Ambrogio by Acquerello

Review summary

1. E

   Ed

   San Diego

   47 reviews

   5.0

   47 reviews

   Dined on December 8, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   If you are expecting a typical restaurant meal you will not get it here. If you a looking for a true dining experience I highly recommend Ambrogio by Acquerello. 8 courses of extraordinary food, wine pairings and top notch service. The surprise “breakfast” as the third or fourth course is fun. Playing the “guess the ingredients” game is challenging. Bon appetite.
   

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2. J

   Jacqueline

   Palm Springs

   11 reviews

   3.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Ambrogio offers tasting menu. We went with "Dancing with the Stars." The food was just ok with one or two pretty interesting dishes - the egg surprise was very interesting and very well done. Tasty and we enjoyed trying to figure out what was it in. The squab was somewhat under salted. Pasta was ok. The dessert course was great. I think the pacing was a little too slow for our liking. Interminable is the word I think, and the first few were very little (though to be expected). We finally said something because my hungry teen was dying. The other problem was with the temperature of the food. They were not hot enough for my liking. Sort of lukewarm? Ok for the stuff that is not meant to be hot. But not so great for what I think should be hot. I think perhaps it has something to do with how we were not in the main dining room and the food has to be walked to us from the outside. I have no idea. I finally realized that was part of why I wasn't enjoying my meal as much. We went with high expectations but felt let down by the experience. It didn't seem like Italian food too. There was a lox/salmon dish from New Zealand which was nice, but... not quite Italian. The eel was with mango (even though the menu said cherry). That tasted strangely Chinese peking duck in flavor. Anyhow, perhaps it was just an off night or I am not easy to please. But all of us concluded that we are not in a hurry to return.
   

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3. B

   Betina

   San Diego

   27 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   27 reviews

   Dined on September 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a lovely tasting menu experience….each plate contained something beautiful and delicious, with some unusual pairings. Nice selection of wines, including some lesser known Italian choices, all meant to complement the menu. Attentive service. A meal meant to be enjoyed bite by bite.
   

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4. C

   Chris

   Grand Rapids

   1 review

   vip
   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on August 28, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Incredible all around. Hostess was great and did a wonderful job explaining each course and the wine
   

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5. J

   Jacob

   San Diego

   30 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   30 reviews

   Dined on August 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   By far the best dining experience in San Diego. Ambrogio by Acquerello is a real gem, offering one of the most creative tasting menu I have ever experienced, definitely worth of a Michelin star if not two! My wife did the vegetarian menu and I did their signature menu. Both were incredible, from the presentation of the dishes to the flavors to the quality of the ingredients. My favorite was the Hokkaido scallops "pollock style", a dish I was told to be inspired by the famous painter. The texture was pure butter, melting in my mouth with delicate yet powerful flavors. My wife was in love with her vegetarian Rossini, an eggplant dish with daikon and truffle. The dessert was pure heaven for a chocolate lover like me. We also recommend doing the wine pairing, they add a lot of values to the meal with each glass (mostly natural wines from small wineries) complementing the dish. The sommelier and the servers were gracious and informative, with a lot of amazing storytelling. We loved everything about this experience and will recommend it to all our friends. Do yourself a favor and go try this restaurant before it becomes impossible to make a reservation.
   

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6. A

   Anna

   Salt Lake City

   10 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   10 reviews

   Dined on August 14, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 2

   We have been to numerous restaurants from Michel Guide recommendations list and never been so disappointed. Service was excellent and all of the waiters were very et nice, Sommelier and wine pairing was awesome too but food… there was not a single course that I would try again even for free except the lemon sorbet and dessert. The couple next to us had the same reaction… and we couldn’t believe this is a highly rated restaurant. it’s unbelievable how this restaurant is on the Michelin Guide… to pay 800$ for 2 adults and a child and leave the restaurant without enjoying any of the food was first time experience for us. If the main chefs were on vacation and we got someone else that probably would explain but there is no way I am going back to this restaurant again or recommending to anyone. I wonder if they have any returning customers. Save your money and go somewhere else… If this was not a special day I would have walked away after the first dish for sure but we figured we will give it a try and that was a wrong decision.
   

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7. M

   Mindy

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on August 11, 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   This was by far the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. I have been to countless M star restaurants and this was horrible!!! One couple left in the middle of the “meal” because the food was so bad. Frankly, I wish I had been brave enough to do the same!! Wildly expensive and generally a very poor tasting menu. I’m not sure who considers this fine dining… yuck!
   

   Ambrogio by AcquerelloResponded on August 17, 2024

   Dear Mindy, I am sorry to hear that you hated our restaurant, it makes me sad to read your review. However, there's a line between criticizing and attacking with hateful words. We have had a Michelin star in Italy for 10+ years and got a mention in San Diego within 16 months of being open, we have been voted as one of San Diego top 10 restaurants on timeout, thrillist, SD Mag and plenty more, so I believe there are many people that consider our restaurant fine dining. We might have failed to please your palate and you are welcome to not like it or even find it horrible, but just because you and another couple did does not mean everyone will agree with you. Keyboard warriors feel strong behind a screen, but often don't understand that all they do is hurting real people. I wish you the best
   

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8. JF

   JeffF

   San Diego

   38 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   38 reviews

   Dined on August 3, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our server, Mariana, was great! We’d go back and ask for her for certain. The food was good but I think we may have had higher expectations and honestly we were a bit disappointed. 2 egg dishes, 3 seafood & a squab. The dessert chocolate 5 ways may have been the best course of the night. We chose to do the premium wine tasting which was further curated to our tastes by Mariana. She did a great job there and made the evening as we learned and shared our joint love of wine and Italy w her. We celebrated our 33 anniversary and feel the night/dinner at Ambrogio did make it memorable.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego

   15 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on July 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Tasting menu was exquisite. Every menu item was filled with flavor and so unique. I paid the additional $60 to add the wagyu. Even though it melted in your mouth, I think that part was a little too pricey for such a small portion. Overall I recommend.
   

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10. a

    adrienne

    Los Angeles

    68 reviews

    5.0

    68 reviews

    Dined on July 13, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    This 3 hour dining experience was a highlight of our little get away to SD! My partner is an Italian trained chef and he was very impressed! The staff and did an awesome job providing exceptional service and great flavors and presentation! It is very expensive so be prepared. We opted for the wine pairing. It was an experience to remember!
    

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