Villa Capri: A Serious Italian Wine List in a Poway Shopping Centre, Open Only Until Eight

Overview

Villa Capri is in the Target shopping centre in Poway, and it has Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone on its wine list.

That contrast is the whole story. The address says strip mall. The list says trattoria and wine bar — which is exactly what it calls itself, Villa Capri Trattoria & Wine Bar — with "home-style Italian and Amalfi influenced dishes" from "Southern Italian Native executive chef/partner Dario Dentamaro."

The tiramisu is made to his grandmother's recipe. The restaurant says so plainly, and it's the kind of detail you only put on a menu if it's true.

It has won Best Italian, Best Wine Bar and Best Fine Dining in the Union Tribune's Best of North County Inland poll, which the restaurant says it has done "numerous times."

Here's the thing to get right, and it's the most common way to miss this restaurant entirely.

It doesn't open until 4 p.m., and it closes at 8 p.m. — 8:30 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

That's a four-to-four-and-a-half hour service. No lunch, ever. And a 7:30 arrival on a Monday leaves you half an hour. Reservations are strongly recommended, which on a window this tight is less a suggestion than arithmetic.

What to Order

The three dishes the restaurant itself calls signatures:

• Carciofi alla Romana — $19.95. Their "signature dish of artichokes"
• Pera e Gorgonzola — $19.95. The pear and gorgonzola pizza, a "Villa Capri signature dish"
• Budino di Pane — the "Villa Capri signature bread pudding," on a dessert menu priced at $12.95

Antipasti $16.95–$20.95: Bruschetta al Pomodoro $16.95 · Carpaccio di Manzo $17.95 · Polpette Affogate $17.95 · Burrata con Spinaci $18.95 · Brodetto di Cozze $18.95 · Mozzarella Caprese $18.95 · Carciofi alla Romana $19.95 · Gamberoni alla Toscana $19.95 · Calamari Fritti $19.95 · Ahi Tuna Stack $19.95 · Burrata con Prosciutto $20.95

Salads $14.50–$14.95. Add grilled chicken $9, shrimp or salmon $14

Pizza $18.95–$19.95 — cheese $18.95; Margherita, Salsiccia e Funghi, Pepperoni and Pera e Gorgonzola all $19.95

Pasta:

• Vegetarian — $21.95 across the board: Penne Norma, Fettuccine alla Primavera, Capellini alla Puttanesca, Fusilli al Pesto con Zucchini, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, Ravioli di Magro
• Meat — $24.95, with Lasagna Bolognese at $25.95
• Seafood — $29.95: Penne Elena, Linguine alle Vongole, Fettuccine Fra' Diavola, Fettuccine Mare e Monti, Linguine con Capesante e Gamberi

Secondi, served with potato and vegetable or pasta in the same sauce:

• Chicken $27.95 — Parmigiana, Piccata, Marsala, alla Sorrentina
• Melanzane alla Parmigiana $27.95
• Veal $30.95 — Piccata, Marsala, Parmigiana
• Salmone ai Carciofi $30.95 · Gamberoni alla Senape $30.95

Kids' menu $15 — fettuccine Alfredo, penne, or a kids' pizza

Desserts $12.95, including the Budino di Pane, tiramisu, cannoli, amaretto crème brûlée and a tartufo. Port $10–$16, and limoncello, grappa, Grand Marnier or Frangelico at $12.

The Wine

This is the reason to come.

By the glass, $9–$15 — house red or white at $9, with Ferrari-Carano "Sienna" and Botonero Nebbiolo at the top at $14–$15.

By the bottle, the Italian section is the interesting one:

• Primitivo $42 · Nero d'Avola $44 · Sangiovese $45 · Montepulciano $46
• Chianti Classico Riserva $48 · Aglianico $49
• Barolo $80 · Brunello di Montalcino $90 · Amarone $100

Super Tuscans $48–$90. Italian whites $40–$55 — Pinot Grigio, Falanghina, Vermentino, Greco di Tufo.

California is well covered too — Cabernet from $40 to $110, Pinot Noir to $100, Chardonnay $40–$65.

Sparkling from $49, and aperitivi at $13–$14 including a Kir Royal.

They also run monthly wine dinners with menus built by Dentamaro. If the list is why you're going, that's the version to aim for.

Catering

Unusually, the catering prices are published in full.

• Antipasti platters $100 medium / $150 large — medium serves 8–10, large 18–20. Shrimp cocktail $120 / $200 (50 or 100 pieces)
• Salads $75 / $130. Add chicken $4 a head, shrimp $6
• Pasta $90 / $150 — Lasagna and Melanzane Parmigiana at $100 / $170
• Secondi, per person, ten minimum — chicken $16, veal $18, salmon $18
• Sides $2.50–$3 per person · desserts $6

They also do private dinner parties in your home.

How to Visit

• Address: 14771 Pomerado Road, Poway, CA 92064 — in the Target shopping centre
• Phone: 858.391.9400 · Email: contact@villacapripoway.com
• Hours: Monday–Wednesday 4–8 p.m. · Thursday–Saturday 4–8:30 p.m. · Sunday 4–8 p.m.
• Reservations strongly recommended — call the restaurant
• Indoor dining and an outdoor patio, open daily
• Full bar, with wine, draft beer and cocktails
• Takeout available, including a family takeout special

Good to Know

• Four to eight. Write it down. It's the tightest dinner window of any restaurant in this batch.
• Book. With four hours of service and a reputation in North County, walk-ins are a gamble.
• The vegetarian pasta is $21.95 against $24.95 for meat and $29.95 for seafood — the best-value section of the menu.
• Ask about the monthly wine dinner. It's the chef's own menu and it isn't advertised loudly.
• The catering prices are published, which is rare and makes planning a party genuinely easy.
• Order the artichokes. They call it their signature and it's $19.95.

The Takeaway

Book for six, order the Carciofi alla Romana and a bottle of the Aglianico, and finish with the bread pudding.

What makes Villa Capri worth the drive to Poway isn't the shopping-centre location — it's that behind it there's a southern Italian chef cooking his grandmother's recipes against a wine list with Barolo and Amarone on it. You just have to get there before eight.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Villa Capri? At 14771 Pomerado Road, Poway, CA 92064, in the Target shopping centre.

What are the hours? Monday to Wednesday and Sunday, 4–8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 4–8:30 p.m. There is no lunch service.

Do I need a reservation? The restaurant strongly recommends them. Call 858.391.9400.

Who is the chef? Dario Dentamaro, a southern Italian native, is executive chef and a partner. The tiramisu is made to his grandmother's recipe.

What are the signature dishes? The restaurant names three: Carciofi alla Romana ($19.95), the Pera e Gorgonzola pizza ($19.95) and the Budino di Pane bread pudding.

Has Villa Capri won awards? It says it has won Best Italian, Best Wine Bar and Best Fine Dining in the Union Tribune's Best of North County Inland poll numerous times.

Is there a patio? Yes, open daily alongside the indoor dining room.

Do they cater? Yes, with published prices — platters from $100, pasta from $90, and per-person secondi from $16 with a ten-person minimum. They also do private dinner parties in your home.