Cookbook Tavola Calda

We were looking for a place for supper when we happened upon this charming restaurant. We sat out front and waited for one member of our family to arrive. While we waited we were served mozzarella sticks. They were delicious! We all ordered different things from the menu and everyone was delighted with their choices. The food is excellent and the staff is friendly and super accommodating. We had a baby with us so we needed a high chair and one of our party wanted a dish with no cheese. No problem. We all agreed that we would eat here again. It was fun, authentic and delicious!

I’m truly surprised at the 4.5 score here, but maybe they were having an off day when I visited this past weekend.
A friend and I decided to do our own progressive dinner given the large amount of 4+ star Unilocal rated spots in the area. Because of the cheese stick Unilocal deal, we started here for apps.
To start, I was genuinely impressed with the service. The young man who ran the register also ran food, drinks and seemed happy that we had decided to stop in – all positives. However, once the food came, the positives basically stopped.
The cheese sticks were average, at best. They were a bit too greasy and the marinara came cold. It also came cold with the over-​fried, somewhat hollow Mushroom Arancini. The most disappointing dish we tried was the stuffed peppers. I really wanted to like these as the presentation was on point, however it was soggy and super bland.
There are so so many good restaurants in the area — I would suggest skipping this one.

It was about 11 pm on a Saturday and we were craving Italian food. Nothing was open, so we Ubered over here to find some good, piping hot drunk Italian food.
Once we got here, we realized it was more of a deli/​bakery and nothing is freshly made to order. However, being drunk and hungry, we went with it anyway. Besides, some foods taste great reheated — leftover pizza, for instance. Ironically that was the one Italian staple they didn’t have.
We ordered at the counter and decided on their pesto lasagna, meatballs, a sausage calzone, and mozzarella sticks (free with Unilocal check-​in). After about 15 minutes, our food arrived and some were hot, some lukewarm. I guess when there’s only one microwave oven, this is what happens… one dish is bound to be cold!
Breakdown of our dishes:
Pesto lasagna — this was extremely cheesy. In fact, it was just a mound of melted mozzarella with bits of pesto melted in and lasagna noodles stuck in between. No mushrooms or veggies? Too bad. This dish could have been a gem if it had more goodies inside!
Meatballs — lukewarm and doughy, although the marinara sauce was tasty. It came with a side salad, which was baby lettuce with a bit of parmesan and a small plastic container of olive oil. We used the marinara sauce instead for flavor (weird but not bad) because I didn’t feel like dousing my salad with plain oil. Not worth the calories!
Sausage calzone — pretty good. Add this to the list of foods that taste good when reheated! I think they fried it up, so the edges were golden brown and it didn’t taste like microwaved leftovers like the other dishes. The inside had bits of cheese and sausage. What’s not to like?
Mozzarella sticks — pretty good. Standard mozzarella sticks.
All in all, I’m thinking the great reviews are really for the bakery goods and not the food. If I’m ever drunk and lost in Little Italy without a car, I’ll think about having a late night dessert instead of late night foods cooked by Chef Mic (microwave).

Pretty amazing. Extremely nice staff. Wonderful location. Great food. What more could you ask for? I will be stopping here again.

Went to Cookbook, first for a cooking class, and have returned for both lunch and dinner since.
The cooking class was great! Very intimate, casual, fun and knowledgeable. Chef Gregorio takes you through all the steps, all while they are serving you wine and their delicious food.
Now… for the food. I recently tried their special (which prompted me to write this review), Smoked Salmon Potato Gnocchi. I don’t say this lightly, but this may be the BEST DISH I’ve ever had. If you happen to be there during this special and you like salmon, don’t pass this dish up! The gnocchi was cooked to perfection and topped with an amazing cream sauce. I was a bit skeptical on the cream part of the sauce for it’s overpowering richness (I usually like my food a bit on the lighter side), but to my surprise, the cream sauce was light and enhanced the taste of the gnocchi perfectly.
For a fast snack, the Suppli (risotto ball) and the calzone are a fantastic choice.
I also have to add, I recently used them for catering as well. The delivery was prompt, the food was fresh and my corporate clients loved it.
This is the just the kind of place Little Italy was missing, a casual alternative with great food and very reasonable prices. It’s a block off the «hustle and bustle» of India street, but well worth the walk over (and if you’re local like me-​they deliver too!)

Really good stuff here. Highly recommend.
We found this place on Unilocal for a quick bite before drinking. I got the spinach calzone — sooo good! Also try the mozzarella sticks, stuffed peppers, and pesto lasagna!
Thanks guys!

I loved my pesto lasagna — the portion was huge and an excellent value. For a take away place, our group of six managed to sit comfortably and enjoy our meal together. Our group all praised their pastas, meatballs, salads and sandwiches. Our server was helpful and quick to take care of us.
It was a bit odd that they didn’t have a bathroom available, and it almost drove our group elsewhere (folks chose to use the facilities at bar next door). Apparently the key was lost to the building/​door where they have bathroom access.

All the food was precooked and reheated. Service was fine but I wouldn’t go back there…
Also, they don’t serve bread on the side. To me bread is a must at a restaurant.
Sorry Tavola, your concept isn’t working for me…
No wonder we were the only ones eating there at 7:00pm ?!!
The website and the story is great, but the most important thing (the food) didn’t do it for me…

The food was really good no complaints.
Had the pesto lasagna. The mozzarella stick the chicken sandwich. The stuffed pepper.
Topped it off with a peronie and a nut brown beer! !!
Service was great also!!!

This charming, simple Italian restaurant immediately skyrocketed to the top of my list of favorite spots in San Diego. Surrounded by fancier, more upscale Italian restaurants, Cookbook Tavola Calda is a refreshing, casual alternative with amazing food at a good price.
While out on the town for my friend’s birthday, my guy and I wandered over from the overcrowded Waterfront next door to get some fresh air and a bite to eat. Cookbook was right next door and was absolutely perfect as we just wanted a quick meal. Being a visual person and liking to see what I’m about to eat, I appreciated that the food is placed in a large bakery-​style display case.
We decided to order two dishes to share and we chose the Pesto Lasagna ($ 9) and Mac ‘n’ Cheese Affumicato ($ 7). Honestly, we couldn’t decide which dish we enjoyed more. They were both phenomenal! The mac and cheese had a great smoky taste that wasn’t overpowering and the pesto lasagna practically melted in my mouth. We cleaned the plates and barely resisted the urge to lick them and were both happily stuffed.
I noticed after we bought our food that I got an order of mozzarella sticks for free for checking in on Unilocal.We went back up to the counter and they happily accepted our deal without any questions. The mozzarella sticks were also amazing. In fact, my boyfriend liked them so much that he stole the last bite of my stick!
Although I rarely find myself in Little Italy, I will remember Cookbook for the next time I visit the area and I will recommend it to any friends who happen to be in the area. Who knows? I may even make a special trip to Little Italy just to pick up dinner someday too!

I appreciate that this place has options for Italian food at a lower price point than some of the fancier places in the neighborhood!
First, love the Unilocal-​check-​in for free mozzarella sticks. Some other reviews said they were the «best mozzarella sticks» they «ever had», but we found them to be average, taste-​wise. You can tell the breading is homemade, but we weren’t blown away by the taste. But still – free mozzarella sticks! thank you :)
The bolognese lasagna ($ 9), which another Unilocaler said was also the «best ever» was average. It was ok, but nothing special. I wouldn’t order it again.
Lastly, the ricotta & salami calzone ($ 5) was the best thing. It’s a bit small. It is fried – not baked – so the dough is delicious. It comes with a little side of marinara. My eating partner and I agreed that if we ever returned, we would both just get calzones. Yummy.
There are chairs and tables outside, so it is dog-​friendly.

This place is absolutely to die for! They have house made mozzarella sticks that may be the best I’ve ever had. Everything from the calzone to the tiramisu was delicious :)
To top it off — we brought our puppy and our waitress brought him water and some treats.
This will definitely be one of our go-to’s in Little Italy!

I heard about Cookbook from a friend who also lives in Little Italy. She was raving about the free delivery and amazing food. Take out and delivery is available by phone. But the trendy ambiance of the place is worth a visit. I love the colors and the welcoming environment. Plus, there are free mozzarella sticks with Unilocal check-​in, so make sure to get on that because the mozzarella sticks are pretty amazing. I like the tuna sandwich. It’s obvious the ingredients are fresh. Cookbook’s got all your favorite Italian meals — lasagna, calzones, and meatballs. There is seating outside and inside, and you get beer and wine too. There are lots of dessert options, so leave room for sweets! Staff is really friendly and helpful. You can even drop off your business card for a drawing for a free lunch.

It’s not gourmet, it’s not intimate, it’s not upscale, fancy or overly ostentatious. It’s just your quality, standard fare, convenient, Italian food offerings in a place called Little Italy.
It’s nothing to be blown away by as far as Italian cuisine goes but when everywhere else is too pricey or has too long of wait lines, the reasonable pricing, solid offerings and generous portion sizes make it a solid stop.
The stuff we had:
Mozzarella Sticks — 2 pieces free with Unilocal Check-​In. Cool. They’re Mozzarella sticks, you should know what you’re getting here.
Fried Artichokes — Good for fried artichokes I suppose, nothing bad nothing great. They do what they are supposed to which is make a decent appetizer.
Calzone — This one was pretty good. Granted we split it among three people but the flavor was good and I can’t say anything bad about it. Maybe make it a little bigger?
Lasagna Bolognese — Solid portion size which for someone like me, is always a plus. Can’t say it was the greatest lasagna that I have ever had but would you really expect it to be? It was pretty filling and it did hit the spot. I’d say that it was my favorite of the items that we tried.
The service was great. Our server was extremely kind, friendly and helpful so no complaints there.
The bathroom is actually a weird setup. You need a key and you walk past the waterfront and it’s past a bush on your left and it’s the 2^nd door… or something like that. In other words, it isn’t on the immediate premises but they’re there to help you out.
In conclusion, this place isn’t trying to be your «gourmet» type of Italian fare but more of your «convenient» Italian fare. You know what though? I’m totally okay with that because it’s solid, pricing is what you can come to expect in Little Italy and their main plates are fairly decent in portion size. They offer several items, some great looking desserts (no Cannoli though) service is great and when in a pinch for a quick fix, this place fits the bill.

I’m absolutely in love with this new fast-​casual Italian concept.
Little Italy has sit-​down restaurants in spades, but most feature crazy-​high prices and a mediocre product. Cookbook Tavola Calda turns that equation on its head: it’s all about gourmet, homestyle Italian cuisine for a pittance.
I dropped by CTC to have lunch while I was down in Little Italy for a meeting. The place is cute, shiny, and modern — quite a contrast from The Waterfront bar next door, which is a spot that I adore, but is also a spot showing its age these days. I helped myself to a seat, and the server was there to take my order in no time. (There’s also a counter that does take-​out orders for all you overscheduled businessy types.)
The first sign that I was going to love my meal was when I received a small plate of mozzarella sticks, which are free with Unilocal check-​in. They were crispy and gooey in all the right ways. My server was extra-​generous and offered a free sample of CTC’s heavenly «chocolate salami» dessert (actually chocolate and vanilla cookies generously dusted with powdered sugar).
For lunch, I ordered the Bolognese lasagna with a side of Cookbook potatoes. This lasagna was absolutely perfect. A good lasagna is easy to pull off — any halfway-​decent restaurant can slap together some noodles, mozzarella, and béchamel, after all — but a superb lasagna takes a special touch, and CTC has that touch. But the best part might’ve been the price — a mere $ 9. Other restaurants in the neighborhood (who will remain nameless for the time being) are charging double or triple that amount for a lower-​quality product.
The Cookbook potatoes ($ 5) were just as fantastic. These potato wedges were fried and crispy but not greasy at all, so the texture was more akin to something broiled. The spicy aioli was delicious too.
CTC’s food convinced me that this place is the real deal. Next time you’re itching for a power-​lunch, skip the corporate mega-​chains and treat yourself to a fast (but gourmet!) Italian meal from CTC.

New casual Italian street food joint in Little Italy next to the bustling Waterfront bar.
Food was pretty good but not mind blowingly delicious. This place earns its fourth star as service was outstanding, prices are on par, there was no wait, and we got a small order of two fried mozzarella sticks for free with our Unilocal check-​in.
It seems much of the food is pre-​made and then heated up to be piping hot (like the lasagna). Some clearly seemed made to order, like the fried chicken and fried artichokes. There are tons of desserts in their display case, including tortes and traditional or strawberry tiramisu.
I only really liked the sausage calzone ($ 5), which was pretty small but delicious especially the crust. The lasagna was huge for only $ 9, and tasted homemade (light not heavy or salty) but I wasn’t wow’d. The fried artichokes (tiny pieces instead of big leaves) were on the soft side not too crunchy. The fried chicken ($ 9) which is a specialty here was just OK– small panko-​battered thigh cutlets with a decent flavor.
The place was almost entirely empty on a weekend evening, and my dining companions and I were seated right away on the outside patio. There are not a lot of seats but this doesn’t seem to be a problem.
The bathroom is located down the block, and you have to get a key from the staff. My companions chose to wait until they got home because they didn’t want to bother but I didn’t find it too annoying.
BOTTOM LINE: A nice place for a quick meal with excellent service, but food was not especially memorable. I might go back to try a tiramisu since in Italy tiramisu is better at takeaway places versus sit down restaurants.

I just wanted a snack and this was PERFECT.
I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful infused water and very clean interior space.
For my snack, I chose a risotto ball. #1 I love risotto. #2 when you buy risotto at a restaurant is usually a $ 15 + dish. Here, I got my fix of risotto with cheese for $ 3. Not bad. Try the risotto ball!
Then I saw that you get free mozzarella sticks work check in. Score! These were two of the best tasting mozzarella sticks I’ve ever had. Is come back for them and pay full price. Cheesy and flavored nicely. Not greasy at all. Definitely come here for the mozarella sticks!
The marinara sauce was good, but a little too light and sweet for my usual taste, but I still enjoyed it.
I confess that while waiting for my snacks, the dessert case caught my eye and I settled on a tart that was inspired by cannolis. I liked it enough that I desire to go back and try more desserts one day.
So this is not your typical little Italy eatery, but I found it to hit the spot for exactly what I was looking for. A snack, and the price was right.
Maybe I’ll try the coffee and some real food sometime.
So stop in, if you’re passing by, like me or if you can’t get a seat at the historic Waterfront bar next door, stop in here instead. :)
So, you want a new place to try? This is 5 months new as I write this. Come here. Check in. Get free mozzarella sticks and then pick one new thing to try. Then tell me all about it ;)

It was the weekend and walking ’round my hood I didn’t want to wait a long time for food. CTC had a few people seated but wasn’t so crowded that I would faint from hunger before being served.
The concept is quick Italian. With pasta dishes and different main dishes along with sides. They run a deal if you build a full meal and it runs about $ 15.
The staff were nice and I could tell they really wanted to do a good job. The problem really was the food. It lacks fresh flavors and reminded me of an airport restaurant. Everything is clearly pre made, which in itself isn’t awful. It just really tasted reheated.
Risotto: what was touted as «yellowtail» was canned tuna. Very fishy smelling and even worse tasting. I thought it was a bold special and imagined a seared sliced fish over the risotto. What I got was akin to cat food. I couldn’t even choke down a small fork full so I did something I freaking hate doing, I complained to the manager.
He did end up taking the dish off of my bill which I appreciate, especially since I honestly found it so awful I couldn’t finish a bite. When I gave my reason he did say something troubling. He said the chef uses fish stock in a lot of his dishes which A) should be noted for those who are allergic and B) still doesn’t account for the canned fish overwhelming the dish. Hopefully he saw I wasn’t being difficult and giving honest feedback.
Anyway, I’m happy he did the right thing.
Mozzarella sticks were free with Unilocal check in and average.
Roasted potatoes were good but are more like potato wedges and not fingerling are small whole roasted potatoes. Which is fine but unexpected.
The tiramisu comes in a cup and tastes mostly of whipped cream.
The set up and outside are cute. The staff work hard and really tried to give a great experience. The problem really is the food. It’s bland at its best and inedible at its worst. With more restaurants opening in the area soon I would not bet on CTC for the long haul unless they start to put better food on their plates.

Very good, solid Italian «street food.» I had the featured vegetarian entrée (large pasta shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta), husband had the chicken curry. These 2 entrees and 2 beers came out to just under $ 30. Friendly, authentic service.
Peroni on tap is an awesome option for anyone nostalgic for days drinking (lots) of this beer while on vacation in Italy.

Unfortunately, this review is only for their dessert and coffee, given that I had eaten earlier in the evening before coming, so my review will only reflect that, but I certainly intend to return to try the savory.
For my coffee, I had an Americano by illy, an Italian coffee roasting company, and the Torta Alla Ricotta which came with ricotta cheese cream and chocolate chips on a beautifully prepared pastry with a light dusting of a light chocolate (
). The torta was quite a treat filled with semi sweet rich ricotta cheese only to be pleasantly disturbed by a sweet chocolate chip morsel (
). Luckily these little morsels were quite large in the dessert. The crust was expertly prepared with its light golden color, perfect flakiness, and subtle flavor that allowed the baked ricotta to shine as it did (
). I great dessert that went perfect with the Americano.
The illy Americano was excellent. I provided a smooth flavor, yet strong little bite. The raw sugar on the side was a very nice touch (
), and I can not say enough, for the chocolate salami, which was rich in chocolate flavor and soft with moist cake (
). It went well with the coffee.
The owner and employees are very nice, and put in that extra effort to make sure you had a pleasant and enjoyable meal. They are open late, so if you work and live in the Little Italy, this is a great spot for a late meal, snack, or much needed espresso to stay up even later!
Bring it!