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Nicolosi's - El Cajon

4.2
4.2
19 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian
221 E. Main St., El Cajon, CA 92020

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
Welcome to Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant in Downtown El Cajon. Nicolosi's has been serving authentic southern Italian cuisine in San Diego for over 60 years. Our old country recipes as well as new favorites have made us a local favorite. Come try our housemade Lasagna, our hand made Ravioli or our Sicilian Six-Cheese Mac and Cheese. Find out what San Diegans have come to love with our famous torpedo sandwiches, meatballs, awesome pastas and delicious salads. Our pizza has consistently been voted best in San Diego and you can choose from one of our many traditional or unique combinations. A delicious basket of housemade bread comes with every meal.

Our welcome atmosphere features attentive service, a full bar and banquet facilities. Our family hopes to welcome you to Nicolosi's soon. Mangia!

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Pizzeria, Comfort Food
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily: 11:00am - 3:00pm Happy Hour Daily: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Dinner Sunday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 8:30 pm; Friday & Saturday: 3:00pm - 9:30pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Gino Rocca
  • Catering
    Nicolosis catering is your one stop for large party take out, in house events or complete catering at your site. We offer a great selection of our family's recipes for your special event.
  • Private party facilities
    We have a large private room for your special events and are happy to work with you to tailor your menu to your style and budget.
  • Neighborhood
    El Cajon / Lakeside
  • Cross street
    W.D Hall
  • Parking details
    There is street parking and a public lot in the back with easy access to the entrance.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wine

What 19 people are saying

Nicolosi's - El Cajon reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.2
4.2 based on all time ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4Ambience
  • 0.7Value

NoiseModerate

19 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    3.0

    Dined on April 23, 2016

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    My fiancé and I came to celebrate a special occasion. We have been here many times before and have generally always had great service. We came last Friday the 22nd at 5:30. All I can say is the food was, of course, amazing. Our server was either really busy or really scatter brained. Observing, we could also tell the rest of the ladies seemed unhappy/irritable? Anyhow, drinks weren't filled in a timely manner, greeting seemed rushed, bread took forever, and they were out of the desert we requested ( not severs fault of course). The service was impersonable. Both my fiancé and I have worked in the restaurant industry as severs, bartenders, cook, dishwasher, manager - you name it, we did it! And our rule of thumb has always been if the food is mediocre but service is awesome - we give it another chance, but if food is awesome and service is unexceptional - we most likely won't return. Sorry, We tried.

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 28, 2016

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The service was wonderful. Our server was very attentive and personable. Out food was wonderful and piping hot. I ordered the Chicken Penne Pasta. It was delicious. My girlfriend ordered the Linguini and Clams. She raved about it.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    1.0

    Dined on February 14, 2016

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    I made reservations for lunch on valentine's day. Upon walking in, I already notice a lot of upset customers. Being Valentine's day, I expected the place to be busy but did not expect the restaurant to be under prepared for the day. Basically, the restaurant had only 2 servers working. I had reservations and couldn't even get seated. Three other parties left before I did. Maybe I'll go back to give them a second chance because I heard the food is amazing. Hopefully it was just an off day for them. It would have been nice to have had some chairs for the people who are waiting for a table but instead, we all stood - leaving customers with one foot out the door. Sorry about the rating. 1 star for now until I decide to go back again.

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  4. maryandjavi

    San Diego20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on July 2, 2015

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was delicious. We had the lobster pasta and chicken piccata, respectively. A lot of food of which we took at least half home in to go boxes. Jennifer, our server was wonderful--friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. Parking was easy even with the car show occurring on this evening. We found a parking space in in the parking area behind the restaurant. We definitely would go back again.

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  5. foodhappiness

    San Diego17 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 31, 2015

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is always a great restaurant to come to. We have never had a bad meal. The eggplant parm was one of the best I've ever had, the lobster mac & cheese was creamy and rich. We have had all of the appetizers and they are all wonderful!

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  6. lucy VIP

    San Diego5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on January 23, 2015

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The lasagna was delicious and the portion was huge. It came we a crisp salad that was also large. our main man is Chris and love to see him every time we go.

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  7. DonR

    San Diego4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 11, 2014

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a Mother's Day brunch here and everything was outstanding!

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  8. DaniDF VIP

    San Diego25 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2014

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We came for their Vakentine's special and it was ver good. I've been at Nicolosi's before and their pizzas and pastas are fabulous.

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  9. casey

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on December 24, 2013

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a very nice time at our Christmas lunch this year at Nicolosi's. I will plan to go back and others in our group of 6 said they would too. The food was very good and the sauces were especially tasty and clearly homemade.. One of our guests was served her dish very late and the portion size was a bit smaller than another person who ordered the same thing. I think it was due to the banquet group in the back room. This didn't negatively impact our experience. The price was also very reasonable.

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  10. Kimberly

    San Diego4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on November 20, 2013

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    LOVE LOVE LOVE to come here especially on a Friday night ... the wait isn't too bad!! The Food is always GREAT but the service is lacking a lot of times!!! Seems like you have to flag a server down and the place really isn't that big :/

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FAQs

Nicolosi's - El Cajon offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 444-0303.

Nicolosi's - El Cajon is rated 4.2 stars by 19 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for Nicolosi's - El Cajon

221 E. Main St., El Cajon, CA 92020

Additional information

  • Cross street
    W.D Hall
  • Neighborhood
    El Cajon / Lakeside
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily: 11:00am - 3:00pm Happy Hour Daily: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Dinner Sunday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 8:30 pm; Friday & Saturday: 3:00pm - 9:30pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Pizzeria, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    There is street parking and a public lot in the back with easy access to the entrance.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Gino Rocca
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Nicolosis catering is your one stop for large party take out, in house events or complete catering at your site. We offer a great selection of our family's recipes for your special event.
  • Private party facilities
    We have a large private room for your special events and are happy to work with you to tailor your menu to your style and budget.
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