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The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado at Balboa Park

4.6
4.6
7915 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

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2 people
19:00
Booked 96 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Great for outdoor dining
Located in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the Historic House of Hospitality, The Prado offers historic charm and California cuisine.
Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue 11:30–14:30 Tue 16:00–20:00 Wed–Sat 11:30–20:00 Sun 11:30–19:30
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    John King
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Area
    Downtown / Gaslamp
  • Cross Street
    6th Avenue
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Daou Wine Experience

    7 Nov 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
    Daou Wine Package Add a bottle of Daou Wine to your table prior to your arrival. Payment will be added onto final check.
  • Prado New Year's Eve Celebration

    US$89.95 per person

    31 Dec 2024 only
    New Year's Celebration Happy New Year's! Enjoy a special preset menu at the Prado in Balboa Park. We will be serving a 3-course meal for $89.95 per person for adults excluding tax and gratuity. We have seating availability from 4-8 pm inside our dining rooms or outside on our heated garden terrace. All reservations are not table specific and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. Outdoor reservations have no weather back up. Standard seating is inside our dining room. *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.

What 7,915 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
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Prado at Balboa Park is an elegant dining gem, perfect for a special occasion or pre-theater meal. "outstanding service" and "beautiful outdoor patio" settings elevate the dining experience. Guests rave about the calamari and sea bass dishes. While some note menu repetition, the ambiance and attentive staff make it a San Diego favorite.

7,915 Reviews
  1. Megan

    Greater Boston

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It’s been several years since I last ate at The Prado and it’s still a lovely place to get lunch on a visit to Balboa Park. My group sat on the patio, which has a great ambience and enjoyed our meal together.

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  2. tanner

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Good food and nice ambience. Maurice was a delight. He is the best waiter we've had in a while.

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  3. Ana

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Attentive server, heaters making my outdoor experience comfortable! Food delish…drink, seabass, port & arroz con leche all excellent.

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  4. Adalia

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had the steak sandwich—so delicious with garlic aioli on a brioche bun. I also tried the strawberry arugula stacked salad—very delicious! Service is great and loved the low noise level.

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  5. Hannah

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My mother is in town visiting and we took the opportunity to check out Balboa Park and The Prado. The food was delicious, my only small issue was the crab dip was pretty salty. The ambiance was calm, we brought my 2 year old and they were very accommodating, the service was quick.

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  6. Leia

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    We have been here many times over the years so we were excited to come for Christmas Dinner. We sat outside and the warmers were enough to keep us comfortable, but there was a funky smell coming from somewhere which was somewhat unappetizing. The food was great, especially the appetizers and desserts. Unfortunately I’d compare the main course to something that you could get at any restaurant. Service was on the slower side, but it was Christmas and later in the day so I am assuming that everyone was ready to go home and I can’t blame them. Overall, we had a great time.

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  7. Frank

    VIP

    Columbus

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Marvelous setting, super yummy food, great service… we love the Prado for special occasions… don’t miss it!

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  8. Karen

    VIP

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Christmas night, dining outdoors on the patio, cozy heater next to us, tender prime rib and hot mashed potatoes, a good wine, and just enough attention from our server, Maurice. What's not to love? Cohn family dining in beautiful San Diego! Happy New Year, everyone! (I did ask them to please turn down the volume on the...uh... lively Christmas music so we could visit, and they promptly obliged.)

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  9. Sarah

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Christmas pre fix dinner with a toddler. Meal portions were large and delicious. Ambiance was great. Service was a bit lagging due to being busy, otherwise experience was awesome.

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  10. Jeff

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was superb, the service was wonderful as always. Our favorite for any special occasion!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Prado at Balboa Park is rated 4.6 stars by 7915 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 96 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Prado at Balboa Park

1549 El Prado, Suite 12, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    6th Avenue
  • Area
    Downtown / Gaslamp
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue 11:30–14:30 Tue 16:00–20:00 Wed–Sat 11:30–20:00 Sun 11:30–19:30
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    John King
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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