The call
Start with pasta, and check the restaurant’s current menu before you go.
What to order
- Pasta
Best for
- A pasta-focused dinner
- Worth the wait for a table
Italian
Parma Cucina Italiana
A small, busy Hillcrest Italian spot where Roger found the pasta genuinely great and the service solid, with the tradeoff being a real wait to get a table.
From Roger’s camera roll
More photos from Parma Cucina Italiana
Posted 2020-06-02 
Posted 2020-06-02 
Posted 2020-06-02
Source-backed notes
Visit history
Checked in 4 times on Swarm, most recently Jun 1, 2020. See the check-in log
2017-02-17day precision · source explicit
“Great food Service is good Superbomb pasta Small so expect to wait”
Roger called the pasta 'superbomb' and the service good, with the only downside being the small dining room and the wait that comes with it. (From an unpublished Yelp draft review, never posted publicly.)
Stay in the neighborhood
More in Hillcrest.
RecommendedPrice varies
Hillcrest
Cigar Cave
Drinks
Roger's Hillcrest cigar-bar pick, run by an owner (Raul) he calls the friendliest in town, open later than most local lounges with a strong Belgian beer selection on tap and bottle.
- From the order notes
- A cigar paired by Raul · Belgian beer on tap or bottle
- Go for
- Late-night cigar hours · Belgian beer drinkers
Latest recorded visit2025-01-15
Not recommendedPrice varies
Hillcrest
Hong Kong Restaurant
Chinese
A Hillcrest Chinese restaurant Roger says declined after the pandemic, dropping from a two-star review to one star, after an earlier visit he'd already called just okay and Americanized.
- From the order notes
- Go for
- A cautionary tale on a post-pandemic decline
Latest recorded visit2022
Worth trying$$
Hillcrest
Nishiki Ramen - Hillcrest
JapaneseRamen
A Hillcrest location of the Nishiki Ramen chain -- a separate address from the site's existing Kearny Mesa entry -- rated a middling three stars by Roger.
- From the order notes
- Go for
- Ramen in Hillcrest
Latest recorded visit2019-02-02
Keep exploring
More like this.
Browse the Italian page, or continue to another place with a matching cuisine.
MixedPrice varies
Little Italy
Ristorante Illando
Italian
Top-notch service and date-night ambiance above Landini’s, undone for Roger by pasta he found very disappointing.
- From the order notes
- Sangria · Tiramisu
- Go for
- Ambiance and service
Latest recorded visit2017 · approx.
Worth tryingPrice varies
Middletown
Little Italy Pizzeria & Pasta
PizzaItalian
Roger's late-night fallback near downtown when a taco shop or fast food didn't sound good: freshly made garlic bread and pizza that held up fine at 2am.
- From the order notes
- Pizza · Garlic bread
- Go for
- Late-night pizza
Latest recorded visit2021