Esca Blu

Came with a friend and split the lasagna as an appetizer and got the porchetta as my meal.

The lasagna was delicious, very tender, cheesey and flavorful but also a bit pricy at $26, but it was really good. Wish I got this as my entree.

The porchetta ($29) was just ok, it was not a freshly made sliced off a porchetta roll that was made that day. They had made the porchetta beforehand and my slice was reheated, so you didn't get all that fresh crispy pork skin which is what porchetta is all about. It came with some veggies, polenta and bread gnocchi. I was really curious what bread gnocchi was, didn't really care for it. It wasn't the soft pillowy gnocchi which is traditionally made with potatoes.

The space was nice, theres a traditional pizza oven, which I want to come back and try some of their pizzas. Though the location is a little off the beaten path and you'll have to find street parking. It was kinda empty at the time of my visit but I came for an early dinner. They are open for brunch every day too. This location has a lot of turnover so I think it would take a very strong presence to stay in business, I hope this is the business to do it.

Esca Blu is a hip, up and coming Italian and breakfast place. Grant it, I'm not Italian and as such I really just think of Italian as lunch or dinner. A little weird for a billing to me but I get trying to make the most of the day. That whole Hillcrest area is always so busy that a business, when done properly, could become quite lucrative.

The place is definitely lively possibly because of the bottomless mimosas special lol. There is a time limit in that.

We tried:
Rigatoni e salsiccia
Cacciatore omelette
Tiramisu French toast
Crème brûlée French toast- (wife asked for no peaches, still got peaches)
Calamari-greasy

Food was okay but for the price you pay I feel like I could have gotten more in amount and taste. Nothing screamed "I gotta come back!" Worth a visit especially if you're hanging with friends and want a morning buzz with the mimosas I guess?

Great new spot in Hillcrest! Food was absolutely delicious. We came for dinner and loved everything.

They have a ton of wine and cocktail options here. For appetizers we tried the fried calamari (fritto esca blu) and bruschetta. The bruschetta was my favorite thing!!! It's anchovies, onion, and burrata on top of focaccia bread. It comes in small bites which was perfect to share. I would definitely come back just for this!

For main dishes we tried the seafood pasta (tagliatelle fra diavola). Packed with tons of good seafood and the pasta was a great texture. We also tried the roasted chicken (pollo al mattone). I usually don't ever go for chicken but they really recommended it to us and I'm so glad we tried it! It wasn't dry at all and the flavors were great. For dessert we got the little tiramisu cups! Perfect serving and sooooo delicious.

Service is so great. So friendly. Great atmosphere and nicely decorated. They even have some outdoor seating. Parking is not tough in this side of Hillcrest. There is tons of metered street parking. We came on a Friday night and it wasn't hard to park. I definitely recommend checking them out sometime.

Was the first time coming here and super glad we came.

They have unlimited mimosas for 20 dollars. With that said after we ordered the mimosas we were told the max is two bottles for the table. Not sure if that is for each table or that it is a bottle a person regardless there's a cap of some kind so be aware.

The breakfast pizza: this was good but not our favorite wil pass on this next time.

French toast: oh my gawddddd the sauce on this and the fruit was to DIE FOR. Will ABSOLUTELY get this again.

Bolognese: the sauce on this also INSANE in the absolute best way. Will get this again!

This place is cute and the interior is lovely.

Everyone that worked here was phenomenal!

It's Hillcrest so parking is street. Be prepared to take a hot second to find one.

All in all will absolutely be back! Good food good vibes.

From the owners of Cocina de Barrio, which was just several hundred yards away on the same block, comes a new modern Italian restaurant, Esca Blu. This Fifth Avenue suite has experienced significant turnover with the constant being an eatery that serves Italian or seafood cuisine. Curbside parking is available on both sides of the street although you do have to pay between 10 am and 8 pm. The inside can seat about 30 customers while the kitchen is equipped with a wood fired pizza oven that has been passed down from predecessor businesses.

I was their sole customer on a recent evening so I felt bad for the staff who were just sitting around and chatting. The one-page food menu had six to seven selections each from the following categories... antipasti & insalata, pasta, and pizza. The bottom of the page was completed with four entrees. My meal started with the Polpette In Umido (stewed meatballs). Three beef and veal meatballs with tomato sauce rested on a layer of creamy polenta. Each one was slightly larger than a golf ball in size. The meat was moist because of the way the dish was prepared in a 'damp' style.

For an entree, my pick was the Fusilli Con Salsiccia E Rapini. These were corkscrew-shaped noodles served with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe (rapini). Fresh tomato, garlic, onion, and extra virgin olive oil were the other components. The waitress grated some fresh parmesan cheese on top of the dish after she brought it to my table. Larger sausage pieces would be my suggestion on how to improve this item. The meat was barely visible as it was completely covered by the pasta. The rapini was cut into small chunks which minimized the natural bitterness of that leafy vegetable.

The service was acceptable as the waitress and another lady both periodically checked how I was doing. The food quality and prices were at a four star level. Now what Esca Blu needs is more publicity to announce its presence in this part of the Hillcrest neighborhood, otherwise the same outcome will happen again.

I stumbled upon Esca Blu one week before their official opening while walking the dog. A very nice man greeted me and let me check out the menu. This was like 8PM so a little late but they were nice and let me order.

They didn't have risotto, said it was a daily special and to check back in July. I checked back today but they didn't have it lol. I wish they would add it to the permanent menu!!

I ordered seafood farfalle (maybe not the actual name on the menu). It was ready in like 10 minutes. Absolutely delicious!! Seafood was cooked really well and I love mussels so much. One shrimp had a bit of shell but hey it's fine that they missed it. Pasta was soft and delicious, they claim that it's made fresh daily and I believe it. The sauce was robust and tomatoey, not fresh tomato but long-cooked. I liked it a lot!

The included bread was a nice gesture but it was a bit stale and I didn't like the dried rosemary on top.

I think the place looks huge and gorgeous inside and it would be a great place for groups! I also saw on Instagram that they're big into brunch here - I so appreciate that they open at 9AM every day, and hopefully they serve full pasta dishes and not just eggy stuff. I will come back and find out :)

Wishing them luck and success and I'll definitely keep calling and asking for risotto. Another customer told me that FOUR different Italian restaurants have previously lived in this space and I hope they can make it work!! Thank you for serving me before you officially opened :)

I've been calling this place all day and decided to just show up. It's temporarily closed. It would be nice if they updated their hours online. Waste of time driving here.

Went here for the $20 bottomless mimosas! My sis-in-law and I came here at opening on a Wednesday so we were the first ones here and seated immediately. However, looks like they increased the price to $22 which wasn't updated in the website. Regardless, this was one of the better mimosas we've had, the champagne was delicious! They give three little glasses of orange juice, & like a thick mango/guava. Food was average, but pretty pricey compared to other brunch places. Our servers were very quick and attentive. I do wonder how this place runs when it is busier because I think there was only one person grabbing orders and another one at the bar area. Regardless, I think $22 for bottomless mimosas was worth it especially with the quality of their champagne!

Enjoyable breakfast and atmosphere!! Made a reservation for 10 am on a Saturday and we're seated promptly. Our waitress (didn't catch her name but she had arm tattoos) was very attentive. I got the Caesar salad with speck on the side. Delicious and fresh.

This restaurant just opened, and if my meal here today is any indication of the future of the restaurant, it is going to be incredibly successful. On all counts, the restaurant nailed it - the food, the drinks, the service, the ambiance.

Food was absolutely delicious - we had several items from the brunch menu including the omelette, tiramisu French toast, tagliatelle and pizza. I'd probably want to get all four items again.

They have an excellent wine menu - and a $20 all you can drink mimosa during brunch. We had two of their cocktails, both of which were really refreshing.

Service was a 10/10. Not just timely and helpful, but so friendly.

The indoor area is super cute - high arches, plants, brick walls. There's also an outdoor patio but we didn't sit there.