Lala

On our lists of the best cozy restaurants and special-occasion restaurants in San Diego.

Tucked into the back of a parking lot on India Street, Lala operates as an overflow room for Barbusa, run by the same Busalacchi family that owns it. A hostess with a clipboard and a velvet rope guards the door, and wicker chairs and plant life fill a small dark lounge beside an amaro-focused bar. Chef Nino Zizzo, also of the Busalacchi family, runs the pasta program, including a potato gnocchi in a cream sauce and chargrilled oysters with Parmigiano and pecorino. Barrel-aged behind the bar: its own negroni, and an Italian old fashioned that swaps bourbon for Montepulciano wine.