The various seasons of five p.m. are different, but, in my experience, whenever it is five p.m., my stomach starts to get hungry. However, hunger tends to be my downfall whenever I’m traveling since there is usually nowhere to go. So I assume it won’t happen if I want something unique like Italian. Finding an authentic Italian restaurant offering vegan options is rare, except if you’re in the barrio of San Diego. If you want something culturally one of a kind, go to Ciccia Osteria.
Ciccia Osteria is far from a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant located in the Barrio Logan district of San Diego. Barrio Logan is a hidden hub sport of Latinx art and has been labeled the “epicenter of Mexican-American Culture.” An industrial area of South Central San Diego, Barrio Logan is rich with excitement and passion for the neighborhood’s growth. For something so proudly Chicano, it seems like an Italian restaurant would be an outlier, except when you discover the passion behind the food and eatery.
Ciccia Osteria sits slightly on the outskirts of the barrio, hidden behind an enclave of trees and vines and the cheerful voices of excited patrons. The restaurant is mainly an outside patio with a giant fire pit in the center. Still, the outside is a mixture of eclectic bohemian design with a splattering of mismatched tables and chairs and art.
Mario, one of the owners, greeted us with the candor of a longtime friend. He asked us if we had made a reservation; we hadn’t, but despite that, we were still welcomed.
Walking past the archway of what is the front of the house of the restaurant, you are blasted with a calming, comfortable energy. People are casually eating and drinking, and energies are savoring the moment, just like any patron would savor the pasta once it is ordered and enjoyed. Each minute spent there becomes a moment stilled. There is excitement in the air because perspective about the food changes. You’re not just enjoying the food but relishing the food. That is what the aura of the eatery is about.
Sometimes when the moment is vital, feelings and energies are released into the atmosphere and linger like a thick fog that won’t go away. You feel that in places of worship and places to grieve, but sometimes, and only when you’re fortunate, you feel that in places that bring joy. That aura is something that dictates the overall feeling of entering Ciccia Osteria. It is a restaurant that welcomes you with residual gratitude.
Named after the nickname of the owner Francesca, Ciccia is a term of endearment, similar to “sweetie.” In Italy, an Osteria is a restaurant whose concept is to serve simple food and wine, with a menu of daily ingredients easily acceptable in the region, which is what Ciccia succeeded in creating a simple menu perfected more than any other restaurant. With fresh seasonal ingredients, Ciccia focuses more on the moment at hand as a form of preparation and presentation. Both are owned by two chefs with a passion for food and taste. Francesca and Mario Cassineri create flavorful dishes incorporating the cultural flare of Milan in design.
We ordered three dishes, the Sombreri, the Vegan Ravioli, and the Vegan Mafalde, and washed them with an organic vegan Pinot Grigio. The Sombreri is a fresh, chewy, curly shaped pasta dish accompanied by a mushroom sauce. Together, it is rich, savory, and perfectly seasoned, giving you the best-explained feeling of comfort on a rainy afternoon. Trying it, the conversation at the table began to reflect on how delicious the meal was and how the mushroom were far from the overly bland concoction one is generally used to, but instead a pleasant surprise of flavors and senses. The Vegan Ravioli and the Mafalde also followed suit. Both were served with vegan pesto sauce, a salty, savory connection that welcomed our tastebuds with a loving touch. The texture and experience of the pasta were entirely its own. Homemade pasta is its own world compared to boxed pasta. With nonvegan pasta, one might not taste a difference, but with vegan pasta, especially Ciccia Osteria, there is a difference.
Even though it isn’t shocking that San Diego offers some welcoming and accessible vegan food choices, the quality and price of Ciccia Osteria is. At Ciccia Osteria, each meal ranges from $11-$30, which is surprisingly affordable for what you are given. As well as the comfortable, cozy atmosphere, the time at Ciccia Osteria provides a unique one-of-a-kind experience that sits you front and center in a community of growing culture and entrepreneurial spirit. This is why Barrio Logan is the perfect home for Ciccia Osteria. It is a restaurant of culinary exploration that needs a home for cultural celebration as its base.
When going to San Diego, Ciccia Osteria is where to go and celebrate being a vegan. With food and atmosphere that excites and ignites passion within you, the eatery will let you truly experience the joys of being vegan.
