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Parma Cucina Italiana, San Diego, CA

Parma Cucina Italiana

4.8
4.8
123 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian
3850 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for business meals
  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
Known for the Best Lasagna in San Diego, Parma Cucina Italiana is a charming and cozy family run Italian restaurant in the heart of Historic Hillcrest.

Our traditional Italian cuisine is inspired by generations of home cooking, fresh ingredients, and simple presentations. Our specialties originate from Northern Italy. The must try lasagna is decadent layers of Bolognese and béchamel sauce. Or try our tortellini with cream and prosciutto, or our pappardelle pasta tossed with slow braised short rib and porcini mushrooms.

We have an extensive wine collection with wines from the best regions of Italy. And an Italian meal wouldn’t be complete without our homemade desserts. We suggest tiramisu and profiteroles alla nutella.


Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Dessert
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Celso
  • Catering
    Good food is an essential part of any event - let us do the catering and make it one to remember. See our website for more details www.parmaitaliankitchen.com
  • Private party facilities
    We welcome restaurant buy-outs or partial buy-outs for parties up to 45 people.
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Neighborhood
    Hillcrest
  • Cross street
    University and Robinson
  • Parking details
    Parking available in the area.
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Offers

  • Weekend Happy Hour

    Multiple dates available
    Sun - 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM,Sat - 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
    Deals on Drinks + Eats Saturday & Sunday 3pm - 5:30pm Dog Friendly Patio

    Weekend Happy Hour Photo
  • Wine Wednesday

    Multiple dates available
    Wed - 4:00 PM - 8:45 PM
    30% off all bottles of wine on Wednesday

    Wine Wednesday Photo

What 123 people are saying

Parma Cucina Italiana reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.7Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Diego

    Best Food

  • San Diego

    Best Value

  • San Diego

    Neighborhood gem

  • San Diego

    Romantic

  • San Diego

    Good for special occasions

  • San Diego

    Italian

  • San Diego

    Best Food

  • San Diego

    Best Value

  • San Diego

    Neighborhood gem

  • San Diego

    Romantic

  • San Diego

    Good for special occasions

  • San Diego

    Italian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Parma Cucina Italiana is celebrated for its "best lasagna ever" and "absolutely delicious" handmade pasta. The restaurant offers a warm, family-like atmosphere with "outstanding" service. Outdoor seating with heaters enhances the dining experience. While some note slow service at peak times, the overall dining experience is "amazing."
123 Reviews
  1. Jason VIP

    Atlanta4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always our favorite neighborhood Italian with the most authentic flavors and preparations

    Is this helpful?

  2. David VIP

    San Diego31 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is amazing. The Lasagna OMG. Best I’ve ever had. The service is phenomenal. What a great dinner. Barbara (Barbi) was amazing.

    Is this helpful?

  3. william

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Sat outside Friday night. Restaurant has outdoor heaters making it very pleasant. As usual food was delicious and the service was OUTSTANDING. Why go elsewhere.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Gary VIP

    Tampa65 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Cozy charming Italian restaurant in the heart of Hillcrest. Friendly efficient staff provided a very pleasant experience. Drinks, octopus salad and short rib pasta were all excellent. It’s a real taste of Italy!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Christopher

    Tucson13 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food and great service. I really enjoyed the experience.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Jonathan VIP

    Portland6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 29, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Of all the Italian joints in all the world and San Diego this is the one I prefer to walk in every time. They treat you like family and the food is so good you may as well be at Nonna’s.

    Is this helpful?

  7. OpenTable Diner VIP

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best lasagna ever!! Best staff as well!! Feels like family.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Kevin

    San Diego4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    They always make it right. We ordered the 4 cheese gnocchi in cream sauce for our 7yo and didn’t know one of the cheeses was blue cheese. Of course, my 7 yo was not digging the sour pasta. Parma management swooped in and remade it wo blue cheese and saved the day. Thank you, Parma, for another great dinner!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Lori VIP

    Washington DC36 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 18, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Oh, the food! Absolutely delicious, delicate, hand-made pasta with fantastic flavor-layered meat sauces. The lasagne was served HOT, unlike so many restaurants who don't bother to make sure they've properly (re)heated a dish before letting it out of the kitchen. Sooooo good!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Brenda

    Baltimore1 review

    4.0

    Dined on March 16, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was amazing and the restaurant was super cute but my tummy was a bit upset after. I had a seafood based plate.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Parma Cucina Italiana offers delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. Parma Cucina Italiana also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 543-0049.

Parma Cucina Italiana is rated 4.8 stars by 123 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Diego
  4. San Diego
  5. Hillcrest

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today
Google Map for Parma Cucina Italiana

3850 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

Additional information

  • Cross street
    University and Robinson
  • Neighborhood
    Hillcrest
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Seafood, Dessert
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Parking available in the area.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Celso
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Good food is an essential part of any event - let us do the catering and make it one to remember. See our website for more details www.parmaitaliankitchen.com
  • Private party facilities
    We welcome restaurant buy-outs or partial buy-outs for parties up to 45 people.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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