Truffle

Name: Truffle
Address: 3021 University Ave, San Diego, CA, United States, 92104-3001
Telephone: (619) 269-3748
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4

4.0

104 Reviews

$31 to $50

Modern Tuscan

Top Tags:

Truffle is a warm and charismatic Italian restaurant located in the heart of North Park. We offer classic yet contemporary cuisine.

We pair different kinds of fresh truffles with appetizers, pasta, steak, and even gelato. Our signature dish is the "Bistecca alla Fiorentina," a T-bone steak cut live and served table-side on a lava stone.

Wine is one of our restaurant's highlights. We have over 60 different wines and a sommelier on staff to decant big wines and open champagne with sabrage.

We also have a lovely dog-friendly patio and a private room with a table for 12 available for large parties and events.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 11, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 6 times today

Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Modern Tuscan, Contemporary Italian, Breakfast
Hours of operation
Sun 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Lunch Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–11:00 pm
Phone number
(619) 269-3748
Website
https://www.trufflesd.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Private party facilities
Truffle is the perfect venue for private and semiprivate events. Our Chef table can seat up to 12 guests and is semiprivate.

Location
3021 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104-3001
Neighborhood
North Park
Cross street
Ray Street
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

The Ultimate Truffle Experience
$64.95 per person
Multiple dates available
Truffle San Diego in North Park is serving the most flavorful truffle filled dishes! Did you know truffle can go on both savory and sweet? What's on the Menu? 🐮 Beef tartare with truffle crostini 🧀 Truffle Burrata Jar ⚙️ Chef’s Cheese Wheel Truffle Risotto 🍝 Short Rib Pappardelle 🍨 Truffle Gelato

Popular dishes

What 104 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.0

4 based on recent ratings

3.9Food
4.1Service
4.2Ambience
3.7Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Diego
Great for fine wines

104 Reviews

DE
DianeE
San Diego
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our second visit and we will be back. Amazing food and excellent service. Our favorite it the beef ravioli....so good!
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BR
BridgetteR
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This is a must if you’re looking for an overall great experience. And YES! Get the cheese wheel! So delicious.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
It’s a decent place to eat, the table wobbling could have been addressed, food was good especially the pasta.
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ZC
ZuichenC
San Diego
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Had a few items Zucchini blossom - Best dish of the night, only 3 peace's Calamari - Good portion but was too salty for every one (party of 5) Fettuccine with shrimp - Flavor was good, but was also too salty, the shrimp was not good quality I would not recommend this place, was expecting better quality for the price point
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SR
StefanieR
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Piper was a great server, very friendly and patient. Cheese wheel pasta is a must try!
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BA
BennyA
San Diego
63 reviews
vip
5.0
63 reviews
Dined on December 3, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Can't miss the cheese-wheel pasta! The staff is great and the wine list is a true italian one.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 29, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had the best experience!! Loved everything and it all came out fast and fresh!
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WT
WilliamT
San Francisco
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 20, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 5
There were 3 big order misses from the server. He was a very nice guy but he was either too busy (the resteraunt was empty) or he was just not engaged or paying attention. We did get a complimentary desert as a gesture to the mishaps.
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IO
IbrahimO
San Diego
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on November 20, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Me and my girlfriend were there for anniversary. Ambiance and service was really good. We got the tasting menu which was good enough for me as a taste and courses. The only thing I can give them advice is they can work on plate up maybe. Using better plates and looking better would be great! But taste and service was great! We were all happy!
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G
Gobears
San Diego
2 reviews
vip
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Excellent service, however food was incredibly bad, espresso martini was watered down, we had a burrata arugula salad that was doused with truffle oil, the calamari was overcooked and underbreaded, the roasted artichoke was ok but it took them over an hour and half to tell me that they are actually out of gnocchi and had to cancel the dish (seems like they buy the gnocchi frozen and don't make it in house). Once again service was really great, but nothing else was that good.
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TR
TuckR
San Diego
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
A slow Monday night, so there was no reason for the service not to be solid, and it was. We ate outside. Staff had some issues getting the heat lamps going, but they managed it after a few minutes. Two of our water glasses had dust stuck on their rims, so a star off for that. But the food was excellent, and truffle-ish as advertised. Portions were slightly on the generous side. Wine markups were reasonable. Outdoor seating is on University Avenue, which is fine for people watching, and while not quiet, not so noisy that we couldn't hear each other pretty well. We expect to go back.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 13, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Truffle Italian in North Park is a delight! From the cozy setting to the Bruschetta and the flavorful Pappardelle. The team is friendly, and the Lemon Cake is a sweet ending. For an easygoing Italian spot, Truffle nails it. Five stars all the way!
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A
Averysharpone
San Diego
12 reviews
5.0
12 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The service, food and whole experience was amazing! We will be back soon.
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SP
SamP
San Diego
25 reviews
vip
4.0
25 reviews
Dined on November 12, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The service was very good. Timing was off on the delivery of the food. We ordered the Steak for Two. Cooked to perfection..but TOO MUCH SALT!!! Have them hold any spices or salt on the steak..better none than too much. Could not eat the steak. The pasta special was very good.. but for $65.00 for noodles.. seems a bit much for me.. No bread on the table.. you need to ask.. after we complained about the steak, the waiter said he would take care of it, and brought over a dessert that we did not order. When the bill came, the desert was on the invoice. Don’t think we’re coming back.
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NB
NayeliB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 11, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The most amazing service ever! Food was incredible and everyone was so sweet and friendly.
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FA
FrancesA
West Palm Beach
14 reviews
vip
5.0
14 reviews
Dined on October 28, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food , ideal restaurant for truffle lovers and Amy was amazing. Zucchini blossom and the cheese wheel were my fav
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N
Natalia
San Diego
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 27, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our server Piper was incredible! The food was absolutely delicious, the ambience was perfect for our date night. We were explained and given Recs based on their knowledge. Overall was a wonderful experience, we will for sure be back!!
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WR
WagnerRocha
San Diego
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 18, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our visit to Truffle Restaurant on October 17th was a mixed bag. We had made a reservation through the "Open Table" app, expecting "The Ultimate Truffle Experience" based on a promotional photo. However, upon arrival, we were surprised to learn that they had switched to the "Truffle Tasting Menu" a few months back. We decided to give it a shot and opted for the four-course "Truffle Tasting Menu," which included "Beef Tartare," "Truffle Burrata Jar," "Chef's Cheese Wheel Truffle Fettucine," and "Pollo Al Tartufo." For dessert, we chose Canelloni and a lemon tart. We paired our meal with the house white wine. The standout of the evening was our waitress, who provided elegant and attentive service. Regarding the food, it had its ups and downs; "Beef Tartare" and "Truffle Burrata Jar" were excellent, but "Pollo Al Tartufo" left much to be desired. The bill came to a reasonable $121.73 for two, including gratuity. However, the restaurant needs to improve communication about menu changes. Despite the mixed experience, we left with fond memories, thanks to the exceptional service and good dishes.
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PV
PatrickV
San Diego
24 reviews
vip
5.0
24 reviews
Dined on October 18, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Very friendly service and professional but still family style. Great food especially the Tartare , will need to taste more different pastas to give a true opinion but truffle pasta good and very rich…
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WW
WhitneyW
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 11, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We enjoyed the 4 course meal truffle experience and were blown away! Each course was amazing and we were too full to finish our dessert by the end! The service was excellent and it was a great experience overall!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Washington DC
5 reviews
vip
1.0
5 reviews
Dined on October 9, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
Did not offer the experience that was the reservation in OpenTable. Did not refill water. Brought wrong food items. Struggled with taking orders. Said they were limited in truffles that day.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on October 8, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Came on a weekend for lunch. Not busy at all. Which I love, I honestly hate eating at super busy spots. Paid for parking close by. Food and service were pretty good, I recommend the truffle experience. 4 courses for less than $60. It’s enough to feed two people. I would come again.
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Y
Yessyess
San Diego
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 7, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious food, amazing service, beautiful ambiance. Will definitely come back.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Las Vegas
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 1, 2023
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Wish I had chosen A different place for my birthday. The parmesan wheel food was cold and they ran put of the ribeye. On top of that the customer service was nothing to brag about
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d
dawng
San Diego
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 29, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and service were amazing! I can't wait to go back!
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IB
Ir0nBuddha
San Diego
13 reviews
1.0
13 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
I do not recommend Truffle. Other than the decor, that’s all I liked.
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z
zetter619
San Diego
14 reviews
vip
3.0
14 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
They were out of shaved truffles. If that’s the namesake of the restaurant, you should readily be available. Most things did not taste like they had even had any truffle in them. The “truffle gelato” tasted like French vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate sundae syrup. Not impressed but the food was not bad and the server was at least honest about the irony of not having truffles.
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CL
ChiLing
San Diego
9 reviews
vip
1.0
9 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
My hubby and I were so excited to have our seldomly done date nigbts without kiddos. The Insta looked amazing and its how we found this place. It is a quaint small restaurant with nice service... but when we received our food it wasnt all its cracked up to be. The cheese wheel was a prop and the truffle wasnt grated fresh lkke advertised. Whats really horrible was that they tried to get away with charging $59 for a pasta plate that wouldve take 10 bites to finish. But when we mentioned it, they offered to discount $10... which was the restaurant week price for freshly shaved truffle...but... no. The whole premise of this pasta was melted cheese from the wheel, which was not... and the freshly shaved truffle, which was not available. They ended up not charging us when we explained this in the end, but, seriously... they got away with it on 2 other tables who didnt know better. Those poor girls... well... good luck to them and hopefully they stop honey potting people.
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BR
BonnieR
San Diego
4 reviews
vip
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
The Caesar salad was perfect. The lobster ravioli was good. Ambience was nice. The music was too loud for me, and the service was slow, but that may be attributed to it being Restaurant Week. I’d go back.
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KW
KellieW
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on September 28, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Some girlfriends and I were so excited to go to a new place. Overall the food was not good, poor quality, bad taste, seemed thrown together, and mostly without any truffle flavor! Our cheese wheel pasta tasted like Rice a Roni Noodles (which I like by the way) but not for a $50 high end meal. We had the truffle gelato at the end and it was so bad I had to say something to our waiter, he told me it was vanilla ice cream and Hershey's syrup! I had to ask for water twice, and the waiter not once came over and asked how our main course was. Will not be returning!
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JJ
JeraldinJ
Exclusive
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 27, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The ambiance and service was good, but the food wasn’t anything to rave about, basic Italian food. We could not taste Truffle in any of our dishes, in addition the gelato truffle desert was vanilla ice cream (with frostbite) and it was topped with, what tasted like Hershey’s drizzle. Highly disappointed.
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A
Aude
San Diego
17 reviews
vip
1.0
17 reviews
Dined on September 27, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
This restaurant is just a scam. We went to get the truffle diner for the restaurant week. The food that we ordered had no truffle taste in it at all and the Truffle ice cream was a vanilla ice cream with chocolat sauce lol. The service was terrible the waitress made mistakes ordering our dishes and left before we finished our diner. I was so disappointed to get such a bad evening. I will never go back to that place and will definitely not recommend it to anyone.
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JP
JamesP
San Diego
18 reviews
3.0
18 reviews
Dined on September 27, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
My experience at truffle was okay. I went to truffle to celebrate my wife's birthday with the truffle experience. If you look on open table it says that they have the truffle experience and when you book your time right under the time slot it says experience. When I got to truffle I told them I want to do the truffle experience and they told me that they do not have the truffle experience because of restaurant week. This was not on open table and I wasn't aware of it. I was highly disappointed because that was the entire reason why I went to that restaurant. So I'm not sure who to blame for the lack of information given to the customer but during a restaurant week they do not do the truffle experience. The restaurant is small. That's okay because it's very hip. It's in North Park and it's very much like a North Park restaurant. I enjoy that scene.You walk on the street and there's music everywhere. I like the area. The food was okay. I got the ribeye and it came with truffle fries. It had a layer of fat on each side. Once you cut that off your steak it was smaller. I did not like that. The steak tastes good but it wasn't the right size because of the fat layer. I got a lemon martini and it was pretty good. My wife got some noodles which they gave her from a cheese roll. They mellted the cheese, put the noodles in the cheese, spun it around and put on a cool little show and it was nice. The noodles tasted average. We did get a charcuterie board and that was pretty good. As a matter of fact I would say that the board was the best thing that we ate. My dinner plus her dinner plus two drinks and the charcuterie board cost me about $200. You could do better elsewhere.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
2 reviews
vip
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 27, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and service was very good. But they did not inform us of the 3% surcharge and automatic gratuity, so we ended up paying even more with the tip.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on September 26, 2023
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Three of us for dinner, salads and appetizers were excellent. Two of us thought our entrees were excellent; one was disappointed. Our server, Piper, was outstanding!
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M
Monibri
Las Vegas
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was delicious and the service was amazing
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RH
RachelH
San Diego
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
I was so very excited to try this spot for restaurant week. Unfortunately, the service was very poor, the food was mediocre and the price tag was far too high for the overall experience. I would definitely not recommend. Solare in Liberty Station has an excellent truffle risotto if you' like to go somewhere that is worth your time.
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C
Connor
San Diego
17 reviews
vip
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on September 25, 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My first time at Truffle was 24 September 2023 for the first night of San Diego Restaurant Week. We were sat and our server greeted us immediately. We started with water and wine and then were given a chance to look at the menu. We all selected the pre-fixe Restaurant Week menu and put in our order. Our first course came out and we each tucked into our selection hungrily. I had the burrata Caprese and my friends each had the Caesar salad. Our server, Ricardo, didn’t hover and in fact let us eat. I love that about Italian and French restaurants. We finished our salads a few minutes later our entrees came out. I ordered the lobster ravioli. I had to! It was calling my name. They each ordered the salmon and mashed potatoes. My pasta was so freaking delicious! I could have bathed in the sauce. I haven’t had a sauce that simple looking and so ridiculously complex in a long time! I couldn’t finish all of mine. The next course was dessert and it was a homemade gelato. We ordered tiramisu for the table too. The tiramisu came out first and holy cow…it was spectacular! The gelato came out a few minutes later and it was the only downside of the meal. It was clearly homemade but was over churned. It wasn’t creamy or smooth and instead was like ice milk. I had two small bites and pushed it aside. My friend ate the gelatos and myself and other friend finished off the tiramisu. The restaurant at that point was packed for Restaurant Week which is why I’d made our reservation for early. We were done with our meal as the noise level hit an ear shattering level. Perfectly timed. It took a while to get our check. I don’t think they expected the turnout they got. Once we did, we paid and made our way out completely sated and stuffed. I am absolutely going back to Truffle. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience and scrumptious meal!
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B
Beto
San Diego
11 reviews
vip
3.0
11 reviews
Dined on September 24, 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Food was underwhelming! I think that if you call your Caesar salad a Truffle Cesar salad, I am going to expect some truffle! Same for the dessert! The dessert was embarrassingly bad! Truffle gelato...yea right! The Gnocchi Cacio e Peppe, on the other hand, was AMAZING! I did have to pay extra for truffle, but this dish was worth coming back for. But, ultimately, I was disappointed in the food.
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FD
FelipeD
Washington DC
10 reviews
2.0
10 reviews
Dined on September 24, 2023
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Overrated Overpriced Not cool when the server tells your wife he is “dessert” Never going back
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FAQs

Truffle offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 269-3748.

Truffle is rated 4 stars by 104 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

Dec 11, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 6 times today

Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

3021 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104-3001

Additional information

Cross street
Ray Street
Neighborhood
North Park
Hours of operation
Sun 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Lunch Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–11:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Modern Tuscan, Contemporary Italian, Breakfast
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.trufflesd.com/
Phone number
(619) 269-3748
Private party facilities
Truffle is the perfect venue for private and semiprivate events. Our Chef table can seat up to 12 guests and is semiprivate.

Truffle

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Experiences

The Ultimate Truffle Experience

Popular dishes

TRUFFLE CAESAR

truffle lasagna

TIRAMISU

Menu

What 104 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

FAQs

Does Truffle offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Truffle restaurant rated?

Is Truffle currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information