Cucina Basilico

HOLY HELL- DELICIOUS I haven't even paid the bill yet, but had to review this place immediately. After struggling to find parking for 20 mins in Little Italy, we found this place; 10 min away with a bountiful parking lot. The waitress brought us over a display of homemade pastas and once we ordered, the food came out what felt like instantly! Oh My God everything was so freaking good. After my meal, all I could say was "oh my god" The pasta was sooooo soft and tender. Top tier! And prices were not even unreasonable! Service was awesome, too. My water glass was never even half empty! What an amazing find. Google Maps needs to bump this place anytime someone searches "Little Italy."

Great pasta! Awesome dessert. The pasta was homemade and is different each visit. The special was delicious.

Gianna Marie

know for certain that I’ll be coming back and would 100% recommend this place. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, creating the perfect setting for a great meal. The food was outstanding, you can truly taste the quality and care put into every dish. The service was just as impressive. The staff consistently checked in without being intrusive and made sure everything was perfect. The entire experience felt thoughtful, comforting, and close to home, yet still unique and memorable. An easy five stars.

Fadi Achkar

Delicious and well priced home made pasta with great choices of appetizers and good wine. Been here many times and always look forward to my next time. The staff is friendly and caring!

Rafy Juan

Pasta plates are the best in San Diego (in my opinion). Love the super alfredo sauce. They make their pasta fresh from scratch every day!! Small but cozy restaurant. This is my go-to restaurant for my birthday, I love coming back to this restaurant.

Cam Hill

Absolute tip-top Italian food in SD. Pasta is fresh and handmade. Bruschetta was outstanding as an appetizer! I had the Polpette pasta was phenomenal, we also had the Pesto pasta with chicken and you can, with all of these dishes, taste the freshness in every bite. Every time I come here I leave with a full appetite and a smile on my face. 10/10 would recommend

Gabriela Verendia

Absolutely FANTASTIC! A hole-in-the-wall, cozy Italian restaurant that knocks every dish out of the park. The quality and flavor behind their dishes is phenomenal and puts them far ahead of many Italian spots in town.

April Hanley

Absolutely delicious! Did a Google Review search for best Italian Restaurants while on vacation in San Diego for my son's birthday and found Cucina Basilico! We were a bit nervous when our driver stopped at a strip mall and not the Little Italy district, but oh my goodness...the charming space, the more than excellent customer service and the fresh, house made pasta and desserts were all incredible! The owner even brought a dessert and candle out for my son's birthday wish, which was so, very kind. Thankfully, the atmosphere was dinner casual, which worked out nicely after a full day of exploring and not having time to change. When in San Diego I would highly recommend Cucina Basilico. I will definitely dream of some of those bites and I can't wait to return. Thank you for a wonderful celebratory dinner!

Matthew Gould

Great pasta! Awesome dessert. The pasta was homemade and is different each visit. The special was delicious.

viperord169

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Southern CA. I have had many business trips in the area and stop here every time. This time I was in town for the Air Show and was able to bring friends and family. They did not disappoint. Fresh pasta, build your own or order one of the menu items. Easy choice to give this a 5 star.

Joni Sanders

We were visiting from Louisiana. Search my map for an Italian restaurant. Found Cucina Basilico at the next turn. It was a great choice. Very friendly, explained about the difference in their pasta. Food was served in a reasonable amount of time and was delicious! Would recommend stopping by. Great food for a hole in the wall family restaurant.

Christian Settlemier

Brilliant meal, excellent service. Choice of homemade pastas with variety of sauces and proteins. Perfectly easy for a group to customize the dish each would like, and each combination we tried was excellent. Understated sophistication in the service, really great experience. No question we'll be back.

Wren Mondragon

Found this place by accident. I love it I love it I love it!!!! Nothing you order would be the wrong order. You can just close your eyes and point to anything on the menu. The only down side is, the restaurant is not opening enough days of the week!!!😂 They are not cheap by any standards, but it’s worth every penny. Place isn’t big. So if you wanna go, better be there right when they open so you can get yourself a seat. Staffs were very friendly. All in all, I’d come back everyday until I try every dish in every combination. 😍

Rose Arc

HOLY HELL- DELICIOUS I haven't even paid the bill yet, but had to review this place immediately. After struggling to find parking for 20 mins in Little Italy, we found this place; 10 min away with a bountiful parking lot. The waitress brought us over a display of homemade pastas and once we ordered, the food came out what felt like instantly! Oh My God everything was so freaking good. After my meal, all I could say was "oh my god" The pasta was sooooo soft and tender. Top tier! And prices were not even unreasonable! Service was awesome, too. My water glass was never even half empty! What an amazing find. Google Maps needs to bump this place anytime someone searches "Little Italy."

Robert Young

My wife and I always make it a point to eat at Cucina Basilico when we visit from LA. Between the amazing, authentic Italian food and awesome, attentive staff, it's hard to go wrong here. I'd suggest the Norcina with gnnochi, but everything I've tried has been delicious. Give this place a try, you won't be disappointed.

A. L. Connor

This neighbourhood delight in the heart of Murphy Canyon is in a word...superb! We dined here in mid-June for a friend's birthday; it is one of his favourite spots. I've heard about it for the longest and was glad to finally make it in. Our party of six were greeted and sat as soon as we entered the restaurant. Our server came over and greeted us and suggested beverages and cocktails for our party. We decided on some great wine; it seemed apropos and it paired just right with all of our meals. I started with the Mediterranean salad and the absolutely delicious marinated artichokes. I am obsessed with all things lemon and the salad dressing for the salad was lemon-y goodness. For my entrée I ordered salmon in a white wine sauce with capers. The veggies with it were roasted. It was exactly what I wanted and it delivered! For dessert because of course I ordered dessert we sampled their dessert sampler that had tiramisu, panna cotta, and a coffee mousse. It was a great way to celebrate a birthday! You da best, Cucina Basilico!

Absolutely phenomenal, the tiramisu brought me to tears. The homemade pasta pairs very well with the loving and hilarious staff. Exquisite food at a strip mall, can't get better than that.

My wife,toddler and my self had dinner tonight And it was fantastic. Firstly I want to emphasize that this is a true mom and pop shop. The family makes the fresh pasta ,cook the food and serve it . We order two times the side pasta al bolognese for my kid And my wife and I shared a starter and a main course. Both were fantastic and I will return to eat there again. I have a few notes , The dinner rolls should match the level of the rest of the food in the restaurant They were not up to par as the reason that night . And the service was a bit disorganized and lacked a bit of oversight and guidance. It is a new place so it’s important for me to give those notes so they receive a well needed feedback like Amy restaurant needs. And for closure , The Panama cotta was the best I ever ate . And I’ve traveled Italy and ate my fair share of different recipes. This one takes the first spot by a mile. Will return angain And I must say that all the people around me in the restaurant were very happy from the food they ordered *****

Don’t live local but found this place 8 years ago. Was in town again and reminded me why I love this place. Truly the best Italian I have had. All 5 at our table loved our meals. The homemade pasta is key. Save room for the desserts.

A Truly Exceptional Dining Experience! Cucina Basilico in San Diego is, without a doubt, a must-visit. From start to finish, our experience was absolutely wonderful! The food was genuinely excellent. Every single person in our group was extremely satisfied with their entree—a rare feat! The desserts were amazing! We were ambitious and managed to try almost every single one on the menu. A huge shout-out must go to our host, Pablo. We showed up as an underdressed group from Arizona without a reservation, and Pablo was incredibly accommodating, providing us with truly five-star service. He made us feel welcome immediately. The entire experience was capped off by a lovely surprise when the chef himself came out to thank our table. This kind of personalized service and culinary quality is hard to find. Overall, it was a wonderful experience at a restaurant I plan to return to as often as possible. Highly, highly recommended!

Golden Shore Design and Build Office

My wife,toddler and my self had dinner tonight And it was fantastic. Firstly I want to emphasize that this is a true mom and pop shop. The family makes the fresh pasta ,cook the food and serve it . We order two times the side pasta al bolognese for my kid And my wife and I shared a starter and a main course. Both were fantastic and I will return to eat there again. I have a few notes , The dinner rolls should match the level of the rest of the food in the restaurant They were not up to par as the reason that night . And the service was a bit disorganized and lacked a bit of oversight and guidance. It is a new place so it’s important for me to give those notes so they receive a well needed feedback like Amy restaurant needs. And for closure , The Panama cotta was the best I ever ate . And I’ve traveled Italy and ate my fair share of different recipes. This one takes the first spot by a mile. Will return angain And I must say that all the people around me in the restaurant were very happy from the food they ordered *****

Adan Allen

A Truly Exceptional Dining Experience! Cucina Basilico in San Diego is, without a doubt, a must-visit. From start to finish, our experience was absolutely wonderful! The food was genuinely excellent. Every single person in our group was extremely satisfied with their entree—a rare feat! The desserts were amazing! We were ambitious and managed to try almost every single one on the menu. A huge shout-out must go to our host, Pablo. We showed up as an underdressed group from Arizona without a reservation, and Pablo was incredibly accommodating, providing us with truly five-star service. He made us feel welcome immediately. The entire experience was capped off by a lovely surprise when the chef himself came out to thank our table. This kind of personalized service and culinary quality is hard to find. Overall, it was a wonderful experience at a restaurant I plan to return to as often as possible. Highly, highly recommended!

Our good friends frequent here often and invited us to join them after a day in Temecula. We ordered Pescatora, Norcina, Vongole, and a Butternut Squash Ravioli. The freshness of the pasta was undeniable. Our friends loved the Pescatora and Norcina. For me, the Vongole lacked a little flavor and had minimal clams to complement the dish...I expected more clams in this dish which I order often at Italian restaurants. My wife also said her dish lacked some flavor but loved the freshness of the pasta. She also tasted our friend's Pescatora and loved it. Would like to try this place again next time we are in the area.

Jes Meda

Our good friends frequent here often and invited us to join them after a day in Temecula. We ordered Pescatora, Norcina, Vongole, and a Butternut Squash Ravioli. The freshness of the pasta was undeniable. Our friends loved the Pescatora and Norcina. For me, the Vongole lacked a little flavor and had minimal clams to complement the dish...I expected more clams in this dish which I order often at Italian restaurants. My wife also said her dish lacked some flavor but loved the freshness of the pasta. She also tasted our friend's Pescatora and loved it. Would like to try this place again next time we are in the area.

Great good. Real traditional Italian food. The parking is a little crowded because the restaurant is in a busy plaza along with other restaurants and fast food places. The restaurant is small, but the atmosphere is great. You don't need to dress fancy to eat here. The bread rolls are great. The food portions were pretty big. Stop by if you are in town!

Intimate restaurant with lovely wine list and excellent gnocchi. The lasagna had too much fennel and sausage for my taste, but rest of meal was excellent and it was my taste buds, others loved the lasagna. Staff was attentive and responsive even though very busy.

Jonny Boyy

Great good. Real traditional Italian food. The parking is a little crowded because the restaurant is in a busy plaza along with other restaurants and fast food places. The restaurant is small, but the atmosphere is great. You don't need to dress fancy to eat here. The bread rolls are great. The food portions were pretty big. Stop by if you are in town!

T

Intimate restaurant with lovely wine list and excellent gnocchi. The lasagna had too much fennel and sausage for my taste, but rest of meal was excellent and it was my taste buds, others loved the lasagna. Staff was attentive and responsive even though very busy.

Cucina Basilico has all the makings of a great spot—cute, charming, and welcoming, with a reasonably priced menu that offers a nice range of Italian favorites. Naturally, I went with the lasagna ($22)—because what’s more classic Italian than that? But… meh. The top layer was burnt, the marinara sauce was basically MIA, and the dish came without garlic bread, which just felt wrong. For something that should’ve been rich, saucy, and satisfying, it ended up being underwhelming. The atmosphere gets a thumbs up, but the lasagna? Not so much.

Nicky Candy

Cucina Basilico has all the makings of a great spot—cute, charming, and welcoming, with a reasonably priced menu that offers a nice range of Italian favorites. Naturally, I went with the lasagna ($22)—because what’s more classic Italian than that? But… meh. The top layer was burnt, the marinara sauce was basically MIA, and the dish came without garlic bread, which just felt wrong. For something that should’ve been rich, saucy, and satisfying, it ended up being underwhelming. The atmosphere gets a thumbs up, but the lasagna? Not so much.