I…""If I could give more stars I would. Within a couple of minutes my wife, her sister and our brother-in-law strolled in ( wearing facial coverings ). Vittorio returned in a few short minutes with my wife's latte which he made and a beautifully presented Italian Cheesecake.
As explained to us the Gnocchi dish is baked in the wood fired oven which thickens the sauce.....the rich textured sauce tasted off the planet. Our main server Luca took our dinner order for a plate of Amatriciana / Bucatini pasta & the Barbara white pizza.Guiseppe the manager came by to say hello again and check on us. Our incredible looking pizza arrived in just a few short minutes and my wife's eyes lit up. Nothing beats wood-fired pizza and Buona Forchetta knows it.
A bit of room for dessert was satisfied by a slice of Italian Cheesecake. We were out running errands today when my wife suggested we grab some lunch at Buona Forchetta. Our meals arrived within a few minutes and course looked spectacular.....real plates, real cutlery but still grated Parmigiano in little plastic to go containers ( due to social distancing issues I'm sure ).
For a...Had been hearing good things, no let me rephrase, great things about Buona Forchetta... so how could I not try?! The chefs and staff make it a great place to recommend. My wife and I arrived near the restaurant before noon and parked the car on the street within 50 feet of the front entrance. The restaurant was completely packed out but the atmosphere was to die for.
I had only just sat down when I spotted our good friend Giuseppe the manager. We said goodbye to our friend Giuseppe and hit the road. I walked back outside and my wife said the wait for a table was 20 minutes but there were 2 spots at the bar. Nice wine and beer selection. We decided to share an Alessandro Gourmet Pizza ( one of our favorites ). Extremely busy place and the reason is good food at a reasonable price. By the time we parked our car and walked across Hwy 101 it was close to 7pm. When my wife and I want to enjoy a really relaxing top quality dinner close to our home...this is our first choice ! The pizzas are different from all the other places....they are 'wet' pizzas....very thin crust. Certainly one of the best tasting Calzones we have enjoyed in a long time. You have to be here to experience the wonderful warm vibe that seems to wrap it's arms around you....and you don't want to leave. As soon as we saw our local Buona Forchetta had a plan in place for curbside pickup we made a move. Ivan brought out the Specials menu ( usually on the Specials Board inside ). Our entrees came here out in quick succession again courtesy of Emily. The margarita pizza is excellent. Maybe too many choices which sounds odd, but sometimes more is not better. Soon after Giuseppe and another server brought out our shared order of Gnocchi Sorrentina. Located in Encinitas, this location boasts a indoor seating as well as an outside patio and a small room for private events. In the milder weather we will always choose inside which we did. The restaurant had a lot of activity......still social distancing and staff wearing facial masks at all times but the old vibe was coming back. A glass of cool water for my wife and a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA for me to kick things off. For dessert our brother-in-law ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake and I chose Cannoli ( I'm not a Cannoli guy but it is pretty nice here ). We loved it ! I love the food, I love the atmosphere and I love the staff. Service at lunch is attentive. Oh well...My first time here cause I was craving pasta and was in the area. Knowing that the place gets slammed for dinner we left home at 4.30pm to get here before 5pm. A sweet hostess asked us would we like to sit inside or outside. Our server for the evening was charming Ivan who looked after us superbly. My wife and I headed here for dinner on Sunday.
Sydney the lovely hostess said hi and found us a table inside while we chained up our bicycles. The India Calzone was as big as a wagon wheel. I felt like I was heading back to Texas! Although I am a lover of all dogs and animals, sometimes extremely large dogs...I've tried Buona Forchetta three times before finally writing a review. The menu will focus on breakfast dishes and Italian baked goods. Luca our friend said hi...he was the first server to look after us from opening day.
After mulling over the regular menu and the Specials board we made a choice from both. Everyone who works here is friendly and professional with a majority of the staff being Italian. But it was still sooooo amazing. Food is phenomenal. This place has to be the BEST Italian Restaurant on the coast for miles and miles. I phoned through a reservation on Saturday morning for midday ( when they open ) on Sunday. They are over the top friendly, when I go to pick up I feel I am visiting with friends. My wife and I decided Friday would be Buona Forchetta Day. Our brother-in-law and my wife's sister were running a bit late.....big bus crash on the 15.
It tasted very good as I expected and wife thought so too when she had her slice. This cozy little Italian gem was nothing short of amazing! 3,514 Followers, 1,377 Following, 227 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Buona Forchetta Encinitas (@buonaforchettaencinitas) "Been coming here for at least 35 years.
From experience knowing that Buona Forchetta locations get busy we arrived around 5 pm. Pretty difficult to...The line certainly does imply that a great dining experience awaits. We decided to scoot over here for dinner last night soon after my wife arrived home from work. Very safe during covid and amazing wine selection!Absolutely delicious pizza! Soon after he returned with complimentary fresh baked bread and side of Lentils. But wait there was more....Ivan our server insisted on making us Cortados. After much debate we chose the Gnocchi Sorrentina .....it was a real tough choice because the menu board had some great options. Tell me that doesn't look like the real deal?!?!