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Operacaffe, San Diego, CA

Operacaffe

4.7
4.7
1397 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighborhood 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!

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 234-6538
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Patrizia Branchi
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Corkage Fee, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,397 people are saying

Operacaffe reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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!

1,397 Reviews
  1. Dennis VIP

    Baltimore57 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The service and the food were excellent. Small neighborhood place, very friendly but fills up quick so make a reservation.

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  2. StephenM VIP

    Charlotte2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

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

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  3. Hank

    San Diego58 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 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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  4. Tiffany VIP

    San Diego110 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 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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  5. RickB VIP

    San Diego13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 2, 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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  6. Karla VIP

    Atlanta12 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 1, 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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  7. Carol VIP

    San Diego226 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 26, 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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  8. Maxine

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 22, 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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  9. Scott

    San Diego3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 22, 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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  10. LYNN

    Los Angeles1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 22, 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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FAQs

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

Operacaffe is rated 4.7 stars by 1397 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Operacaffe

835 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Patrizia Branchi
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Corkage Fee, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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