Great food, romantic restaurant
I was a little surprised by the only other review of Azul, and the negative comments made by that patron. I decided to write a review so that people know that I have had very pleasant experiences at this establishment. I live in Cleveland and have been to Azul twice in the last five months while visiting San Diego. I was extremely satisfied with the food, wine selection and ambiance of the restaurant. The staff was very attentive as well. My wine glass never went empty! I've only been there at night, so I haven't had the opportunity to see the spectacular view. I hear it is just beautiful. I would not hesitate to dine at Azul during future visits to San Diego.
Phenomenal restaurant!
I can't think of a single negative thing to say about this restaurant! The food was amazing and the service was among the best I have ever had. I also think Azul has the best ocean view of any restaurant in the city, with spectacular views of the sunset and the cove. I would send anyone here!
great
Our party dined during "Restaurant Week". Everything was top notch. Friendly servers and wonderful food!!!! Every dish was prepared with care. The presentation was very attractive and the flavor was excellent in every dish we had! We will return!! Looking forward to going during day light to see the beautiful view.
Great Everything !
Went cuz of view - enjoyed that and MORE ! Food was excellent wait staff knowledgable and timely. I have returned for special occasions and not been less impressed on those visits ~
Lunch with the Girls
We were referred to this restaurant by the concierge at the hotel where we were staying in Coronado. They had a wonderful "Gourmet Lunch" that might have been too light for my husband, but was wonderful to enjoy w/the girls & quite affordable considering the location. The food seemed and tasted very fresh. The view was spectacular-definitely one of the best places to enjoy in La Jolla. I will certainly go back if we are ever in the area again.
My Experience
The resturant is beatiful in the village of La Jolla. I went there on a Sunday night, therefore it was not busy. When I entered into the resturant, I was waiting for a table because the hostest was too busy chatting with the bartender to seat my party. When I was fially noticed, we had a fabulous view table. When we ordered our appitizers, it took the longest time to get our orders. Funny thing is, THE RESTURANT WAS NOT BUSY AT ALL!!! (There were only 4 tables seated that night.) However, dealing with the slow service, the food was fantastic and that's what matters to me.
Dark and heavy
For a restaurant that overlooks the La Jolla cove, it's incredibly dark and heavily decorated inside with dark wood and low ceilings; made for a very loud dining experience even on a Tuesday night. The food was a mixed bag, some dishes (Caesar salad) were light and lovely, but others were disappointing.
Very Disappointing service
I was attracted by the ambiance of this restaurant and of course its location. The menu seemed appealing. The hostess told me I could seat myself in the courtyard. I sat down and waited. And waited. And waited. There was only one other table in the courtyard, and maybe a handful of tables inside. After 10 minutes, no menus, no water, no one greeted my table. I checked the host stand twice, no hostess. Finally, a man walked out to seat another table. After he seated them he asked if I had been helped. I told him the hostess told me to seat myself and could I please see a wine list and menu. Sure, he said. Another 5 minutes passed, no wine list, no menu. So I left. I may give this place another chance, but I must say I was disappointed by my first impression.
Only because of the ambiance
If your looking for ambiance this is one place you might highly consider. But you will pay for it. Thought I would try it, to celebrate a birthday. Started with the spinach salad which was good but small, gone in 8 bites. I ordered a large filet mignon which was very good, but just as good as any you would order at any other restaurant. I thought the steaks were over priced by about $10.00. The sage graten potatoes were excellent. Service was average. A lot of staff walking around looking busy but not checking on the guest often enough. Finally after dinner the waitress who was kind, offered me a birthday desert only to find that they charged me for it on my bill. Three small truffles, which the normal price was $9.00 was charged $3.00. I thought this was very tacky on their part that I was charged anything at all! Most places comp your birthday desert. You are definatly paying for the ambiance and not the food. My bill came to $80 with tip which included a $20.00 off coupon. Any couple can spend well over $200 for dinner. If the ambiance is worth that, by all means go. The food is satisfying but not the best I've had. So take your wallet.
It smells bad
Vacationing from the bay area, I arrived at Azul full of anticipation. The concierge at the Lodge at Torrey Pines had tried to get us a reservation at George's - but their Ocean View tables were booked. Azul was strangely quiet... it was Sunday night... but still, it was strange. We were seated by a person who said almost nothing. The table had a nice view, but as the hostess removed the extra place setting, there were crumbs on the table. I noticed a bit of a musty odor, but didn't pay a lot of attention. I glanced at the wine list noticing that "on Wednesday, wine is 1/2 price." I commented to my wife that "that’s nice." I then opened the wine list and said "oh, I see why the wine is 1/2 price on Wednesday... their wine list is wildly overpriced every other day." (The Viader was priced at ~$150... its a $65 bottle of wine and one would expect a restaurant to charge ~$100.) The bad smell was not improving. My wife, who is allergic to mold, said to me "it really smells bad in here and I feel like I'm getting very allergic" at which my little girl sad, "yes daddy, it smells really bad in here." I agreed. In 5 minutes of having been seated and no one even welcomed us, I said, "I also have a bad feeling about this place and their service. We've been here a while and no one even has come over and said anything... and it SMELLS BAD!" We got up and left. We went to a very new restaurant name "Ristorante Pasquale" and had a wonderful meal with friendly, attentive service. The wine list was also properly priced albeit the list did not include vintage dates, so i had to have the waiter check. We had a 1997 Ferrari-Carano Trésor for $75. Great wine, well priced! I would recommend Pasquale for traditional dishes, well prepared.
