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Categories: Chinese, Asian Fusion, Vegetarian
Neighborhood: Del Mar20% OFF for signing up for our e-mail list on our website (top right) | 1/2 off bottled wines Wed & Sun | 10% off dinner take-out bef. 7:30
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Our favorite Chinese in San Diego, with the second being sister restaurant Dumpling Inn on Convoy. Rendezvous has a distinctive style that carries through all their dishes: modern, fresh, flavorful. It isn't spicy Sichuan style; it's their own interpretation of Chinese. We love the dumplings, wor won ton soup, pungent crispy chicken, and pan fried noodles. Really yummy desserts, too (cakes and mango sherbert). Add the great location and nice decor and service, and you have a winner. Take-out and catering also work very well.
Nice take on contemporary Chinese food with a nice outdoor area and a view. I've had Chinese food a bazillion different ways so it was nice to see some fresh improvisation on what you eat from a takeout box three nights a week.
Cool location with a peek at the ocean from Del Mar.
Try the tapas.
Third visit to Rendezvous to give it the benefit of the doubt and their food is making P.F. Changs look like a 5 star restaurant.
Other than their seared ahi the rest of their appetizers there are lame. Truly lame. Even their waiters are aware how lame it is cause they tell you!
You'd think the chef of this place can come up with something original. They really need to re-evaluate their starting line up. I was so disappointed that I didn't even bother order a main entree.
Oh yea and why were the chicken skewers cold?
How does a Chinese restaurant get a name like Rendezvous anyway?
That's a little baffling.
I have…
Read more »
Rendevouz has some seriously good Chinese fusion dishes. The Pungent Chicken and the Shanghai Noodles are two of the best entrees I've had at a Chinese restaurant. Despite what a few other reviewers have said, this place is a few steps above PF Chang's in my book, based on those two entrees alone. As far as appetizers go, the Sesame Crusted Ahi and the Spring Rolls are both good option. They also have a fired banana desert pastry which is amazing. While it is a bit pricey, Rendezvous is a great option for Chinese in North County.
Awesome food. Great service. Love the spring rolls. My new favorite oriental food in Del Mar.
I absolutely LOVE this place. It is a little pricey for dinner but the quality of the food is excellent. The Kung Pao Tenderloin Steak, Pungent Crispy Chicken, and the Walnut Shrimp are to die for.
Comparable to PF Changs, Rendezvous (ron-day-voo) takes on fusion Chinese cuisine just like all the others. Sitting in ocean's view, I decided to take stab at their extensive seafood options. The calamari appetizer was quite bland/dry and didn't even come with a lemon or dipping sauce (I mean, c'mon! You gotta have a danky sauce with calamari, right?). The duck wrap appetizers tasted more like lettuce than duck. Quack! Their signature chicken dish entree was good, but tasted no better than Panda Expresses' orange chicken. Most of the food, however, tasted fresh. I give this establishment 2.5 stars. It's truly nothing special. Bring back Johnny Rockets!
Absolutely wonderful food. I had the Singapore chow fun (at the recommendation of my very handsome server Brett) and it was wonderful. My girlfriend had the Chilean bass which was also AMAZING! I will definitely be going back to have dinner, and to see Brett again. ;-)
My last review, I was disappointed because the scallops were breaded and I wasn't aware of that. But, I can't blame the restaurant because I think that it was actually my boyfriend who ordered a different scallop dish to go and didn't realize the one was breaded.
This time, I ordered the scallop and shrimp saute, which came with snap peas, broccoli, baby carrots and green onions in a garlic wine sauce that was very light and tasty. I enjoyed the scallops immensely and want to give 4 stars, but two of my shrimp were not deveined, and when an entree is $18 dollars, I expect every morsel of food to be perfect.
The portions here are not gigantic; I ate my entire dish, so don't order expecting to have leftovers. I got mine with brown rice and it soaked up that yummy juice so well, I was literally slurping it out of the bowl.
Much better experience and I would love to dine in sometime because the atmosphere is very cute in there. I love the Del Mar Plaza though.
The egg rolls kind of tasted like those you get at Panda Express so I wasn't a huge fan of them...… Read more »
Maybe it was because I'd just returned from a month in Thailand where the food is delicious and the Thai's are attentive, that I thought my first exposure to Rendezvous sucked.
I met a couple of friends there last Wednesday night, the place was moderately busy. We were seated near the kitchen, which wasn't objectionable, and you'd think we would receive better service do the proximity. But for some reason we had a difficult time getting anyone's attention. We had to literally grab someone to order, to get water, parking validated, etc. In fact one gal wouldn't even acknowledge our requests, and she was standing less the 2 feet from me. Either she was hearing and sight impaired, or just rude. I think the later.
I was not impressed with the food at all. Pungent Crispy Chicken was more like a bland breaded fried jerky, Black Pepper Tenderloin was flat, curry chicken had too much curry.
We had four dishes, a bottle of wine ($19) and 2 beers. Bill was $104 which conviently had printed accross the bottom how much a 15% & 20% tip would be. I won't be going back.
I saw a picture of their braised short ribs on a coupon and decided to give it a try. Rendezvous simmers this dish for 4 hours and serves it over bok choy; so it's very tender. This is now my favorite go-to place when I want short ribs...it's also a generous 8 or 10 ounces. We also really like the seafood noodle soup...lots of seafood! I highly recommend it! Take-out orders are automatically 10% off before 7:30pm! Yay!
We went here again last week and again ordered the sea-bass and eggplant. It was delicious this… Read more »
I am a fan, but I wouldn't come here all the time. If I could put a quote for four stars, it would be "Awesome, tell your friends". Pretty cool quote eh!
We ate here for dinner because it has less bad reviews than its neighbor, which I will remain nameless. We started off with an appetizer bowl of sweet 'n sour soupy goop. It was normal and average...just like any other. For dinna, I ordered the grilled seabass with szechuan sauce. It was good, but not as great as my coworkers seabass style. But wait, what's even better. THE DUCK. We ate and devoured the duck.
One down side: Don't get the lemon chicken unless you like lots of lemon sauce with your chickity chick chick-N.
Word...as Dose says.
On Saturday afternoon I made a reservation for 5 people Saturday night at 7:45. Arrived at restaurant at 7:45, was told it would be "a few minutes" until our table was ready. At 8:00 I asked the hostess when we would be seated. She re-asked me for my name and how many people our reservation was for, and appeared to have no memory of me checking in with her when I'd arrived 15 minutes ago. Again I was told it would be "a few minutes." At 8:15 right before we were about to walk out we were seated. No apology. No explanation.
Waiter then took our drink orders. 4 Bud Lites and 1 Amstel Lite. Waiter returns in 5 minutes with 4 Bud Lites and 1 Karl Strauss. Then this exchange occured:
Person who'd ordered the Amstel Lite: "I didn't order this"
Waiter: "It's good"
Person who'd ordered the Amstel Lite: "I ordered an Amstel Lite."
Waiter: "Show me where on the menu it says we serve Amstel Lite."
Awkward silence
Person who'd ordered the Amstel Lite: "So you don't serve Amstel Lite?"
Waiter: "No. But you'll like this beer. It's local."
Waiter walks away.
One of the items we ordered were pot stickers. When the waiter dropped them off with at our table with a bowl of sauce, this exchange took place:
Person in our group: "What kind of sauce is that with the pot stickers?"
Waiter: "It's for the pot stickers."
Awkward silence.
Person in our group: "What's in it?"
Waiter: "Soy sauce and ginger I think."
Waiter walks away.
To top the night off, they brought an entree we didn't order and insisted we'd ordered it.
Hands down the worst service I've received at an "upscale" restaurant in six years in San Diego. Save your money and go to PF Chang's instead.
The seating outside you can catch views of the Del Mar ocean. The food was served quickly and they don't try to hustle you out of there like some restaurants. I ordered the Kung Pao Beef and it was delicious. My date ordered #212 a flat noodle dish. It tasted as it should, but the meat in the dish wasn't substantial. It's better suited as a side dish. Overall great experience and reasonably priced, especially for Del Mar.
My husband and I had dinner here on Saturday night. We were lured in by all the ' Best of San Diego', 'Zagat' and 'People love us on Yelp' stickers on the door. The waiters were nice, service was pretty good. I thought the food was OK. I had the tofu and eggplant stew, which was supposed to be spicy. I even asked for it to be made with extra spices just to be sure. It came out pretty sweet instead- more like a tereyaki kind of flavor. I doused it in red peppers and it was OK. My husband ordered a "lightly breaded" chicken dish which turned out to be deep fried with tons of breading. Neither of us really got what we wanted but what we got was OK.
Three words: "Pungent Crispy Chicken" You must order this when you go to Rendezvous. They're also really good at customizing your order to the right level of spicyness. I Always love my chinese dishes extra spicy but I'm often disappointed when I get a mild dish. These guys deliver the kick. Their Kung Pao is delicious too. I also love how their lunch items come with a small salad, it makes me feel better when I'm not just gorging on meat and rice. For dessert you must have their mango sorbet. May not be "Authentic Chinese", but us Americans don;t really eat authentic chinese anyway..... But along those lines I think this place is better than PF Chang's.
Beautifully well done Chinese food in an unbelievable atmosphere.
We sat outside because we were dining with a new puppy and it was just perfect. I am more than in love with Del Mar for multiple reasons and this restaurant has only added to my enjoyment. The mango crab salad was one of my favorite appetizers and I absolutely loved the spicy egg plant. I found each dish to be extremely flavorful and light.
The only reason I knock off a star is because our server was not all that wonderful. My boyfriends aunt and uncle live in Del Mar and frequent the restaurant and they also noted that he was their least favorite server. If it were an option, I would give the place 4.5 stars.
I loved it and will for sure come back!
The food was delicious and I would definitely recommend going here. The service can be slow at first, but it is definitely worth the wait. There are not many chinese restaurants in San Diego that taste even remotely decent and this surpassed any other Chinese place in San Diego I have found. Definitely try the duck wraps, they are delicious!
First time that I actually took the time to write a review on any restaurant. I would like to consider myself very diverse in the type of restaurants that I go to and often try places all over San Diego. What really sold me on Del Mar Rendezvous was the amazing blend of traditional asian dishes with a modern touch. I started off with an amazing seared ahi with one of the best aoli sauces I have ever had. Then for the main course I had Chilean Sea Bass with a Yu Hsian Sauce. You can't beat the prices and the amazing food! Great wine selection too! Definitely check out this place and make reservations ahead of time if you can.
Like the previous yelper, I agree that this restaurant serves good food, but it does remind me of P.F. Chang's. However, the location is great (but I think it's because I just love 15th street) and parking is convenient. One thing that did surprise me, though, was that the food was ready in 5-10 minutes. It almost seems like I sat down with my date, we both ordered, and in five minutes, the food was placed at our table.
The decor is nice and the restaurant was pretty quiet, allowing for conversation and the enjoyment of your food.
If I compare this to P.F. Chang's, I would definitely choose Rendezvous, because the first time I had food at P.F. Chang's, I pretty much declared it to be, well, my last time.
This place has delicious Chinese food, even if it's a little bit unauthentic, sort of like P.F. Chang's. The food is presented really nicely, the decor is great, and you can sit outside if you want. There's never been a wait for me, even on Friday / Saturday, although the place gets pretty good traffic. The steamed pork dumplings and the Ma Yi Sang Su are very tasty, and so are the noodle soups. This is one of the very few places in San Diego that serves good Cantonese style noodle soups just the way I like them. Can't wait to go back.
(Just a note, even my parents like this place and they are quite picky about eating authentic Chinese food. Also, I understand some people think it's quite pricey for Chinese food but they have nice decor and are in a great location in Del Mar. You won't find as nice a place anywhere else in SD; most places in Kearny Mesa are not very nicely decorated.)
This is not too bad as far as Chinese restaurants go. It can be pretty noisy so I usually try to order carry out most of the time when I eat here. You can take your food to Sea Grove park a block away overlooking the main beach at 15th street in Del Mar. Listen to the waves instead of other people talking loudly! Their food is not bad and they claim they don't use msg. Be aware that parking for to go pick up food is not so convenient most of the time ... especially on or near the weekend. But if you are eating in Sea Grove park, you can park on either 15th street or under underground at L'Auberge public lot (entrance on 15th to East of the post office) and walk to pick up your food and then walk back to the park ... you get your exercise, reasonably good food, gorgeous park setting overlooking the ocean and, aaah, the sound of waves instead of chatter and cell phones. If you are into healthy eating, they do have brown rice, but even if you ask for it when you order, you rarely get it ... check your little chinese style rice box BEFORE you leave ... chances are, you will have to ask them to swap it out for the brown rice you ordered.
When you walk into the restaurant, you will be able to see the kitchen through a glass wall. I would not classify this is authentic Chinese, but as more stylized , slightly americanized fare.
Two of us decided to split several appetizers and to take advantage of half price bottle of wine (Wednesday special). We shared the Crabmeat Mango Salad, Seared Ahi Tuna and Peppery Fried Calamari. Each dish was flaviorful and had a unique taste. As others pointed out the meals came out quickly, but we were encouraged to take our time as we talked, drank and ate. Service was efficient and helpful.
A very solid Chinese restaurant. Don't miss Governor's Chicken! I also like their Pungent Crispy Chicken. Mmmmm!
Food presentation is pretty and good menu selection. Friendly service as well!
Beautiful atmosphere! The food I ordered was amazing and my date's food was so good I couldn't steal a bite! I would recommend this place if you're on a date or enjoy refined food!
Not the most authentic of Chinese restaurants, but the food is quite good, and better than others I've tried in North County. Pricing is as expected for Del Mar. I had the Peking Duck and it wasn't as juicy or expertly cut as you'd get say at China Max on Convoy, but again, for Del Mar, not bad. I ordered a shrimp and scallop dish which was quite good -- a bit heavy on the garlic, but texture of the seafood was nicely done.
Great food and great service. Highly recommend.
My husband and I have been eating at Del Mar Rendezvous for several years. The food is always consistently good and the service is very friendly, courteous, and prompt. The ingredients are fresh and high quality. I particularly like the way this restaurants cook fish. I have brought many guests to this restaurant and they have all liked it.
We are mostly vegetarian, and love the veggie options in this asian fusion place. Buddha's Delight is definitely one of the best I have had! Also some of the seafood dishes are great. Service is friendly and prices reasonable for Downtown Del Mar.
pretty expensive for chinese food.
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Category: Chinese
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