Cafe La Rue

French classic dishes, such as moules-​frites, are good, as are the burgers and salads. For Arancini though head down the block to Sicilly Bella for an authentic rendition of the Italian snack food.

Amazing lobster corn dogs. Great happy hour and superb service with live music. Plus great views in an amazing hotel

This is a neutral review. However, probably won’t be returning. Food was ok, but over-​priced. We appreciated the service of the staff.

A wonderful breakfast spot!!! Quality ingredients, well prepared and thoughtful plating. Staff is professional, courteous and attentive. Relaxing yet lively ambiance. All combine for an experience to keep me coming back with family, friends and morning meetings.

If you’re looking for the perfect café, Café La Rue in La Valencia can’t be beat. Nettled in the heart of the village, Café La Rue boasts incredible coffees, fabulous food, great atmosphere, an idea client meeting place and live entertainment happy hours. Special thanks to Lisa Marie Kennedy who went out of her way to make my visit truly memorable. Not only will I repeat, I’ve found a new favorite hot spot!

Came here for our vday dinner. Rob, our server, was outstandingly good natured and nice. Hands down in my top 3 best service list. The food was overall filling and good as well. Great for a casual date but also accomodating for something more special :)

We came for dinner on sorta not really busy night. The service was horrific and the food was boring. I thought at least my muffuletta would be good but it was just so flavorless that I had to add salt. I never add salt to anything so that’s saying a lot for me. The room was stuffy and overall it really just wasn’t a pleasant experience. I won’t be back.

Not the Place if your Visiting San Diego.
I came today with my sister after a long drive .We were welcomed fine and explained the menu which was very nice. The issue began after waiting long for 2 onion soups when it was not busy at all. Second, the spoons we we’re given were DIRTY !!! they didn’t just seemed to be but they literally had piece of dried food in it Ewww. We asked for clean spoons and once we taste the soup there was another issue. TOO SALTY !! embarrassed, we asked to cancel these soups and just get the corn crabs and another dish. The waiter didn’t seem so attentive after that. He probably got irritated for me asking for more coffee, milk, clean spoons, but hey, shouldn’t they come and refill, or at least ask if everything is okay. ?
However, what mostly got me disappointed of this place was the fact that two lady’s sitting behind us also seemed to be unsatisfied with something, difference is that about 3 servers kept going every ⁵⁄₁₀ minutes asking if everything was fine. I’m not sure who the manager is, but I did notice a blond lady, with skirt also asked them if they’re food was better. To us this semmed Unfair. Unprofessional and Rude from their part. Won’t Be Returning Here No More. Out. Of my San Diego «full service» Dining List.

One of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Ingredients were so fresh and well prepared. Fantastic all around. Mixed greens instead of fries were great as well. Heirloom tomatoes melt in your mouth. Great lunch in La Jolla for sure.

Great food! It was very delicious! My dad who hates Brussel sprouts and banned it from the house LOVED their Brussel sprouts. I knocked down one star because they did mess up our order twice, but food was amazing!

Service was a kind of awful and awkward. We were seated a table where the seats were greasy and covered in crumbs. My seat had a piece of disgusting wilted arugula on it that my dad had to pick off or I would’ve sat right in it. Waited 10 minutes for a menu to be given to us after I got up and asked for one. I think they got the memo after that because we were apologized to but still were neglected when times we needed them. A water refill, the check.
The food was okay! The check in offer is awesome, any item on the starter menu for free. Along with the black truffle chicken liver and toast points my mom and I split a croque Monsieur with smoked salmon and my dad got a chicken caprese sandwich. We loved the chicken liver with jam on the toast and were offered extra toast points which was very nice! The pomme frites that came with our croque Monsieur were deliciously crispy and seasoned. They were a huge hit. My dad really liked his side salad too but complained about the dryness of the chicken in his caprese sandwich.
Perhaps they were understaffed today. I didn’t dislike their food and would have more of an incentive to return if the service was more up to par.

La Rue — more like La Rude. The 2 stars are based on service only. Came here for happy hour– the menu, And the bartender, were incredibly misleading about what was included in the happy hour– so make sure you clarify this before ordering!
Our mussels were tasty and flavorful– but were served without a seafood fork and therefore eating mussels with a cocktail toothpick even though the fork was requested. THe tomato and arugula flatbread was tasty but generic.
Hendricks dirty martini was awful. The pink lady was good as well as the Roselyn.
Overall the ambiance is nice but the service put a damper on the evening, our service was negligent and we will not be visiting again for the price we paid.

Came here to relax and to get some coffee. Nice features and decorum gives you the feeling of elegance. There is a few outdoor table and chairs that allow you to take in the city’s charm and people. The coffee was great and the service was friendly.

Had lunch with our dog (they immediately brought a bowl of water for him) on the front patio of Café La Rue; food and service was wonderful, not to mention you are in the front row for some great people watching! Café la Rue translates to street café and that it is ! I had the salad la rue with added grilled salmon and my husband had the chicken caprese which was actually a huge chicken sandwich the fabulous bread of which was lathered in pesto, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I asked the waiter for the salad dressing ingredients and he promptly returned with the recipe!
Sure, it’s hotel dining, but you’re at the Ageless Pink Lady so enjoy !

So Good in Feb./Not So Good in Oct.
We were here in February and Breakfast and Happy Hour were smashing. I returned last night and my Truffled Fries were old and cold and the Lobster Corn Dogs were fishy and doughy. Also, the booths had been rearranged in a random way and the lovely leopard statues were gone from their flanking spots in the bar. Not smashing anymore!

My gf and I came here for a Restaurant Week lunch and enjoyed every aspect. Our waiter was pleasant and friendly. I ordered the muffuletta sandwich, soup du jour (cream of asparagus) & truffle fries. My gf had the crêpe du jour (mushroom, spinach, artichoke), salad & fruit. Everything tasted great and their portions were generous.
For dessert we had the lavender crème brûlée and beignets w choc sauce. My personal fave was the crème brûlée. The lavender was certainly a unique yet tasty change to the usual dish.
Overall, an excellent experience. After peeking at the menu I will definitely come again to try other menu items. Good for lunch. Be mindful that this is La Jolla and parking on Prospect is always a consideration. Plan for parking/​walking time.

Café La Rue is a part of La Valencia (part of what was The Whaling Bar) and they offer a similar menu to The Med. I recall on Mother’s day, they actually offered the brunch buffet menu from The Med if you wanted, otherwise their brunch menu was available as well.
There are about 8 tables in the front on the street where you can dine with your dog. It is open seating and it is a tight spot (really just tables for two), so you can’t really dine outside in the front with a large party. Sitting in the front, you can people watch, but there are people constantly walking by staring at your food and drinks. We deal with it though!
The food is excellent. We have enjoyed both happy hour and breakfast here. The salmon hash is amazing! It’s so filing and the sauce that comes with is so yummy. I’ve also had the crab cake benedict and that is also really good; pricey but almost worth the cost! For happy hour, we’ve had the mussels, truffle fries, fromage & charcuterie plate, and the black truffle chicken pâté. All fantastic dishes and 50% off during happy hour (which is every day 4−7PM). The pâté is one of my favorites. The mussels were very good as well; the broth is delicious and everything came with a lot of bread to soak up the juices, slather on the pâté, jam, cheese, etc.
What brings us back to Café La Rue though is not just the food, but the drinks! They make really nice strong cocktails. My husband really likes the sazerac or the orange rickey. Last time, they made me a lemon twist martini and that was so refreshing.
Service has always been excellent as well. It can get busy and since we usually sit outside, I think that we can easily be forgotten, but we never are. The servers make sure to check on us often and bring out water for our dog too!
Check-​in to get a free appetizer or drink.

As my girlfriend and I walked up to the La Valencia Hotel we were met by the hostess who invited us to enjoy the patio and the live band that was on break. It just happened to be happy hour, as well, and happily we joined an acquaintance who had just sat at the last available table! We each chose a glass of wine and an appetizer @ ½ off! The mussels were delicious, served with a generous portion of crostini. ! Then to top it off we shared the beignets with a side of chocolate sauce! What a treat to sit in such a lovely venue and listen to Big Mountain play reggae while enjoying our gourmet treats!!! This could easily become a Sunday afternoon ritual!

Me and my bestie decided to come here for SDRW during the lunch time. Even though we made a reservation we were able to walk right in and take a seat.
Since the menu was already online, we did not hesitate on ordering our food. She ordered the lobster crepes with fresh fruit and this amazing romaine salad. I think out of the whole dish, we both like the salad the best. The romaine lettuce was more like a boat (uncut) and it cradled these soak pears that gave it a crisp sweetness to the salad and than the amazing flavors of a strong blue cheese. Top that off with a few pomegranate seeds to give it a tangy flavor and ugh… just so delicious. I think we could of just ate the salad itself. The lobster crepes were okay, but something was missing from the flavor. It wasn’t chunks of lobster either… more like shredded/​ground lobster rolled into a crêpe. nothing spectacular.
I got the fancy «meat and cheese» plate or what they like to call charcuterie and something else. But it was a beautiful platter of small bites of different cheeses, meats, jelly’s and pickled things. Looks are deceiving but it was quite filling. It even came with a olive and walnut bruschetta which made it a great spoon. I only wish that the waiter told me what was what instead of me guessing. I mean yea salami and prosciutto but what is this pink pickled glob on the side?
What I loved about this SDRW lunch was that it was an entrée and dessert. Most were a appetizer/​starter than an entrée leaving out the best part of the meal! We happily both ordered the Lavendar Crème brulee and oh we honey child. that burnt sugar crust was PERFECT! it was thick, it cracked so nicely under my spoon after a few wacks and it didn’t get soggy as I savored my way through it. The thing on top was a delicous and not to see wafer like cracker that had a nice caramel note at the end.

We popped in to see a friend James, the chef but he was gone so we sat in the bar for dessert and drinks. We had a chocolate flourless cake with vanilla ice cream. I’m serious, it was a spoonful of very well placed and formed ice cream. Gorgeous presentation, just very little ice cream. My friend had to order more to have enough to mix with the cake. :)
A great finish to a great meal we had down the street. I can’t wait to go back and dine for dinner or brunch here. I see what James is putting out and it all looks amazing. The bar atmosphere was busy and I loved they had music and a packed patio! What a great place to hang out on a weekend night.