BriGeeski Touring around local neighborhoods and trying out new (to me) restaurants is one of my favorite things to do in San Diego. I love being able to tell friends about great restaurants and where they should (or shouldn’t) go. I attended Dishcrawl Little Italy this week and had some of the best nibbles around! We stopped at 4 fabulous restaurants… 2 of which were already my favs and 2 new to me spots. I received 2 tickets for my review and all opinions are my own.
Photo by Michael McKenna
Our first stop was 98 Bottles. We sampled deliciously crispy flatbread pizzas, artisan cheeses, salami, and some amazing sauces. I loved the truffle honey. I poured it all over the naan cracker bread. They have really decent prices on drinks too. 3 glasses of champagne with tip… $15. Awesome. They have “The Backroom” which hosts paint and wine events.
Our second stop was the beautiful Cafe Zucchero, a Busalacchi family restaurant. I had been here before during the Saturday Little Italy Mercato. We had stopped in for their fab Italian desserts. I had no idea that they had this gorgeous backyard patio. We sampled the mini cannoli, traditional fried Italian rice balls and their pasta puttanesca at Dishcrawl. The puttanesca was deliciously flavored with capers and olives. I could go for another cannoli right now too…
Photo by Michael McKenna
Our third stop with Dishcrawl Little Italy was Isola Pizza Bar. This was definitely the fan favorite of the four restaurants for all of the dishcrawlers. Not only did they serve amazing food, they served a TON of it. I loved everything I tried. They served us Charred Octopus with fingerling potatoes, prosciutto di parma sun dried tomatoes and a variety of fresh cheeses, Margherita Pizza with basil, Arugula con l’uovo Pizza with truffle oil, Salamino Piccante Pizza with spicy salame, and an amazing burrata mozzarella with tomato and pesto basil.
Photo by Michael McKenna
The decor and designs at Isola are also right up my alley. From the typography on the menu to the image covering the bathroom doors. The bright red pizza oven also acts as a great backdrop behind the chefs.
Our final stop, and one of my all time favorite places was Prep Kitchen. I have been to their Del Mar and La Jolla locations but never their Little Italy location. I was really excited to stop in and see it. It seemed larger and really well designed.
Photo by Michael McKenna
We sampled their Patatas Bravas, a spanish styled potato and their mussels. I realized I am not a big fan of mussels but those potatoes are fab! I get them every time we go to Prep Kitchen. I love going to Prep Kitchen for happy hour and ordering a bunch of their Tapas. They have amazing food. We sat at a large table and ate family style.
Photo by Michael McKenna
Dishcrawl is always a fun night out! Lindsay did a great job as our Little Italy Ambassador. I am looking forward to heading back to these fun restaurants and checking out more items off their menus. What’s your favorite spot in Little Italy?
I received 2 tickets for my review and all opinions are my own.
Thanks for inviting me, I loved the Burrata mozzarella from Isola, it was awesome! All the places had great food!!!
That looks like fun, I love little Italy!
I’m not down San Diego way too often, but between your descriptions and your photos–I know I’ll be checking some of these places out the next chance I get!
Thank you all!
This post is making me hungry!! I love Prep Kitchen and just had dinner there last wknd, but can’t wait to check out the other 3 you mentioned… Thanks for sharing 😉
this looks like SO.MUCH.FUN!!! And that food was amazing i’m sure!
Looks like a great time! I need to do one of these Dishcrawls. I adore Little Italy! I love the clothesline at Cafe Zucchero – so cute! Now I’ve got to try out some of those places. I sense a date night with the hubs is in order.
Amazing images! We are Little Italy fans, we would shop there every Saturday for the Mercato. Your pictures and what you wrote made me miss Little Italy and San Diego a lot. Fun place, fun events, lovely people. 🙂
[…] “I attended Dishcrawl Little Italy this week and had some of the best nibbles around! We stopped at 4 fabulous restaurants… 2 of which were already my favs and 2 new to me spots…Our first stop was 98 Bottles. We sampled deliciously crispy flatbread pizzas, artisan cheeses, salami, and some amazing sauces. I loved the truffle honey. I poured it all over the naan cracker bread. They have really decent prices on drinks too. 3 glasses of champagne with tip… $15. Awesome.” Read more… […]
[…] If you didn’t know already… I have a big love for food AND San Diego Dishcrawl events. Please check out my Dishcrawl recaps from Hillcrest, Eastlake, La Jolla and Little Italy. […]
[…] Highlights include the restaurant’s signature Roasted Corn Arancini and Padron Peppers (pictured) as well as the Fields of Italy and Mai Tai cocktails (also pictured). One of my favorite tapas dish has always been the Patatas Bravas. […]