Petrini’s

First of all, our server (Shauna) is a true delight! She loves what she does and it shines through.
I enjoyed the breakfast hash (substituted sausage). My spouse had a polenta cake with egg and bechamel sauce. The sauce was other-​worldly. On related note, I ordered a crêpe elsewhere today with bechamel sauce that was watery and flavorless. Lesson learned!

In anticipation of our first visit to Little Italy, we were disappointed we chose this restaurant. It was the first one we came across after exiting the Coaster, and we are not sure why it had 4 star reviews. It was pleasant enough and offered lunch size portions, but the food was average or below average. The pizza was close to a personal size for $ 12 and nothing special. I ordered spaghetti and meatball. The sauce didn’t have much flavor, but what really blew my mind was that the meatball was served on top with no sauce … never having been simmered in the sauce!!! It was just a bland, looked and tasted like boiled ball of meat, not even so much as a sauté mark. I always leave good reviews, but after we walked up the street and saw many cute places, we wished we had our $ 40 back.

Really really good — Baked Ziti, pizza, salad, wedding soup, bread. Everything was great — even the iced tea!

you have good ingredients to make a good Italian food but u don’t know how to use it. I am very disappointed cuz your waiter she does not know how to speak appropriately to its customers, today she asked me if I had an headphone cuz I was watching a video on my cel and she said that the audio from my cel it was so loud to ruin her xmas song that she putted on radio in her restaurant, I am a respectful person, swear a god and I can guarantee I would not do anything bad to ruin the peace or quit of another person that’s why my volume phone bars was at least 20% so u can heard it just from 12 inch distance, but apparently my phone ruined her conversation wit her friend that she was setting 12 inch away from me. So the problem wasn’t the volume of my cel ruin the music xmas but the problem was me ruin her conversation wit her friend. But if u work in a restaurant u supposed to work that ‘s it, not talking wit your friend and disrespect other costumer. Their Food is average but not Italian at all. I am Italian and I know what Italian food is. You lost a costumer. It’s sad cuz I was in love for awesome soup. But another tip don’t burn your salame sandwich cuz It could be good if u don’t burn the salame, this was the third time. Hire another cook

Wow I was in here today for lunch and despite a group of 26 coming in they still had my food out in 10 minutes. I had the Pastrami sandwich and order of truffle fries. I tell you what it was amazing that 2 guy’s working in the kitchen put out so many dishes that quickly. This was despite the large group changing orders and not knowing what they ordered

I visited this location twice for lunch while on a business trip… it was a group of maybe 20 each day.
1^st visit: I ordered the Georgie Burger: Burger & side salad was pretty good, fullfiling. Ther where 2 ladies that helped service us all. They did the best the could I GUESS… Young lady was very pleasant nice since of humor… Older lady a bit antsy and I think she felt overwhelmed immediately as soon as we walked in the door. Her attitude along with her personality could use some adjusting but I guess she tried… Service was … Don’t think they are used to accomdating larger parties.
2^nd visit: I ordered the Pasta with meatballs & side salad. Meal was decent, nothing to brag about, 1 large meatball for the Pasta I think at least 2 if larger is necessary… Side salad along with the house dressings was good. Lemonade was watered down…
If ever in San Diego… I will not be returning to Petrinis… unless of course I’m in a conference for my job!

My boyfriend and I have been coming here for years… Things to get:
Wings (these are seriously amazing.)
Antipasto Salad (the half order is huge and so fresh)
The Burger (I know this seems weird but it is prob one of the best in SD. I like it better than Rockys)
The Mini Pizza (just a great lil gem)
Just An Amazing No Frills Restaurant. We Get Takeout Quite A Bit:)

Anthony, our server, was affable, considerate and excellent. Plus the food was great. Excellent experience.

I have recently moved to San Diego and moved to the little Italy neighborhood of down town. We were excited to find a great local restaurant that we could call our new spot. After trying a couple restaurants a couple times and waiting in line for over 20 min each time we decided that we had to look somewhere else besides India Street. Don’t get me wrong those restaurants were good but didn’t have the ambiance that we were hoping for.
Yesterday we randomly decided to try another Italian restaurant which was closer to where we live, which was awesome! We were greeted right away with no wait. The bar was open so we decided to sit and watch Monday Night Football. As we sat down we noticed most ppl came in for carry out orders which was the reason why there weren’t that many people (the original reason we were hesitant to try it).
The ambiance was just what we had been looking for! Small mom and pop restaurant that offered half size Italian plates and great sandwiches. The service was great and made us feel very comfortable. The food was fresh and exactly what we wanted. The sign to make it official was that locals get 25% on Monday off!
We are excited to have dinner again and try more things! This comes to show that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! Specially if your local I would definitely recommend it!!! And the garlic bread was on point!

The breakfast hashes are amazing. This is one of my favorite breakfast spots of all time.

Came in on a quiet Sunday night. Our server Anthony was so welcoming and made a lot of great suggestions. We had the number 2 salad, Italian wedding soup and veal parm. Next time I’m sick, all I want is a big bowl of that soup! Veal parm was tender and thin, just how we like it (my husband is a veal parm aficionado, gave it a 9.99 out of 10!)

My husband and I were starving and needed a quick bite to eat before a concert at Music Box, we saw this place and thought; eh why not? IT WAS SO DELICIOUS! The service was great, friendly staff. I ordered the basil tomato soup and it we so amazing! I recommend this place to all :)

Our first time at Little Italy we were looking for an Italian Restaurant that reminded us of Italy. After walking up a down India Street we found the taste of Italy here at Petrini’s. The house wine was a perfect complement to our pizza and pasta selections.
The pizza was just like Italy — the ingredients so fresh that you never feel full. The mushroom and meat sauce pasta was delicious and a perfect complement to our basil, sausage and mushroom pizza.
Waitress Shauna was friendly, efficient and was a bonus us to the meal experience. Tipped over 20% which I only do for the most excellent service. I will return here the next time I am in San Diego.

It’s a nice, quiet restaurant and they have plenty of gluten-​free options. It does take a while for your order to arrive, though.

Got the pasta with meat sauce for take out. They were fast and friendly. As for the food, sauce was simple yet comforting. It wasn’t overwhelmed by herbs or spices and the spaghetti was cooked perfectly. It was the best pasta with meat sauce I’ve had in the last few years. The half portion was just enough for dinner. Another plus, it was still piping hot when I got back to my hotel (about 5 blocks).

Service was excellent, friendly, took extra good care of us. The food was exceptional. It was the best ending to an out of town trip ever!!!

My fiancé and I local to Little Italy. I would highly recommend the food, the wait staff and especially the owners David and Lucy! Shawna is fantastic behind the bar. They are family operated, and large groups should call ahead.
Try David’s sliders, meatballs and just about anything on the menu. They will accommodate any special requests if they have the means.
A great local place and #1 on my list for local fare. Always personable and friendly locals.
Also dog friendly on the outdoor patio area, which is greatly appreciated.
By the way, did I mention the sliders?

Came here for breakfast.
We wanted the eggs in a basket, but they were out of cardamom bread– bummer.
Future hubs had the breakfast sandwich on ciabatta instead. It was very tasty. The ciabatta bread was super fresh and soft. The eggs were scrambled perfectly.
I ordered the baked pancake. I did not enjoy the texture of the baked pancake. This is not Petrini’s fault. I just don’t like the mushiness, and I will never order it again. I did however like the berry sauce that it came with.
There is one overall problem with breakfast at Petrini’s. THERE IS NO BACON. BACON! This is AMERICA and you serve BREAKFAST! THERE IS NO BACON, lol!
They do have steak, capicola, italian sausage and canadian bacon :) So, points for being authentic, but bacon would be nice for breakfast…

I worked in Downtown San Diego for six years and tried dozens of eateries during that period of time. Our office building was located only a few blocks away from Petrini’s, so you’d think I would have ate here at least on one occasion. Well, for some reason, it would take (1) relocating to OC, and (2) running the Rock N’ Roll San Diego Marathon to finally drag myself here. Figures.
My husband and I have carbo-​loaded the night before the Rock N’ Roll San Diego Marathon at Petrini’s for the past three years. Eating our pre-​race dinner at Petrini’s has become something of a San Diego Marathon tradition for us. We can also depend on receiving only the highest quality food and exceptional service when we dine here.
My go-​to order is the half-​portion of Pasta with Mushrooms and Meat Sauce. I always forget that the half-​portion dinner doesn’t come with a choice of salad or soup, thus I end up having to order a side salad (or snagging bites of my husband’s salad). The salad is simple, fresh and the Italian Dressing is light and packed with zesty herbs and spices. It’s a great starter before the main course. The pasta is perfectly cooked and paired with a deliciously seasoned and chunky meat sauce. The mushrooms give the sauce a robust flavor. I try to refrain from ordering any dish that I believe I could make myself at home (especially spaghetti), however, let’s be real: there’s no way I could create this edible masterpiece anywhere.
Service is efficient and extremely friendly. Shauna who waited on us last Sunday was attentive and super personable without being the slightest bit phony.
Wonderful, authentic Italian menu. Candlelit tables create a romantic ambiance. Paper tablecloth to color/​doodle on while you wait for your food. Reasonable prices. Excellent service through and through.

La comida estuvo mas o menos, pero el problema fue el mesero. El servicio fue terrible, tuve que pedirle agua, cubiertos, queso para la pasta, mas agua. y a la hora de traerme la cuenta se tardo muchisimo! Ni siquiera nos trajo pan como vi que tenian otras mesas. Ademas el restaurante estaba casi vacio. La comida fue mediocre, y algo cara comparando con otros restaurantes en el area que tienen mucho mejor comida y mejores precios. Tampoco tienen menu para ninos. La proxima vez, buscare otro sitio.

Petrini’s remains one of my favorite restaurants in Little Italy and deserves some updated love since my last review.
Since moving to Little Italy almost 2.5 years ago, I’ve only had Petrini’s pizza a couple of times. It’s mind boggling, really, since I live a stone’s throw away. Last week, before heading to work, I had a fierce craving for pizza and decided to call in an order for the House Special, a veggie and meat pie. I had forgotten how utterly amazing their pizza is. The toppings are more than generous. The vegetables were fresh and vibrant in color. The meat was high quality, had nice texture, and wasn’t overcooked. The crust was thin, but not so thin that it tasted like cracker. I just had some leftover slices and I consumed them with just as much fervor and gusto.
And the employees? I love them all. They’re always sweet and welcoming. I just adore this restaurant.