Best Family Style Restaurants in University Heights

Fabulous view, food, service, everything. Get the cosmo!

I had a phenomenal experience at Juniper and Ivy. I made a reservation for my wife’s birthday and once I got there they had valet service for 15$ which for Downtown SD isn’t bad at all. Upon arriving we waited at a very nice, comfortable lounge area by the bar while our table got ready. Once we were seated the server Andrew gave us greeted us phenomenally, remembered the request I made upon making the reservation and fulfilled it expertly. I had initially checked the restaurant’s menu online to have what I wanted to order planned and my only critique is that there was a good amount of menu items in the website that either weren’t available or had different prices however I still rated them 5 stars because all the issues I had related to the website were smoothly resolved by both the manager and the server which easily removed all potential problems both regarding price and the availability of menu items. The food was just as good as the service and I would highly recommend anyone visiting San Diego or looking for a quality dining experience. The price is on the high side but I refuse to call it expensive because the amount you pay is on par with the experience you receive and I will absolutely be dining there again in the future. In conclusion 10/10 to Juniper and Ivy and a special shoutout to the server Andrew and to Whatever manager was on the floor the night of 20Dec2024.

Ambiance, food, & service was all 5 star. Love this place. Perfect for a date night or a girls night. Don’t miss out on the Christmas decor - it’s so festive & perfect for the holidays. Staff is also incredibly nice & efficient.

A perfect experience. From the ambiance on the back patio, the great service from Joe, Eduardo, the sommelier and the busser to the amazing food! Everything was amazing. Truly a treat to dine here. Thank you to the whole staff

One of the best meals we’ve ever had. We can’t wait to be back. We did the Mediterranean feast, it was 5 courses. The first course was dip trip with fresh out the oven pita that I could have made a whole meal off of. The baba ganoush was incredible. My husband doesn’t usually like it but it was his favorite of the dips. The second course was a yellowtail with a mild spice level that paired well. The third course was a potato pasta? It was delicious. Sometimes the descriptions of the course were hard to hear and read off fast. The next course was a crusted halibut & then finally a lemon meringue with coconut bark. I kept thinking the portions may be too small especially since my husband can eat a lot. But we both left more than full. I did the wine pairing with the meal & there wasn’t one that I didn’t like. I struggled to keep up throughout the meal & wasn’t able to finish the last glass but thoroughly enjoyed the experience here. The service was excellent. We had Connor and Aiden but everyone was very attentive.