Eureka! — Restaurant in San Diego

I was looking for a nearby spot that could host a larger party for Happy Hour and came across Eureka!, which I had always seen walking through UTC but never had the chance to try. After speaking with the general manager and confirming they could accommodate our large group, we had our work Happy Hour set up.

PARKING - First 2 hours are free, and Eureka, unfortunately, does not validate parking. i would suggest parking near Nordstrom or 24 Hour Fitness to have the least walking distance.

SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Although I had previously contacted the general manager about my reservation, I got there and the table was not ready. I explained to the hostess my party size and previous contact with the general manager but she did not seem to know of the situation. Not a huge deal since I got there early just in case this happened, but the lack of communication/follow-through was disappointing. Nice patio area and a good amount of tables inside as well. Service was on and off, sometimes they would be very attentive, and then for a long time I felt like no one came to check in on us until we waved them down.

FOOD/DRINK - Happy Hour Specials Industry Margarita ($8.00): A nice, fruity and refreshing drink! It wasn't too strong which is the way I liked it, but you could still taste the Tequila in it which meant they weren't skimping out on you.

Chargrilled Cauliflower ($6.00): You don't see cauliflower on HH menus very often, so this was intriguing! Nice char on the cauliflower and the garlic aioli was delicious - just wish there were more pieces!

Truffle Cheese Fries ($7.00): You can't go to HH and NOT get an order of fries! I do wish the Parmesan was more spread out as it coagulated in the center, but overall a staple dish.

Honey-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries ($4.00): They definitely give a good amount of the price! A sweet-er take on your sweet potato fries, which is a nice balance to the Truffle Cheese Fries!

Spicy Ginger Green Beans ($4.00): Surprisingly enough, this was my favorite out of the bunch! It has a nice kick to it and the flavoring on the green beans was delicious. You know you're getting your vegetable intake in too!

OVERALL - A nice spot for group gatherings, although it did get pretty busy towards 6pm so be wary...

Disclaimer: I'm biased towards hamburgers.

Food quality: 4/5 I had the Catalina bison burger. It was quite delectable and juicy, but not the best burger I've had in town. I liked the addition of small peppers in the burger and the mozzarella was fresh. The fries were tasty enough, yet they did seem to possess a slightly excessive amount of oil. I take off one star for the overly oiled fries and the tasty but not very impressive burger.

Customer service: 3/5 I'm a little impartial to the customer service here because I did take out and had very little interaction with any employees. I take off two stars because I was instructed to go to the bar to pick up my food and when I got there I was waiting for a solid 10 minutes before anyone asked what I was there for. Granted it was a bar so I know it's busy, but they maybe had 10-11 people at the bar (most of who already had their drinks) and I saw at least 4 employees behind the bar. The person who finally noticed I was just standing there and asked if I needed anything was a bus boy and had to grab someone to get my food and help me pay (the food was next to the register) but it took them another 5 minutes to ring me up... I know it was Friday so I don't want to be harsh and I'll definitely come back to edit my review when I've sat down and had the whole experience.

Presentation: 4/5 I had take out and it was in a box so I couldn't tell based on my own food. However, I did see other people's dishes and they looked well prepared on the dishes. I take away one star because mine seemed to be thrown into a box without a care and the fries were just in a small paper bag that was soaked in oil.

Ambiance: 5/5 Definitely an upscale sports bar that looks modern and a fun place to have a drink with a fried or a decent first date dinner before a movie over at arclight.

Overall...

We came in on Saturday around sundown. Family and I were visiting from L.A.

No hostess at the door to greet us, a server then sat us on a high top table by the bar. (Note we had kids in our group)

For my cocktail I ordered the " Summer Daze Spritz" - very refreshing with the taste of Aperol, gin, prosecco rosé , lemon, grapefruit, elderflower, not so much the rosemary. The garish was a great taste to the finish. My boyfriend ordered "The Floor is Lava" - very strong taste, needed ice since the drink was lukewarm for the mezcal, lime , hibiscus, blood orange, Ancho Reyes.

As for food I ordered the " Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich" with tangy coleslaw, house pickles, spicy mayo aioli - the bun was so delicious, the sandwich was not so memorable. Ordered with side of Honey-Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries, which were so good! My boyfriend ordered the " Baja Fish Tacos" that had beer battered white fish, pico de gallo, coleslaw, chipotle mayo, lemon vinaigrette, with side of tortilla chips. The tacos were missing garish like cilantro or another side sauce.

The server that helped us didn't have a cheerful vibe. Not sure if it wasn't her day but it didn't make the experience so great! We didn't get her name since she never mentioned it, she didn't offer water refills, didn't come by to ask us if we would like 2nd round of drinks, plus I had to walk to her to request a dessert.

When walking out, host was crossing her hands on her stomach. We had to tell her Thank You, and have a great evening.

Overall, since it was our first time there and reading all the good reviews prior to arriving, service just left us with a sour taste in our mouth.

I hope management offers hostess/servers more training in...