I've been here multiple times before for happy hour & then some. Love it before but LOVE THEM even…read moremore now!! Our gf had her bday celebration here two weeks ago. I was 30mins early with homemade bday cake in hand to surprise the bday girl. Since I was the first one there, Ludo & staff were exceptionally sweet to let me sit & wait even though all parties haven't showed up yet. Exceptional customer service!!! 12 out 10!! Delicious food & pretty big portions. Can't rave enough about this fine establishment!! Btw, there's an extra charge for bringing outside cakes which isn't a problem. In fact!!! They went above & beyond with cutting the cake & decorating each slices with fresh fruit & tasted like a coulis sauce. Gave the restaurant staff the rest of my homemade pandan carrot cake to share. Highly recommend Et Voila to every one!

Some friends of mine brought me to Et Voila French Bistro for a birthday dinner. I have not been…read morehere since 2016 when they first opened. For my dinner, I had the traditional Boeuf bourguignon with pappardelle pasta. My friends ordered the Steak au Poivre et Frites and Coq au Vin. We also had a great bottle of wine called Lacoste-Borie 2018. The last time I had boeuf bourguigon was about 20 years ago. a rendition of Anthony Bourdain's recipe, but without the pappardelle pasta. Et Voila's version with the pappardelle was outstanding. The freshly made pasta, not only added great texture, but also flavor. It prepared just right, too. The Cabernet sauce was excellent and offered a great depth of flavors. The dish also came with tender carrots, sweet pearl onions, and white mushrooms. All of them were perfect. The beef was rendered down beautifully and had great color and was very tender to the touch. The beef offered exceptional preparation and was an absolute pleasure to eat with the Cabernet sauce. Well done chef. I was treated to a house soufflé which was excellent. It hit all the notes: light, soft, and airy, but packed with flavor. The sauce that came along with it was very good. My friends, who are regulars here, were very pleased with their dishes as well. I have to say, both of their dishes looked amazing. The hospitality at this French Bistro is first rate. All the employees, including the owner, were very amiable and welcoming. They aim to provide an excellent dining experience and that's what they do. This place is perfect for date night, special occasions, or just to simply enjoy a delicious quiet meal.

Having eaten here several months ago for dinner, loving it, and forgetting to leave a review; I…read morefigured I'd redeem myself and post my latest lunchtime snack I had here at Saint James a few days ago while waiting for a Swiss watch technician from across the street to come back from lunch himself. French onion soup. Enough said. Deviled eggs rounded out our light snack, and those were freshly prepared. While the expected olive and chive flavor was outstanding, the anchovy was done just right to elevate the dish (my understanding now is that anchovy is usually included in deviled eggs as served in Europe). Our espresso martinis excelled at fronting the coffee taste before the vodka, instead of the usual other way around. This sip was exactly as I remember when I had the same for dinner previously. Service as mentioned, was extremely friendly and more importantly, went beyond service and well into hospitable. Love coming here. So, if you're in the area and just need a light snack (or a hearty dinner), drop on by - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Came here for a meetup. Did some research and I guess it has some history. Here was my experience…read more AMBIANCE Parking: Downtown San Diego, parking can get chaotic but doable. But your best with public transportation, rideshare, or carpooling. Seating: It's a smaller, intimate space with a mix of tables, booths, and bar seating. Room for maybe 50 people or so. Vibes: In the heart of Downtown San Diego, there are a lot of eateries and activities. The spot itself, Saint James feels like someone took an old-school American diner, sent it on a trip to Paris, and brought it back to San Diego. You still get the casualness and familiarity of a diner, but with the moodier lighting, décor, bar, and menu of a French bistro. It's stylish without feeling like you need to be overly dressed up. Being tucked into the Palihotel also gives it that cool boutique-hotel energy. FOOD / DRINKS Burger Parisienne (Recommend) A comforting flavor with some simple french influence. At its core, you've got something very American: a juicy cheeseburger. Then the French influence with the caramelized onions and a rich bordelaise (sweet wine) sauce. It's rich, savory, and makes this much more of a fork-and-knife burger than your typical grab-it-and-go situation. French Martini (Recommend) When at a French restaurant, do French things. Fruity, smooth, and easy to drink. You get the sweetness and tartness you'd expect from a French Martini, making it a nice contrast to the richness of the Burger Parisienne. CUSTOMER SERVICE Friendly, attentive, and professional. Can't complain! TL;DR OVERALL 4 Stars. Good food, good drinks, and that balances French flavors with American culture. It's not quite a traditional American diner nor a traditional French bistro. If you're exploring Downtown San Diego and want something a little different without going full fine dining, this is worth checking out. TIPS * Check out their weekday Happy Hour from 3-6 PM

First of all service is on point. Water cup is never empty, a good cadence in check is without…read morebeing overbearing. Our server is charming and a very dynamic personality. Ambiance also 5 stars - elevated without being overly flashy. The dining tables are well spaced out. A perfect date night romantic atmosphere. Food: the bread served in the beginning was a little tough and borderline stale. I wish it was served fresh and warm. The escargot is very well flavored and the toasted bread gives is a nice textural contrast. The lavender martini is A MUST. It's incredibly smooth but the punch sneaks in and quickly. The crab cakes and calamari are also very well flavored and not too oily. The calamari is nicely breaded. Both have sauces that pair well with the dish. The mushroom ravioli is amazing and the Boeuf Bourguignon is also very well constructed. Overall had an amazing experience here and would def come back if im in the area.

Ambiance is nice. But... All of our party got sick after our…read morehappy hour food. We all ate the same, ceviche, calamari, and sliders. Ceviche was not good but we don't send back. Calamari serving was meager. All of us sick all the rest of the evening. We will not return.

Wormwood is an absolute gem with a moody, secret-garden sanctuary that strikes the perfect balance…read morebetween upscale French gastronomy and distinct Baja influences. The ambiance sets the tone for an unforgettable date night, complete with fantastic non-alcoholic mocktail options and an incredible wine list. We did their culinary tour, and every single course was executed with incredible precision and intention: Parker Loaf: Warm and cozy with rosemary and local honey bee. Calafia Oysters: Bright and unique, paired with a fermented spicy kosher granita and citrusy absinthe vinaigrette. Local Yellowtail: Balanced beautifully with a coriander avocado mousse, morita sea pearls, and a fermented spicy ginger sauce. Palate Cleansers: Refreshing watermelon mint and strawberry rosemary sorbets. Taleggio Agnolotti: Creamy and pillowy, served with local pea beurre blanc and grilled yakitori Baja shrimp. Grass-Fed Lamb Rack: Northern California organic lamb cooked to perfection with goat butter. Baja Trout: Ginger-brined with a rich kombu beurre blanc and maple-glazed bok choy. Dessert: A stunning Opera cake and deconstructed crème brûlée to round out the night. Beyond the plate, the service was seamless, warm, and elevated without feeling pretentious. Between the lush patio setting, thoughtful drink pairings, and flawless menu pacing, Wormwood delivers one of the most memorable dining experiences in the city.

Two stars, one for the bread being fresh and delicous and one for the nice servers. Other than…read morethat, we were deeply disappointed with our experience. We booked a table for Saturday at 630pm for our Wedding Anniversary (noted on the reservation). We were seating fairly quickly in the romantic patio area right next to the piano. Its really cute and looks just like the photos. It cozy spacing, so we were sitting elbow to elbow with our neighboring table. Unfortunately, it was also right next to the fly catcher so every time the breeze came by, we experienced a really bad odor. We recognize we are outdoors and flies are a problem, but maybe dont put a table near the fly catcher or place it somewhere that doesn't catch the breeze. It made for a pretty unpleasant experience and we didnt figure out what the smell was until partway through our meal, so it felt like a big ask to be moved at that point. We ordered the 3 course meal. Service was extremely slow and it ended up taking 2 hours. It seemed like a busy night, so maybe the kitchen may have been backed up or they were short staffed, but a little acknowledgement of the slow service by our waiter would have been appreciated. The drinks were okay, but took 20 minutes to come out. There was a gap of about 40 minutes between appetizer and the main dishes. The wait was not worth it. For appetizers we got the muscles and shrimp. The muscles were tasty and the only item we liked of the night. The shrimp was overcooked. For mains we got the short rib and the chicken. The short rib was not tender, the sauce and sides were fine, but for an $8 uncharge we expected the short ribs to be fork tender. The chicken cordon Bleu was more like a chopped chicken croquet. It was fried nicely, but needed more seasoning and flavor. We did not finish either plate. For dessert we got the creme brulee and the opera cake. The creme brulee was a good size portion and but just tasted like cream. We thought the kiwi did match. The opera cake was decadent and flavorful, but the almond ice cream tasted too much of almond extract. Overall we were underwhelmed with the food. There was no acknowledgement of our anniversary, so we were a little disappointed in that. Unfortunately we will not be returning.

I am so happy I was able to make last minute reservations to Kingfisher for right when they open at…read more5pm on a Saturday! They only had a table for 5 but we ended up having 6 people in our party. They were so kind to be able to accommodate the additional person! They had personalized menus that greeted my party and it wished my friends a happy birthday!! They actually got to take the menus home! This was really a nice touch, I appreciated the details. We family-styled everything which is honestly the way to go so everybody can try a little of everything! It was majority of our party's first time dining there. We started off with some drinks, I got the Non-alcoholic Guava Mocktail and I got to try what was the equivalent to an espresso martini too. Definitely liked the guava drink better because it tasted like guava nectar juice (kind of like Kerns or Jumex). The Expresso Martini had fresh mint in it and it tasted earthy which wasn't my cup of tea. For food we started off with the Heirloom Tomato Salad which was DELICIOUS!! I don't know what they put in the Vietnamese Green Goddess (probably fish sauce since all the dishes basically had this) but it was magnificent and one of my favorite dishes of the night. Then the Scallops and the Black Cod came out. The Scallops came in a set of 3 and we cut them in half so we could all have a taste. The sauce on this was DIVINE!!! It was citrusy but still really flavorful bursting with umami. I'm literally starting to drool reminiscing about it xD We wanted to keep it to use on other dishes because it was so good. The Black Cod was also delicious. It had fried skin attached and a sesame soy glaze. Next up came the Beef Tartare and the Wagyu Steak. The Beef Tartare was probably the least flavorful out of everything we ordered, but it was still well seasoned. My friend said it was really spicy but it might have just been her bite because I didn't think it was spicy at all. I like that the give you the option of leafy greens or shrimp chips to eat it with. The Wagyu though, was an all-star dish. It was the crowd favorite for sure, we all enjoyed not only the steak but the picked baby eggplants that come with it, and the sauce was phenomenal!! Lastly came the Dry Aged Duck which is what they're known for. It was definitely the biggest fish out of all. You were able to eat the duck with two different sauces, one they called a "Fish Sauce Chimichurri" and "Vietnamese XO sauce" which is more so satay. My friends liked the XO sauce but I liked the Chimichurri better. They had actually forgotten about the side of Buttered Rice but I was told it was incredibly flavorful on its own so we still asked for it. It had more than just butter in it, there was dried shrimp and sesame seeds, and it was made with coconut milk or something because it had a sweet but savory taste to it. I saved some of my duck and Wagyu to eat with it which was actually pretty good. Overall I liked that they brought out the dishes from lightest to heaviest and especially after they brought out out 2 sides of Buttered Rice we were all satisfied and full. It was the perfect amount of food. Honestly EVERY dish was different but amazingly dank and I think it's the fish sauce in everything. They were also sweet and kept the cake we brought in the fridge, placed the candles on it for us, and even after we sang they cut the cake for us!! 10/10 would recommend coming here for not only the food but the impeccable service!! Since we had a larger party there's an automatic 20% gratuity already added to the bill, which came out to be $555! (Look at that angel number!)

We came here during Restaurant Week which was probably our first mistake. For $75, it just wasn't…read moreenough food. Looking at pictures from other nights, most of our food was half the size or missing some major component. For example, the egg noodles had only a few very thin truffle shavings compared to what I saw online. They also lacked the real truffle flavor. The chocolate dessert was half of its normal size. Overall, everything is extremely overpriced and lacks flavor. The food was so bland across the board and it felt like we were being skimped out not on just the size but the flavor too. We eat a lot of Asian food and the taste wasn't even close to matching our expectations. All the workers were very friendly, but the food came out very slow. They also gave us a printed out menu for our anniversary with our last name on it which was spelled wrong. I don't care about that, just thought it was very funny. The restaurant was smaller than we expected, but we did enjoy the colors, the layout and the overall ambiance. Wouldn't go back!

Another amazing dinner at La Bonne Table! We visited for SD Restaurant Week which LBT does right!…read moreThey truly put their best foot forward. Unlike other restaurants that make up a random SDRW menu, LBT leans into their regular nightly dinner menu offering the best of. Honestly, it was so hard to choose only 3 courses so we added a few extras, (escargot and endive salad) totally worth it! Our dishes arrived looking beautiful and tasted even better. Service was excellent and well timed. Such a warm and welcoming staff! What a fantastically intimate and cozy space. Pure French magic! If you're reading this and SDRW is still going, ends September 20th 2026, make a reservation asap! 3 courses for $55! You will not be disappointed.

Five stars for La Bonne Table!…read more We visited during Restaurant Week for the prix fixe menu, and wow--everything was delicious. The duck confit and salmon were beautifully prepared, while the short ribs and New York steak were absolute perfection. Even the classic French starters and desserts delivered. This is exactly what Restaurant Week should be: a chance to discover--or rediscover--a wonderful neighborhood restaurant serving exceptional food. La Bonne Table gave us a genuinely lovely French dining experience from beginning to end. We will absolutely be back.

Moules frites we're amazing. They serve you a copious amount. Fries were a little bit too salty for…read moretaste, but still good. Good selection of wine, and their desserts were pretty good too. If you sit outside, just know you'll probably be hearing the live music booming from across the street. Service was great. Waiter was affable and accommodating.

We had THEE best meal at Blue Boheme. The crab croquettes were delicious and we will surely order…read moreagain on our next visit! We also had the flatbread. The steak and salmon were both delicious and meals we recommend. Cocktails hit the spot! Ambiance was nice and service was attentive and kind. They allowed mild substitutions without blinking an eye. Can't wait to go back!

The food is delicious here and the place is cute, however, they are consistently understaffed and…read moreit's a problem. If you need a job waiting tables maybe hit them up. If this were the first time, we might understand, things happen and sometimes you have to work shorthanded, but this wasn't the first time, more like 4th or 5th time over a period of several months and every time we come they are clearly understaffed and this place gets packed so it's not like they don't need more people. An entire restaurant is run by 2 servers, seems like maybe the owner and her son, and we could only see 2 kitchen staff working their asses off behind the glassed in kitchen, which likely means no breaks for any staff and everything takes forever. If you don't mind sitting and waiting for your food and drinks, by all means go here. The first time we were almost late for a show because dinner for 4 of us took almost 2 hours. We hope this review might inspire them to expand their staff because the food is delish and we want to keep coming back!

This is probably the longest overdue review I have ever written, but at this point, not writing it…read morealmost feels selfish because I would very much like to always be able to get a table here. But alas, Carbon Angela's Kitchen deserves every flower, every reservation, every "you have to try this place" text thread, and every bit of love. This place has become one of my absolute favorite hidden gems in San Diego. Easily top five for me, and as someone who dines out a lot for a living, that is not a casual statement. There are places you like, places you recommend, and then there are places that start to feel woven into your actual life. Carbon Angela's Kitchen is that for me. Angela is truly the heart of this place. She has this way of making you feel like you are not just coming in for dinner, but being welcomed into something she deeply cares about. And Emanuele is absolutely part of that magic too. Together, they have built something that feels warm, generous, soulful, and so special. They feel like long-lost friends and family now, and I am honestly just so proud of them and all they are creating. The food is the kind that makes you want to order with the whole table in mind. The griglia mista is hands down one of the best investments you can make if you are dining with a group. It is the meat platter, it is the moment, and it is absolutely worth ordering. Four to five people can split it, especially if you are also doing appetizers, salad, wine, and a few extra things for the table. It is such a perfect nod to what Carbon was before Angela took over, when the space leaned more BBQ, but now it feels beautifully married with Angela's warmth, Italian influence, and the kind of hospitality that makes the whole meal feel like an experience. And please do not sleep on the rest of the menu. The short rib is fire. The arancino trio is always a yes. The eggplant croquette? Obsessed. The crespelle? So good. The Everything Salad is my favorite salad on the menu, and the street corn should never, under any circumstances, be skipped. I said what I said. The wine selection is top tier, the appetizers are memorable, and the whole place has that rare magic of feeling cozy, intentional, and completely unpretentious. You can come for a low-key dinner, a girls' night, a celebration, or one of those "we just need a really good meal and a really good glass of wine" kind of evenings. And the back patio? Perfect for an evening under twinkling lights. It is one of those spaces that just begs for a long table, good conversation, clinking glasses, and the kind of night that accidentally turns into a core memory. They also have catering menus available, which is very important information to keep in your back pocket if you are hosting anything soon. What Angela has built is honestly something to behold. One of the hardest-working restaurateurs doing the dang thing in a city like San Diego, and now opening Bedda across the way too? I am in awe and wonder watching it all unfold. It takes so much courage, grit, taste, excellence, and heart to build what they are building, and you can feel all of it in the room. Carbon Angela's Kitchen is a true labor of love, a hidden gem, and one of those places I will keep cheering for again and again. Go hungry. Order the griglia mista. Get the Everything Salad. Do not skip the street corn. Share Share Share, so you can try a little bit of everything and do a tried and true family style meal, you won't regret it.

Fantastic plates combining contemporary presentations and combinations across a familiar palette…read more This gem of restaurant sits in a pleasant hilltop neighborhood in San Diego, overlooking a forest, serving great experiences to the locale. Plates like the pisto, tataki, and lamb summarize the restaurant's ability to create once-in-a-lifetime bites in an artistic fashion. The interior ambiance and service staff only help to elevate the occasion.

I'll start with the service. 10/10 Everyone who we…read moreencountered was very nice and treated us like we were the most important people in the restaurant. Which, I am sure they do for everyone. Which is why the consistency and dedication to their service is so commendable. Top tier from the host, our waiter and some sweet lady wearing nice clothes who spoke with us and provided us with refills. Focaccia Bread - 8.6 Good, hot and fresh. It could have used more herbs and texture on the outside. The bread was good quality and tasted as such. The star though is the balsamic vinegar that it comes with. The balsamic is delicious and tasted like it was high quality. Seared Beef Filet Tataki - 9.2 I haven't had many chilled beef dishes however, this is the best one. The beef was very tender and flavorful. It was cooked to a medium/medium rare. The soy jus the beef was sitting in was really flavorful and delicious. The seasonal citrus was also fresh and very delicious. I would encourage anyone to try this dish at Wolf, especially if you want to try something chilled that typically is served hot. Sweet Corn Soup - 9.9 Yes, a 9.9. I'm not sure soup can get much better. Every aspect and component of this dish is excellent. The depth of the flavor of the corn, the texture and items which accompany the soup are all great. The corn fritters are moist, flavorful and soak up some of the soup. The chile dust adds great seasoning and flavor while the pine nuts add texture. If I were to rank the best 25 bites of good or dishes I ever had, this would probably be top 10-15. Even if you aren't a fan of corn, get this, it'll change your mind. Kolibri Salad - 8.9 The salad contained blue cheese, dried apricots, shaved multicolored carrots, bread crumbs and a mustard vinaigrette. All of the aspects of the salad were very good and played off one another very well. I always say the best salad contain a creamy cheese, fresh fruit (not blueberries or strawberries), nuts and a good vinaigrette. The blue cheese was really creamy and probably the best blue cheese we have had. The mustard vinaigrette was good and paired well with all of the ingredients. Patatas Bravas - 8.2 The potatoes were good but not great. The potatoes were tender but too big imo. If they were cut into smaller pieces they would have better texture post cook. The aioli served with the potatoes was really, really good. I wish I had a jar of it. Skillet Mini Burger - 8.8 You could tell the beef was very high quality and it was cooked to a perfect medium. The beef was very flavorful and juicy. The hatch chile crema was delicious as well. If I had one bad thing to say about this burger it would be that it was hatch chile overload. If the burger just contained the hatch chile crema it would have been perfect. However, they also put cooked down hatch chiles on the burger. It was a bit too much chile and I wanted the beef and white cheddar to shine a little bit more.

Open since 2010, this is definitely one of my favorite French restaurants in San Diego. My family…read morelives in Rancho Santa Fe and the evening before we had Mille Fleurs, which is a very famous French restaurant up in North County, and honestly I had this meal the following evening and can say Smoking Goat can go toe to toe with MF and it really is a delicious option, and certainly one of the best in North Park. They have a large bar, as well as many indoor and outdoor seating options. Our server was extremely polite, and everything that we ordered came out very fast. Parking in North Park can be a bit tricky because there aren't any pay lots, but it's not very hard to find a free street spot if you circle one or two times. We were able to find a spot two blocks away. For my first visit, I was very impressed with the experience and started off with the Steak Tartar and thought it was terrific. It had a perfect amount of mustard flavor to it, and every part of it was delicious. For my entrée, I chose the Halibut Special, which I thought was fantastic. The fish was perfectly crispy, and I just loved every part of it. I would highly recommend this place to any French cuisine fan or to anyone searching for a great dinner option in San Diego.

The Smoking Goat is a French inspired bistro located in the North Park area of San Diego…read more Reservations can be made on OpenTable. We Ubered everywhere on this evening so I can't comment on the parking situation, but it looked like street parking only. Seating options include the bar half of the restaurant with seats at the bar and cushy looking booths against the wall, or the main dining room. We sat in the main dining room which is quaint, and not necessarily upscale, but it does have a classy feel. The wall is brick, and the space is lit slightly dim. The kitchen is open and can be seen from the dining room. There was a nice mix of music playing in the background. I asked if they offered bread and butter, and they do not. But you can order an off-menu half French baguette for $5, served hot from the oven, with butter. We started by splitting the poached pear salad ($16). This was a delicious salad with local greens, blue cheese, fresh poached pears, and a champagne vinaigrette dressing. It was a pretty big salad, perfect to share between the two of us. For my entrée, I had the pasta seafood special with shrimp, salmon, and mussels in a lemon crème sauce ($42). Everything on the plate was delicious, and it had a generous amount of seafood. The lemon crème sauce had the perfect amount of flavor without overpowering the dish. She had the Scottish Salmon ($39). The salmon is topped with a lemon beurre blanc sauce, and is served on a bed of spinach and lentils, sitting on top of a parsnip puree. She loved it. Our server Ryan was very polite and professional and provided excellent service. We really enjoyed our meal here, and would definitely return.