Civico 1845

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

From Cosenza to India Street

Civico 1845 was born from a specific place and a specific family. Brothers Pietro and Dario Gallo grew up in Calabria — Pietro in the kitchen with his mother, Dario in Cosenza before moving to Milan to study economics — and in 2015 they brought that Southern Italian upbringing to the heart of Little Italy, San Diego. The address on India Street, steps from the waterfront, is no accident: it sits inside one of the city's most storied dining neighborhoods, and the restaurant has shaped that neighborhood's Italian identity ever since.

Pietro serves as Executive Chef and sets the culinary standard with a directness that reflects where he comes from. "Respecting the traditions is everything," he has said. "Our mother used to cook tomatoes for three hours to get the taste just right. That is the standard I desire to live up to." Dario, as General Manager, brought a vision for contemporary Italian design and service — the dining room uses reclaimed and natural materials, the kitchen works seasonally to minimize waste, and the whole space feels warm without being fussy.

Calabrian Cooking, Honestly Done

Calabrian cuisine is built on restraint: preserved vegetables, chili peppers, good olive oil, handmade pasta, seafood, and cured meats. The menu at Civico 1845 holds to that logic while giving it a San Diego sensibility. Homemade rigatoni arrives tossed in San Marzano tomato and ricotta sauce, topped with smoked mozzarella and crispy pancetta — a recipe drawn directly from the hometown of Pietro and Dario. Pappardelle Brasato pairs hand-cut pasta with a slow-cooked short rib ragù and shaved Parmigiano. Grilled octopus rests on chickpea hummus dusted with Calabrian chili. The wine list leans into the region too, featuring Cirò from Librandi — made from Gaglioppo, one of Italy's oldest grape varieties — alongside volcanic Etna reds from Sicily.

The bar carries the same geographic specificity: the Negroni Calabrese is built with a Calabrian chili tincture, and the amaro flight pours three southern Italian digestivi, including Vecchio del Capo.

A Pioneer in Plant-Based Italian

What makes Civico 1845 genuinely singular is its vegan menu, in place since the restaurant opened in 2015 — making it, by its own account, the first restaurant in the United States to offer a dedicated vegan-Italian program. This was not a response to a trend. As the kitchen puts it, Calabria's plant-based cooking is "an old Southern Italian way of eating built from vegetables, legumes, herbs, olive oil, and the discipline of cooking with the season." The plant-based menu runs in full parallel to the traditional one: hand-cut Pappardelle ai Funghi with wild mushrooms and vegan Parmigiano, Gnocchi del Sud with eggplant and house marinara, a plant-based lasagna with ragù and béchamel made entirely without animal products.

That commitment to two equally serious menus — one rooted in Calabrian tradition, one in its plant-based heritage — caught the attention of Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food and wine guide, which recognized Civico 1845 with 2 Forks in its 2026 edition. It is a rare distinction for an Italian restaurant operating outside Italy.

The Setting

The covered, heated patio is open year-round, designed for San Diego evenings. The dining room's reclaimed materials and natural finishes give it the feel of a place that has been considered carefully rather than decorated quickly. Lunch is served on weekends; happy hour runs Monday through Friday.