A Night Out in Mission Hills

Written by Ashley Dunn

Looking for a quiet date night spot? We highly recommend checking out Mission Hills - located just south of Mission Valley, and slightly North of Downtown, it’s in the perfect spot for those looking for a quieter night out on the town. We happen to spend must of our date nights here, so you can definitely say we’re a little biased!

Dinner at Cardellino’s

Dining Room at Cardellino restaurant in Mission Hills

A night in Mission Hills is never complete without a delicious meal at one of our favorite TRUST restaurants - Cardellino . We happen to be considered regulars, since we probably visit about once a week. We’re making our way through the menu — yet we do have our favorites. We also can never get tired of Chef Brad’s amazing menu — often times changing with the season too, so he’s always keeping us on our toes.

TRUST Restaurant Group is known for their bold flavors, simple ingredients and elevated techniques — which all shine beautifully at Cardellino. The pasta is made in-house every morning, with the pizza dough double-fermented, hand tossed, and cooked in a wood stone oven. There’s really nothing else you can ask for — except for some delicious homemade ranch with your pizza of course…. Oh wait, they have that too! And the staff is PHENOMENAL, truly the best team ever.

Check out a few of our favorites below!

Appetizer - FILET MIGNON CARPACCIO crispy shallots, pickled pepper aioli, arugula, mushrooms, croutons, shaved pecorino

This happens to be an item we’ve never tried, but Jeff — our server — highly recommended this app and we trust him through and through. And boy was he right on point! This carpaccio was absolutely delicious. Often times carpaccio doesn’t have a lot to it — both in portion size and flavor — but this has to be by far our favorite carpaccio we’ve tasted. The crispy shallots happened to be my favorite, as it added a lot of texture to the dish as a whole.

Entrees - NONNA’S RADIATORI ALL BOLOGNESE pecorino, chopped parsley

The Bolognese, a classic that Cardellino’s does a fantastic job with. You really can’t go wrong here — I love the spicy kick to this dish (and if you’re looking for even more spice, try the FUSSILI PICCANTI ALL VODKA).

MAFALDE NERE ALLA PUTTANESCA shrimp, capers, anchovy, olives, sweet garlic, chiles

This one’s for the more adventures folk — if you’re looking for a fish inspired pasta, you must try the puttanesca. The flavors are bold, yet blend perfectly. An added plus, the noodles happen to be made with squid ink (so they’re black, how cool!)

Dessert at Mr. Trustee’s Ice Cream

Before you leave, you must visit Mr. Trustee’s ice cream next door to Cardellino’s. We highly recommend trying their seasonal flavors — which can change daily. They also have soft serve — really good soft serve — so be sure to grab a cone before continuing on with your night!

Waffle Cone of Creamsicle - Malted Milk Soft Serve

Movie Night - Cinema Under the Stars

If you happen to have planned your night our Mission Hills in advance, hopefully you were able to score tickets to a show at Cinema Under the Stars! The cute little spot is perfect for a date night, where you can even share a lounge chair — it’s a bit tight, but the snuggles are endless! I love being able to watch a move, eat some fresh popcorn, and watch the stars twinkle overhead.

We had the opportunity to see a Marilyn Monroe classic — Some Like It hot. Check out what’s coming up next, here!