Old Trieste Restaurant

Went for our 15th wedding anniversary. What a great place. Some places are dated and need to be updated. This is not one of those. This place is dated and needs to stay that way. It is like stepping back in time to a more sophisticated, professional and elegant time. I kept expecting Jimmy Stuart to sit down at the next table. I am all about casual but it is places like this that make dressing up special. To have dinner in the same room that Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball dined in was great. The service was perfect and the food was amazing. This is a special occasion place that is not to be missed. I was told by our server that Jackets for men are no longer required but no shorts or flip flops. This is not a snobby restaurant but it is a classy restaurant and if you need to be told that you are not dressed appropriately then maybe you shouldn't be dinning here.

My experience was neither as good or as poor as reviews would have you believe. Contrary to negative reviews, service and atmosphere were impeccable, though we dined on a slow night. Contrary to positive reviews, this is not some hidden gem that you are missing out on. Food was fairly average and lacked the wow factor that warrants a 5 star review. The two standouts were the fried zucchini and fresh bread. Given the meat and fish entrees are priced high (over $30) my friend expected higher quality flavors of her filet mignon dish. Glasses of wine are overpriced at over $11 per glass considering they serve wines that you find standard around town for much less. These prices are also not listed on the wine list because the wine list does not list wine by the glass. The mushroom pasta I ordered was served in a massive portion and was the only vegan option on the menu. While I got two meals out of it and it was certainly a good portion size, it wasn't good enough for me to expect to return anytime soon.

Excellent food, intimate and low noise setting with a very "old school" feel to the place. Eating here is not a bargain hunter's delight. You do however, get what you pay for and that means excellently prepared food that is quite tasty and satisfying. The place is rather nondescript on the outside and small on the inside - I think there was table space for no more than forty at most. Off street parking is available and seemed sufficient for the size of the restaurant. On the Friday night I was there they had but the host, a waiter and one serving / clearing man. Yet, the service flowed and was neither too slow nor harried from serving all the patrons. I had the sirloin parmigiana, my date the halibut (special that night) and we had a Malbec with the meal. My steak all but melted in my mouth and her meal was wonderfully savory as well. We finished with some tasty coffee and Tiramisu for her with a chocolate truffle cake for me. And all for about $100. Neither of us felt cheated on our portions or left wanting of a tasty meal and a fine dining experience.

I feel like I must've gone to a different restaurant than the other reviewers. I keep hearing "old school". Just say OLD. From the dusty, ancient red velvet drapes to the worn, red indoor outdoor carpet and the avocado green refrigerator in the kitchen (visible as you exit the restrooms). It's just plain old! Went on a Tuesday evening. 2 waiters on shift only 5 tables including us. Service was ridiculously slow and waiter was borderline rude. The older waiter was very nice but neither had any sense of urgency. It was 20 minutes before we even got a menu and we had to ask for it! I ordered veal masala and my daughter ordered the filet med rare. The veal was good but the filet was tough and over cooked served on plate alone no garnish. The meal comes with a side of pasta (bowties) in marinara, nothing special. There wasn't anything special about any of it. Not horrible just not worth the time or the money. Honestly don't know how this place keeps the doors open.

We came here for dinner on NYE. It's one of the last of the old school restaurants in SD. We loved the lounge like, rat pack vibe. Waiters wore suit and ties. Nice touch. Service, however was terrible. No one would help us figure out who to check in with for our reservation. 20 min later someone finally helped us. We were seated, drinks were ordered. It took 30 min before anyone took our order. It was almost an hour before our mediocre meals came...luke warm, smothered in So much fat slices of onion, maybe at least a pound of mushrooms that tasted like they were decomposing yet still were used. Sauce on my steak marshals completely drowned out the meat. My husband had a different dish and it was actually smothered in the same sauce as mine! Ok, we tolerated this because it's NYE and we knew we couldn't go anywhere else. So, dishes are cleared and it's another 30 min before getting our check. We were so deflated from this experience that we didn't even bother to go to the party we had planned to attend. This place is small and wasn't booked to capacity, seemed like there were enough servers. I'm guessing that problems in the kitchen combined with a staff that is rarely used to having more than 2 tables to each server was what hurt the evening. The owner just said it's NYE and that this is how it always is on a busy night. No apology, offer to maybe comp our coffee took place. I really wanted to love Old Trieste. I just cant.

Blast from the past old timey spot. And it's awesome. Leather booths. An old bar. 11 tables. The owner as the lead server and wife behind bar, daughter often running kitchen. Exactly what you want in a little neighborhood fine dining establishment. Excellent food to top it off. Pricing from the 80s is a bonus. Dont hesitate... just go and enjoy it yourself! You'll be glad you did ...

Food was very delicious and the restaurant is absolutely beautiful but servers tended to talk down to us like we were children because we're in a younger crowd than their usual customers. Overall, very nice place but not for a younger crowd.

I have been thoroughly ENJOYING the B E S T Italian food here since 1994....first served by Larry's parents...and now Larry (owner) ... who IS the Que essential host/server/etc./etc......LOVE the music (Dean Martin, Sinatra, old Classics...)...LOVE .. LOVE...simply LOVE the delicious Italian food!........Victor, the assistant server, IS wonderful (35 years serving here!!)....the chef has been here for 38 years!!!.....LOVE absolutely EVERYTHING about Old Trieste .....Take ALL my best people HERE .....NO WHERE ELSE ....SERIOUSLY! :) :) :)