Cucina Basilico La Mesa

If you're looking for authentic and delicious Italian cuisine in East County, Cucina Basilico is the place to be. Although this particular location is closing down, their main location off Aero Drive will continue to serve their mouthwatering dishes. From start to finish, our dining experience at Cucina Basilico was outstanding. Even though the restaurant was busy, the waitstaff was friendly, attentive, and provided us with excellent service throughout our meal. Our waitress even complimented us on our calm energy, which made us feel valued and appreciated as customers. For appetizers, we ordered the fried calamari with marinara sauce, and it was fantastic. The calamari was fried to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the marinara sauce was the perfect complement to the dish. For the main course, we had the ragu and meatballs with gnocchi made from potato, as well as the ragu and sausage with fettuccine pasta plate. Both dishes were rich, flavorful, and simply delicious. The ragu was savory and had a perfect balance of spices, while the meatballs were moist and tender. The gnocchi was fluffy and perfectly cooked, and the fettuccine pasta was al dente, just the way we like it. Overall, our experience at Cucina Basilico was exceptional. The food was delicious, the service was top-notch, and the ambiance was warm and welcoming. Although this location is closing down, we're excited to visit their main location in the future to savor their delectable Italian cuisine once again. If you're looking for a great Italian restaurant with amazing food and excellent service, Cucina Basilico is definitely worth a visit. Highly recommended!

Had the Mahi Mahi almondine. Pasta is cooked perfectly.

We love coming back here because they are consistently providing amazing food and service

The staff was friendly, the inside dining is a little cramped, but nice still. 3 stars for the Chicken Parm.

This is our favorite Italian restaurant in all of San Diego. The food is authentic and all the dishes and desserts are so delicious. Handmade pasta every day. Quality ingredients and great prices. The owners and all of the staff are great. Super friendly. This is been our favorite Italian restaurant for many years. Never disappoints.

This place was recommended from a co-worker. Brought my family for dinner on a Saturday evening. We were greeted immediately and did not have to wait for a table. Besides the squeaking, when you move the chairs, the restaurants ambiance makes you feel welcomed. Our server Pablo was very informative and on top of his craft. We ordered the Superalfredo with Fettuccine pasta, Pollo Parmigiana, and Arancini as an appetizer. The Super Alfredo sauce with Fettuccine went well together, but had large pieces of garlic. The Pollo Parmigiana`s sauce was fresh but lacked flavor and texture. And our Arancini was slightly burnt from the outside. Overall the food was 3 Stars, Service was 5 Stars.

I rarely give bad reviews, but I felt it was important to warn people about the quality of the food. We have tried authentic Italian food and also visited several Italian restaurants in SD and the food here was awful. The chicken parm wasn't breaded, it was hard and chewy and the worst part was the sauce was so light and watery without flavor. The pesto sauce was also terrible - flavorless. This place is not worth it - there are much better restaurants in SD.

Great service and amazing food!

Great food and great staff. We are definitely going back.

Homemade pasta every day. Great sauce choices. Wonderful service. Good wine selection. Great house made bread bites. I love the chicken with lemon and capers. The house salad with the lemon dressing is wonderful.