insideOUT — Restaurant in San Diego

I really wanted to like insideOUT, but from the moment I arrived, the experience was unpleasant. I walked in right when they opened at 4 pm and was immediately greeted by a hostess with an attitude, giving me a dirty look when she saw my service dog in a stroller. After walking over 10 miles that day, I was using the stroller like a walker to support myself, and Richard—who is a legitimate service animal—needed rest too. Instead of handling the situation professionally, she excused herself. I was surprised that she immediately went to get the manager, who came out looking annoyed, took one look at me, and said, "Your dog needs to be a real service animal, not in a stroller."

They would not seat me, so - already tired - I had to walk four blocks back to my parked car just to put Richard’s service vest on, despite me explaining his status. When I returned, the manager never acknowledged me, and the hostess begrudgingly sat me, avoiding eye contact and making it very clear I was not welcome. (She literally looked mad that I came back!) At that point, I should have just left, but I had made the trip specifically to eat here and figured I’d give them a chance.

The only good part of the experience was my server, who was friendly and attentive—the complete opposite of the front staff. I ordered the Arancini, which was disappointing at best—the risotto had the texture of soggy cornmeal, and the sauce was bland. The charcuterie board was a mixed bag. The cheese portions were generous and delicious, but the olives were wilted, the meat portions were skimpy, and the prosciutto didn’t look fresh and was brown and not red.

On top of that, I was looking forward to sitting the the lovely space I had seen in all of the reviewers photos. The atrium seating does not look anything like their review or Instagram posts and honestly, it felt very underwhelming. They made it very clear they are not dog friendly (even service dog), and honestly, I hated that I felt forced to leave and come back just because Richard wasn’t wearing his vest. I felt... discriminated against.

I love supporting small businesses and leaving 5 star reviews - but this was a frustrating, disappointing experience from start to finish, and I won’t be back. The only reason they get two stars instead of one is because of my kind server and the sizing of the cheese portions...

I’ve visited InsideOut for dinner and brunch and the one thing that will get you, the parking. The area is bustling and parking is often limited so arrive earlier to find a spot.

InsideOut is uniquely laid out. The tiered seating and lush decor makes dining feel more private. It’s trendy but comfortable. The staff is efficient and possesses exact timing. They all are such beautiful people, literally.

The food was amazing. The dishes were well seasoned and flavor balanced. I’ve had the chorizo spiced jumbo prawns with crispy polenta, truffle Brussel sprouts, herb fingerling potatoes and pork chile verde chilaquiles. Highly recommend all of these dishes.

Their cocktails are a must. They have a variety to satisfy any palette. I really enjoyed their Empress 75 with dinner and their horchata brew for brunch is great but, strong!

ADDENDUM: October 2022 visit

I’m a little late on this review, but I can’t skip on telling you guys about the special decorations Inside Out had for the month of October. We fell down the rabbit hole into an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant. It was whimsically beautiful. It’s worth checking out if they do it again next year. Plenty of photo op opportunity. The matching specialty cocktails were also worth ordering as they were delicious.

The new main dishes we tried were: Indian butter chicken and Australian hot stone steak. To me, the chicken tasted more like a curry than Indian butter chicken. It wasn’t the dish I expected, but it was still tasty. I liked that it actually had spice. The Australian hot stone steak was tender and just fun to cook to our specifications. The butter helped make this dish. For our side, we had the herbed crispy potatoes. I’ve had this side before and it has never disappointed. The highlight of our meal however, was the dessert. We had mini doughnuts filled with custard served with a side of expresso for dipping. The doughnut was incredibly light and fluffy. The custard added the perfect touch of sweetness which balanced perfectly with the coffee. I will be coming back for a double or triple order of...

As a business owner myself, I am writing to express my disappointment with the treatment I received at your restaurant during my recent visit. I had called ahead of time to confirm that it was okay to take photos and even let your staff know that I would be tagging and advertising the restaurant as well. My group and I had a table and planned to eat and drink, but as soon as we arrived, the staff gave us dirty looks. I had requested to be seated in the outside area, as it was prettier and we wanted to take photos, and your staff informed us that we were allowed to walk around and take photos as we pleased but had to use our table inside as our home base. However, as we started taking photos, we were constantly given red flags. Firstly, we were informed that we couldn't photograph other people in the restaurant, and I made it clear that I only wanted to photograph my models. Then we were told that we couldn't take photos in certain areas. Despite all these restrictions, we proceeded to the garden area to finish up, where a staff member approached me aggressively and demanded to see permits and if I had spoken with an owner. I was taken aback by the staff member's behavior, especially when he proceeded to get in my face & yell at me in front of other tables, and I felt humiliated and disrespected. I tried to explain to him what I had been told by the staff, but before I could even finish, he kicked me out and banned me from returning. As a paying customer, I found the staff's behavior unacceptable and felt that it ruined my experience at your restaurant. I believe that the staff needs better training on how to handle situations and how to treat customers with respect and kindness. I strongly recommend that you take action and address this issue to ensure that it doesn't happen to anyone else in the future. I hope that you will take this matter seriously and take appropriate steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring...