Best Restaurants for Local Ingredients in Kearny Mesa

Exceptional, as always. Our go-to restaurant for date night or any night we just don't want to make dinner. The friendly faces, delicious food/wine/cocktails, and attentive service keep us coming back. I seriously can't find a Cucumber Gimlet this good anywhere else. And the BURGER on Wednesdays - prepare to be craving it once you've had it. Chef perfected this one... and it's unmatched.

It was so much more than the exquisite meal - it was an experience. Callie’s servers are the most knowledgable, best trained, most service oriented team we’ve ever experienced. We had the tasting menu which was EXTRAORDINARY and - for the brave - the delicious Kook Juice from the bar. Our favorite place to dine in San Diego!

We travel around the country and try to make the dining  experience part of our vacation. We had learned about red O the last time we went to San Diego and didn’t have time to experience the restaurant. So we made a point of it this year. I will say that it has to be one of the best restaurants we’ve ever had the pleasure of  dining. We come from a state that serves a lot of beef and I will say that the 18 ounce ribeye was better than anything I had from our home state. My spouse had the half a pound lobster and it was done to perfection. So I highly recommend anyone experiencing this restaurant if they have the opportunity. The weight staff was incredible. And we will definitely put in our plans for next time we’re in San Diego.

This was our first time at Arlo. It is to the left side of the hotel entrance and down a short walkway. It isn’t clearly marked in the evening. You park in the parking garage nearby and Arlo validates. We started with drinks and I had the blood orange gin fizz. It was very good. My husband had the Arlo old fashioned and liked it. We started with the bread appetizer. It was a small round split in four pieces and crisped in a wood fired oven before it came to the table. It was crispy on the outside and soft inside. It was served with sea salt and a compound butter. For dinner two people had the Wagyu meatloaf with mushroom gravy and I had the Calabrian chili shrimp pasta. Both were excellent. The pasta had some heat but not too much and the pasta was Al dente. We were too full for dessert but my mom had the espresso martini and said it was perfect. I tried some and agreed not too sweet with the perfect strength of coffee to balance the taste. The service was wonderful. We didn’t wait too long before our server came to the table. She gave us highlights of the menu and her recommendations. They were very good about keeping our water glasses filled and clearing dishes without us feeling like we were being rushed. We will be back to try other menu items like the mussels and Brussels sprouts!

Our GO TO for Italian food in San Diego! Always good