Starlite — Restaurant in San Diego

This place is exactly what you think it is. A backdrop for folks with more money than sense to make TikTok’s and IG posts so they can prove they’re “in”.

To make a long story short, there are numerous other places to go and spend 100 per person where you can have way better food, receive more personal service, and have an environment that is actually conducive to a having conversation dinner date. Unless you have a vested interest in your social media following there is no good reason to come here.

My wife and I made a 8:15 reservation on a Wednesday to celebrate our anniversary (it was the only slot we could get a month in advance). Before we even stepped foot in the spot I experienced my first strike, parking is a nightmare. Show up early to have time to circle the block or be prepared to pay 10-15 bucks for parking at an ungated and unguarded lot 2 blocks away. An no there is no valet option either.

We were greeted by the hostess around 8:05 for our 8:15 reservation… but we aren’t seated until shortly after 8:30. Some reservation that turned out to be.

Once we get inside I see what the fuss is about. This place is aesthetic as hell and frankly the front bar area is absolutely gorgeous. Do note, some sections of the restaurant are def more photogenic than others and it is relatively random which section you get assigned so you might end up in a spot that isn’t exactly to your liking. For example my wife and I ended up in the “outdoor” area with palm trees and large circular windows to outside. Needless to say, if starlite were only a club I’d highly recommend it, but it’s a restaurant so alas all this decor means little to nothing if the service and food aren’t up to snuff.

Speaking of club like ambiance, when people say this place is loud they are not kidding. If you’re in a booth with a group, be prepared to only converse with the folks immediately beside you. If you’re unfortunate enough to be at a two person table where your date is directly across from you, then be prepared to hear everything the tables next to you say (they’re maybe 20 inches away) and nothing your date says. I agree with other reviewers that the music was decent but it was just so loud and for what? Again this is a restaurant not a club.

Lastly the food. Believe the other reviews when they say don’t come here hungry. The portions are small and the food takes a while to come out. Even the appetizers. We sat at our table around 8:30 but didn’t receive our first plates until around 9:30. Like I mentioned at the onset the total cost after tax and tip was nearly 100 per person and for that price I’m allowed to have some expectations for the taste and presentation of the food. And this spot disappointed. Of all the “hype” spots I’ve visited this one was the only that I left still hungry and which I rarely do.

The first thing that came to our table was the croissant with the onion butter. The croissant was nice but the butter was clearly fresh from the freezer and was so hard a e had to chop it up to attempt to smear it on the croissant. We had the steak sampler and in fairness the steak was cooked to our instructions but had no flavor aside from salt so you can tell it is served with dipping sauces for a reason and 3/4 of the dipping sauces were unpleasant. The broccoli was crispy but so lemony you could mistake it for pure lemon zest. The fries were decent.

Also this is just nit picking but we were celebrating our anniversary which was on our reservation and we reiterated to our server and the hostess. We were offered no complimentary champagne, desert, or even table decor. All of which I’ve had at other “high end” restaurants heck even Ruth’s Chris will put themed confetti on your table.

If you stuck around this long for the review and are determined to go to this spot for the IG story or TikTok, just do what you can to get to the bar and get a cocktail then stroll around the environment. But if you want your moneys worth in food, service, and ambience then go to any number of other proper...

I don't write reviews very often. But I'm here to state facts about my experience at Starlite -- simply just tell the story of how things went. Here we go:

I had a reservation set for the weekend of my birthday on 12/14. I planned a trip down to SD driving from the Bay Area with my close friends and this was intended to be our capstone dinner on our last evening out. I set the reservation for 7 at 8:00 PM and we arrived just about on time, maybe a couple minutes before. Our server mentioned that our reserved table was still wrapping things up, the check has been left at their table. No big deal, can't kick them out -- and I consider myself pretty patient. I'm not worried.

After the 45th minute of waiting, my friends are now asking me "hey what's the plan" and "what should we do." We've obviously been waiting at the side area next to the bar for a while, but I really have no choice but to just wait it out. Leaving our reservation and going to a random restaurant at 9 PM in our going-out clothes just didn't sound like a good option to me. So, we told a server the situation, and they offered us a free appetizer -- which helped very slightly, but they tell us that our table is still being used. Okay, cool.

It's now past 9 PM, and we're told that they're going to relocate our table. They sit us down at the front, where there's two tables next to each other that sit like 3-4 each. We now have a huge split down the middle of our party. Honestly, I'm confused, but whatever. Our server told us he noticed us waiting a while so he comps our first appetizer per our first conversation, and offers a second -- which I appreciated and I was almost okay to brush off the long wait. However ...

It was almost like they tried to keep messing things up for us. We got our appetizers, but then it still took some time to wait again so we can finally get our food order in. Then, our food came out (after another decent wait) but then one person in our party was still waiting for his food. This puts us in that awkward situation where we obviously don't want to just dig in before everyone gets their food, but it reaches past the 10-15 minute mark of more waiting til his meal comes out. We waited.

Then it reaches past the 11 PM mark. It got to the point that one friend who really wanted to try that ice cream sandwich dessert she heard rave reviews about ultimately decided no because simply we were worried we'd have to keep waiting. Then, at the last moment -- when we got the check, the appetizers we were promised that were comped were still there! Okay -- just fix the check, then please, let's dip.

So honestly, it's hard for me to recommend this place. I can certainly tell our waiter felt bad for us. Maybe it's the kitchen's fault, maybe they're understaffed, maybe that original party just wouldn't leave -- I get it. But, this is my experience at Starlite. I'll throw in a star for the...

Not for everyone—but some will love it.

Let’s start with the basics: parking is nearly nonexistent. You’ll want to Uber or Lyft, unless circling the block in frustration is your idea of pre-dinner entertainment.

Getting a reservation is a small victory—but once you do, be prepared to confirm it multiple times. Emails, texts, maybe smoke signals—they really want to make sure you’re coming, to the point it starts to feel excessive.

We were seated outside, hoping to enjoy a San Diego summer evening. Unfortunately, the freeway noise is so loud it kills any vibe, and their solution is to blast music to compete with the traffic. Net result: you’re shouting at your dinner companions and your server can’t hear a thing—which made ordering drinks feel like trying to communicate during a rock concert.

We ordered martinis, shaken and extra cold, but they showed up in tiny 1970s champagne saucers—not chilled, and missing the blue cheese olives we asked for (they were out). A letdown for any proper cocktail fan.

Water was served sans ice, warm and unfiltered, straight from the tap—not ideal in San Diego, where the tap water has its own character (and not in a good way).

We ordered a bottle of red wine and two glasses of white for the table. The red arrived warm, certainly not cellar temperature (57°F), and when we checked the label, it was not the wine we ordered—not even the same region or price point. When we pointed this out, the response was far from accommodating. No “customer is always right” energy here. Server even tried to argue.

Throughout the night, it felt like they were trying to turn the table as fast as possible. No one was rude, but we definitely felt rushed, and—being a bit older (60-ish)—out of place among the hip, young crowd. You could almost feel the staff and patrons wondering why the “boomers” were there interrupting their effortlessly cool aesthetic.

Food? Mixed bag. • The steak sampler was severely over-salted. • Mushrooms were phenomenal. • Oysters were excellent. • But all hot dishes were served lukewarm—much like the wine.

Bottom Line:

If you’re 25, on a date, and don’t care how a martini should be made or what temperature red wine is served at—you might love it here. But if you’re looking for classic service, well-mixed drinks, proper wine handling, or a place where you can hold a conversation without yelling… Starlite probably isn’t your scene.

Fun for the hip crowd. Frustrating for anyone who knows how proper dinner...