Best Restaurants with a Happy Hour in Rancho Santa Fe

I don’t know why I’ve never reviewed South of Nick’s before, but this is hands-down one of my all-time favorite places! They never disappoint. If I’m anywhere near South of Nick’s—or even two hours away—I’ll make the trip without hesitation. Today, we were lucky to have Nadia as our server, and she was fantastic! Attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely amazing. As for the food—wow. I had the Chilean Seabass, and as always, it was perfection. My husband ordered the Steak Chimichanga, upgraded with a Lobster Enchilada and beans—absolutely fantastic! We also couldn’t resist starting with the Shrimp Taquitos alongside the incredible black beans, salsa trio, and fresh tortilla chips. To top it off, I ordered the Shrimp Cabo to go, because why not extend the deliciousness to later? Every single thing we had was bursting with flavor and perfectly executed. South of Nick’s consistently delivers a phenomenal dining experience, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you haven’t been yet, go—you’re in for a treat!

The Chart House continues to deliver one of San Diego Counties elite beachside dining experiences! Being "eye level" with the surf, waves within feet of the dining room, surfers, beachcombers and seagulls energizing the North Coast vibe and then, those sunsets! We love it! Jeff Brand Rancho Santa Fe

Good food and nice time. Food well prepared and pleasant/efficient service

This restaurant is located in a perfect spot in Cardiff. The decor is lovely and truly speaks to a beach atmosphere. We had a gift card to use so we were able to try a lot of different dishes. They were all very tasty and the drinks are one of a kind. It is a pricey place, but every nice restaurant these days is pricey. My only complaint is the salad (arugula) that came with my fish was so heavily coated in salt that I couldn't eat it. It didn't seem right that it would even have salt on it so I don't know if it was in the dressing or a mistake. At any rate, the main dishes were very good. Our drinks did sit empty for half the meal so the waitress could have come by more often to ask if we wanted anything else. But overall, the ambience, overall decor, and vibe was lovely.

Food was great. Service was good, but the waiter seemed to have forgotten about us for a bit and I had to flag someone down to go get him. Anyway, it’s a very minor complaint. I had the Chilean Sea Bass and my date had the ahi tuna. Both great. Glad they accommodated my dairy allergy and my date’s gluten sensitivity. Great ambience and views also. I’m glad I went and hopefully will be back!