Little Roma

Really glad to have this authentic Italian spot in the neighborhood. The food was great, and the service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The Carbonara stood out, simple, well-made, and full of flavor. The menu has a nice variety, and everything we tried was solid. Definitely planning to come back soon to try a few more dishes.

We ordered from this restaurant two times during our stay in San Diego. The food is authentic italian und tastes really good! Everything we got was tasty.

Such authentic and delicious meals. We started with the bread knots with garlic butter. 👌 I had the Scampi and scallop meal over pasta. The lemon butter sauce was light and flavorful. My husband had the veal parmigiana which he calls excellent. Thanks to the chef who obviously loves what he does. You can taste it in every bite. We shall return. Need to add that Chris, our server was kind, knowledgeable and attentive. Basically, an amazing server.

I come here with friends regularly, but my favorite person to bring is my 3-year old granddaughter. It’s her favorite pasta restaurant! She also enjoys the special attention from the staff who are so kind. I’m eating my way through the menu. Besides the pasta dishes, I’d recommend the calamari and any of the seafood dishes. Every meal tastes fresh and perfectly seasoned.

The food was excellent and the service was, too! Chris and Misty were so helpful and welcoming.

I was craving bruschetta, and this was by far the best! The tomatoes were so fresh and wonderful! Basil cut thinly and not overwhelming the tomatoes. The vinegrette was a little too much for me but still wonderful.

My wife and I were craving Italian food, so based on some reviews we wanted to try Little Roma Restaurant and we were not disappointed. We loved the service, the caprese salad, the minestrone soup, the pasta dishes and the spooning ice cream cake was delicious 😋. The starter of garlic knots and dipping sauce was delicious too. Can't say enough and looking forward to returning again.

Amazing experience, food was so amazing, and waiter was super kind and attentive, pizza is wonderful

This is my second or third time eating at Little Roma - the food and service is consistently phenomenal! Great place for date night and I will definitely be back.

My husband, daughter and I come here often. And we LOVE this place. The food is always fantastic and presented beautifully. We had to do takeout tonight and I ordered the chicken masala. ITS DELICIOUS. The dude that works there, he’s always there, he’s the best! So sweet, attentive and is one heck of a server. We used to drive to little Italy for good Italian and now we just drive down the street. Don’t hesitate on visiting this place!!! Thanks Little Roma!!!

My family found this little gem of a restaurant. Food was delicious and the ambience was cute!! We ordered the Chicken Piccata and Chicken Marsala and were both excellent. The restaurant was clean and waiter was very attentive and friendly. Also, the complimentary bread was fresh and so good!! Definitely will be back.

We love this restaurant. The food and service are excellent. It always feels like a special dinner out. Highly recommend.

Found out about this place a few weeks ago. I'm hooked on the bolognase with Alfredo sauce and tomatoe sauce with linguine and I add a meat ball..

My friends and I love the food here and it's on our regular rotation of favorite places. I keep meaning to try more menu items but the cannelloni are just so delicious I get them almost every time.

This is by far the best food in San Diego!!! All dishes are prepared in the moment!!! Fresh!!!

+1

The ambiance was perfect. The food was absolutely amazing. I wanted to drink the red sauce they served. The garlic knot they served first was ridiculous!!

Wow. What a wonderful experience. The food is excellent, authentic and you can tell the chef cares about each plate that goes out. Huge shout out to Chris, he was knowledgeable, friendly, welcoming and very attentive. Usually I feel like a bother bc I am not able to do dairy. Chris made me feel comfortable and went above and beyond to tailer the dinner to my experience. Cannot wait to be back. Thanks so much Little Roma team!

Awesome service & excellent vegetarian food. Best Caprese salad with house-made balsamic. Family restaurant in La Mesa, wonderful atmosphere! Thank you Chris for answering my menu questions & modifications. Highly loved this place

I was here two years ago, it's great. I'm having Angel hair pasta and veggies. This is for sure a nice healthy clean environment to eat. Check it out ASAP.

A delicious little Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere, wonderful service, and nice portions! Their calarmi was perfectly battered and the risotto was very flavorful. Will probably be coming back here!

I hadn’t been here in YEARS and was in the area and stopped by for lunch. It has gotten even better! They have a cute little patio, the service was great and the food was amazing!

Kelsey D

Wow. What a wonderful experience. The food is excellent, authentic and you can tell the chef cares about each plate that goes out. Huge shout out to Chris, he was knowledgeable, friendly, welcoming and very attentive. Usually I feel like a bother bc I am not able to do dairy. Chris made me feel comfortable and went above and beyond to tailer the dinner to my experience. Cannot wait to be back. Thanks so much Little Roma team!

Jeff Kunu

I was here two years ago, it's great. I'm having Angel hair pasta and veggies. This is for sure a nice healthy clean environment to eat. Check it out ASAP.

Jennifer C

Awesome service & excellent vegetarian food. Best Caprese salad with house-made balsamic. Family restaurant in La Mesa, wonderful atmosphere! Thank you Chris for answering my menu questions & modifications. Highly loved this place

Sam Button

A delicious little Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere, wonderful service, and nice portions! Their calarmi was perfectly battered and the risotto was very flavorful. Will probably be coming back here!

Corey Corcoran

I hadn’t been here in YEARS and was in the area and stopped by for lunch. It has gotten even better! They have a cute little patio, the service was great and the food was amazing!

This is a great neighborhood, family run Italian restaurant. It is one of go to places. My wife always gets the chicken picatta. Make sure you get the garlic knots!

We've dined in 3 times since finding this restaurant a couple months ago, and every single dish has been fantastic. So far I've enjoyed the veal Chianti with mushrooms (my favorite!), veal cacciatori (incredibly flavorful, best over pasta), and scallop and shrimp scampi (generous amount of seafood). Each one was absolutely phenomenal! My husband has had the canneloni, chicken marsala, and the short rib pasta special, and he couldn't pick a favorite because they were all so good! Tiramisu is my all-time-favorite dessert so I was excited to try theirs, which is arguably the best I've tasted. Our waiter has been absolutely wonderful - incredibly attentive, professional, and warm. He has given great recommendations, which makes sense as we recently learned he is the son of the owners. We are honestly so impressed with Little Roma. It has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants!

I truly love this place..In side and outside dining, I like take out also! Chris our server is highly effective in discussing their wines, and what food choices are available. Clean, fair pricing ..lovely experience.

Dinners are always lovely! The waiter Chris was very attentive and took great care of us. All the staff are very nice and the food is top notch!

Small restaurant with excellent food. The prices are fair, with huge portions, as well as excellent service. I will however warn do not drink their coffee after a dessert in the evening, cause that stuff is potent and will keep you up all night!

One of mine and my fiancé’s favorite places! Try the lobster ravioli - it was AMAZING. We’ve also had the waiter Chris a few times and he’s great!

Little Roma was nice and homey. The garlic rolls were amazing. My party was given just enough to be reeled in. Our server Chris was patient and gave swift service. The music was fitting for an Italian restaurant and the proportions were sufficient. Lastly, the price point was good and they even had a military discount. Easily 5 stars ... a hidden gem

Really good food great staff 100/10 would definitely recommend this place honestly it should be packed whenever it’s open! Would definitely recommend coming here for the garlic knots only

Garlic rolls are amazing! Server Chris is delightful! Quiet atmosphere!! We actually had wonderful conversation! Hope to come back soon. Thank you!

The restaurant interior is cozy and quaint. Our server was very attentive and quick and even brought us an extra piece of garlic bread, free of charge. The food was all delicious as well, and we practically liked the garlic knots, so much that I almost wish we had ordered more. Their Cesar salad was also definitely worth the upgrade from the house salad in my opinion. Lastly we got the short rib bolognese, which the menu said was very popular, and we can see why. We were able to split a filling and delicious meal for $50 with a drink included. Definitely will come again.

Took my uncle here for a birthday lunch and we were not prepared for the decadence! Such an unassuming little spot on the corner took me back to Italy! We ordered the rigatoni arrabiata with burrata and the lasagna. So delicious! And omg those garlic knots!!! Make sure you come hungry and save space for all their amazing food! I was also surprised by how nice their wine selection was. They have some really fancy stuff there!

Calamari was not rubbery; the roasted pear salad was excellent; our waiter Chris was extremely attentive, and the recommendation of the butternut squash when I was deciding between two dishes was perfect! The garlic knots were incredible, too!!! We will definitely return to this restaurant!

Leslie Reyy

One of mine and my fiancé’s favorite places! Try the lobster ravioli - it was AMAZING. We’ve also had the waiter Chris a few times and he’s great!

Tim S

Really good food great staff 100/10 would definitely recommend this place honestly it should be packed whenever it’s open! Would definitely recommend coming here for the garlic knots only

Chris G

Dinners are always lovely! The waiter Chris was very attentive and took great care of us. All the staff are very nice and the food is top notch!

Melanie Rubin

Calamari was not rubbery; the roasted pear salad was excellent; our waiter Chris was extremely attentive, and the recommendation of the butternut squash when I was deciding between two dishes was perfect! The garlic knots were incredible, too!!! We will definitely return to this restaurant!

Patricia Wayne

Took my uncle here for a birthday lunch and we were not prepared for the decadence! Such an unassuming little spot on the corner took me back to Italy! We ordered the rigatoni arrabiata with burrata and the lasagna. So delicious! And omg those garlic knots!!! Make sure you come hungry and save space for all their amazing food! I was also surprised by how nice their wine selection was. They have some really fancy stuff there!

Danny Fitzgerald

This is a great neighborhood, family run Italian restaurant. It is one of go to places. My wife always gets the chicken picatta. Make sure you get the garlic knots!

Ashley

Small restaurant with excellent food. The prices are fair, with huge portions, as well as excellent service. I will however warn do not drink their coffee after a dessert in the evening, cause that stuff is potent and will keep you up all night!

Elaine Lindsay

I truly love this place..In side and outside dining, I like take out also! Chris our server is highly effective in discussing their wines, and what food choices are available. Clean, fair pricing ..lovely experience.

Annie Planas

Garlic rolls are amazing! Server Chris is delightful! Quiet atmosphere!! We actually had wonderful conversation! Hope to come back soon. Thank you!

Lindsay Childers

We've dined in 3 times since finding this restaurant a couple months ago, and every single dish has been fantastic. So far I've enjoyed the veal Chianti with mushrooms (my favorite!), veal cacciatori (incredibly flavorful, best over pasta), and scallop and shrimp scampi (generous amount of seafood). Each one was absolutely phenomenal! My husband has had the canneloni, chicken marsala, and the short rib pasta special, and he couldn't pick a favorite because they were all so good! Tiramisu is my all-time-favorite dessert so I was excited to try theirs, which is arguably the best I've tasted. Our waiter has been absolutely wonderful - incredibly attentive, professional, and warm. He has given great recommendations, which makes sense as we recently learned he is the son of the owners. We are honestly so impressed with Little Roma. It has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants!

Raven Douglass

Little Roma was nice and homey. The garlic rolls were amazing. My party was given just enough to be reeled in. Our server Chris was patient and gave swift service. The music was fitting for an Italian restaurant and the proportions were sufficient. Lastly, the price point was good and they even had a military discount. Easily 5 stars ... a hidden gem

Italian food was on mom’s mind. She recalled seeing an Italian restaurant somewhere in la Mesa in a small strip mall when we went out for sushi last weekend. Thank goodness she remembered it and I was able to navigate to it. This adorable little Italian restaurant has a true Italian neighborhood feel to it. As soon as you walk in, you feel the energy of the room and the warmth of the staff. Our server was misty. It was her adorable Spirit that made us feel welcomed immediately. She was even kind enough to have the music turned down just a bit so my parents and I could hear each other as we conversed. As we eagerly awaited our meal, we were served warm, homemade bread with a tomato dipping sauce. Delicious. It was difficult to choose, which homemade meal we each wanted! Mom, is very picky about her Italian food. She had eggplant Parmesan with a side of spaghetti and house salad. It was a huge hit making this her top choice in restaurants for Italian food. Dad had veal Parmesan and enjoyed his meal. Which translates to it was very good. His primary complaint was there was so much he had to take some home for the next day. I had the butternut ravioli and minestrone soup. Really enjoyed the soup as it was very obvious it was homemade. Tasty. As for the ravioli, for me, it was a bit too smothered in sauce, hiding the true flavor of the butternut in the ravioli making it a bit hard to give it a true review. The bread that accompanied it was delicious. Overall, it was a wonderful experience capped by the service from Misty. We love the neighborhood feel and that everything was homemade. So we are adding it to our list!

Gwyn

Italian food was on mom’s mind. She recalled seeing an Italian restaurant somewhere in la Mesa in a small strip mall when we went out for sushi last weekend. Thank goodness she remembered it and I was able to navigate to it. This adorable little Italian restaurant has a true Italian neighborhood feel to it. As soon as you walk in, you feel the energy of the room and the warmth of the staff. Our server was misty. It was her adorable Spirit that made us feel welcomed immediately. She was even kind enough to have the music turned down just a bit so my parents and I could hear each other as we conversed. As we eagerly awaited our meal, we were served warm, homemade bread with a tomato dipping sauce. Delicious. It was difficult to choose, which homemade meal we each wanted! Mom, is very picky about her Italian food. She had eggplant Parmesan with a side of spaghetti and house salad. It was a huge hit making this her top choice in restaurants for Italian food. Dad had veal Parmesan and enjoyed his meal. Which translates to it was very good. His primary complaint was there was so much he had to take some home for the next day. I had the butternut ravioli and minestrone soup. Really enjoyed the soup as it was very obvious it was homemade. Tasty. As for the ravioli, for me, it was a bit too smothered in sauce, hiding the true flavor of the butternut in the ravioli making it a bit hard to give it a true review. The bread that accompanied it was delicious. Overall, it was a wonderful experience capped by the service from Misty. We love the neighborhood feel and that everything was homemade. So we are adding it to our list!

Update from our previous review. We have frequented this place many times in the last few months since we found it. It is still a local italian eatery. For us, not only is the quality, flavor and service is important to us but consistency is just as important. Consistency has unfortunately been a hit or miss...more of a miss the last few times. The dishes lacked flavor, the pasta is undercooked or over cooked. We are not sure if the cook/chef has changed or maybe have departed. In any case, we will be scratching this place of our go-to italian places in this area.

Rockergirl 101

Update from our previous review. We have frequented this place many times in the last few months since we found it. It is still a local italian eatery. For us, not only is the quality, flavor and service is important to us but consistency is just as important. Consistency has unfortunately been a hit or miss...more of a miss the last few times. The dishes lacked flavor, the pasta is undercooked or over cooked. We are not sure if the cook/chef has changed or maybe have departed. In any case, we will be scratching this place of our go-to italian places in this area.

Nice little local spot, service was very good, food was just average and small portions. The seafood in the pasta was over cooked and chewy and had an odd flavor. Sausage Pizza lacked flavor and dough was under cooked. Rather pricy for average tasting, poorly cooked food. It was our first time there and will have to give it serious thought to try again.

The portion size and amount of seafood in the Fettuccini Fruiti di Mare for the price is fair. The pasta was al dente, but the marinara sauce was a little on the bland side. I needed to add some basil and oregano to the sauce to make it tasty. The accompanying garlic bread and vegetable soup were good. The cashier was friendly. The order containers were placed in a paper bag which was then placed in a plastic bag. As a result, I was very pleased that the food was still hot when I arrived at home. Update: Dined in and got the Shrimp Fra Diavlo and the Seafood Risotto. The Shrimp Fra Diavlo was tasty with large shrimp. The Seafood Risotto was a disappointment. The risotto was a little undercooked and not tender. The shrimp were smaller than the ones in the Diavlo. The three scallops and two clams were tasty. There was no calamari in the risotto, contrary to the menu. The main reason I ordered the risotto was that I was in the mood for calamari and I didn't see it listed in the other seafood entrees. Our waitress Sandra didn't come by after our entrees were served and just when it was time to pay the check. I asked her about the missing calamari and she said they ran out. I told her that calamari was why I ordered the risotto. She said she should have told me they were out when I placed my order. I agreed. No compensation was offered. The Garlic Knots and accompanying marinara sauce were excellent and the highlight of my meal. The house salads were very good.

Rod Gullo

The portion size and amount of seafood in the Fettuccini Fruiti di Mare for the price is fair. The pasta was al dente, but the marinara sauce was a little on the bland side. I needed to add some basil and oregano to the sauce to make it tasty. The accompanying garlic bread and vegetable soup were good. The cashier was friendly. The order containers were placed in a paper bag which was then placed in a plastic bag. As a result, I was very pleased that the food was still hot when I arrived at home. Update: Dined in and got the Shrimp Fra Diavlo and the Seafood Risotto. The Shrimp Fra Diavlo was tasty with large shrimp. The Seafood Risotto was a disappointment. The risotto was a little undercooked and not tender. The shrimp were smaller than the ones in the Diavlo. The three scallops and two clams were tasty. There was no calamari in the risotto, contrary to the menu. The main reason I ordered the risotto was that I was in the mood for calamari and I didn't see it listed in the other seafood entrees. Our waitress Sandra didn't come by after our entrees were served and just when it was time to pay the check. I asked her about the missing calamari and she said they ran out. I told her that calamari was why I ordered the risotto. She said she should have told me they were out when I placed my order. I agreed. No compensation was offered. The Garlic Knots and accompanying marinara sauce were excellent and the highlight of my meal. The house salads were very good.

I don't get it. I see a lot of great reviews and I can't help but think I ordered the wrong thing? One star for pleasant service and one more for being timely. I used to frequent this place five or so years ago, but the ownership and service was horrible, so even though they had really good spaghetti and meatballs, I put them on "the list". Well I got in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs and saw the big sign outside saying they were under new management. OK, I'll give them a try with a to-go order; spaghetti and meatballs, small antipasto salad, $21.70. Spaghetti and meatballs is a dish ANY Italian restaurant should be able to make well and as such, it's turned into my benchmark for judging the quality of a restaurant. If you can't make this, you can't make anything. Short-story long, worst spaghetti and meatballs I've ever had, which is saying something since I served in the Navy for 28 years and mess-decks spaghetti was way better. The sauce was more of a pomodoro; flavorless crushed tomatoes with no real "sauce" to it. The spaghetti was over cooked for my liking and just a minute or two away from being mush. The meatballs were tough, chewy, and tasteless. The sausage was little better than the meatballs; clearly cutting corners on meat quality. The picture is of the dish deposited where it belongs and Little Roma goes back on "the list" of places I no longer need to patronize... where they belong. Even the salad was the very definition of average and minimalist.

I don't know why I keep buying food from this place, they always send me whatever they want. I just order a peperoni pizza yland they send cheese pizza. So maaad at this service 🙄 at this place!

I I had a very upsetting experience with my recent online order. There was a fly in my soup, and it felt intentional because one of the employees from the back came to the front just to watch me. The owner’s wife and their son (both wearing glasses) were extremely rude and unkind for no reason. If they don’t like serving certain customers, it would be better if they simply refused service rather than doing something so unacceptable with the food. I have photos of the incident, but unfortunately, there’s no option to upload them here. I will definitely not be coming back.

David

I don’t recommend this place. It’s bad business period. I dealt with the entitled business owner and her attitude was steaming off the roof bad. she kicked me off for no reason 🚫I was just waiting inside for the food that I had ordered to come to me and she just wanted to say that I had to leave and kick me out with no reason at all I can’t tell you why I can’t explain this more in a better way with context it just was in a place that just didn’t make sense I wish I could provide the reason I was kicked out for, but I wasn’t provided a reason or I can’t even assume of the reason because I can’t even think that there was one since they’re really was not one. She went up to my face like less than 8 inches away or 5 inches 👥and walked up to me and walked me backwards to the door and kicked me out. The owner got pretty loud too🗣️. Her voice was like very loud it was just excessive🗣️… and she didn’t need to do that when she was that close to me. 👥