Maranello Restaurant

Maranello is a Northern Italian dinner restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy that wears Ferrari's home town on its sleeve: racing red through the room, race suits and commissioned art on the walls and a real Ferrari engine on display. It was opened this year by three Italian chefs, Vincenzo Loverso, Marco Provino and Alessandro Minutella, and it is a destination in itself for anyone who wants the Emilia-Romagna table with the Ferrari nod done properly rather than as a poster on the wall.

The theme carries through the drinks list. The cocktails are named for the cars: 250 GTO is a Negroni sbagliato, Dino a coconut margarita, F40 the Italian Stallion with dragon fruit, Purosangue a Sarti spritz, Enzo a tiramisu espresso martini, F80 a bourbon and limoncello gold rush, F50 a strawberry Testarossa and 458 Italia an Eastside. Food is Emilia first: Carbonara Maranello on fettuccine with guanciale, lasagna Emiliana finished at the table with a warm cheese fondue, a chef's pasta tossed in the cheese wheel at market price, a Maranello bruschetta of grilled peach, prosciutto and stracciatella. The wine list is all Italian by region, with a handful of California, Argentina and New Zealand bottles.

It is dinner only, from 4pm, in a walkable neighbourhood of restaurants, so book a table on OpenTable and make it the evening after a day at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park.

A themed Italian dinner, not a car museum with food; the cars are in the names and the decor.

• A Ferrari engine on display, racing red interior, race attire and custom art through the room.
• Ferrari named cocktails from US$16 to US$18: 250 GTO, Dino, F40, Purosangue, Enzo, F80, F50, 458 Italia.
• Signature plates: Carbonara Maranello US$27, lasagna Emiliana finished tableside, cheese wheel pasta at market price, Maranello Caesar US$14, Maranello bruschetta US$16.
• All Italian wine list across Veneto, Friuli, Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily, Puglia and Emilia.
• Dinner service only from 4pm; reservations on OpenTable, private group dining available.
• Little Italy is a walking district; pair it with the neighbourhood rather than driving between stops.

• Open from 4pm daily; the restaurant publishes 9:30pm close Sunday to Thursday and 11pm Friday and Saturday, while other listings show 10:30pm, so check maranellosd.com or phone 619 303 0415 for a late table.
• Parking is not published; Little Italy is street and garage parking.
• No cars are on display beyond the engine; the theme is decor and drinks.

Last updated: 11 September 2026