True family Italian meal, nothing pretentious just perfect food for the soul. Who cares about the location and fast food atmosphere when you have such an honest cooking that brought me back to Italy, sharing a joyful meal with my friends. Highly recommend it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Carbonara Pasta
Ilene Piazza
Had an absolutely amazing dinner there tonight with friends. We are all very good cooks, so always very appreciative of excellent food. Everything we had this evening was prepared inspiringly well, which is not a common thing to find in San Diego restaurants. Two of us ordered one the specials, Eggplant Parmigiana. We were in agreement it was perhaps the best ever (and there have been many tried over the years!). Another had the Carbonara, which was truly a don’t-miss work of art.What the restaurant lacks in ambiance, it certainly makes up for in amazing food, excellent service, and warm and caring owners/wait staff. We’ll definitely tell friends and will most certainly visit often!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaguetti Carbonara
Douglas Cramer
OMG what a find we came across it by accident, and we certainly were amazed at the quality of the food and the service. I'll definitely be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Betty McDonald
We tried this restaurant based on a strong Nextdoor recommendation and other reviews. We could accept Italian food with pasta, sauce and cheese in a strip mall, not to the Chicago or New York standard, but not for almost $300 with tip.Parking: Parking is certainly not a problem in the large strip mall near Dollar Store.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Dee Wynne
I actually have dined at this place since it opened and loved it. Unfortunately, over time and of course the pandemic it has declined in food quality. Tonight however was totally awful. A simple take out order of pasta and a side of brocollini was inedible. The brocollini was burnt and the pasta sauce tasted like a poor jarred sauce.....
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Bert Shure
The owner is a wonderful person who makes everyone comfortable. The food is excellent. From the outside, it looks like a fast food place. It is the opposite.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jackie V.
Great food! Sweet family and great service, try this restaurant , you will love it! Or hidden gem in Encinitas
stevelassere
Ordered spagetti and meat balls with garlic bread to go. Waited 25 minutes to get it and paid $31.50. Entree was no better than a can of Franco American Spaghetti from Walmart for $3.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jennifer H.
Lovely restaurant in my neighborhood. Excellent value and delicious food. Very nice ambiance for its location. Friendly service.
Roger G.
I have been around the world including different parts of Italy. Thank you for bringing local taste to San Diego. The 5 star comments were on point! For any less, visit Italy and you will realize how lucky you are in Encinitas to have this gem! Love the husband/wife migrant story and success. When in SD, I'm definitely here. No doubt beats fine dining Italian in the neighborhood. Service... Excellent!!!!!! Grazie!
Local mom and pop restaurant with excellent food, great service and a down to earth atmosphere . The lasagna is fantastic as are almost all of the dishes. It's like eating in Mama's kitchen.
Carlo, Alice and their three sons are lovely people, their service is great and everything we’ve tried over the last two years is a absolutely delicious! We get takeout frequently and it is always ready promptly and equally delicious! A wonderful restaurant in our very own neighborhood, Mark & I highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cindy Molin
Alice's Italian Gourmet is a hidden GEM! Food is SO good! Fresh and delicious. Service is at the top of any restaurant we have been to. Friendly, attentive, happy. Hurry into Alice's Italian Gourmet Restaurant for a wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yueming Q.
I think this place is overrated, since it's really high reviewed both on Yelp and Google. We tried this place on Friday night. I ordered a lasagna and my husband ordered a smoke salmon dish. My lasagna doesn't look like a typical lasagna and it's not well layered, also it contains too much meat, it's like a unshaped meatball dish. I really want the layers in the middle, but I guess the meats are too heavy to hold for this one. My husband wants a little bit more bread to eat with his dish, but the waiters are too busy, they didn't check on us during the meal. Anyways, I feel a little regret to eat at here.
David Reda
We have been going to Alice’s for several years, starting before the pandemic. It has been our favorite Italian restaurant, and we try to go at least once per week. Carlo, Alice, their sons and the entire wait staff are phenomenal… they greet us by name when we come in, and the food is always delicious. We try to bring family and friends there whenever someone comes to visit us.While everything I have tried there has been great, their Matriciana is my absolute favorite. I have tried Matriciana in many other Italian restaurants as we have traveled or dined out, and Alice’s is the BEST! You need to try it!!We also always get a bottle of the Young Amarone… another item you have to try, as it is a delicious wine and a great complement to the food.
True family Italian meal, nothing pretentious just perfect food for the soul. Who cares about the location and fast food atmosphere when you have such an honest cooking that brought me back to Italy, sharing a joyful meal with my friends. Highly recommend it.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Carbonara Pasta
Had an absolutely amazing dinner there tonight with friends. We are all very good cooks, so always very appreciative of excellent food. Everything we had this evening was prepared inspiringly well, which is not a common thing to find in San Diego restaurants. Two of us ordered one the specials, Eggplant Parmigiana. We were in agreement it was perhaps the best ever (and there have been many tried over the years!). Another had the Carbonara, which was truly a don’t-miss work of art.What the restaurant lacks in ambiance, it certainly makes up for in amazing food, excellent service, and warm and caring owners/wait staff. We’ll definitely tell friends and will most certainly visit often!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaguetti Carbonara
OMG what a find we came across it by accident, and we certainly were amazed at the quality of the food and the service. I'll definitely be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and Meatballs
We tried this restaurant based on a strong Nextdoor recommendation and other reviews. We could accept Italian food with pasta, sauce and cheese in a strip mall, not to the Chicago or New York standard, but not for almost $300 with tip.Parking: Parking is certainly not a problem in the large strip mall near Dollar Store.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
I actually have dined at this place since it opened and loved it. Unfortunately, over time and of course the pandemic it has declined in food quality. Tonight however was totally awful. A simple take out order of pasta and a side of brocollini was inedible. The brocollini was burnt and the pasta sauce tasted like a poor jarred sauce.....
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
The owner is a wonderful person who makes everyone comfortable. The food is excellent. From the outside, it looks like a fast food place. It is the opposite.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food! Sweet family and great service, try this restaurant , you will love it! Or hidden gem in Encinitas
Ordered spagetti and meat balls with garlic bread to go. Waited 25 minutes to get it and paid $31.50. Entree was no better than a can of Franco American Spaghetti from Walmart for $3.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Lovely restaurant in my neighborhood. Excellent value and delicious food. Very nice ambiance for its location. Friendly service.
I have been around the world including different parts of Italy. Thank you for bringing local taste to San Diego. The 5 star comments were on point! For any less, visit Italy and you will realize how lucky you are in Encinitas to have this gem! Love the husband/wife migrant story and success. When in SD, I'm definitely here. No doubt beats fine dining Italian in the neighborhood. Service... Excellent!!!!!! Grazie!
Restaurantji Recommends
Local mom and pop restaurant with excellent food, great service and a down to earth atmosphere . The lasagna is fantastic as are almost all of the dishes. It's like eating in Mama's kitchen.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Arabiatta, Sautéed Calamari, Matriciana, Tiramisu, Rigatoni Siciliana, Lasagna, Garlic Bread
Carlo, Alice and their three sons are lovely people, their service is great and everything we’ve tried over the last two years is a absolutely delicious! We get takeout frequently and it is always ready promptly and equally delicious! A wonderful restaurant in our very own neighborhood, Mark & I highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alice's Italian Gourmet is a hidden GEM! Food is SO good! Fresh and delicious. Service is at the top of any restaurant we have been to. Friendly, attentive, happy. Hurry into Alice's Italian Gourmet Restaurant for a wonderful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I think this place is overrated, since it's really high reviewed both on Yelp and Google. We tried this place on Friday night. I ordered a lasagna and my husband ordered a smoke salmon dish. My lasagna doesn't look like a typical lasagna and it's not well layered, also it contains too much meat, it's like a unshaped meatball dish. I really want the layers in the middle, but I guess the meats are too heavy to hold for this one. My husband wants a little bit more bread to eat with his dish, but the waiters are too busy, they didn't check on us during the meal. Anyways, I feel a little regret to eat at here.
We have been going to Alice’s for several years, starting before the pandemic. It has been our favorite Italian restaurant, and we try to go at least once per week. Carlo, Alice, their sons and the entire wait staff are phenomenal… they greet us by name when we come in, and the food is always delicious. We try to bring family and friends there whenever someone comes to visit us.While everything I have tried there has been great, their Matriciana is my absolute favorite. I have tried Matriciana in many other Italian restaurants as we have traveled or dined out, and Alice’s is the BEST! You need to try it!!We also always get a bottle of the Young Amarone… another item you have to try, as it is a delicious wine and a great complement to the food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Meatball Sandwich, Sautéed Calamari, Matriciana, Lasagna, Cannoli, Garlic Bread, Carbonara Pasta