Trattoria La Strada

First time we came to San Diego on a vacation we took a wander around the Gaslamp district for somewhere to eat and settled on this place. It looked fantastic.
We were seated really quickly, that was the best part of the whole visit.
First of all we were really close by to the people sitting at tables either side of us. What was meant to have been a romantic dinner for us felt anything but.
Then it took 20 minutes to even come and order our drinks. Seriously? We were on the verge of walking out.
Oh and then another 20 minutes to get our food ordered. We were getting really frustrated by this point.
When the food came out (40 minutes after ordering) it was left standing for at few minutes before being delivered to our table. The food? Average at best. Really disappointed by this place.

Went here last night, and it was seriously amazing!
I have been looking for a place in San Diego with the perfect gnocchi, and it was here all along!!! The soft pillows of potato pasta deliciousness were cooked to perfection… not hard at all (like some places in Little Italy)! Plus, they cover the gnocchi in a fresh pesto with little chunks of goat cheese. With the fresh parmesan and a few twists of black pepper, this meal was TO DIE FOR!
My friend ordered the tortellini with Kobe beef filling… also delectable!
Everything came out hot, bread & butter was provided, water was coming in a nice stream… the service was as amazing as the food! The waitress came to our table just enough… not too much or too little. She was polite and helpful with questions about the menu.
I highly recommend this place! It is perfect for a date or for a family dinner!
*****Not sure why people would give this place any less than 4 stars!

I’ve been going to La Strada for years.
The food is authentic and the service is great. I went there with my family this past Saturday for the first time in a while and we noticed a couple changes to the menu.
Luckily all our favorites made the cut and some of the new items looked delicious. I ordered the Fettucine Sapori di Mare which is a seafood pasta dish. I highly recommend it. You can really taste the difference between their fresh homemade pasta and the stuff you buy at the store. The lobster was also cooked to perfection.
To drink we ordered a couple glasses of Italian wine that were recommended by our server. Surprisingly both glasses were under $ 10 each which is a bargain. We ended our meal with a Chacolate Terrine which is a layered chocolate moose cake. My mum and brother nearly passed out after the first bite. I enjoyed it also. It’s surprisingly rich yet very light and has a hint of cinnamon.
All-​in-​all a great dinning experience.
It’s not their fault but with all the transients outside coming up to us at the outdoor tables well, it made the experience a little less.

Came here for a dinner with a huge group. Someone in our party actually knew the owner so that was a good thing. Before our entire party showed up, a couple of us had some drinks which are adjacent to the restaurant area. The waitress actually spilled some (barely any) of my beer that I ordered which she apologized politely. Then she came back with a small glass of beer that was filled about ¼ of the way. I’ve never expected that or have had that happen before. THANK YOU. Now that’s what I call service.
When the entire party arrived we were seated and we continued to order our food. I ordered the new york steak med rare which was good. I’ve been spoiled and I’m pretty picky when it comes to steak. For not being a steakhouse, it was definitely delicious but not sure if I’d come back here just to order that.

One word to sum this place up…: SLOW!
Service was slow, bartender was slower, kitchen was slowest. We had a table of four and the restaraumt was about 80% full when we walked in. It took about an hour from sitting to get our food, which when they arrived were VERY small portions. Yes its a more upscale place, but the portion size was frankly insulting given other options in the gaslamp.
The house special is a tasty gnochi dish that was sadly served cold. Lasagne, usually the largest dish in an italian place, was about a cup and a half of food. I had the sausage penne arrabiata which was the largest dish of the four and was decent, not spicy enough to qualify for arrabiata in my book tho. Not really sure why all the reviews below were so positive about the food.
Refills or at least offers for refills were non existant, we were literally never checked on. Skipped the dessert to save ourselves another half hour. We weren’t the only ones waiting, lots of people were looking pretty frustrated. Wait staff were pleasent but non existant. One couple got up and grabbed their own pepper grinder, wait staff didn’t even notice they were carrying the three foot long grinder until they got to the table where they tried to snatch it away and do their job… Made for some good entertainment.
Give this place a miss.

FOOD QUALITY, FLAVOR, FRESHNESS — ALL 10 STARS! THE HOSTESSES 10 STARS! THE SERVERS 10 STARS! (Even though the waiter either misunderstood and/​or couldn’t hear what I said and threw out our leftovers that were supposed to be wrapped). It was our 25^th Anniversay and instead of going to Italy as planned, we drove down to San Diego and ate at Trattoria La Strada. Kudos to the Chef, the management, and the entire staff. They obviously work tremendously as a team.
The next time I am in San Diego I will eat here again (and it won’t have to be for a special occasion). If you want stellar service and exquisite tasting Italian food then this is the place for you!

Was there for lunch. The calamari was pretty good. Our waiter recommended the spinach ravioli which was just ok. Nothing about the ravioli or the sauce stood out but it was good. The tiramisu was also ok. Overall a pleasant dining experience.

La Strada reminds me of one of my fav Italian hot spots in Chicago, Francesca’s. Located in the Gas Lamp district downtown, the location is perfect for people watching. We got an outdoor table on a bustling Friday night, and the overhead heat lamps were much appreciated.
He ordered the ahi tuna entrée and commented there were way too many flavors going on with the artichoke, spinach, and cooked exterior but less cooked interior of the fish (as ahi tuna usually comes rare like that). I thoroughly enjoyed my gnocchi though and could go for a plate of it as we speak.
Service was solid, and this place is highly reco’ed!

Stumbled upon this place after seeing a movie at Pacific Gaslamp. Happy hour lasts all night. We had the carpaccio, which was terrific. Be sure to unlock the check-​in offer for some delectable tiramisu.

horrible service.
Unilocal ad says free desert, management said it was an error.
I walked out on my half eaten meal.

My girlfriend and I initially intended to go there for happy hour, sit out on the patio and just have a few drinks and apps. We ended up staying for dinner and sharing a few entrees the server sold us on.
We absolutely loved it. Started off with what ended up being one of the best apps I’ve every tried, the Ceci and Rapini. Basically its Chickpeas and broccoli rabe. I looooove broccoli rabe and just can’t find it on the menu often enough. I wouldn’t really know how to describe with appetizer and do it justice, so I’m going to say… just try it!
Then we split the Gnocchi al Pesto and the Seared Ahi Tuna. We chose the gnocchi because they are house made and I have to admit, I had never had the real thing before. I’m use to the standard thing and now I’m not sure I will ever go back. It was topped with just a hint of goat cheese and the flavors were great. As far as the Tuna, I can only say I was blown away. I didn’t think you could really mess up seared tuna or blow it out of the park, but I stand corrected. This entrée was delicious, just enough zest and served with sauteed spinach and roasted potato wedges.
The server almost sold us on the Chocolate Terrine, but we were stuffed and promised to come back for it.
Overall, great location, food and service! Will definitely be back.

Was looking for a italian restaurant downtown to take my cousin who was from Seattle to for her birthday. I wanted to impress her w/​great fine-​dinning italian food & this restaurant had all it all. She wanted to order something new, full of great flavor and spice. So we shared the Osso Bucco & that was enough to full our pallets. We ended the night w/​a delicious dessert & glass of champagne.
I recommend this restuarant for anyone who is trying to impress guests who are from out-​of-​town. Great service, friendly staff and authentic italian food.

Had a very lovely evening at LaStrada after the Padres game on 4÷10÷11 and I wanted to come directly to Unilocal to fill you in on the goods.
As a businessman who travels to Italy 6 to 7 times a year I feel I have a pretty good grasp on Italian cuisine, check that, authentic Italian cuisine. As a result I am frequently met with sub-​par tastings at Italian joints in SD. However, I must say I was very delighted in my experience at La Strada.
Coming in from the game we weren’t looking to overindulge but rather have a nice Sunday evening dinner. We had two dishes to taste (sharing is the best!). The first, Gnocchi al Pesto, was absolutely delicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the most popular dish on the menu. Very well made, well presented and tasty. The second dish was the Farfalline al Pollo — I love farfalle pasta, it is to me the best pasta. This dish was very, very well done. The sauce was absolutely delicious and made the entire dish.
Of course this place has a great location — which usually means terrible, over-​priced food. Contrariamente, this place seems to be working very hard to be the best it can be. Having met the new management team I feel that my return will yield further and significant culinary blessings.
Overall rating: ⁵⁄₅ Stars
Price /​Value: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Food: ⁵⁄₅
Environment: 4.5 /​5

Friends Of Downtown, Inc. visited La Strada in January for our monthly luncheon and it was delicious! We are at a different restaurant every month, and I was so happy at the response our members had with the food and the beautiful venue. Having a microphone and projector ready for us was a HUGE help, and the wait staff was very accomidating. Thanks to Kathie and Kelly for your help with the planning. I hope you will have us back again next year!
Sincerely,
Jasmine Guerrero
Director

Ugh… I don’t know why I try Italian in San Diego. The only really solid place I’ve ever been is Cucina Urbana. I should just stick with what I know.
In any case, came here with some friends visiting from out of town. Calamari was ok, but the pasta dishes were another story. My friend ordered carbonara and it was nothing like carbonara. We don’t know exactly what it was… it wasn’t horrible, but it just wasn’t carbonara. I had bolognese, which was decent, but not good enough to ever go back.
The service was ok, atmosphere was nice, but that’s about it.

I have to say that this place is solidly «meh». We went here for restaurant week, and I’ve by far experienced better. If I had to break it down by course, the ratings would be as follows:
App: Pesto gnocci was pretty darn tasty: 4 stars
Main course: pork osso bucco was horrible. Full of fat, IMPOSSIBLE to cut, just bad all around: 1 – 2 stars
Dessert: Flourless chocolate torte w. vanilla gelato: YUM YUM! VERY tasty: 4 – 5 stars.
But lets be honest, I wasn’t planning to pay 30 $ a person for a decent appetizer and good dessert. Not worth nearly that much.
So I guess the average is 3 stars. Waiters were nice, décor was nice, but it just doesn’t make up for the average food that even with restaurant week wasn’t worth the money.
Sadly, I won’t be back.

This place looks really nice but I was not impressed at all. Of course, I’ve only been there one time, but I’m definitely not going back, seeming as San Diego has no shortage of Italian restaurants, far better than this one.
I ordered the classic spaghetti and meatballs and it was the worst I’ve ever had. Not sure if they have some odd recipe that they think is good, but neither my husband or I liked them at all. How can you screw up spaghetti and meatballs? It’s pretty hard. They tasted exactly like these frozen turkey meatballs I got at the Ralph’s recently, which were over-​baked with cheap dried bread crumbs. For what we paid, we should have just gone to Buca. Perhaps the other dishes are better, but this classic was definitely a miss.

Trattoria La Strada
Down Town
It was a perfect meal with my younger brother and girlfriend.
The place was warm and welcoming.
1. I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese.
It was classic, delicious, and a perfect portion of food.
2. My Brother ordered Linguine with Clams in a White Wine Cream Sauce.
It was good but very one note meal.
3. My Girlfriend ordered Fettuccini with Lobster and Muscles in Garlic Sauce?.
The pasta was cooked well.
The sauce was nearly nonexistent.
The Muscles could have disappeared and I would not have complained.
The Lobster was hands down the best part of the meal.
The Lobster was tender, moist, and not overly salty.
The only downside was one of the lobster segments was not scored and we could get the meat out of the shell.
Overall a Good Meal.

I love Trattoria La Strada and I’ve been going here for the past couple years for my birthday and officially made it as a tradition when the birthday comes around. From all the times I’ve been going here, I’ve always had great service. The staff is helpful when I have a question or two on the dishes and are very attentive.
Their Bruschetta Toscana w/​prosciutto is perfect and my favorite entrée by far is the Capellini In Barca (seafood). They give you a perfect amount of shrimp, clams, and mussels; not too much/​not too little.
Great place. LOVE this place.

Does three stars mean it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad? That’s pretty much how I feel about our dessert experience at La Strada. The coffee was neither hot nor delicious, the dessert was beautifully presented but was a bit spongey. If that’s even a word…
Our waitress was very friendly, but there was an inexplicable draft — maybe that’s why the coffee cooled off so fast after they poured it?