Via Moto

Okay so we been twice now, the first day we ordered the 4 cheese pizza. It was a classic Italian style. Olive oil instead of sauce. Very thin and crispy. Pretty good but nothing to write home about, needed a little bit for flavor and the big lumps of ricotta were bland. I really wanted to try the gnocchi with basil pesto but they were out. The garlic bread was very good but it doesn’t come with the meal free you have to be sure to order it. The crème brûlée was very very good!
The second time we went, I ordered a pizza margharita and my husband ordered a four cheese and added roasted garlic with sausage. We also ordered a fettuccini Alfredo. Both pizzas were very bland this time, the margharita had way too much sauce and it wasn’t very tasty. By the time I started eating it everything was sliding off because of tons of sauce. The fettuccini was pretty good a little too greasy for my taste. Once again I wanted to order the gniocci, they were on the menu, but we couldn’t, the waiter said because they couldn’t find a place to buy them which I thought was strange, why not just make them fresh in house?!
Once again the two things that were very good was the garlic bread and crème brûlée.
It is a very very clean restaurant, I really liked that about it. Very bright airy, with lots of windows. But I doubt we would come back to a pizza place and spend $ 40 on pizza and pasta that isn’t very good. They could really raise the bar on their pizza, I think they have some potential.

I was with a group of people who were all in town for meetings. We had people recommend this place to us and it was good — not great.
A couple of us really wanted the pesto gnocci, but they were all out of gnocci that night. So instead we asked if we could have a side of pesto to go with our chicken alfredo. They accommodated and it was perfect!
We ordered the garlic bread and it was nothing special — just a roll with a ton of grilled garlic on it. I have definitely had better. We had better food at another Italian restaurant in Santee although the service was far superior at Via Moto.

First of all, Im sorry to the folks that didnt have a good experience with this place. 2^nd, even 3^rd chances never hurt anyone.
I came here with a friend a couple nights ago and am 100% impressed. Im a craft beer, Italian wine and pizza kind of girl and all those scored on my list of high recommendations.
My friend and I shared the 4-​cheese pizza (fontinella, mozarella, ricotta and gorgonzola) in which we added garlic cloves and mushrooms. BEST PIZZA i have had in a LONG time! Melted in your mouth, made love to you, moment of silence in every bite amazingness. Friend ordered the Mad River porter beer… So so so good, dark choco coffee taste, smells like early morning Sunday rising. i got an italian wine, you can never go wrong with that.
Service was great. No problems in that department; friendly, helpful and attentive.
Dessert was killer. A little cup of tease shared in the form of CREME BRULEE, which I havent had in years. Will definately be going there for dessert, having that paired with a yummy italian white.
This place is huge with TVs by the bar so its versatile in that you can bring a date and be romantic or you can simply go for happy hour, watch a game and enjoy a local brew.
Im stoked to have a new gem in the East County area. Definately my new go-​to pizza and beer joint when I dont feel like venturing to the North Park/​Hillcrest places.
If you can appreciate a good beer and bomb pizza, try this place.

We’ve been wanting to give Via Moto a try for a while and now that we have, we know we weren’t missing much. We were greeted at the door and taken to the far side of the restaurant, near the bar, where we were able to sit wherever we liked. It was then a number of minutes, maybe five or more, before anyone bothered to take our drink order. In that time we looked over the menu, which was a Xerox black and white copy of a menu that was clearly printed from a template as a few placeholders for menu items were left untouched. At first glance there were a few glaring omissions from the menu; one of them being appetizers. They have a beer & wine bar; you would think that they would have appetizers or maybe a tapas menu to keep patrons nibbling while drinking at the bar.
When the time came to order we were not told of any specials yet when the table next to us ordered, we overheard what the special of the night was. We ordered a Caesar Salad to split and it was terrible. Granted, the lettuce seemed very fresh and nicely chopped, but it was left too wet and the dressing was bland and oily. The croutons also tasted store-​bought. When we told a staff member that the salad was bland we were told that we weren’t the first to complain that evening and that they usually wait until they receive a few complaints before they act on problems with their food. The staff member also commented that with the dressing being made in house it was hard to ensure consistency.
For our entrée we ordered their mushroom pizza (Pizza Funghi). Now, I can see where they’re trying to go with their pizza, and I can respect that vision… but the pizza just wasn’t that good and was prepared fairly inconsistently. This left my wife and I having to select which pieces looked appealing enough to eat. The pizza was made with a thin crust which unfortunately was fired to where parts of the crust were burnt while others weren’t. Not the biggest deal, but still unappetizing. The sauce tasted good and appeared to be ladled on in a spiral fashion for looks but was ladled on way too sparingly. Also lacking was the amount of mozzarella; it seemed to be hardly sprinkled on the pizza at all. The pieces of mushroom weren’t consistently sized or cooked and there were only roughly two pieces of mushroom per slice which really isn’t much considering.
We had hoped to find a good local Italian eatery and instead were disappointed by the quality of their food. On a positive note, the building and restaurant are beautiful and there are many TVs throughout the bar area as well as an outdoor dining area which I’d assume is pleasant to dine on during the summer. We hope that with time Via Moto can improve the quality and consistency of their food.

Just tried this place for the first time a couple days ago. I got the four cheese pizza with sweet italian sausage added, and it’s the best pizza i’ve ever tasted. Swear to god… it’s so f***** good! This is easily my new pizza «spot»
The place is beautiful, both inside and out. There’s a really nice fire pit, so definitely a date-​worthy spot on a semi-​cold night.
AND THEY SERVE CRAFT BEERS! WOOHOO!
(*This place is great for to-​go orders for the Santee Drive-​ins down the road!)

I like this place. Open floor plan, tvs over by the bar so you’re not overwhelmed by them, but available if you want to watch.
Good beers available. I like that they have Iron Fist on tap.
Food was tasty, hot and reasonably priced. We got a salad, a pizza and some pesto gnocchi. All of it was good. I was a little hesitant about the thin crust pizza. I like thick. But this one was done very well. Light and well flavored. Not over cheesed at all. Very crisp.
We ordered the side turkey meat ball for my son. It was in sauce and about the size of an adult fist for just $ 1.95. My son went through it like in no time. He loved it.
The service was super pleasant, and I really like the fact that the kitchen is open and I could see what was happening back there.
Not crowded at all. A perfect stop on my way home from work when I really didn’t feel like cooking. And they didn’t mind that my 1 year old likes to get a little loud when he’s having a good time.

The Case of the Missing Bread
When I have been there for lunch, the experience was superb — I love the chicken panini sandwich, and the express line.
However, my dinner experiences have gone from good to so so to probably not ever again, and that saddens me because I really want to support local businesses, and this one had such promise.
Tonight, I asked for the chicken panini, only to be told the only panini left on their message was ham… not sure how hard it is to put chicken in a sandwich, since there are a lot of other chicken items on the menu. And oif your menu is going to be extremely limited in choices, you may want to make sure you actually have them in stock. I think there are 6 – 8 paninis on the menu, so to run out of all of them makes me wonder… is it actually not made as fresh as they say, and that’s why they run out?
BUT anyway, I ordered the chicken parmesan as a back up plan. Meh, I have had a lot better. The chicken was rubbery, and the sauce had made the parmesan crust so mushy that I lost all cheese flavor. I asked for a to go container, but I won’t eat it!
But the best part of the night was when we asked the waitress for bread… «Oh, we’re out.» I’m sorry what??? It’s 5pm on a Friday night and you’re out of bread? Isn’t this an Italian restaurant? Bread is pretty much a staple and honestly, should be a given when you order a meal.
I think I’m done with Via Moto for quite a while. My MOGL points will have to be used elsewhere… at least until they figure out a better food supply system.

Ah-​mazing! Everything is fresh and homemade. I can’t even describe the joy my taste buds were experiencing. The décor is lovely, the wine is delicious, and the price is very reasonable. $ 40 for two dinners and a bottle of wine? Yes please! It was all cooked perfectly with just the right amount of sauce, seasoning, and cheese. The atmosphere is fun and overall just a great time.
The only downside I felt was our waitress. She was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, but not very pleasant. A smile goes a long way :)

The staff is very nice and all, but wow, this place makes me want to quit eating all together. I had a pasta dish here with a meat sauce and lets be real, it tasted like someone opened a can of Hunts added some unseasoned ground beef tossed some parmesan cheese on top and called it italian. Seriously, this is the type of dish i call «Prision Pasta». Don’t waste your time or money.

So I came here during a non peak hour on a Sunday when I was visiting my aunt, uncle and little cousins in Santee.
I’m always down to try new places, so I was excited to try out this cool looking restaurant/​bar. While the Sunday football games were playing, we had great service from the staff. They checked up on us and made sure we had everything we needed. :)
So we ordered the Moto Insalata, Quatro Formagia?, Moto Pizza and the spaghetti and meatballs. Everything was flavored well and the one thing that stood out distinctively were their soft turkey meatballs. Nom! This is why I wanted to write a review on this restaurant. I appreciate it when a restaurant tries to have their own speciality so that it keeps people like me wanting to come back.
Next time I’ll see if they can just a pizza with tomato, ricotta cheese and that yummy turkey meatball!

First visit and won’t be my last! Went for lunch. The staff was awesome at helping me make a decision. I got the Special Chicken Picata. I was surprised to see the chicken looked poached, but it was fork tender and moist so I was very pleased. The sauce was yummy, light, that tangy lemon coming through the garlic with just the right proportions. The plate was not swimming in sauce and the grilled veggies were cooked right, not overdone. The carrot, not being cut in a uniform size, were hit and miss on tenderness.
The pasta was tender, just a shade too far cooked for my personal preferrence but DEFINATELY not over cooked. The portion size was great for a lunch size item. The pricing is accurate.
One of my favorite things: mixing lemonade and the lime/​mint water they keep on the beverage bar.
What’s missing: wish they had pasta spoons for getting the spaghetti from plate to mouth!
Worth a visit!

I’ve gotten food from here good handful of times now, and every time has been awesome. I’ve only ordered to-​go, but I’ve never had problems with the service. The girls have always been very nice, helpful and fast. My hubby is a picky eater and likes to … «personalize» his food (add this, no that, extra of those), and every time the order has come out correctly.
I love love love the spaghetti and turkey meatballs — the sauce is delicious and has just a little spicy kick. Don’t get my started on the garlic bread… I have cravings for this stuff. The panini we tried was good, albeit salty (prosciutto is just salty as it is!). The caprese salad was lovely and fresh… the balsamic that went with it was perfect. I’ve also had the chicken marsala, and while it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, it was still quite yummy.
I only have two beefs with this place. The first being that the menu online is missing a LOT of things that they have in the restaurant. I think this isn’t their fault directly of course, as it seems to be a franchise of sorts? The Santee location isn’t even listed on their website! However! I was delighted when I walked in to find out how much more there was to try for the next time I came back. Second, I MUST have iced tea when I eat out, and their only selection was some «meh» Nestea. I know you can do better Via Moto! Kudos on the fresh lime (lemon?) water at the drink counter though.
Please give this place a try for sure if you’re a big «to-​go» orderer!

Never Again!
The atmosphere is o. k
The pizza was undercooked and tasted weird and tangy and the Alfredo pasta was below average.
I will never eat here again and would not recommend it to anyone.
The waitress asked me if everything was ok and I expressed our issues we had with the food and they asked if we wanted anything else however after the food we had I didn’t desire to try anything else.
No discount was offered for the food so we left a decent tip since it wasn’t the waitresses fault and made sure they knew we would not be visiting again.
I give this place a few more months and it will be in the red if its not already unless some serious changes are made.

I really wanted a nice place in the
east…but the food is not good. frozen tomatoes and pasta that taste like hamburger helper. the beers good. pizza ok… good luck

This place has been sitting in my unfinished review box for awhile. But that is just what this place is to me. Unfinished. I’m sure a lot of people who frequent this shopping center saw the coming soon sign and thought this was going to be a pretty good Italian spot. Nope, just another average at best Santee chain restaurant.
I took my leftover chicken alfredo home and reheated it the next day. It looked like it was only cooked with oil because the pasta was drowning in it. The chicken seemed like it was from those frozen pre cut pieces that always taste funny.
11 filtered reviews. Best of luck in this economy.

First off, there wasn’t a single thing about my visit I would have changed. Friendly bartender, good food, decent atmosphere. It was all there. I’m not from Santee, though I expect to be back to frequent this location. I had the Caprese salad which was very good. Also had the Pizza Rustica on whole wheat which was also good. The pizza was a bit soggy, not sure how that could be fixed, but it made it difficult to eat except with a fork. Beer selection is fantastic and the bartender takes pride in what beers are stocked. He seems to know his stuff (at least this guy did) and recommended a beer to my wife which she liked.
The concept is a bit odd. Trying to cover both the «quick service» and «full service» crowd they have a walk up and order model and a full service model. I think they need to adopt an identity and own it. Either be full service or not. Maybe lunch is quick service walk up and order while dinner is full service? Something like that might work…
All in all, I’ll be back.

We had dinner here last night (dine in). First off, GARLIC BREAD! It was delicious — A MUST HAVE!
Sundays, 5−8pm they have live music, which was very nice to sit outside, enjoy the great weather and music. Not sure if every Sunday they have the same 2 guys, but this was like Gypsy Kings type of music. Which I personally enjoy.
I had the Spaghetti with turkey meatballs, it was really good– flavor was good. My guy had the Pizza Picante, we thought maybe it would have a kick to it, but it was just your basic pepperoni pizza, he said it was OK, but not GREAT. Our little one had mac and cheese, which surprisingly was good. I was a little worried, since she is a picky eater & some Italian restaurants can change up their recipes.
Their service was good — all the girls helped each other out to get the orders out quickly. Our waitress was also helpful on their menu items and explained their pastas to us.
Their bar is also outside and they have a TV where you can also watch the game, which we did, and that was pretty cool. They have a tiny section for the kids to just hang out — a few concrete turtles and art work tile by kids near a school there. I didnt pay much attention to the inside as we walked in, but seemed nice.
Great place to just go have a glass of wine and hang out!
We will definitely go back (on Sundays) and try different items on the menu.

After watching this place sit empty for the past couple of years I was excited to see that it was opened. So tonight after the original restaurant that my Girlies and I were going to try out was closed we decided to try Via Moto.
Plenty of parking and the inside was barely occupied at all. One of the 5 girlies I was meeting got there with me and we were attended to right away. Seated on the patio we were excited to try the place out.
The décor seems to be lacking a bit, inside felt a bit like lawn furniture thrown together and the outside open patio area, just felt like it could have been a little bit more upscale furniture.
The menus were black and white copies and seemed to be not quite done or ready. I think they are still trying to modify the menu a bit. It didn’t list appetizers, drinks, or deserts. Specials were all empty and all though it was a simple menu it really seemed to be lacking something.
The wine and beer menu was good, but didn’t list the full use of the full bar. That was a bit disappointing. The bottle of wine for $ 17 was reasonable and made more sense since my GF and I were both drinking and 2 glasses would have been $ 10.
The Bruschetta appetizer was a nice size for all of us, and was light and tasty enough to entice us to what the main course would be bringing.
I ordered the spicy fallafa pasta, and didn’t really like the al den ta cooking, the veggies where a bit over cooked and it just seemed to be lacking a bit.
My GF who ordered the rugala and chicken salad, was quite disappointed stating there was NO TASTE whatso ever in the chicken, greens or lemony dressing.
The other meals, of panni, chicken parmigiana and ravioli all seemed to get okay ratings.
I will say the saving grace for me was the crème brûlée. YUM! although small the cost was reasonable and it was just wonderful.
Although we left the waitress a good size tip, personally I think she was quite lacking, we had to ask for water a few times, and she just didn’t really seem very friendly, quite disappointing as I was really hoping this place would be wonderful after the long wait!

I spend a lot of time in Santee, and have been eying this place for quite some time now, anxiously awaiting their opening! Via Moto is located in the new Henry’s shopping Center right off the Carlton Hills & Mission Gorge Blvd intersection. Over the years, Santee has been fairly limited with dining options. I’m a huge Unilocal fan, and have reviewed all of my favorites there… Domo Sushi, Mimi’s, La Salsa~ that’s sadly now closed, Okawa which I love but must only visit during happy hours for good prices. and I have a few others but those may be my tops.
I have «naturally» come to liking healthier foods over the past decade or so, and have always had an Italian food weakness, but to me eating something that makes me feel gross physically ruins the whole dining experience. I was expecting Via Moto to just be an Italian restaurant, which was fine, but we were so excited to discover it was just that. Via Moto is now open, has several great dining options– take out, order at counter and dine in, full waiter service, bar atmosphere, or any of the above with outdoor seating.
Walked in on a Thursday evening pre-​dinner rush. Clean, modern yet romantic set-​up, reminiscent of a more urban San Diego restaurant– with higher ceilings than expected from the outside. We walk in and immediately to the left we are greeted with menu’s– had I not read on a friend’s Facebook mentioning prior to our visit I may have been confused, but had the heads up that Via Moto offers order at the counter service, and full dining service. We were greeted warmly by whom I believe may be an owner or manager, then we placed our order: My mom had the spaghetti w/​turkey meat balls, I had the chicken parm w/​veggies & side pasta entrée, plus an ale I had not yet tried before. We decided to eat outside on their spacious outdoor patio, which has a great atmosphere and I’d never expect to say that about a Santee restaurant– we didn’t feel like we were in Santee. There is also a bar area that intertwines w/​the outside, the whole atmosphere is one of the kind for the area.
We were checked on several times even though we chose the non-​full service route, and were delivered our food. I’m always a little biased w/​Italian as a good friend of mine’s family also owns a local Italian restaurant and I rave about their food, but Via Moto’s take was pretty good overall. The manager/​owner brought us out a courtesy dish of their garlic bread which was delicious, and we enjoyed our time outside and even had extras to take home for leftovers. Our only main complaints are the pricing; you do get what you pay for and there is no doubt any other restaurant like Via Moto in Santee, but paying $ 13.95 for Chicken Parm entrée one may expect to receive a small side salad in addition, etc. Just something to note but no deal breaker at all. I am a fan and will definitely go back!

So I’ve been there twice since they opened not long ago. I love eating outside and there is not only outside seating for dining but half of the bar is outside. The people are so friendly they remembered my name after my first visit. The food: first time I had the gnocchi al pesto and added some sausage. It was excellent. Gnocchi was fat and fluffy with just the right texture. The pesto was smooth and mellow. Not overwhelming but neither wimpy. I loved it. The sausage is something i may add to every order. It tasted as though they had just made it. The second time I had pizza rustica. So good. Super thin crust with simple toppings. Not a big bread pizza like Filippi’s (which I was raised on and love) but more like what I am used to being called a «flatbread» pizza, just round. It was wonderful.
One thing I should mention is that they don’t have everything together yet. No dessert and no minestrone soup although it is on the menu, along with whole wheat pasta and pizza crust. This is all yet to come but will not keep me away at all. This us my new favorite place in the neighborhood and I am so happy they are here.