1500 OCEAN

Pretty dead for a Saturday night but the ambiance was romantic for my husband and I. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary and upon arriving they had a hand written card with all the signatures of the servers. SO SWEET. We ordered the $ 90 4 course tasting menu. All portions were tiny at first glance but after eating everything I will say that I’m super stuffed. Docking a star because my main dish was overly salty and our server, although very sweet, took awhile to take our order. Not some place where I would crave to go back to but nice being next to the ocean and the romantic ambience.

The only thing that was outstanding is its view. Food and service were ordinary. We expected more for its price. Spring menu offered Lobster which was good but tenderloin was just ok.

Sorry, because this was a special night I was hoping for much more! Can I first mention that the menu is goldfont on cream paperstock? Hello, I have excellent vision and could hardly read the menu … not a good start!
The best part of my meal was the mussels with chorizo, a nice start but unfortunately not good enough to carry the meal. I had the veal samboticca and it was totally flat, I had it boxed to bring home for my canine pal, not giving up … my partner, who had the lamb chops with lentils, actually a nice combination which he liked, and I decided to try the desserts … three of them to be exact! A strawberry deconstructed cheesecake … not! A pistachio crème brûlée! And a Panna cotta … not! And not!
I’d like to say the service saved the evening … but I’d be lying!
Pass, pass, pass … pass go on this one!

A nice swanky place with a nice swanky view. I tried the tasting menu and it was good but not great. For $ 150, including gratuity, I didn’t expect to buy a bag of beef jerky at the gift store while on my way back to my room at the hotel. Honestly, I think it’s a bit overpriced for the quality but I have to consider the location.

It was my first time visiting the west coast, first time in San Diego and first time at this restaurant. It is a beautiful restaurant with an amazing view but unfortunately we weren’t seated at the outdoor seating that’s closest to the ocean, we were seated at the outdoor section that’s elevated and they had the curtains drawn so we couldn’t really see the view so that was disappointing.
However, the food and service were amazing. I had the oyster appetizer, the lobster entrée with cous cous and a side of Brussels sprouts all were delicious. We also had a bottle of white wine which was superb.
Definitely the place to go if you are looking to celebrate a special event and enjoy great food and a nice view.

Got 1500 Ocean sent to our room for room service. If you can get a California cabana that opens up to the grass and beach this would be the best way to enjoy 1500 Ocean. The food was served Hot and the champagne was chilled.
We decided to dine at 1500 Ocean a few days later and was impressed with the atmosphere of the restaurant during the late summer evening.
5 stars.

Saturday night a place like that should be all packed but not this place. We had reservation for 8pm and there were no more than 10 clients inside. We had four-​course menu for $ 90 per person and additional $ 28 for my Kobe beef that I couldn’t finish there. Too oily and rich food for my taste and all this salt makes me finish the wine without to realize the taste. Definitely overpriced But the service is great!

After a horrible San Diego Restaurant Week at 94^th Squadron; we decided to give this place a try with some friends who we shared the same experience the night prior.
This restaurant is quite the fancy. It is located right behind the Hotel Del along the beach. Upon entering, you can notice the nice clean modern décor. The hostess was kind enough to walk and show us where our party was sitting. For a party of 8 we were seated in a private cabana room which was quite nice.
The waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu; answered any questions we had, and was very friendly and attentive to our large party.
Started off with the.
–MARKET OYSTER six pieces, daily selection, spicy limoncello mignonette
light, fresh, and not too fishy which went great with the spicy limoncello mignonette. Although, wish the portion was a little meatier.
Main entrée.
–VEAL TENDERLOIN «SALTIMBUCCA» mushrooms, marble potatoes, haricot vert, marsala veal jus
I haven’t had veal and decided to give it a try. It was not gamy at all. It was very tender and seasoned to perfection.
Dessert.
GOAT CHEESE & VANILLA BEAN PANNA COTTA spiced orange coulis, cran berry gel
My fiancé’ ordered the chocolate crème brûlée’ which was amazing. But i wanted to try something different and the goat cheese vanilla bean panna cotta was pretty good too. refreshing a little tart but easy on the pallet. A good dessert to follow after a good cooked meal.
Overall:
Highly recommended place. Even better during restaurant week. Excellent service. Good food. Very nice ambiance.

Our first time here, and our expectations were completely over run, due mostly to service, but also by the excellent cuisine and varieties.
By far the best part of the experience was our waiter,
is very seldom that I’ve enjoyed waiter service more (on a scale of 1 – 10, I rate him at 10). He is friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable, and was able to enunciate most of our choices (we really didn’t need a menu). His sense of humor is well developed and caused more than a few smiles. He is in no way what we expected, and we got a lot of enjoyment from his service. We appreciate it very much.
The wine was wonderful:
MALBEC * Recuerdo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, 2012. Smoother than most Argentine Mendoza terroir Malbecs, and a good match for our dinner, which included a beef filet.
The breads are excellent and complementary, as is the amuse bouche (a single, bite-​sized hors d’œuvre, a short rib with arugula and pine nuts). Both are served before anything you order.
We ordered the Four-​Course Tasting Menu: Select one item from each course plus a dessert. $ 90 per person… complete (except for the wine… you can choose it by glass/​bottle (from and extensive sommilier-​created wine list)), or you can also go for the reserve wine pairings for each course at $ 75.
Our choices: First
6 Washington Blue Point fresh oysters with spicy limoncello mignonette: delicious
BUTTER LETTUCE & WALNUTS acorn squash, maytag bleu, toasted walnut vinaigrette: plated very well, very fresh, most flavorful
Second:
SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS trumpet mushrooms, garlic, capers, marsala sauce: I love prawns, but I don’t appreciate the heads attached. I realize the chef may think that cooking prawns in their shells is good, but I really don’t think the bang for the buck is there. These were good, as was the sauce, but in no way exceptional.
MUSHROOM BISQUE: brie dumpling, porcini, truffle caviar: the brie dumpling was a nice surprise and much enjoyed. This bisque had only enough cream to suggest it. It was not overly rich or salty.
Third:
AMERICAN KOBE FILET: black garlic-​purple potato, root vegetables, bone marrow, chimichurri; the beef was not American Kobe… this had already finished, so another filet of beef had been substituted and the substitution was recommended by Mark. It was exceptionally good and the flavor was all I could want. Very high quality beef filet.
DUO OF DUCK: seared duck breast, braised duck leg, smoked stone ground polenta, broccolini, duck jus; slowly cooked, so that the fat goes into the meat and had softens it.
Fourth (dessert):
FALL SPICED APPLE CRUMBLE: mascarpone ice cream, candied pecans, apple caviar, celery: a tablespoon of ice cream, really? The candied apple caviar was notable in that it was fun. This dish was interesting in its presentation and plating, but not especially tasty.
CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE CRÈME BRÛLÉE spiced lace cookie: nice dessert! Brulee had the consistency of chocolate moose. The pecans were under-​emphasized and subtle. We really enjoyed it. This would go wonderfully with coffee or a nice late-​harvest wine, but it was getting late.
We will be back. We hope fervently that Mark is available then.
Enjoy!

Last dinner. At the Del Coronado. Such a romantic place and food is delicious. Veal was cooked to perfection. Outdoor seating is first come first served and romantic. Server was friendly and nice.

Perhaps I am biased because of the services I received. My partner and I celebrated a milestone anniversary at 1500 Ocean. The establishment knew. When I booked the reservation I requested menus without prices. My partner enjoys great food, but he would not enjoy his meal as much if he knew what I spent. The manager called me (I was surprising my fiancé) and told me he was making custom menus with a heading congratulating us. I found it very thoughtful and sweet.
When we got there, our server was a sweetheart. And knowledgable. Sometimes we experience not so great treatment (perhaps because we look young we wont tip? or we are too young to belong? I work hard and spend my excess income on dining). The server here was wonderful and knowledgable. They even gave us a champagne toast before we started on our courses. We went with the four course meal and wine pairings.
I started with yellowtail sashimi. My fiancé had a tartar. My fish was fresh and tasted of the sea. The attention to detail with the plating was exquisite. The garnished one of my pieces with a slice a chile and a pinch of large sea salt. Perfect.
Round two was quail for him and lobster risotto for me. His quail was perfectly cooked and my risotto was rich and indulgent. The lobster was cooked on point. Our main courses were rack of lamb and duck duo. My duck was tasty and my fiancé was speechless over his lamb. We ended with 2 molten lava cakes and port. My cake was cooked so that it was warm and chocolate oozed.
I have read other reviews and perhaps we received special treatment. However, because of the staff, manager’s thoughtfulness, and good food, I cannot fault the establishment on my experience. I plan to celebrate another milestone there next summer.

This is an update to my last review (2013) — both RW experiences.
My girlfriends and I fell in love with 1500 Ocean after enjoying the dinner and service here during RW two years in a row. Sadly, this time around I was extremely disappointed. First, the service was really bad. I mean REALLY bad.
First, our server took forever to even acknowledge us, let alone take our order. The worst part was his condescending manner; and, he was very sarcastic when answering questions about menu items. The Caneloni crab appetizer was poorly executed. There should have been a descriptive measure indicating that this would be a «cold» dish. A reasonable and prudent person would only assume that cannelloni + crab would = warm dish. Nope, not here. I will say, that the scallops were excellent — perfectly seared and executed in every way. The risotto however was an epic fail. I absolutely love risotto, so I jump to order this dish whenever it is offered. Sadly, rather then a creamier based consistency presented with most risotto’s, this rendition was very «soupy». It held way too much liquid. The Tres Leches was the abosolute worst of all. There was a horrific aftertaste; It was nothing like any of the Tres Leches desserts I’ve experienced around the world. Epic fail. This rendition tasted like freezer burned angel food cake thrown in passion fruit purée last minute to discuss the awful taste.
I don’t think I’ll return.

Even the beautiful sunset can’t save this restaurant from a one star review. The food was so bad we cut the dinner short and decided to go somewhere else for dessert. I contemplated not finishing my main course.
However this was not a case of hit and miss when it came to the dishes. Every dish was systematically bad. We started off with mushroom soup and tuna sashimi. The mushroom soup was way too salty and this weird dark sludge, not creamy and flavorful like other places. The tuna sashimi was cut way too thick.
It is like someone in the kitchen had a salt shaker and had way too much fun with it. The scallops were too salty, the cauliflower was too salty, the salmon was too salty. Not one dish was flavored right. An incredibly disappointing meal, don’t waste your money eating here when there are so many other great restaurants with awesome views in town.

The price of four star dining with the quality of Denny’s. Hotel Del is a waste of time and money. I heard wonderful things about the dining experience at the Del and was utterly disappointed. The staff were unkempt and inattentive, silverware and cups dirty and food extremely overpriced for the quality. I would never subject anyone to this dining experience. Just walk through the lobby and take a stroll on the beach. Nothing to taste here.

I came here for restaurant week and had view of the sunset from where I was sitting. I recommend ordering their watermelon lemonade — it was delicious! Or… you can have it with vodka as someone in my party did. Service was great.
I got the crab cannoli appetizer and the halibut entrée. Ended my meal with the chocolate¹⁰ dessert. Crab was interesting and presentation was unique. Halibut was a bit dry. And the chocolate¹⁰ dessert was a disappointment. The macarons were hard and crispy. Everything was too sweet.
But…the place is great for a romantic dinner and view of the sunset… so definitely come here for that… and don’t forget their watermelon lemonade!

1500 Ocean has always been one of our favorite restaurants in San Diego. My husband and I have always enjoyed our time at this establishment. The food and service have always been exceptional. However, we returned to this establishment last night for our anniversary and discovered that there has been a change in the head chef. Unfortunately, the food they served were not as good as before but the service was impeccable! Our server, Brett, was absolutely amazing! The entire staff was very attentive and super sweet. It made our anniversary that much more special. My rating is an average of 3 stars for food and 5 stars for service.

Great tasting food and service. Especially on Memorial Day. This is only my third 5 star review I have ever posted but it is very well deserved.
I had the seared diver scallops and truffle mashed potatoes. My girlfriend had the dijori chicken and roasted vegetables. Everything was full of flavor and tasted fresh. Even the complimentary bread (2 types) was excellent. The Rosemary Sourdough rolls were the best.
We had reservations because of the holiday weekend but the place was not packed so you could have just walked in and been seated right away. Our waiter (s) were great and very attentive. Very impressive especially on a busy holiday weekend.
We will definitely be back. My only other 5 star review is for a restaurant in Dallas, Texas. But I live in Los Angeles and so far, this place can compete with the best of them.

Perfect scenery for a celebration and wonderful meal.
Came her to celebrate the BF’s graduation and in all aspects, it was such a pleasant experience. The servers were very kind and considerate. They offered many words of congratulations to the BF and did everything they could do provide for a great celebration.
The food itself was also delicious. There were many unique flavors on the menu. I enjoyed the California Black Cod. It had a puttanesca sauce. The olive, artichoke and tomato flavors paired perfectly with the cod. There was also a delicious artichoke heart stuffed with lobster and crab meat.
Another highlight of the meal was the truffle mashed potatoes. We are truffle oil obsessed and this was yet another opportunity to try something with a delicious truffle infusion. SO GOOD.
Everything was wonderful. This is the perfect place to really enjoy the company of others while dining over perfectly prepared food. I suggest grabbing a seat on the patio for a nice view of the ocean.

Oh you fancy huh? This is a great spot from special occasion or just a fancy date night where you want an added excuse to get dressed up. Inside isn’t anything special with regard to décor but I like the little plants they put on each table. Outside with all the fire pits and torches is the way to go. Their prawns were delicious, they’re from Baja I’m told and you can taste their freshness. Whatever that saucy-​goodness that they’re swimming in just makes them that much better too. On to that Hanger Steak, it was so flavorful and cooked perfectly even though I asked for medium rare with a charred finish. Bankers cake with poached red pears for dessert is really all I need to say. Complimentary valet and excellent service is just the icing on the cake.

Stopped in for drinks and apps before skating by the sea. The outside patio has plenty of fire pits to keep you warm and they’re pet friendly. Prices are a little high, but it should be expected given the location.
Try the kale and apple salad or snapper ceviche. The food was on point and would definitely bring me back!