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The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado at Balboa Park

4.6
4.6
7888 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 86 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Charming
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–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

  • 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.
  • Holiday Brunch with Santa

    $79.95 per person

    Dec 22, 2024 only
    Enjoy some good old fashion family fun with our holiday brunch with Santa and Friends. Experience the holiday cheer at balboa park and enjoy seasonal favorites and bottomless mimosas brunch at the Prado in our historic Ballroom transformed into Santas Workshop. Come join us for a one of kind experience that will kick off the holiday season. We have limited seating availability from 10 am-2 pm inside our Ballroom *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. Adult $79.95 per person and children $19.95.
  • Christmas Eve

    $79.95 per person

    Dec 24, 2024 only
    Christmas Eve Celebration 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 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 7,888 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
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 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.

7,888 Reviews
  1. Elizabeth

    VIP

    San Diego

    53 reviews

    5.0

    53 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had dinner before the theater tonight. The restaurant was fully booked and the waitstaff were awesome. Our server timed our dinner & dessert perfectly. Hanger steak & salmon dinners were both delicious. The pradoritas (their margarita) are the best!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Scott

    Atlanta Metro

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was my first time to Prado and it was a nice dining experience. We had a nice setting and excellent service. The food was excellent and all was good. I would recommend Prado for certain. Scott

    Is this helpful?

  3. Shea

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Server was super nice and sociable, gave great recommendations for both food and places to visit after our meal. Ambience was wonderful, not too loud but didn’t feel empty either. Great food and experience overall. Would recommended the fried layered potato.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Suzanne

    San Diego

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    My Pan Roasted Sea Bass was excellent. My husband debated between seafood linguine and Prado Paella, He chose the linguine. After dinner, he said he should have chosen the paella.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Denise

    Seattle

    13 reviews

    4.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is very good, and the ambience is just lovely. Get a table out on the patio.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Farrell

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Outstanding service and atmosphere. Food was high quality as well.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Gary

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good, service was excellent. We had a great waiter. Was a great experience good value for the experience.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Joel

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Limited menu and preparation was average. Things like paella were uninspired and unbalanced in seafood variety (far too much squid, little of the rest) rice was wet and sitting in liquid. Disappointed to say the least. Other dinners had similar opinions of their meals.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Allison

    San Diego

    16 reviews

    4.0

    16 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We have come here a number of times and the staff must love their jobs because it’s the same staff year after year, so I love that. The food is good - Great mushroom risotto. My husband had the sea bass, and he also loved it. Definitely try both if you go. The children’s menu is okay, but it could probably include something more basic like a burger instead of a fillet. The side of broccolini we got was cold. The flavor was good, though. I had a raspberry lemonade which was really strong, not sure I’d get it again. My husband and son got the hot chocolate and it was very watered down. Don’t recommend. The outdoor seating is good and the views are nice, but I do think some additional space heaters would have been better because while our faces and one side was warm, everything else was pretty cold.

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  10. Louise

    VIP

    San Diego

    35 reviews

    5.0

    35 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food. My linguini & clams were excellent. Excellent service also.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Prado at Balboa Park is rated 4.6 stars by 7888 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 86 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–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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