This is my 2nd time here. First time was like 5-6 years ago. I was craving pesto so I enjoyed the pasta pesto with garlic (yummy!!!!!) and pesto knots, while my husband got the Keto pizza. Yep the cauliflower crust and artichoke, veggie toppings. His was quite delicious. The pistachio cheesecake added to the wonderful lunch.😋😋😋😋😍😍😍😍 My husband like the relaxing vibe and we will be coming here more often. Nice sized parking.

Came to this fine establishment by recommendation of a friend. I was pleasantly surprised! Centrally located on El Cajon Blvd in San Diego, Pesto Italian Craft Kitchen is that place you want to go to bring a “1st Date”. It’s not too much and is suitable for everyone. Let me explain. They’ve got convenient parking in the rear. They’ve got super-friendly staff that greet you as you enter. They’ve got bar-seating, indoor seating and patio seating. They’ve got pick-up/take-out and dine-in options. They’ve got a relaxing ambiance that’s not too classy and not too trendy. It’s just right. It feels cozy and yet spacious. They’ve got televisions that vary from the Food network to sports and so it lends a little towards everyone. Their music really set the mood. They were bumping classics from Frank Sinatra, to Dean Martin, to Stan Getz and then towards closing time, they played some more upbeat music. I REALLY appreciated their super-clean bathroom too. Their service was prompt & constant. Interesting enough, I believe you’re supposed to order & pay up-front at the desk and then seat yourself and you will be served. When I came in, I gave them my card, ordered a drink, opened a tab and took the menus to my seating. They came with my first drink and then I was still able to place orders with the waitress. So, that was my work-around to not have to get up all the time. The waitress also brought me plenty of beer samples, so I had a great drinking experience and ordered many. Their salads looked phenomenal and their paninis amazing! But in the end, I ordered a custom pizza. I got the ‘Farmstand’ and requested bbq chicken added. It was flawless! The basil was fresh, the sundried tomatoes were poppin and the goat cheese was perfect! (I’d like to add that they also have gluten-free options with their cauliflower crust and that was is fantastic) The only “con” I experienced is that I wished the waitress would have reminded me that it was Happy Hour and up-sold me more drinks! Lol! Overall, I really had a great experience at Pesto Italian Craft Kitchen and I recommend it to anyone who wants to pay fair prices for a great dining experience.

This place is great for socializing or a date night. Came here with my husband on a week day at night. The ambience is relaxing and calm, as their not many people. The food is great, overall a perfect place to dine at.

Food was good but overpriced. Not such great service either. Had to ask 3X for ketchup.

Great pizza. I don't usually like pizza in the USA since I live in Italy and prefer Italian pizza. This place has excellent pizza!

The Carne Pizza was delicious! Oven baked to perfection! Really enjoyed it! Will be returning for more soon!

Great food and great atmosphere! The pizza was amazing! Staff could be a little more engaging but they were great people. Thanks!

Delicious, fresh pesto chicken panini. It even had avocado, yum! Chips are great too, I'll be back for sure. Plus 2 free garlic knots if you check in with yelp.

Great service and tasty Italian food.

Used to love this place, but between a single bad experience and their lack of concern for Covid safety, I won't be returning. The bad experience: I didn't receive my order until 20 minutes after it was marked as ready on Postmates. There was zero communication during this 20 minutes except toward the end. They finally informed me that the issue was that they ran out of prosciutto, and had to slice more. When I finally received my order, it was cold. Which likely means they let my pizza sit out after baking it, letting it get cold for 20 minutes while they sliced procuitto to put on top of it. The Covid issue: two employees in the back kitchen and two more up front wore their masks below their nose.

Awesome delicious food! Super simple and super authentic! Give it a try you wont be disappointed!!

I dont care how good the food is. Charging $23 for a single entree? That's straight up criminal. If you can't sell an entree for $15 or less at a casual dining restaurant, maybe you shouldn't be operating a business in the first place. Also, one meatball? Seriously? You would think im purchasing the cure to cancer

Fresh, delicious food- excellent service. The funghi pizza- omg!

Amazing food and great service. 2nd time visiting and always are greeted by team members when we have visited! Love the store options to eat indoors and outside on the patio. We were celebrating my brother’s birthday and felt very happy with the service of the cashier who helped us place our order and accommodating us by turning on the outdoor space heaters so we could enjoy our family dinner outside! 10/10 would recommend to friends and family to visit and enjoy a nice dinner here!

I ordered the pestofredo pasta dish. It came with chicken and broccoli for the price of twenty dollars. The portion was generous and there was a good amount of chicken, but there wasn't enough sauce to coat the noodles and the meat and the vegetables. Even an ounce more would've enhanced the dish and made it less dry.. Still very delicious, but something to be aware of.

This place is our go-to local restaurant for amazing craft pizzas and Italian food. You can definitely taste the difference between the food made here versus the franchised restaurants.

Excellent food and friendly

Vegan panini was delicious! Ordered a little cup of hot homemade marinara sauce to dip it in, made it even better

The pesto garlic knots are delicious!

Outstanding taste very flavorful

Very clean, fresh food, fair prices. Parking is available and the atmosphere is cool. Original Italian kitchen.

I still have sticker shock from Thailand to the USA. I went because @blvd 63 had some advertising but no fine print or something.... But the food was good on a special. Took a little while to prepare. Nice new guy working and the seasoned guy was very good and very helpful. Did take away, but they had inside and outside dining. Homeless (?) Lady was UNFORTUNATELY in the trash and Property and another passed out on the lawn as I walked back. I wish I would have taken pictures but my life as a Google Guide is being overwhelmed by the Elder Abuse by Marcia Montag and her lawyer Ted Cook taking my funds and life AWAY rather than doing the honorable things?

Let me start off with Maya is the best and the rest of the staff is awesome too! First time there and was impressed with not only the food but the service too! Pesto Perfecto pizza, Penne Diavolo and Pestofredo. Also had the Garlic Knots topped with pesto! Thanks for the wonderful service and food!!

Food is delicious and customer service is awesome! We had garlic knots with pesto, pestofredo, and mussels a la bianca. Highly recommend!

Food is tasty and fresh, service is always pleasant. We eat here about 3 times a month specially with the happy hour specials. Our favorite is the quinoa salad, add salmon, and the pesto sandwich. Enjoy.

The pizza was delicious! Ordered the Margherita and the Prosciutto Bianca which both were amazing. The mixed greens salad was good and shareable.

The wifey and I had our New Year lunch at Pesto 🔥. The HeadChef Lorenzo took care of us very well along with Pesto Staff.

Got the lunch special and added garlic knots. Didn't care for the Margarita Pizza. The sauce taste like hunts tomato sauce out the can. Left a strange taste in my mouth. The garlic knots were fine, the cesar salad was flavorless. Also, over priced $48.52 for two lunch specials and a side of knots. Wouldn't go back

The food is fantastic, and the service is great. This is our second visit, and we always receive a warm welcome from the team. We appreciate the indoor and outdoor dining options. We celebrated my brother's birthday, and the cashier was very helpful in taking our order. They even turned on the outdoor space heaters, allowing us to enjoy our family dinner outside. I highly recommend this place to friends and family for a delightful dining experience!

Incredible food and exceptional service. This was our second visit, and we've consistently been welcomed by the team. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and we appreciate the variety. On this occasion, we were celebrating my brother's birthday, and we were impressed with the cashier's service. They helped us place our order and even turned on the outdoor space heaters to ensure we could enjoy our family dinner comfortably outside. A solid 10/10 recommendation for friends and family to experience a delightful dinner here!

Food is excellent must try garlic knots every bite is amazing. Great service people are really nice. Good Italian restaurant ❤️

Excellent casual fresh spot, Chef Humberto goes out of his way to feel everyone welcome and plates are delicious but simple. Highly recommended 🙌

By far the best Italian food I’ve ever had! Its a beautiful place with great customer service, great place for lunch and dinner. Everything was delicious and very filling, loved the space and outside sitting as well

I love the pasta and atmosphere.

Meh. Pricey for mediocre, bland food. Tomato sauce on the pasta and stuffed shells was watery and tasted like it was poured right out of a can with no seasoning. Shredded basil on top doesn’t count. Not impressed, especially for the price.

Love this place! Everything is cooked to order and all meals have a home cooked feel to it. Customer service is always great and all employees make you feel welcomed. My favorites include their pesto panini, spaghetti with meatball, and craft fries. The food is consistently delicious and I'm always satisfied with the quality of my orders. Though tiny, the interior decor is simple but Instagram worthy. It's a nice spot for a casual, chill dinner with outdoor seating.

One of our family’s very favorite restaurants in San Diego ♥️ We order their zucchini fries, farmers panini, and pizza at least once a month 😍 very friendly staff and owner❣️ The live music was a special touch too Thank you for all your delicious food!!

Good food, but service for delivery drivers seems off. Workers have to verify order four times before you can receive it..

If I could give this place 100 stars I would. We got takeout from here. Amazing food. The pizza is to die for as well as the pesto garlic knots.

Great food. Excellent keto options

Absolutely wonderful food. Casual atmosphere with a great outdoor seating area! The staff were extremely friendly and could offer various recommendations. Try the local sodas they have too

The restaurant is first-rate and roomy, the food was yummy and the rates were very economical. quick, efficient service and very affable staff members. Will definitely recommend this place.

Always great. Keep supporting.

Been wanting to try this place since it opened! Unfortunately it’s take out only, otherwise, they have a very cute outside patio. Quite a few guests came to pick up their order. Proper stickers on the floor for six feet rule. We waited outside in our car and they brought the food out to us. It was secured in a brown paper bag and the top was stapled. We brought it home and eager to open the bag. I was surprised to see utensils, napkins and even plates! Each dish was in a foil tin on top of a plate and that’s how it was stacked. Pestofredo - It’s a mix of pestofredo and craft pesto. Craft pesto is just pesto green sauce and pestofredo is a mix of Alfredo and pesto. This dish has shredded roasted chicken with fettuccini and it’s super moist and tasty. Added broccoli as veggies. The sauce is light on the creamy side which I prefer. Pasta & sauce - there’s 3 pasta choices and 5 sauce choice. We got penne with bolognese. You can tell the sauce is fresh because it has the tomato sour taste and a bit of sweetness from carrots! Meat lasagna - This dish is same as the previous dish except it’s lasagna with each layer as cheese. If you check into Yelp, you get two free garlic knots! It has a bit of saltiness,a blend of sweetness, soft and chewy, the center reminded of biting into a Cinnabon. The garlic bread was amazing! It’s thin like bruschetta bread with melted garlic butter and with every crunch, the bread melts in your mouth! Taste great dipped in the red sauce. My bf is picky and he actually approved of this place. Our favorite is the Pestofredo.

I first ordered from you on 08-03-2020 through a delivery app. The whole family loved and adored your food. My daughter especially loved the marinara sauce on the children’s spaghetti. We ordered pasta with marinara sauce again in 9/2020 & tonight on 12/04/2020. The last two orders - the marinara sauce was like a salsa texture (not preferred) & covered with cheese (also not preferred). I am not sure what happened to the marinara sauce the last few times. But my daughter & I are not fans. Maybe a new chef or recipe? I will be going back to our previous place even though they do NOT deliver. Some things are worth the effort.

Good stuff and was not crowded. The service was fast.

My go-to Italian spot in SD. Food is always fresh and delicious of course. Gelli is very attentive and always have an up beat and cheerful personality.

This place have the most great and delicious food you ever can imagine

Nice place. A little pricey. Nice staff, good food, cozy. Pizza, pasta and a few sandwiches.

Good food great service.

Great place, delicious food but staff was lazy.

service is slow

Amazing food and atmosphere. Friendly and professional staff and owner is also very involved. If you haven't tried Pesto . It is a must go!!!

Pizza was really good. Beer and wine cost way too much

Good food but horrible customer service. Finally after getting our order in they brought us the food but how long do we need to stand at the counter before being asked can I help or go down there 🤔 to place your order or the other cash register and they will take your order .

(Translated by Google) Delicious :) (Original) Очень вкусно :)

Wings were great and the spicy sauce they served it with was delish! Hard pass on the cheese ravioli. -1 Star bc whoever picked up the phone kept asking me to hold then would leave me on the phone for several minutes.

A magical little place where you can get quality Italian food for reasonable prices and reasonable portions. Staff was incredible, genuine smiles all around and only too happy to help. I will definitely be back often! Edit 09/02/2020 The food is still good but I came in tonight and the manager was walking around the food prep area with his mask half off. Every other employee I saw was wearing their mask correctly which is how I guessed it was the manager. I gave him a look the 1st time I saw it and he quickly adjusted his mask but then 20 mins later he's talking to the guy making pizza (who's wearing his mask correctly) and wearing the mask as a chin strap. How embarrassing to be led by someone willing to endanger his whole crew instead of just wear his mask correctly.

All around a great place to eat. Outstanding customer service.