Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    La Jollita

    4.5 (109 reviews)
    PriceySeafood, Tacos
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    La Jollita Photos

    Business Info

    LA JOLLITA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    More like La Jollita

    Recommended Reviews - La Jollita

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Drink menu
    Janette A.

    This hidden gem is in downtown La Jolla, great views and calming outdoor atmosphere. Even when you're sitting inside, you still get a view of the outdoors. I got served complimentary chips and salsa. My waitress was kind and knowledgeable. I got the tuna and shrimp tostada, taco lorenza and limon agua fresca. Everything was so flavorful and tasty. I can't wait to come back and try more!

    Melissa B.

    Love the vibe and aesthetic at La Jollita, such a great addition to the La Jolla neighborhood. It's perfect for a sunny outdoor lunch or a more vibey dinner. I tried a variety of tacos, and the smoked tuna was definitely my favorite. That said, the standout dish was the zarandeado-style fish. Our waiter recommended it over the branzino, and I'm so glad he did! It was incredibly tender, flavorful, and easily one of the best whole fish dishes I've had in a while. It comes with tortillas for DIY tacos, and while a few extra garnishes would be a nice touch, the fish truly shines on its own. Also loved the chips and salsa flight. Overall, it's a great spot for elevated sit-down Mexican food with cocktails. I'll definitely be back!

    menu cover with enlightening and profound message: Virtue, Happiness, Faith, Love
    Henri V.

    La Jollita" is a diminutive form of "La Jolla," which translates to "the little jewel" in Spanish. La Jollita restaurant opened over 5 months ago, super busy with locals and tourists on Prospect St in La Jolla. The restaurant happens to be a few steps away from a few art galleries I was visiting and so I decided to give it a try and have lunch. The hostess was cordial and nice. Was seated promptly to a table of my choice, in their umbrella shaded outdoor patio with my pup, who was offered a bowl of water by the kind staff. The manager Alejandro was very hospitable, nice and did check to see if everything was good. The waitress/server was also very pleasant, attentive and helpful. Despite that it was post lunch crowd rush time, this casual restaurant was still very crowded with diners and the atmosphere was energetic and vibrant as was the decor. I was mostly surrounded with groups of nice looking male diners who all spoke Spanish and were fun and flirtatious ;) lol From the menu, ordered the signature dishes: tuna tostada, La Jollita tostada, Flan for dessert and La Sangre Del Mar drink for Me. And for Fendi, the Lorenza taco which had a slivered slice of ribeye beef. Every dish was delicious and perfect for a sunny coastal area casual dining but does NOT have views of the ocean. The pace in which the drinks and foods were presented took longer than expected. Long wait time for food and service is annoying and deterred me from ordering additional items I wanted to try but will have to try another time when we revisit. Over the last two years, for this particular real estate space, I've seen at least 3 restaurant business open and close due to failure which can be forgivable if you have an ocean view, but NO ocean views here. Perhaps La Jollita can learn from those mistakes. Despite the longer wait time, because the manager and staff did make a concerted effort to make things right with a genuine positive attitude, I will return. With the fantastic food and casual dynamic vibe, proven to be 'the little jewel,' worthy of your visit...La Jollita! Recommend

    Ceviche
    Kristie L.

    Food was AMAZING, service was top tier and vibes were coastal. I'd 100% recommend and will definitely be coming back sooner than later. The cocktails were also delicious. I am still thinking's about the whole fish - I believe it was a branzino.

    creative mezcal cocktail
    Ang P.

    Bday celebration for my 86 yr old relative Jollita is the restaurant owner's first Mexican restaurant opened in America ( with 24 in Mexico) The margaritas, agua frescas, mescal cocktails, grilled shrimp, ahi tacos or tostadas, poblano clam chowder, mole taco, and branzino are oh so delicious. Highly recommend all dessert; tres leche cake and chocolate cheesecake (was ok) Tacos are $8-24 ( each) Entrees: $50-95 The establishment is kid friendly and casual despite the prices It is possible to have a more economical taco forward meal though some tacos are $24 while the lowest cost taco is $8/9 or to add shared entrees for a more high end special occassion cost meal ( $495 for 6 ppl with cocktails, 2 entrees and 2 tacos per person and dessert ) entrees in retrospect are shareable so a prawn entree with more than eight large prawn is shareable at a table individual tacos for guests and shareable entrees if you want to be more extravagant. This was a bday celebration for us .. treating our 86 yr old relative Helpful tips: parking is very difficult and this restaurant will seat you only if you are all present prepare to walk far from parking handicap access is tough and handicap parking is also tough to find ... if elderly you will need to get dropped off in front and others will swear and honk at your car.. ( a car of youth took a photo of our 88 yr old bday guest and shouted profanities as she hobbled out of the car to the curb).. special occassion

    Jeannie L.

    Came here for Restaurant Week and tried their $65/person dinner menu. I started with the tuna tostada and I will say that was delicious. The tuna tasted flavorful and fresh. For the entree, I tried mezcal-flamed filet minion and it was just okay. I ordered it medium rare & it came out closer to medium but not bad nice enough to complain about. It was kind of bland. For dessert, they were out of the flan (which was part of the original menu) so I think we ended up getting a chocolate cheesecake or something similar which was okay but I'm not a huge chocolate person. This menu also came with a house margarita or draft beer. I got the house margarita and it was okay. Server was nice, their other cocktails besides the margarita I got were better. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice, it's a cute restaurant.

    Rock Shrimp

    amazing food amazing service Juan Carlos was so nice and enjoyable. Definitely coming back.

    One of my favorite places in all of San Diego. The best seafood, and being a Mexican native this place truly takes me back to my roots. Amazing drinks and the food is phenomenal. The staff is extremely friendly and makes you feel right at home, it also feels nice to be treated as family... we're here so often we love this place. 100/10

    Tuna tostada
    Mayra C.

    This place caught our eye while exploring La Jolla. The place is inviting and the staff were very friendly, we were seated quickly even without a reservation. The staff were friendly and efficient. The food was delicious! We ordered the tuna tostadas, tacos governor and tacos Lorenza. Can't wait to eat here again!

    Suite front
    Emmett T.

    This suite on Prospect St in downtown La Jolla has seen a variety of businesses pass through its doors over the past several years. The latest is La Jollita which featured Mexican cuisine in an upscale setting. The owners refurbished the decor to reflect the change in culinary direction from its predecessor. The outdoor front patio had several tables while the open-air inside dining area could seat close to 100 customers. The hostess took me to a two-top table in the middle of the room across from the bar. One side of the two page menu listed the cold bar and taco offerings. The other side displayed the hot bar, main dishes, salads, soups, sides, and desserts. The prices seemed to be quite high with the cheapest taco costing nine dollars. I selected the Smoked Tuna Taco and the Manolo "The Fisherman" Chowder for my meal. A complimentary bowl of blue corn tortilla chips along with limes, green salsa, and red salsa were provided. The taco arrived first and was a bit larger than street size. It was filled with smoked tuna machaca, melted cheese, chipotle sauce, and a wedge of avocado. I liked how the tuna wasn't too salty which I have experienced at other places that serve this item. The chowder came out second and was served in a small bowl. It was a bean and noodle soup containing chiltepin shrimp, panela cheese, and crema fresca. A piece of toasted bread was provided for dipping. The broth had a good savory flavor, but the issue was the $18 cost for a small serving. It should have been a large bowl because right next door, you can get a similar amount of chowder for almost half the price. My visit occurred during the early days of the soft opening period. While at my table, another party was seated next to me. They brought a non-service dog that was initially unleashed. The hostess should have done a better job of ensuring the pet was on a leash and to seat the group outdoors on the front patio. A manager did come by to reseat the party, but I was taken aback at how liberal the business was with animals. Overall, I gave my lunch at La Jollita a rating between three and four stars.

    Rock shrimp
    Sally M.

    We dined at La Jollita for my mom's birthday and it was excellent! The food, drink, and service were all top notch. Parking on a Tuesday night was surprisingly busy in the village, so our party of 8 trickled in. It wasn't a problem at all to be seated without our full party. We sat at a table that was against the wall with a long padded bench on one side and chairs on the other side. This was perfect since we needed a high chair. The atmosphere overall was really nice. My husband even commented that he could actually hear the people at our table, so while it was a lively restaurant, it wasn't so loud that we couldn't hear one another. The drinks at La Jollita were pretty reasonably priced. I had the mezcalita with passionfruit, though they can also make it with hibiscus. My mom enjoyed her margarita and my husband really liked the Black Pearl. The food was amazing. You could really taste the freshness of the seafood. For starters, we shared the rock shrimp, ceviche, shrimp cocktail. All were great, but I preferred the ceviche over the shrimp cocktail. The rock shrimp was really good too. My husband and I shared a tuna tostada (they said this was more of an individual portion), but we easily cut it in half. That was my favorite from the cold bar. I had a surf & turf taco and that was delicious. My husband enjoyed the smoked tuna taco and my uncle enjoyed the taco dumbo. For fish, we ordered the branzino and the fish zarandeado. Not sure what type of fish, but the zarandeado was cooked perfectly. At the end, they brought out a birthday flan (with a candle) for my mom. The service was very good. Our server, Edgar, was very patient as he had to come back to our table as people were arriving to get our drink orders. He anticipated when we needed more drinks. The food was brought out surprisingly fast. I feel like we ordered and it appeared almost immediately! The entire staff was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back. They also have a dog friendly patio at the front of the restaurant.

    TOSTADA VALLARTA,  THE SHORE SURF & TURF , TACO LORENZA and complimentary chips and salsa
    Michael G.

    This Spot has been occupied by many businesses in a short period of time. And now it's been occupied by LA JOLLITA. In our dining experience here the food and service were great. I think this one will be around for a long time. Pricing-wise, food taste,vibes, and service I see that this will stick around, we hope so, coz my wife and I like their food. Nice Space inside and their outdoor, we chose the outdoor because it's a bit chilly outside. Ordered The TOSTADO VALLARTA, The SHORES SURF & TURF, TACO LORENZA , TUNA TOSTADA Among the Tacos my Top pick that I like the most was the TORTADA VALLARTA and the THE SHORE SURF & TURF. The TORTADA VALLARTA is a razor cut fish tossed with/ onion and cucumber and dressed simply with lime and olive oil, very Crispy Tortilla. The fish is super Tasty. And the Shore Surf and turf the Shrimp texture was nice, I can taste the freshness of the Shrimp and the meat was very tasty. My wife loves her TUNA TOSTADA, she said she likes it, and my TOSTADO VALLARTA the most. THE SAUCE that comes with my Tostada Vallarta if you can ask extra of those it's actually a pretty good sauce for any of their Tacos. Don't know what it's called but it's here in my pic next to my tostada Vallarta Service was excellent from BRITNEY, vibes all around from the staff, and the inside dining area was all great. But Parking if you are looking for a side street or metered, I think just go for paid Valet parking or paid building structure saves you more time going around looking for one. Spot had been occupied by many businesses in a short period of time. And now it's been occupied by LA JOLLITA. In our dining experience here food and service I think this one will be around for a long time. Pricing-wise, taste and vibes, and service I see that this will stick around, we hope so, coz my wife and I like their food. Nice Space inside and their outdoor, we chose the outdoor because it's a bit chilly outside. Ordered The TOSTADO VALLARTA, The SHORES SURF & TURF, TACO LORENZA , TUNA TOSTADA Among the Tacos my Top pick that I like the most was the TORTADA VALLARTA and the THE SHORE SURF & TURF. The TORTADA VALLARTA is a razor cut fish tossed with/ onion and cucumber and dressed simply with lime and olive oil, very Crispy Tortilla. The fish is super Tasty. And the Shore Surf and turf the Shrimp texture was nice, I can taste the freshness of the Shrimp and the meat was very tasty. My wife loves her TUNA TOSTADA, she said she likes it, and my TOSTADO VALLARTA the most. THE SAUCE that comes with my Tostada Vallarta if you can ask extra of those it's actually a pretty good sauce for any of their Tacos. Don't know what it's called but it's here in my pic next to my tostada Vallarta . Service was excellent from Britnee M. and vibes all around from the staff, and the inside dining area was all great. We like the food so we are definitely visiting again . But Parking if you are looking for a side street or metered, I think just go for paid Valet parking or paid building structure saves you more time going around looking for one.

    Vin S.

    La Jollita has lots of potential. The food is excellent and the ambiance is very nice. It has only been open for two weeks, and the staff I interacted with was professional and attentative. But a few things could use improvement. We dined here on a busy Saturday evening. I ordered two tacos -Taco Dumbo and Smoked Tuna Taco - both were very good although I preferred the tuna. Both were much better than at the other expensive taco place a few blocks away. Mel ordered three tacos and loved all three. We also got a side of beans and she got a lovely margarita. All good! A couple of areas to improve. There were too many any staff on the floor to the point of having some of the younger employees standing around and joking - this was distracting and it only contributed to the noisy/rushed feel of the restaurant. The prices were inconsistent. It is odd that the margarita ($14) was cheaper than a side of beans ($15). Not complaining about the margarita price, but the beans were just too expensive for what you got. Finally, the staff were extremely/aggressively eager to clear plates - sometimes without asking and sometimes while you were still holding your taco or with food still on the plate. This might be because there were too many workers and they needed to have something to do. Interestingly, they did not notice the empty water bottle and only brought a new one when I asked. All of that said, I enjoyed my visit to La Jollita and will come again. I attribute some of these issues to the newness, and certainly hope they resolve things as the restaurant matures. 3.5 start for this first experience.

    See all

    6 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Koji L.
    246
    13
    2

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    27 days ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    27 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 33
    Thanks 10
    Love this 29
    Oh no 0

    12 days ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ang P.
    620
    452
    1605

    2 months ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 2
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of E N.
    0
    93
    9

    10 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 57
    Thanks 9
    Love this 41
    Oh no 3

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Vin S.
    655
    950
    7692

    6 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    2 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lizette L.
    362
    31
    16

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 days ago

    The tuna tostada was 10/10. Our waiter Carlos was a 10/10! He was attentive and kind! The restaurant was so cute and they played great music

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 days ago

    The grilled fish and refried beans were fantastic! Carlos gave a bunch of great recommendations and on top of all the service!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim D.
    29
    6
    0

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    19 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sam K.
    346
    13
    6

    11 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    28 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    La Jollita Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - La Jollita

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Seafood 21,862 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Verdes El Ranchero - tacos

    Verdes El Ranchero

    3.9(280 reviews)
    0.9 miLa Jolla
    $$

    My husband and I finally are kicking ourselves for not dining at Verdes El Ranchero sooner! We were…read morewalking by and had a hankering for a margarita, so we decided to have lunch here. We were seated right away with chips and salsa brought up fairly quickly. It took us a little time to decide on what to eat, but we ordered our margaritas right away. We were surprised that essentially two glasses were brought out for each of us as the other glass was the "leftover". I ordered the enchiladas suizas and they were really good. I had leftovers. My husband got the chicken tortilla soup and a taco and he could not stop raving about the soup the next day. Our server was very friendly and patient with us as we decided on our food, though we could tell that she was very busy. We did have to request water and that took a little while to get as they got busier. They have a few tables outside in front on the sidewalk. Pricing is very reasonable. We walked here, so parking wasn't an issue for us, but only street parking is available. We'll definitely be back for the soup!

    Met some friends for dinner here and had a good experience! We came on a Friday night and had to…read morewait for a table, so keep that in mind when coming during busy times. I ordered the Enchiladas Suizas - it was great! Good flavor and the food came out piping hot which I appreciated. The complimentary chips and salsa were appreciated too. Located in La Jolla so parking isn't super straightforward, however it shouldn't be too tough to find a spot around the corner.

    Photos
    Verdes El Ranchero - Bar/Dinning room-Nov 26, 2022

    Bar/Dinning room-Nov 26, 2022

    Verdes El Ranchero - Margarita

    Margarita

    Verdes El Ranchero - Pineapple Margarita

    See all

    Pineapple Margarita

    Trilogy Sanctuary - Summer Squash.

    Trilogy Sanctuary

    4.5(1k reviews)
    0.4 miLa Jolla
    $$

    It was my first time here! Parking was easy to find right out front…read more Service was fast and friendly. Plenty of inside and outside seating. Omg! I absolutely loved everything we ordered here! It was my first time trying all vegan food and it was 10/10!! My favorite was the brownie. I literally crave it sometimes! Can't wait to come back!

    My friends and I used ClassPass to try aerial yoga for the first time at Trilogy Sanctuary and…read morehonestly it exceeded all expectations. The rooftop location is super cool, open air with beautiful California sunshine and gorgeous views stretching all the way out to La Jolla beach. The colorful hanging fabrics give the whole space such a fun and vibrant energy. Our instructor was amazing, super patient and attentive with each of us to make sure we were doing the poses safely and correctly. I honestly surprised myself with how flexible I still am! The class gave us a really deep stretch and left me feeling relaxed and refreshed in a way I wasn't expecting. The space also has a big yoga dome right next door and a restaurant serving up a great selection of healthy food, which is a nice bonus before or after class. Just a couple things to keep in mind: parking can get tricky so give yourself extra time, and spots in the class fill up fast so make sure to book ahead. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a workout that's fun, unique and actually feels good for your body!

    Photos
    Trilogy Sanctuary - Done for yoga

    Done for yoga

    Trilogy Sanctuary - Traditional acai bowl

    Traditional acai bowl

    Trilogy Sanctuary - Upside down

    See all

    Upside down

    La Jollita - seafood - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...