Realm Of The 52 Remedies — Restaurant in San Diego

This review is specifically for the hostesses at the front desk, and not reflective of my experience inside the bar since we didn't step foot inside.

My party of 4 arrived at Common Theory at 8 PM with no reservation for the bar so we asked to put our name on the list. The hostess was immediately irked at my request and stood there as if she didn't want to put our names down. I asked how long the wait time is and she said rudely - "2 hours". We were okay with the wait and asked her to put us on the list.

I got the text on my phone that said we were on the waitlist, and we proceeded to get a drink at the Common Theory bar while waiting for a table and the Realm.

1 hour goes by, and we asked a different hostess at the front about how much longer would we have to wait. We should be at about the 1 hour mark by now. Unfortunately the second hostess was also very unwelcoming to us, and she rudely said "2 hours".

These ladies were just giving us unrealistic and uncoordinated wait times. From an expected time of 10 pm to 11 pm, they had no plans to seat us that night. The hostesses were very short with us even though we were nothing but kind to them, and overall had really poor service.

I've read many reviews with this same complaint, as far as up to 3 years ago. I figured this wouldn't be the same now, but I was wrong. Either this establishment is keen on hiring rude hostesses, or these ladies have been at this same job for the past 3 years, I don't know. But this was the worst first impression and service I have ever had at a bar in San Diego.

We ended up leaving that night, and till this day I still haven't received a confirmation text that my table was ready. They must have removed us manually from the list as I've read from many other reviews. Unethical...

Tonight my wife took me to Realm of The 52 Remedies for a long awaited date night. It was our second time visiting this establishment, and once again they outdid themselves. First, I need to add that I have Auditory Processing Disorder and this place is generally quiet and within the range of tolerable noise without noise cancelling assistance. Second, the service is the best reason to come here. As an industry professional, this is exactly the kind of service standard we should strive for. Your bartender comes out to greet you, which is immediately reassuring. Meeting the person responsible for the items you will be consuming is always advantageous, health and customer service wise. You should immediately voice your allergies, dietary restrictions, and preferences. The more they know about your relationship to food, the more educated choices they are able to make for serving you.

Our Bartender was Chris, and he was a pleasure to work with. I was able to tell him my palate and ask him for suggestions and new flavors.

Ultimately it lead to the best Manhattan style cocktail I've ever had. Which would have never happened in a crowded more "conventional" style bar. My needs were met, my suggestions and opinions were heard, and I was met with highly competent service from every individual I encountered working at this establishment.

I felt like tonight I got a mini Vacation. Time away from home where I felt like I was somewhere else and schedules no longer mattered. I plan on continuing my patronage at this lovely gem. I hope management continues to give this staff the resources and support necessary to maintain this level of service and quality.

Thanks 52 Remedies' team, I really...

Make a reservation! We made ours two weeks prior! And we’re able to get in on a Saturday night. We entered in through Common Theory and the host directed us to the left through a door where they had many Chinese remedies all over the walls and it smelled so nice in there. We went through the another door that lead to the realms of the 52 remedies. We sat down and our waiter came right away and brought us water we were looking at the menu trying to figure out what to order when the bartender came to our table!

My friend ordered the Comrades, Almost A Love Story drink and I couldn’t decide so I asked the bartender to make a recommendation and he recommended the Chungking Express. He did not disappoint! It was delicious! Our second round my friend ordered the Chungking Express and again I took the bartenders recommendation, Earl Grey. It was so subtle but good and gentle on my taste buds. I don’t know how to explain it but it was lovely and smooth! Big shout out to our Bartender Jonny! (:

To eat we ordered the Pork Wonton, Taro Chips and Dip, and the KFQ (Korean Fried Quail). The pork wontons were delicious with great flavors and a nice sauce paired with it. It came with a side of kimchi and spinach I think.. this kimchi was one of the best I’ve ever had though! It was perfect! The taro chips and dip taste so clean and refreshing in a way that made us want to keep eating them, and the KFQ were also pretty good. Fried perfectly and good flavor but they just had too much breading around them..

Overall it was such a great time, the atmosphere was nice and small which gave a very “exclusive” kind of feel. And the interior...