Best Hawaiian Restaurants in Hillcrest

We pulled up absolutely blown away with the location, walking into the restaurant we went up some stairs into the dining area, in there was an amazing view of the ocean and San Diego! The service was outstanding very friendly and helpful. We enjoy the sampler appetizer, and scallops and crispy tuna. Everything from walking into Bali Hai; eat, music, the views, the whole experience was mind blowing. Definitely would recommend and returning!

Great speakeasy experience from a local brewery! Very cool! Food was excellent.

Did not eat food, so could not rate. But the specialty cocktails and awesome bartender/manager, made this a worthwhile, fun experience, especially for visiting out of towners. Wouldn’t want to give away anything, but there are some fun surprises throughout your stay.

Had enjoyed twice previously for dinner, but this was the first time for a Sunday breakfast/brunch. Menus are limited but beautifully executed. Rebecca’s service was friendly and fabulous plus she was working on her birthday. Her upbeat personality is infectious. One of our 4 diners has to be gluten free and although the menu items are not marked, Rebecca was very knowledgeable about menu & prep and offered to bring a fruit bowl instead of the breakfast potatoes. It was huge, fresh and delicious. The Hawaiian breakfast plate was great & even the spam nonbelievers in our group were impressed. The table seating is quite limited so we were glad to have reserved our table for 4. The restaurant still has the retro switchboard decor, an homage to the telephone operators who worked in the building during the 40s as Oceanside was exploding in growth with the establishment of Camp Pendleton. The restaurant is located in the Historic Fin Hotel, now a Hilton Tapestry Collection, boutique hotel. Opened in 1927 & having colorful history and several owner & name changes, most recently The Dolphin. It was one of the first seaside hotels to have hot & cold running water & steam heating in each of its rooms. From modern, to seedy, to almost destroyed in a 2015 fire, to reborn in 2016, if you enjoy a restaurant/building with retro cool history and great Hawaiian/Korean food, you’ll enjoy The Switchboard. The ambiance of the Fin Hotel building and the coffeehouse next to the restaurant are added pluses.