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    Nine-Ten

    4.2 (870 reviews)
    Closed • 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Services - Nine-Ten

    Bartending services

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    NINE-TEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Nine-Ten

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    Inside
    Joyce L.

    Nine-Ten's once innovative menu has comfortably settled into a list of old-school favorites, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! IMHO, consistent execution of classic dishes is often underrated, making me appreciate it all the more when it's there and a bit more critical when it isn't. I recently attended a private event here, complete with an excellently staffed open bar. While my Grilled Filet with Cabernet Reduction was prepared as requested (medium rare) but not visually appealing as the juices made a rather large mess on the plate, the mini version of Nine-Ten's signature Half-Baked Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream looked great but suffered from its size as it was slightly overcooked.

    Jason W.

    Went for a banquet catered by the restaurant at the adjacent hotel. The food is quite good and seasoned perfectly. Even though it was fairly standard fare of arugula salad, filet, and molten chocolate cake, it was quite good and was better than what you'd get at most large steakhouses. Looking forward to coming back and sampling some of their more adventurous dishes.

    Trinidad sour. Yum! Most interesting cocktail selection here in a while.
    Alyssa S.

    Fabulous visit to Nine-Ten, which reminded me why it has been one of our favorites since it opened. It blows my mind also that Chef Jason Knibb has now been here for 23 years. It says something about the owners that there is been no turnover and he's been able to keep innovating with Chef Jose Alonzo now as the long-term pastry chef. All right - to our meal! PATIO: remains great. It's covered, which is great on a rainy night, heaters work well. The wind from the ocean can still be a lot, so bring layers anyway. SERVICE: We had Quinn this visit. He was terrific! Really great recommendations. COCKTAIL: I have often found the cocktail menus here boring compared to other places in town. This month, there were so many choices that looked really innovative and up my alley. I was deciding between Lion's Tail (Bourbon, Allspice Dram, Lime, Angostura), Trinidad Sour (Angostura Bitters, Rye Whiskey, Orgeat, Lemon), and Crescent City (Smith + Cross Jamaican Rum, Sweet Vermouth, Lime, Angostura). Quinn suggested that the TRINIDAD SOUR was the most interesting given how I described my cocktail preferences - he explained that it was made with a full ounce of angostura bitters, whereas most cocktails have only a dash. It came in a super cute up glass, and was really delightful. Didn't know my socks off but it was fun & tasty and innovative. Yum! 9/10 BREAD: I'm trying to go lower carb, but their sourdough country bread was warm and hearty. I had a teeny piece and spouse enjoyed the rest. APPETIZERS: Spouse got an off-menu item, the simple green salad with champagne vinaigrette you can always ask for her. I got the current incarnation of the TUNA CRUDO (Charred brassicas relish, currants, lime segments, aleppo, radish flowers, fresno chile, kombu oil). It was beautifully presented and fun to eat; healthy and light. The brassico relish and currants on the tuna were a really nice combination. I approve! 9/10 ENTREES: I got the current halibut preparation (they always have halibut on the menu but they mix up how they do it): Yu choy, black trumpet mushroom, spring onions, date puree, buddhas hand marmalade, sumac, sunflower, green garlic dashi emulsion. Gorgeous, and who needs carbs! The fish was perfectly cooked and the other things worked really well with it: 9/10 WINE PAIRING: I decided to get a glass to drink with the halibut. Quinn suggested pairing it with a gruner veltliner - he said they had been playing around with pairings and this was a surprising match. It was a super fun food wine (also one of the cheaper wines by the glass, $15) and worked really well. I sipped it without the halibut, meh, not my kind of wine - but as soon as I was drinking it with the halibut (and then with my dessert), it was super delish and paired well. 10/10 here on the pairing. DESSERT: I love Chef Jose Alonzo's more fanciful creations, but we went old school & got the half baked chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, which is a classic here for the reason. It's not like you never had this dessert before - but it is *perfection* here. The chocolate was really rich - and the ice cream is just the ideal texture and flavor. The vanilla bean comes through strongly and it's perfectly smooth. 10/10 to end the meal. Valets and hostess were nice too. We'll be back again, of course, even if it takes us a few months to put it back in the rotation!

    Lunch menu
    RoseMary F.

    I was in La Jolla for a little birthday getaway. I searched Yelp for recommendations and Nine-Ten caught my attention. We ordered Adobada Shrimp tacos and Jamaican Jerk Pork Belly entrees. My compliments to the chef on the sauces used for both dishes. 1. The Shrimp tacos were served on a thick and soft corn tortilla that had been seared with cheese that formed a nice crunchy bed to place the Shrimp on. An avocado sauce and salsa toppings were fabulous. I have eaten hundreds of shrimp tacos in my day, these were the best I EVER ate. 2. The Pork Belly had a nice spicy kick along with black-eyed peas, sweet potato puree, and carrots. The pork was perfectly seasoned that was nice and crispy outside and tender inside. The service was quick, the staff were attentive and checked on us throughout the meal, filling water glasses without being asked or prompted to do so. The restaurant is inside a hotel, nicely decorated for Christmas in the lobby entrance. We had a nice covered patio table, with a poolside view on a sunny day. I highly recommend bookmarking this restaurant for any occasion. Sincerely, Rosemary

    David F.

    I forgot to post this back in October last year. We had a wonderful anniversary dinner. Everything was amazing. The service was fantastic. The atmosphere was very relaxing. Thank you for a memorable experience.

    Mel S.

    My boyfriend and I made a reservation here since we were staying at the hotel for our anniversary and it was one of our favorite experiences of the entire trip. We booked for the Mercy of the Chef prix-fixe menu as well as the wine pairing. Each dish we had was so flavorful and unique and it just kept getting better every time! Compliments to the chef, seriously haha. Also, the service was amazing and we felt really taken care of for our anniversary. Would love to return to try to rest of the menu next time. Cannot recommend enough.

    Pool June 25 2020. Open come and Dine in!!!
    Tracy M.

    We are at 9:10 Prospect. This is such a beautiful part of La Jolla. They have a beautiful bar here and food starts at 5 PM. There is a view to the ocean. Service is on point

    French toast

    Impressed by the location, ambiance, service, quality of food, and taste. The pricing is also reasonable. I would definitely revisit this restaurant.

    Scallops (only half shown since they divided it onto plates for each of us!)
    Alice Y.

    Absolutely loved this restaurant! We came here since it was on the list of restaurants for Chase Sapphire Reserve on Open Table and I was honestly blown away. We shared sourdough bread, cacio e pepe, hamachi sashimi, pork belly, and scallops. This was more than enough for 2 of us and we were full even before the scallops came. Everything was absolutely delicious. We enjoyed all the dishes we got but my favorite were the hamachi sashimi (so fresh and a balanced citrus flavor!) and the cacio e pepe (really great flavor and texture). We didn't get to try dessert because we were so full but would love to next time. Service was really kind and attentive. Our server said he's worked at many high end restaurants but this one was top notch and I can totally see that from our experience with the food and service. This is a great spot to come to for a nice occasion and you can make reservations online with Open Table. Street parking only in La Jolla so make sure to buffer that in for timing.

    Pan Seared Maine Scallops
    Jason Y.

    Came here for a date night with my wife on a Sunday evening after thanksgiving and we were fortunate to have a spot available an hour after deciding where to eat. Our server was very nice and attentive so kudos to the server! The scallops were very delicious and nice hint of citrus that was great. The hamachi was my favorite with a nice savory punch from the sauce smoothened out by the hamachi. The cacio y Pepe was an excellent dish for mushroom lovers and our waiter's suggestions to get the sourdough bread to dip into the sauce was on point. The bread was some of the best bread I've had both in texture and taste. We got the pork belly as well but I'm not as big of a fan of pork belly. The pieces had more fat than I'd like but that's pork belly! Definitely would come back to try other dishes.

    Terrence S.

    One of the more disappointing fine dining experiences in La Jolla. Came here for a group dinner for a meeting/talk on a weekday, so options were limited. We all started with the salad, which was by far the most uninspiring of the night. It was just chopped lettuce sprinkled with maybe some vinaigrette and called it a day. There's maybe a spinach leaf or two, but the variety of vegetables or texture or flavor is utterly lacking. For the main course I got a filet mignon, which was cooked decently. It came with mushrooms and potato slices along with a green puree that looked just like basil pesto but does not taste like it at all. It's a bit sweet, maybe with some kind of fruit, but it's not a bad contrast with the beef. Finally, the dessert was some kind of cake, it was soft and had ice cream on the side, but I think the cake is a bit too sweet for me.

    Gnocchi
    Mira Y.

    First time here Came here for a bday dinner. It's inside the Grand Colonial Hotel and offers cozy intimate dining with elevated service! Plan to come by around sunset so you can either dine on the patio or come out before going to get seated. Drinks, exceptionally made. Enjoyed all of our items: -Sourdough bread -Pork Belly -Gnocchi -Cod -Veggie main -Cheese plate Everything was amazingly executed and now I see why this place has the Michelin Distinction.

    Lamb with truffle
    Felipe G.

    The service was excellent. We were seated right away and our waiter greeted us within minutes. He took our wine order and our food order since we had planned ahead and knew what were going to order. The ambiance is ok, might be better if they dim the lights just a tad. Overall service and food were great. Hamachi is amazing and highly recommend. The duck was my favorite dish. It has a nice crust to it that was excellent. I would return again.

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    Such a fave spot here!! The service and staff are so friendly!! The views were gorg too

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    Page 1 of 22

    Nine-Ten Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Nine-Ten

    We love a great tasting menu. Only problem is that the last one we did, our son(a football player) left hungry. Are the portions small? I always leave satisfied but it is his birthday and want to make sure he will be full

    Thank you for considering us for your son’s birthday dinner! Our 6-course Mercy of the Chef tasting menu is designed to highlight a variety of flavors & preparations, so the portions are smaller than full entrées. That said, it’s one of our most… 

    Is there a tasting menu/course?

    Yes. Chef's Mercy.

    What's the dress code?

    Hi Jennifer. Thanks for your interest in NINE-TEN. We really don't have any particular dress code. While you don't need to wear a sport coat or blazer, you will likely see many men wearing them during dinner. But a nice pair of jeans or slacks… 

    Hi! How much do you charge for corkage? Also, how is the street parking situation near the restaurant?

    Call restaurant, most places $25/b, parking depends on time of day, if beach day you are in trouble, early am & later pm plenty of free street parking, they Valet for about $20 with tip.

    Is there valet parking?

    Hi Andrea. Yes, we do offer valet parking here at NINE-TEN. Cost is $10 per car, with validation. Hope you'll have the chance to visit soon! Chef Jason

    Does staff (both public facing and in the back) still wear masks?

    Thank you, Diane, for your interest in NINE-TEN. All of our staff, in both front- and back-of-the-house do indeed currently wear masks or face coverings while on property, regardless of their vaccination status. Please let us know if you have any… 

    Does the restaurant still offer tasting menu?

    Not during the pandemic

    How dressy is dressy? Do I need to wear a sport coat or blazer?

    Hi David. No, you do not need to wear a sport coat or blazer to NINE-TEN. While you won't see a lot of shorts or sandals, we're a pretty casual restaurant. Nice jeans or slacks and a button down or polo shirt are absolutely appropriate. Hope… 

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    Catania

    Catania

    4.5(1.4k reviews)
    0.1 mi•La Jolla
    •$$$
    Happy hour specials
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    Absolutely delicious food with incredible service and a great view. We came here for a birthday…read moredinner during a very busy week, and it was the perfect respite from the craziness! Our favorites were the duck pasta and tomato and burrata appetizer, but everything was delicious. Highly recommend sharing everything family style - you'll want to try as much as possible! In addition to the great food, everyone here was amazing. For one, our server accidentally put in an appetizer that we didn't order, and instead of taking it away, they gave it to us as a complimentary treat. They also explained everything well, packed things up for us as we went so that we had room for new dishes, and gave a full sized cheesecake slice as the complimentary birthday dessert. Overall, I will absolutely consider coming back to Catania for any special occasion, or just a delicious meal!

    We stopped by Catania on Sunday evening because my family and I wanted to have dinner there…read more Unfortunately, the experience started off on the wrong foot the moment we walked in. The hostess was a short young woman with straight dark hair. She gave us a cold, unfriendly, almost hostile look and quietly mumbled, "Please wait." There was no smile, no warmth, no "Hi" or "Welcome" -- just a very dismissive attitude. We waited for a bit and then watched her chatting casually and comfortably with other guests. It was hard not to notice the difference in how we were treated, and honestly, it just felt uncomfortable and unnecessary. This is La Jolla, and for a restaurant at this level, we expected a basic level of hospitality and professionalism. Instead, the whole vibe was off from the moment we walked in. So we decided not to stay and simply left. First impressions matter, and unfortunately ours was a very bad one. Hopefully management takes a look at the front-of-house experience, because people absolutely notice these things. Wishing Catania the best.

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    For more restaurant recommendations follow my Instagram page @cozinhacombossa

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    Duke's La Jolla

    Duke's La Jolla

    4.1(4.1k reviews)
    0.2 mi•La Jolla
    •$$

    Wonderful service all the time! Thanks Joey & Macael afor…read morebeing such an excellent servers for my cousin's wedding party, Oct. 3rd. Duke's La Jolla never fails to disappoint. At this location, they have live music, Tuesdays & Fridays from 3- 6 PM. I've been a fan of their restaurant since 2005 when I first visited their Waikiki location!! From tonight's dinner, I enjoyed the first round of ahi tacos although the second round was a tad too salty. I've indulged in the mahi mahi, mashed potatoes and Korean sticky ribs!!

    This was another great rooftop restaurant in La Jolla, overlooking the La Jolla Cove!…read more We lucked into a great seat near the rails...but a bit of problem as it turned out. SO many folks came to take pictures right in front of our table...so it turned out to be a bit of nuisance. In any case, this restaurant was bustling with people...very high in energy! Quite casual, but very nice nevertheless. This restaurant also turned out to specialize in Hawaiian food...something I haven't had since our 2nd honeymoon to Maui decades ago!! We started with Crispy Coconut Shrimp, which was delish! Then shared this huge Rib & Chicken plate and this Vegan Ravioli dish. We were stuffed by the end of it. But then, given that they knew that this was our anniversary trip, the restaurant treated us to this amazing dessert (huge serving of ice cream with fudge etc.etc.)...and WOW! We really appreciated this generosity!! Also enjoyed their Margarita (Boomers, I think?). Service was good, but a tad slow...given how bustling the crowd was. Overall, we had a great time here (minus all the touristy picture-taking in front of us lol!).

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    Duke's La Jolla
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    Cove House - French Toast with strawberries

    Cove House

    4.4(566 reviews)
    0.1 mi•La Jolla
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    Not a negative thing I could say about this place. They seated us almost immediately on a Friday…read moremorning and the service was quick AND friendly. We were seated inside but it still had a nice beach vibe to it. The food...WOW! Everything was cooked to perfection and it was even appetizing to the eyes. I wanted to eat off of everyone's plate, it all looked incredible! It was a local recommendation and it was definitely the right one! Even accommodated for our toddler and infant. If visiting this area again, it will absolutely be on the list. (My table would add that they only had espresso as part of cocktails so drip coffee was the only option, but it was still pleasant).

    This is one of the places that has lots of ratings and a long line, but it really was worth it. I…read morecame in for the crab stone Benedict because that is their top rated item, but I quickly found a ahi tuna taco (3) with grilled pineapple when I ask the server which one do you recommended (thinking definitely the signature crab stone Benedict) she actually said that the tuna tacos and grilled pineapple was her favorite! Honestly, the price was going. The flavor was way better than what I had expected. I subbed the chips for potatoes and asked for a side of the chili Benedict gravy, which was the best decision you ever made the best gravy I've ever. Some kind of chili gravy (not spicy) was the perfect dip for the side roasted potatoes

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    Cove House - Bar area

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    Bernini's Bistro & Bar - View of Restaurant

    Bernini's Bistro & Bar

    4.3(695 reviews)
    0.4 mi•La Jolla
    •$$

    I'd heard about Bernini's so many times over the years, and I'm so glad I finally went. The service…read morewas amazing from start to finish. I'm trying to get better about catching names, but the whole team made us feel taken care of. I tend to grade my Italian spots by their focaccia, and theirs was perfectly soft. We also ordered the lasagna and the spaghetti & meatballs to keep it classic, and it didn't disappoint. There are so many Italian restaurants in San Diego, but I see why Bernini's has been able to thrive here for over 20 years. I'll be back and will highly recommend!

    This was our first visit and it certainly was memorable. We were seated in a quiet little table…read morethat was private and perfect for us. Our waiter came over and welcomed us and set down a bottle of cold water and asked if we wanted anything else to drink. The evening was underway without a hitch. We asked a few questions and then we reviewed the menu. When Robert came back with the glass of wine, we were ready to order and the process was easy. We shared the fried calamari which had two shrimp and several different kinds of vegetables. It was served with two kinds of sauces. It was very good. My husband ordered the Salmon a la Griglia and he really enjoyed it with the risotto. I had the Seafood Cioppino. It had a great deal of seafood including really big mussels, shrimp and salmon. The broth was great too. The service was great and the meal was terrific. It has a nice variety on the menu. It seems to be a popular neighborhood place. we will be back to try some of the other treasures.

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    Indoor dining

    Brockton Villa Restaurant - Banana's Foster
 Big Bad Wolf

    Brockton Villa Restaurant

    3.9(2.3k reviews)
    0.3 mi•La Jolla
    •$$

    For a moment, I was about to give a 4 start rating, not the 5 I ended up choosing, because a 5 star…read moreshould be amazing, reserved for the truly unique. But, I decided on a 5 because, in the more than 30 years that I have been dining at the Brockton Villa, I've never had a bad meal, nor a marginal one, they've all been spot on. It's easy to enjoy the perch on the side of the hill, with an immediate view of the Cove and the further views of the Shores, Glider Port and on a clear day, Torrey Pines. What comes with that view, is the smell of nature, and on Tuesday, it was stronger. It didn't interfere with our meal. The wait staff are all friendly, experienced, and approach the table appropriately. I can't relate to a setting where the server is there every couple of minutes. I tend to eat there more for breakfast and lunch, dinners less commonly. The menu is diverse enough for 2 picky eaters to always find something fantastic. On Tuesday, I had the clam and crab chowder and it was superb. I grew up in New England, the epicenter of chowders. I am known amongst friends, for the many chowders that I make at home. The salmon BLT is a recurrent favorite, as is the basic breakfast, tweaked to your preferences, with a wide array of protein options. Always grateful for knowing, without question, that a guest in town will enjoy a meal there.

    Im going to be perfectly honest this was by far one of the worst dining experiences I've had just…read morein general but what made it worse was that we visited this place while on vacation. The family was pretty excited to try this place out and by the end of the meal, every single member of my family (all 5 people) were angry. The service was horrific. We came during lunch, they were not particularly busy and we were seated within 5 minutes. Let's start with the food. I ordered a $25 Wagyu burger and it was unseasoned. Not under seasoned, UNSEASONED. The patty was overcooked. I asked for medium rare and it was well done to a point where it was not even remotely enjoyable. This $25 burger did not come with fries, it came with a very small bowl of salad that had no salad dressing. The wrap my wife ordered was mediocre and lacking any flavor. The shrimp inside was good but everything else was bland. The one thing that was good was the seafood chowder. It was excellent. Very flavorful and rich. The best tasting thing at our table were the children's tater tots and the clam chowder to be very honest. Now onto the service. The service is arguably worse than the food. The waiter looked annoyed to take our order but what is egregiously worse than that is that in our entire time sitting there eating our food for more than 45 minutes, our server (or any member of the wait staff) literally did NOT come back once to check on us or ask us if the dishes were good or to give anyone water refills (we ordered a coke and that was not refilled the entire meal). I want to reiterate, we literally did not get a refill of our waters or the coke we ordered 1 time the entire meal. Our waters were empty 10 minutes into the food arriving but because no member of the wait staff came by to check on us, we resorted to drinking out the water bottles we brought ourselves. We tried to flag down a member of the wait staff 3 times and after, my wife just said 'let's just try to get out of here as soon as possible. This is ridiculous'. I also want to be clear, we were not in a separate room or in the corner, the door of the restaurant was visible, the bar where they serve alcohol was visible from our table. The wait staff just chose not to check on us and ignore our hands in the air trying to flag them down. They came after more than an hour to drop off the check without saying anything to us or ask about how the food was. We were so angry by that point we did not even bother to ask for a refill of water or coke. We just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

    Photos
    Brockton Villa Restaurant - Interior

    Interior

    Brockton Villa Restaurant - French toast with bananas and caramel

    French toast with bananas and caramel

    Brockton Villa Restaurant - This is my Bloody Mary but they will bring one for you too.

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    This is my Bloody Mary but they will bring one for you too.

    Nine-Ten - bars - Updated October 2026

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