Restaurants near Balboa Park, San Diego

Mr. A's never disappoints. We love coming here to celebrate special milestones in our lives.

Phenomenal experience. Everything we tried was prepared perfectly!

My husband and I were delighted with Prado’s Valentine special evening. The scallops with spinach and ricotta ravioli in Romeo sauce were outstanding. Service was great, especially considering that it was busy. We were served an incredible chocolate dessert and a sparkling wine toast. The entire evening was charming.

We visited the Mingei and made a reservation at Artifact for an early lunch at 11:30 on a Thursday. We were one of the first two tables seated but the restaurant filled to near capacity shortly thereafter! We ordered the Vietnamese meatballs, the Asian pear and beet salad, the samosas and the coconut tapioca to share between the two of us per our server’s recommendation and everything was excellent! She was quite busy but attentive when we were able to catch her. Will absolutely return, I’d like to try everything on the menu. :)

Seneca is the perfect restaurant for a special celebration. I took my good friend there for her birthday and from the moment we were greeted by the smiling hostess until the very end of service, we were treated exceptionally well. The service was extremely professional, yet warm and friendly. The food was phenomenal and we took our time and savored every delicious bite. We never felt rushed, despite it being a very busy night. Our table had a view of San Diego Bay, the airport, and a northwesterly view of the city. It was beautiful. We started with the arancini and scampi, which were both so delicious. We shared two pasta dishes - Cavatelli All Sugo Di Angelo and the Cacio E Pepe. I was a little sad that they changed the style of the Casio E Pepe, it was more like a macaroni & cheese, but was still tasty. The Cavatelli was perfect though! We ordered a dessert and they brought over a complimentary cannoli with a birthday candle for my friend. I highly recommend Seneca to anyone looking for a special place for not only a celebration, but to celebrate a wonderful meal.