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Cellar Hand, San Diego, CA

Cellar Hand

4.6
4.6
130 Reviews
$31 to $50
Farm-to-table

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2 people
19:00
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Charming
  • Good for groups
Nestled in the heart of Hillcrest, San Diego, Cellar Hand embodies a commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship, and community. Through a farm-to-table approach, our menu showcases hyper-local seasonal fare. Our extensive wine list highlights the diverse terroir of California, serving as an extension of founder’s Pali Wine Co. Santa Barbara County winery. By fostering deep connections with local artisans, farmers, fishers, and stewards, Cellar Hand strives to be a destination where guests can savor the essence of California’s bounty in every bite and sip.

Enjoy our exposed kitchen, an indoor-outdoor bar, outdoor fire pits, and artwork by Nick Perr. Opened Wednesday - Sunday with daily happy hour specials and weekend brunch!

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Farm-to-table, Mediterranean, Seafood
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00–15:00 Dinner Wed–Sat 16:00–22:00 Sun 16:00–21:00 Happy Hour Wed–Sun 16:00–17:00
  • Phone number
    (619) 876-4099
  • Website
    http://www.cellarhandhillcrest.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Location
    1440 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103-3405
  • Area
    Hillcrest
  • Cross Street
    University Ave. and Normal St.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Happy Hour

    Multiple dates available
    Enjoy 50% off all wine by the glass, beer, and sangria, alongside deals on bar snacks and our seasonal dips. This special offer is available Wednesday through Sunday, 4-5pm.
    Happy Hour photo

  • Brunch at Cellar Hand

    Multiple dates available
    Join us Saturdays & Sundays starting at 10am for decadent dishes including our house made brioche toasts, our take on traditional brunch eats, locally-sourced tea & coffee, and our handcrafted cocktails!
    Brunch at Cellar Hand photo

Offers

  • Happy Hour, 4-5pm

    Multiple dates available
    Sun - 16:00 - 17:00,Wed - Sat - 16:00 - 17:00
    When the clock strikes four, our prices hit the floor. Glasses of wine at half price, pair them with pitas, so nice. For a whole hour, be happy, in the Hillcrest sun. Join us at Cellar Hand—the evening’s just begun. Happy Hour, Wednesday - Sunday from 4 PM - 5 PM!

    Happy Hour, 4-5pm photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 130 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • San Diego

    Neighbourhood gem

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cellar Hand in San Diego is a culinary gem offering "incredible and fresh" dishes with vibrant flavors and a "fantastic" wine selection. Diners praise the "creative and tantalizing" menu, which features hyper-local and plant-forward options. Service is "attentive and knowledgeable," creating an unforgettable dining experience that will "definitely" bring you back.

130 Reviews

  1. Alan

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Every items was perfectly prepared and tasty. Also good for sharing. Order everything!! Pork chop - fantastic. Agnolloti, great. Everything great!!

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  2. Kathy

    San Diego

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great brunch menu choices with a good selection of CA libations. Excellent staff, very accommodating for our large party.

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  3. Rosie

    New Orleans

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The mussels escabeche brought me back to Barcelona 😩 I’ve never had such decadent sugar snap peas, likely from the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market which is literally right there. It’s wonderful to see a restaurant so committed to shopping local, even the art is locally made!

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  4. Bianca

    New York City

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food is amazing and Chef Ashley explains the dishes very well.

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  5. Brian

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The valentines day pre fixe menu was not clearly outlined on OpenTable as the only available menu. We chose to pivot and be flexible as the dishes sounded quite good. The disappointment was that the mains were disappointing. The scallop dish had 3 scallops. The pork chop was dry and the fat was not rendered. This was hard to get over as we had paid for a pre fixe menu that we didn't necessarily choose, but was willing to accept. At $85/person, we would hope that the mains would be well executed since there were only 2 options being served that night.

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  6. Jonatan

    San Diego

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    I booked my dinner about a month in advance. My reservation was at 6 and I was not seated until 640. They asked we sit at the bar to wait , and no sort of compensation was offered for the wait. If I reserve a time, especially so far in advance, I would expect a small wait but not 40 minutes. What would be the point of using a reservation system? For the price of the experience, I expected better restaurant management. During the 40 minute wait, we were not approached my the staff to let us know the progress of our table either. It was not until I went up to the desk after the 40 minutes to ask on the status. The food was good, but I would say slightly over priced.

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  7. James

    Orange County

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Wasn't aware it was set menu for Valentines day until we got there - food was amazing but wasn't aware when we made the reservation on Open Table. Was also not offered any Happy hour that was meant to be mid week. They didn't have a high chair for our toddler Some wait staff didn't know what they were dropping at tables 'here is your seafood platter' without telling us what everything was.

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  8. Rachel

    VIP

    San Diego

    8 reviews

    4.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We went to clear hand for Valentine’s Day. The menu was very nice however we thought the portions and value didn’t exceed our expectations. Overall we have been to cellar hand multiple times are always enjoy th experience.

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  9. Joe

    Detroit

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Cellar Hand is wonderful date night spot. The food is amazing: locally sourced and prepared with skill. Bonus: if you’re a member of the Pali Wine Co club, then you can bring their bottles with you for no corkage fee.

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  10. Andrea

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 8 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a series of wonderful small plates. The flavors were complex and perfectly highlighted the fresh local ingredients.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Cellar Hand is rated 4.6 stars by 130 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 13 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Cellar Hand

1440 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103-3405

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    University Ave. and Normal St.
  • Area
    Hillcrest
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00–15:00 Dinner Wed–Sat 16:00–22:00 Sun 16:00–21:00 Happy Hour Wed–Sun 16:00–17:00
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Farm-to-table, Mediterranean, Seafood
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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