The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Review summary

1. D

   Daren

   San Diego

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   We’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for years once we accidentally stumbled upon it. We never planned ahead enough to make the required reservations. This trip we did and are so glad we did! Food was better than expected based on the reviews (and better than most of the other restaurants in the park). Price was comparable to other food & beverages in the park. The grassy area was much appreciated with a 3 year old in our group who needed to get some wiggles out. The views were amazing! Our waiter was busy since it was a holiday week but food and drinks were brought out by food runners or our waiter eventually. And while we waited we watched giraffes walk by and rhinos nap! Can’t wait to try it again! Highly recommend the rhino pretzel appetizer, miso salmon salad (salmon was perfect!), & short rib hoagie. We shared meals in addition to a couple kid meals in our group to avoid walking around with leftover’s.
   

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2. K

   Kevin

   San Diego

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Lunch was good. They couldn’t seem to find our Open Table reservations even though I showed them my email confirmation. Fortunately they were able to seat us at our reservation time, might have been an issue if it was busier as it’s the one full service restaurant at the park.
   

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3. BM

   BrianM

   Washington DC

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   This restaurant has a great location overlooking the safari park savanna. However, most of the tables were under the roof (as opposed to the patio) so most tables don’t have a view even though it would be easy to do. The food selection is limited and nothing special, which was disappointing to all of us. The staff service was great and very helpful, but I’m not sure I would go there again.
   

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4. R

   Rose

   San Diego

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Awesome all around ! Service and food! All servers and hostess were fantastic !
   

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5. C

   Carole

   Minneapolis

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a great place to have a great meal at the Zoo Safari. And bonus you get to see all the animals roaming!
   

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6. N

   Noreen

   VIP

   San Diego

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 20, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Excellent food, service, and view; however, there are no vegan options.
   

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7. C

   Cinde

   VIP

   San Francisco

   103 reviews

   4.0

   103 reviews

   Dined on December 15, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We enjoyed stopping for lunch and having a nice break. Our server was fantastic.
   

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8. A

   Amber

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had the BEST time! Mateo was our server, and he was FANTASTIC! Highly recommend this dining experience to anyone.
   

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9. J

   Jordan

   San Diego

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on December 1, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   I proposed to my girlfriend (now fiancé) at the Watering Hole yesterday. The staff was AMAZING and very helpful in pulling it off. I had some friends get there early and the staff helped them find a hiding spot for them until I popped the question. They even asked other guests to stay clear of the outlook for me while I did my thing! The bartender also came up to me and asked if I wanted her to take a video of the event. When we got there, they seated us at a table for 2 (despite my reservation for 8 people), to add to the illusion that it was just the two of us. I did the proposal, my friends came out, we celebrated, then the staff brought us over to our large table and already had champaign poured for us! Absolutely amazing staff that were genuinely excited to help me pull off the proposal. 10/10. The only negative thing I can speak to is the communication beforehand. I tried calling them the day before (I know, it was on me that it was last minute, but there were outside circumstances that lead to that), but no one answered the phone. I left a voicemail explaining the situation, but never received a call back. I was especially worried because on the voicemail line it stated any parties of over 6 people, could not be booked through OpenTable, and had to be reserved over the phone. Seeing as though I had a party of 8, I just had to hope for the best. Fortunately, once my friends got there and verified everything, everything went exceptionally.
   

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10. W

    William

    St. Louis

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 29, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Amazing open air dining overlooking the animals of Africa!
    

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