North Italia, a popular Italian restaurant chain with locations nationwide, recently opened in San Diego located in Fashion Valley Mall.
We were invited in for a preview during a private soft opening the weekend before the restaurant officially opened to the public.
The restaurant space is quite beautiful and spacious, with plenty of tables, bar seating and an outdoor patio. We requested a table next to the kitchen so we could watch all the action.
WHITE TRUFFLE GARLIC BREAD
This is one of their most popular dishes. and I thought it lived up to the hype. The crusty garlic bread was drizzled with truffle oil, topped with shredded parmesan cheese and dollops of ricotta cheese.
FUNGHI PIZZA
A mushroom lover’s dream. This pizza was loaded with roasted mushrooms. Some of the mushrooms were cooked more than others, resulting in an enjoyable contrast of textures. The smoked mozzarella brought another level of savoriness to the dish. I did find the crust a little hard to chew, but enjoyed the pizza overall.
SQUID INK MAFALDINE
White shrimp, calamari, tossed in a spicy red sauce. The fresh house-made pasta was thick and bouncy. It was a solid dish though I would like to explore another pasta dish next time.
BOMBOLINI
After seeing several orders of these come out of the kitchen, I couldn’t resist ordering the Italian donuts, served with lemon curd and mascarpone. The donuts were pillowy soft and quite delicious.
Overall, we had a good first visit to North Italia. Many of our friends have raved about this restaurant to us before (from visiting other locations), so we were excited to find out that one was opening in San Diego. I think it’s a good dining addition to the Fashion Valley area and am looking forward to coming back and trying more food.
North Italia
7055 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
https://www.northitaliarestaurant.com/locations/san-diego-ca-fashion-valley/menus
As stated above, we were invited in for a preview of the restaurant and our meal was complimentary. All opinions expressed are my own.
