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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Balboa ParkMon. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Pricey but delicious! A great choice for a fancy (or not) night out, or if you happen to be in the Balboa Park area for lunch. If it wasn't so dang expensive I would come more often. I highly recommend it for restaurant week. Not too many vegetarian choices but there is always something. If you eat seabass, you're in luck. :)
You can park for free nearby, you just have to know where to go. Take Laurel / El Prado into the park, then go right at the roundabout once you're over the bridge and past the Museum of Man. As soon as you spot the organ pavilion and start heading downhill, there's a ramp to your right - it leads to a very decent sized, free parking lot.
Pretty much a monopoly on the sit-down-be-served-restaurant in Balboa Park. Saturday afternoons the patio has free "Watch the Weddings". When we take crowds to various events at the Old Globe, Christian Theater, White Theater, Starlight, etc, we pre-order the same thing for every one and pre-pay. (If I'm paying for it, they get what I order for everyone. Fortunately I have flexible and charming friends) Usually they are pretty good about getting you out for a show on time if you let them know when you make the reservation, but for groups, its iffy, so take care of it early.
Chicklet loves their salad. The bread selection is those long thin crispy-things with clever names, not yeast-risen breads.
TIP TIP TIP: Also, sometimes the restaurant and/or the theater will give you discounted tickets to be used for the valet. We pretty much always use the valet on these busy nights.
Once, about a year ago, when the food didn't arrive in time for us to leave for the theater, (even though we had be careful to tell them when we made the reservation) the manager had us come in to the El Prado AFTER that show (and at their closing!) and gave us the entire dinner for the four of us, and comped it, and offered to comp the next one as well. And he personally served it. WadaGuy!
This week we were early for an event and popped in for dessert. We had Tres Leches Something or Other. Very nice, very rich. We split it between us with coffees and could not have eaten another bite, in fact left some on the plates. Unless you are a monster eater, (NONO SILLY! Not someone who eats monsters, I mean someone who eats LIKE monsters) I suggest you split it, too. The waiter was quite pleasant, and did what was expected, but didnt go above and beyond. Just busy.
Will we go back again: HELLLOOOoOOOO: It's a MONOPLOLY: yes but its Balboa Park Monopoly, and generally a good experience.
BTW: El Prado means The Plains (the waiters never seem to know this: If I worked in a restaurant I sure as shootin would know something about its history, its name, the best dishes, whether Chef was having a good day ~ probably why I won't ever be wait staff: too busy with the background and not enough time being pleasant and attentive to the customers)
Normally I do not like to check out restaurants during restaurant week because most of the prefix menus are subpar. I finally had the opportunity to check out the Prado for the very first time and it so happened to be Restaurant Week. For 30 bucks you cannot go wrong. This was probably the best restaurant week experience I've had in awhile.
The ambiance and service was awesome. The server was extremely delightful and knowledgeable about all the entrees in the menu. I initially started off w/a Mango martini, which was really yummy. We were given complimentary hummus and flatbreads. Starters we ordered the panko jumbo lump crabcakes with diced jicama-lime salad, avocado-serrano chili puree, chipotle aioli which was extremely tasty. The combination of the jicama, puree and ailoi complimented the crabcakes quite exquisitely.
After perusing the menu we opted to go with the prefix menu 30 bucks for a 3 course meal is quite a deal!
The PreFix Menu:
baby iceberg lettuce wedges $6.95
maytag blue cheese dressing, diced tomato, smoked bacon & cracked black pepper
The portion was perfect!
braised beef short rib $29.95
garlic crushed potatoes, oven roasted baby root vegetables & cabernet demi
The portion was quite generous. I must say I was expecting a morsel instead of a full serving being it restaurant week and all. As I began to attack the braised ribs its was extremely tender that a knife was not needed to cut with. A slight touch of my fork and the beef was separating. My first bite was utterly mouth watering. The beef just melts in your mouth. In the end my plate was wiped out clean.
duo of belgian chocolate mousse $9.00
semi sweet dark chocolate & pear infused white chocolate, tahitian vanilla nectar poached miniature pear, creme anglaise
This chocolate mousse was heavenly. It had the right combination of elements and it was not too sweet just perfect!!! The vanilla nectar poached mini pear was a nice touch to what was already perfection.
By far Prado has one of the best restaurant week menus I have experienced. I will definitely be coming back! A new restaurant to add to my favorites!!! It's a must see! Great ambiance, awesome service and wonderful food!!!
We went to the Prado sort of randomly while we were walking through the park near sunset. It was a very pleasant surprise! Full disclosure: we had a discount through our Passport Unlimited card (free entree) and that helped a lot, but the overall experience was memorable and a gastronomical delight. Highlights:
Great outside seating. It was cold but the heat lamp helped keep Minh warm. Nice view of the park and a quincinera going on plus planes landing at Lindbergh Field.
Service was polite, friendly, competent and overall very pleasant.
Food: John had the ono with something called "coconut froth" on it. That sounded odd but was delicious with a decent portion size as well.
Minh had the seafood paella. She thought it was a little bland but had plentiful seafood and very fresh ingredients. (A pescatarian, Minh couldn't enjoy the spicy chorizo; she tossed the pieces to John and he wolfed them down happily.)
Sangria disappointed Minh a bit b/c she likes a lot of fruit in it, but no complaints about the taste.
Pressed salad (shaped into cylinder) was creative (arugula, strawberries, walnuts, figs) and very tasty.
Free seasoned crackers with a delicious hummus: nice touch.
We will be back but note the entrees are about $25 each.
Five reasons why I like the Prado.
1 - Large glasses of good tasting Iced Tea (NOT Lipton)
2 - Manager comes by to interact and ask how things are going.
3 - Glass balls and other cooool decor.
4 - Comfy chairs, inside the main restaurant and out on the patio.
5 - Chocolate Souffle Cake with Triple Espresso Gelato.
One thing I don't like about Balboa Park
1 - Parking on the weekend! The zoo parking lot is an option, or $10 to valet.
I've been here several times. I like the location and the food. I think the best deal / meal I've had here was during restaurant week ( $30 ). I went 2 years ago and it was amazing.
I still remember the meal:
Garlic Hummus w/ bread (that night was the best Hummus i've ever had)
Beef Carpaccio w/ california rolls
Braised Beef w/ chocolate sauce
chocolate lava cake
I like the atmosphere of Balboa park, the ambiance, and exterior architecture, but the food is forgettable. I went for Cohn restaurants' 2010 Anniversary special and I was irritated with their cheap anniversary menu selection. Mushroom risotto as an entree? Common! Where's the meat?! If you're going to entice customers to try your restaurant with limited special events than I think you should make some of your best product available.
We didn't finish our three course meals or care to take any left overs home. The food was that boring. Snore.
There is way too many other restaurant choices nearby to come back, but it's worth trying once. For out of towner's check out Island Prime/C level on Harbor Dr. Actually I take that back, C level is my spot. It sucks don't go.
I've been here a few times. They have a great patio. Really nice to sit outside and have a drink and a small bite in the afternoon. Lunch is a bit pricey. The spinach salad was really good, the caesar salad had whole leaves of romaine that you have to cut up yourself...I'm not a big fan of that. The crab cakes were good - they had a really good spicy avocado sauce in the side of the plate. (So I was told...I hate avocado). Good place for visitors and good for a dinner date.
The Prado is always a favorite place to take out-of-towners. Whether you go for lunch, happy hour, or dinner, the place always delivers. The best place to sit is on the outdoor patio. They have tables in addition to lounge seating on the patio. So come for drinks or a meal :)
The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, and as of yet, I have not had anything I did not like. My last trip there was for my birthday. I ordered the Grilled Lemongrass Ono with garlic stir-fried veggies. To my surprise the veggies were a bit spicy, so if you are not a fan of spicy food, don't order it or ask for less chili flakes. The fish had been infused with the flavor of lemongrass. It was delicious.
The drink menu is great. The sangria is quite good, so order that first while you look over the other items they have to offer. The happy hour is really reasonable and has a good crowd.
My husbands favorite item to order is the calamari. It is not the traditional chewy rings and legs one is used to eating. This calamari is cut from the steaks and resembles the size and shape of french fries. It is tossed in a sweet & spicy Korean chili bean sauce. It is also served with a generous portion of slaw, which is so good, can be eaten by itself.
This is also a good place to bring the kids, especially if you sit outside. The portions are large, so you may want to order one kid's dish for two kids, depending on how much your children eat. The chicken katsu comes with 5-6 large chicken breast tenders.
We usually do not have room for desert, but was given a vanilla cheesecake flan for my birthday. It was nice and light, but there was enough for four of us to take a few bites. The kid's items also come with an ice cream sundae, which is good for sharing too :)
Reservations are recommended, but not necessary. We went on the Tuesday after Christmas. It was busy and we had a 45 minute wait. NO PROBLEM. I hung out in the bar, while my hubby took to kids to the Train Museum. When our table buzzer rang, I sent a text to hubby, closed out my tab, and we were seated.
My hubby and I hit up the the Prado's bar for happy hour on tuesday.
Now I am not a drinker of spirits but he took full advantage of the beer special. They have a house pale ale that he loved X 4!
Great eats we had from the happy hour menu:
Calamari tossed in sweet chili sauce
Five spice pork slider
Shoestring fries
From the regular appetizer menu:
Crab cakes
Tempura scallops ** the dressing on the salad reminded me of my favorite restaurant on Maui!!
Seared Kobe beef roll
The best part was dessert: plum and apple tart in a square shell with vanilla ice cream (it usually come with praline ice cream but I swapped for vanilla bean)
I was very impressed with the dessert which is saying A LOT for me.
Service was very well done on a busy night and food came out hot.
Oh happy hour, we will be taking advantage of you again.
Loved sitting outside under the trees and the lights. Reminded me a bit of a favorite place of mine in Key West.
So, even though I've lived in San Diego for more than a year, I tried this place for the first time. My tortilla soup-well, it's just not my kind of tortilla soup as far as the broth goes. I prefer the traditional way. I also ordered a tomato salad that doesn't seem to be on the menu anymore. It was quite salty.
The service left a lot to be desired, and while the food wasn't awful, I wish I would've ordered something else. I'll be sure to order the sangria next time, too!
Probably more geared toward the tourists strolling the Park, but worth a trip if you want to check it out.
**Restaurant Week Review**
My GF and I went here for the first time last Wed for restaurant week. We left saying to ourselves, "why haven't we eaten here before!?" Bottom-line, we went to two Cohn Family restaurants last week and the difference was night and day! I won't waste my time reviewing Mr. Tiki, because it's just that BAD, but the Prado was incredible!
We both started off with the seared kobe beef carpaccio and split their kobe beef sushi roll. Both dishes melted in my mouth! I chose the braised beef short rib and my gf chose the 1/2 chicken for our entrees. The short rib tasted like my mom's pot roast, which of course I like since I grew up on pot roast! The chicken was spiced nicely, but at the end of the day, it was just chicken. Their sides were wonderful from their creamy mashed potatoes to their vegetable medially that really gave my taste buds a workout. For desert we split the steamed blackberry cake and duo of Belgian chocolate. Usually I'll take dessert to go when I do restaurant week, since it's a grip of food. However, when the desserts arrived we couldn't stop nibbling. Before we knew it both plates were scraped empty.
I can't say enough good things about Prado. Everything seemed perfect from their beautiful outside patio decor to their scrumptious food. I would give this place 4.5 stars because I think there's always room for improvement, but since Prado has become my favorite restaurant in SD I'll round up. The prices are high, so I recommend if you're on a budget to wait until restaurant week.
Of all of the Cohn Restaurants in San Diego, the Prado is my favorite. I haven't had a bad experience ever. The staff is nice and accommodating.
This is also a nice place to have a wedding. The grand ballroom is gorgeous.
For out-of-towners, the Prado is a safe bet. You can't go wrong, especially if you're visiting Balboa Park.
I still LOVE this place after so many years, it always delivers in service in ambiance, in location, in the food and in the drinks.
I was just here again to taste their 3 course prix fix for $20.10 celebrating the New Year:)
It was good, but I sort of missed my favorites which I should've ordered instead of the prix fix cause I don't usually come here very often.
We made happy hour by waiting for our table out in the bistro/lounge area and they allowed us to bring them to our table when we were called.
Why 4*s this time? I've been spoiled with top notch 3 course menus in New York and I know there are better ones out there, but I previously gave it 5*s so an average of 4.5*s says that this place is still pretty wonderful! :)
This is my favorite restaurant of all time! I mean every word!
They have a wonderful happy hour…
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Here's review #307 for this wonderful restaurant perfectly located in beautiful Balboa Park. I don't know about you, but every time I walk, jog or drive through Balboa Park, I appreciate how much I love living in San Diego that much more.
I dined here on Thursday night with a group of ten other friends for (what will now be) our annual holiday dinner together. The Prado couldn't have made our experience any better than the one we had there the other night!
To begin with, our 7:10 reservation was ready for us as we arrived. Little did I know we were going to sit at the chef's table. Nice! Executive Chef Jeff Thurston came out shortly after we got situated letting us know that he had some yummy appetizers being prepared for us. I came hungry and was ready to eat! We started off with some seasonal steamed mussels, diced sashimi grade ahi "fish tacos" and the crispy calamari fries. OMG, these were all so good and loved the crunch the ahi tacos had with the thin shaved jicama that served as the taco shell.
For dinner, I had the braised beef short ribs that was served with garlic crushed potatoes, oven roasted baby root vegetables & cabernet demi. My friends and I tried the braised beef at the Wine & Food Festival last month and this was the exact reason why we ate here for dinner, it's that dang good and six of us ordered it at the table, lol!
Dinner came out and we were all keeping our conversations to a minimum because we were enjoying our dinners that much! The two bottles of Syrah we paired our dinner with was perfect. It was a medium wine that went down smooth with the fall right-off-the-bone beef I devoured!
It didn't stop there. Chef Jeff also told us we had dessert coming our way, little did I know we had FIVE different ones to inhale! I apologize for not knowing the details of each one, the glasses of wine I had took over my short-term memory of the sweets I loaded up on. What I do remember was that the banana one was my favorite...yummy!
All in all, we had one fantastic evening here. The food, the ambiance, the top notch service and the awesome company made for a memorable night amongst my friends.
That dinner was three nights ago and I'm STILL reminiscing about how much fun it was. I'll definitely go back because the braised beef short ribs is now one of my favorite dishes, EVERRRRR.
i came here during San Diego's Restaurant Week with the fambam and I gotta give props to my dad for choosing the place. The walk through the different museums and Balboa Park to get to the restaurant was nice, especially since it wasn't raining like mad. The ambiance of the restaurant is nice, good date spot I'd say. I ordered from the 3 course meal special for Restaurant Week ($30). I started off with the baby lettuce wedge, and well, it was just a lettuce wedge.. can't do much with that. For my main course I got the pan seared bass with garlic mashed potatoes and cauliflower puree. The BEST part of my meal was probably the fish and the cauliflower puree. It was SO good. Plus, substituting gravy with cauliflower puree helps keep the calories off and the tongue happy! I ended with a duo Belgian chocolate mousse thing with lychee on top. The design was aesthetically pleasing and it was yummy. I'm a sucker for chocolate and this did the job well.
My sister got the half chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes and she could NOT stop piping about it for the rest of the night. She might as well have licked her plate. My dad ordered the lamb chops and he loved it as well. It was a bit on the salty side for my taste, but the little details that go into that plate is amazing.
If I were a boy, I'd reserve my anniversary dinners here. But since I'm not, I suggest all ya fellas do it right and bring your girl here for a nice dinner and a romantic walk through the park! :)
Forewarning: Main entrees are ~$25-30.
100th review! Woo hoo!
I came here a couple years back for Happy Hour (which I really enjoyed, especially with the stellar prices for a broke person like me), but I've never actually sat down and ate here until now. I decided to take my mom here for lunch in hopes of participating in the $20.10 Anniversary Special, but they were only honoring that for dinnertime. Heads up for those who want to participate in that.
We promptly got seated and were served right away. For an appetizer, we ended up getting the calamari fries and for our main course, I got the cashew chicken whereas Mom got the fish tacos. The calamari came out promptly and was pretty tasty. Mom actually enjoyed the salad that was underneath the calamari :x
Our actual food took a lot longer than I thought to come out. It was weird because other people that sat down after us were already getting served. Our waiter did check up on the kitchen in a prompt manner to see if our food would come out, though. Thank you for being so considerate!
I wish I ordered something else aside from the cashew chicken, though. Don't get me wrong: it was tasty! It's just that my rice was so soaked in the cashew chicken glaze that it was way overpowering, so I didn't enjoy it as much. Mom enjoyed her fish tacos, though. The cabbage tasted like it was marinated with something (can't quite put my finger on it) and the addition of mangos was a nice touch.
Ultimate plus for them boxing our food for us, too. Definitely check this place out whether you're a local or not.
I've had lamb and a couple fish dishes here, quite good! The wife's swordfish was out of this world. I've never been blown away by their deserts, but I love the wine and cocktail selection. Even the by-the-glass wine is good.
as said here before, it's a safe bet. The perfect day at the park would be the zoo in the AM, park in the PM, and Prado in the evening. Go home fat and happy
Located in the historic and beautiful Balboa Park, the Prado is an undeniably romantic place for dinner and is a favorite reception place for local weddings. I've wanted to come to the Prado for dinner since I arrived in San Diego in 2002 but had missed most opportunities and excuses to check it out. After picking up a gift card, a dear old friend and I finally bit the bullet and dropped in or my belated birthday dinner.
Instead of starting their meals off with bread and butter, Prado serves a homemade flat bread with hummus. The flat bread was very tasty but I found the hummus to be dried out. It was clear that it had been pre-scooped and stacked and was not very fresh at all. It was probably not the best way to start an expensive meal.
To start, we ordered the Kobe beef sushi roll with charred asparagus, wasabi cream, braised hijiki, and a roasted garlic ponzu dipping sauce and tobiko aioli. The meat was beautifully buttery and was fantastic on its own. The sauce was very good as well, but completely overwhelmed the flavor of the meat when combined. Also, considering how powerful the sauce was, they certainly offered a lot of it for such a small roll. It was also a bit pricy at $13.95, but the quality was definitely apparent in the appetizer.
I went with pan roasted sea bass with garlic sauteed rapini, crushed potatoes, cauliflower puree, and white truffle drizzle for $25.95. The aroma of the white truffle was very strong and pleasant and paired very nicely with the cauliflower puree. The sea bass was nicely cooked and had a fatty, buttery texture that I very much enjoyed. Taking the bite all together really layered the many flavors and textures and made for a very lovely meal.
My friend ordered the tempura ahi wrapped in nori and served foie gras fried rice, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and a plum wine reduction for $26.95. The batter was very thin and left the ahi extremely rare and tender. The foie gras fried rice was a very unique touch on this Asian fusion dish. I enjoyed the small bite I did take, but found the reduction a little too sweet for my palette.
Since we were celebrating my belated birthday, we were served a complimentary Tahitian vanilla bean cream cheese flan with a lattice tuile globe and fresh flower confetti. Normally offered at $7.00, my friend and I were both very impressed with the flavor of the flan and even the tuile was delicious.
As a whole, I was very impressed with the dining experience at The Prado. The food was very well done and the service was friendly, attentive, and excellent. I think it lacked that extra something to really take it over the top for me, but I look forward to coming back again very soon, especially with all of the promotional dinners they are offering in the New Year. I highly recommend bringing a loved one here for a romantic meal you will definitely not be disappointed with the experience.
Food: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Price: $$$
Atmosphere: 9/10
1.3.10, 7:45pm
It was deathly still and quiet at night in Balboa Park, but the buildings were lit up for a lovely walk to the restaurant. Inside, eclectic glass art that resemble giant shiny frisbees and bold colors and lights welcome you. Well, at least in their own fun yet slightly freaky way they welcome you. I was mostly charmed by their outdoor seating that resembles an outdoor festival under strings of lights.
Putting decor aside, the food was better than I expected. (Although I was sad that we were served cracker bread instead of actual bread bread.) We went for their featured Anniversary 3 course prix fix. For $20.10 (get it? for 2010?):
1st Course
- Prado Tortilla Soup: grilled chicken, cilantro, cotija cheese
Thin, subtle, to the point of being bland, flavor that progressively gets spicier as you eat although not spicy at all). It was fun to eat because of this development in my mouth. And I did like how it wasn't overly salty like most tortilla soups. My only complaint was that our soup was room temperature. Yuck.
- Organic Mixed Green Salad: cucumber, tomato, sherry-shallot vinaigrette
Really quite simple. The vinaigrette did it all.
2nd Course
+ Orrechiette with Grilled Chicken: crispy pancetta, red onion, gorgonzola cream sauce
Pasta cooked just right. Creamy but not heavy.
+ Grilled Prime Pork Flat Iron: dried fig and potato hash, brussel sprout confit, smoked bacon gastrique
This is what I ordered. Pork cooked medium was tender and moist with a wonderfully seasoned crust. And a good portion to boot!
+ Forest Harvested Wild Mushroom Risotto: fresh herbs, white truffle whipped goat cheese
Light and creamy. Not too salty, not too fatty. Good textured arborio.
- Goat Cheese Ravioli, Shredded Beef Short Rib: portobello mushroom, roasted cipollini onion, red wine-mascarpone cheese sauce
My least favorite, not that memorable although I do remember savory and pungent.
Dessert
+ Tahitian Vanilla Bean Flan: lattice tuile and flower confetti
Fresh flower confetti made us ooh and ahh. Very rich. More like a cheesecake with caramel on top.
+ Belgian Chocolate Mousse: with port wine-black berry puree
What they don't tell you is that there's cake on the bottom of this! That was good, says my sister. Rich as well, but wonderful.
Service was light, friendly and helpful. A good atmosphere to sit and talk around a large round dinner table with no pressure on their side to kick us out even though it was late.
I thought The Prado's pricing was on the affordable side from what I had read on the menu that night, but I must have been brain dead or illiterate because online, it says entrees start at $20 and go up from there. At any rate, still worth coming back.
This is just a review of the bar at The Prado, as I haven't been to the dining room in a very long time. The Prado is located in a beautiful historic building right in the center of Balboa Park, making it very convenient for park visitors. We most recently came here for a quick drink and appetizer before heading to the Culture And Cocktails event at the Museum of Art just across the courtyard. This whole area of the park was lit up with holiday lights, giving an enchanted, almost magical feel.
The bar was hopping as usual, making it tricky to find a spot to sit, but luckily a group was leaving just as we arrived, so it wasn't a problem for long. The happy hour menu was a little disappointing, as it contained mostly generic house drinks and food items. But we were excited to find that our favorite appetizer, crispy calamari fries, had returned to the happy hour menu, so we ordered the calamari and a couple of Sidecar drinks (which sadly were NOT on special).
The wait staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and service was quick. The crowd here is always diverse, which makes things interesting, but the atmosphere just isn't quite as comfy and cozy as I generally prefer. It sort of has the feel of being just a "waiting area" for people waiting for the dining room. And for all the character that the building itself has, the inside decor just seems lacking to me. None-the-less, this is a nice, upscale place to stop for a drink or two while in the park.
To be honest, I would only give 3 stars based on the bar experience alone, but back in October we had such an absolute blast at the Prado Halloween party, that I have to bump it up a star! And Balboa Park really is such an amazing location.
Came here for our anniversary last night and had a great time. We started with happy hour at the bar. The lounge was quite busy for 5:30pm but we were able to get one seat at the bar. We ordered a round of passion fruit margaritas. They were really, really sweet. Too sweet for my taste. Then we ordered two glasses of house red. It was decent. About what you'd expect for a house wine. The bartenders were awesome and even though they were busy and it was happy hour, they were very attentive. They even sent a drink over for our anniversary.
After that we headed to the patio for dinner. The ambiance here was amazing. It's so great to sit out on the heated patio with all of the lights and the Spanish style. It was packed because Prado had a special anniversary menu and though service was slow (our server was slammed), the service was good. Our server was attentive and very personable.
I got a mixed green salad to start and it was okay. My fiance got the tortilla soup and it was much better than I had last time we dined here.
The entee, goat cheese ravioli was good.
The desserts, vanilla flan and chocolate mousse were uber yummy! We also got a bottle of wine, but the server couldn't make a recomendation in our price range because he said he hadn't tried any of them. The one we picked was marginal, so I would recommend asking someone knowledgable if you are wanting to try something new.
Overall: food is decent, happy hour is awesome, come for the ambiance and great atmosphere.
I was definitely impressed by this place. My friend and I came here for lunch when I was visiting San Diego because she had heard good things about the atmosphere and we already happened to be in Balboa park.
We didn't have the highest expectations for the food, but the food was definitely delicious. Though a little pricey, it wasn't more than I expected it to be considering its pretty touristy. We sat outside and had Sangria on a beautiful sunny day. My friend got a chopped salad which she really enjoyed and I got a steak panini that had a delicious chimichurri on it and came with homemade taro chips and marinated salad (cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese). The sandwich was huge and was way more than I could handle...making it even more worth the money and experience!
I have been to this restaurant so long ago - more than 10 years ago - and I enjoyed it, that I wanted to take my wife there. So, today was it, and we were down there in Balboa Park, and thought we would check it out!
And it sucked! The service was poor, the wait was long for us to get the food after we ordered, and the waiter messed up the order for my little one, and we got our food first, which we had to keep on the table and entertain an antsy 17 month old who was wondering why she could not dig into the food mommy and daddy ordered! Yeah, he apologized later, but I would have expected more from a classy restaurant! The kid's menu came with a choice of a beverage, and no mention of that from the waiter. I would understand if this was a busy night. It was relatively free, and the only busy thing happening was a congregation of waiters around a specific guest - must have been a former employee, a local celebrity, or a more 'favored' patron for whatever reason!
I ordered the Paella - it was so-so! And get this, I could actually taste lemon grass flavor on the fish. Not because this is some exotic Paella recipe. If you knew what Paella is, you would know that lemon grass does not belong in it. There was a 'lemon grass ono' on the menu, which I had considered ordering before I picked the Paella, and I could tell this was a rehash that went wrong on the chef's part!
I got regular margarita, and the tequila was all on the top! I guess a simple stir would have been too much to ask from the bartender? It was cheap tequila, and it cost as much as the premium margaritas (with cointreau or grand marnier). Go figure!
The salad was sightly better - which was what my wife ordered.
So, overall a sad experience, and a let down! I don't think I will go here again or recommend to any friend who is visiting who I religiously send to Balboa Park as a crown jewel of San Diego. Sad, this has to be the best that Balboa has to offer.
The hot tamale stand would be a better choice, any day!!
I caught the last day of their 3 courses for $20 menu promotion. The server was professional, concise, and courteous. The service itself was smooth, super smooth. I liked the cuisine, everything was interesting and tasted great. I was actually very impressed. Take your date and sit outside, there's not a better patio in the city.
Extraordinary service! The service during a late lunch at The Prado yesterday was the factor that sealed this restaurant's 4-star rating for me. I've been looking forward to going to this restaurant for some time and wasn't disappointed.
After a few hours at Balboa Park it's pretty natural to head to The Prado to eat as it's the only sit down more formal type of dining available within the park. This fact makes for quite a variety of patrons. Runners/joggers/walkers/cyclists in Spandex, families with children in strollers, tourists with fanny packs and Velcro strapped sandals--you'll find them all here!
A few long sticks of seasoned cracker-like flatbread and a little tub of hummus were brought to the table. Neither the flatbread (a little on the stale side) nor the hummus (paste-like) were particularly good, but this combination of complimentary snacks was a nice change from the standard basket of rolls or loaf of bread. I'm known to single-handedly destroy baskets of rolls and loaves of bread, so my figure thanks The Prado for the flatbread and hummus!
The appetizer of calamari fries arrived promptly. The portion of calamari was appropriate for $10.95, and I loved that the calamari was surrounded by cabbage slaw with a sweet soy sauce-based dressing; it was like getting a mini salad for free.
My heirloom tomato salad with a shot of cucumber-basil consommé on the side was...interesting. I have mixed feelings about this salad. When it first arrived I thought it was pretty small (especially when taking into consideration how tiny the dish would be had I not opted to add $3 worth of grilled chicken), but once I began munching the salad proved to make for a good light lunch. I passed on the consommé after tasting a little bit of it; the sweet green liquid just wasn't doing it for me. The most disappointing aspect of the salad was that it only came with 2 mozzarella pearls speared with a bamboo skewer and served submerged in the consommé. Yeah, the menu states "fresh mozzarella pearls"...but I was expecting more than 2. Some of the tomatoes were overripe, but the bottom line is that this salad was pretty good, one that I would consider ordering again.
I really can't stress how professional every aspect of the service was. The staff--especially our waitress Megan--was phenomenally efficient, and the timing of everything was just right.
A nice end to a nice day at Balboa Park!
Perfect spot to eat after perusing free Museum tuesdays. I love the carne asada. Great conversation/date spot.
This review is based on the cocktails, hummus, patio, and ambiance alone. After a warm beautiful day exploring all the beauty of the park itself, structures, botanical gardens, and museums, well we were parched! I had heard about this place from a friend, and they say it's a must do while in the park. They were right.
There is nothing finer than sitting on the beautiful patio on big couches, sipping one of their wonderful martini's, meeting interesting new people, and having great conversations!
I had a mango infused martini and a blueberry acacia martini that were both unique and refreshing! The blueberry acacia was my favorite of the two. They have a large selection of unique drink concoctions which is always a pleasure to see on a menu!
They serve wonderful old world flat breads with delicious hummus as a snack to all loungers. What a nice change from your standard chips and salsa or bread and butter!
In the distance the beautiful chimes of the clock tower delighted me because they were not your standard chimes, they were full songs of familiar tunes like the Beatles and "Lovely Day". What a great thing to have in a park!
The servers were all very nice, the service was a little slow but we didn't mind because we were meeting new friends and enjoying the beautiful veranda!
This place is too cute! It's located right in the middle of Balboa Park. After a full day of exploring the botanical gardens, museums, zoo, building architecture, and more, we discovered The Prado. We were starving and just in time for dinner. It has a cute patio outside and our waiter, Stephen, was great. He gave us a "Cream Cheese Flan" on the house because it was my first time there, which counts as a "special occasion" - sweetie! The flan was so moist; it was the best I've ever had.
For appetizer, we ordered the mussels and each had so much flavor from the garlic, tomato broth. I got the "Boneless Half Chicken" - outstanding. Tender chicken meat that melted in my mouth. I had to stop my boyfriend from trying to steal some off my dish ;)
He ordered the "Earth & Ocean," which was more than twice the price of mine! It was basically lobster and steak, and it was fantastic. I had to negotiate and trade some of my chicken to grab a bite of his lobster salad. It was super tasty. It was a fabulous night, indeed.
the walk through the park was pretty enough but it became even more romantic with the holiday lights.
the valet was full from private parties so my boyfriend and i hopped around to avoid the giant puddles left from the day's rain.
the prado is known to have some great outdoor seating but with the earlier shower, the area inside was packed.
our server was sweet, attentive and helpful with her varied suggestions.
we had the following:
the mussels were the biggest and fattest ones we had ever devoured.
just being an app, this was almost a meal in itself.
the spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts was ok. it could have used more strawberries.
we understood why the short rib was one of the most popular entrees. it was tender and falling off the bone deelish.
the pork loin was equally tender and juicy and very a la flintstones in its portion. come hungry!
our side of plaintain and sweet potato mash was lightly whipped, buttery, and sweet enough to be a dessert. i had to stop short of licking the bowl.
happy bellies, a warm interior with quick and friendly service, the energy and fun of the surrounding lights and of the dancing santa at the party next door...it doesn't get better than that.
I know I've reviewed this place before with the same 5 star rating, but I cannot attest enough how much the Prado impresses me. I took my friends who are not from the area here for lunch (and it so happened to be Christmas in the Park) and they loved it. It has a great ambiance especially during the holidays with the Christmas lights and the tree in the park. Additionally, the lunch options/prices are well worth every penny. And the chocolate cake to end lunch is delightful. Paninis, pasta, burgers, etc. The steak burger had quality steak accompanied with a salad and taro chips which could easily be shared by 2. The waiter even gave a complimentary hybrid cheescecake flan dessert for my friends birthday. The Prado appeals to all your senses. You'll love the taste and smell, the sights around you, and the joyous tones all around you.
Hands down, one of the better restaurants in San Diego and one of my fiance's and my favorite spots.… Read more »
Just went to dinner at The Prado on friday night. They had a special for 2010, and had a 3 course meal for just $20.10.
I got the Tortilla soup as my first course. Good, but could've used some more spices or flavor.
For my main course, I got the pork flank steak, which was very good, and I recommend it.
I got the chocolate mousse, which was also very good for my desert. Very rich!
Great special deal! Great venue! I don't appreciate that we have to park far away or pay $10 for valet.
My low star count is based on the service for my wedding party. The day of my wedding I called the Prado to confirm my booking and they HAD ME DOWN FOR THE WEEK BEFORE! No one called to ask why we weren't there, and I had booked one month away from the wedding dinner (we had a small wedding of family- so our party was 20 people).
When I called I was told that they could not seat us (and me 4 hours away from the ceremony) and that they were"sorry". After pitching a fit I was able to get a table for us, but we were given 1.5 hours to eat because they had a prior booking. Note: no one but the hostess at the restaurant apologized. The manager seemed more upset at me than at the mistake when I got on the phone with her.
Dinner was good and the server was awesome. I was very disappointed that no management came over to speak with us, nor did they offer any sort of compensation for the stress/mix up.
Bottom line: decent food, slightly overpriced, but make sure you are on their butts if you book a large party, but not large enough to book the entire place. :(
Out in San Diego for a friend's wedding, my wife and I made it a point to head to the San Diego Zoo, which is one of those must-sees in the area. Since we had a friend of ours give us the list of what-to-do in San Diego, we hit the Prado for lunch.
This place is one of my all-time fav patio lunch spots. Classy as all hell (even after that description), with great food, spot-on staff and an atmosphere that makes you think you've dropped into the genteel early 1900s.
Hmm... don't quite remember what I had, but it was tasty. My wife can be pretty picky, and she liked her dish, too. Unless you're simply unable to be happy with a restaurant, you'll love this place. I did.
A - List. Highly Recommended. 5 Stars. Excellent food and ambiance. The service is young and attentive. I went NYE 2010 and it was a memorable experience. If I was a local, I'd make a point of visiting this superb establishment, enjoying the 4 different seating environments - luxurious indoor dining, more casual bar with live music and a great happy hour, Balboa Park majesty outdoor seating and outside seating tucked away in the corner with large comfy couches to unwind the afternoon or early evening. Expen$$$ive.
Although I love the location and the building itself more than the food, this is the best place/only place to dine in Balboa Park. I would recommend it most for Happy Hour. Great prices and a must-stop if on a romantic trip to the museums or a show at the Globe.
Balboa Park is beautiful, and what a nice way to end the day by having dinner at The Prado.
Inside, the decor is beautiful. Nice romantic lighting. We went here for dinner on our vacation. The service was good, and everyone seemed friendly.
To start, we had tortilla soup and an awesome crab cake with jicama. The bf says the crab cake was the highlight of his meal.
For our entrees, we had short ribs with sweet corn and potato hash, and asparagus. The short ribs were so tender and just fell off the bone - no knife needed! The sweet corn and potato hash was OK...I would have preferred a little more corn and a little less potato. Also, we had the mahi mahi. The sauce had alcohol in it and it was a little too strong for our taste. It was a little too overpowering for the other flavors.
Dessert was delicious! Perfect way to end dinner. We had the chocolate mousse dessert. I wasn't expecting very much, but it was fabulous. We ate every last crumb!
Overall - I enjoyed my dinner here. Bonus - we had the San Diego Go card - you get something like $10 off your meal or something.
Very unique setting. How many parks have a 4 star restaurant located right in the middle? I love the Prado, it has never disappointed me. Whether you dine indoors or sit outside on the beautiful patio you will have a great time. American gourmet with a twist of southwest or something. I don't know what to call it but it sure is good. I'm a simple guy and am happy with fast food or frozen pizza. But every once and a while it's good to get out on the town and have some food you've never tried before. Ultimate summer spot on the patio but they have a lot of heat lamps during cooler weather so it's a hit no matter what time of year.
If you can't get some lovin' from your date after going here you're either a loser or a loser.
It's been a damn long time Yelpers...but we hit the jackpot with this place that we avoided for years. We assumed that The Prado was a touristy spot not fit for foodies like us. I was apprehensive until....my hubby got a Cohn's Restaurant gift card. I wasn't (past tense) a big fan of the "C" Restaurants. I thought they were all beautifully decorated but the food was just "eh". I had been to Mister Tiki, Indigo Grill, and Corvette Diner. Nothing impressed me. So after perusing all of the "C" Restaurant menus, The Prado's sealed the reservation.
We went on a Friday night. There was a private event going on but nothing that took away from new and regular patrons alike. Being first-timers, we were overly observant...but The Prado gave us nothing to be critical about. At first sight, you notice a diversity of diners. Then the Restaurant Gods blessed us with Michael, our server. This guy was the best server we've ever had! The food could have tasted like old dirty shoes, but with Michael's service, this could still be a decent review. He was genuinely friendly, knowledgeable about the food, and when we asked for his recommendations...I think my husband and I were both salivating shamelessly. Clearly, he wasn't "one of those" who reads recommendations from a script...this man actually tried this food.
So we scored by dining here during their 1 week extension of restaurant week. We got a 3 course meal for $35 pp. Steal! Here's what we had and believe me when I say that everything was delicious.
- Crab Cake Appetizers (diced jicama-lime salad, avocado-serrano chili puree, chipotle aioli) - Some places get really stingy with their crab cakes but man...this appetizer hit the spot!
- Calamari (tossed in a sweet & spicy korean soy bean chili sauce, napa cabbage slaw) - We are somewhat of calamari snobs...but this was goodness! I think we even polished off the cabbage slaw that we usually consider "garnish".
- Chicken Tortilla Soup (with grilled chicken, cilantro & cotija cheese)
- Goat Cheese Ravioli (shredded beef short rib, portobello mushroom & roasted cipollini onions simmered in a red wine mascarpone sauce) - The meat was so tender, juicy and full of flavor!
- Roasted Jidori Chicken (hearty field greens, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted garlic pan gravy) - I don't care how you feel about chicken skin, this chicken will make you want to eat it like potato chips!
Hubby and I haven't been so satisfied with a nice sit-down meal in a long long time. I have been comparing our recent dining experiences to The Prado. I can't wait until we get to go back and I would be completely fine ordering the same exact thing.
Places like this make me want to move to San Diego so I can eat there daily! We ate outside on the terrace and it was all so perfect. There's a little water fountain so you have the nice white noise of trickling water along with subdued lunch chatter from other patrons. I saw several butterflies flitting around and watched a hummingbird drink from a flower right by our table while we waited for our food.
I loved our waitress's choice of diction. It was like whatever I decided to do, from ordering to boxing up my leftovers, was the best damn decision in the world. I had the cheese ravioli with beef and it was great! My friend ordered the kobe beef sandwich and it came with both red and yellow slices of tomato as well as what tasted like pickled onions that were so good that I kept stealing some just to munch on.
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Neighborhood: Gaslamp
Join us for Yelp Drinks!
Neighborhood: Gaslamp
Neighborhood: Little Italy
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Ocean Beach
Category: French
Neighborhood: Balboa Park
Category: Parks
Neighborhood: Balboa Park
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: La Jolla
Category: Italian
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