Ruth's Chris Steak House — Restaurant in San Diego

This isn't a five star review, but don't get me wrong - we had a great time. The food and service were excellent and we'll likely come back in the future. We ordered the Prix Fixe menu with an upgraded steak, creamed spinach, lobster tail and lobster bisque. The other order was a tomahawk steak, calamari and au gratin potatoes. The dessert was crème brûlée - which had birthday wishes and name written on it in chocolate sauce - and cheesecake. The food was perfect. I didn't care for the lobster bisque and didn't get a chance to bring it up, but there was nothing wrong with it. Ty was our waiter and provided excellent service and helped us pace our dinner to coincide with sunset. Pamela provided an excellent wine recommendation to my girlfriend who isn't normally much of a wine drinker. She seemed very knowledgeable and my girlfriend loved it.

I have a few (minor) complaints, hence the 4 star rating. I had requested a custom menu for my girlfriend's birthday which unfortunately got overlooked. I had to quietly inform my waiter and they brought it out immediately, but I was hoping to surprise her with it when she opened the menu. We were left waiting for a bit before the dessert order (longer than I've ever waited at a restaurant before), but I've worked in food service and things happen so it's not a big deal. It's also possible there was a miscommunication regarding the pacing request. I had to flag down water two or three times - again a first for me at a restaurant. I've never had an empty glass of water before. Usually, most restaurants give you water even when you don't want it. 😂 Also, the sunset was covered by clouds - but that's obviously not Ruth's Chris' fault.

My two biggest complaints are that the Prix Fixe menu is about $15 more expensive than what is stated on the website before any upgrades. The website says $60 and the actual menu was $71, if I'm recalling correctly. I'm not sure on the exact number, but it was at least $10-$15 higher. I knew I would spending a bit at Ruth's Chris so it wasn't a shock, but given the Ruth's Chris reputation - I would expect their website to be accurate. (Also, if someone was saving up or budgeting for a special night out, seeing the price difference might be discouraging.) Lastly, the dress code was not enforced. There were a number of people wearing hats and Padres jerseys which again, I understand - they don't want to turn away customers, they don't want to have a customer start an argument or create a scene and San Diego is known for being laid back - but one of the few things that the dress code mentions on the website is no hats. I'm not the type of person to go Tony Soprano, but that scene briefly crossed my mind. I felt like I had dressed up for no reason.

The GM gave us a free bottle of wine and upgraded my mini cheesecake to a full size - either because of the mix-ups during our experience or just because it was my girlfriend's birthday. Either way, very professional and excellent service. All in all, great place and we'll likely be back.

Edit: My girlfriend would like me to add: "'Jeff would have moved the clouds for my girlfriend if he could have, but he bought us a bottle of wine to help us celebrate. ADD THAT. I just loved it and hate that you refuse to give five stars. So they have to know how one sided that is and how much I loved it...

While exploring Seaport Village we decided to make last minute reservations here. I’ve known of Ruth’s Chris forever, but this is the first time I popped into one

This location is prime San Diego real estate overlooking the Bay and out towards Coronado Island. The layout is a little bizarre as the entire lobby downstairs is bare other than a staircase, restrooms, and light decor. You walk upstairs into the main dining area, but the hostess stand is up the stairs and all the way to the back. This was confusing to me. I would have assumed they would put it either downstairs in the lobby or just at the top of the stairs. There wasn’t a noticeable sign indicating where to go either

The dining area was elegant and very intimately lit. I had known that this was a “fancy” steakhouse chain, but I didn’t expect it to feel as “stuffy” like a formal dining area on a cruise ship (unnecessarily formal for what it is). The menu offers all the cuts of steak you would expect, sides, appetizers, and other entrees. The cocktail menu was underwhelming, but with “NYC style pricing.” One thing I don’t love with “fancy steakhouses” is having everything a la carte. I like having at least a side of veggies, asparagus, or a Caesar salad without having to build my meal piece by piece.

We weren’t incredibly hungry, so, we just ordered two filets and some garlic mashed potatoes to share. I will say everything tasted delicious. I have no notes. Was it the best steak I’ve ever had? No. But it was delicious. Also, they provide a complimentary bread and butter basket while you’re waiting for your food and drinks

The service was good. We got our meal and everything in a timely manner and there weren’t any issues. Our server was a little bizarre though. I don’t know how to articulate exactly what it was, but this individual made me uncomfortable. They took the order professionally, offered suggestions, and tried to be friendly, but everything this person was saying was some what confusing in terms of verbiage and the demeanor was trying to be “fine dining” but it really came off as creepy and uncomfortable. Again, I can’t exactly put it into words, they were absolutely trying to be friendly and a good server, but every interaction just felt off, and we were just waiting for this person to leave us alone again

I don’t know that I would go back to a Ruth’s Chris myself, but I will say it’s probably a nice date or celebratory spot for anyone that likes to feel as if they’re dining in a fancy restaurant. I think at this point in my life that’s just not me. I enjoy an elevated dining experience, but I like a little more flair or personality, and less of a stuffy and overly priced steakhouse chain feeling

Some tips: If you are celebrating something special you should let them know in advance as they try to accommodate and add some celebratory flair to the meal if they know in advance. We parked near the Unconditional Surrender statue as we were exploring, so, we didn’t have to deal with parking at the restaurant. Also, try to snag or reserve a window seat to get a better view of the waterfront (especially at...

First off Yong (Manager) and Jeremy (server) were our manager and server of the night on March 15 at 7:45pm transaction 1883901079 . We started off with the smell of the cups being unbearable so we were looking for our server to ask for to go cups and while doing so the manager Yong was passing by so my husband asked him. My husband asked him why the cups smelled the last two times we have been there and he just looked at us and said I don’t know I’ll find out and let you know, he proceeded to walk away and we never saw him again. We placed our food order and then we were waiting. As we were waiting we noticed that Jeremy was not coming to ask us if we need anything but he kept taking very great care of the table next to us. Our food came and our table was full of empty plates from our appetizers that no one even came around to pick up. The guy who brought our food had to call someone for us to clear the table. When our steaks came they were cooked to a medium temperature instead of a medium well temperature so we had to send them back. When we finally got our steaks back Jeremy was nowhere to be found. We want water, there’s no water to drink, my husbands beer finished and wanted another one but Jeremy was again no where to be found. We have dined with Ruth’s Chris several times and whenever our food is not cooked properly the manager generally comes to the table and apologizes for the issue, but Mr. Yong did not even approach our table. Jeremy didn’t even come to ask us how our food was after they brought it back. He came back when the food was already boxed up and we requested the check from the bus boy. While all this was going on he continuously kept going to the table next to us and making sure they were taken care of because another server named Sergio asked him too. Are we not also spending money? Are we not dining? Picking and choosing who you want to take care of is unfair to the diner. When he finally came to us with the check he asked us how our food was but it was already boxed up and it was too late. When he came my husband told him he needed water and he was nowhere to be found, he wanted a drink and he was nowhere to be found, and we were celebrating our newborn son and he was nowhere to be found. As my husband was telling him these things he just walked away from us. Is this the kind of service you guys strive for? It will be a while before my family and I dine with you guys again because we are very disappointed in the...