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Categories: Restaurants, Jazz & Blues, Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: GaslampSun - Thurs starting at 7:30pm
Cover $5
Fri-Sat starting at 8:30pm…
Mon-Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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We've been to Croce's two times in the last six months. Both times, we were warmly greeted by the staff and had the pleasure of meeting Ingrid Croce - who is one of the finest restauranteurs in the city. The food is progressive, yet familiar. It seems the staff at Croce's puts TLC into each dish. I only eat seafood, so the first time I had the scallop risotto and the second time I had the seared ahi. Both remarkably prepared dishes.
The ambiance is warm and inviting. It is a semi-small space (as per the norm in downtown) that feels big on energy and fun. Good for dinner and drinks all in one place.
I love live Music, yes.
This is a classic jazz joint, with elbow to elbow tables, servers shimmying through the aisles, and high prices. Fun to go and check things out, but be careful of the prices if you are looking for a deal.
The food is really good! Hot red jalapeno calamari is great. Fig salad is great. Yummy.
Creme Brulee is good.
Lots of wine to choose from, and the pinot noir we had was nice. My T&T wasn't that tasty though.
If you get stuck at a small table upstairs by the server station, ask to be relocated. It is nuts to butts up there!
I will have to go back when I can save up enough money for a dinner budget to try other things on the menu.
Strolling down the gaslamp with my Sacramento friends searching for a restaurant to eat at. We looked at the menu for Croce's seemed yummy and walked in.
They sat us at the corner so we can people watch. Our server was really friendly and very helpful. I had the Grilled Free-Range Chicken with Forest Mushroom Risotto, asparagus and rosemary vodka sauce with fried leeks, $26. It was really good, my risotto was yum I wanted to lick my plate clean.
My friend Shari had the Seared Scallops and Lobster-Scented Risotto with edamame, asparagus, tomatoes, parmesan and thyme-marinated lemon $32. She also wanted to lick her plate. Her Husband Troy asked the server to surprise him...she brought out a yummy piece of steak. I don't remember what kind it was but I was eyeballin' it from my chair.
Yeah, I love Ahi...
They had great ahi.
Heavy handed booze, (which for me is a trademark of a great restaurant/bar.)
I am not a huge fan of live music, especially when I am trying to have dinner with someone I am actually trying to listen to, but I understand that the live jazz is one of the main draws to Croce's.
Service was pretty good. Food was fantastic! Booze were strong!
Hooray for Croce's!
Decent, overpriced joint that remains packed due to the legend of Jim Croce. Food was solid but formulaic. Fillet was done perfectly and was a nice size. However, the woody ends of the asparagus were not trimmed, a fatal flaw.
Been here twice now and would go back. Really nice wine by the glass options.
For my 200th review, I am glad it is for Croce's. We have been here before but that was before Yelp.
We wanted to spend NYE here and after the crappiest dinner I was hoping to turn this night around. We arrive around 10:30 and ask if we can go in for drinks and music. It's NYE and they are holding space for those who want to dine. I understand. They let us in after 10 minutes and let us know there was standing room only. Cool, no problem.
The bartenders promptly help us and after about 5 minutes of standing they find us somewhere to sit. Awesome.
The music was great and so was the staff. NYE was special, thanks to them. Croce's made up for the horrible service we received at dinner. Thank you!
The food was certainly ~4 stars worthy. And I love Love LOVE Jim Croce's music. But the brunch we had here one sunday last year was just... unimpressive. The service was reasonably friendly, the food good. But it was too expensive. I really am not one to complain about prices, often I get swindled, but I just felt it wasn't a great value.
Recommendation: go in the evenings, listen to live music, have appetizers and cocktails.
Croce's is a wonderful fine dining restaurant that if you are in San Diego you must go to. I'll put it up against any restaurant I have been to for the quality and service.
We go there and were met right away and seated soon after. Cocktails came quickly. Reviewing the menu, it was quite diverse with appetizers, salads, and made courses. It is quite full of duck, seafood, and lamb.
I wanted to save room for desert so I skipped the salad and desert and ordered the pistachio encrusted lamb with purple and sweet potatoes and green beans. It was fantastic. The lamb was so tender it melted in my mouth.
Croce's has wonderful wine list so I went with the "Seghesio, Zinfandel, Sonoma '06" they recommended and it was delicious, very full bodied.
For desert, a delicious menu, I went for the season crisp with homemade vanilla ice cream. It was fresh and quite good. The vanilla ice cream complemented it quite well.
Finally the service was superb. Our waiter was there and checked at appropriate times. He brought our cocktails quickly and our wine at the appropriate time for our dinner to arrive. The server kept the water glasses filled and brought the bread appropriately.
This is a great restaurant in a great neighborhood in San Diego. If you have a choice and are looking for a more upscale restaurant this is a place.
Also you can listen to Jim Croce's music or the music emanating from the Jazz Bar attached to the restaurant.
First i must say, if you are gonna go, you need to go on Sunday Nights when Archie and the Archtones are playing. Dude plays "Everlong" on piano. Nuff said.
I usually just get a beer and watch the band. The one time i ate here, it was great. I had the Maple Glazed Pistachio Dusted Spiral Half Rack of Lamb with purple and sweet potato twist, French green beans, rosemary scented lamb jus and maple reduction
Yeah so i copied the exact description from the Menu. But doesn't that sound ridiculous? It was. Not as good as Archie doing a jazz version of "I Want A New Drug", BUT WHAT THE HELL IS?
I've always had a hankering to try Croce's. So on our last night in San Diego, we did. What the hell, I live for the danger.
The blues trio was great and the food was outstanding. The service was fantastic and everything made for a perfect farewell dining experience. This is until the horrified shriek from a female patron two tables down as a huge cockroach crawled up the wall near their table and onto the second level. The look on our server's face as she spotted the roach and then to see if we'd noticed (like, duh) was precious. We laughed all the way out of the place.
P.S., I think roaches live in every large eatery, good and bad, whether they make a formal dinner appearance or not, and while the food was delicious, another visit is questionable. It's the roach image that lives with me, not the reality.
My husband and I came here on a Sunday after watching the games since they are open for lunch & brunch on weekends. The lunch appetizer selection was pretty slim but we started with the Mediterranean Hummus served with roasted red peppers, garlic flat bread, cucumber and Greek olives. It wasn't very good and I don't recommend it. The peppers tasted like they came out of a jar, very bland, the hummus also tasted bland and had a strange aftertaste. Very few olives and they don't give you enough pita (4 tiny triangles, um, come on, I mean pita is not expensive) so minus a star. For our entrees I wanted the linguine with meatballs, the description sounded very yummy but unfortunately they were out. That was annoying. I still wanted pasta so I ended up ordering the Penne Pasta with Knight Salumi Gourmet Sausage, broccoli, Roma tomatoes, in a garlic white wine sauce. It was good and the sausage was very spicy. I asked for extra parmesan but the waiter forgot and it really could have used a bit more. I liked it anyway but I don't know that I'd order it again. I just wasn't a very unique or memorable dish. My husband had the Croce's Prime Contemporary Meatloaf open face sandwich with fried oregano onion rings and a porcini demi glaze. Now THAT was delicious! I totally ate a bunch of it. My poor guy! I will definitely get that next time if we ever return for lunch (or even for dinner if it's available). It was Excellent. Except for the parmesan snafu the waiter was actually very attentive. We also saw Ingrid Croce standing by the hostess booth talking to people and promoting the restaurant. Pretty impressive to see the owner hustling like that! I know my husband really enjoyed it here so I'm sure we'll be back. I'm actually curious about brunch and dinner. It's a nice place so I'd like to give it another shot and maybe catch the jazz band. I'm giving it 3.5 stars but you can't do 1/2 stars here so they get 3. My husband says 4 but it's my review and I say it gets 3 so that's that.
Ate here with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece on vacation. The staff was awesome, really took car of my niece (she's four) and the food was incredibly delicious.
I had the grilled duck and was super-satisfied. We went early in the evening, again... my niece, but the crowd was definitely picking up was be finished our meal and the music started. I could imagine this being a great place to relax with friends and hear good music on a typical Friday night in the Gaslamp Quarter. Next time I'm in San Diego, I'll be back!
I have only been to the piano bar. I love it! i went in after seeing Robin Trower at HOB. and low and behold there was Sue Palmers band playing and singing.
The mini crowd was amazing, Sweet bartender. He didnt give me shit for ordering a Shirley Temple. Instead he asked if i was a DD and didnt charge me! sweet! i wasnt a dd i just didnt feel like drinking that night. Croce's is a great place to watch live jazz. I have seen Pocket there a few times.
I need to go and now try the food so i can give it a really great review!
small, overpriced. Good thing it has the name recognition or it would die a thousand deaths like many very similar places. It's trying to be cool, but it ain't. You'll see. Go drop your fifty bucks and then let me know.
Pretty Awesome place. Super unique because of the top second floor seating to watch over the stage or just be rowdy upstairs.
Came for a conference - so good for casual meetings. You have to set up your own wifi and such up. Food however, was awesome!! The staff were very nice.
Great place to relax and dine at. They also have a outdoor patio area!
Parking: Valet, or street parking (meter) or mall parking (3hours time limit?)
I am walking down 5th. Avenue. I am looking at the different restaurants. Persian, Seafood, New York, Asian, More Seafood, More New York.... Is there anything AMERICAN? 2 more blocks...Croce's, As in Jim Croce, the Singer, He's Dead, so it can't be his (It's his widow's) I look at the menu - it's got everything! Steaks, Seafood, Salads, American Entree's! I've Found It! So I ask for a table, review the menu and make our choices. We are doing this shrimp appetizer (Firecracker?) It's AmAZING! Served with a spicy Mayo - It's better than sex! Next-up, A Goat cheese salad that we both share - OH MY GOSH - It's pretty as a rainbow - don't want to destroy it by eating it - The cucumber - the Goat cheese - the beauty of it - But we do... OMG! The tastes are incredible! Next up, Entree's I have the Black Cod, Wife has the Meatloaf. When the dishes arrive - We are impressed! The Plate's look as pretty as the Goat Cheese salad. I have this incredible array of side dishes - as does the misses! Tasting both - AMAZING TASTE! I don't know when I've tasted food like this before - but I'm blown away!
We order a shared dessert. A Chocolate fondant. I'm thinking that it is going to be a small cake-ish thing, No it's better. It's this gooey, fudgey, fresh Raspberry thing in a ramekin. Baked perfectly, It's just as good as the previous things I mentioned!
Great Meal!
I really like Croce's. I went with 3 friends. 3 of is thought the food was great, but my one friend didn't like her meatloaf. Note about friend, she is an unrelianlw spice since she always hates meatloaf whenever she orders it, doesn't matter where we eat.
The ambience is nice. I really liked hearing the live band, but again my friend doesn't like noise when she eats.
We also had a wonderfully attentive waitress. Overall for me the exprience was great, but 4 stars because my one friend said it was just okay for her.
I'm sure this rating would be a lot higher at dinner but for lunch it was very standard. Entrees are only served at dinner, so I didn't get to try the lamb or steak that I so desperately wanted. I settled for a club sandwich with baked potato salad and a Bloody Mary. My cousin and the other half both had the meatball sandwich which was a Claim Jumper portion, Huge. The spicy shrimp appetizer was delicious, just the right amount of spice.
Fantastic location in Gaslamp. I wish my brother were with me, he loves Jim Croce.
The pianist was putting me to sleep but my company kept me entertained.
3.5 stars. Rounded up.
Aw, I love Croce's. This is my favorite restaurant in the Gaslamp district hands down. I have never had anything off of the menu that I didn't like, but I usually get the scallops and risotto and chocolate cake for dessert. Super yummy. Equally good is the live jazz music; it's so much fun to have a great meal and then stay for another bottle of wine and some good music. This restaurant definitely has atmosphere; it's a little small but I think the coziness is part of its charm.
Also, Croce's has a special place in my heart because it's one of my parents' favorite restaurants.
Our experience here was very good.
First of all, the place is nice but not stuffy. The hostesses are friendly but not the insane-friendly-of-Chili's-hostesses kind.
We started with a drink in the bar. The bartender was friendly and quick, and the drinks were great. (Croce's alcohol selection is good... Effen vodka and Starbucks liqueur are too examples of hard-to-find bottles that they had.) Also, drinks were only $8/each, which is much better than the $11-14/each we usually spend in places like this.
The dining area we sat in (there are four dining areas that I know of, the bar, front patio, front room, and upstairs) looked like close quarters but actually was arranged very smartly to keep each table intimate and spaced far enough from the surrounding parties.
The bread was very good, although I think the butter was unsalted, which is not the best for bread. We ordered the jalapeno calamari as an appetizer, and it was very good. (Tip: Pick out the seeds to get only the sweetness of pepper.) There was a good ring-to-legs ratio. :)
We happened to be there during San Diego Restaurant Week, so there was a special menu that would allow us to choose a starter, entree, and dessert for $40/person. (Judging from the full menu, the average meal is normally about $60/person.) Three of us opted for the Restaurant Week menu, and the fourth didn't.
The starters we had among us were French onion soup, baked brie, and a Caesar salad. Croce's is "famous" for their French onion soup, but it's not traditional... the guys who ordered it said it was flavored more like beef stew. The Caesar was perfectly (lightly) dressed and had tiny croutons, so much better than those huge ones you get at a diner. It also had freshly shaved parmesan and freshly ground peppercorn. The baked brie was so good! It came with roasted garlic cloves, a half-loaf of bread, and a balsamic-and-strawberry salad, making this starter the best value. Everyone got a taste of it.
Three of us ordered the New York steak, and the fourth got a filet. The NYs came with gouda mashed potatoes (good, but a little strong on the gouda and too smooth for me), grilled asparagus (perfectly cooked), and a mushroom sauce (soooo good, more mushrooms please). The filet came with regular mashed potatoes (but they were Yukon golds... no fair, we got white potatoes), grilled squashes, and a passionfruit reduction. All steaks were cooked as desired, and everyone was pleased with their food. The portions were generous: Three of us left food on our plates.
For dessert, the guys got the chocolate fondant cake, and the girls got lavender honey creme brulee. The cake came with ice cream (oops, only for one of them), and they both really liked it. The creme brulee and its accompanying tuile were strong on the lavender, so I'm sure it would not be universally liked... however, we both loved it.
All around, the service was quick, quiet, and timed right. The food was excellent, the drinks were good, and the atmosphere was fun. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it yet.
Food here is just okay (3 - 3.5 stars). The best thing I had was their salad. My risotto was overly salty. However, if you are looking for a chill place to listen to jazz while sipping on some spirits then hop on over next door! The bar area is lit lowly and the atmosphere is lively yet intimate, perfect for a date or just to hang out with your buddies. Very down to earth vibe and not pretentious at all. A sure bet if you are looking for a relaxing night on the town.
Note that they stop playing around 11pm and there is a cover ($5) if you did not have dinner there.
They charge to split and the waitress wasn't too helpful.....she acted annoyed. That was her vibe. At least hide the fact you are annoyed. Can't even help us choose a wine. Dumbass. Do your job and maybe we won't be asking soo many questions. I had a side of mushroom risotto...it was ok. Much better at Hawthorne's in Hillcrest.
At least the dessert was good. Lava cake as always.
This place is sweet! I only say this because the music is off the hook!
The food wasn't as great…
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We always had a nice time here and a good meal. The atmosphere is great and the piano bar is a great spot to sit and relax.
The one thing that does stand out from my visits is they had great bread!
When my parents came to town a few months ago I wanted to take them somewhere impressive to show off our downtown core. But as you can imagine with parents, I wanted something with that Je ne sais quoi.
A) It could not be pumping Hip Hop muzak.
B) It had to be a place that would give us a chance to see downtown but they wouldn't feel ancient compared to the clientele.
C) We needed to be able to converse.
So I did my usual Yelper homework checking on dishes and the website as to what might impress, I prepared them both to wear something other than shorts (they come from Calgary and are overjoyed to wear shorts in the Fall here). It's a touch dressy but I don't think Ingrid requires it, she is Croce's wife. I also made a reservation.
I ordered the cucumber goat cheese salad which if you look at their site, you'll see the cucumbers making a fort like structure to hold the salad bits in. The presentation is unique and eloquent but it doesn't stop there. It tastes great, the little crunchy item you see on the top of the bed is the goat cheese and you can slice it with a fork and mix it around and share it as well. Which I did and we likey.
I wanted to sing out loudly "Bad bad Leroy brown baddest man in the whole damn town, meaner than old King Konnnng, badder than a junkyard dog!" (I did not verify these lyrics this is all from memory of this pop radio song)
I should mention, these two are not easily impressed. Especially the step-dad like unit. He often berates anything that is expensive saying it's crap. I think it's because he wants an excuse not to go to nice places and spend too much money wishing to spend money on things like the swap meet which he loves, but even he was impressed.
I then had the seared scallops with the Lobster scented risotto which was paired nicely with edamame and other little veggies mixed in. Mmm I couldn't even eat it all I tried giving some to my family but they could only eat a small amount as they were full too.
I was so enthralled with my meal I hardly noticed what the others had, we were all very impressed and we enjoyed the folky tunes of Croce singing in the back ground every once in a while too.
This is the perfect little romantic spot as you can sit and watch people walking around the Gaslamp as well, it's sure to impress out of towner's but even the locals were going nuts having a grand old time in the lounge which had live piano bar music going.
My writer girls would love this place on a week night for a tete a tete!
I'd recommend it for parents and even anyone who likes a fine meal where they can hear themselves talk once in a while.
The only reason it's getting the removal of one star is that I didn't like the chairs, they were uncomfy and small.
They've packed in too many tables if they removed just one table the waiter might not need to do his Cirque de Soleil type moves every time he brought us something. I wish I remembered his name, he was stupendous but he certainly had his challenges with the table set up but he kept us watered, fed and was timely on checking the meal's flavor. Unfortunately this is something you don't see a lot even in the nice place in San Diego but he had it down, yay for him!
Loved it! Went here for the first time with 2 other couples and noted the food and service was fantastic. We had the spicy shrimp appetizers and calamari. The spicy chipotle sauce that comes with the shrimp was also used to dip calamari and spread on our bread.
All six of us loved our entrees. Everyone's eyes rolled back in culinary delight when they had the pork chop. I opted for the seared ahi tuna and kept mmmm'ing throughout my dinner.
It was a pricey restaurant. Probably the only deterrent from visiting more often. With appetizers, 2 drinks each, entrees and dessert, it was about $100 /person (incl tip).
Highly recommended for special occasions, celebrations, or to wow a special someone.
One of the best salads of all time. YES. Warm spinach salad. It has vanilla bean dressing. I still dream about it to this very day.
My entree. So average--Rosemary Chicken. Forgettable.
The upstairs seating. Cramped. Well--the whole place is tight.
The service. OK. A little snobby--but nothing to write more than this sentence about.
The price. Way too high.
All in all.........3 Stars. 5 stars alone for that salad--but everything else.........not amazing..........not bad. Just OK.
Talk about over-hyped. But first, the few good things: my pork chops. They were good, but they weren't amazing, that's for sure. Maybe, again, I've been spoiled by delicious LA food, but the pork chops were good, but lacking in flavor for some reason. It had a fruit drizzle on the pork chops, but just wasn't flavorful enough. My friend had the swordfish, which was described as mediocre, and the meatloaf, which was also described as mediocre. The one other good dish was the shrimp pasta. Yum!
Ok now the bad: 5 people were stuffed in a corner with a small round table, proabably more suitable for two. Also, our server couldn't pour a glass of wine without spilling~ Oh well. Also, we were too early for the show, so couldn't enjoy live music. But even worse than this, was the price of the food. WAY overpriced for the quality of food. I don't know that I would go back for the food, because it's overpriced, but I may drop by for a drink and some music.
My wife and I hit this place right before going to see "Spring Awakening" at the Balboa Theater. We parked at the Horton Plaza and walked over to Croce's for some breakfast before the 1 pm show.
Order:
1 homemade croissant
Fresh squezzed OJ
Eggs Benedict
Salmon scramble
The meal was very good. Bread, juice, and service were top notch. My wife had the Salmon eggs and they were delicious. The smokingness of the fish was outstanding. I had the Benedict's and it was a classic.
The live music was heavenly. Can't wait to go back.
Let me start off by saying that i haven't been to this joint in over 4 years. Yup, its pricey. But let me also say that one mention of the word "Croce's" and my mouth begins to water just thinking about that oh-so-delicious stuffed pork chop that I ate so long ago.
I couldn't tell you what I had for dinner last night but I can remember biting into that pork chop so many years ago and the wonderful sauce that accompanied it on the plate.
Recently suggested this place to friends and got rave reviews - it doesn't disappoint.
It's possible that 5th star is falling just because the context of my visit to Croce's was so spectacular. It was a fantastic little weekend away, and this restaurant was the perfect accent. The food was absolutely incredible. We sat outside on a fairly cool evening among the beautiful lights and excellent music coming from inside. The BF had duck with the best mushroom risotto I've ever tasted. I had very yummy lamb with sweet potatoes.
The wine list was also incredible. I was very happy to see that they had very affordable options (Peachy Canyon ZIn) all the way up to very expensive options. I was impressed by the variety.
Service was excellent. Price was atrocious. I'd still go back :)
This place can be fun with live music. Food is OK, but, as with most places on 5th Ave., it is way overpriced.
I like the food here. That's it. That's all I like about it. Good thing for them that's really all I look for in a restaurant, so yes, I'd go back.
The food was good. I've forgotten all the names so I'll describe. I had the shrimp linguine in a cream sauce. I thought it was quite good...
Ok, so after this point I saved it to review for later and have forgotten about it. Now I remember VERY little about that meal...I'll do my best...
The shrimp linguine was good; I should have asked for no olives since I'm not an olive person, but that's not their fault and the olives didn't permeate the noodles or sauce so it wasn't so bad.
The seating was a joke. They put us, 5 of us, on this tiny table maybe 3 feet in diameter in the corner. I assume it was to make the place look "packed" since it was the corner-most table right by the windows and only about 2 other tables had people there. Well, the place WAS packed, but by "place" I mean our table, nothing else. The waitress was very nice but had no idea how to properly pour a glass of wine; it was dripping everywhere after her pour. But, again, they should thank god that I lean my reviews heavily towards what happens in the kitchen, not anywhere else.
We had lunch here and the food was really good...
The burger was super juicy and the tuna poke was yummy. Next time we'll probably come at night to listen to some jazz ...
We did not eat at the restaurant, so I cannot say whether or not that was good. The prices on the food just looked way too high when I looked them up online the day before.
About 8 of us headed downtown last night because I've had a really bad hankering to listen to some live jazz music and well, Croce's was the only jazz bar I had heard of. We got there a little early, so it wasn't crowded. The band wasn't going to go on for about another hour and a half. We ordered our first drinks which I must say the bartender seemed to be veeerrrry generous on the alcohol for the mixed drinks :-). The bartender was very engaging, and was enticing us girls w/creative concoctions that he delivered upon the words "surprise me". Drinks were pretty steep but think about it, it's DOWNTOWN SD on a Saturday night.
The Archtones went on at about 8:30 and we were having a grand old time taking turns dancing w/each other up by the piano. They played my favorite song "Under My Skin" which made me giddy with excitement. I guess the only thing I would say is the bar is tiny so there's not a lot of room for couples or friends to dance, but we managed.
All in all it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my next visit.
If I was only rating Croce's for their food, I'd give them five stars.
I ordered their ribeye steak. It's served with Gouda mashed potatoes which are creamy and melt in your mouth delicious. Across the steak is a mushroom ragout which complimented the steak. It was cooked to perfection. Before the entree, I had the mixed green salad. It's served in a circle made of thinly sliced cucumber, making for an very interesting presentation. Nestled in the salad is a pocket of deep fried goat cheese, warmed, but not so much that the cheese wouldn't crumble into the salad along with thin slices of red and yellow bell pepper. There are also four small "buttons" of red and golden beets for color.
Delicious food! So why three stars? We were a group of sixteen coming from out of town for a conference. The group leader called well ahead to get the reservation. It was made at 8:30 pm at the restaurant's request.
We arrive and are immediately broken into three tables near the bus station. The table I was sitting at was so close that wait staff kept knocking into us trying to get to the bus station.
At the end of the dinner, our waiter tells us that Croce's will only accept two credit cards per table. Huh? Several of us had to go out to hunt down an ATM to get cash. If restaurant policy is not to accept more than two credit cards per group, tell people up front so they can bring cash.
I'd never recommend Croce's for a group. Good music albeit a bit too loud for dinner conversation.
Bad, overpriced food. This place is geared towards getting convention customers who will be thousands of miles away a day later and nobody to complain to about their lousy meal. I hate writing that as Jim Croce's widow owns it, and I freaking love Jim Croce's music, but truth be told, I was pretty irked at the amount of money I dropped on a sub-standard meal.
My girlfriend and I wandered aimlessly around the Gaslamp, searching for a bar to grab a drink at. We walk past Croce's, which always has live music, and thought, " What the hell, we've never been here before!" We grab a seat at the bar and the coolest bartender in the Gaslamp greets us and immediately asks if we're sisters. (Which is hilarious because we had just discussed how much it sucked that we had put the exact same outfits on, coincidentally, and people must think we're either a circus act or sisters...)
The crowd was a little weird, lots of staring from the extremely cultured emo kids sitting around us. And some creeper that followed me to East Village and I had to be rescued by friends! Yeah, so scary!
But the bartender kept us entertained with lots of great coffee cocktails and conversation.
I will definitely be back to see them.
This place is classic gaslamp. I was impressed with the live music. The service was excellent. I enjoyed the salad selection. Nice mix of fruits possibly figs, walnuts, gorgonzola and sweet rasberry vinaigrette. Shared the calamari then had the seafood risotto. It was super deliciouso!! I'd love to come back.
I love this place. I've enjoyed at least 7 dinners here and every time the food has been nothing short of excellent. The combination of music, great service and excellent food makes for a great evening. The win list is solid and we had a BV Tapestry 03 that was perfect with the meal. The restaurant is run by Jim Croce's wife Ingrid and it was great to see her eating at a table near ours this past week when we were there.
I'm in San Diego a couple times each year and never miss an opportunity to eat at Croce's
Came to Croce's on a sunday night.
The four of us were looking for a place where everyone would get something from a menu they would enjoy.
We got that and more ....
Got a nice table by the door, but looking over the street corner.
Good spot to people watch.
The service was very good. Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and the bar selections.
I had the contemporary meatloaf.
( it appeared to be contemporary - but "contemporary meatloaf" could be an oxymoron)
The presentation with spinich and Yukon mash was supurb.
The smoked gouda mash is a great alternative side dish as well.
Great taste for food arriving so quickly.
A quality dining and drinking experience ...
In the heart of the gas lamp ....
It does not get much better than this .......
Croce's !!
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Neighborhood: Gaslamp
Category: French
really you guys read my reviews! and you like…
that can cost an arm and a leg...(Tiffany's being…
Some of my favorite date-style dining destinations…
Re-Adjustment, as the term is used…
Here are some places I enjoy throwing back a glass…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
