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The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado at Balboa Park

4.6
4.6
7881 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

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2 people
19:00
Booked 61 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Located in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the Historic House of Hospitality, The Prado offers historic charm and California cuisine.
Private dining

Private dining

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00 Sun 11:30–19:30
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    John King
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Area
    Downtown
  • Cross Street
    6th Avenue
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.<br /><br />Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park<br /><br />
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining

Experiences

  • Daou Wine Experience

    7 Nov 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
    Daou Wine Package Add a bottle of Daou Wine to your table prior to your arrival. Payment will be added onto final check.
  • Holiday Brunch with Santa

    US$79.95 per person

    22 Dec 2024 only
    Enjoy some good old fashion family fun with our holiday brunch with Santa and Friends. Experience the holiday cheer at balboa park and enjoy seasonal favorites and bottomless mimosas brunch at the Prado in our historic Ballroom transformed into Santas Workshop. Come join us for a one of kind experience that will kick off the holiday season. We have limited seating availability from 10 am-2 pm inside our Ballroom *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time. Adult $79.95 per person and children $19.95.
  • Christmas Eve

    US$79.95 per person

    24 Dec 2024 only
    Christmas Eve Celebration Enjoy a special preset menu at the Prado in Balboa Park. We will be serving a 3-course meal for $79.95 per person for adults and $19.95 for children, excluding tax and gratuity. We have seating availability from 4-8 pm inside our dining rooms or outside on our heated garden terrace. All reservations are not table specific and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. Outdoor reservations have no weather back up. Standard seating is inside our dining room. *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.

What 7,881 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Prado at Balboa Park is an elegant dining gem, perfect for a special occasion or pre-theater meal. "outstanding service" and "beautiful outdoor patio" settings elevate the dining experience. Guests rave about the calamari and sea bass dishes. While some note menu repetition, the ambiance and attentive staff make it a San Diego favorite.

7,881 Reviews
  1. Joel

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Limited menu and preparation was average. Things like paella were uninspired and unbalanced in seafood variety (far too much squid, little of the rest) rice was wet and sitting in liquid. Disappointed to say the least. Other dinners had similar opinions of their meals.

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  2. Allison

    San Diego

    15 reviews

    4.0

    15 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We have come here a number of times and the staff must love their jobs because it’s the same staff year after year, so I love that. The food is good - Great mushroom risotto. My husband had the sea bass, and he also loved it. Definitely try both if you go. The children’s menu is okay, but it could probably include something more basic like a burger instead of a fillet. The side of broccolini we got was cold. The flavor was good, though. I had a raspberry lemonade which was really strong, not sure I’d get it again. My husband and son got the hot chocolate and it was very watered down. Don’t recommend. The outdoor seating is good and the views are nice, but I do think some additional space heaters would have been better because while our faces and one side was warm, everything else was pretty cold.

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  3. Louise

    San Diego

    34 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    34 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food. My linguini & clams were excellent. Excellent service also.

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  4. Theresa

    San Diego

    12 reviews

    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always nice at The Prado. Cheerful staff, good service and delicious food. Always eat at The Prado after The Grinch to keep the family tradition going.

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  5. Kathy

    San Diego

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our server, Michael was wonderful. He was attentive and friendly and even spoke Russian to our friend. As always, excellent cocktails and food.

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  6. Dennis

    Central Coast

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Great ambiance seating inside next to the window. The food was ok got the chefs cut in medium and it was a bit chewy. Overall it was ok.

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  7. Nancy

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our food and service were both great! Our server, Lisa, was outstanding!! She was very attentive, friendly, and personalized our experience! ❤️

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  8. Sheri

    San Diego

    107 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    107 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This place never fails to disappoint. We brought our grandkids here pre-theater and they loved it. The Prado even had a specialty kiddie drink themed to the show (Grinch). Service was friendly and efficient and I liked how they worked as a team. Michael was a great server.

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  9. Rosemarie

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    My order the Filet steak sandwich was great. My 8 year old granddaughter ordered the buttered noodles and Parmesan cheese and said it was tasteless. I tried it and I believe the cook did not use salt and / or enough butter and Parmesan. Prado should have done better.

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  10. Jan

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The Prado at Christmastime; it doesn’t get any more iconic San Diego than that! We dined with good friends, brought in one bottle of wine and ordered one at the table. Food was outstanding; our server, Katarina, was attentive and knowledgeable and good natured. Very good at her job! We had a great table and were never rushed to next course. It was a beautiful relaxing evening to share an outstanding dining experience with great friends.

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FAQs

The Prado at Balboa Park is rated 4.6 stars by 7881 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 61 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Prado at Balboa Park

1549 El Prado, Suite 12, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    6th Avenue
  • Area
    Downtown
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sat 11:30–20:00 Sun 11:30–19:30
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    John King
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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