year-round good climate. I also understand the owner has gone above and beyond for personal food deliveries to seniors and other people struggling in the neighborhood. I plan on continuing to enjoy a drink and plate of food there for years to come.
The restaurant was not crowded so the noise level was not bad considering it was on a main street, other than people stopping to pick up food with car windows open and music blaring. We sat outside. If it had been crowded, the tables would have been too close together for my comfort during this time. The garlic knots were good but a bit oily. The gnocchi with pesto was tasty. The cannellini with shrimp was too salty. Too bad because the shrimp were good and there were fresh mushrooms and tomatoes. If it hadn't been so salty it would have been delicious. It was okay but I probably wouldn't return.
Slow slow slow. Sat for 1 hour before receiving food. Not good either.
FAQs
You can order delivery directly from Giardino Neighborhood Cucina using the Order Online button. Giardino Neighborhood Cucina also offers delivery in partnership with Postmates. Giardino Neighborhood Cucina also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 825-7112.
Giardino Neighborhood Cucina is rated 4.7 stars by 264 OpenTable diners.
Giardino Neighborhood Cucina does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://www.giardinosd.com/gift-certificates.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.