Chef Cesarina Brings Dreamy Brunch to Elvira

Holy cannoli, San Diego! Chef Cesarina’s wildly popular brunch spot in Little Italy is expanding its magic to a brand new location, and we’re absolutely buzzing. She’s bringing her Italian kitchen wizardry to Elvira, transforming weekend mornings into a Roman holiday.

And just between us? The dinner menu is about to make these chilly nights a whole lot cozier.

Brunch Goes Bold and Beautiful

Ready for avocado toast to get its Italian glow-up? The Pane, Avocado, e Carbonara is here to rock your brunch world. It’s like your regular avo toast flew to Rome and came back wearing Gucci—absolutely fabulous and impossible to resist.

Spice lovers, hold onto your cappuccinos! The Uova Incazzate is about to set your taste buds on fire (in the best way possible) with ‘Nduja and Spianata Calabrese. And guess what? The legendary Frittatone di Pasta e Polpette is making its triumphant return.

Trust us, this pasta-loaded frittata will make your regular egg dishes feel like they need a passport.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

Let’s talk about Nonna Elvira’s Ricotta Pancakes because OMG. These fluffy clouds of joy come dressed three ways: swimming in fresh berries and homemade compote, draped in Nutella and banana (we’re not drooling, you’re drooling), or doing the dolce vita with roasted apples and cinnamon-ricotta cream.

Pop those bottles because the drinks are just as fabulous! The Sgroppino di Nonna 3.0 is basically sunshine in a glass, mixing elderflower liqueur, vodka, and Prosecco into pure happiness. Skipping the booze? The Pepe & Lavanda Spritz brings all the fun without the fizzy aftermath.

Winter is Coming (Sort of)

San Diego’s idea of winter (aka temperatures below 70°) calls for some serious comfort food, and Elvira’s new dinner menu is here to deliver! The Fettuccine al Ragu in Bianco is what pasta dreams are made of—think slow cooked grass-fed beef that’ll make you want to hug the chef.

The Paccheri coi Polpetti al Sugo? Baby octopus so tender it practically dances in San Marzano tomato sauce. And vegans, get ready to do a happy dance—three new plant-based pastas just joined the party, including a Cacio e Pepe that’ll make you question everything you know about vegan cheese.

But wait—the Spuntature e Semolino is like the greatest hits album of comfort food: beef short ribs, baby pork ribs, and sausage snuggling up to cloud-like semolina gnocchi. Cap it off with the Torta Al Caffé, a dessert so good it should come with a warning label (spoiler: you’ll dream about this espresso-chocolate creation for weeks).