RustiCucina

Cute place and very attentive service but food was very poor.

Just went for the first time: extraordinary pastas and very attentive friendly service. Will go again!

We randomly found this place on OpenTable and we are so happy we did. The menu is not super big but everything we ordered was AMAZING. We had the garlic knots, lasagna, rustica(?) flatbread and and the pork entree they have. The decor is beautiful and absolutely Instagram worthy too haha Definitely going back !

Great service and delicious food!
The ambiance is beautiful and well decorated. The music is great and the service overall is really good! I’ll come back for sure!! Thanks

Cannot say enough good things about Rusticucina. It’s become our go-to place in Hillcrest. Great food, great drinks, and a very welcoming staff all come together for a memorable dining experience.

Decided to come eat here for a celebratory dinner with the girlfriend. Menu looked great. We ordered both the artichoke and clam/mussel appetizers. Artichokes were straight out of a jar and the seafood broth was straight out of a box, despite costing close to $20 each. I inquired about the Caesar salad dressing curious to know if it was made in house only to be told by the server that unfortunately, no it is not. The 3 thin and tiny slices of bread that came with the mussels were old and stale and again, not baked in house. We asked for more bread to soak up the broth but never received any. I don't normally leave reviews, much less bad reviews...but this dining experience was so disappointing that we asked for the check after the appetizers so that we might enjoy and celebrate our evening somewhere else.

My fiance and I make it a point the come here once a week because it is AMAZING. The service is outstanding and the food is even better. I lived in Italy for 4 years and this is AUTHENTIC Italian food. I recommend this place to everyone because it's more than good food, it's an experience.

Food and service is amazing!! Definitely recommend.

Lobster Lasagne was very tasty. Tiramisu was great, light and delicious. Very accommodating staff and beautiful decor.

Best Italian food in San Diego.
I’ve been here twice and can’t wait to go back for a third time, forth, and many more times to come.

There isn’t a single bad thing I can say about this place, it was beautiful, the food was great and the service was phenomenal

The atmosphere, food an service were amazing! Take my advice and get the "cheese bowl" special!

Delicious, authentic food. Family friendly - treated us and our young children wonderfully. Highly recommend!!

Mario was our server and he went above and beyond to provide an amazing dinner experience for us! Everything was perfect, from the food, to the service, and ambiance! Will definitely come back to enjoy again!

The food here was amazing. I was surprised there were only two waiters working but I believe they’re related and are the only waiters for the restaurant. They were really good at their job considering they had a lot of people to take care of on top of a 9 person party. If you asked for something they got it to you right away.

Upon my reservation, i checked off the box that it was for a birthday celebration and not once was it mentioned the whole time there. It seemed like the waiter was trying to rush us out the moment we sat down. She didn’t even mention that there were specials and the only reason I knew there were specials is because I overheard her tell 3 other tables near us. The chicken parmigiana lacks flavor yet the lasagna was great. I’m not one to complain but the waitress made this experience not the greatest. I love Italian food but won’t be coming here again, I do not recommend.

This was our second visit and we enjoyed it as much as our first. We had the seafood pasta special which included a generous 1/2 Maine lobster, calamari, scallops and mussels in a carbonara sauce. The only fault was the carbonara which lacked taste and depth and as a result, made the papparadelle was very bland. Seafood was lightly cooked to perfection making everything very tender.

Highly recommend

Mario and his crew was simply amazing. The food was delicious, the staff was friendly and the atmosphere was incredible.

A great spot for all. True Italian hospitality and great food!

We have fallen in love with Rusticucina. The food is fantastic (make sure to get the info on the latest “Cheese wheel” dish), the drinks are very good with some twists on the classics, and the staff are all very welcoming and accommodating.

Truly a home cooked meal...Excellent quality and Taste

Calamari, meatball appetizers....Flatbread pizza, ravioli and chicken parm dinner Fantastic! Just a few too many people in the "outside" dining area.

Great place for family or a romantic date. Awesome food and service !!

So happy you made it through the year. Great to be back. Wonderful menu and wine at decent price points. Many thanks.

We really enjoyed our evening out at Rusticucina. We made reservations a week in advance and met friends at our reservation time. The restaurant was very busy and we had to wait about 15 minutes for our table. I was a bit turned off that we had to wait for a table when we had a reservation, especially since smaller parties with no reservation seemed to be seated more quickly, but I understand and was happy to see the restaurant getting business. We were seated in the back corner of the outdoor patio. It was very loud and a bit difficult to hear the other people in our group talk. Because it was so busy, our service was a bit delayed but our server was apologetic and checked in on us frequently. We were very pleased with the food. We had the lobster lasagne and the fig flatbread.

The food was mediocre at best, very slow service (we barely saw our server)

Always a pleasant experience. The food, drinks and ambiance are spot on.

A must try for anyone looking for good Italian in a great space.

This was my first time coming to this restaurant and the only reason I decided to come here was due to the great reviews and how romantic it looked. Sadly, this place is only good for the looks and not to mention the great service as well. I want to have the benefit of the doubt and think the chef that night was having an off day. The New York steak was overcooked, grey, tough, and bland. It came with truffle fries no truffle. The lobster ravioli extremely salty and the sauce it came with was so thick, greasy, almost like tar and it had a terrible after taste like burnt plastic that did not leave your mouth and the waxy texture. I didn’t say anything because I’m that person that hates confrontations and will just sit there and eat it instead of asking for a different meal. It is a cute restaurant for date night but the food is questionable.

I love coming to this place. They are always so attentive and friendly. They have updated the patio and it looks marvelous. The food and wine was exceptional as always.

This location has seen many a restaurant come and go, to the point that it feels like one of those 'cursed' spots. RustiCucina seems to have broken that spell, as they seem pretty busy most times, even during this (temporary) "new normal". I say that's due to the exquisite, fresh quality of every menu offering. I implore anyone reading this who has a hankering for fresh, authentic Italian food to just say YES and try RustiCucina. They SO deserve every success and the opportunity to flourish!

Service was efficient and very good.
Ambience was cozy and nicely handled.

Food was just good.

Crab stuffed mushrooms: They tasted nice but if it didn't say it on the menu, I wouldn't have known there was crab. I even tried it without the mushroom and it was still just toasted bread crumbs.

PORCETTONE: This was very disappointing. I have had porchetta a few times. It is usually very moist and fatty with strong flavors coming from the stuffing. Mine was some what dry and flavorless. It needed the sauce and the mash potatoes just to swallow.

I would normally have sent it back or informed the waiter of my displeasure but it was my first restaurant date in a year. Your restaurant is right around the corner from my house so I thought I would give it a try.

Great staff. Nicely decorated. Food was perfect. Price point was spot on. Enjoyed a great meal.

Food is good. Locally owned. Staff is friendly

Always great food and service

Best Moscow mules I’ve had in years! Service was super friendly, ambiance was great, and we’ll definitely be back for more pizza ASAP.

Great place to dine. Felt safe and still felt like it was a busy place. Great attention compared to other places that seem to take longer and ignore the customer. This place did not do that at all. Felt attended to, had great wine, and the food was delicious.

Friendly staff and great service

I love Rusticucina, the staff, and most of all the food. Our party dined outdoors and even though there were heat pillars it was still cold. Not the restaurants fault but I should have requested a table indoors. If you like authentic Italian cuisine try this place. I think you'll be happy.

We have been to Rusticucina many times and we’re so happy they were open for Valentine’s Day! We’ve never been disappointed with the food, drinks, or service.

Maybe we have a valentine's day curse? My Wifes food came to the table ice cold, like not cooked cold. They comped her glass of wine, but her entree was inedible. My food was good and flavorful, I shared it with her. It was a mistake, no problem, but the corrective action was inadequate.