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Operacaffe, San Diego, CA

Operacaffe

4.7
4.7
1396 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian

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2 people
23:30
Booked 2 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
At Operacaffe we are passionate about our culinary business and our customers. The reputation for excellent cuisine, top-notch service, the quality and freshness of ingredients are the reasons we are so proud of our brand new restaurant!

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 16:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Patrizia Branchi

What 1,396 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Operacaffe is a delightful choice for Italian cuisine lovers, especially before a show at the Balboa Theater. Guests rave about the "excellent cuisine" and "authentically Italian" dishes. The friendly and attentive staff ensures a pleasant dining experience. Highlights include "amazing gnocchi" and "delicious" seafood options. Perfect for a memorable meal!

1,396 Reviews
  1. StephenM VIP

    Charlotte2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Everything was terrific food-wise. Service exceptional

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  2. Hank

    San Diego58 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Always a good meal for a pretty fair price. Great mid level Italian restaurant.

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  3. Tiffany VIP

    San Diego110 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    This is my dependable go-to before shows at the Balboa Theatre. Arriving early for dinner means you can find street parking, the food is GREAT, and the servers know how to get you out in time for your show.

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  4. RickB VIP

    San Diego13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 2 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    We can’t wait to come here again. This is Italian cuisine at the highest level and service was excellent. The salad, bread, lasagna, cannoli, and even the coffee were all exceptional. My only complaint would be the noise level. They have a high ceiling and every where you look is a hard reflective surface. They could easily fix this with some sound treatment on the walls. It won’t stop us from coming back but it’s hard to carry-on a conversation.

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  5. Karla VIP

    Atlanta12 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 1 March 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The service was friendly and the food outstanding. This is a classic brasserie type decor and, as such with tile floors, the noise level is a little high when it is crowded, which it was when we arrived. They do have a few outside dining tables, which would be lovely on a warmer night. But the food was incredible.

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  6. Carol VIP

    San Diego226 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 26 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The only reason that I didn't give Opera Cafe a five-star rating is because our server was a bit terse with us last night. The place was packed, I admit - all tables of ladies having dinner before a show at Balboa Theatre. But I assume everyone had reservations so the restaurant management certainly knew this would be a busy time. Our server was intent on rushing us to order even though everyone in our party wasn't there yet and those who were were 15 minutes early. His usual friendly attitude, as I've been to this place many times, was absent and instead he was clearly overwhelmed. Too bad! Instead of feeling welcomed, we all felt clearly the opposite!

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  7. Maxine

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 22 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Great food and experience. We had a big party and everyone said the variety of selections was excellent!

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  8. Scott

    San Diego3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 22 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Went to a show across the street. Food and service great.

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  9. LYNN

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 22 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best Italian food I have ever had. We had the veal ravioli it was mind blowing

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  10. Lisa

    San Diego7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful meal! Walkable to/from the SD Theater so you only need to park once! Loved the mushroom ravioli!

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FAQs

Operacaffe offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 234-6538.

Operacaffe is rated 4.7 stars by 1396 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
23:30
Booked 2 times today
Google Map for Operacaffe

835 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 16:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Patrizia Branchi
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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