Best Lunch Restaurants in San Diego

Great Maple has been our "go to" for many years now. The food is always outstanding, and the staff is second to none when it comes to friendliness, service and recognition. My ONLY regret is that they are no longer open mid-week as we enjoyed dining there after work - but THRILLED that they are still there and making it "work" for them. Last night we celebrated a friend's birthday. From the moment we walked in, until we left, she was treated as an honored guest by the team. We appreciated that for many reasons, the least of which was recognition. My rating overall for last night was 5-stars with only a couple minor dings. A relatively new server (to us) was a bit uniformed on a few bar items, but friendly and attentive. If there was any one request it would be to find a way to bring down the noise level. Given that it is an older building, that may be hard to accomplish. Some like that energy, but it can be a bit much when trying to converse with people at your table. Not a complaint - just an observation that seems to be the trend at a lot of restaurants now-a-days. Once the weather warms up, the outdoor patio seems to fix that issue for me. The food is excellent. Last night my group started with the crispy calamari and the portobello mushroom fries (always a favorite) followed by the duck special, the curried chicken pot pie, the turkey bolognese, the vegan hash and the buttermilk fried chicken. The duck and curried chicken pot pie seemed to get the most raves. I had the fried chicken, and while very good, I am not a fan of food on top of food. (Chicken on top of mashed potatoes with gravy.) It was still very good, but something I probably would not order again simply for that reason. My southern friend at the table disagreed with me on that issue! Not only is the food good, but the presentation of each dish always pleases the eye. Unfortunately, no room for dessert - but I do recommend that you try their pie specials or even the maple bacon donuts!

The Enchiladas Suiza were amazing. The service was great. I would recommend for sure.

Christmas night, dining outdoors on the patio, cozy heater next to us, tender prime rib and hot mashed potatoes, a good wine, and just enough attention from our server, Maurice. What's not to love? Cohn family dining in beautiful San Diego! Happy New Year, everyone! (I did ask them to please turn down the volume on the...uh... lively Christmas music so we could visit, and they promptly obliged.)

What a wonderful place to be on Christmas day( Fantastic fixed menu, fantastic drinks and what a very attentive staff from front desk to service. I want to thank Bill, my server for the evening and all the wonderful team members who worked on Christmas day to make someone else s day special. The view from any point of view is breathtaking. The chef and team should take a bow for the menu and the bartender for a wonderful mango Durango cocktail. What a gem of a restaurant, so classy, so chic so special. Keep up the great 5 Star service. I also appreciate the many times the manager and staff checked on a single woman. I felt so special.

This was our first time at Cesarina, and it won’t be our last! The pastas were absolutely outstanding—I especially loved my Arrabiatissima with malfalde and guanciale—and the table-side-made tiramisu was the best we’ve ever had. We loved the ambiance of the outside patio. Everything was splendid and the staff worked tirelessly and successfully to create a festive environment. Can’t wait to return!