LAVO Italian Restaurant - San Diego

4.6 (637)

$31 to $50

Italian

611 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Lively
Good for groups

LAVO San Diego is located in the city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. Featuring 235 seats and occupying a prime corner in the lively neighborhood, caters to locals and visitors alike. At LAVO San Diego, guests experience a boisterous, vibe-led dining experience of LAVO juxtaposed with a quintessential laid-back, yet chic, Southern Californian flair.

Tao Group Hospitality Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella has created a menu of LAVO’s hits like the infamous 1 lb Wagyu Meatball alongside brick oven pizzas and housemade pastas. The menu starts with Baked Clams Oreganata and a Chopped Antipasto Salad followed by Truffle Ricotta Cavatelli, Bone-In Veal, Chop Milanese and – of course – LAVO’s signature 20-Layer Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Mascarpone. And complemented by LAVO’s playful cocktails like the Bubbles & Berries with vodka, St. Germain, Strawberries and Frizzante as well as an extensive selection of new and old-world wines.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian, Unspecified
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
Phone number
(619) 762-5286
Website
http://lavosd.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella

Location
611 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood
Downtown
Cross street
5th and Market
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 637 people are saying

LAVO Italian Restaurant - San Diego reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.6

4.6 based on all time ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

636 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner Gold
San Francisco1 review
2.0
Dined on March 20, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
We really wanted to like this restaurant. Unfortunately, the food was served cold and the taste was just okay. My wagyu meatballs were mushy and cold. The chicken parmigiana was ok, but not great. Even our after dinner coffee was cold.
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b
bradfordw
New York City10 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 16, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent meal. Outstanding appetizer. Immaculate service.
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AC
ArnaudC Gold
Central Coast26 reviews
1.0
Dined on March 14, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 1
Why was the $50 3-course menu not available on a Wednesdsy? Our server couldn’t justify. The food was very poor quality. The garlic bread was very dry as if it wasn’t fresh. The pasta portion was ridiculously small and we had to request parmesan cheese since it was not even offered. The filet mignon didn’t come with any side. The only side on the menu were fries for an additional $16! To finish, the restaurant was out of tiramisou dessert. It was our second time there, and it was very disappointing. The food is not good and expensive.
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OT
OpenTable Diner Gold
Los Angeles4 reviews
3.0
Dined on March 8, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Service was slow. Our server team neglected to clear entree plates and they sat for 15+ minutes until I had to ask for them to be cleared. Our server also did not communicate to the team about a birthday desert, we were served menus and plates so the suppose was ruined. And we waited even longer to get the check. What a miss - mostly because of service.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Diego1 review
2.0
Dined on March 3, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
We have been to Lavo before and we liked it so wanted to take my girl friends…we were a group of 8 girls….we ordered some cocktails…they were okay but came in really late…the food was not that great…the server didn’t come around our table to ask for more drinks or food or water etc …we wanted to order more drinks for sure . So everyone in the group was quite disappointed with the experience. We told the manager about it at the end and he took some items off the bill..which was a good gesture. But they really need to improve their service.
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JK
JerryK
San Diego1 review
5.0
Dined on March 1, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I really enjoyed the atmosphere. And the food was great as well.
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AO
AllenO Gold
San Diego24 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 25, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Focaccia is amazing, as was.the 1lb meatball. Also the service was great.
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KL
KristynL
Orange County15 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 25, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very nice Italian place. If you’re in San Diego, put it on your list.
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P
Pink
San Diego1 review
5.0
Dined on February 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The experience was unique, my family really liked the food everything was exquisite and the waiters was extremely polite and friendly. I loved the atmosphere of the place.
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HT
HeveenT
San Diego2 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 22, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our server Kyle was the perfect example of what customer service should be like.
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian, Unspecified
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
Phone number
(619) 762-5286
Website
http://lavosd.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Chief Culinary Officer Ralph Scamardella

Location
611 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood
Downtown
Cross street
5th and Market
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.