Morton's The Steakhouse — Restaurant in San Diego

This was our second visit to this particular Morton's. We have been dining at Morton's restaurants since we used to live in Dallas. We were happy to know there was a local Morton's in the San Diego area. Our first visit a few weeks back went off without a hitch. Not so on our follow-up visit this past weekend. From the moment we arrived, I started to detect issues, primarily with service. We were early and the hostess said she would seat us closer to our reservation time because they were short on servers. No problem. We went to the bar to order drinks. We ordered one of the signature cocktails, the Lavender Cosmo Martini. We had the same drink during our first visit. Except the bar was out of the lavender sprigs that garnish the drink! So instead, she sprinkles loose dried lavender in the drinks, which tended to get caught in our teeth whenever we took a sip. Still, we took it in stride. We were seated at a booth close to the prep area. Good seats, we thought. Our server, who we had met during our first visit, eventually came to take our order. It was restaurant week with a special menu. I know, since Morton's sent me the email. BUT we had to ask/remind the server about the menu. He fetched us a couple. They had the options listed in super small font. He offered no explanations about the menu or its options. We kept having to ask questions about the menu, which he had trouble answering. Again, taking it in stride, we were out for a good meal since I just got back from a work trip. The food came and everything was delicious. Our filets were perfectly cooked, the sides were spot on, but the glasses of wine we ordered (the Bordeaux) were served late. We were well into our meal before it was served. The server gave us a reason that the Bordeaux could only be poured by the manager. Really?! Why!? But we got our wine and continued to eat our meal. From here things went really south. We hardly ever saw our server again. My wife wanted a refill on her water. The kid with the water jug walked around filling water glasses. Except ours. Even trying to flag down someone didn't work. Then we were ready for dessert. We were told to order the apple pie when we place our mains since it takes time. We did. And it still took forever. My wife ordered the banana foster's cheesecake. Eventually our server, who we noticed was hardly ever seen in the dining room, dropped off the desserts, at least a good 20 minutes after we finished our meals. Then he was gone. And he didn't give us the proper cutlery. We had to ask for forks from someone else. The apple pie was really a fruit compote, and the banana foster's cheesecake was too sweet. We didn't finish either. The server finally came to our table and had our check in his hand. He wasn't there to check on us. So, we used this as an opportunity to tell him how things started OK but fell off. We're seasoned diners and know how to give constructive criticism. Rather than apologize, he became defensive and started making excuses. I told him that it wasn't a debate. He got even more defensive. I told him to leave the check on the table, that I wanted to leave. He looked to his manager and said we were getting loud and he didn't have to listen to us. His manager came over. We told him our issues. The first thing the manager said was that our server was there for 2 years, and he typically does well. He seemed to want to dismiss our comments or deflect. I asked if he thought I was lying about my experience. Now I was angry. We even bought their Landry's card during our first visit. We were going to make this Morton's a regular place to eat and drink. But not now. In hindsight, we could see that the front of house does not operate smoothly or well. They appear rushed & disorganized. If they have a team concept to take care of diners, it's not working very well. Which is a shame, because the food is very good, except for the desserts we had. The manager did comp our meals. We just paid for drinks. I still left a tip for the server, even though he didn't work very hard for it. A return...

Morton's is your quintessential upper-mid-tier American steak house chain with a classic menu, high-end wet-aged American steak cuts, and unreasonably expensive a la carte side dishes.

My travels have brought me to many Morton's establishments around the country, as they're a reliable spot for business traveling diners in unfamiliar cities who must... have... steak.

My first experience at Morton's downtown San Diego location occurred on an early Thursday evening. I sat at the bar with a social crowd filled with locals who work downtown, mostly of baby-boomer age.

This appears to be an older Morton's property, as it had a bit more character and charm than the newer locations I've visited that are more sterile and straight-surfaced.

I ordered the following steak and sides:

Center Cut 16oz Prime Ribeye - came out medium rare, as requested. Trimmed well with minimal fat pockets, good marbleization by USDA Prime standards, but not a bold piece of beef with "big" flavor. Other than some bites being slightly over-seasoned, a somewhat boring steak.

Hashed Brown Potatoes - the hash browns were awesome, as they usually are at all Morton's locations. Morton's hash browns find the right balance between their crispy outer texture and silky, lardy flavor. I do find myself comparing them to Del Frisco's very similar "steak chain" hash browns, which are superior in taste (less binding starch, more butter).

Grilled Jumbo Asparagus - grilled green asparagus spears. Not the most exciting side, but I always order this at Morton's for a reason -- it is always done perfectly. No complaints here.

For my cocktail, I had a Gin Martini with Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives, which was well-done. I also had a Laphroaig, which was the expected, dreaded "corporate" pour.

Would I repeat dining at San Diego's downtown Morton's? No. Because I live in San Diego, I have no need to come to this location for as long as Cowboy Star and Born & Raised are also downtown. With superior options available, I have a hard time justifying the expenditure for Morton's slightly above-average food, despite its...

Room was dark coming into the restaurant from the direct sunlight. We were met by someone that asked if we want a booth or table. He went directly to the booth so I told him we wanted a table. He then move to the table, several tables away. The room was pitch black, black chairs, black carpet. We told him we could not see. He stood by the table and waited for us. He never said be careful it is dark or helped us to the table. There was no clear paths to any table. You had to move, some how or other around all the chairs and tables just to get to your table. He had no light or other device to help us to the table, so when I moved from the front of the restaurant toward or table, I tripped over a chair sticking out front a table. Fell on my side, hit my head and bruised my hip and shoulder. Someone tried to help me up pulling on my left arm. My wife repeatedly told them not to pull on my left arm since it was held together with screws and is a rotator cuff replacement. Didn’t work, now I am stuck with more pain in that shoulder and will have to have an MRI to determine the damage. No one had any real concern all the time we were there. Steaks were ok, not as good as Cabernet or Ruth Chris. Waiter wanted to sell desert before we even ordered. Wanted us to order before we got to enjoy our wine, pushy!! Never experienced this in the other two steak houses. When we left, no one asked how I was or even cared if we left. The person, showing us to our table had his head tucked under the front counter when we left and never asked how I was or if we enjoyed or meal, or anything. It was like we were “chopped liver”. Maybe other Morton’s restaurants are different and have a more thoughtful staff, this one not so much. So if you like a dark atmosphere with pushy waiters, this...