The Grill at Torrey Pines — Restaurant in San Diego

WHAT'S GOING ON ? My wife and I have made numerous dining ( lunch, dinner & breakfast ) visits to The Grill at Torrey Pines in the 16 months since we first discovered what great food and service they provide. I could never give less than 5 stars for the welcoming vibe, attentive service and top quality food & drinks. Yet I look through the lowest rated reviews on Yelp and see some horrible reviews by people who have barely written a review in their lives. Some of the whines and complaints are about stuff so trivial....too many flies on the OUTDOOR patio. Hello flies like to hang around food outdoors...thems are the breaks ! Most of these pikers are so used to diners, drive-ins and dives ( and some are good ) they wouldn't know excellent restaurant quality food if it hit them on the head. Anyway enough of that ! On Sunday my wife and I jumped on our bikes around midday to ride the 9 miles here for our 1pm lunch reservation. I had phoned on Saturday afternoon and was told the dining room & outdoor patio were fully booked but was offered a lounge table on the side patio. Believe me we were happy to snaffle a reservation because 2 weeks ago we rode our bikes up here ( they were fully booked when I phoned early in the morning but we took a chance on a walk-in ) and we were told a one hour wait by the hostess Gabrielle when we arrived at midday...we walked. It's a very popular lunch / dinner destination with loyal locals, tourists and hordes of visiting golfers. After our harrowing climb up the big hill ( 440 ft elevation ) we rolled into The Torrey Pines Golf Course around 12.45pm. A quick trip to the bathroom and we ready to eat. A smiling hostess showed us to our reserved lounge spot on the side patio ( we were offered an inside table but declined ) and within seconds a lovely server named Marissa came by to help us. Some cold waters would be nice while we check out the lunch menu was my response. When Marissa returned I ordered 2 x Lattes ( 2% milk & hazelnut syrup ), 1x Kung Pao Calamari Appetizer ( toasted peanut, fresno chili & scallion ) and 1 x Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich ( Garlic Aioli, Greens, Avocado, Sun-Dried Tomatoes incl side of Fries or Salad ) with side of Onion Rings upgrade ( $1 extra ). Our well made lattes came out pretty quick ( they have a dedicated barista who does a good job ) courtesy of our server Marissa. And they tasted quite good. We could see clearly from our vantage point that the restaurant was packed out on the patio and pretty busy inside the dining room. And there were loads of golfers on the golf course too. Our Kung Pao Calamari appetizer arrived and looked just as good as when we last tried it....our wedding anniversary dinner here in June last year. That was the first time and we were looking forward to enjoying this spectacular dish again. AND IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ! Totally addictive..the peanuts, the chili and the delicate perfectly cooked calamari rings. WHOO HOO ! Our Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich and side of fat Onion Rings ( the best ever ) arrived divided on 2 plates as requested courtesy of Marissa. I might mention our server Marissa was incredibly busy looking after a bunch of tables on the outdoor patio but she never neglected us for a second...NOW THAT'S GREAT SERVICE ! Our Onion Rings tasted el perfecto...love love love their Onion Rings ! And we loved our Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich on thick grilled bread with all the yummy fresh ingredients.....the very tender juicy chicken is cooked inside the big chimney stack right in front of us. So delicious ! And then we spied our friend and restaurant manager Jason who we have known since our first visit here in December, 2019. We had a wonderful chat with charming Jason who is very attentive with all the guests. And that is what makes The Grill at Torrey Pines stand out from the also rans and wannabes...fantastic attentive staff who know how to treat the diners. A TRULY GREAT DINING...

Stayed at The Lodge overnight for mother’s day weekend and the whole thing was a disappointment.

I’m giving three stars for service Bc while the hostesses are rude and clueless the servers are nice.

First night we went for dinner because we were too exhausted to leave the property- showed up and they asked if we have a reservation even thought they were not busy at all and 60% of the tables empty at 8:15. …. Anyway we were so blessed the allowed us to dine and indulge in their sub-par overpriced cuisine 😒 Our dinners were very mediocre- I had lamb which was dry with a thick sauce that just didn’t work. The amaranth side was whatever.

My mom had the burger- it was very standard- nothing to rave about. Just a thick piece of meat.

Sunday morning we went to the nicer restaurant on the property and they told us they cannot seat us even though the ENTIRE place was empty with exception of two tables on the patio. So we came to The Grill again 😞. The hostess was very rude and told us there is a one hour wait even though we are hotel guests. We saw a bunch of empty both tables inside and outside. I don’t understand this. Regardless we waited bc not many options in the area.

We were finally seated. We ordered cappuccinos, a croissant, yogurt and an omelette. I was looking forward to dipping my croissant in the cappuccino…Believe it or not it took 45 minutes to get the croissant. And hour to get the omelette and yogurt. The food was disgusting, sub part and worse than IHOP, dennys or a random diner for drunks. The croissant was just a reheated Costco croissant. It was charred outside and nothing inside. Would have had a better coffee and croissant from Starbucks. Those egg cups would be better than this pathetic omelette with soggy vegetables that were supposed to be “roasted.”The fact this was the Mother’s Day menu is infuriating. The fact that they wasted so much of our time as paying guests of the hotel to eat such a garbage meal is also annoying. I will never get this morning with my mom back.

We complained and they didnt charge us- but I wouldn’t come back here if they paid me. Not to these restaurants or The Lodge. It’s all very overpriced and subpar. If you like quality service or quality food a la the Langham or Ritz- this is not the place for you - don’t let the price fool you into thinking you will have a good experience here- you will NOT- this was the worst. I cannot believe they are on Amex fine resorts and hotels. They do not belong in...

Upon arrival today (10/16/24 around 4:00 PM) the hosts were very friendly and accommodating. As we walked up, one was clearly in training and the trainer was taking a reservation by phone. We looked at the menu a bit to take up some time while the trainer finished taking the reservation (she was very sure to oblige all requests by the guest on the phone). We were asked if we’d like indoor or outdoor seating and we weren’t sure because it was a bit chilly so the host asked if we’d like to look inside to help make a decision so we looked inside and decided it looked a bit drab and decided to sit outside. The hostess told us she could seat us at a table with a fire heater just as soon as it could be cleaned and we were sat about one minute after that. Our server approached us within three minutes of being sat and offered drinks with suggestions. She was also very knowledgeable about the beverage questions we had and also was able to accommodate my sister’s request for an oat milk hot chocolate. As soon as our drinks were delivered, she took our food order. We ordered the roasted vegetables with quinoa and a side of fries. The fries were delivered promptly, but were lukewarm and it was obvious they’d been fried previously and then refried, as they were dark yellow/brown, hollow inside - very crispy on the outside but when combined with the oil saturated within, they turned out to be kind of gummy/chewy. When my roasted veggies and quinoa was served, it looked beautiful besides the quinoa. I could tell they did nothing to season it before I even tasted it. The roasted vegetables looked good, and there was a small portion of burrata in the middle. The roasted vegetables were all overcooked besides the asparagus. Cauliflower and root vegetables were too soft and the brussels sprouts were burnt. The flavor on the vegetables was okay with a slight drizzle of chimichurri. I got up to ask the host for salt and pepper and when our server retuned I asked her for more chimichurri. The side of chimichurri I was given was more oily than any chimichurri I’ve had. I know there is oil in it, but this...