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The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado at Balboa Park

4.6
4.6
7904 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 38 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Great for outdoor dining
Located in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the Historic House of Hospitality, The Prado offers historic charm and California cuisine.
Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

View details

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Tue 11:30 am–2:30 pm Tue 4:00 pm–8:00 pm Wed–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–7:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    John King
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    6th Avenue
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Christmas Day Celebration

    $79.95 per person

    Dec 25, 2024 only
    Happy Holidays! Enjoy a special preset menu at the Prado in Balboa Park. We will be serving a 3-course meal for $79.95 per person for adults and $19.95 for children, excluding tax and gratuity. We have seating availability from 12-7 pm inside our dining rooms or outside on our heated garden terrace. All reservations are not table specific and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. Outdoor reservations have no weather back up. Standard seating is inside our dining room. *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.
  • Daou Wine Experience

    Nov 7, 2024 - Dec 31, 2024
    Daou Wine Package Add a bottle of Daou Wine to your table prior to your arrival. Payment will be added onto final check.
  • Prado New Year's Eve Celebration

    $89.95 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    New Year's Celebration Happy New Year's! Enjoy a special preset menu at the Prado in Balboa Park. We will be serving a 3-course meal for $89.95 per person for adults excluding tax and gratuity. We have seating availability from 4-8 pm inside our dining rooms or outside on our heated garden terrace. All reservations are not table specific and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. Outdoor reservations have no weather back up. Standard seating is inside our dining room. *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.

What 7,904 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Prado at Balboa Park is an elegant dining gem, perfect for a special occasion or pre-theater meal. "outstanding service" and "beautiful outdoor patio" settings elevate the dining experience. Guests rave about the calamari and sea bass dishes. While some note menu repetition, the ambiance and attentive staff make it a San Diego favorite.

7,904 Reviews
  1. Karen

    VIP

    Columbus

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely holiday luncheon after How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Globe Theatre.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Debra

    VIP

    San Diego

    20 reviews

    4.0

    20 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Fun brunch with Santa! Not as extravagant as Easter or Mother’s Day, but still a very nice brunch.

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  3. Jim

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The Prado is an old favorite. The service is super.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Frank

    VIP

    San Diego

    30 reviews

    5.0

    30 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    A wonderful meal and a wonderful experience. Great service as well.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Leo

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We go often, enjoy the walk in the park, excellent food, wonderful environment, great, courteous staff.

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  6. Martina

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I dined on a busy Saturday night. The food was excellent. As a party of two I tried the layered potatoes, calamari appetizer, sea bass and short ribs. I am gluten free and very happy with the options. We sat out on the patio which I highly recommend. All the staff was professional and responsive. I look forward to returning

    Is this helpful?

  7. Marilyn

    San Diego

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everyone who waited on us was superb! I would recommend The Prado to friends & family.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Matthew

    VIP

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    we had picked a day that the Grinch was playing... just got out (or just before the next show) so there was a lot of young children that were pretty loud... other than that, it was great. 

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  9. Alice

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice evening. Good drinks and food. Temperature was too cold at first until we requested hostess to turn off air, which she did. Noisy because of holiday celebrants.

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  10. Anne

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    The service was not great. The food was very mediocre. They sat us way on the back patio on a cold night . Our servers didn’t check on us and we didn’t have the right cutlery. Or soup was served and got cold before they brought us spoons. We were going to show and didn’t have time to wait for everything to be corrected. It all took way too much time for soup salad and an entree. No apologies on forgotten items and wait times., we won’t go back. This place used to be great. Ps the bathrooms are outside of the restaurant. The ones for the general public . It felt like a gross school bathroom.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Prado at Balboa Park is rated 4.6 stars by 7904 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 38 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Prado at Balboa Park

1549 El Prado, Suite 12, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross street
    6th Avenue
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Tue 11:30 am–2:30 pm Tue 4:00 pm–8:00 pm Wed–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–7:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    John King
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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