Trattoria Acqua

Had pretty good food, spectacular views from some tables, and sincere service. Too bad it is closed.

Why did this place close down???
this italian restaurant is my favorite spot for italian cusine!!!
we’ve been too many other italian restauante, but this by far, is the best We’ve had.
Location was great, ocean view and nice cozy atmosphere.
Service was excellent, they treated us like we are family… lol
the calamari is the best calamari we ever had… tender and the dipping sauce was to die for!
the Prosciutto de Parma was fantastic… you just gotta say hmmmmmm, when you took a bite of it.
But our favorite dish of all… Cappa Santa alla Positano
This pasta has it all, seafood… tomatoe pasta… SPICY LOBSTER SAUCE! I ordered this dish everytime i go there!
BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTE!!!

Came here for restaurant week w/​the boyfriend. ($ 30/​meal). Service is excellent-​staff members are very attentive to your needs without being too smothering.
There is complimentary bread & hummus which I thought was very good! Bread was nice & crispy and I like how they serve hummus instead of the standard boring butter.
I would recommend the lobster ravioli as appetizer. It has a creamy sauce to it & very good. Would not recommend the filet mignon appetizer (i forgot the exact name but it is thinly sliced uncooked beef. texture was smooth but it kinda reminded me of the beef slices you put in your noodles at a Phở restaurant…)
For main course, like the person below me, try the Cappasanta alla Postiano! It was so delishhhhh! I’m not much of a scallop person but I really liked it still! It had a creamy red tomato sauce w/​the fettucine.
For dessert, I got the pie a la mode (i liked how they give you gelato ice cream instead of regular ice cream) & he got the crème brûlée. Get the crème brûlée because it’s decently sized & very yummy!
There is underground parking underneath the restaurant. Get the ticket validated and the first 2 hours are free! :)

I’m really super bummed that they are closing. My boss gave me a gift card for Christmas and my husband and I came here a couple weeks ago. We were celebrating my husbands 30^th birthday and it also happened to be Restaurant Week. We were seated inside and I loved the warm, quaint feel inside and out. The décor was a little off beat for being a high end place, but for some reason it didn’t bother me and it was comforting. I do wish we had eaten outside, although it was night and we would not have seen much. This location is prime for La Jolla. The service was wonderful even though they were busy with Restaurant week eaters. My only complaint would be that the Lobster Bisque that I was dying to try was all out: (I tried the Clam Chowder soup which was nice and the lobster ravioli which made a perfect appetizer.
I devoured my New York strip steak covered in blue cheese with mashed potatoes and asparagus. My husband also thoroughly enjoyed his shrimp and scallop pasta. I am still thinking about the chocolate chip bread pudding for dessert. Man that was yummy.
I really hope they re-​open in a new location later this year. I will be waiting :)

This is a «MUST TRY!» restaurant! It is a bit pricey, so what better time to go than during Restaurant Week!
This was a $ 30 menu, and it was TOTALLY worth it!
The ambiance of the restaurant takes you back to a Mediterranean sea-​side cottage off the coast of Italy. With a gorgeous view of the La Jolla Cove, the setting is absolutely perfect for a cozy and intimate dinner.
As for the food, where should I begin…
Appetizer: fresh jumbo lump crab served with green apples and Spanish aioli (completely shredded and seasoned perfectly to accentuate the sweetness of the crab)
My friend had the Filet Mignon carpaccio, which looked absolutely delicious as well. My second runner up for the appetizer would’ve been the Duck Confit.
Entrée: jumbo sea scallops, black tiger shrimp, and spicy lobster sauce with a perfectly al dente tomato pasta
— THIS WAS BY FAR THE BEST PASTA I’VE EVER HAD!
— the lobster sauce was phenomenal!
Dessert: I decided to go with a traditional Crème Brulee — can’t ever go wrong with that. However, the next time I go back, I think I will try the Chocolate Chip «Panetone» bread pudding (their most popular dessert).
Overall: service was excellent and food was delicious! It’s a perfect restaurant for a small gathering or a date.

Thank God for Restaurant Week! The dinner tonight was delicious and at the right price!
We had filet mignon carpaccio, lobster ravioli, seafood pasta with scallops and black tiger shrimp, agnolotti funghi, buche de noel, and the tiramisu. Every single one of the dishes was perfectly prepared and portioned, not too rich nor was it bland in anyway. We didn’t leave overly stuffed, which is always a plus with heavy Italian food.
The service was amicable and fast, and the ambiance was romantic. We got there at 5pm, so there weren’t many parties there and we were lucky enough to get a table overlooking the ocean. It was lovely!
Move over Tom Ham’s this is our new celebratory dinner restaurant! :)

This place has some character and nice ambiance to it. At street level you’ll see their signs and make your way down a few levels of stairs. At the bottom is a nice outdoor dining area (watch out tho I saw annoying gnats) and they have scattered indoor rooms. One of the indoor sections has the semi-​ocean view (not too spectacular though). I scoped out the other spaces and they all looked nice… bit cramped but ok.
Parking tip: heading west on Prospect, veer onto Coast Blvd and there will be a parking garage on your left. Eating at Trattoria or Crab Catcher and they will validate your stub for up to 2-​hrs free! Pull into the garage, the attendant will give you a ticket, and then park. Take the elevator to the 1^st floor. You could try your hand at street parking off Coast (get a view too) or on prospect street spots or valet. FYI too… the portion of Coast blvd by the restaurant is 1-​way.
If you’re coming from the street level walking down, you’ll see the hostess stand. Coming from the elevator, we were a bit confused and lost. Out of the elevator and you see signs for Crab Catcher or Trattoria. Then just look for the hostess entrance to the right.
They sure do give you a lot of menus/​papers here when you sit down too. 1 specials page, our menus, extended restaurant week page, drink menu, and then a wine folder. just funny is all hah.
The service was an ok speed. A bit slower than I would of liked, but I don’t know what slowed it up, I think it may have just been our guy because the other tables were in and out before us hah. Servers were nice and fairly friendly. The food was just ok to me, I remember it being better. Dinner prices weren’t too bad ranging around 18 to high 20’s. I thought the drinks seemed a bit high though like $ 9 – 11.
I think this restaurant is probably better for smaller groups, depending on where you sit (perhaps outside) it could be good for large groups. It’s still cute, cozy, but I wouldn’t say it has the Italian quaint-charm…(Try Café Bella Italia for that, they are more attentive too). Overall, good experience, but just ok for me. Oooh and fyi… no AMEX cards accepted… lame!

It’s good… it’s really good.
Came here on a Wednesday night after making reservations for two, not too busy at all tonight. It’s located in a really quaint area, so it’s very enclosed but not to the point that I felt overly cramped at all. You can overlook the ocean for a great view if you want it. It’s definitely a good spot to come to with friends or on a date.
Figuring out what I wanted was difficult in itself because of all the excellent options. Eventually chose the lamb chops… man, they know how to make good lamb chops.
I really liked the ambiance here and the service was good. If you park on the side closer to the ocean, they’ll validate your parking for two hours.
Definitely have to come back here again.

Food:
The bread they give is good, especially with the garlic aioli type sauce they give.
I had the lobster tail and shrimp– I loved it! The lobster sauce was really good and the spinach it comes with goes great with it.
Mac and Cheese– I wouldn’t order this, especially for how much it was. Didn’t taste like anything special, but it was good for regular mac and cheese.
Service-​Was fine, not great. I went for my anniversary but the waiter seemed to gravitate more toward the table next to us with the older crowd.
I wouldn’t recommend this for a anniversary, the restaurant was nice, but not amazing, and they don’t do anything special for an occasion (or at least not for us). But the food was good, just don’t order the mac and cheese (=

Trattoria Acqua is located in a woodsy, charming building. You have to meander down some steps and around other shops to get to it. The seating is also «quaint,» not super comfortable, more like a bistro. There are views of the ocean, and various little rooms of seating.
All I have to say for the food is BLAH. Boring, not well prepared, seems like they count on tourist traffic so they don’t care if you come back or not. Everything we had was boring and relatively tasteless, or poorly concocted tastes. Would never go here again. Too bad, it’s in such a nice location, right on the main street in the La Jolla cove.

If I ever get the chance to visit La Jolla again, I am definitely making a stop at Trattoria Acqua again. On my last day visiting San Diego, decided to stroll along the La Jolla shoreline. Unfortunately, being January, it’d started to pour. Ran for shelter inside the restaurant to wait for the rain to clear. While I was there, decided to purchase something to drink. Since they were not open for dinner quite yet, the bartender had no problem serving me a drink. They even told me as it was still early, I could have a seat and enjoy my drink. Since we had time to kill before the plane ride back home, I turned my beverage of choice into a beer. BTW-​they have one of the best beer’s I’ve tasted, Highly recommend: Eel River Amber Ale. Nice, nutty, smooth and malty, just like I like it. Major plus, it’s «organic» and made in Northern California (home!)
Somehow, drinks turned into dinner– a savory pizza made with shrimp, YUM!!! What a nice way to end the fantastic vacation!
A rating for friendly staff, charming atmosphere, and a beautiful view… even on a rainy January afternoon. Not quite 5 stars, only because, even though our waiter was nice, we had to get his attention more than once. Still, highly recommend.

Was not impressed. Thomas Jefferson and I came here because «George’s» had a almost 2 hour wait =/​so our trusty bellman «Dan» from the Grande Colonial Hotel whisked us down here for some lunch.
Ample seating with a great view of the cove (this place is adjacent to the store that leads into the caves) so we opt for outside seating which is in an enclosed area so you are «outside» but not technically. We ordered the Mussels… I think that had I not just had Mussel at «Blue Plate Oysterette» that were so flavorful I would have been okay with this selection but I wasn’t =[ they were bland and not succulent at all. The service was attentive and friendly but they really weren’t to busy. Oh yea and it was pricey too!
My advice is if you are going to spend the money anyway think ahead and make the reservations at «George’s» don’t settle mediocre when it is going to cost you just as much =/​
Respectfully Reviewed

Everytime I’m in the San Diego/​La Jolla area, I always make time for lunch at Trattoria Acqua and I have yet to be disappointed. Meals here are always a pleasant experience.
I love the seaside view, slight breeze and warm sunshine as I devour mussels, shoestring fries and lobster ravioli. It’s always the perfect send-​off to a Sunday when I’m about to board a plane back to San Francisco.
I will be a lifelong customer until this place closes down.

I was so sad to hear that this place was closing (closes this week) because they lost their lease. It really is a great place to get consistent Italian food and the management is so friendly and really cares about their customers.
For a last hoorah, I made a reservation here for dinner. The most exciting part of the meal was that they brought back some of their traditional/​favorite dishes off the menu including the eggplant pasta I love so much (see past review)!! And, it was just as amazing as I remembered it and I’m really glad I got to have it before they closed.
I also tried the prosciutto and fig appetizer which was delicious. It was big enough for two to share, but I probably could have eaten it all by myself. Even though I was full and not feeling so great, I persevered and pushed myself into having dessert too. The blueberry cheesecake was superb, and I’m still having daydreams about it! The cheesecake itself was rich and moist and the blueberry compote was fresh but it was the cookie crust that really stood out for me. I can’t figure out exactly what the crust was… but I think it was actually a cookie or cookie like creation and not the traditional graham cracker crumb crust. This meant that the crust was thick and crunchy and had tons of flavor on its own. I could probably have just eaten the cookie part of that crust as my dessert and called it a day.
If you can make reservations before this place closes, I definitely recommend it. They brought back a lot of old favorite dishes and I always enjoy my time there! Hopefully they find a new location to set up shop soon…

What luck! Two friends who live in SD took me to Acqua. We got there very late on a Thursday night, but they treated us as if welcome guests. Great location with a beautiful view, great service, and excellent food. But what I really liked was not only the great food but the casual atmosphere. No pretense here.
We split an order of mussels with fennel sauce for starters. I had the terrific lamb shank as my entrée. Then the three of usdevoured a tasty treat for dessert.
You San Diegans don’t know how lucky you are to have a restaurant like Acqua.

The minute I saw Trattoria Acqua was closing I made reservations for one last dinner in Italian bliss! I seriously love everything about this restaurant. The owners, Victoria and Michael, make you feel like family. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and on top of all that, the staff all seem to truly enjoy working there. Now for the food…
I think my family has probably had everything on the menu. Ironically, my favorite thing is the Meatloaf (I would usually go for anything with pasta) but something about this meatloaf has me dreaming about it long after its gone! The pastas are all fantastic. My sister is a particular fan of the Spicy Eggplant and Rigatoni which they just brought back onto the menu. Their Lobster Mac and Cheese is extremely rich and savory.
Acqua’s appetizers are a must for any first timers. The Calamari is paired with this mouthwatering aioli. I always tend to get the Prosciutto which has this phenomenal fig spread, arugula and Gorgonzola crumbles… I had it about an hour ago and I am ready for round two! Tonight I tried the Forbidden Chicken. I saw the words Laura Chanel and goat cheese and put the menu down then and there. The chicken was cooked to perfection with black rice, Italian sausage and grapes (which is an odd combination, but it all worked really well together). I even have half left over for lunch!
I don’t think my family has ever skipped dessert at Acqua… We’ve had everything from the cookies to the cheesecake to the sundae (which I just polished off by myself)!
Trattoria Acqua really puts a modern, coastal twist on Italian. That’s what makes it unique. I will anxiously await Victoria and Michaels next endeavor, and will be first in line (hopefully!) to their new location. I would even lend myself out as a cook, dishwasher, or server if it meant getting a restaurant up and running!

I had the 3 course dinner from the Italy menu and my friend had the 3 course dinner from Spain. I’m going to review my 3 course meal from ITaly…
food reviews:
Backed Polenta topped with Crayfish sauteed with prosecco wine, shallots, tomatoes, and cream:
TO DIE FOR! This dish was my favorite of the 3 courses. I definitely recommend it. The sauce was definitely delish! I don’t cook butt I actually wanted to learn how to make this dish! That’s how good it is!
Oven roasted Quail stuffed with chestnuts, spinach, and breadcrumbs, wrapped in Pancetta and finished with a forest mushroom sauce:
The sauce was really salty which kinda ruined the dish for me. So I didn’t care for it…
Chocolate Chip «panetone» bread pudding served with fresh berries and anglaise:
SO GOOD. butt at that point i was sooo full I couldn’t really enjoy it!
OVerall: DELICIOUS FOOD! butt expensive!
service reviews:
The waiter was really nice butt the service was really slow. We were there for two hours.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a special occasion because it is pretty pricey. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful! You go down three flights of stairs into this stunning courtyard.

I ate here for a business lunch meeting yesterday and thought the place was closed. It was a beautiful and sunny Friday and Prospect Street was busy with tourists and lunch crowds. Our reservation was at 12:30 and when we arrived, there were no other customers there. Well, that’s what I thought for a minute until our party of five got seated at a table with a view and I saw two other tables occupied.
We got ourselves situated and our very handsome server came by and took our drink orders. Their menu was diverse, I was expecting nothing but Italian dishes, but I was glad to see a good mix of choices to pick from (salads, sandwiches and other entrees with pasta dishes).
I started off with the lobster bisque followed by a cobb salad for my entrée. My boss had the salmon sandwich, coworker had the lobster ravioli and our business associates had the mac & cheese and another sandwich (I can’t remember).
My lobster bisque came out first and I was surprised at the layer of bread the cup was covered in. Gosh, it’s hard to describe, but it was flaky and thin like a croissant and really soft; you had to poke through it to get to the bisque. I’ve never had it prepared that way before, but the croissant type of layer was nice. However, the bisque didn’t wow me. It was a little on the thin side and it had maybe two pea-​sized pieces of lobster meat at the most. I ate it anyway since I was starving.
The entrees came out and everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. My cobb salad filled me up, but I felt like there was something missing to make all the ingredients pop. The dressing was very light and didn’t really taste like anything to tell you the truth.
Would I go back? Eh, maybe, but there are other restaurants in the surrounding area that I’d prefer to go to instead where I had more memorable meals. Trattoria Acqua didn’t quite get me this time, but maybe the next time around…

I love and adore this restaurant. It’s my absolute favorite in San Diego. It has excellent and consistently good food of utmost quality, great and friendly service and a beautiful ambiance. It is especially wonderful when you can sit overlooking the ocean view and enjoy watching a sunset. I have always had wonderful service here, very friendly waiters who will walk you through the menu and take the time to describe things to you and patiently answer your questions. I love coming here on a Sunday around 6, have a wonderful pasta dinner and a bottle of wine, take in the ocean view, and then walk out the back and down along the cove and watch the seals.
I will go over some of my favorite and in my opinion the best dishes of the restaurant.
Appetizers: Calamari — Best calamari I’ve ever had and always cooked to perfection! Never chewy, and served with a great aioli sauce.
Entrees: My absolute favorite dinner is the Cappa Santa alla Damaso. It is house-​made, thick tomato fettuccine with scallops and shrimp, corn and a lobster cream sauce. The seafood in this dish is cooked perfectly, the sauce is amazing, but mostly I love this for the pasta. I have dreams about that pasta, haha. It’s that good.
Other great entrees include: Lobster Ravioli: Amazingly rich and creamy, while still allowing the sweetness of the lobster to come through.
Quaglie a Beccafico: Really good. Quail wrapped in bacon and stuffed with a mixture of pine nuts, spinach and raisins. Perfectly cooked and tender. It’s served over grilled polenta and spinach, which are both amazing and compliment the dish very well. The porcini mushroom-​marsala sauce really brings the dish together.
Linguine Arabiatta: Linguine with shrimp in a light white-​wine sauce, with tomatoes, capers, garlic, and some chili flakes to give it a little bit of heat. It’s a very light, but very filling dish, and it goes very well with a glass (or bottle! :)) of white wine.
And don’t skip dessert! I love all of the desserts, especially the Tiramisu, the Banana Fritters (which are very fun to eat), and the Torta di Limone, which is a light lemon cake with coconut.
I definitely recommend this place, and if you are craving authentic, fresh and amazing Italian food, Trattoria Acqua most definitely fits this bill!

I read in USA Today that this place was on their list as one of the top 10 dining destinations in the nation. (insert whistle… that’s setting a high bar).
We went down a couple flight of stairs and it really did feel like a small Italian villa… Er, or what I would imagine a small Italian villa would seem like since I’ve never been, hahaha… I ain’t gonna front! Anyhoo, we were seated by a window facing the ocean, we were still technically «outside», just under a gazebo-​type thing. Our server brought us the menus and rattled off the lunch specials and his favorites… Their wine list is good and they have a real funny page at the end that goes over the restaurant’s corkage policy. It’ll give you a nice chuckle if you THINK you’re a wine connoisseur!
We started with the prosciutto and fig w/​arugula and beef carpaccio. I could do without the figs, but the fig glaze was very nice and complemented the salty prosciutto nicely. The beef carpaccio was ok. I’m not a big fan of carpaccio.
For our main entrees, I had the linguinie arabiatta w/​black tiger shrimp. Now this was really, really well prepared. Pasta was home-​made (that’s what they told me and I believed them!) and there were generous amounts of shrimp with the right amount of kick to it. My BF had the lamb sandwich with French fries. It basically tasted like a gyro — gyros are good! The French fries were so skinny and munchable and GENEROUS in portion.
For dessert, we ordered an espresso, port wine, and a lemon cake. The lemon cake was so fluffy and melted in my mouth. I liked it.
Service was good, a bit spotty at times. In other words, he’d disappear for extended periods of time and we’d wonder if we were forgotten. But it wasn’t too bad. The window view of the ocean and of the sea cove provided excellent entertainment. Watching people trying to manuveur and park their car is the greatest… you ‘ll know what I mean.
I dunno if this place would make it on MY top 10 list, but it certainly was a good dining experience. Our casual lunch came to about $ 125, including tax and tip. Ocean view and entertainment — FREE :)