Excellent food, nice ambiance. We came here twice over our weekend stay. We really loved the rooftop bar as well

Over priced small portioned food, perfect for downtown. Their decor is cute on sections, all together kind of crazy. Waitstaff is hot! read more

Rustic Root - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Came here for a friends bday and am definitely glad we did. It was my first time there I love the deco and ambiance makes it cool for a date night, or just a few drinks with your friends. The hostessed and servers are very friendly and accommodating and paid attention to our group all night. As we were getting ready to leave I lost my wallet I had all my money, and all credit cards inside. The following day I waited for the restaurant to open since they don't open until 4pm and called them, but we got disconnected, so I decided to drive to the restaurant. I am so glad I did. I was so impress they did find my wallet and nothing was missing. The staff at this place are amazing. I was so impress with the place that I went back last night again.. read more

This place is fantastic. My bros and I frequent this place at a minimum once a weekend. It's always awesome. Great crowd, fast service, great drinks... and above all the MUSIC IS ON POINT! I hate going to bars/clubs where the music is awful, it ruins the night. Anyway- thank you Rustic Root for being so awesome, and keep up the good work. I'll keep spending way too much money there on drinks! read more

AWESOME rooftop bar and EXCELLENT service. The food in the restaurant is FANTASTIC!!!

Love this place. Came here a few times with my man but revisited tonight on my own. I got the usual "Rustic Chicken" along with the Mac & cheese. Both were amazing!! With plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow! I sat on the patio and didn't freeze because they have THE BEST heaters. Chenelle was my server and Tim was the busser who made sure to check in on me often. They both were really friendly and personable, not making it awkward to be there alone. All in all, it was a solid experience. Perfect for date night but still an amazing option for solo nights. read more

Blair is amazing we had the best time ever thank you for making our 4 hour experience the best. We had plans to bar hop, but she was so great we decided to stay. read more

The atmosphere was very chic and comfortable... peppermint mocha was fantastic and the food was spectacular! Cannot wait to go back.

The food is good and the ambience is nice but the people were not so nice. We sat on the rooftop and our server was a tall young woman. After we ate, my friend accidentally left her keys at the table. We realized this and tried calling the restaurant but nobody picked up for about 10 minutes of us calling. Finally, we went back to get them hoping they were there. Being part of the service industry, I was surprised when we received some seriously poor customer service that really shouldn't have happened in any type of restaurant or service industry. She approached our server who was talking with two other servers and said "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but i think I had left my keys on the table." The server turned to her and said "I don't know. I don't bus the tables." And turned back to her conversation without trying to help my friend find her keys. My friend then said "oh, well, who might have bussed the table?" And the woman pointed to a young man whom my friend approached and asked "hi I left my keys on the table, did you see them?" To which he replied "I just got here." Then turned around without trying to help. My friend, in a third attempt, asked our server once more who she needed to talk to. The server pointed to the hostess' general direction and continued talking to her friends. The hostess helped accordingly and was great. As service should be. This really is unacceptable behavior in the service industry and I'm appalled by how rude they were. read more

Dropped into Rustic Root with my sister for a drink on Saturday night and I'm glad we did! We sat right at the bar and got served right away even though it was pretty busy. The bartenders were very friendly and took time to offer suggestions off the cocktail menu as my sister was unsure of what she wanted to order. I got wine followed by champagne and my sister had the 1980 cocktail (called "Sex and the City is back") which she really enjoyed. The ambiance of this place was really fun and whimsical and I hope to come back to try the food next time! read more

Brunch was the best I've ever had. Eggs Benedict was amazing, French toast, pancakes, chicken and waffles, everyone in my party loved! Man-mosa was great!!! Definitely coming back! Staff attentive and decor is lively. read more

I normally don't write reviews but Cliff Larioza stood out. He treated our group like we were the only people in the restaurant. We had family coming into town and this place was highly recommended. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by this gentleman. He checked on us many times. He wanted to make sure we were ok. As soon as we were done eating we didn't know what we wanted to do, he mentioned that this establishment has an open rooftop. He then escorted us up the elevator. Thank goodness bc my back was unable to take the stairs. So we got off the elevator, WOW! Open roof with not one but TWO fireplaces! We got to look over the rail and got to see all the cars getting towed. ‍ But overall, Cliff made our night so much more than we expected. Oh, he suggested that I get their mac and cheese. Hands down the best mac and cheese yet! read more

Went here on a date, had really good service, we didn't have to wait long to be seated. The drinks were great and the staff were very professional and we will definitely come back here with my Gfs :) read more

Highly unsatisfied. A friend recommended the restaurant to us. It was my girlfriends birthday and we were in town from Arizona. We were really excited to try the place out especially being that the night before the wait was so long we couldn't eat there. We were seated immediately, the place looked great and had a great vibe. However we sat for 20 minutes before ever being greeted. Several severs passed by us multiple times to greet other tables and bring them beverages but didn't say anything to us until one girl noticed me looking around. She alerted another server who brought us waters. We then waited another 5 minutes for our actual server who was neither one of those first two to come over and take our drink order. All the while I'm watching the manager, who come to find out is the GM, stand by the bar and watch the football game. He kept checking his phone so I assume fantasy football may have been more important at the time than walking the dining room and checking on his guests. As a restaurant manager myself this was completely unacceptable. I alerted him to this and he apologized several times. With it being my girlfriends birthday you'd think they'd go above and beyond to make it right. But they did not. They simply sent out a lemon drop shot at the end of the meal. My girlfriend hates vodka. And the shot had salt on the rim smh. Lemon drops should have a sugar rim. It was just a complete fail all the way around. Oh, and my ribs were tough and chewy. So disappointed. The manager gave me his card just in case I'm ever back in San Diego! I'm thinking to myself, "you didn't do anything for us this time on my girlfriends birthday, so why the hell would I come back and expect better treatment." The was the worst dining experience ive had. read more

It has a pleasant roof top restaurant, great food, and our server Tiana was the best.

Amazing service! Our waitress, Chenelle, crazy, crazy GREAT! Thank you! From Boston with love! xoxo

We tried to call them to say we were running late. It went to voicemail 5 times. When we finally got there it WAS DEAD (dead enough were it shouldn't have gone to voicemail). Whatever. We apologized and got seated. TWENTY MINUTES LATER someone came up to us and said "we're trying to figure out who your server is, but I'll help you right now". We ordered drinks and when she came back she said "looks like you're my table now. I got you"... no girl. We were always your table you just forgot about us and tried to play it off. When she finally accepted us as her table she was rude, kept ignoring us acting like we didn't exist. RUDE RUDE RUDE. read more

Spent 5 hours here during comic con. Never told of two hour limit. Spent at least $1000 during this time and asked to leave even though we spent lots of $$$ because of two hour restriction. We would have spent more if allowed. Apparently they don't like customers who spend money. Even the gm came by but didn't fix the situation. Very sad biz plan. We tolerated watered down drinks and bad attitude host. read more

I brought my parents here while they visited San Diego, and it was excellent. I highly suggest the hamburger with bacon jam (!). It was possibly one of the best burgers I have had. read more

Came in here to watch the playoff game and grab a Bloody Mary. Very nice bartender helped me navigate the menu. New England Cobb is truly an incredible salad.....Especially if you're hungry. This is a great spot and I will surely return. Props to bartender Alison and Cecil. Both know the menu, both make great cocktails. One of them rocks yoga pants. read more

Fun atmosphere at the upstairs bar. I ordered 4 patron margaritas and they were incredibly weak. Drinks are already over priced, don't skimp on the alcohol! read more

Came for dinner & drinks on Thursday evening. Sat on the rooftop around the fire pit and had a great experience! Ordered a few beers- great. Had the chicken sliders- they were OK. Got seated for a party of 6 pretty quickly. Awesome atmosphere! read more

Last night around 6:25pm, my friends treated me to a dinner at what they thought was an excellent place. The occasion was part of my bachelorette celebration. We were impressed with the décor, the garden party punch, and the entrees were amazing. During dinner, one of my friends decided to retouch her lipstick and used a cellphone light to see. It accidentally shone at another party two tables away. Instead of talking to a waiter, manager, or to us politely - one of them proceeded to shout at my friend as if he was an authoritative figure, "Hey, hey shut that thing off!" He laughed and smirked afterwards as if he was proud of his behavior. Our waiter, Mark, who was very attentive and pleasant at the start of dinner tag-teamed Mr. Entitled Bro and in a terse and also demeaning tone nagged, "Can you turn it off?" This was unfortunate as our positive evening was ruined by another guest and a waiter who wished to allay Mr. Entitled Bro's sensitive eyes instead of considering our party's treatment of such disrespect. To top it off, as we gave Mark the bill he looked confused and said, "Did you follow the directions? There's only one card." I replied, "What directions? The bill is set." He continued to furrow his brow and appear befuddled, "Oh, I thought you were going to split the check six ways." I told him, "No, we aren't." This left a bad taste in my mouth. Not only did Mark make us feel worse about a misunderstanding of cellphone lighting, he assumed we were too broke/dumb to pay a check between six independent, educated, working women. I will not return to a business that caters to Entitled Bros and perceives people of color as poor. The snooty service and clientele is not worth paying for. read more

5 stars because the food was so good. Service was great too. I ordered from the brunch menu and got the chicken verde plate. Sooo delicious.

The place is on point. James knows how to take care of everyone that comes through there and is always very professional. Food is amazing and the servers are always hustling. The top floor is my favorite and I like the fact they never let it get too packed. One recommendation is to sit closer to the edge (couches) facing the street, there is more air flow and you can get a fun view of 5th ave. read more

We ate upstairs on the terrace and given that we got there early, took total advantage of the various happy hour specials for both drinks and food. The salmon tartare tacos and the Mac and cheese were awesome and the bourbon meatballs and veggie board were also great. Our waitress Blaire was also great - super conscientious and helped us make great choices. read more

I've wanted to check out this place since it is owned and operated by the RMD group that operates the Gaslamp's best nightclubs. I loved the setup and look of the venue. The seating was very comfortable and enjoyed dining in the upscale, fun atmostphere of the restaurant. All the employees were very friendly and attentive. We had dinner and the food was awesome. We had Carnitas Bao Bao Sliders which were very very good. My friend had the Hamachi and I had the fried chicken. I was happily surprised that the portions are very generous. There's nothing I hate more than going to a nice restaurant and paying for a high end meal and end up with a small meal. True Food in Fashion Valley is a perfect example of this. I can't wait to come back and try some more things on the menu! read more

Yum! Rustic Mary!! I wish they would set up shop in Orange County. But I'll visit each time I'm in San Diego!!

We had such an amazing experience here. It's an atmosphere that isn't too adult that I couldn't bring my kids and yet I felt so relaxed even with them there. Loved the rose sangria and eating on the rooftop. Will absolutely go back here! read more

All six of us had great meals. From seafood, steaks, the pork chop, and vegetarian options, we all enjoyed our food. The service was excellent and our waiter was attentive. My only annoyance was how load the restaurant was. It also had fairly young crowd in twenties and thirties ( we were a group of 50 somethings) read more

Went to Rustic Root for a Birthday party for a good friend of mine. The service was great and the atmosphere was awesome. Thanks for showing us a good time. read more

The food is fantastic. Crowd's a little young but I think that's pretty much all of the Gaslamp District.

great food and environment but not strong at drinks.dont go for sangria at all.it was not crowded that much but it took 15 min to have our drinks. however they were so kind to took out our fries frim the bill to cover this delay. tip:try fries.yummy!!! read more

Rustic Root is an amazing restaurant right in the heart of downtown. We went there for dinner and had the friend egg burger and its was 10/10 one of the best burgers I have ever had. Our server Anna recommended the Cali Cream'in beer and it has to be my new favorite beer! Definitely check out the rooftop area too its super nice and well decorated. The manager even stopped by my table to check in on us and was very hospitable. thanks for the great meal Rustic Root, I will be back again! read more

Went it for brunch this weekend, and I have to say- I had excellent service!! Was going to leave a review a day a two ago, but have been to busy to do so! Alexis was FANTASTIC I'll definitely be back in! read more

This place was amazing. I went with a group of friends for a bachelorette party and it was perfect. Our waiter, Jonathan was the best. He gave us amazing recommendations for drinks and dinner. Every single food item that we ordered was TO DIE FOR. The carnitas bao sliders are superb and I will be dreaming about that bread for days to come. Can't stop raving about this place! read more

One word: BOMB! Since the moment we walked in my boyfriend and I were mesmerized by the decorations! The mac n cheese is amazing and our burgers were really good!! Our server Jonathan was so attentive and awesome! Thank you Jonathan!!! I will definitely be back read more

Best restaurant I have been to in a very long time. The decor is very modern but homey. The rooftoop is by far the most amazing place to grab a drink in San Diego. I came here with my girlfriend and had such a great time. I got the pork chop which is hands down the best porkchop ever. She ordered the scallops which were perfectly seared and delicious. The staff is super friendly and attentive. After dinner we went upstairs to the rooftop and my goodness was it awesome. We ordered a couple of the crafted cocktails and they were so good and classy. There are couches, fireplaces and a great view of 5th avenue. I cannot wait till I can return to Rustic Root, I can tell you i will be there ASAP. read more

Best Sunday I've had in years! The rooftop bar is on point! Our waitress Chenelle was amazing, as well as the rest of the staff being fully accommodating. They have great food, and a great atmosphere. I'll be back as often as possible! read more

Oh man, food was insanely good. Had the vegetable ravioli, crumbed cheese brussel sprouts, and the sweet potato and beet salad. For 2 veggie heads, we definitely had our fill. Rooftop bar plays good house/electronic music too. read more