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Animae, San Diego, CA
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Animae

$50 and over
Contemporary Asian

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 71 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Fancy
ANIMAE’s eclectic West Coast cuisine, layered with Asian influences, comes to life under Celebrated Chef Brian Malarkey. Applying a California cooking style to ANIMAE’S traditional coal-fired oven and grill, Chef Malarkey’s menu is as thoughtful as it is refined, elevating local produce and seasonal ingredients to create a lively and progressive culinary program.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Brian Malarkey

  • Award icon

    MICHELIN Plate

    2022

From the OpenTable editors: Filipino American chef Tara Monsod takes fusion food to the next level at this groovy Art Deco space. Expect opulent riffs on classics like crispy pig ears and kare kare—Monsod is one of the few chefs in the country putting Filipino food on the fine-dining stage. The approach earned her numerous awards, including a prestigious MICHELIN Plate.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Asian, Californian, Steakhouse
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 17:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 17:00–21:30
  • Phone number
    (619) 432-1225
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Private party facilities
    The Great Gatsby-meets-Madmen-meets-The Matrix interior is a fantastical futurist’s journey, transporting diners to the Shikoku firefly forest in Japan, an event venue that’s both ethereal and theatrical. ANIMAE is the perfect space to host and celebrate your special events.
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Area
    Downtown / Gaslamp
  • Cross Street
    Pacific Highway and West Broadway
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Thanksgiving at ANIMAE

    US$123.27 per person

    28 Nov 2024 only
    Celebrate thanksgiving with Chef Tara at ANIMAE! 4 course prix fixe menu to be released soon. $110 per adult, $42 per child You have reserved the table for 2 hours from the time of your booking. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.
    Thanksgiving at ANIMAE photo
  • NYE at ANIMAE

    US$128.87 per person

    31 Dec 2024 only
    Enjoy a glamorous New Year's Eve celebration at ANIMAE! $115, 4 course prix fixe menu to be released soon. Parties of 2 - 5 have reserved the table for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Parties of 6+ have reserved the table for 2 hours and 15 minutes. We kindly ask that you keep your experience within this time frame in order to honor later bookings. Thank you!
    NYE at ANIMAE photo
  • Kamayan Christmas at Animae

    US$123.27 per person

    24 Dec 2024 only
    Join Chef Tara Monsod for an incredible Filipino tradition....a Kamayan feast! Every table will receive a beautiful spread of whole fish, pork tocino, grilled prawns, shortrib bistek and more, all served on banana leaves. We invite you to enjoy this one of a kind Christmas experience with Chef Tara at Animae. $110 per person. Please note the menu is fixed for this experience. Everyone will be receiving the same feast. Substitutions cannot be made. We hope to see you on Christmas Eve!
    Kamayan Christmas at Animae photo

What 3,181 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Animae in San Diego offers an extraordinary dining experience, blending Filipino and Asian influences with Art Deco flair. Guests rave about "amazingly creative flavor combinations" and "exceptional service." Highlights include wagyu beef and Taiwanese chicken. Although some find it pricey, "it's a must-visit for anyone seeking top-notch dining" in the city.

3,182 Reviews
  1. John

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined today

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    1 out of the 8 dishes we got was out of this world. The rest were mostly good, some left a salty aftertaste. Get the pork tomahawk.

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  2. Thiago

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food and service was amazing.

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  3. Ara

    San Diego

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    When have been several times. This time the food as pricey as ever did not stand up to the historical quality. The volume of music ( poor club music) made it hard to hear the waiter and hard to have a conversation with out leaning in and speaking loudly across the table.

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  4. dara

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    hated it!! sooo bad nasty ash food and the service HORRIBLE

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  5. Emily

    Las Vegas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food and staff. It was so cool to see elevated Filipino food, and it was my girlfriend’s first time trying A5 Wagyu, she said “it was the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth”. Will be back in 6 months for my birthday!

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  6. agnes

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We got the Hunan Lamb Chops, Taiwanese Chicken, Pig Ears, Crispy Potatoes, Wagyu Fried Rice, Tuna Kinilaw, Duck entree, Sea Bass, and Short Ribs Kare Kare. Most of the dishes were flavorful, garnished well, and pretty!! I would go back for the lamb chops, pig ears, sea bass and short ribs kare kare.

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  7. Kim

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 1
    We picked Animae to eat for our anniversary dinner, and it some ways, it was very good, but in others perhaps not the right place for us. Let's start with the food - we did 2 appetizers (the Nori Caesar and Mantou buns), 2 entrees (Short Rib Kare Kare and Szechuan Sea bass), 2 sides (Crispy potatoes and Wagyu fried rice), 2 desserts (Ube profiteroles and Sakura Panna Cotta), and 2 glasses of wine. We spent 2 hours there. Overall, it was extremely tasty and flavors all fantastic, although the execution leaves much room for improvement. The salad, though great umami of flavors, was very much overdressed. The soy glaze with the buns was too salty but the sour cream butter saved it. The fish dish was just meh in flavor, but perfectly cooked. The Short ribs and potatoes I felt were delicious, so no complaints there. The fried rice was ok, there was hardly any beef in there (tasted mostly egg and mushroom). Desserts were also delicious, but also a few misses. The panna cotta was bursting with flavor and texture but the panna cotta itself was too dense (too much gelatin) so it ate very heavy though the flavors were very light. The profiteroles were perfect. Just the right amount of sweetness, texture, and flavors. They gave us a little bonus dessert and sparkling wine for our anniversary, which was a nice touch. A little matcha cake with (very dense) mousse and chewy boba, but hey, it was bonus. What I really disliked was the ambiance. The decor was fun, but the music was too loud and the lighting was extremely dark. Even the bathrooms, with the black decor, felt very, very dark. Service was really great though, our waitress and servers were attentive enough even though the food was slow to come out in the beginning. I think younger people would enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant. But for middle-aged me, it was hard to have a nice conversation with my partner and the food, while overall not bad, could have been so much better with a little bit more attention.

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  8. Veeral

    Toronto

    25 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    25 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Awesome food and experience A bit more expensive than comparable restaurants

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  9. Jessica

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Don't leave without ordering the cabbage. It's to die for.

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  10. Teri

    San Francisco

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were very happy that our experience eating at Animae equaled the best reviews we read. We had a group of 7 foodies, so we shared appetizers, and the ordered our own main courses, based on other reviews. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. The noise level was not the worst, and we were able to talk to each other! We will definitely bring other foodie friends here!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Animae is rated 4.8 stars by 3181 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 71 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Animae

969 Pacific HWY, San Diego, CA 92132

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross Street
    Pacific Highway and West Broadway
  • Area
    Downtown / Gaslamp
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 17:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 17:00–21:30
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Asian, Californian, Steakhouse
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (619) 432-1225
  • Private party facilities
    The Great Gatsby-meets-Madmen-meets-The Matrix interior is a fantastical futurist’s journey, transporting diners to the Shikoku firefly forest in Japan, an event venue that’s both ethereal and theatrical. ANIMAE is the perfect space to host and celebrate your special events.
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