Eating Our Way Through These Restaurants While Soaking Up The Italian Atmosphere
Little Italy is one of the coolest places in San Diego. With people strolling around India Street and the main plaza, it makes you feel as if you are in a lively section of an Italian city.
It is also home to most of San Diego’s best Italian restaurants. And while that’s great, of course, it can also be as confusing as trying to drive around the Coliseum in Rome. After all, with all those choices, how the heck do you pick a place to eat?
Here’s a solution.
If you like strolling around and sitting at an outside table in the piazza with some food and drink, then go to the Food Hall (550 W Date St., Suite B by the fountain at Columbia Street). There you will find small restaurant counters – all tasty – from snacks to a full meal to gelato and sorbet.
I got my taste of it as part of the San Diego Travel Massive group of local travel and lifestyle bloggers. Together, we enjoyed a very pleasant evening eating samples from the restaurants while soaking in the unique-to-San-Diego scene that is Little Italy.
It was a fine Monday evening and the area was buzzing with activity. People were popping into the Food Hall to get a gelato from Bobboi Natural Gelato, perhaps a mac-and-cheese taco (that’s right, they have unusual ones) from Not Not Tacos or even a San Diego craft beer or cocktail from the bar.
They would take their items into the plaza and sit at a table or at the fountain in this ideal setting.
I soaked in all this atmosphere while drinking a Perky Blonde beer, an experience that was enhanced as our Travel Massive group was provided samples from Mein Street Asian Kitchen (outstanding Asian-flavored large chicken wings), Ambrogio15 (the “Milano Pizza Experience”) , Samburgers (chili cheese fries), Graze by Sam ( edamame Szechuan dumplings), Not Not Tacos (an interesting mashed potatoes taco), and, to top it off, gelato or sorbet from Bobboi.
The only thing we missed were the lobster rolls from Wicked Maine Lobster, which was not open on that particular evening.
I left with one lasting impression: why sweat about the “where to eat in Little Italy” question when you can go to the Food Hall, get food to go, and stroll around like so many people do in this area. You should note that alcohol cannot be taken out of the plaza.
The Little Italy Food Hall hours are as follows:
Mon – Thurs: 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Fri: 11:30am – 10:00pm
Sat: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sun: 11 am – 9 p.m.
• Little Italy Food Hall Website: Experience Little Italy Food Hall | Restaurants + Bar | San Diego, California
San Diego Travel Massive hosts group meet-ups at San Diego-area restaurants and travel/lifestyle-related venues each month.
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