Dining in La Jolla Village

[coda]

Hello,

I will be in La Jolla in a couple weeks. I am staying in La Jolla Village and will not have a car. Can anybody suggest a place for dinner within walking distance? I like all types of food, so am most interested in the best La Jolla has to offer. No steak houses please!

Thanks!

[Honkman]

Hello,

I will be in La Jolla in a couple weeks.  I am staying in La Jolla Village and will not have a car.  Can anybody suggest a place for dinner within walking distance?  I like all types of food, so am most interested in the best La Jolla has to offer. No steak houses please!

Thanks!

←

I don't know how much money you are willing to spend but La Jolla has some good restaurants around Prospect Street (and close by):

- Georges at the Cove (Fine Dinig is on the main floor): http://www.georgesatthecove.com/finemenu.php?pmenu=2

- 9-10: http://www.nine-ten.com/eat-and-drink.html

- Tapenade: http://www.tapenaderestaurant.com/menus.cfm

- Jack's: http://www.jackslajolla.com/index2.html

- Marine Room: http://www.ljbtc.com/Default.aspx?p=Dynami...e&PageId=204542

[helenah]

We've just got back to the UK having spent some time eating and drinking our way round California. We stayed close to La Jolla for a while and tried some of their restaurants:

Georges at the Cove - we went to their more casual dining place upstairs. No reservations needed but a waiting list in operation. Get there early if you want a table. Open terrace overlooking the sea - fantastic view. And we thought very good food. Definitely recommend. The smarter restaurant ldownstairs looked extremely good and was also very busy -clearly the 'in' place with the locals.

Trattoria Acqua - average Italian-style food further along Prospect Street. OK.

Alfonsos - Mexican opposite Georges at the Cove. Very casual and very busy. We didn't like it but that could be our British palate! It was obviously very popular. We thought there was just too much fat (everything completely covered in cheese, sour cream and guacamole) and stodge (lots of chips, tacos etc all very greasy). You can imagine when you combine it with a few margaritas you don't walk away feeling very well.

[Toliver]

Can you be a little more specific as to where you are staying (like hotel name and/or location)?

The reason I ask this is because there's the small "town" of La Jolla on the ocean.

And then there's the La Jolla Village area which is nowhere near walking distance of La Jolla but the developers called it that so they could sound "upscale".

There's quite a difference between the two.

[Honkman]

Can you be a little more specific as to where you are staying (like hotel name and/or location)?

The reason I ask this is because there's the small "town" of La Jolla on the ocean.

And then there's the La Jolla Village area which is nowhere near walking distance of La Jolla but the developers called it that so they could sound "upscale".

There's quite a difference between the two.

←

I thought La Jolla Village would be the small "town" of La Jolla otherwise it would be more the UTC area.

[Toliver]

Can you be a little more specific as to where you are staying (like hotel name and/or location)?

The reason I ask this is because there's the small "town" of La Jolla on the ocean.

And then there's the La Jolla Village area which is nowhere near walking distance of La Jolla but the developers called it that so they could sound "upscale".

There's quite a difference between the two.

←

I thought La Jolla Village would be the small "town" of La Jolla otherwise it would be more the UTC area.

←

Not really. People who live in La Jolla may refer to it as a "village" but no one in the rest of San Diego does. It's just "La Jolla".

La Jolla Village Shopping center (on La Jolla Village Drive) is west of UTC and is quite a distance from the actual "town" of La Jolla. I am sure the nearby hotels refer to themselves as "La Jolla Village Mariott" or something similar.

And La Jolla Village Drive itself is nowhere near the heart of La Jolla. If you go west of the La Jolla Village Shopping center on La Jolla Village Drive, it eventually takes you past UCSD. La Jolla proper is quite far south from UCSD and La Jolla Village Drive.

Hence, my question as to the reference of "La Jolla Village". Just seeking some clarity since some may confuse the two very different places.

[hzrt8w]

I am staying in La Jolla Village and will not have a car.  Can anybody suggest a place for dinner within walking distance?   I like all types of food, so am most interested in the best La Jolla has to offer. No steak houses please!

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This is California where walking is not common. We usually drive from one store's parking lot onto the parking lot of the store next to it.

Places within walking distance at La Jolla Village is probably not what best La Jolla has to offer. The restaurants forementioned are mostly in the heart of La Jolla, which is a few miles away from La Jolla Village. A cab would help...

Edited July 27, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[Honkman]

Can you be a little more specific as to where you are staying (like hotel name and/or location)?

The reason I ask this is because there's the small "town" of La Jolla on the ocean.

And then there's the La Jolla Village area which is nowhere near walking distance of La Jolla but the developers called it that so they could sound "upscale".

There's quite a difference between the two.

←

I thought La Jolla Village would be the small "town" of La Jolla otherwise it would be more the UTC area.

←

Not really. People who live in La Jolla may refer to it as a "village" but no one in the rest of San Diego does. It's just "La Jolla".

La Jolla Village Shopping center (on La Jolla Village Drive) is west of UTC and is quite a distance from the actual "town" of La Jolla. I am sure the nearby hotels refer to themselves as "La Jolla Village Mariott" or something similar.

And La Jolla Village Drive itself is nowhere near the heart of La Jolla. If you go west of the La Jolla Village Shopping center on La Jolla Village Drive, it eventually takes you past UCSD. La Jolla proper is quite far south from UCSD and La Jolla Village Drive.

Hence, my question as to the reference of "La Jolla Village". Just seeking some clarity since some may confuse the two very different places.

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I live close to La Jolla and for me La Jolla Village is the "town" of La Jolla. But you are correct that the OP could have mixed it up. If he is staying in the UTC area it would be good to know in which hotel he is staying. There are only a few fine dining option in the UTC (Cafe Japengo etc.)

[saycheese]

We just returned from a short stay in La Jolla at the Hyatt on la Jolla Village Drive. We had dinner at Cafe Japengo, which is right across the street from the Hyatt, and at Zenbu in La Jolla itself, and had brunch at The Cottage in La Jolla. Zenbu and Japengo are similar in style, although Japengo is much bigger and has a huge sushi bar. Zenbu is very dark and has VERY loud techno music. We didn't have a reservation and had to wait about 45 minutes for a table. The prices on the menu seemed really high for the sushi rolls, but then we realized the rolls were enormous -- like 10 or 12 big slices for some of them. The nigiri sushi was excellent, although the rice itself was underseasoned and also fell apart easily. Zenbu is also a bit more gimmicky than japengo -- like one of the appetizers is slices of beef that you cook yourself on a hot rock. Zenbu also had great specials -- fresh local amaebi and live uni, although the uni was very expensive and we didn't order it. The fresh amaebi was fabulous. Our server at Zenbu was terrible -- very slow and inattentive. At Japengo, we sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed that more than our table at Zenbu. The seaweed salad at Japengo was much tastier than the one at Zenbu, which was bland. Dinner for 3 people was about $200 at both Japengo and Zenbu, including sake, but no cocktails.

The Cottage is supposed to be legendary for breakfast. It was very cute, with ample outdoor seating -- preferable, because there is no air conditioning inside, and it was very hot. The wait to be seated goes quickly, and they provide a small cart with coffee and coffee cake for those waiting. Breakfast dishes include French toast, pancakes, omelettes, granola, meat loaf hash, etc. with lots of fruit choices. Portions are LARGE, and service is very quick. Everything seemed to be about $10 to $12. I thought it was good, but not outstanding. (For about the same price, we had a fabulous, much classier, brunch at Joe's in Venice Beach before coming home.)

I suggest you make dinner reservations in La Jolla early -- there seemed to be long lines everywhere.

[coda]

Thanks for all the posts so far! I will be staying at the Grande Colonial Hotel (910 Prospect Street).

Keep the suggestions coming! Also, if anyone knows of any places that are especially vegetarian friendly, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks again

[Carlsbad]

I think Honkman got it exactly right: Tapenade, George's, 9-10, Marine Room. (I haven't been to Jack's yet.) All but the Marine Room are walking distance, and it is a short cab ride away. 9-10 is in your hotel in fact. Tapenade is a bit of a walk away, but worth it. The informal rooftop at George's is one of my favorite spots on a nice day or night. I think all of them are vegetarian friendly andl would work with you. Hopefully, the weather will cool off before you get here.

Edited July 28, 2006 by Carlsbad (log)

[kalypso]

Thanks for all the posts so far! I will be staying at the Grande Colonial Hotel (910 Prospect Street).

Keep the suggestions coming!  Also, if anyone knows of any places that are especially vegetarian friendly, I would love to hear about it.

Thanks again

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Nine-Ten is right in your hotel and well worth a meal or two. The panna cotta for dessert is, hands down, the best version in San Diego.

Also within walking distance of your hotel is Roppongi. During Happy Hour all their appetizers are half price, as are the drinks I belive. This is not a buffalo wings and poppers app menu, though. It is creative and leans a lot towards seafood and Asian influences. Plates are large enough to share. This is one of the best values in town. Given the exceedingly warm weather over the last two weeks, the patio seating at Roppongi would be a nice place to while away some time

[Kouign Aman]

Rappongi is good, and fun. Happy Hour is worth aiming for as the prices add up fast. It sounds like a great trip. La Jolla is a good place for walking.

For casual grub, there's The Spot. Its been around a while.

http://sandiego.citysearch.com/profile/419...a/the_spot.html

[hzrt8w]

La Jolla is a good place for walking.

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True for touring the heart of La Jolla or along the coastline. But in this post...

Per Mapquest:

La Jolla Village to La Jolla "downtown": 4.2 miles

Along La Jolla Village Drive, Torrey Pines Road. This is not a "along New York Fifth Avenue window shopping" kind of walk. This is a "pedestrian-unfriendly, no shops along the route, side walk might be missing, every car is zooming by you at 60MPH" kind of walk.

(Map)

[Toliver]

La Jolla is a good place for walking.

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True for touring the heart of La Jolla or along the coastline. But in this post...

Per Mapquest:

La Jolla Village to La Jolla "downtown": 4.2 miles

Along La Jolla Village Drive, Torrey Pines Road. This is not a "along New York Fifth Avenue window shopping" kind of walk. This is a "pedestrian-unfriendly, no shops along the route, side walk might be missing, every car is zooming by you at 60MPH" kind of walk.

(Map)

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I concur regarding the long walk (see my post #6 up above regarding this exact point).

However, he does seem to be staying in the actual heart of La Jolla. From there just about all the highlights of "downtown" La Jolla can be reached by walking. From the musuem to the Cove (are the seals still residing there?) to some good eats, it's all within walking distance if you're anywhere near Prospect.

[Kouign Aman]

La Jolla proper, as Toliver notes, is lovely for walking - cliffs, caves, ocean, shopping, food.

The area near "La Jolla Village Square" is indeed a whole 'nother can of beans. That's commuter heaven. And its a nasty schlep indeed as noted by hrzt8w (not the distance, tho its a steep long hill, but the traffic and lack of sidewalks). But not a bad bus ride. Tho why anyone staying in La Jolla proper for only a few days would WANT to go to "that other" neighborhood is beyond me (shopping malls, grocery stores).

Another more relaxed option - Alfonso's has been serving mexican food in La Jolla for decades. I have no idea if its "authentic", but its certainly kept its clientele happy.