Little Italy’s Civico 1845 Debuts Offshoot in Bankers Hill

Opening for reservations today, just hours after San Diego County entered its second shutdown of indoor dining, Civico by the Park is following the current mandate by limiting service to its 54-seat patio that runs along Laurel Street. The new Italian restaurant is a reboot of the year-old Il Dandy and brothers Dario and Pietro Gallo’s response to these unprecedented and tumultuous times, which have prompted many restaurant owners to make both major and minor pivots.

A reflection of their very popular Civico 1845 in Little Italy, the Bankers Hill eatery builds on the existing menu with new dishes that includes more handmade pasta, from vegan butternut squash ravioli with fresh fava bean sauce to paccheri sauced with a Calabrian pork ragu of sausage, pork shoulder, pancetta, meatballs. The biggest addition is pinsa, ancient Roman style of pizza with toppings ranging from mortadella and pistachio emulsion to n’duja with burrata and rapini.

Though the Civico by the Park debuts tonight with a special public preview, going forward it will be open Wednesday through Sunday starting at 4:30 p.m.

James Tran + Olivia Beall