Caffé Primo, which has locations throughout Los Angeles including the Sunset Strip, downtown LA and Santa Monica, opens its first San Diego restaurant today in the East Village at 1330 Market Street, in a 5,469-square-foot space at the based of the 13 & Market building that includes a large wrap-around patio which seats 80.
They're easing into things with just dinner service this week, but starting Monday, July 13, the all-day eatery will be open seven days a week, starting at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with a morning coffee bar that features espresso drinks, fresh-pressed juice and house-based pastries, plus panini, crepes and omelets.
Caffé Primo CEO Tony Riviera says this new San Diego outpost is an evolution for the casual eatery, which will turn into a full-service restaurant at night, with an exhibition kitchen fueling the large open dining room and a bar offering local craft beer and wine. On the affordable Italian-American menu, shared plates start at $5 and range from grilled octopus and Sicilian meatballs, and pastas focus mainly on the classics, from spaghetti and meatballs to linguine with clam sauce, spaghetti carbonara and chicken and mushroom fettucine alfredo. A Woodstone oven will bake up pizzas priced from $8 to $14, topped with everything from wild mushrooms to BBQ chicken, and entrees include eggplant parmigiana, chicken piccata and a ribeye steak served with truffle fries.