First time here and I thought the place was really cool! It's next to the LOT in liberty Station. The restaurant was big and there was plenty of seating. They had tables or booths and it was not crowed. They do reservations which is a plus. They have large TV's so you can watch any sport games that are on. It's really pretty in there and I love how much sunlight goes in there. Our server was wonderful! He was very patient and read back all of our orders to us just to make sure everything was correct. The food that I got was very bland and no citrus at all. I was expecting the citrus rice and the salmon to have more of a citrus taste but there was none and I was a bit disappointed in that dish. The beans were just okay. I was not expecting my dish to look like this. My friends foods looked good so i definitely want to come back and try something else off their menu. read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

ZENTRL Kitchen and bar in La Jolla is the restaurant within the same complex as the Lot movie theaters, with the other location in Liberty Station in Point Loma area. The restaurant offers a limited selection of popular foods and has a full bar. Its layout of incorporating the outdoors inside makes it spacious and airy. The restaurant bar lounge also has multiple large tv screens to view sports, news, etc... You don't have to watch a movie in the theater to dine here but that's what we did before the Devil Wears Prada II. Have dined at its sibling restaurant at the Liberty Station location but this was my first time dining here in this location. First although the views are nicer at the LS, at least there are no airplanes flying above you and the roaring noise, which is a major turn off. The restaurant decor is simple a tad elevated in style. From the menu we ordered: calamari, ahi tuna nachos and grilled salmon. The calamari wasn't good, too dry, sent it back. The ahi tuna nachos were ok but the ahi tune lack seasoning. The grilled salmon was good, but portions of the salmon and sides seem on the smaller side. The drinks menu had a good selection of wines but unfortunately many I wanted were not in stock...ie DAOU Rosé. Had to settle for Duckhorn Chardonnay which was good. There was only one staffer who was the host and the server. He did seat us quickly to our seating preference. But that quick action seemed to play throughout our dining time. The server wasn't too knowledgeable of the menu selections details; first telling us the salmon did have the skin and was baked. Later returning to correct himself, that the salmon did NOT have the skin and was not baked but grilled. We asked for the ahi tuna to be tossed in the dressing and instead were presented with the ahi tuna unseasoned with the dressing on the side. If this server had taken notes of our specific requests maybe mistakes could have been prevented. The server's made us feel rushed and this affected our ability to feel relaxed during our dining experience in such a negative way not 'Zen' considering that's in the restaurant's name. Due to abysmal service, did NOT feel any 'zen' vibes at Zentrl perhaps others will. read more

See all

The Lot & Zentrl Kitchen & Bar I came here today with colleagues to watch Hamnet. We were in theater 2 - row F. The seats are super comfortable and they, of course, recline. The theater looks very nice even though it hasn't been updated much in over 10 years, but for the most part, it looks modern and better than most other theaters. The service was helpful & efficient although she did speak at regular volume when she was taking & checking on orders during the film which was a little surprising. I had the Daou Rose & pretzel bites to share. Both were good. The screen and sound quality are excellent. However, we were shown over 25 minutes of previews & commercials though which was a bit much. Hamnet was excellent. Our whole row was crying because the film was so moving. I'm very glad that I was able to see it at The Lot. We also had a reservation at Zentrl for dinner. Since we'd had snacks in the theater, we mostly had light bites like the tortilla soup, Caesar salad, & poke bowls. I was the outlier and ordered Miso Salmon. I asked for it to be well done, and it was. It was also the last dish to arrive. The fish was well-done but nothing else about the dish made sense. I could not see what the vision was behind it. The salmon tasted plain, I could discern no miso flavor whatsoever. Guacamole, carrots, forbidden rice with an odd coconut profile, and a boatload of shishito peppers piled up in a lukewarm mess. Supposedly Zentrl is California Asian-fusion with Mexican flavor, but honestly & sadly, this dish did not work for me at all. Everyone else enjoyed their food & the company & the service were very pleasant. However, I will not return here to dine in unless it is for a work event. Side note: there were two ladies dining at the table next to us. They seemed to be upset about something, and they took one look at us, and moved to an open table next to theirs and away from us. It is possible that they wanted to be closer to the heater, but it was odd nonetheless. Oh well. There is street parking and a decent sized garage under the building. Four hours of parking are free in the lot with validation from the front ticket desk. read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Miso Salmon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Stopped in for lunch before seeing a movie. I loved that we had actual space to sit without feeling all scrunched and crowded. There's all kinds of comfortable seating to accommodate--inside and out. The food was good. I had a lovely steak bowl that just hit the spot. My kiddo had a legit hotdog and fries. My husband said his chicken salad was fine--the chicken was lacking. Would visit again. read more

Who loves an elevated dining experience? I certainly do!! I didn't realize ZENTRL had a California-Asian fusion with a Mexican flair to it until I went there for brunch. ZENTRL is easy to get to. It brought a smile across my face when I saw free available parking for 4 hours on the property besides street parking. I was in for a special treat when I heard house music from a distance. How AWESOME is that...starting my Saturday the right way! The staff were fantastic from the start...warm greetings and ensuring needs met. The colorful paintings on the walls created an uplifting ZENFUL at the same time ZESTY atmosphere. The bright summer menu had lots of tantalizing options and I definitely wanted to try the luscious-appearing mimosas. Once everything came out, I was in food heaven. Amazzzing Food + Zzzappy Beats = HAPPY Customer. I'll definitely come back for more heavenly experiences. *Things to Remember: inside The Lot; validate your parking ticket. read more

See all

Stopped by this spot for brunch/lunch. Food was fine and service was a bit slow which was surprising because we were one of the only tables.

My friend and I met up for brunch in La Jolla but the wait was ridiculous at both sugar and scribe and the cottage so we decided to give this place a try!! There was no wait, no one inside aside from us and another table. Plenty of seating available both indoor and outdoor. The restaurant itself is cute and clean! The food was pretty good and service was great! Nice spot for a quick bite to eat. We also ordered breakfast plates with eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, and toast. read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Stuffed French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Stopped in for a quick drink before wandering over to the Comedy Store for a show. Staff friendly and bar is a delightful place to sit, the fires around the property are very inviting as well. Took some time to get our drinks, though it was a slow time. We ordered a burger to split and the kitchen had faster service over the bartender's. read more

Stopped by before our 7:45 showing at the Lot. While Zentrl looked empty, the kitchen is split with all the orders in the theatre. That said, we waited over an hour (not even an exaggeration) for our two sushi rolls and our app. HOWEVER! Our server Blake and the manager Ike constantly kept checking on us and trying to get updates in the kitchen for us and were really apologetic about the situation and ended up finding a resolution for our bill. Ike even also grabbed us a popcorn bucket on the way in Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Wait time: 1/5, I fear. read more

ZENTRL is the relaunch of the onsite bar and restaurant at THE LOT La Jolla which is an upscale movie theater. There was a Yelp event held here earlier this year in which the kitchen rolled out several of their dishes for a group of Elites to sample. The setting is fantastic with an outdoor patio that can hold at least 100 diners with an even more spacious indoor dining room and bar area. It's a perfect venue for large scale functions like for some of the events of the La Jolla Concours D'Elegance. I sat at a long hightop table across from the bar which had multiple flat screens hanging from above that were tuned into various athletic competitions. The food menu was made up of fare that you would find at a mid-level to higher end eatery. Shareables, soups, salads, flatbreads, entrees, and desserts were the categories. My selections were the Buttermilk Fried Calamari and the California Cabernet Braised Beef Short Rib. The pieces of deep fried squid were mixed with Piquillo peppers, lemon, and parmesan. A cup of spicy mayo was provided for dipping. The crunch of the batter was alright. The dip added a good amount of heat to the squid. The entree was an item that I had tasted during the Yelp event. A hunk of soft rib meat was placed on a bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes with baby carrots, The braised jus kept the dish succulent. The beef was a tad saltier than I preferred though. The service from the bartender was fantastic. He only had two customers to tend to at the bar so it allowed him to check up on me frequently. The prices were on par for this caliber of restaurant in the village of La Jolla. ZENTRL is open from breakfast to dinner. With numerous brunch options within blocks of THE LOT, this might be a hidden gem that won't have a long wait for a table. read more

See all

Upscale place and spacious. It has an indoor/outdoor feel. It's attached to the Lot movie theater. The Wagyu burger is good as is the truffle fries. read more

Its a nice bright airy place. Food was okay. Ordered a flat bread pizza and salad buddha bowl. Pizza was great but the salad was pretty average. Bland and chunks of veggies. Had the same bowls at another restaurant and it was way different. The eggplant in the salad made it worse. The server was very pleasant and took our review very nicely. Will try the sandwiches next time when and if I go there again. I noticed that theres a patio area where you can have parties. It was set up for a baby shower that day. read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Pizza and buddha bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Came here with a big party for dinner. It wasn't very busy, but I'm not sure why. The food was really good! I loved the brusselsprouts, sushi, and popcorn shrimp. Everything had a little spice which is a must for me. Make sure to leave room for dessert too because the bread pudding is delicious. Thanks for the great meal! read more

See all

Beautiful airy venue attached to movie theater, but don't be fooled... vibrant social bar / restaurant scene!! Brunch comes with free mimosa. Breakfast quesadilla was DELICIOUS! Anthony was the best server!! Private parking lot with validated parking for restaurant. read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Great service! Love the creative menu - the food was delicious. We enjoyed the street corn, the popcorn shrimp, and the trad Benny because it was brunch time! Well done! Will return! read more

A great place to enjoy the view of Liberty Station and watch the planes take off. Enjoyed the happy hour menu before a play at the Cygnet.

We had slow service, a confused server, really tough meat and a wine charge was questionable. They do not answer their phone or call you back if you have an issue. read more

Bland and off tasting food, lacking creativity. We ordered Brussels Sprouts which came drenched and floating in oil. Huevos rancheros was pasty and almost soapy in taste - odd since this is a seemingly simple breakfast staple. Burger was meh. Server was enthusiastic and attentive. read more

Truly a hidden gem! This place was very big and had very delicious food! I was supposed to go to Sugar And Scribe where the wait was an hour and 45 minutes but I ended up stumbling upon this new restaurant a few blocks down that had an awesome ambience! The service was awesome some waiters and managers kept checking in and I felt like a VIP! read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Crème brûlée French toast and Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

The new restaurant at the movie theatre the lot in La Jolla! Beautiful ambiance inside and outside on the patio. The service was incredible. Our server was so kind and 3 managers came to check on our table while we dined. I can for a birthday lunch and everyone was extremely satisfied with their food and drinks. I got the Mediterranean salad with salmon and my friends got, Benedict's, chicken soup and the poke bowl. They have a great variety of food on their menu. Breakfast is served till 1pm. They brought out the most delicious bread pudding for my friends birthday and it was AMAZING. Would highly recommend ordering for your dessert. I'd deff come back! read more

We really loved the food - especially the brussel sprouts, which were so crispy! The sliders were amazing as well. In addition to the great food, the staff was incredibly friendly and kindly accommodated our stroller. Nathan's service was excellent. read more

The food was great. I had the farm fresh eggs which came with some of the best breakfast potatoes I've had. Service was excellent. Besides being attentive, our waiter Anthony was super friendly to our table. Would have beers with this guy vibe. Interior of the place is a really nice minimalistic/modern aesthetic with a spacious outdoor patio. Plus free mimosa before 12pm noon apparently. read more

See all

Service - very slow. For how slow they are no one comes to take your order or is around when you need the check. Drinks - good quality drinks. Food - terrible! We got sushi and the rolls were first over cooked with the rice, super mushy, and the flavors do not come together. My husband got the cauliflower dish. It was cold on the bottom and warm on the top with no flavor. We got a Caesar salad to start. That was almost $20 for a bag of lettuce and no dressing. Not to mention this is also in a movie theater. read more

We went here for Thanksgiving dinner. The patio was gorgeous, and the seats were comfortable. The waitstaff was knowledgeable and friendly. The food wasn't great. I don't mind spending a pretty penny especially for a buffet on Thanksgiving, but there was not a lot of variety. There wasn't even a soup. And, the mashed potatoes were obnoxiously tart thanks to what I would call an overabundance of sour cream. Maybe folks enjoyed it. I was put off. The prime rib and the salmon were okay. The desserts were not particularly fresh. I will say that folks in my party did really love the bacon-wrapped dates and the fresh fruit selection. I understand that ZENTRL was charging much less for their Thanksgiving buffet than the other places in the area. As such, I sort of understand why the food wouldn't be up to par with a big hotel's buffet dinner. Regardless, I'm not sure if I could justify a trip to La Jolla just for what we got that night. read more

I was craving some brunch food and found ZENTRL in La Jolla! I ordered the huevos rancheros and they were amazing! The sauce was so good and all the flavors together were delicious! We had a great server, Cynthia, who was very helpful and attentive. The vibe was great as well! I will definitely be back! read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Huevos Rancheros - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Location is always pleasant and tables available without wait The food is good and the service also read more

Randomly stopped in for drinks and dessert and so happy we did. Some of the most genuine and authentic service I have experienced in a while. The bartender, Tyler, was awesome and made our experience one of a kind. I would love to come back and try dinner here just to see what else they have to offer! read more

creame brûlée French toasted wasn't brûléed and barely cooked. it was dry half toasted bread with cream cheese in the middle. they messed up my wife's order twice so we asked for the check and left. The staff was rude and unattentive and never asked if we wanted more drinks and we were at the bar. over all the worst breakfast experience I have had in years plus we were the only people in the restaurant eating and the terrible food took almost 30 minute. I was a chef in this city for 23 years I would have been embarrassed if this was my restaurant. read more

I would give this place more stars if I could - my new favorite restaurant! The service was amazing, our waiter did more than just take our order, he was actually talking to us and having conversation. The restaurant itself was so nice, it was all comfortable seating and it wasn't packed at all. The best part was the food, it was absolutely delicious. It came out super fast and it tasted fresh and full of flavor. Will definitely be back! read more

Five us thoroughly enjoyed lunch at this beautiful and welcoming restaurant. Service was excellent and each loved their meal from the salads to the Eggs Benedict , to the frittata, to the salmon entree. And there is so much more to try for next visit. I highly recommend dining here and will definitely return. read more

Everything was perfect! Service was impeccable and the food was exquisite. I had a magnificent time in the delightful ambiance of ZENTRL! Thank you Abraham and Tyler! Will be coming back very soon. read more

We went as a group of 10 for Sunday brunch and it was a mixed review. Personally, my breakfast quesadilla with with chorizo was fabulous, and large enough for 2 meals. The Buddha bowl did not get rave review from the 2 that had them. Crème brûlée French toast was excellent, everybody else was happy. Wonderful atmosphere, fun location. read more

Good vibes, the staff was so nice& the food was so good. Definitely coming back soon! read more

ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar - Chilaquiles verdes & blueberry pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Ashely made us feel so so so so special! 10/10 customer service and so nice! I highly recommend and really appreciate Ashely!