Finch’s Bistro & Wine Bar

Finch’s has the most delicious food on Girard! Everything was amazing especially the service! The wine list was excellent and the food was to die for! I had the Yellowtail Tuna and it was great! Thank you so much Finch’s! We will definitely be back!

This weekend was my second visit to this establishment. Both were disappointing experiences. During my first visit, my wife and I waited over 20 minutes for a server to come to our table — the restaurant was not busy. Ultimately the food was pretty good and the server was friendly, once he showed up. So, we tried it again this past weekend and had a similar disappointing experience. We had a ReaderCity coupon that stated it could be used, «at any time, for any menu item, including alcohol.» When we presented the coupon we were told it could be used for happy hour items and therefore couldn’t be used as we ordered HH menu items. This place just doesn’t get it. They have a good location, pretty good food, but no commitment to customer service. When we were there, we were literally the only customers there. You would think they would want to make our experience good, or give us a little higher service level as we were the only ones there. Then again, maybe that is why we were the only ones there.

It pains me to write this, as the restaurant has a lovely ambience and we liked the food.
Last year (2014), while I was visiting from the East Coast, I took my parents to Finch’s for a Christmas Eve dinner. We had made reservations, and that evening, anticipating we’d be a few minutes late, I called the restaurant to say we’d be a few minutes late. Seven minutes later, we showed up. As I walked toward the hostess, who was standing next to one of the servers, I heard the server ask her, «Are we taking walk-​ins?» (Odd question — why wouldn’t we have a reservation? — but no big deal.) But when I came to stand in front of them, they just looked at me silently. No «Hello,» no «Good evening,» no «Welcome to Finch’s.» I looked at the hostess, then at the server, then at the hostess again. Still no words. I said hello and mentioned our reservation.
We were seated promptly, and one of the waitstaff came by to fill our glasses with water. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Each time a server came by I looked directly at him, and he ignored us. Perhaps they were short-​staffed that day, and we patiently watched as they went to every other table. The restaurant wasn’t full. Since we were sitting right behind the hostess, they couldn’t possibly miss our table.
We began to feel uncomfortable. My parents have experienced this before and started to think thoughts that I didn’t want them to think. I should tell you right now that we’re not white Americans. I tried to allay their apprehension by saying, «It’s Christmas Eve, they probably don’t want to be working today. There are other people here, too.» My father replied, «Do they look like us?» Well, they did not. We were the only people of color in the restaurant — other than the servers, who were all Latin/​Asian. We were appropriately attired, probably a tad nicer than the other patrons (some of whom were wearing shorts). My mother was wearing a cashmere turtleneck sweater, I too was in a turtleneck, and my father wore a suitcoat. «They’re serving everyone late,» I assured my parents. «Don’t worry, we’re just saying it because we’ve had ‘experiences’ in the past,» replied my mother, trying to keep me from feeling upset.
Finally after 20 minutes, I waved a server over and asked to place our orders. He said he’d tell someone. Then we waited again. Finally I got up and asked the server who had been at the front (perhaps the chief of the waitstaff) that we’d been waiting for a long time. He apologized and came to our table within a couple of minutes.
From that point, the service was much better, although another odd thing occurred. Our server, who, judging from his accent was of Latin descent, wouldn’t talk directly to my parents. He’d only talk to me when he wanted to ask a question about their orders. Perhaps he thought they didn’t speak English. I would turn to my parents and repeat his question — in English — and they would answer — in English. (They’ve lived in the U.S. for over 40 years, and their English is pretty good.) After this happened a few times, he still preferred to talk to me about my parents’ entrees rather than to them. So I stayed quiet and had them answer his questions.
This server gave us excellent service, apologized for the delay, and we tipped him well… but this was not the experience we wanted on Christmas Eve. I felt terrible, having flown in for the holidays, wanting to treat my parents, and inadvertently subjecting them to a reminder of past occurrences where they had faced discrimination. This incident will stick in their memories. In fact, visiting me on the East Coast this year, my mother asked if I’d ever written to Finch’s about Christmas Eve last year. I’m doing it now; better late than never. (I took my mother out to eat on Thanksgiving at a nearby restaurant, and fortunately we got excellent service.)
I don’t want to accuse the restaurant of prejudice — it may simply have been a matter of being short-​staffed on Christmas Eve. But I’m also not going to excuse them for ignoring us completely for more than 20 minutes. It’s a shame, because we enjoyed our entrees. (I would list our selections here, but the restaurant website no longer allows me to access the full menu.) The three stars are for the food and the head server’s attentiveness once we were able to place our orders.

I went to Finch’s when I heard they had a new owner. However, I will not return. I got very ill immediately after eating the portobello butternut squash ravioli! The service was lousy. They burnt the bread and it was placed on the table after we finished our entrée! It is not the place to go for lunch.

I had heard good things about this place, but was underwhelmed. We arrived a bit before 8:00pm on Monday evening. There was one other table occupied. Once seated, it took awhile to get a waitress. They had a freezer failure which limited selection and I understand this. However, she never volunteered this and only when we ordered something we’re we told they were out. The Yellowtail was overlooked and served on mashed potatoes. This was too heavy for the fish and did not compliment it at all. The duck was overcooked as well and dry. We passed on dessert. Overall, I liked the ambiance but thought the waitress could have been much better at making this a better experience. All reviews raved about this place but everyone I speak to about it tends to find it average at best. They can up their game and do better.

came here on a monday night, it was quiet in the restaurant. beau and I were not too hungry so just ordered some wine and shared an onion soup and short rib (they were out of their filet mignon that day when we tried to order). the ambience was nice, however, the time it took us to wait for the onion soup to come out was more than 40 mins. beau and I weren’t starving, but we started to wonder if the kitchen had forgotten our soup. And when the soup finally came, it was on the sweet side and could use a bit more beefy flavor. Definitely not worth the long wait though. The short rib came within a reasonable amount of time after the soup, and was seasoned well, but it wasn’t cooked long enough because a good part of the meat was fighting to get off the bone. A good short rib should be cooked to a point where the meat falls off the bone when you touch it. Overall, the place has nice ambience and nice service. Food left something to be desired though.

When all the other eateries have customers pouring out into the street due to overcrowding, Finch’s in La Jolla is just opening. Hidden in an alley, I doubt most people notice it when walking down Girard. You would think this means that the food can’t be good, but you’d be wrong.
My husband ordered the half sandwich/​half French onion soup. I ordered the mushroom ravioli. The portions seems to range given the price. My husband’s sandwich would be considered very small for a man his size, but the soup was substantial. My ravioli was a very large portion, but the price differed by only $ 1.
Apparently the sandwich/​soup was delicious because I wasn’t even offered a bite! Maybe it was the size, but he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. At first, I was a little off put by the ravioli. I usually expect the mushroom mixed with a little cheese; but alas, this was all mushroom with beans and spinach in the sauce. As I ate more of it, I appreciated it as a light summer pasta instead of something really heavy.
A little suggestion for the restaurant. Place your wine flight menu where everyone can see it, or at least have your server mention it. Being a wine bar, I would have liked to try a flight, but only noticed it when I stepped into the bar on my way to the bathroom.

What a pleasant surprise. I decided to have a glass of wine walking distance from my house and and discovered they are under new management. The food was phenomenal and the customer service even better. Ricardo was on top of it and made sure that everything was perfect. The food was good before but now it really is fine cuisine and the wine selection is excellent. Glad to have a reliable option with wonderful atmosphere.

very small, intimate setting. perfect for a quiet date night!
they had live music when we dropped in on Friday night. it’s a guitarist who solos it over some prerecorded music. it’s super relaxing and it gets you in that perfect wine-​sippin mode. which we definitely did. and maybe over did.
it had rained the day we came in so it was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night. there might’ve been 2 or 3 other tables throughout the whole time we were there! we talked to the servers and they were totally not used to it haha. what can I say tho? us san diegans aren’t used to water falling from the sky. it confuses us.
anyway, the dishes were good. I had the pistachio crusted fish, bf had the veal (he wasn’t super crazy about it). we had mussels and French onion soup to start, appetizers were totally enjoyable.
our server was great and checked up on us a lot, and gave us a bunch of different wine samples cause we were being indecisive. aka we love you. he was totally cool about it and recommended a variety of different kinds!
would come back again :)

This hidden gem is wonderful! I was here twice on vacation and was treated like a queen both times. The first night I went to the bar by myself during happy hour while waiting for my friend to get out of work. It was buy one get one free glasses of wine but they certainly treated me to more than that. The bartender was wonderful letting me try all different kinds and explaining what was what. At one point I had at least four glasses in front of me. Excellent service.
The atmosphere is really nice. The bar is small but very pretty. The dining room is intimate and they have outdoor seating as well.
I tried the balsamic brussel sprouts which were truly one of the best bites I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked and full of flavor. I also had the fried oysters and the crème brûlée, both were super tasty.
The executive chef, Mario, just happened to be sitting at the bar as well and we chatted. He gave me his card and told me to come back and he’ll cook something special for me. That I did! My friend and I came back later that week and were treated to delicious apps he made personally. Everything was delicious and I’ve never been treated so well.

Cute atmosphere. Went on a Friday night, and there was a guitarist playing which was awesome.
Apps: Tried the ahi tuna, squash blossoms, calamari and roasted balsamic brussels sprouts. Brussels were the fave! Definitely recommend.
Entrée: I had the filet, others had the duck and lamb. Filet was the best in my opinion.
Overall, the meal was great! We had an awesome waiter, but it’s a bit pricey.

I don’t usually review restaurants. Frankly, I typically find the reviews I read on here pretty much on the mark. That being said, I cannot recommend this establishment. First, the wine list was limited and the one wine I ordered was on back order. The wine that server recommended was average at best. I expected a better selection-​after all, it is supposedly a wine bar.
The bread was too well done, crunchy to the point that the really nice olive oil dip could not be enjoyed. The pork that I ordered was also far too we’ll done. It was difficult to cut.
Perhaps the regular chef and wait staff were off on a Tuesday evening. This is the first time ever that I felt compelled to write a review. I truly hope that I hit this place on a bad day.

Amazed with Chef Mario Medina’s creations.
I personally felt in love it the Crab Bisque and the chicken salad sandwich.

I hate to agree with the generic «Neighborhood gem» cliché, but this is a gem. Very, very good food selection, very well prepared, very, very good service. It’s very intimate, almost cozy and utterly friendly. This was a vacation dinner and was a great experience to have. La Jolla seems to be trendy upscale on the verge of being exclusive, Finch’s is in no way like that.

My parents chose to host my wedding rehearsal dinner at Finch’s due to its size and location in proximity to the church where my (now) wife and I got married. The locals were a bit skeptical since they spent a ton of time eating in La Jolla but had never heard of this place. After all was said and done, Finch’s definitely made believers out of them.
The owners were unbelievably accommodating with our drink preferences (they brought in moscato for my wife even though they don’t serve it in the restaurant), dietary restrictions (allergies and vegans were served without any hesitation), and spacial constraints (our 30ish person event turned into a 41 person event after we had booked and they went above and beyond to make sure everyone was comfortable).
Then there’s the food. We had a fixed menu due to the size of our party, but everyone was absolutely blown away with the food served. The two main dishes served were sea bass with mango salsa (huge portion, perfectly cooked) and steak (did not order so I can’t remember what type, but the bite I had was a flawless med-​rare). They also served a fried cheesecake for dessert that made everyone wish they didn’t have to fit into tuxes and dresses the next day.
Service was flawless. Waters were always full, alcohol service was incredibly prompt, and food delivery was effortless even with the size of our party.
I could not recommend this place enough, and plan on going back during normal dinner service next time I am in La Jolla.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. I came here for happy hour for a snack with my parents. Finch’s is tucked away between two bathtub stories. The ambiance is nice and I can definitely see this as a cute romantic date spot or a good place for a group of friends.
We ordered the mussels as recommended by our waiter. They were cooked perfectly as they were super tender. Can’t count the number of times, mussels have been over cooked and become chewy, rubbery globs. The mussels are cooked in a creamy white sauce with bacon. So beware if you’re vegetarian because the happy hour menu definitely doesn’t say that there’s bacon.
What I really liked about this place were the small touches. The bread comes with an amazing tomato, olive oil spread. After the mussels were finished, we were given bowls of warm water and lemon to wash out hands. Our server was great as well and came to check on us several times throughout the meal. My qualm about this place is that the happy hour menu is a little pricey. Most items range from 10 to 16 and I suppose it is La Jolla, but it’s also called Happy Hour for a reason.

Find the secret walkway that leads off Girard to a hidden alcove with a peaceful fountain. Chillax with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and complimentary warm fresh bread with a tomato compote on a lazy afternoon for a late lunch. I enjoyed my first lunch entrée at Finch’s 4 days ago, «Go Fish» with salmon, lentils, Swiss chard, and the saffron citrus beurre blanc on the side. The Chef, Mario, is there every day, and he came out to meet me on my first visit, and gave me his card! His business card, NOT his credit card, haha! (-; He said call him on my next visit and he’ll make something special.
«Just surprise me,» I told Finch’s today when I called them before my 2^nd visit. Vin and I stopped in for a late lunch on this hot September afternoon. I ordered the house wine, which is an excellent Hobnob Chardonnay.
I held my breath and waited for our surprise lunch. I’ll eat any cuisine if it’s excellent, and I LOVE surprises. The chef, Mario, prepared Chicken Tinga Sopes with Avocado Purée as an appetizer. WOWZERS! We’ve never had sopes this amazing before. Sopes are masa corn cakes, and these were fresh, with an appealing texture inside. You won’t find these exact Sopes on the regular menu, but Finch’s does have other Sopes on the menu. If you see ANY Sopes, order ‘em!
Next came 2 entrée lunch salads… a Seafood Louie salad, and a Salmon Mango salad. The Salmon Mango salad was delish, and isn’t on the regular menu. But the Seafood Louie salad was our fav, and it’s offered on the regular menu. Lump crab is combined with fresh lobster and fresh shrimp, and nestled into Butter Lettuce, which has such a tender texture. Fresh avocado and a lovely light dressing lets you enjoy this scrumptious salad.

Ambiance is peaceful, upscale, and relaxing, and Finch’s feels like a private hideaway retreat. The outside patio is shaded, narrow, and very pleasant, like a secret corridor off Girard in La Jolla, and the inside of the restaurant offers tables which are very nicely set. There’s also a small bar area.
When the bill came for our surprise lunch, we felt the prices were very fair and more than generous. My glass of Hobnob Chardonnay was $ 5, which means they gave me the happy hour price. Our amazing appetizer of Chicken Tinga Sopes was free, compliments of the chef! The 2 entrees, the Seafood Salad and the Salmon & Mango salad, were $ 14 each, which we feel is a fair price for an entrée-​size salad with seafood in La Jolla. Plus they always offer the complimentary fresh bread & tomato compote with a meal.
Vin and I have average appetites. Ok sometimes I’m une petite cochon, I admit. But we both felt very satisfied with the quality and amount of the food for the price. Also, I’m impressed with the quality of their wines! It’s not often that a restaurant has a house white wine that’s pleasing, and the Hobnob Chardonnay is one of the best Chardonnays I’ve tried in a while, and it’s currently their house white wine. Another excellent white wine is the crisp, smooth Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.
Will I return to Finch’s? You bet! I love happy surprises. Finch’s Bistro & Wine Bar has live music on the patio on thursday, friday and Saturday, according to their board of Weekly Events, but I’m not sure what time the music starts. The current Unilocal check-​in offer is 10% off your order, at the time I posted this review.
LOCATION: Finch’s address is on Girard Avenue in La Jolla, down the street from Warwick’s bookstore, near the Pharmaca. There is only a small sign on Girard for Finch’s.

Everyone needs to know about Finch’s Wine Bar and Bistro on Girard in La Jolla.
This is the place that has what we all like: great satisfying food with little Baja twists here and there — made with great care, great wines, a patio, wonderful service, friendly people and regulars that were happy to return… it’s right there on Girard — this little hidden gem. This is the place you’ve got in your local hot spot file when you want to catch up with a friend, take your family out then walk around for a treat on a Saturday afternoon. Price points are very good too. Duck into here for a snack of crab sopes and a little glass of wine and run your errands. Thrilled to know and taste this place.
Try this white wine from Spain called: «Albarino» from a little town: Val do Salnes. It’s great with most of this menu. A light chardonnay. The squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese is a can’t miss. The salmon encrusted in pistachio with a little mango salad is a perfect meal. Everything we tried was so satisfying. The chocolate «salami» with ice cream and grape compote is a must try!

We were really excited to visit this restaurant since I love eating when there is live music. Since it was a little cold, we decided to eat inside. The restaurant is small, quaint, and it looked like it was a house transformed to a restaurant. The restaurant was a little desserted with just two other tables occupied.
We decided on the calamari fritt and brussels for appetizers. The calamari is sauteed with some broth, not fried — so please read the fine print. It was good but I just expected fried so I was a little disappointed. The roasted balsamic brussels were good — but I love brussels and I can practically make what they gave us. When they gave it to us, it was so hot that i practically burned the roof of my mouth. We then ordered the lamb fettucini with gluten free pasta. The dish was dry and it didn’t really have a good flavor to it.
Our waiter was a little slow — to get our order, to refill our drinks, to get our bill, etc. I mean, we were done eating and we had nothing left on our plates for 20 minutes until he came by and asked us about dessert. We said no to dessert and he took another 10 minutes to just get the bill. Hello? The restaurant is not even busy and there were 2 other waiters. I don’t get it. Overall, I would definitely not come back.

My BFF and I popped into FInch’s for a Friday evening happy hour. The restaurant is located outside of the busy La Jolla Cove area, further down on Girard (adjacent to the Vons shopping center). Because of being situated away from the hustle and bustle of Prospect St., parking is easy breezy.
Finch’s offers one of the best happy hour menus that I’ve encountered in the La Jolla area. $ 5 small plates and $ 2 off wines by the glass. Yes, please!
To properly assess Finch’s, we decided to nosh on a myriad of selections:
LAMB SLIDERS ($ 5) — delicious!
They’re served with herbed goat cheese and pickled cucumber, with a lovely Middle-​Eastern-​flavored sauce. Spectacular.
MUSHROOM PATE ($ 5) — Delicious!
We both really enjoyed this plate. It comes with a generous portion of fresh bread (we asked for additional because the serving of pâté is so plentiful), chives, truffle oil. True perfection. Loved every morsel.
GRILLED BAJA SHRIMP ($ 5) — DELICIOUS!
Well-​cooked. Serviced with avocado lime dip and pico de gallo, they are a delight to put in the mouth.
CRAB AVOCADO SOPES ($ 5) — D E L I C I O U S !!
My favorite dish of the evening. In fact, I adored this so much that I asked for seconds! These easily rank in the top sopes that I’ve ever had. Guacamole is is layered on a fresh, crispy masa cake, and topped with a generous portion of crab meat. Drizzled with a little salsa and this is a veritable party in the mouth. I’m on a mission to replicate this dish myself.
The plates are ideal for sharing, the quality is superb, and I really can’t imagine finding a better value in the area. Moreover, the wines are all generously poured,; my liver was a very happy camper as I was walking out.
I’m so happy that there’s a new place in La Jolla that I can add to my happy hour rotation.