Everything here is amazing. The food is decadent and the service is top notch. The Bucatini Carbonara is absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kaitlyn Rose
Very disappointed that members are not informed about this being a diamond only establishment. States they take walk ins but when you walk up and attempt to put your name down you are turned away because they decided it was diamond exclusive for the night. This should be a more transparent policy. As someone who is generally very happy with the service at this casino, this was a let down.
Service: 1
JESS MESINO
A great restaurant, everything is perfect, the food with exquisite taste and innovative dishes, quite generous portions, we all ended up ordering takeout of the amount they served, the staff was wonderful, always attentive, friendly and attentive to every detail without losing the smile on your face, without a doubt a good experience, recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JESUS MESINO
A great restaurant, everything is perfect, the food with exquisite taste and innovative dishes, quite generous portions, we all ended up ordering takeout of the amount they served, the staff was wonderful, always attentive, friendly and attentive to every detail without losing the smile on your face, without a doubt a good experience, recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa De Freitas
I would give 10 stars if I could. The food is Magnificent, the Chef is Brilliant and the Staff is Wonderful...No complaints whatsoever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon and Mixed Vegetables
Eissa Jamil
Always a great meal and the service staff is attentive and helpful.Only gripe is with the bench seats being so low, but that's mainly a nitpick.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Tail, Italian Latte, Cucina House Salad, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Fried Calamari, Salmon and Mixed Vegetables
Cynthia Castro
The restaurant was empty and they said they couldn’t take us and that we could try to come by in an hour.The smart thing to do is just take the table and let us know that we had an hour for dinner if there was a reservation we had to give it up for.
Mike Schmitt
Incredible service incredible food. They know what everything on the menu is. Never have to ask for anything. They keep on their toes. So friendly as well. Make me feel like I belong. Thanks y'all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Latte
Batool D.
Their food is super delicious, very friendly slow staff. I tried their ceaser salad and chicken Parmigiano, and I really liked them, BUT these are not why I'll be going back. They have this huge delicious margaritas for around $10, which is cheap compared to any other place in san diego.
Joseph M.
Barona is not being crystal clear about it, but this restaurant is effectively no longer open to the public. You can't make a reservation unless you are a "Diamond" member, and even when the restaurant is completely empty they will not seat you without a reservation. The decline of Barona has been pretty sad. The only dining options are pretty much hot dogs and tacos.
BLUF: the meal was comped by the casino or my three star rating would be lowered to two. I don't recommend this restaurant (there are better venues at Barona) and won't be returning.Not a very good dining experience for our party of six. While the bread rolls were hot and tasty, no traditional plate of spices was presented for the accompanying olive oil and basalmic. The Caesar salad likely used bottled dressing which was neither good nor authentic. The salmon platter was cold, flavorless and returned to the kitchen in favor of something hot and more flavorful. Three filets were served tepid and accompanied by a mushroom ravioli that only one of the party enjoyed. The sole ribeye was served cool and not properly seared (the fat was not caramelized). Lastly, the "patio" area in which we were seated was an echo chamber in which patrons were pummeled with Italian tenors at volumes that made casual conversation difficult if not impossible.On the plus side, the Margaritas were generous and reasonably priced. The creme brulee was remarkably generous and flavorful and the chocolate cake delighted the "chocoholics" in the group.
Martina Z.
The pizzas are very very good! This restaurants has A wonderful ambience the service is also very good but I truly appreciate the Delicious pizzas.
Ron Q.
Food at casinos are often more known for their buffets. Patrons can gorge themselves after winning big or wallow in their sorrows after losing rent money to a deck of cards. With the Covid pandemic, many buffets have sadly disappeared. Too many people touching serving spoons and breathing on each other while drooling over the serving dish of beef n broccoli. That's ok tho when you have such stellar restaurants such as Italian Cucina as a fantabulous alternative! The restaurant is located on the lower level of the casino passed the Blackjack Hall of Fame wall and down the escalator. Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by the hostess and shown to a table. We requested a booth as there appeared to be some available but were advised they were reserved for patrons with reservations. While it wasn't necessarily busy at the time, we did notice a steady flow of customers being shown to tables throughout our meal. James soon came by to introduce himself as our server. He was patient and informative about the menu and our options. After bringing water and offering a few minutes to look over the menu, we decided on the salmon and short ribs for dinner. Another team member dropped off a basket of freshly warmed rolls. The cheese roll was UH-MAZ-ING. Ask for more if you get a chance. Each entree came with a choice of soup or salad. We both opted for salads, one house and the other a Cesar. The house salad was much more interesting with various veggies. The Cesar was a classic with just romaine, croutons and shredded parmesan. The salmon was roasted well and seasoned perfectly. It came with seasonal veggies and a lemon wrapped in cloth to avoid seeds dropping into your meal. The short ribs came with pesto mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. Definitely a different twist to mashed potatoes but good nonetheless. The meat easily shredded with a fork and was mouthwateringly good. There is a large dessert case at the entrance along with a coffee bar. Some decadent desserts can be found here. The aroma of fresh ground coffee also filled the air which made the visual experience that much more enticing. Italian Cucina is one of the better options for dining at Barona. Will be back. Keep on Yelp'n!
Sabrina B.
ONLY GIVING 5 STARS BECAUSE I LOVE THIS PLACE. BUT REVIEWING BECAUSE I AM SO SO SAD Ok, now that I have your attention. I have ranted and raved about this place for years. as a former employee of years, I have diner here many times for dinners and brought many out of town visitors. my last visit, 3 years ago ( Sabrina L review ) pregnant and addicted to the olive bowl. Fast forward to now, pregnant again and CRAVING the Cucina. My husband and I made the drive up at 4 and enjoyed a few slots until opening at 5:00 PM. We promptly made our way to the restaurant at 5 and were extremely disappointed by the new reservation rules, and the lack of inclusivity for those who are not diamond members. We were told to return at 8:00 PM to see if anything was available. Mind you, my husband and I had gotten a sitter for our little one and could not simply "wait it out" for the chance at a table at 8PM. who stays up that late? Really wishing the restaurant was as accessible as it was before. one of the things I value most about Barona is the more "family" "laid back" atmosphere. this felt a lil too bougie now. I drove all the way there for olives and left empty handed ( and broke LOL ). Can someone from management hook me up with a reservation or just a bowl of olives? ;)
Bianca Varela
WHEN are you supposed to make a reservation?!at 5 when they open and hope they aren’t full!!ridiculous!!
Everything here is amazing. The food is decadent and the service is top notch. The Bucatini Carbonara is absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very disappointed that members are not informed about this being a diamond only establishment. States they take walk ins but when you walk up and attempt to put your name down you are turned away because they decided it was diamond exclusive for the night. This should be a more transparent policy. As someone who is generally very happy with the service at this casino, this was a let down.
Service: 1
A great restaurant, everything is perfect, the food with exquisite taste and innovative dishes, quite generous portions, we all ended up ordering takeout of the amount they served, the staff was wonderful, always attentive, friendly and attentive to every detail without losing the smile on your face, without a doubt a good experience, recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A great restaurant, everything is perfect, the food with exquisite taste and innovative dishes, quite generous portions, we all ended up ordering takeout of the amount they served, the staff was wonderful, always attentive, friendly and attentive to every detail without losing the smile on your face, without a doubt a good experience, recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I would give 10 stars if I could. The food is Magnificent, the Chef is Brilliant and the Staff is Wonderful...No complaints whatsoever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon and Mixed Vegetables
Always a great meal and the service staff is attentive and helpful.Only gripe is with the bench seats being so low, but that's mainly a nitpick.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Tail, Italian Latte, Cucina House Salad, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Fried Calamari, Salmon and Mixed Vegetables
The restaurant was empty and they said they couldn’t take us and that we could try to come by in an hour.The smart thing to do is just take the table and let us know that we had an hour for dinner if there was a reservation we had to give it up for.
Incredible service incredible food. They know what everything on the menu is. Never have to ask for anything. They keep on their toes. So friendly as well. Make me feel like I belong. Thanks y'all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Latte
Their food is super delicious, very friendly slow staff. I tried their ceaser salad and chicken Parmigiano, and I really liked them, BUT these are not why I'll be going back. They have this huge delicious margaritas for around $10, which is cheap compared to any other place in san diego.
Barona is not being crystal clear about it, but this restaurant is effectively no longer open to the public. You can't make a reservation unless you are a "Diamond" member, and even when the restaurant is completely empty they will not seat you without a reservation. The decline of Barona has been pretty sad. The only dining options are pretty much hot dogs and tacos.
Restaurantji Recommends
BLUF: the meal was comped by the casino or my three star rating would be lowered to two. I don't recommend this restaurant (there are better venues at Barona) and won't be returning.Not a very good dining experience for our party of six. While the bread rolls were hot and tasty, no traditional plate of spices was presented for the accompanying olive oil and basalmic. The Caesar salad likely used bottled dressing which was neither good nor authentic. The salmon platter was cold, flavorless and returned to the kitchen in favor of something hot and more flavorful. Three filets were served tepid and accompanied by a mushroom ravioli that only one of the party enjoyed. The sole ribeye was served cool and not properly seared (the fat was not caramelized). Lastly, the "patio" area in which we were seated was an echo chamber in which patrons were pummeled with Italian tenors at volumes that made casual conversation difficult if not impossible.On the plus side, the Margaritas were generous and reasonably priced. The creme brulee was remarkably generous and flavorful and the chocolate cake delighted the "chocoholics" in the group.
The pizzas are very very good! This restaurants has A wonderful ambience the service is also very good but I truly appreciate the Delicious pizzas.
Food at casinos are often more known for their buffets. Patrons can gorge themselves after winning big or wallow in their sorrows after losing rent money to a deck of cards. With the Covid pandemic, many buffets have sadly disappeared. Too many people touching serving spoons and breathing on each other while drooling over the serving dish of beef n broccoli. That's ok tho when you have such stellar restaurants such as Italian Cucina as a fantabulous alternative! The restaurant is located on the lower level of the casino passed the Blackjack Hall of Fame wall and down the escalator. Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by the hostess and shown to a table. We requested a booth as there appeared to be some available but were advised they were reserved for patrons with reservations. While it wasn't necessarily busy at the time, we did notice a steady flow of customers being shown to tables throughout our meal. James soon came by to introduce himself as our server. He was patient and informative about the menu and our options. After bringing water and offering a few minutes to look over the menu, we decided on the salmon and short ribs for dinner. Another team member dropped off a basket of freshly warmed rolls. The cheese roll was UH-MAZ-ING. Ask for more if you get a chance. Each entree came with a choice of soup or salad. We both opted for salads, one house and the other a Cesar. The house salad was much more interesting with various veggies. The Cesar was a classic with just romaine, croutons and shredded parmesan. The salmon was roasted well and seasoned perfectly. It came with seasonal veggies and a lemon wrapped in cloth to avoid seeds dropping into your meal. The short ribs came with pesto mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. Definitely a different twist to mashed potatoes but good nonetheless. The meat easily shredded with a fork and was mouthwateringly good. There is a large dessert case at the entrance along with a coffee bar. Some decadent desserts can be found here. The aroma of fresh ground coffee also filled the air which made the visual experience that much more enticing. Italian Cucina is one of the better options for dining at Barona. Will be back. Keep on Yelp'n!
ONLY GIVING 5 STARS BECAUSE I LOVE THIS PLACE. BUT REVIEWING BECAUSE I AM SO SO SAD Ok, now that I have your attention. I have ranted and raved about this place for years. as a former employee of years, I have diner here many times for dinners and brought many out of town visitors. my last visit, 3 years ago ( Sabrina L review ) pregnant and addicted to the olive bowl. Fast forward to now, pregnant again and CRAVING the Cucina. My husband and I made the drive up at 4 and enjoyed a few slots until opening at 5:00 PM. We promptly made our way to the restaurant at 5 and were extremely disappointed by the new reservation rules, and the lack of inclusivity for those who are not diamond members. We were told to return at 8:00 PM to see if anything was available. Mind you, my husband and I had gotten a sitter for our little one and could not simply "wait it out" for the chance at a table at 8PM. who stays up that late? Really wishing the restaurant was as accessible as it was before. one of the things I value most about Barona is the more "family" "laid back" atmosphere. this felt a lil too bougie now. I drove all the way there for olives and left empty handed ( and broke LOL ). Can someone from management hook me up with a reservation or just a bowl of olives? ;)
WHEN are you supposed to make a reservation?!at 5 when they open and hope they aren’t full!!ridiculous!!