Fresco

Fui con mi esposo sin reservación y desde que llegamos nos atendieron excelente, había descuento de vino, pedimos una botella, y la comida desde los calamares fritos, el pollo marsala y la carne espectacular, pero sobre todo la server fue otro nivel se llama Emily, recomiendo 100% este Restaurant, gracias !!

We were visiting Carlsbad, CA on Saturday, February 13, 2016 and happened to walk by a restaurant on Carlsbad Village Drive named Fresco around dinner time. It smelled so good we just had to go in. We were lucky in 2 areas… we got a table and a wonderful waitress named Natalie. It is Italian and everything on the menu looked delicious. We asked Natalie for her help in our selection. She was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and offered selections for us. We went with her suggestions and were very glad we did. The food was delicious and presented beautifully. Natalie was so very attentive and so pleasant, it was a joy to have her as our waitress. She made the dining experience very special. The next time we go to Carlsbad, we are difinitely going back to Fresco and ask to be seated at one of Natalie’s tables. Thank you Natalie for being such a wonderful server!!!

We just left this small family restaurant and we really enjoyed our meal. It was my grandfathers birthday and the manager spoke in Italian to him and chatted with us and made it a nice experience. It’s a very friendly atmosphere with delicious food. Our waitress Natalia was so attentive and sweet. We have been here before and are sure to return. I highly recommend this little spot steps from the beach.

Sorry if you got Natalia as a waitress. I think she tries to have a Italian accent. Food was nothing to write home about.
Docked another star because the owner messaged me asking me to remove my review because it wasn’t reflective of their restaurant. My review is clearly reflective of my experience and I think it is shady to ask someone to remove a review.

Enjoyed a great meal at Fresco last night for the first time. Our server Constantine was a highlight — he was cheerful, funny, patient (I think we had him tell us about the specials about 3 times), attentive and never interrupted us. The meal was also fantastic, and the whole place smelled great so I assume other guests also enjoyed yummy evenings. Finally, the number of specials available was really impressive! I love to see a kitchen that likes to experiment with new dishes or in-​season favorites. I went with the Sea Bass special, which was generously portioned and delicious. Thank you Fresco!

prego! your tastebuds are gonna thank you big time for a delicious meal at Fresco! it is without hesitation, going to be a great experience for you and your friends who venture into this eatery in primo carlsbad.
the physical attributes of the restaurant are perfect; elegant, but not ostentatious; clean and airy – lots of windows and outdoor breezes; spacious yet not cavernous. it is certainly a dressy place. but, being that it is located in carlsbad «by-the-sea»…casual attire is perfectly suitable. this is to say, sandals and jeans are a-​okay too.
we’ve been here many times now; and the food, the food… consistently excellent. and always presented beautifully. the cuisine is reliable; it is clear that careful attention is paid to the quality of what is served. and the way in which it is served is equally important. portions are very generous and prices are quite reasonable considering the caliber of what you will be enjoying.
and then there is the wait staff… always pleasant and professional. and usually, above and beyond the basic courtesy one would appreciate and expect. the hostess/​waiter on saturday were just delightful.
Natalia made us very comfortable and welcome from the moment we arrived. and helped us to sit in a section of the restaurant that would meet my mother’s need to be «warmer» vs. «colder». the gentleman providing extra table support was especially kind to my mother. fetching her the hottest cup of coffee the restaurant could provide and closing some of the doors that were allowing too much cold air into the space (while we were there). my mom tends to be cold almost everywhere these days, so, those «extras» were really so important for us to be able to enjoy our time there.
mom ordered the cioppino; and even tho i do not partake of the ocean’s bounty… i have to say, it was a very visually impressive dish that was delivered to the table.
and mom enjoyed every bite!
so get ye there… mangia! buon apetitto!

A wonderful evening celebrating my Mother’s Birthday– we made a reservation and were seated right away. My Mother had a jumbo shrimp scampi with risotto and vegetables– very light, healthy and delicious, the other dishes were a seafood linguine with mussels, clams, jumbo shrimp and halibut. We ended the evening with a delicious crème brûlée. A wonderful evening! The best part (aside from the delicious food) was the service. Wendela was very attentive and sweet. Making sure we were happy and had all we needed for a pleasant evening. Job well done!

It was raining when we walked in and there were a couple sitting at one of the very few outdoor tables, they laughed and said they were fine they were from Seattle.
We had a lovely meal. Calamari and Burschetta to start.
Veal parm with fettucini alfredo, penne with spicy sausage, cioppino, and ravioli. All enjoyed with partial portions available to take home. The Alfredo sauce was particularly creamy and delicious.
Crème bruele for desert.
Also had a couple of cocktails which were very acceptable.

This place is 5 stars. Great quiet location in the middle of the bustling village. I had a wonderful beat salad with salmon. Atmosphere is delightful and unique. Ca Beach meets Italian. Comfortable booths. Great wine list. Great service. Gorgeous wait staff. Owner is friendly and helpful. Try it you will like it. Ignore the negative comments. I’m pretty picky when it comes to atmosphere and food.

My husband and I dined at Frescos for the second time last night! This time I got the Sea Bass Puttanesca; amazing! The food was great again and our server, Sierra, was very knowledgeable and prompt! We will be back for more great Italian dishes and wonderful, friendly service! Thanks, Sierra and Frescos for a great date night!

We arrived at Frescos without a reservation. The hostess was welcoming and attentive. We waited approx. 20min. The restaurant was busy and we could tell that most people were locals.
Our server Paris was very helpful and had a smile that lite up the room! We had a glass of wine to start. My daughter had the Lobster Ravioli. I had the Shrimp in white wine. Everything was amazing. Perfectly done, served hot and within 15−20min.
I highly recommend this restaurant. Past and seafood perfectly done.

Went there for first time ever, had great service and the food was amazing. Our server Sierra was awesome. Recommend
The linguini and clams…

I have to say I have only been here for Paint Nite. The room is fantastic and right by the pizza kitchen. The food was good too this time, flatbreads, salads (over-​dressed), calamari (bit undercooked), pasta. One thing that is a disappointment is their HH. The food gives you a few dollars off and is mostly a good deal, but when it comes to cocktails, their idea of HH pricing is $ 1 off! So, after 6:30 it’s a dollar less than list on the HH menu which is not a deal. A HH Margarita is $ 12.95, really? Of course you have to drink while you paint and it’s harder to eat, so please figure out some cocktail drinks for Paint Nite. We are told that those are their busiest nights, so it would be nice to make accommodations for those who pay to paint and go to your restaurant. The staff really has something to be desired. We have had problems consistently with their male bartender. He is rude, not accommodating at all and always looks like he hates being there. They also have this foreign waitress that must have been having a bad night because she was so rude! She ran right into a friend of mine and didn’t say a word, when my GF said something she just gave her a dirty look and sighed and didn’t try to apologize. There are SO many cool places with great staff and rooms to paint in with better deals for those events, maybe it’s time to shake things up? Just sayin’

while i love doing paint nite with the enchanted Stephanie Chambers… i wish she would host them somewhere other than here…
the food is fine (it has definitely improved)…but the service is horrid!
so i’ve been here at least a dozen times… here a few incidents
before I explain… HH is $ 1 off drinks (not a deal) and i believe about ½ off food (nice deal!)
#1– i ask the bartender for a HH menu and he informs me that HH is over. I look it up on their website and show him that their website says it is currently within HH time. he goes to a manager and gets approval to give us HH
#2 — Manager tells us that he is not honoring HH to people at paint nite… he explains that he is already giving up the space for free and is losing business. I ask him how he is losing business by packing in 40+ people who otherwise would not be here? I also explain that I have had HH during paint nite events. I give him an brief lesson on how business works… you have an empty bar, you rent it out for free so the bar will be full therefore people actually attend your HH (which is done at 6:30 and we are still here until 9:30 buying food & drinks at full price)…he says he will give us HH price… i decide to buy a bottle of wine instead of getting that whopping good deal of $ 1 off a glass. That was fun =)
since then no problem with HH at all…
#3 — service is painfully slow and the bartender literally ignores you… he doesnt offer to take your order… you have to flag him down and say «I’m ready».which he doesn’t acknowledge at all. eventually he makes his way to you with minimal eye contact. order needs to be repeated multiple times… he doesn’t really listen.
#4 — i asked a server for a box to package my food… she yells… that’s the bartenders job! OMG! really! she got me the box anyways (i said nothing… just in utter amazment!)
#5 — previous server plows through a group of us .no apology, no nothing… she literally almost knocked me over!
enough of that negative…
t-​he space is attractive
–they have recently remodeled and it looks nice in here
food is tasty… i wish i hadn’t gotten dressing on my salad… it was drenched.
–flatbread was a joke… it was literally bread with some shrimp thrown on it… not one scrap of cheese! we threw the bread away and had a plate with a few shrimp on it (and they weren’t that good)
–wine list is good
–my moscow mule was yummy
of course i’ll be back… i like the paint events here…

Really uninspired atmosphere, really uninspired food. The waitress was nice. Great location and outside it looks like a good restaurant but|on the inside it is borderline depressing.
My lamb was way overcooked, squash was unseasoned. Mashed potatoes were dry. Meh.

Comfortable, relaxed atmosphere! Cuisine was delectable from the calamari, brushetta, marsala veal and chicken were excellent! Another in our party enjoyed the daily special of pork chops! Pasta Alfredo was sooo good! We were also comped dessert for a sixtieth birthday!

Came here for thanksgiving dinner, crazy expensive for what it was but decent food, the reason I’ll never be back was the place was half empty yet it took almost 90 minutes to get food on our table. Other larger groups came in after us were fed long before. I don’t recommend this place, service sucks.

I came here on Thanksgiving night with my family (5 of us total). This was our first time at Fresco and we really had no expectations. Parking was easy, as they have their own lot. As soon as we walked in the door Paris, I believe he was the manager, greeted us right away. The restaurant looked modern and clean. Cute ocean accents everywhere mixed in with an Italian theme. As we were early, we sat at the bar to wait for our table. We all had a glass of wine, which was moderately priced ($ 10 for a glass of delicious moscato and $ 7.50 for a Manhattan).
We all ordered from the $ 38 prix fixe. Everything we ordered, everything, was delicious. I kid you not. Absolutely delicious. From the wine to the food, we were in heaven. Totally worth the cost.
As we came on Thanksgiving it wasn’t a surprise that the restaurant seemed understaffed. We waited a long time to be seated (about 20 minutes) and then we waited another 30 minutes to eat. We had to get up and tell Paris that we hadn’t been brought water or menus once we were seated, after waiting 10 minutes. From that point on Paris tended to us. He was so personable and fun. We weren’t in any sort of rush, so the wait wasn’t unbearable. And Paris difused any of our frustrations with his great service. He even gave us a bottle of wine on the house and comped a meal on our bill. He did above and beyond anything we expected in terms of repayment.
We will come back!

This place was not my favorite. While the service was great– the food was far from it. We had an antipasto plate which was basically 3 pieces of cheese, a couple meats, olives and a gigantic pile of lettuce. Also had the caprese salad… But it didn’t have balsamic on it! Just tomatoes, mozzarella, tiny sprigs of basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. Sooooo bland.
Cocktails were great but food not so much…

Really cute spot blocks from the water.
Wait staff is helpful (thank you Constantine), menu is great, wine list is extensive,…and,…shhhhh, but, if you come on a Wednesday,…every bottle of wine is half off!!! What!!! Yeah!!!

Ive always wanted to explore more restaurants in north county and this was a great opportunity since our Paint Nite was here!
The restaurant was super easy to find and the best part is that they have their own parking lot! We had a private room booked which had its own bar and they have happy hour for the food but their happy hour for the drinks were less than impressive ($ 1 off). We did have some of their calamari and it was cooked extremely well! Not too much flour but just enough crunch.
Our painting took us 2 wine bottles in between 3 of us girls. The staff at the restaurant were all really nice and friendly but I cant say I got too much interaction with them.
Overall i wouldnt mind trying this place out although it is probably more on the expensive side but the food from the pictures look DELICIOUS.