Buona Forchetta is completely insane! In the best way possible! Their focaccia, salads, spaghetti, and pizza are to die for. Top notch cooking and service. It’s hard to find any fault with this place besides the fact that you always need a reservation.Honestly, this is probably the best overall Italian restaurant in San Diego. A few beat it for specific dishes, but you can bring anyone here and find them an amazing dish they’ll love.
This place is truly special… and the people that work really hard to make sure you have a great meal make it even more special. This place has great fresh food!! Valentina was our spectacular waiter and her recommendations were amazing. Pizza is so good and the ingredients they use for the pasta are so fresh… you will not be disappointed. A definite must try!!!
Amazing food and really friendly service! It was busy and we could see the servers were busting their butts trying to get around to everybody but we never really felt left out in the cold apart from when we were waiting for them to pick up our bill. Even then we were totally fine with that because they were trying their absolute best. I ordered a pizza with mushroom, prosciutto and truffle oil and oh my lord it was amazing! Highly recommend!
I would of given this place 5 stars but getting a table reserved was not an ideal experience. They only accept reservations through phone calls and I had to call about 6 times before someone finally answered. At one point they kept sending the calls to voicemail (which the inbox ended up being full). When we got there, I asked if we could sit indoors but the lady stated there was only a table available outside and that I should of requested indoor seating when I called... Other than that the food was good and the server was attentive and nice.
By far the best Italian food I have had in San Diego. Unfortunately could only try some of the dishes in one go but cant wait to try all the other dishes. The pasta and pizza were both great. The pizza especially stood out. Plus the Calamari appetizer was awesome too. Not to mention great vibrant ambience with great friendly service. Must try in San Diego.
This is the best italian restaurant i’ve ever been to. Bread is ridiculously good in terms of from texture through density to the way they baked, etc,. They are really professional baker!! flour is so good. I think the most important thing to making pizza is flour, and the way they knead dough. Neapolitan pizza is simply the best! Cheese is so freshly good. Good ratio of dough and cheese, tomato, basil make it perfect! They know what they are doing. Compared to a number of pizza, pasta, antipasti in SF, here is better than most places in SF for sure! Incredible!!
This place is like taking a step into Northern Italy, and you can’t go wrong with any of their plates. They truly make each dish so unique and wonderful, and make your time worthwhile. Great for casual lunches or romantic date nights, its a great spot for all occasions.
Buona Forchetta in South Park is definitely the superior one between its other locations. Make a reservation if going on a weekend night because the line can take a long while. Most seating is outdoors and makes for a great atmosphere that illuminated by dim lighting. Great vibe. The food is amazing and you cant miss with any of their pizzas, but I highly recommend starting the meal off with a salad and getting something off of their special menu on the chalk board. They usually has a selection of great seafood pasta dishes too there. I ordered a dry cab wine and wish I had ordered a bottle instead of a glass because it was so good with the food. This is my favorite Italian restaurant in San Diego.
Place was packed! 1-2 hours wait time. They offer to go so we ordered two pizzas to go. Pizza was awesome. Hopefully next time we can eat out pizza right out of oven...
Fantastic as always. The standard rotation of pizzas are always good, plus there are always a bunch of rotating specials that are unique and delicious. Kid and family friendly, but there are also a number of good secluded tables for date night. For dessert try the gelato; its delicious.
This is my favorite Italian restaurants in the heart of SD! Everytime my friend wants to do a bday dinner at olive garden or spaghetti factory I always wish I were at Buona Forchetta! Not sure what to order? The pizza or calamari is always a good appetizer stater. For entrées we always order from the wall of specials and we are always pleasantly suprised with how good it is. Dessert go to choice tiramisu or grab some Gelato from next door. Both are good choices.
After having a horrible experience at another well received restaurant in the area, I was wary of coming here because of fear of consumer or locally-based loyalty. I fully expected this to be a bad experience, or at least another disappointing one.Thankfully, that wasnt the case, as the food here was pretty good! Service was brief, but the person I talked to was helpful, polite, and professional. That being said, my review is based primarily on the food, and the cost associated with it.The food: Fresh, tasty, and better than it looks. The lasagna is made well, and the salad is a nice compliment to it. The only thing I didnt like too much was the focaccia bread, which still wasnt bad overall. Oddly enough, I liked the free side of bread a little more, but perhaps this is a personal preference. The tiramisu was excellent!It isnt a life changing experience, but it is a wonderful dose of quality for the price. I would take a date here. I would definitely eat here again.
Wow. Amazing food, great service! My wife has gluten and dairy allergies -- we checked ahead of time, but the wait staff was amazing with us. Our server went through her allergies and made sure the kitchen knew. My wife was able to have real pizza for the first time in a long time. Our server was amazing, but so were all of the others. If you had an empty plate, water or drink got low, etc. whichever server noticed took care of it. Cant say enough good things.
Very good food. Also the mango Bellini tasted very good. Got the meatballs and one of the thousand options for pizza. Another part of my group got the calamari and they liked it. Also some lasagna which I tried and was good as well.
I give reviews typically when Im overly impressed or extremely disappointed. WAITER WAS THE HIGHLIGHT... And he was not even supposed to be our waiter, but I guess our waitress had something else to do... I havent been out much at all during covid... but decided to take my parents out for a nice dinner. My meal wasnt served until my father was already done with his Ravioli... I got Artichoke risotto sounded sooo good, couldnt see a single Artichoke and it was actually just bland and grey, lamb ordered medium rare, but served Well done... Sent that back, which I hate to do...Mother ordered gnocchi with scallops...One side of scallops seared, no cook on the other, they were under done raw in the middle, with gummy gnocchi and the porcini sauce had NO flavor... sent that back and got a to-go ravioli for my mother... since that was the only meal that was ordered at the table that had flavor and was enjoyed by my father... ordered a to go chicken picatta... I guess its served with potatoes and carrots and some other vegetable.. gotta say, the chicken WAS cooked well, but the potatoes are raw and whatever coating is on the chicken is gummy and soft with a pungent lemon flavor that is not even close to a balanced picatta sauce. The waiter took the things we sent back off the ticket, and I was just going to chalk it up to a bad day, take the picata to go and eat that later, since I did not get a meal to replace the lamb and my father was done with his meal by the time I received my lamb. I cant see myself coming back if the chefs dont understand basics of cooking. I truly used to love everything Ive ever had here. I hope its just a covid-tastrophe otherwise, I cant see keeping customers coming back for more. We just wanted an enjoyable and tastymeal out... Not a free dessert to go... which we turned down. I dont think I wouldve even reviewed if the to-go orders were cooked well, but no such luck. I just spent $130 and I had a piece of bruschetta and a gummy gnocchi with a bite of risoto... My original post stopped here... but I just went to try the other vegetable on the picata... Couldnt even bite through a carrot. It was like it was rotten uncooked carrot head... SO SO SO HORRIBLE!!!
Excellent restaurant. Excellent vegan and gluten free options. The focaccia and vegan pizza is superb. Highly recommend
WOW!! Such an amazing lunch in this cute - authentic restaurant. You know it’s REAL Italian good when the employees speak Italian between them.The food was so good, we couldn’t stop eating. Dishes are pretty big and we shared 2 salads, a pizza, pasta and Lasagna and it was more than enough. Of course we ate all of it cause it was so good.When I went to the bathroom I saw their espresso machine and understood I had to get espresso there and that’s what I did. Of course we couldn’t say no to desserts which were soooo good. For real.I’m so sad I’m not from town so I won’t be able to go there again anytime soon.So you if you like good food and good service, that’s the place for you.
Pizza was amazing, the crust was light and the chew was just right. I would also recommend asking for a side of marinara sauce to dip your crust into. Makes every bite a little more yummy.Then the buona forchetta, literally the name of the place, with the fettuccine blew me away. The noodles were in a creamy sauce that was rich but not too heavy. It comes with a side of extra grated parmesan cheese as well if you wanted more cheesy delight. Overall great food.
This review is long over due. Theres a true reason people love it here!The food is absolutely amazing. The staff is wonderful, and the vibe is so cozy. I was last here before Covid changed the world.This place left an ever lasting impression on me. My younger brother (who is the pickiest eater) cleaned his place and started on mine. Everyone there was having a blast eating the wonderful food. The waitress was genuinely nice enough to teach us the correct pronunciation of the dishes after we asked.This place deserves all the praise.
This place is really nice! They are very attentive and on top of every table. The waiter is very knowledgeable of the menu and answers all your questions! The food came out FAST, when I say fast is like 10 or less after we order, mind you the restaurant was full, and regardless of that the food was fast and GOOD! The pizzas were delicious! 👏
Loved this place! Cute outdoor ambiance with plenty of space. The servers were very kind. We visited on my birthday and got sang to by the server, along with a tiramisu! Wine was great, we had the burrata and calamari appetizers, which were fresh. The Fatore salad was large and delicious. We tried the pesto, carbonara, and their gnocchi special with clams. I recommend their pesto with pappardelle. Cooked perfectly al dente. All the pasta was delicious. We ordered a second tiramisu along with the cannoli. Grazie mille, alla prossima!
I love this place, they have a really good menu selection and their food is delicious. I highly recommend most items, especially their pizzas. My main complaint rest with their foccacha bread, if you are reviewing my pics it is the bread looking item that looks as if it is half eaten. That portion is gone because it was burnt. Like charred. Not edible. My wife threw it out before I took these photos otherwise that would have been good evidence. My only other negative encounter was on mothers day. The table rep kept calling me my wifes name even after I corrected her twice and then told me my order, which I received a message telling me it was ready for pick up, was not ready. I had to show her the message in order for her to believe me. My food was ready and was brought out shortly thereafter.
We were in the mood for some Italian food and came here. The wait was about an hour ( Friday night around 7pm) we were seated outside which was fine, the weather was perfect.The food was amazing!We had:Margarita pizza - absolutely melted on my mouth! Wow definitely coming back some more pizza, amazing! Must tryPappardelle with Bolognese. Huge portion, definitely big enough to share. Great flavors! Btw, you can choose your style pasta and Sause you want, which was awesome.A special - lamb chop risotto. Wow wow wow! This dish was amazing, huge side, absolutely to share lol great flavors!They also have a great wine list.We will definitely be back to try more things and get some pizza !
This place absolutely blew our minds. Best spaghetti carbonara weve ever had. The pizza Juna was a revelation. The pizza itself was bigger than we expected and the use of the trendy spicy honey was flavor twist homerun.Great service and atmosphere, big portions using high end ingredients. Unlike some other places, the food you order actually looks as beautiful as the photos on their website. Highly recommend making a reservation for early evening. We first tried walking up to the host after 7pm on a weekend on our last trip to SD a few months back. Two hour wait! We learned our lesson. This time we made a reservation for 5:30pm last Saturday. When we arrived it was not yet busy, by the time we left it was slammed.Bonus: Recommend the panna cotta for dessert if it is available. It was a stunningly beautiful presentation. Something out of high end fine dining.
The 45 minute wait was so worth it. The food here is incredibly good. The pizza crust is so tasty and the pasta sauce tastes fresh. Service was good too, everyone was nice and helpful :)If you have a chance to stop by, I really recommend you do. Dont hesitate to get on the wait list, itll be worth it.
Great pizza and pasta. Pizza was quick to come out and the crust was awesome. Pasta was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Prices were reasonable and portions were good. walk in was a 90 minute wait at 7 pm for dinner so plan ahead.
We’d heard such good things about Buona Forchetta that we decided to come on a week night when they’re not so busy. We did make a reservation and got seated right away in the outdoor patio. The service was prompt and friendly. I recommend the Malbec from Argentina which paired well with both of our pizzas. He ordered the margarhita pizza and I ordered the puttanesca pizza. Both were Delicioso! The tomatoes and the cheese are so fresh and the crusts were perfectly browned and delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially for date night.
Amazing food! I lived in Italy and just moved back to the US this year. This really did taste just like the food in Italy. The pizza here was the closest Ive had to authentic Neopolitan pizza outside of Naples! Seriously, the pizza is Molta Buona! This place is wonderful. The location and atmosphere is perfect, the staff is friendly, and the food is top notch!
A lot of people recommended me this place they said it was the best Italian in San Diego so I had to go, and I it is definitely the best Italian place I’ve been since I went to Italy.We ordered a bottle of white wine: Chardonnay Bogle (very good, I like a lot).For some recommendations I saw we ordered the Calamari and there were delicious.Our waiter helped us a little bit with some recommendations and at the end we ordered, to share, pizza Nicola (OMG it was aaaamazing) and Rigatoni with the sauce buona forchetta (excellent pasta and sauce ).Even we were full we had to tried a desert so we shared Delizia di Bosco and we looooved it.If you like delicious food, great service, good quality and amazing pizza and pasta definitely this is the best place.We will come again to try Pizza Regina :)
Outside seating, wonky sidewalk. Food was fabulous. Best vinaigrette Ive ever had. Pizza was true Neapolitan. Dont be in a rush, they seemed understaffed. But food was DELICIOUS!!! 🤤 Worth waiting.
Fantastic food and great service! Highly recommend!
Did a take out order here of a couple pastas. Everything was hot, on time and delicious! Only issue was close street parking was very hard to come by for just a run in and pick up situation. Not really their fault tho, just the way it is. Very pleased overall with the food.
6 starsThere are 3 hour waits for a reasonTry eating there at an off timeThe bus boy, not even the waiter, asked if we wanted a side of sauce to go with our leftover calamari,.. you read my mindVery pleased, they deserve their successPizza was beyond expectationsI would like to see a 2nd sauce with the calamari, an aioli to contrast. Then it would be the best order of calamari in town, just saying.This is going on our regular list, just off hours
Everything is ok. Nothing special. Good pizza.
They werent enough servers that day, so the food quality was poor. My husband saw them serving tap water to customers, we decided to order sparkling water instead. Usually we came for dinner often, but today we are not satisfied.....
If youre looking for authentic, delicious Italian food this is it.
I found the food and service to be exquisite. I tries the spicy cream sauce pasta and a fun pizza. The prices were reasonable.
Wow! Authentic delicious Italian food almost like straight from mama! We heard about how great it was so made sure to show up early, boy does it get busy! The word is out on how good the food is so make plans ahead and be ready for a bit of a wait. The staff are all extremely helpful and friendly. Killer Margherita pie!
Slow service. Didnt get menu while I was seated. After 5 min I just got up and got it myself. As my food arrived I asked for fresh ground pepper and didnt get that. Had to ask again ones I was almost done with my food and the server finally checked on me.. and than took forever to get bill
The service was amazing and they were super polite but the Pesto pasta needed a lot more cheese. The side of mushrooms was just a big plate of sautéed mushrooms you can add to pizza or pasta but I was expecting mushroom caps (appetizer style). The fried pizza had almost no sauce but the toppings were good, it just wasn’t what my girlfriend expected. I’m sure they have good things on the menu, it just didn’t live up to the hype for us which was unfortunate because the service was excellent.
Lo e! Live! Love this place! Everything is always perfect. Service is friendly and food arrives quickly and tastes wonderful!
The food had weird texture and an overall bad taste with our experience. The only reason we stay the whole time was because of our waitress. She made us feel welcomed and gave us some of our bad food free of charge. The only thing on that menu that was good is the wine. Sorry I wish I could say it was any better than that..
The customer service was horrible. We walked in and were seated immediately. Our server did not come and greet us. We eventually placed a drink and appetizer order with the hostess. We received drinks and food over 40 minutes later.Several other tables came after us and received their orders in a timely manner.The only reason I gave 2 stars is the food was good. Call in and place a to go order.
Had an amazing time! Giacomo was our server and he was a pleasure to be around.We ordered amatriciana with fettuccini, sergio pizza and grilled rapini with garlic.Everything was fantastic but what made it extra special was the wonderful Italian hospitality from our server Giacomo!
OUTSTANDING!!!! We were visiting San Diego and had heard about this restaurant via reviews. The review was spot on. Some voodoo going on here. Have no idea how they can make their cream sauces so light but yet so flavorful. Nothing over the top, just good clean flavors and textures. We decided to share a pizza and pasta and then had to have another pasta dish. Probably one of the best Italian dinners weve had and weve lived in Europe and travelled to Italy many times. Service was excellent as well. If youre in San Diego, make reservations and go, you will not be disappointed. Highly recommened! Thanks!
Best gluten free pizza Ive ever had in ten years of celiac disease.
Was really excited to try this place out but there was a mix up with reservations and they were unable to seat us. The staff were rude and offered no apologies. Food looked great from afar.
Food is always fresh and tasty. Buona Forchetta sauce is a win with their house-made pasta & Sergio pizza is one of my favorites (arugula, buffalo mozz & prosciutto).
The nicest restaurant with the best Italian good. Awesome service.
Great pasta! Very rich, you come hungry and you will feel happy and satisfied when you leave. The pesto sauce is fragrant and fresh, pair with chicken would be wondeful, we tried with sausage it is also tasty. and boscaiola sauce with spaghetti is delicious the sauce is full of cheese flavor and the spaghetti is cooked to a perfect level. The appetizer we had are antichoke and polenta, also good choice, but given the food here is in general praised to heaven, I think any choice is good choice.
This place always delivers. The food is fresh, flavorful and efficient. There can be a line z but its worth the wait. There are plenty of vegetarian options and gluten free too. I highly recommend ordering off the nightly special board. The cioppino was incredible as was the salmon piccata. Although, pizza and pasta are consistently fabulous too!
Absolutely loved this adorable and delicious Italian restaurant! All the staff speaks Italian and the menu is extremely authentic. The calamari is large, very lightly seasoned and not oily at all. We loved the rigatoni pasta with boscaiola sauce!!!Although they are known for their pizza, we didn’t love the Nicola pizza as we could barely taste the truffle oil and the pizza crust was so soggy at the bottom it was falling apart before it got on our plates.However, I’d still eat here again and the staff is very knowledgeable & attentive.
Fabulous pizza and wonderful service.Highly recommend visiting this restaurant!
5 stars well deserved! Felt like I was in Sicily . Thank you for all that you do!
Really good food. We ordered their rosse and bianche pizzas and they were really good. You could feel the authentic Italian taste in those pizzas.We also tried their penne pasta with the house sauce. It was quite delicious too.We didnt get to try their desserts. Probably next time.Definitely recommend this cute little Italian joint.
This is coming from your average American eater who doesn’t try anything exciting ever as far as food goes- this was the best spaghetti I’ve ever had. A very rich sauce, not sweet, and I got the meat sauce and it was perfect.They don’t have free bread but you can buy some for $4. I also got the Pizelle which was like fried pizza dough, marinara, and a square of mozzarella on top. But the mozzarella isn’t melted or hot like the rest of the dish- it’s cold/room temp. Pretty good.My husband got a salad and that wasn’t great for him but he doesn’t like Italian food. The pizzas looked amazing and they were a good size like a medium.Amazing service. Very fast and our server spoke Italian as a first language so the experience is definitely there as far as being in an authentic Italian restaurant.Definitely recommend! Pretty busy though so expect a little wait although our party of two got seated right away.Rey large portion sizes for pasta.
Best pasta ever. Wait times are long highly recommend a reservation but well worth it
Didnt want to seat me ... a customer service failure
Super slow. Hostess could not figure out where people should wait and was unable to answer any questions about ordering for take out.
Visited this fine spot on a friends recommendation. The ambiance is great, with a friendly outdoor setting, delicious smells, bustle of the lively kitchen and the Italian accented wait staff. Everything we ate was great with the exception of the meatballs (dry) and the cannoli (had better). You really want to go with the pizza here. Next time, we will try the pasta dishes and report.
Indeed a great pizza and truly Italian food! Do not miss it!
Such a cute place to go to. I’m from out of town and a friend of mine recommend Buona Forchetta. I was not disappointed one bit! The food was amazing. From the “pizza in a jar ” to the pasta to the desert cannoli. I definitely recommend their house sangria. Everything was so good. Food and customer service 10/10. Thank you so much!
If youre looking for real Italian food. This is the spot. They have 2 locations. This one and one at Liberty Station
Really wanted to like this place but soggy pizza is a tough one to over look. Could have been a one off, but all three came that way. The other dishes looked decent, but if youre going to have a wood fired oven then damp slices should not be the outcome, especially if with a kids cheese or pizza margherita
Ordered two pizzas tonight. It is the worst pizza I have ever had! The crust tasteless and chewy. The sauce was very thin and bland, very little cheese and basil. I give this place a one star. I had to throw the pizzas away due to being inedible. A waste of $28!
Overall a good experience, pizza bread was phenomenal. Any qualms I had with the pizza are largely based on personal preference. Good atmosphere, good prices, and good food.
Stopped by yesterday for a quick bite after the show . It was very busy at 9 pm, but we were seated immediately. We ordered a seafood gourmet pizza, calamari and tiramisu. Everything was delicious. Pizza dough was very soft, I would prefer a bit more toppings personally, but still tasted very good . We will be back and bring more friends. Our server was very sweet as well .PS:make sure you have ice at all times, I really wanted that Sangria .
Some of the best pasta I have ever had. Great portion sizes too.