Caffe Primo

We entered Caffe Primo for breakfast at 9 AM this morning. Despite the fact that the door was open and that music was playing softly, we were told that they weren’t open till 10. However, we were also offered seats and told that they would serve us coffee or drinks if we wanted to wait till 10. We did. The service was incredibly friendly and kind, catering to all our requests and giving great recommendations for breakfast. My friend had an omelette with goat cheese, which she loved and which was very large. I had a three egg breakfast with potatoes and bacon. The eggs were a little tasteless, but the bacon was tasty and struck a perfect balance between chewy and crisp, and the potatoes were heavenly. Cubed, roasted, crispy outside and soft inside – both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, which was a great combination. They were garnished with onions and bell peppers and supremely awesome. The restaurant was clean and well decorated, and again, we loved the service!

The food here was amazing. I’ve been for both breakfast and lunch. I am dying to try their dinner options and check out their wine list. I think their name is a little misleading since they are way more than a café. The restaurant is pretty wide an open. I love the airy feel of the space. I had excellent wait service when I came at lunch but horrible service at breakfast (which was surprising because I was only one of TWO whole customers that early in the morning there). The food is what kept me coming back though.

It’s good to see you again, San Diego!
My girl friend and I came here for SDRW after we realized our first two choices, the other person had gone to already. We parked a couple blocks away to ensure we’ll get free parking (at night) and were surprised to see the restaurant empty! I thought they were closed… a bit taken back by the emptiness of the restaurant during SDRW, I was a little hesitant to actually go in when I noticed they were actually open.
It’s a VERY open space with few tables, but cute set-​up; perfect for a small catch up dinner. We had just missed the happy hour by 3 minutes, but we wanted to try the truffle fries anyway. I also chose to get the meatballs (appetizer), short rib pappardelle (entrée), and the pistachio cheesecake (dessert; the tiramisu «ran out»). NOTE: they have more options on their RW menu than what’s posted on SDRW
FOOD:
Truffle fries [1.5/5] — I don’t know what runny sauce they give with the truffle fries, but help yourself and just ask for ketchup. I was also disappointed that the truffle fries did not have any taste of truffle. The fries itself weren’t bad! Just dipped mine in ketchup and we were Gucci.
Calamari [1/​5] — I stole my friends calamari because I LOVE calamari, but was disappointed with the soggy crust of the calamari.
Short rib pappardelle [3.5/5] — I had some bad short rib pappardellea from Cucina Urbana and wanted to give the dish another try here. They do give large portions and I packed half of it to go. I was hungry at this point, so the food just tasted like food. It wasn’t anything amazing, but it wasn’t bad.
Pistachio cheesecake [5/​5] — I’m usually not a huge fan of cheesecake, but they didn’t have tiramisu, so why not? This was the highlight of the evening and I would probably come back, just for this dessert. Of note: I do have a sweet tooth and thought it was pretty sweet. It may be overly sweet for others!
SERVICE 2.5÷5:
Our waitress, poor girl, was the only one waiting tables. I did notice the restaurant did get busier after we sat down, but it took over 30 minutes to get our food. Despite the mediocre service, we felt bad and tipped her over 20%. Earlier in the evening, she totally brought the wrong appetizers for the both of us and we had to wait double the time for our appetizers to come. However, she did apologize for her mistake and comped our fries for us, so thank you for owning up to the mistakes.
Pros:
+ big open space
+ waitress owned up to her mistake and comped our fries
+ cheesecake was delicious
Cons:
— waitresses messed up our order
— truffle fries had no taste of truffle, whatsoever
— meatballs weren’t memorable, or good
— calamari were soggy
— why are they always out of tiramisu? :(

We went here for restaurant week and we were a bit startled to see that the restaurant was maybe half full on a Friday at 7pm during restaurant week in the middle of downtown SD. We were seated pretty quickly but it took a while to get our order in. From that point, the service only got slower. Each time we asked for something (take-​out box and water), it took 15 – 20 minutes for the server to come back to us. Our server ultimately never ended up bringing out red pepper once we asked and took three requests to bring us more water.
The food was not bad, but the portions for the truffle fries appetizer plate was quite small for $ 8, especially compared to some other places with the same dish for the same price. The restaurant week menu offered some good variety but each dish was okay, not great. By the time we were given dessert, about 1.75 hrs later, they had run out of the tiramisu we had ordered and gave us one of the other prix fixe desserts instead. The black forest cake was chalky and medicinal-​tasting. The pistachio cheesecake was decent but very very sweet and tasted strongly of artificial sugar.
One of my friends had ordered a dish to go for later and after asking for it an hour after ordering it, the server looked very confused and «went to go check on it.» She later came back and told us that, since it was her fault that she had never put it in, she would comp the dish, which was very nice of her. However, at that point, we had been waiting after dessert for 20 minutes. She came back and told us the kitchen was very backed up, despite the restaurant being only a quarter full. The food took an additional 20 minutes to come out, causing us to wait 40 extra minutes for a dish we put in at the beginning of our meal.
Overall, the service took 2.5 hrs for dinner and the food was not good enough to make up for the lack of good service.

We went here for restaurant week, a group of 7, a somewhat large group but the restaurant was only maybe half full. The food was ok. short rib pappardelle was better than the carbonara. But ultimately, there were so many instances of poor service. The dishes were slow to come out, with us having to wait 15 min after we finished with the appetizer and then another 30 min after we finished with our entrees for our dessert. Severely understaffed. We asked three times for water, twice for red pepper. We spent more than two hours here.
Then at the end, the waiter said they ran out of one of the fixed menu desserts, tiramisu. So the people who had ordered tiramisu opted for the Black Forest cake instead. My poor friend forewent the prix fix RW dinner because he wanted a different dessert, and in the end, they told him they ran out! Why couldn’t they make sure they had enough of the desserts at the beginning of the meal when we ordered?!
THEN when the desserts came out, they brought out dishes that were definitely not Black Forest cakes (see photo)… they looked more like tiramisu. but even then, it tasted so strange– medicinal/​artificial and no coffee taste at all. And the kicker, the «tiramisu» had a black cherry in the middle. as if they were attempting to make Black Forest cake with tiramisu ingredients.
Overall very slow service, confusing and mediocre food. We were hoping that Restaurant Week would try and vet the quality of their featured restaurants, but this was one of the worst, most frustrating, and strangest experiences.
*EDIT*: Added one star back because they gave us a discount for our inconveniences.

The food is great, the atmosphere is cool. However, the service is very inconsistent and poor. We live in the building and have given the spot over a dozen visits since they opened. One day, service is fine. The next, the same server will forget about us. Mind you, the venue is never full. At most there’s maaaybe 10 tables that are occupied (max. capacity is over 150). This morning, for example, I ordered a bagel and a cup of coffee. My boyfriend ordered a waffle. It took about 20 minutes to get our drinks and well over an hour for our food (there were 8 other patrons in the restaurant).
The server did say there was a mistake in the kitchen and offered us 50% off for the long wait, which I definitely do appreciate. Not sure where the disconnect really is, but it seems every time we come here for a quick (delicious!) meal, it takes foreverrrrr.

This café is great!!! The food is delicious and the service is impressive. Our party ordered three different items from the breakfast menu, they were all beautifully plated and very tasty. Stephen was very friendly and attentive. We will for sure come again :) I can’t wait to come for happy hour!

Nice restaurant! big choice of menu (sea food, rise, meats, salads). I and my friends got Tuna Tahi with salad wich was amazing.
Thanks for waiter guy he offered me this food and he was absolutely professional!!!

Great little restaurant in East Village. We’ve been in here multiple times and enjoyed ever dish. The Italian food is on par with Little Italy. The calamari was lightly breaded and delicious. We also enjoyed the quinoa salad and meatballs.
Can’t beat their happy hour. Their regular menu is expansive.
The staff is always friendly and helpful. They even deliver. The only negative is the place is empty. Seems like the restaurant is too big for this location.

Updating my review since I’ve been here a few times recently and tried the new updated menu:
— the burgers are AMAZING!!!
— brown rice bowls (spicy garlic shrimp!!)
— ALL DAY BREAKFAST! (I highly recommend the breakfast sandwich… but I made t my own by requesting the sandwich on an English muffin instead of toast… and then I had the eggs over medium so it’s a pseudo Benedict/​sandwich. SO GOOD.
— GREAT QUALITY OF BACON!
— I can’t eat here without also ordering the hazelnut (or vanilla) cappuccino. (And an added plus, they can make any café drink decaf if you’re like me and eat late)
— delicious crème brûlée
Basically, what I am getting at… the happy hour FOOD MENU is fantastic (and I am glad people care about happy hour drinks & you can do that anywhere in SD but I can truly appreciate a solid happy hour FOOD menu!)
& the food quality has SIGNIFICANTLY improved. If you tried Caffe Primo when it first opened, I’d say come back and give it a try — it’s drastically better. Great round turn taken for the better — glad they are in the neighborhood!

One of the newer locations in East Village. My friend and I stumbled in on a Tuesday morning and found it pretty empty at 11am. Decided to give it a try and I’m glad we did. The space is pretty expansive and wide open. I love being able to see the inner workings of the kitchen. The menu is pretty large when you consider that you can order anything on it breakfast, lunch or dinner all day long. I ended up with a chicken parm sandwich, which was delicious. My friend had the breakfast sandwich which he said was good. Four hot mochas the two sandwiches came to about 40 dollars. Not bad at all.

Newer spot to the east village. First time trying it out for lunch. Great feel to the inside. East coast style café décor. Server– Ilse — is amazing! Avocado scramble on sourdough was really good. Comes with sweet potatoes. Points there. Was looking for a new lunch spot near my office. Will definitely be back!

New place that we waited to open but wasn’t impressed. Not horrible but not a first choice. Tried dinner and brunch. Brunch was definitely better food. Went for dinner with a group and no one was interested in going back. The place is huge and has lots of seating for bigger parties.
Service seemed slow both times. Dropped our pizza for dinner, made another but it wasn’t the best pizza downtown. Overall, ok. Wouldn’t choose to go here when Little Italy is just a short car ride away.

Breakfast for LUNCH!!! yesss!!! Had lunch here yesterday and ordered breakfast with crème brûlée for dessert!!! amazing! Great service, food is yummy — my co workers and i ate ALL our food (no leftovers) Very spacious with a bar on the other side!

I came to Caffé Primo for a late, light dinner with my friend. The place has solid food, decent prices, and excellent service.
We ordered Bucatini Napoli, Gemelli Genovese, and Squash Blossoms as an appetizer. We drank only water.
Our server was very personable and knowledgable. He hit the sweet spot between being attentive and stealthy. Both of us felt like he actually added to the experience. 10 points for that in my book!
All the pasta dishes were cooked and salted perfectly (which is surprisingly hard to find).
The pesto in the Gemelli Genovese was excellent, and the prawns were tender and juicy. Everything in the dish just worked together very well.
The Bucatini Napoli was my friend’s favorite dish of the night (mine was the Gemelli Genovese, but I’m a fool for good pesto sauce…). It’s a simple and classic Italian dish (tomato, cheese, etc.) done right.
Likewise, the stuffed Squash Blossoms were well done. Not over-​cooked, not over breaded. Though the stuffing (ricotta and herbs) may have slightly overwhelmed the delicate taste of the blossoms themselves.
I kind of want to give Caffé Primo 5 stars, mostly because of the service. But the food, while delicious, and solidly prepared, just didn’t have that «oh, wow» quality that makes me give 5 stars.

Second time here and beats the first by a landslide. Came in originally for their soft opening and it was a mess and actually never ended up getting any food after waiting 2 hours.
Came back in to grab lunch and place was empty but food surprised me how good it actually was.
I got the quiche of the day ($ 8) plus the bottomless mimosa for an additional $ 14 with the purchase of an entrée. Quiche was classic, rich and buttery; served with a few mixed greens in olive oil. The greens were plain and needed just a little salt but would have loved a little lemon or something to cut the richness of the quiche.
My bf got the sausage pizza (around $ 10) and it was excellent. Great flavors and a crispy crust. Definitely recommend ordering a pizza (they do have a pizza oven).
I would come back and surprised their lack of customers. Plus if you sit out side there is some interesting people watching!
Took one star off for the service, our waitress was kind but a little absent especially when the mimosa was empty and there was no one really in the restaurant.
In addition they do make fresh juices!

I know new places need some time to work out the kinks so I want to be kind but I don’t see us coming back anytime soon which is sad because we were so excited for them to open. We came for happy hour though so maybe the breakfast and brunch is much better.
We got the meatballs which were lukewarm at best and fairly flavorless. The calamari was overly chewy & the brussels sprouts were underdone & drenched in oil. We also tried the caprese salad which was actually quite delightful and our favorite happy hour dish of the day were the squash blossoms. Those were pretty bomb.
Service was sub-​par unfortunately as well which kinda made the whole experience very underwhelming. They do have a buy one get one special going on now though so ask about it if you go.

I enjoyed a great plate of lox with bagels for breakfast from this recently opened eatery in East Village and at a very reasonable price of $ 8. I liked that the plate of lox came arrange so that you could build it yourself.
The smoked salmon was terrific and of a very good quality. It was very rich, smooth, and had an outstanding flavor. It had an almost buttery quality to it that melted in my mouth. Great smoked salmon. The cream cheese was good and the toasted warm everything bagel came sliced with the perfect crunchy texture fort the lox. They only served one slice of tomato, which I found to be very odd, since I had two bagel halves. It must of been a mistake, I hope. The red onions were plenty and were crisp. All the ingredients tasted great together.
I also ordered an Americano with no room. It was very robust but smooth, rich, and simply tasted great. Service was a little spotty, given they recently opened up, so that was understandable and it was friendly. They offer free Wi-​Fi, but you have to ask for the password. They offer a great $ 5 Happy Hour from 3 pm to 6 pm. They offer a lot of inside seating and an outside patio.

Great location, super friendly staff with great service, the food is really good and quick too!
Been here a few times already for breakfast/​brunch and dinner. We were caught in that huge rainstorm and luckily had the bottomless mimosas and food to save us.
Pictures of a few of the dishes included, I would definitely recommend the breakfast potatoes. They come with sweet potatoes which is a fun twist.

Caffe Primo is a welcome addition to the East Village restaurant scene. The restaurant occupies the first floor of 13^th and Market in a very large modern space with high ceilings and walls of windows. The result is a nice spacious atmosphere, that feels somewhat fancy but not too formal.
I tried the Margherita pizza and it was extremely tasty. As it was the first night they have been open there were a couple of small hiccups with my order but overall the staff seemed very friendly, attentive, and enthusiastic. I’ll be coming back again soon to try the pasta dishes on the menu.
Also they mentioned during the day they will be open for lunch and coffee-​house libations. Overall it’s definitely worth walking through the 10^th St/​Park Blvd wall of homelessness to check out this place — especially before word gets out and the Padres fans and and tourists start to invade.