Bernini’s Bistro

This is my favorite place. I love to eat here. Whenever I have guests from other towns, I always take them here, because I know that I won’t be embarrassed to my guests. Owner of the restaurant is one of the coolest guy I ever met. Very friendly and restaurant has a great ambiance. Definitely recommend it.

I dined here a few weeks back. The service was very good and attentive but both the food and the drinks were terrible! Ordered the chicken parm and it was simply a huge piece of tough chicken, that was really hard to cut — it was obvious that the chicken really lacked quality. I felt like having a cocktail so I ordered one of their specialty drinks, it was so bad, I could barely drink it. The waitress was really nice about taking it back. I asked her if the Margaritas were any good, that I love margaritas as long as they are done correctly and not too tart. The margarita she brought me next was hilariously almost too sour to drink. She was really nice to ask me how my drink was again. I didn’t want to complain a 2^nd time so I just grinned and beared it. I can’t remember what my friend ordered now, but, it was equally as unremarkable as the chicken parm. It was on the pricey side and the restaurant is in a really cute area and attracts a lot of business with their fire torches out front. To the owner: please improve the quality of your food and drinks. We will never dine here again. I’m from Texas, and it’s been really hard finding restaurants here that are on par with the quality of the food we became accustomed to, growing up in TX.

While walking by we decided to come here for lunch. We were actually on our way to another restaurant but after seeing Bernini’s menu it looked too good to pass up. We were seated right away and ordered some alcohol beverages for our morning brunch. We ordered and shared the chicken salad sandwich and the salmon sandwich and both were incredibly good! Even after I was full I kept wanting to eat, lol. Service was a bit slow, especially for it not being that busy but it was ok, we were having a lazy day so we weren’t bothered by it. This is a great place to get some good food and drinks while enjoying a lazy Saturday. We’d definitely be back.

The free bread with butter and oil is really good. I ordered the margherita pizza and my friend ordered the gnocchi. Both were pretty big portions and really delicious. The tomato sauce on the pizza is fresh and it is similar to pizza I’ve had in Italy (thin crust). The price was very reasonable too for that amount of food. The restaurant itself is really nicely decorated and looks trendy, warm, and inviting. We are definitely coming back the next time we’re in downtown La Jolla.

Lovely place for breakfast, lunch or pretty much everything! Lovely design and nice atmosphere! I’m so happy we ended up eating here ;)

Food and Service here are amazing !!! Took my mom for dinner here for Mother’s Day and she absolutely loved it! The waiter was so courteous and super attentive, even offered a couple different wines to taste in order for us to pick which we liked best for dinner. The food was plentiful and so delicious! We ordered a salad with salmon, a lamb shank as well as pasta and a kids ravioli, everything was great! We will definitely return here sometime !

Amazing food, amazing service. Food came out very fast. Everyone was polite and gave great recommendations. First time here and won’t be our last!

Always good here I love everything from appetizer to desert… I’ve been here many many times… The service is excellent… The owner is really really nice… When you happen to be visiting La Jolla Cove never ever forget to stopped by this wonderful place.

I’m kicking myself for not coming here, sooner! The salmon alla griglia is amazingly well prepared. The butternut squash risotto could have been melded more as the squash was borderline crunchy (almost like an afterthought). Extensive wine selection, great service, adorable outdoor seating. Ample gluten free options, though not for pizza. Looking forward to trying the gluten-​free Brie cheesecake. Would like to see more specials (e.g. For Unilocal and otherwise) that include gluten free options (currently they are running pizza and beer for $ 15). Worth the trip. BTW-​the cheesecake is yummy! But really should be warmed (or cooked to order?) before serving. Would love to learn to make this!

I always love this place. The servers are kind and courteous and the food is always amazing. It’s a nice spot to sit on the patio and take in the sun. The orange juice always seems fresh and you can’t go wrong with the scramblers!

We have been going to Bernini’s for years and have found the food to be good. However, we went for breakfast on Sunday and were greeted with a sign that said «new brunch menu» which of course meant higher prices. Unfortunately the food seems to have gone down hill as well. I ordered the egg, cheese and bacon skillet. I expected a dish where the items would be scrambled together but instead the dish arrived with the eggs in the skillet frittata style with some mozzarella cheese melted on top and two whole strips of bacon and some raw avocado pieces thrown on top. Worse they now charge $ 14 for this. My wife ordered the veggie omelet and said it tasted just ok. Our bill for both dishes, one coffee and their organic Bernini’s lemonade (which was very good) came to $ 36 plus. Not worth it!

gourmet food, comfortable atmosphere, interesting decorations, and friendly service! Oh and of course… Their tiramisu is definitely the best in town!

First time today and was pleasantly surprised. Had the salmon sandwich. Wow. Cooked to perfection. Everything tasted fresh. Took long to decide what to order since there’s so many good things to choose from!
Returned here 2/7/16…This is my 2^nd time ordering the Salmon Sandwich. And the hubster ordered Chicken Chilequiles. Everything was flavorful. This is my Go-​To spot for my hunger pangs and cant wait to try more things from the menu.

This was our third visit. Great atmosphere and excellent service. Our waiter, Ramon Ibarra, was very friendly and helpful. Recommend the pizza. The special, lamb osso bucco was an interesting, delicious take on the traditional version. We brought our brother and sister in law, who have spotless taste. They were suitably impressed. This is one of our favorite spots in La Jolla.

This place was recommended by a co-​worker while we were staying in La Jolla… it did not disappoint! We were I little hesitant when we walked in at 8:30pm on a Monday and it was empty, but so glad we stayed and ate! People of La Jolla, this place has amazing pasta made fresh every night and excellent desserts. We got the lasagna (5 stars) and leek fettuccini (4 stars) and would reorder both next time we’re here. Our waiter Ramon Ibarra was very welcoming and made us feel at home. We will be back!

I loved this place. The food and service were above par. I had the salmon sandwich on ciabatta. Wow! My boyfriend had the artichoke omelette and was very pleased. It was pretty busy when we arrived on a holiday Monday afternoon, so they told us we’d have to sit in the back room (as if it were a lesser option). Having never been to the restaurant before, we said fine. It is less desirable because it is a small room and the entrance to the bathrooms are there. Well, the food was so good we were quickly in our own world anyway. Good beer selection.

I’m torn between 2 and 4 stars for this restaurant so I’m going with 3, but there were some really nice things about berninis and some more average things. Coming by on a Saturday at 730, it was busy but we were seated immediately. The hostess was a little awkward, asked me what kind of table I wanted but maybe didn’t understand my response because she asked me 3 times… Service was decently fast and the restaurant itself was very nice!
I think I was just disappointed by my pizza choice. The waiter said their pizzas serve 1.5 people, but I ate 2 slices out of about 8 and was full. The dough was good but the white sauce, artichoke, and spinach pizza just was bland! A big disappointment since it was my cheat meal. It has the potential to be really good and maybe the other pizzas are better, the one I ordered totally missed the mark… Otherwise the bread was good and I think the cheese ravioli in a white cream sauce was the most tasty of everything I tried. Not sure if I’d choose to go back but on the other hand it was a nice place, prices were reasonable for restaurants in the area, and since the ravioli was so tasty it’s possible I just picked the wrong option for my taste preferences…

I have walked by this place a dozen times following shenanigans at the La Jolla Brew Co yet, I have never been in. I had a friend visiting town and decided I would mix things up give Bernini’s a chance. Granted it was relatively early on a Tuesday night, we were seated immediately. Unfortunately, as this place was not packed to the gills I think we got the shaft on where they chose to seat us; right next to the door that leads to the restrooms outside. A minor infraction but, worth noting. Our server was super sweet, very attentive and took great care of us.
I have heard that you can judge a restaurant based on the bread they bring to the table at the start of the meal. For my palate, they did not disappoint. I am not sure what the style of bread is called, but it was fantastic. The flakiness of the crust was a perfect contrast to the ample, soft center. So much better than sliced from a roll or baguette. It was served with butter and an herbed olive oil. So far, so good.
*Main course disclaimer* Due to a rather heavy lunch and no subsequent physical activity, I went with a light dinner option
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My meal came in the form of a Beet Salad and a cup of Lentil soup. My friend set her sights on the Cheese Ravioli with Butternut Squash. The «Beet Salad» was huge. Sadly it was more like a salad of greens with six large, virtually undressed chunks of beets plated around the green mound. All in all it was a filling and flavorful salad, but I was a little disappointed by the overall dish. The lentil soup was on point and I should have gotten the bowl. In true Unilocaler foodie fashion, I was inclined to sample my friend’s dish so I could mention it here. The Ravioli were very well prepared, tender and sauced with a beautiful cream sauce. However, the butternut squash portion of it was a little let down as it was not part of the filling and got a little lost in the sauce.
I definitely want to come back and try some of their other menu items especially since our server was so on point.

My husband and I went to dinner here based on the reviews since we were watching a movie across the street. We were beyond disappointed. We started off with the crab cakes and the first bite was lukewarm. When I took another bite it was ice cold. We immediately sent the two crab cakes back. They brought us a new set but they were mushy. No crab just bread. We orders the lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs. My husbands lasagna was lukewarm again and the sauce tasted like spaghetti-​os. At this point we were so over sending food back and the lack of quality. My spaghetti sauce was straight out of a can. $ 80 later for cold crab cakes, 2 beers, spaghetti and lasagna we were done and left to our movie. They decided to charge us the crab cakes and clearly noticed my husband had 2 bites of his lasagna since the server asked what was wrong since he barely touched it.

Since we usually have our 18 month old daughter with us, we usually opt for pretty casual restaurants. Nevertheless, we decided to treat ourselves and we certainly picked the right place. Our server, Ibarra, was fantastic about understanding the challenges of keeping a small person happy during a meal and was so sweet to our girl. The food was fantastic, we were impressed with the gnocchi and the wine selection. Our daughter couldn’t get enough of the olive oil dip. We took dessert to go and the budino was over-​the-​top rich, in a good way! I don’t remember her name, but the hostess was also very sweet, finding us a spot on a busy night. We would return just for the food, but she and Ibarra really made the meal memorable.

The eggs diavola is sooooo delicious! If you’re looking for a sweet and savory combination, two great plates to share, eggs diavola and stuffed French toast.

Not the coziest of service, timid in fact, but the food was charming which matched the décor. We enjoyed the kale salad, chicken Parmesan and the ravioli. A good choice for an affordable option in La Jolla for Italian.

I was in Bernini Bistro to grab some lunch. That’s second time I was there. They did remodel and place look even better and cozy. Food was extremely tasty. They have a nice stuff and I even talked with the owner who seems like spend a lot of time in his restaurant, I think that’s important. Overall great experience! Will come back for sure.

The food was ok, bad service. There were I think 3 total glasses that had lipstick marks on them, then the glass she brought out after we said something had lipstick on it too. My friend ordered a VIRGIN Moscow mule which had lipstick marks on it so the waitress brought her out another one but she made it with alcohol! Good thing she wasn’t a recovering alcoholic! She even had the audacity to charge us.

This is our favorite restaurant in La Jolla! Everything you expect to enjoy in an evening out. We took my brother and his wife to Bernini’s when they were visiting and we had a great time! We had three different entrees– short ribs, salmon, and tempura shrimp. They were all creatively prepared and perfectly delicious as always!
This is a family owned business and you can be sure you will be well taken care of. The service was wonderful!
We love the ambience of Bernini’s as well. Warm and comfortably elegant and surrounded by beautiful art!
Don’t miss trying the Tiramisu for dessert!
Stuart T.

Delicioso, alimentos hechos al momento. Me encantó y por supuesto que regreso. Lo recomiendo, rico y precios justos. Linda decoración, limpio y trato amable.

Overall a good place to tryout for brunch, however, nothing special. Good ambiance. Friendly service.
Fillet mignon skillet omelet: delicious! Tender meat. It also came in a tiny skillet which was Soo cute! Add $ 1.5 for egg whites. Came with a bug portion of hash Browns, which was crunchy outside and soft in the inside.
Prime rib French dip sandwich: my friend had this and said it was alright. The size was pretty small but this might be because it was from the restaurant week menu.
Walnut apple salad: just ok. Nothing special to it.
Crème Brule & Tiramisu: not bad. But not amazing either.
Mimosa: I thought it was pretty strong

Bernini’s is that kind of place where you want to try so many dishes, it’s difficult to choose because there are so many delectable options.
I chose a grilled salmon sandwich, which was perfectly cooked, with great grill marks, very tender, hot and juicy. The sandwich was presented pressed, on ciabatta bread and was dressed with roasted red peppers, arugula, dill, and lemon pesto aioli. The sandwich also came with a choice of either French fries or the house salad. I chose the salad, which came with its own very delicious and somewhat tangy house dressing, and was peppered with fresh, crunchy walnuts. I loved every morsel!
The restaurant has a very nice, romantic vibe, the waiters, waitresses and staff are all so friendly and chill, and the restaurant itself is decorated beautifully and tastefully.
There is outside seating, which reminds me of being in Italy, having bistro-​style tables and tall plants, with an iron fence encompassing them all. That seating area is lit up at dusk, and if there is chilly weather, there also are heaters provided to keep your tootsies warm.
This restaurant also has recently acquired a new chef, so when looking at the reviews, don’t pay attention to the old ones. Please note the new chef has been here for only a few months, and is putting out some fantastic food.
I highly recommend this lovely restaurant and can see myself returning again for some of the new dishes they have recently introduced!
No pictures as we ate our scrumptious food too quickly. It was THAT good!

Had a great breakfast today! I love the décor inside and out. The staff is super friendly, the food was delicious, and it had a good atmosphere the whole time. The presentation of the food was pretty neat as well. My plate was a wooden cutting board with a spot made to hold the little cast iron skillet they used for the filet mignon and egg sramble. Big mound of hash browns and a cheese biscuit also sitting on the wood plate. My girlfriend’s waffle was super tasty as well. It was covered in banana, kiwi, strawberry, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and fresh made whipped cream.
I am definitely coming back to this place to check out their lunch and dinner services. I can’t wait to taste that amazing food!

A hidden gem for brunch in La Jolla! Great espresso drinks, Bloody Marys and more beverages to accompany great food. I highly recommend the scrambles served in cast iron skillets, frittata style.
Berninis is also a favorite spot for a great Italian meal. Perfect for date nights!

A really lovely place for lunch. After being seated on the patio, service was quick, and orders were taken. My mom ordered spaghetti bolognese which they didn’t have available. The chef personally came out and offered to make my mom a special dish, same price. He suggested some options, and we were sold when these 3 words were in the same sentence. filet. mignon. pasta. uhhhhh come again?! he then asked us if we liked bleu cheese, when we told him we didn’t he told us Parmesan would go well.
I had the signature burger, medium rare, it was top notch!
but as you may have already guessed, the filet mignon pasta stole the show. amazing. drool.
outside ambience was perfect, weather was on point. girl talk in full force. our mom/​daughter lunch date couldn’t have gone any more perfect! thanks guys, and compliments to the chef :)

Amazing place and excellent service. The new executive Chef Mario Medina has become a great asset to this place! He came with his new creations to better the fair.
My favorite is the zucchini bisque. Truly addictive.
Congratulations to the entire team.

Came here right when they opened so it wasn’t crowded. We live in la Jolla but have never heard of this place before. I simply searched for breakfast places near us and came up with this restaurant.
SERVICE — There is a guy that comes and fills your coffee and water often. Our waitress took our order, checked if we liked our food and brought our check. Standard.
FOOD
— Carne Asada Chilaquiles (only available on weekends) — it seems like all my reviews have been of Chilaquiles lately but this one was so good! Loved the presentation too. Two eggs on the left corner, pile of Chilaquiles with guacamole on the right, and a strip of carne Asada. I don’t know what they put in their Chilaquiles but man was it delicious!
Filet Mignon Omelette — my boyfriend got his eggs scrambled so they scrambled it in this skillet thing that was topped with meat, onions, and peppers. Great flavor! The hash browns were nicely browned. The cheese scone was alright because I imagined it to have more flavor.
Our friends got the breakfast burrito and two different waffle dishes. They all enjoyed their food.
Definitely a little gem in La Jolla!

I give this place 5 stars hands down! The décor was amazing and light music in the background set the mood for an amazing brunch. Great artsy paintings on the wall… my fave was the bob Marley painting ;)
Our waiter Sam was AMAZING! Very personable and inviting! He made me a delicious Bloody Mary to die for! Me and my friend ordered two of their scrambles. The cheddar biscuits alone get 5 stars! Definitely will be coming back! Hopefully Sam will be there!

LOVE this spot. A little hidden gem if I do say so myself.
We had an amazing dinner on Friday and had to come back to see what their brunch was about on Sunday!
Great service and cool vibe (even if you are right across the street from Von’s lol)
Hands down the best latte I’ve had in CA.
Gorgonzola pasta. Don’t ask questions. Just get it. I’m not even a gorg fan but LOVED this.
Honestly everything on their menu is fab
Now for brunch.
Wow. I will definitely be making this a reg stop.
Diavlo benny– WOOOOOW. I’m a huge fans of Benedict’s and this one is the most unique and best I’ve seriously ever had.