Valentina

Had to stop by for lunch at Valentina's. A friend if mine recommended this place for a casual meal. The pasta I had did not disappoint, the customer service was amazing, and the ambiance had a chic feel to it. However, this place is definitely on the $$$ side. The check turned out to be about $98+ for two people. I had a pasta, my friend had a salad with tuna, also fries for an appetizer, and water for drinks. The parking sucked, you have to park across the restaurant on the other side of the street on a dirt parking lot (that really isn't a parking lot).

Such a hidden gem in San Diego. I've come here two times now and I'm always such a fan. the food is always top tier, the service is amazing, and the interior is so cute. I've gotten the Wiener schnitzel before and decided to get it again, it's so flavorful and I always have left overs. Plus all that food for $23 is a good deal! The spicy Caesar is one of the best salads I've ever had, it's $10 regular, and $11 to make ur spicy. The peppers are great too & only $8! (Always have leftover of these too) they are served with some lemon. The oysters are some of the best oysters in San Diego. I add some Tabasco & it's chefs kiss. Will be coming back here soon!

AMAZING FOOD AND WINE- we sat at the bar the other night. Had tried to do a walk in reso and they were completely booked the whole night. We split their broiled oyster special, the corn soup, and the seared octopus. Extensive wine menu. We will go back earlier to try for a full dinner. The staff was all super friendly and helpful.

Delicious food, beautifully presented and friendly service. What more can you ask for. We got the squid, the beet salad and the paella de mariscos. The squid was flavorful and with four on the plate with tentacles and tubes. The salad was small, but refreshing and the paella de mariscos was beautiful and tasty. The wine list is extensive and perfect for the well to do clientele. Indeed, a quick glance had bottles approaching $300. We weren't there for the wine... The main drawback to the place is that it sits right on coast highway so the noise of a busy road was distracting. The prices for the food was on the very high side, and even though restaurants in general these days are pretty exorbitant, this was beyond reasonable. .

Pricy but very high quality foods and friendly service. Inside of the place was little bit too warm. We loved those oysters and musseles. You may ask them to serve butter spaghetti from kids menu and add soup from mussell, and it will taste very good. Tap water was not my style so I recommend you to order sparkling or something. Ribeye is big so 2 can share 1 order with other seafood dishes. And many of menus include franch fries and 1 has a lot of them so ask them before order. While we were enjoying our diner, many of other ppl were full families with children. The place was very family friendly so you can bring your kids with confident. I probably visit this place again when I go to the area.

Parking: Very Limited. Park Across the street, dirt area, facing the Train Tracks. Checking in: Reservation is suggested. Call them or book online. We didn't have a Reservation but still managed to sit us. Appetizers: 1/2 Dozen oysters and Calamari were amazing. Drinks: wine and Water. They provide a glass Bottle of water. Small glass cups. Wine selection is Huge! Main Dish: I took the Lamb Chops; the sauce used is Amazing. Mashed potatoes and veggies were a great pair. Wife: Sea bass, well cooked and veggies were great. 4 yr old: Pasta in Tomato Sauce. Loved it. Dessert: churros with chocolate and creme brulee = Delicious. Server and Staff were amazing! Highly recommended establishment. They need to add some Cocktails and Mixed drinks to the menu. Add more Selections to the Entrées (more seafood or pastas). I promise I'll return for more 😋. Overall 8.5 out of 10! Enjoy

Valentina is a small, but romantic modern European spot in Leucadia. The decor inside is modern industrial with a tinge of nautical, a salute to the beach city perhaps? Looking over the menu, several items caught my eye but I couldn't help but notice that it didn't lean towards a specific European country, rather there is an opportunity for you to tour several countries over the course a meal if you wanted as the menu featured dishes associated primarily with Spain, France, and Italy. I ultimately decided on the corn soup and the mussels. My waitress tried to sell me on a half baguette too which in theory would be excellent to soak up all of the the delicious mussel broth but I also choose to prevent food waste if I can and a half baguette for a solo person would not have been good. Starting with the soup, it was delicious. You could really pick up on the smokiness of the roasted corn. The roasted poblano peppers and vanilla oil on top were nice touches though the oil did not really shine as much as the peppers. The soup was also more rustic with a coarser blend but I rather liked it. All in all, it was a comforting bowl of soup and well executed. For the mussels, you definitely get a pretty generous portion! The mussels of a good size, plump and juicy and steamed perfectly. The white wine, garlic, parsley, and butter sauce? Well, that was, as expected, amazing! The dish comes with 4 grilled crostini which aren't great for dipping so I mostly used an empty half shell to ensure that I had broth with every mussel and trust me, that's the move. To round out dinner, I went for the basque cake which was also delicious! I loved that it was delivered warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. The contrast between warm/cold was surprisingly wonderful. As for the cake, its mostly an almond cake but I liked the addition of amarena cherries...too bad I only had 2 through my whole slice. I also loved the bites that got the pastry cream from the middle - those bites were definitely meant to be savored! If you have room, definitely get this dessert. If you don't have room, make some. Dinner for 1 came to just about $50 including tip.