excellent food
The food was excellent and our server Andrew took good care of us. Will visit again!
The best of the best!
Everything they say about this place is true. The food and service definely 5 stars.
worth it
My wife and I made an early(4:30) reservation, drove down from O'side and were seated a a great window table to watch the downtown scene unfold. Our waiter(Mitch) was knowledgable, unobtrusive but ready, and was a delight to have serve us. The food was brilliantly prepared and we will certainly be back to enjoy this great restaurant.
great time
arrived early which was no problem. we were seated at a corner window. this afforded us a fine view of the city. the food was excellent and the service outstanding. a very friendly atmosphere. we will be returning very soon. thank you.
Great Anniversary dinner!!
Trattoria La Strada was an excellent dining experience and the service was great. George was our waiter and he made our anniversary a night my girlfriend and I will never forget. Everything was perfect, the food, the atmosphere, and the service. I recommend the chicken parmigiana and the ravioli rossini. They were both outstanding.
The Best in the West
I made an online reservation, not sure what to expect. We were treated with the red carpet treatment. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the dishes, and when asked questions, was able to give us tremendous insight that helped make our decisions. The food is beyond delicious, and our waiter had described each dish to perfection. We had taken our son and his girlfriend, and we were all thrilled with the decision. Anyone I would be entertaining would be entertained at this restaurant. I have never dined at a restaurant that comes close to this one.
Excellent Filet Mignon!
We loved La Strada, well worth it. The filet mignon was delicious, I highly recommend it. My wife had the rib eye, which was just as good. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was priceless. Thanks!
Incredible Italian Food!!
I had the pleasure of Dining at this Incredible Restaurant yesterday. We were seated right away. I ordered the Brucetta Appetizer, It was Fresh and bursting with flavor. I ordered the Pene Portofino, which was Loaded the Freash water Jumbo Shrimp in a wonderful Vodka based sauce My date had ordered the Ravioli Al Gorgonzola, which were creamy and full of flavor. For Dessert we shared the Wonderfully Rich Chocolate Volcano. I had expected a good restaurant based on the reviews, what I recieved was a wonderful experiance filled with fantastice food and service. The only question I have is not when I will eat there again, but how quickly I can get back!!. ..
Personalized Dining
Our waiter was both helpful and very sweet. A direct import from Italy after hearing that we were loving our meal he walked over to the head chef and told him who in turn blew kisses in our direction. The experience was very nice. My boyfriend had the fettuccine pomodori with chicken on top and was doing his best not to make himself sick by overeating. The pasta melted in his mouth and he described it as hands down the best pasta he's ever had. I had the special, ravioli with a creamy white truffle sauce. It was amazing and I ate the entire thing despite my increasingly full stomach. At the end there was no room for dessert but we left feeling happy and completely satisfied. The meal along with excellent service made Trattoria La Strada a place definitely worth returning to!
A very fine evening
My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal, the food was delicious and the ambiance was delightful. Service was excelent, and we made a good choice of wine. We both enjoyed a Filet Mignon dish (both different but equally delicious) Definately a place we plan on returning too.
Outstanding
We had a party of 24 clients in conjunction with the National School Board Convention. I must say that every aspect of our event was outstanding. The food and wine were delicious and I was amazed that all 24 entrees were served within 60 seconds of each other and were piping hot. Our 2 waiters were outstanding with very specific attention to detail. Our waiter was kind enough to select various appetizer samplers and also did the same for the dessert portion of our dinner. I can't begin to say enough about this restaurant.
great ambiance, great attendance, great food
I had a few minutes before the padre's game, so why not a fast stop for a drink? That's how I discovered the bar inside the restaurant. The bar was so agreeable, that I ended up having a ravioli with gorgonzola, followed by a very nice margarita. The food was outstanding and the bartender, a young brazilian girl, was really friendly and helpful.
Perfecto!!!
Hi All,
I wanted to write a review from the heart about this restaurant. I didn't get paid to write this review, neither am I a gourmet chef - I am an individual just like you, who wanted to celebrate his wife's birthday at a nice place. This is by far THE BEST Italian restaurant I've been to. Everything was P E R F E C T, from the atmosphere to wait times, from the first course the the desert, everything was served so promptly, in the right temperature, the food was delicious, the staff made us feel royal and we had a great time!
Special thanks to Paulo, the restaurant manager! (and no I didn't know the guy before...)
Amazing experience!!
Everything was great!!Thank you!
Love This place!
I used to go when i was younger with my family and now ten years later i still hang out here with my boyfriend and friends, love the service,food, and wine. A+
Attentive Service with a Smile & Great Food
I arrived with a party of 3 and was seated on the cozy heated patio within view of patrons in the gaslamp. Very nice atmosphere- classy yet casual and fantastic service. We started out with the Bruschetta Toscana which was delicious and fresh. Next came our Penne Alla Carretierra which is fantastic with chicken. We also tried the creamy pasta dish Farfalline Al Pollo E Broccoli which was pretty good. Finally, the best part of any meal- dessert. I personally recommend the Rasberry Cheescake and perfectly prepared Creme Brulee which is out of sight. Overall,this is a great Italian restaurant with very attentive staff and a delicious menu which makes for a great dining experience. If you're ever in the Gaslamp and in the mood for Italian, stop by Trattoria La Strada on 5th Ave.
An amazing experience!
Trattoria La Strada is a great restaurant, hands down. The service is wonderful, the food is full of flavor, and the atmosphere is nice whether you sit in the main room or near the bar. Etched glass, fancy lighting, and a modern look make this place a hot spot. I highly recommend it over the other Italian restaurants in town. It doesn't get better than this.
hot waiter
great food,hot waiter(peter)
Incredible
Fast, friendly, very polite and attentive service. Food was fantastic, just like Italian food in Italy, and I would know the difference. We are considering having our wedding rehearsal dinner there.
Outstanding choice
Our visit to Trattoria La Strada was wonderful, from start to finish. Our waiter was very helpful, and his suggestions steered us towards our choices. I loved the Mahi mahi and my husband very pleased with his veal dish. The spincach ravioli he had on his plate as part of the dinner was fabulous - I could have ordered that alone and been extremely happy. I'm just glad he shares well! The other diners around us struck up a conversation and were very pleased with their dinners as well. Their food smelled wonderful, even from our table next to theirs. All of the pasta is homemade, and flavorful. With the wonderful and experienced service, and the terrific food, I would highly reccommend this restaurant.
Great Service!!!!
I went to La Strada on a whim last week and had the experience of a lifetime. I had the sweetest server named Sara who was such a joy!! The food was incredible and I more than got my money's worth!! I had the ossobucco and I could not believe how good it was. I highly recommend this place as the service and enviornment are well worth the price.
Amazing and Delicious!
My boyfriend and I had dinner here on our 2nd anniversary. We were very impressed that we were able to make last minute reservations. The service was VERY good (my glass was never empty) and the food was AMAZING. We had the Bruschetta Toscana as an appetizer and shared the Ravioli Al Gorgonzola for dinner. Both were excellent! I highly recommend this place.
AMAZING NIGHT!!!
Food was delicious, service was great...but the best thing was the ambience! Thank you very much for the wonderful night!
The best experience in San Diego
I was in town for a few days and I decided to take some collegues out for a nice evening in the Gaslamp quarter. We loved La Strada right away, the hostess was very nice and we decided to seat on the patio. The service was great, we order a very nice italian wine and that tooks us right to the meal and that was incredible. I really enjoyed eating at La Strada and I will go back again next time I will be in lovely San Diego.
Excellent food, good service
Definitely the best Italian we've tried in San Diego so far. The food is delicious, and coming from New York City, we're picky about good Italian! The menu selection is large and mouth-watering, and the food lives up to the expectation.
Mouth watering good!!!!
I do not know where these other diners went, this food was absolutely AMAZING!!!! My husband I vacationed in Italy and this was the best I have ever had in the states. Both of our dishes were to die for and the appetizers were so fresh I was so pleased. It was also great that a celebrity came to have dinner there that night, which showed that they must be great. No doubt this is a six star restaurant, five do not do it justice.
Company event was excellent!
I held a banquet here for my business partners and our clients and I could not have asked for a better night. We were seated in a private area that was set up very nicely and we had personalized menus and waters waiting for us as we were seated. The service was great and they were very accommodating to the requests of our group. The food was hot out of the kitchen and everyone received their entrees at, pretty much, the same time. My wife and I had the Scallopina Ai Fungi Porcini (if I rcall correctly) and it was delicious.I would definitely recommend this restaurant for any event or dinner in a elegant atmosphere with a real Italian feel (even the waiters were Italian!)We will absolutely hold another event there in the future.
Rehearsal Dinner
My fiance and I had been referred to La Strada through a friend of ours that claimed, "it was the best in the Gaslamp!" We were looking for somewhere to hold our rehearsal dinner and thought we would give it a shot. We went in for dinner, not mentioning we were interested in booking a party, and the food and service were wonderful. We took a "self-guided tour" around the restaurant after our meal, to find the "private room" which is almost hidden from the main dining area. The next day I emailed them to set up a meeting and they were great about getting in touch with me right away to set something up. I soon booked our rehearsal dinner for 40 people in the private area and I could not have imagined the night to go any better. Everything was set out just like we had discussed and every one of our guests was overjoyed with the ambiance, service, and food. I now trust my friend for good restaurant advice and highly recommend this place for anyone looking to host a private event of any sort or even a romantic dinner for two!
Great Food!
I must say Trattoria La Strada Restaurant serves dishes that truly capture the style and taste of authentic Italian food. If that is what you're looking for, my first recommendation would be Trattoria La Strada Restaurant, hands down. Trattoria La Strada Restaurant has plenty of ambience & excellent food but the service falls short.
Danny's Report Card:
Food:A Decor:B Service:C Cost:B
Phenomenal Food and Service
Trattoria La Strada was absolutely fantastic. My girlfriend and I went; we were placed immediately thanks to online reservations at a seat looking out towards the Ghiradelli. We both ordered the Chicken Parmesan (excuse my non-Italianism...), which was simply sublime. My only niggle is the parking -- if you make a reservation for anything later than 7 PM, make sure you hit Horton Plaza to get something to validate your parking early, otherwise you're looking at $20+ for parking.
Great Food
I was worried at the start because of slow service and attention to detail. We waited too long for our water, wine, and champagne. The evening went pretty well after the slow beginning. We had calamari for an appetizer. It was delicious. For entrees, we had some sort of bowtie pasta with chicken and a white creme sauce. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful. We also had their chicken parmigan. It was thin, fried, and very good. It came with an odd but tasty side--mashed potatoes. Dessert was not the best I have had... We had creme brulee and some other forgettable common dessert. Overall it was a great place. The prices are high as to be expected. The atmosphere left something to be desired. It was a nice place--don't get me wrong. We were celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary. It was not very quiet and the furnishings were a bit old and outdated. Still in all, I rate i as one of the best Italian in San Diego. It would be best for a gathering with family or coworkers--not for romantic evenings.
Such Fantastic Food Begs Better Service
Have eaten here twice and the food is truly outstanding! However don’t expect to be overwhelmed with amazing service. Food courses arrive timely enough, but attention to detail is lacking. Additionally the initial waiter contact is considerably slow. Best to have a drink before you arrive because it may take some time before you are served one. Its not necessarily that the service is particularly bad; I think the fact that the food is so good, you would expect better service to accompany it.
However, having said all that, do not be deterred because the food is worth the trip!
fabulous
Our waiter was amazing and helped us make our selections of both food and wine. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun and lively. I would recommend this restraunt to anyone, it was a perfect night and we could not have asked for anything more!
Good Food, Lousy Service
What a major disappointment Trattoria La Strada turned out to be! I booked a large group while in San Diego for a meeting and to a person heard nothing but negative reviews for the service. We practically had to beg for a drink and forget about ordering a second. After making a huge production about taking our orders in a specific order, the waiter(struggling with a cheesy Italian accent even though he was clearly Latin) never delivered a plate to our table and the servers that did, were extremely confused as to who had what. Two soups didn't arrive until we complained and then two entrees were completely forgotten. The next time we saw our waiter was when he showed up to ask if we wanted dessert or coffee, but by then we'd had it. The food was fine, but you can get that anywhere in San Diego without the headache. STEER CLEAR OF THIS LOSER!!
pretty good, not great
excellent food, but the service is better than the food... thus the 3 rating... many choices on the menu, but some basics are missing, like manicotti for example.. can't get it
prices are reasonable, but again, the excellent service is what makes this place worthwhile...
the food is tasty, just not amazing
Great food ruined by bad service
I went to La Strada with a group of Five people, without a reservation. After waiting about 40 minutes (the rude hostess said it would be less then 20), and getting moved from a great table by the window, to one right in the middle of the waiters major walk way, we were served horrible stale bread. We waited another 20 minutes to meet our waiter, then 10 minutes to get the bottle of wine we ordered. Everyone in my group ordered a pasta dish. The waiter again disareared until our fod was served. Once everyone had thier plate infront of them, we had to wait again for them to bring one of my group a fork. It took 5 minutes to get parmasean cheese, and another 5 for fresh pepper. Overall, the fod was spectacular, some of the best italian food ive had in this country, but the expierence was ruined by terrible service from everyone except the busboys. Maybe we just had bad luck, but if i am goingto pay $20 fpr spagetti and meatballs, i expect a little bit more.
Not the worst nor the best Italian fare
I had high expectations given the positive opinions of others, but I have to say that I won't be returning to Trattoria La Strada anytime soon. My guests and I found the atmosphere to be uninviting and noisy. The service was decent, but it took a long time for the food to arrive. Nothing about the meal was remarkable. Among the food we tried was Calamaretti E Gamberetti Fritti (greasy, somewhat tough), Prosciutto Di Parma Con Pere E Gorgonzola (enjoyable), Linguine Alle Vongole Veraci (the least interesting dish of the evening - better versions can be found for half the price), and Pollo Toscano (perhaps the best dish we had).
Our server was very helpful with suggestions, but the assistants failed to once fill our water glasses without having to flag them down and ask.
After our dining experience, it's hard to believe that this is considered among the best Italian restaurants in San Diego.
Not bad... not great.
We had dinner here and while it was okay, it wasn't great.... certainly not worth the prices. To be honest, I can't even remember what we had.... it just wasn't memorable. But nothing that I can say really negative about it, either. Just that there are better places to go. Highly recommend De Medici.
Maybe a bad night but...
First time I've sent back a dish in 20 years. And I had to convince my waiter I really wanted to do it. My replacement entree was average. For the price you would expect top quality and service. We received neither. Make the extra effort to go to Little Italy if you want Italian food.
Pleasant but average
We went there for a Friday evening dinner as a party of 3. The service was a little below par with the service slow to respond to requests though the food was very quick. The restaurant itself is very clean and in a good location. The atmosphere was probably the best aspect of the evening. Nice and dim with a little bit of noise but not too much. The food was pretty good but not the best I have had. Certainly adequate. The menu certainly had a nice, large variety to choose from though. The size of the meals was pretty good and certainly didn't leave you hungry. Desserts were really quite impressive. In total, the price was pretty much what I expected with the pasta dishes costing about $20 a plate. Overall a pretty average restaurant but we had an enjoyable evening there.
Not What We Expected
Two of us dined here on a busy Saturday night. The food was not up to what we expected, but it was not bad either. The bread was not crusty or particularly fresh. We did far better in Little Italy earlier in our visit. The Casear Salad had dried and powerdery Parmesan as opposed to freshly grated. That certainly needed work. Both of us ate seafood as a main course. It was good, but salty. The waiter was competent enough, but did not know the wine list and was not helpful in making recommendations. For the money, you can do better.
A tough dinner
I entertained some business clients at the Trattoria La Strada. Three of the four of us ordered the veal which was very tough and without much flavor. Our service was slow and without much attention to any details to our dinning experience. We always had to ask for everything and at the end it took a very long time to get my credit card slip to sign, a pet peeve of mine!! The restaurant with some attention to detail and food quality should be great, down to turning on the air to make it comfortable to sit for the 2 hours. Maybe my review seems overly critical but I just arrived back from Italy a week ago and they could teach the american restauranteers about food and service.
Overrated! Poor service and food not oustanding!
We had a party of 15. The service was not very good--the waiter opened our chiati (which was also only okay) and then disappeared. Our appetizers, fried calamari and prochuitto, were tasty. However, the Ahi tuna in our carpaccio was not flavorful. The seafood selection was not large, so our waiter suggested filet mignon for me (medium rare which turned out to be medium). The meat wasn't as juicy and flavorful as I am accustomed to. My girlfriend had a platter of grilled fish, which turned out to be very dry. We finished the dinner with a coffee, cappucinno, creme bulee, chese cake and tiramisu. Those were not bad. But suffice to say none of us will return to this restaurant.
Not worth it.
For entrees priced in the $30-$35 range, I would expect much more, such as you might get at The Marine Room or George's. My Veal Saltimbucco was overly salty, the mashed potatoes were nearly cold and tasted overwhelmingly of butter and the green beans (also not hot) were overcooked to the point of being mushy. The others in my dining party suggested that their food was nothing special -- certainly nothing that lived up to the reputation and price. The service was very inattentive and included a gum-chewing hostess. There is nothing special about this place. It's simply overpriced.
Disappointed
We chose Trattoria La Strada because of its high rating and because we were entertaining out of town guests. The corner location and windowed view of the people walking on Fifth created a nice ambiance. The service was good. The food was marginal. My veal dish had a nice flavor, but the meat was over done to the point of being chewy. My wife had the Manila Clams pasta dish. Even I noticed the very small size of the clams. Good ambiance and service, but the food is mediocre.
Mediocre at best
After such an enthusiastic endorsement by San Diego Restaurants.com, my husband and I were hopeful. Both the food and the service were mediocre at best. While the ceasar salad was tasty, my huband waited for more than 5 minutes to be offered fresh ground pepper. My pasta dish was lackluster, reminiscent of Lean Cuisine. The Tiramisu was served in a ramekin.
Bad service
The food is good and has interesting tastes but the service was poor. Our waiter was a complete jerk (I could have used other words in place of jerk if you know what i mean) They were not attentive and were rude. They actually kicked us out of the restaurant for 'staying too long'. I couldn't believe it. we paid $300 plus for dinner and after we were sitting there enjoying ourselves and talking and they kicked us out. Whoever says they have good service must work for the restaurant.
Good food, Bad Smell
As soon as I walked in to this restaurant, I was hit with an overwhelming sewage smell. We were seated by the b-room, asked to be moved(manager graciously reseated us) but it still stunk in the middle of the dining room. The food flavorful and the service attentive, but I could hardly get through the meal with the smell wafting in. Maybe sit outside...or wait until they take care of the smell.
Sit Outside Only!!!!
The food was excellent but the smaell inside the restaurant was incredibly sickening. Raw sewage is the only way to describe it. Until this restaurant addresses this major problem, I will not be back.
Over-Rated!
Our experience at Trattoria La Strada was very disappointing. I made reservations here after seeing it listed as #1 in the Top 20 restaurants on this site. Plus all the rave reviews convinced me that this was the place I should take my husband to celebrate his birthday. Big mistake! We got to the restaurant about 30 min. before our reserved time to see if a table might be available. The hostess was very flustered and said no, that it was a very busy night and we would have to come back at our reserved time. That was fine with us since we hadn't been to the Gaslamp district in a while and thought we would walk around to kill time. We came back at our reserved time only to be told that they still didn't have a table in the main dining room (which I reserved) so why don't they put a table in the corner of the outside patio for us. We said no, that we'd wait for our table. The hostess then said she didn't know how long we'd have to wait since it was a very busy night. We asked for a rough time frame - 10 min? An hour? Two hours? Again she said she had no idea. We said this was unacceptable since we had reservations and she needed to honor this so could she please find out our wait time. She did so and let us know we'd only have to wait 5 min.. However, it looked like they threw together a table for two where one didn't belong. Half our table was hidden by a screen and a tall dusty plant, and the other half stuck out into the hallway where the servers were running back and forth to and from the kitchen. My husband was knocked in the shoulder about 20 times by servers throughout the evening. The food wasn't terrible, but not good either. The bread was tough and cold, our calamari fishy, our pastas overdone and bland. My appetizer salad was the best part of the evening. I'm giving this a two star rating for the effort made by our server and bus staff. Despite everything, they did try to give us good service. Don't be fooled by the Top 20 list. For this kind of food, I agree with another reviewer who said Cheesecake Factory would have been a better choice.
overpiced, untasted flavor
I thought that the entire menu sounded fantastic, but the items we ordered were not so great. The ravioli that l ordered actually tasted quite nice, but it was rather thinner than I expected. The dish that my friend ordered seemed not to be what the menu described it would be. It was supposed to have smoked salmon and caviar, and I saw and tasted neither in the dish. The appetizer was interesting, but I thought that everything needed a bit more flavor. And lastly, I think it was overpriced for the food that we got. So I guess that I would not recommend this restaurant to my friends. It really sounded great, and I was very excited to eat there, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I thought that maybe we just ordered the wrong things, but like my friend said, those were the chef's selections and they should have been the best dishes on the menu.
The food may not have been fantastic, but the company was
Disappointing
After an evening of deciding which of the many restaurants were "just right" for our evening on the town, we chose "La Strada" in the Gaslamp district. We were offered a 15% discount at the door, probably due to the competition on a quiet Monday of a long, Labor Day weekend, but the coupon was collected and never honored. Further, our order was screwed up and the service was inattentive and slow. After considerable patience over the mixups, the waiter offered free drinks and dessert. This, we thought, was pretty adequate compensation for the mistakes that were made. However, when push came to shove, (a) no discount was applied, and (b) drinks that we thought were gratis were charged to the bill. We understood that the day would be quiet, but that's no reason to stick it to the paying customers.
Better (smelling, at least) food was available elsewhere in the Gaslamp, and in the end, we wished we had chosen differently. Perhaps this restaurant will go the way of others, yielding its prime space to those that value service and quality over profiteering.
If you're in the district, choose one of the many other fine Italian restaurants, before choosing "La Strada"
Just ok
I went to this restaurant because the reviews suggested it was a great place. This was not my experience. It was average at best. Our waiter didn't seem to want to speak. He would come up to the table and stand there as if he wanted us to say something. We had to ask for more water. The bread seemed old and stale. I have to say though the Bruschetta was excellent! And my Daughter's Chicken Ceasar Salad was good as well but my Rosotto needed some work. There are to many other places in downtown San Diego on 5th Ave. to ever want to come back to this place.
Big Disappointment
We ordered the crab cakes for a starter. Imagine our surprise when the dish arrived to see one small crab cake for $12.95. I thought it was a joke, I seriously thought they must have dropped one on the way over from the kitchen. I had the halibut (special), which tasted very fishy. My husband had chicken which was mediocre. We have eaten here before and we did enjoy it, however this visit was a big disappointment!
horrible Valentines Day
This is being written a little late, but I saw all the praise this place received and I know it doesn't deserve it. My husband made reservations a week in advance for Valentines Day. It was a Sat. so a week in advance was not soon enough and we ended up with a 2:30 reservation. We had to leave a credit card number and other info to hold this reservation. When we showed up the place was still being set up and there were hardly any patrons there. Come to find out they had planned to set up for Valentines Day the night before and hadn't done so and they know aren't going to be filled up until 5 or 6pm. I was able to have them move our reservation to 4pm. When we arrived back they were still setting the romantic mood for their evening customers while we sat and watched them work but still were given the Valentines Day menu and prices, 18$ for calamari. We were sat beneath a leaky roof and told the other tables were all reserved. The manager waited on and assured us he would take care of things at the end of the meal to make up for everything. He did absolutely nothing and compared to Mare and Monti or de Medici the food was just ok. We will never go back there again.
Mediocre at best
I read the reviews on sandiegorestaurants.com of La Trattoria, saw the pictures and heard about the restaurant from friends. All said it was a very good restaurant to go to. ----> WRONG!
I'm not difficult when it comes to food but if I'm paying $60 for my gf and I for dinner there's a quality that I expect and La Trattoria simply didn't do it for neither of us.
The salads that we ordered were very basic. Even Pat and Oscar's has much better salads. You would expect something much better from La Strada.
The pasta that I ordered was too hard and I had to have them cook me another dish.
My gf ordered a drink that she said was way too strong.
Overall a bad dining experience and I would NOT recommend this place to anyone nor would I even think of going there again. There's much better places in the same price range in San Diego like Cafe Sevilla, for instance.
never again
After reading all the great reviews about this place online, I was very much excited to try it out. However, one bite of my over done (very tough) chicken and my date's very tough and over cooked shrimp, we both wished we had gone to cheesecake facotory instead as we would be sure to find better tasting food there. This place is not worth the high prices and it certainly did not meet my expectations. But I still give it a 1 star for their gelato, the only good thing we had that night.I will never go back to La Strada again.
STAY AWAY! Worst Experience in my Life
Had dinner at this junk on New Year's Eve 2006.
The hostess said that the minimum requirement per person changes to $65 in 45 minutes, can you finish eating in time, or you would like to pay the minimum?
The server was no where to be found for 10 minutes, took order and disappeared until he brought the food, then again don't see him until he brought the bill.
Terrible service from beggining to end. The bottom of bill said 5% off if paid with cash; we paid with cash, and then the server brought back the change and said the discount does not apply for the night!?! We were owed $3.02 for change, and he only returned $3; I guess he has decided that he didn't need to return all of the change owed to the customer.
To be fair, the food was above par; however, we were charged an extra 40% per entree for eating on New Year's Eve.
Last complaint, 18% gratuity charged to the bill for a party of 4. I wouldn't mind paying for gratuity, but the service we received barely deserved $4...
Horrible Service, Food not worth it
I took my girlfriend for her Birthday and the hostess was very nice and even congratulated her. But when we got seated thats when the horrible experience began. We sat there for about 15 minutes before we even saw the waitress. We had water but no bread. The adjacent table who came in after us had water, bread and had already ordered before we saw the same waitress (discrimination?). Well when she finally came we had to ask her for everything, bread, butter, and the wine list. So she took our appetizer order and we asked for a few more minutes while we went through the wine list. So it took another 15 minutes before we saw her again and this time we had to pull her from another table. We asked her when we could place our orders and she said that after the appetizers come she would take our orders. Who has ever heard of that? So I said what about our wine and she reluctantly took it. As we juggled with the menus in a small table and tried to eat our appetizers she finally came to take our order. The food came in a decent time but it was just as bad as the service. The pasta was super dry and the sauces were not that great. We all had pasta and at a Fine Italian restaurant you would think that they'd at least get the pasta right, but nope it was not that great. For twenty plus dollars a pasta dish you might as well go to Olive Garden and get a salad, a drink, a much better meal and better service. The review was very off and I would not recommend to anyone. At the same price I would go to La Jolla for a better meal and service.
Inappropriate service...
I went with a group of 16 conservative women, from other cities and states to enjoy the food and atmosphere of a well-known San Diegan eatery. The food and wine were over priced, but the most important factor in our evening was when the staff asked our group to leave because they needed the tables for other customers. We had barely finished our food and wine and were still working on collecting money from each person for the bill before they asked us two more times. We were offended and surprised that this established restaurant would exhibit such bad behavior. The food was good, but after such a terrible experience I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. If you want to pay for over priced food and be treated poorly make sure you visit Trattoria La Strada.
Below Average Service, Food
I attended a dinner party here and was left with a poor opinion of the restaurant. The waiter was inexact and unknowledgeable about the menu and wine and did not apologize for his mistakes. Drinks were expensive ($9.50 for a vodka mixed drink) and small. The food was decent (I had the eggplant appetizer) but not worth the cost. We were not offered dessert and when I asked for coffee upon the completion of the meal, the waiter was clearly annoyed so I retracted my request. Our bill, which included three bottles of wine and 7 bottles of Pelligrino, was quite high but nevertheless we were told that we had to give up our table when the waiter brought the check. Overall, I certainly do not recommend this restaurant to anyone, unless they desire poor service and over-priced food and drinks.
Ridiculous situation and manager was an idiot
I've been at this restaurant a few times in the past year and had some mediocre to good meals depending on what the members of the party ordered. I visited again on a Thursday night in November and had the most horrendous dining experience of my life. The restaurant seated a group of about 20 conventioners in the main dining room next to patrons expecting a normal dining atmosphere. These people milled around their table during the entire time we were in the restaurant with cocktails in hand and shouting to each other halfway across the restaurant. The waiters and manager made no attempt to ask this drunken mob to be seated. Twice, I had to ask male members of the party to move as their "rear ends" were literally touching the back of my seated female guest's head while they stood in the aisles like they were in the middle of a bar. When I tried to speak to the manager in the back of the restaurant, two of these drunken sots approached me and the manager in a very beligerent and menacing manner, while two other slobs from this group annoyed and threatened my guest. The manager took $20 off of a $200 check and explained the the word "Trattoria" meant that sometimes the place could get very "lively". Sorry, but if the management of a restaurant would allow patrons in couples to be threatened and disturbed so they can cash in on the check from a big party, they won't get my business.
BIG disappointment!
The two of us had several reasons to celebrate and wanted to make this a really festive dinner at a super good, classy restaurant. Based on the website Trattoria La Strada seemed to be just the ticket. What an interesting menu they had there! Well - reality was different: same menu but pitiful execution! The bruschetta used half-ripe roma tomatoes and fishy olive oil but it cost 7.50! The Cesar salad (Divina Cesare) was not divine at all but rather pedestrian with wilted leaves and it cost 6.95! Same fishy taste as the bruschetta. The wild boar gnocchi were tasty but presented without any adornment - just a pile in the middle of the plate. The Fettucine pomodoro were unremarkable to the point of yawning. The desserts were OK, as was the espresso, and the wine. The wine was good too, a Moto chianti. The whole thing was an undisguised rip-off designed to lighten the purses of the cruise ship clientele. Never again! Maybe the inappropriately revealing outfit of the girl up-front should have given us a clue that we were about to stumble into a place that wasn't classy at all!
Way over-rated
We had dinner last night at Trattoria La Strada before an event at Symphony Hall, and, regrettably, the entire experience was way below par and certainly not worth the money. I wonder if we went to the same establishment reviewed by the other folks submitting their thoughts. The restaurant was near-empty when we arrived, and we were seated against a pillar, with limited visibility. The service was hard to get started--we waited close to 10 minutes before we walked over to talk with a server about getting some water. After that, the service was fine. However, the food quality was mediocre. In particular, the salad greens in one of our appetizers were old and wilted, and it was also clear from the eating that one of our entrees had all-too-recently come out of the freezer. We went elsewhere for dessert and coffee. You should consider that yourselves for your next dinner in the Gaslamp.
Worst Experience
My husband took me for a romantic dinner and he taught that Trattoria is the place (11/21/09, 7+pm) It looks classy and expensive. I started eating my green salad and noticing the brown edges and yellow looking leaves. I thought, maybe its only one and as I keep eating the salad I realized its rotten. I tried not to ruin my night. called the waiter quietly. how can the chef served an old yellow rotten salad and they tried to cover it with lots of dressings. Plus they didn't even apologize. My advice, watch your greens on your plate. Plus they didn't even apologized.I'll NEVER RECOMMEND TRATTORIA LA STRADA TO ANYBODY. I came home and thought about it, makes me sick to my stomach.
CREDIT CARD FRAUD
The waiters at this restaurant take the liberty to decide what tip they think they deserve---meaning they participate in credit card FRAUD!! They will change the tip amount after you have left.
The service here is not only terrible, but illegal and fraudulent.
Another Rip-Off!!!
The day after we experienced our first poor meal recommended by your websight Mister A's) we were hoping that was just an anathema...Well we got to Trattoria and no one was there...and it was lunchtime. Not a good sign. We sat down and the first thing that we were served was lukewarm coffee and we had to ask for a hot new cup. The waitress explained that they were just "making a new pot"...oh no...it didn't look good. Well, we had another set of really expensive appetizers and then got our main dishes. Mine was really salty and had no other flavor to it. Bob's was ok. We decided that after two strik-outs that were supposed to be bothe from the top-ten list of best restaurants that something is greatly wrong with this set-up...No thanks...we will find out own good eateries...
Bad bad bad
After reading the outstanding reviews, I couldn't wait to go to La Strada and experience their supposedly fabulous food. My expectations might have been too high but...
The dining room is poorly furnished and very noisy. The TV you can see in the background is certaily not a piece of equipment suitable for an upscale restaurant.
I had Carpaccio di tonno, which had obviously been pre-cut and put with dish and decorations in the refrigerator. It was therefore too cold. Moreover it should have come with peaches which I couldn't find...
Then I had pasta sheets filled with salmon that was definetly not fresh at all. I had a bite and couldn't eat the rest.
One of my friends had fettuccine with mushrooms, which was incredibly salty. The mushrooms, then, were sour and the common impression was that they weren't fresh but canned.
Two of my other friends had filet mignon, that was inedible.
A friend was so brave to order a chocolate souffle (they call it "Volcano"): well, it came in two minutes after ordering, which means that it was microwaved.
I'm Italian and proud of my country ond of its cuisine. My dinner at La Strada was one of the most horrible of my whole life. I must say though that Roberto, the chef, wasn't there: I hope this was part of the total disaster. Anyway, should I come back to San Diego, La Strada won't be my choice. Once is enough.
What a ripoff!
We don't mind paying for good food, drinks and service, but the food was mediocre and drinks were gross and the service was lousy. Don't bother...
Eat at home!
Go to the store and buy onions, pancetta (pork), sirloin, carrots, celery, garlic, porcini mushrooms, canned tomatoes and real parmigiano. Soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes. Meanwhile sear the meat and set aside, then sauté the pancetta a few minutes, then add the onions, carrots and celery. After another ten minutes or so, add the chopped up porcini mushrooms and later the garlic. Let is sauté down until it begins to stick to the pan, but without burning it. Then deglaze with red wine and reduce again in the same fashion doing this for several cycles. This is ‘insoparire’ or bestowing taste to the vegetables (or browning the crap of them as I call it). Now add in the crushed tomatoes, the mushroom liquid and the meat. Let it simmer several hours or until you have to eat it. Put as much parmigiano as you want on it. And then the problem of Italian food in San Diego is over, for the moment. The only catagory that Trattoria La Strada ranks number one in across San Diego has to be paying you money.
Dont waste your time or money!
This restraunt sounds like a great choice. I was hoping to have a great dinner but had an awful experience. It started with being a few minutes late and they had givin a way our table. we waited in the bar quite some time. we were then shown to the worst table in the place. the decor was poorly done the service overall was poor. The food tried way too hard and was bad in the end. OVERALL DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY!
Never come back!
I went to dine with my husband and I wish I had gone to some other place. The food was overpriced, the bread was old and the water took too long. The service was terrible. The server did not want to speek... and the martini I order was done by a new bartender. The food was too ordinary. Save your money to something else!
Disappointed
I always see Trattoria La Strada on the top of Italian cuisine and have never been so let down. I don’t know how you can be one of the best Italian restaurants in SD and have the same quality bread as a salad buffet. If you are a fan of Campbell’s tomato soup try the Ravioli Rossini they must have mixed in a little cream and served it, the clams were fishy and the Fettucine Ai Funghi was tasteless. Maybe I am picky or maybe I just know what real Italian food taste like or maybe San Diego restaurants needs to reevaluate how they are coming up with these rankings…
Terrible service, rude manager
I recently ate at Trattoria Strada which offered overpriced mediocre food. Our waiter had no personality, brought out the wrong wine and the wrong entree without any apology. Then to add insult to injury, we were informed that there was a 2 hour limit at the table depsite the fact that we had spent over $500. When we asked him to stop pestering us to leave, the manager came over and told us we must leave immediately. Do not give them your money!
THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT, IT IS A BANQUET FACILITY
I recently dined at this restaurant and was extememly disappointed. I had requested a table by the window looking out at Fifth Ave., In front of the window they had a table of more than 30 men, that were extremely noisy. They had at least 10 other large table parties. The noise was deafening. Obviouly, with all these big paries, they had no time to give us any service. The pasta was overcooked, they served me clams that weren't open, etc. From the pictures on your sight this looks like a very charming restaurant. I have traveled all over the world and gone to many restaurants. This truely is not a restaurant, it is a banquet facility and I would not reccommned it to anyone who expects to have a enjoyable dining experience.
The Worst Restaurant in the World
Don't believe any review on this site with anything other than zero stars. The food was disgusting. I think I ordered Chicken a la vomit, and it lived up to its name.
Major Disappointment
This has the be the worst dining experience I have ever had! The management staff is rude and completely clueless to customer service. Being Italian myself, I was looking for some great Italian food in San Diego. I can't begin to explain how disappointed I was with this restaurant's food and how they try to pawn it off as anything near Italian. I think they need to "retreat" back to Italy and learn what Italian food should taste like. While they are there, I would suggest taking a course in customer service and manners. By the way...food should NOT be set on the floor for preparation either!
