Wow
couldn't say more! Outstanding service, exceptional food, can't believe it's only rated "good" by the ratings here! Definately will return.
Great Lunch!
Had a wonderful lunch at George's today on our 16th wedding anniversary. Definitely need to make reservations since it was packed and the waiting line was backed up for 1 1/2 hours. Really enjoyed the view, service and the lunch.
Perfect!
One of the most outstanding restaurants!!
George's at the Cove is perfect for a romantic evening or any special occasion.
Although price is pretty up there.. but the excellent service and atmosphere pays for itself.
Danny's Report Card:
Food:A Decor:A Service:A Cost:B+
Timing Is Everything
Location Location Location. If you've been there you know what I mean. Though I frequented George's last year, sunset on the terrace for my sending off dinner was beautiful. I was even greeted by the owner, George, himself. Now I live in France for a year, and the French cuisine at George's is equal if not better than the real thing! But timing is everything, for a cheaper meal, try lunch in the bar at George's. Same great food, slightly cheaper price (I should know I am a student)
Insiders View
I used to work for George's at the Cove, and I can tell you that the quality and commitment they possess is unserpassed. The food is the highest quality, prepared by Mr. Foshee and his staff, and the service is unparalled. The management (Mark Oliver and crew) have set the bar for my own management career. I have worked for several fortune 500 companies, and they could learn a thing or two from George Hauer. Congrats!
Unexpected Pleasure
Beautiful view, helpful and informative servers, delicious food served quickly and hot. Great valet parking in front so you don't have to look for parking. What at treat!
Amazing
An awesome sunset view. Great service and some of the best cheesecake I have ever had in my life.
GREAT EXPERIENCE
We had a great experience at George's. The seating was great and the food was remarkable...even something as simple as rosemary chicken. It was pricey but well worth it.
Wow, that's an Anniversary!
Well anniversaries are like Christmas for me. I like to plan a special evening that makes the event that much more special. For this our fifth wedding anniversary I selected George's at the Cove. I made the reservations through SanDiego Restaurants.com where I indicated our special evening as wells as plans to have flowers at our table when we arrived. The morning of I was promptly called by George's confirming the evening and giving me the number of a local florist that could have the flowers delivered to the restaurant and they'd do the rest. Upon arrival, the hosted congratulated on our aniversary and then had us escorted to our table where the flowers. Perfect. The waiter also congratulated us and provided us with excellent suggestions and insights into the menu. Don't be turned off by price, it is worth it. I selected the summer tasting menu with the wines $83 and worth every penny. My wife had the lobster and it was amazing. The staff made our evening special by acknowledging our special event. Did I mention the wonderful view of the cove and coast? After my pricey dinner and a desert drink and my wife desert dish the total did reach $200 (with a 20% tip), but it was worth it.
Superb
We ate in the main dining room a few nights ago and the meal was one of the very best that we have had since we moved to San diego (from San Francisco) over a year ago. And, we frequent the very best restaurants on a weekly basis. The restaurant was very nice and the service was too. We will go back again very soon.
Amazing
Decided to take my girlfriend on our first date here. We are on the top level with an amazing view of the sunset on top of the cove. The waiters were extremely kind and we never needed to ask us if we needed anything, since they read our minds before hand. The food was to great but the menu was a bit small. For desert we had the cheesecake. I would call my self somewhat of a cheesecake addict and I have never in my life had a better cheesecake, not even at the Cheesecake Factory. I guess it made a good impression on my girlfriend because a year and a half later we are engaged and go there at least once a month.
For the View alone!!
I wanted to introduce my wife to La Jolla and thought a great venue looking over the ocean would be a great start and I was right. THe view from the Terrace was outstanding, our server was very attentive. Wine and entrees were excellent and even on a cool night the heaters did pretty well. One suggestion! In San Antonio the riverwalk restaurants have blankets available in the outdoor seating areas for cool nights. Would be a perfect addition to an outstanding restaurant! We'll be back!
Okay food but not great
: I have only eaten at George’s twice because the restaurant fails to impress me. I have had trouble with reservation accommodations and fail to recognize what the rave is about this restaurant. The waiters are good and knowledgeable on the menu however the menu is limited and both times I have dined at George’s they did not offer nightly specials. I had the beef tenderloin it was tender and flavorful but not filling nor exceptional. I recommend dining elsewhere if you desire an elegant evening out on the town. There is nothing special about George’s at the Cove.
Fabulous Dining Experience!
I went to George's for my Senior Prom, and I was so blown away by my incredible experience. The service was excellent, the waiters were especially nice, and I cannot forget the breathtaking view. The food was really great. The portion were small but ideal and the dessert menu was phenomenal. I would recommend this restaurant to my friends, family, and anyone who is looking for an exceptional dining experience. The restaurant is very cute, I loved it.
A Must See Restaurant!!!
I recently dined at George's at the Cove with some out of town guests, figuring they would enjoy the vast ocean view and decadent cuisine. Our expectations were, however, incredibly surpassed. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable about every item on the menu and treated us with the utmost warmth and welcoming. The decor, now holding a more modern, contemporary ambience, presented us with an unforgettable dining experience, which I look forward to experiencing many times to come. I recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in the ultimate dining experience. This restaurant allows one to enjoy the benefit of a creative chef, extensive wine menu, exceptional service, sophisticated dining and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean!
Excellent Experience
My 'boys' took me out to dinner on my birthday to George's recently. From start to finish the experience was very good. I tried the Meyer Lemon cocktail, which had an excellent flavor- though I found the sago like bubbles a little disconcerting at first. Since I am not a big eater, I went straight to the Mustard Crusted Grouper. It was delicious. I even asked for a spoon to finish up the substantial amount of broth. The restaurant was 'sold out' on the two desserts our party ordered, (those must have been really good!), so we gave ourselves the consolation prizes. The service was attentive and waiting times were reasonable.
George's in January
Excellent, attentive service. They had a problem with the sirloin being overdone, and corrected it forthwith. They might think about a fillet instead of the sirloin. The lobster was excellent, and the Ravenwood Zin by the glass was outstanding.
Finally, a place that cares
I haven't eaten at too many places in San Diego, but this is the first place that demonstrates they care about the food, the service and most of all you (the customer). Great view, very good food and a lovely view. I'll go back, especially if someone else is paying ;)
Reliably good lunch.
Really good fish tacos (and I'm not even a big eater of f.t's.... The best salad I've ever had is an occasional lunch special with chopped greens + spinach with white beans, a small piece of salmon, and other ingredients that are phenomenal!
Beautiful
We love eating at Georges, inside is a very elegant, private dining experience and outside on the patio is what La Jolla is all about. Beautiful view and great food both inside and out.
WONDERFUL
The ocean view was fantastic! The food was great and so was the wine selection. My date absolutely loved it. Overall, the experience was wonderful.
expected better
My date and I ate dinner on the Ocean view terrace. The view was great! Unfortunately our server lacked. I found myself looking for him on serveral occasions. All the food took a long time to get to our table. When it did arrive, it varied from bland to excellent. I do recommend the bacon wrapped trout should you be feeling very patient and understanding.
Lunch - very tight
The seating on the terrace is much too tight and the food is just OK, for the price. The view is gorgeous.
Good but not great
I have only eaten at George’s twice because the restaurant fails to impress me. I have had trouble with reservation accommodations and fail to recognize what the rave is about this restaurant. The waiters are good and knowledgeable on the menu however the menu is limited and both times I have dined at George’s they did not offer nightly specials. I had the beef tenderloin it was tender and flavorful but not filling nor exceptional. I recommend dining elsewhere if you desire an elegant evening out on the town. There is nothing special about George’s at the Cove.
Whatever you do...don't get the cheap wine
Our evening started out very nice. We went to George's at the Cove to celebrate my husband's birthday. Our reservations were for 9:00 but arrived around 8:30 and were able to get right in.
Our waiter, Lane, who's name you will shortly remember, greeted us and shook my husband's hand to congratulate him on his birthday. I asked Lane for some suggestions on wine, and the two he suggested were priced at $75 and $100. I decided to go with a bottle that he did not suggest at a price of $25.
That's when it got ugly! He proceeded to comment, out loud and not in an "inside voice" that he understood if this was more in our price range and that it would "work". Okay, call me old fashioned, but I think this was down right rude of him. Not only was this rude, but after this, he was not cordial and rarely came back to check on us. How presumptious of him to think just because we didn't want an expensive wine that we couldn't afford it.
Needless to say, he would have had a much more generous tip and the restaurant would have obtained a surpurb rating from me. I will NOT RECOMMEND this restaurant to anyone I know, unless the other waiters have more tack than LANE. Way to go LANE.
Overall a dissappointing outing
For starters we made a reservation using this site for 7:30pm on a Thursday. When we arrived on time we were immediately seated in a very small dining room with around 4 - 6 tables. In the reservation, I requested a table with a view, but instead we were put in a "temporary" dining room that the waiter did apologize for, saying that they were in a period of transition.
When you are paying a premium price for a meal at one of the better restaurants in the area, you expect to sit in the main dining area to soak in the ambiance.
Ok, now for the appetizers. My wife and I both split, oysters on the half-shell and a salad. The oysters were very small, and didn't have much substance to them. Disappointing.
The salad, that I wish I could describe better, was very good. It had dates, roasted pine nuts and goat cheese in a light vinaigrette.
For the main course my wife got scallops that were large and had a nice texture, however tasted a little too fishy. Still good, just not great.
I got the strip steak that was served in a light steak sauce of mushrooms, and caramelized onions with a spot of potato about an inch in diameter.
I ordered it medium-rare, but it came out more medium than rare. I took it back and the waiter apologized and made it better with a glass of Jocelyn Cab. Much better than the Concannon Merlot that we were drinking.
When I did get the steak, it was cooked perfectly. However, it wasn't juicy and had a salty flavor. We were told it was a Niman Ranch steak that had been aged 15 days.
I wish I could describe the desserts better, but from what I can remember we had something that was like a crème brulet, and some kind of mexican churros. They were both "out of this world".
All in all, the service was great, but it couldn't make up for the mediocre main courses and make-shift dining room.
Overhyped
Our 5th anniversary celebration was ruined by a stiff and rude waiter. The food was good, but very much overpriced for the quality. Looking for a romantic evening? Go somewhere else.
Mr.Jamerson's ( MGR) Repulsive Attitude
My 1st anniversay at George's was the worst experience I ever endured. I called and emailed the restaurant ahead of time to request special seating by the window, and they said they could not accomodate my request. When my husband and I got there the Mr. Jamerson came out with the most disgusting attitude out of this world. It did not even acknowlege that it was a special occasion for us, and basically told us to suck it up and stop crying about where we were seated. We should've went to Donovan's but we wanted to change our routine. Don't go here if your skin is a little darker than ivory. Two words. No Tip!!
Plenty of other better restaurants
We dined with 4 people. The skirt steak was flavorful but extremely tough, the ahi appetizer was uneventful and the fish was not fresh and the ono (special) was overcooked. The pork chops were good, but not spectacular. Everyone was not impressed. When we told the waiter about the ono and the ahi his response was, "Oh, would you like anything for dessert?". Evidently the integrity of this restaurant and the service measure up with the food. Go elsewhere.
Disappointed
After reading all the hype, I was very excited to try George's on the Cove. After difficulty in making a reservation, I assumed that meant popularity which meant quality. I was wrong.
My date and I ordered different items to get a real feel for the quality.
She had the Lamb and I had the Tasting Menu, which features 5 dishes and a different wine with each.
Lamb:
The lamb offers 2 different cuts in one dish (shoulder/shredded or pulled and loin). The shoulder was heavily seasoned with a Jamaican influenced barbeque, which did not do the lamb shoulder justice. The tenderloin came sliced and was very tough due to overcooking. Lamb is tricky and you better know how to handle it. George's does not. I cannot recommend this dish to anyone, especially those familiar with properly prepared lamb.
Tasting Menu:
The menu started with a beet salad, which was good. The pine nut puree was a unique touch. The Spanish wine was very average.
Next came the Lobster and Corn soup. If there was any lobster in this heavy bowl of creamed corn, I did not see nor taste it. The South African wine was nice, however.
Next came the Salmon, apparently pan seared but extremely fishy. It was cooked very rare, which some people prefer. The Australian wine was not enough to wash the poor salmon down. This salmon and the wine both need a lot of help.
Next came the Beef Prime Shortribs. Having worked in the meat industry before, I would challenge whether or not this was prime grade. The tiny portion was largely fat and covered in a sweet barbeque sauce. I cannot tell you whether or not the Spanish red wine matched well because it never came to the table. Finally after the tiny rib was long gone and my plate had been cleared, a different waiter brought the wine some 20 minutes later.
Finally, came the strawberry dessert, which was a hard egg white merangue about the size of a quarter in the center of a bowl with a small scoop of ice cream. The waiter poured rhubarb juice over it. Not impressed.
Our meal took 2 hours and 15 minutes. The delay between entrees on the Tasting Menu was atrocious. Do not go this route if you have to go to George's. At the end, it took 10 minutes to get my check and another 10 minutes to get my change. A man in a double breasted suit came over as we were leaving and asked how everything was. I told him the service was terrible. He just smiled and said "sorry to hear that," and walked off. Typical tourist treatment, I suppose.
Another thing, there is one tiny men's restroom. In order to get to it, you must go to their packed bar, navigate your way completely to the far side of it, venture into the cocktail waitresses alcove, ask them to please let you through, and then go into a very small closet sized men's room with one sink, one urinal, one commode. It was real tight and not very sanitary with 5 men trying to use it at once.
Whoever said this was a 4 star restaurant needs to travel more, or they were paid off. I would not go back to George's On the Cove for a free meal. Way Over Rated Folks!
Nice patio & great service...
My first experience with George's was for lunch. I took my Mother and Aunt to eat lunch on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The experience was pleasant. The food was not why we remembered the place. The patio and friendly service is all my Mom remembered when I asked her about the restaurant.
On a different occasion my fiance' and I went for dinner. Again, over all, the experience was nice.. but this time the food was far below expectations. To start there was an obviously dirty bread plate on the table when the hostess sat us, she noticed it an placed the menu over it while she showed us the table, perhaps hoping we wouldn't see it? I'm not sure... but she didn't put the menu over the other bread plate which makes one wonder... The waiter took care of it without question, quickly and quietly, he was great. We started of with a few glasses wine. A new zealand sauvignon blanc IIRC. And a bottle of Voss water. We had their tuna appetizer. The tuna itself was great... the noodles under it we over salted. Almost like they added salt to soy sauce. It was salty, but we could eat it. Then we ordered the Asian steak... the flavor was good... the presentation was wonderful. NOT salty at all, yet seemingly made with the same soy sauce as the appetizer. My fiance' had the pork chop. This is where the bottom fell out... the pork chop was so salty. It was not edible. She is a really picky eater so I didn't believe her when she said it was salty. I am not a picky eater by any stretch... When I cut off a piece and tasted it for myself... I sat chewing for some time thinking if it would be unhealthy to swallow. I didn't spit it out. But water was all I could think of. It was in fact so salty, they had to have seasoned it completely blind.
While I was in school I waited tables and understand how "bad" troublesome customers can be... because of this we make every attempt to be "good" customers. We tip 20% on the total bill almost everywhere we go and have NEVER sent food back, ever. This is the first time I have ever sent a plate back, and George's has had the honor of making that happen. The waiter was polite and took care of us... the incident was quietly dealt with and he was great. Over all we just wouldn't recommend George's to friends or family. Maybe business associates that would be impressed by the views, atmosphere, & service (IE: a cocktail not dinner engagement)... But even then I'm not so sure. We don't plan on going back...
What happened to George's
I have been going to George's since 1985- 4 to 5 times a year when we visit our home in La Jolla. The view, service and ambience have always been great with the latest remodel putting it over the edge as our personal favorite. The food got better every year until about 2001. We noticed that with the new chef Trey the food changed dramatically. The food looks good but it does not have the same comfort and elegance that it one time had. I met the old chef in the 90s as he and George customized our daughters wedding (it was fantastic). I am sorry that I forget his name but he was a Southern gentleman. The two of them were a great team and were extremely down to earth. I normally would not write a negative review but the food has slowly decreased in portion to the point of not being a good value. I don't eat large portions ever, however the cost of the meals has doubled and the portions are less than half. The food is always way too salty almost always now. My wife and I had dinner at Georges 2 time last week with some houseguests from L.A. The chefs from Patina, and The Foundry on Melrose with their wives both chefs know George's well and feel the food is not up to the restaurant. I hope George sees this. He has certainly dropped from the reader’s polls and most of my friends that eat there have voiced their displeasure as well. George please bring back the culinary balance to match the rest of your great restaurant. I am writing it here in a public place because the wait staff and managers do not seem to respond well to my friends and I. David P.
Cold Food?
Our waiter was not the best. He was a bit snooty and aloof, and rarely checked to see how we were doing. My mashed yams were cold and he looked at me dunbfounded when I mentioned this to him. They then brought out more, but they were a completely different color (brown vs. white). The server saw my surprised reaction, and said not to worry- they were the same thing?!?!? The pork chop was overcooked, and, for the price, I was not at all impressed with the meal. Check out Azul's instead.
Disappointing service
This was a special occassion, my daughter's 20 th. birthday. I travelled from hawii to celebrate and choose George's on the Cove. The food was excellent but the service left alot to be desired. No one placed napkins on laps, nor did they refill water glasses, no one asked if food was to our liking. Other tables were told additional dessert choices not on menu...we were the only mixed race group. I was totally upset.
THIS SITE IS A SCAM
SPAMMERS
Roach at Georges!!
Yes, That is right you got it roach at the best restaurante in San Diego. My boyfriend and I were out celebrating. When the waiter brought us our bread, there was a tiny creature crawling out of our bread into bottom of the wine glass. We showed it to one of the waiter and he just took it away from us and said a manager will handle this. A manager came and he did not handle the situation well. He brought up if it was in New York it would have been brushed of. We were trying to be a good sport at it and we did try to stay, but the thought of seeing a roach on our table crawling out of the bread was constantly on our mind we were discusing about ordering an entree but just having that thought on our mind we just can't stay there for dinner. I am not sure if I can ever go back there again.
