Buon Appetito

(619) 238-9880

1609 India St
San Diego, CA 92101 32.7221 -117.1681

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Neighborhoods: Little Italy, Central, Central San Diego

BUONAPPETITO.SIGNONSANDIEGO.C…

Years in business

Established in 2003

Price:

$$

Last updated 6.04.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Discover, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Outdoor Dining, Theater District Dining, People Watching, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Date Spot

Cuisine:

Italian

What People Are Saying About Buon Appetito

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – Like a traditional Italian family, Buon Appetito embraces its guests proudly and immediately, charming you into its petite but well-dressed restaurant. Vibrant, rotating art adorn ever wall, as patrons sit nearly elbow to elbow, contributing to the restaurant's bustling scene of young waiters and booming conversations. Mediterranean flavors blend into the "Nouvelle Italian" approach to the menu, but classic Italian dishes are never ignored. – –

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
Reservations aren't taken on Fridays or Saturdays, so get there early or know the wait can be an hour or more.
The Extras:
Most of the Buon Appetito's pasta is made nightly. Trust us-it's not the average noodle from a box.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. Small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of Little Italy.
atmosphere
100.0% positive
  1. great atmosphere too.
  2. small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of little italy.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. They have some great dishes and desserts, and their wine selection is pretty great, too.
  2. they have great desserts too!
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. They have some great dishes and desserts, and their wine selection is pretty great, too.
food quality
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. Ambiance is good, and the Italian food is fresh and delicious.
  2. Small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of Little Italy.
  3. am not even an Italian fan but this is GOOD food!
  4. small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of little italy.
  5. i have never had such good italian food in the states before
  6. anyway, and i am definitely not going back there again no matter how good.
  7. love the egg plant appetizer and pizza'a at arriverdercci!
  8. They have some great dishes and desserts, and their wine selection is pretty great, too.
  9. this is good food
  10. food was good.
  11. All I can say is that I have never had such good Italian food in the States before - it was authentic and simply delicious.
  12. very authentic and inventive food.
  13. Anyway, the service was horrible and I am definitely not going back there again no matter how good the food is.
  14. yummy italian
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. They have some great dishes and desserts, and their wine selection is pretty great, too.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. wonderful italian!
  2. one of the best italian restaurants in san diego, i go at least once a week!
  3. love this restaurant!
service
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. HOWEVER, the service was horrible.
  2. service was excellent too- cordial and fast.
  3. however, the service was horrible.
  4. small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of little italy.
  5. Small but nice atmosphere, great service, excellent food and great location in the middle of Little Italy.
  6. she enjoyed her tip
  7. Anyway, the service was horrible and I am definitely not going back there again no matter how good the food is.
  8. the service was horrible
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/19/11

Enjoyed lunch very much

by Tough Critic , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Sorry, but I disagree with the previous two reviews. Maybe they just had one of those bad moments. I don't know, but our experience was excellent. The Salad and home made suops was delicious, the lettuce, particularily the raddichio, was very fresh, and the dressing tasty. My duck ragu pasta was plentiful and of very good quality. We had no problem with the service, and it was busy during our lunch visit. I thought it was a bit pricey, but not to excess, just not a "bargain".

1 Star Rating: Poor

10/10/10

buon appetito

by Felting44 at Citysearch

Caesar Salad was the worst ever, lettuce limp, soft, mushy, brown and looked like it was left over from the night before. Plus the shrimp was like leather/rubber. We did not even eat the salad after two bites. . Carpachio was a 6 out of 10. We would not go back again. Not sure how you can ruin a plain Casear Salad, but they seemed to do it. We were there when they opened at 11:00 AM. Waiters Italian accent was fake.

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/22/09

Are we living in the 60's?

by juniorandalexis at Citysearch

Food was good. I enjoyed it. My wife and friends enjoyed it as well. HOWEVER, the service was horrible. It's like they did the bare minimum to get by. It's like we were bothering the waitress by being there. I was really upset with the service. The bad thing about it was that I didnt see it all around the restaurant. It was just at OUR TABLE. Maybe it was because we were the only hispanics at the restaurant. I hate to bring the race thing up, but I'm going to anyway. We were the only hispanics in there and we were definitely not dressed like the rest of the customers (who were in business-like attire, maybe on a lunch break from work) The waitress was a blond, light-skinned average-size female. So we obviously looked out of place. Anyway, the service was horrible and I am definitely not going back there again no matter how good the food is. And, it could've been many things..Maybe the waitress was having a bad day....Maybe she was new...Maybe she heard that Hispanics don't tip well...Regardless of the reason we were the only ones being treated that way...And if it was the latter of the reasons, then I definitely lived up to that stereotype (I hope she enjoyed her tip, JERK!).....TWO THUMBS WAY DOWN!!!!

  • Pros: Food was good.
  • Cons: Service was HORRIBLE!!!
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/07/07

GREAT!!!

by jsalas619 at Citysearch

One of the best Italian Restaurants in San Diego, i go at least once a week! I love the fact that they have take-out as well. The owner also owns Arriverdercci in Hillcrest and Trattoria I Trulli in Encinitas. Both are just as great!! Love the egg plant appetizer and pizza'a at Arriverdercci!

  • Pros: the food!
  • Cons: always busy, but this could be a pro depending on how you look at it
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/30/07

I'll drive from LA to eat there!!

by on81 at Citysearch

I am an Italian citizen and know Italian food. All I can say is that I have never had such good Italian food in the States before - it was authentic and simply delicious. Service was excellent too - cordial and fast. I strongly recommend it!

The Details on Buon Appetito

Place Categories:

  • good inventive food
  • yummy italian
  • loved restaurant
  • good matter
  • enjoyed tip
  • not good italian food
  • loved egg plant appetizer
  • excellent great location
  • good italian food
  • horrible service
  • love restaurant
  • best italian restaurants
  • good ambiance
  • great location
  • favorite italian places
  • great desserts
  • nice atmosphere
  • great dishes
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