Food here is solid. Very flavorful, I like the menu, creative with variety, maybe a little too salty at times but nothing off putting plus what would you really expect from a place like this. Only photo I took was the chopped chicken salad, which was good. It definitely one of those salads that is like 1000+ calories (1:1 ratio of lettuce to bacon lol) but I'm not complaining, that's kind of how I like my salads. If you're trying to be skinny and get a salad though, this isn't the one. The nachos were also delicious and a big portion. Chips were thin but stayed crispy for a while. Pigs in a blanket are a skip, in my opinion, the dough they wrap them in was just a little dry and overbearing. The service was attentive, maybe felt a bit rushed at times but I prefer that to being kept as a hostage for 2 hours so no worries there. I have been once before, had the burger and fried chicken which are fireee but if you want something fresh the salad is a good change. I'll be back read more

Culinary Dropout - Chopped Chicken - New American Near Me - San Diego, California

I mad a mediocre experience here. Our server was awesome, the hostess was not - unfortunately was stand off ish. Came early, not crowded, had a reservation and wasn't flexible to sit us at a different table for a birthday experience that I put a note in on the reservation that had been made 3 weeks earlier. (I saw plenty of booths available while I ate but they said that I hadn't reserved properly??). Food was decent but pretty much just bar food. I would go for happy hour or sports events not for a celebratory meal that you are particular about - for the price you can get a better experience elsewhere. read more

My boyfriend & I were able to try this new spot for brunch. We were were pleasantly surprised by the upscale ambiance & the fact that they have TVs located at the bar showing a few sport games (huge plus for him). We tried the banana bread french toast & wagyu pigs in a blanket. Both were great in our server, Chelsea, was very friendly. We even had the manager, Gigi, stop by to say hello & inquired about our experience. We will definitely be back to try more things on the menu! read more

Big shout out to our server Mo who made certain our dining experience was awesome. Breakfast/brunch on Mother's Day can be a challenge for eateries and diners so I'm always leery and mostly avoid dining out on holidays but today was an exception. Our group of 5 ordered a variety and we all agreed spicy tuna sushi was a hit and everything else was solid. The hash was filling! If you don't like barbecue this dish isn't for you. I loved the smoky meat and delicious pepper medley. Breakfast burrito with cheese fondue drizzled over top was interesting and added flavor I didn't expect. Deviled eggs good but not particularly memorable. Chicken biscuits was filling/good though we all regret not ordering entree size which included smashed potatoes and a bigger chicken portion. We all enjoyed our morning cocktails of margaritas and ipa seasonal beer. Overall a very enjoyable morning and we look forward to many more visits. Easy parking/great location/super friendly/efficient/professional wait staff/lively ambiance/great variety of cocktails and solid menu! read more

Great atmosphere and food was delicious. Our server, Ashley, is such an asset. She was very friendly, knowledgable and professional. Great service, great food and great atmosphere. It is so pleasant to dine somewhere that has such a friendly upbeat server. read more

Sat behind the bar tonight and everything was SO GOOD!! The nachos were on point and the cocktails from Michelle and Maddie Behind the bar were so fresh. Chris the manager was a standout in attentive service and I cannot wait to come back again. The service and food were excellent read more

Every dish we had was absolutely delicious and the menu has a great mix of options whether you're looking for something healthy or wanting to indulge. We went on opening day for Del Mar Races, and the atmosphere was fun and welcoming and the service was great from start to finish. A special thank you to the manager Chris who went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience!!!! We'll definitely be coming back. read more

the best Resturaunt ever Chris - a manager- & Sammy our waiter could not have been better-but what about the food- WOW! appetizer " off the wall incredible ". Good job all! So Happy to have you in the neighborhood! Lucky us in Del Mar Highlands ! read more

We were super stoked to try this place! We have been to the Arizona location and had such a great experience. David our server was awesome. The food was quite the let down. Ordered a burger medium with no mayo. It came out with mayo. When I flag down the server he was great and brought out a new bun. Split the burger in half and it was completely raw. David was great and took it off our bill. Disappointed in the food but hopeful they will get it down. He also comped a dessert too, very appreciative of him! read more

I thought atmosphere was great went for lunch. Service was fantastic and food was awesome! Love the waygue pigs in a blanket glad to have a new restaurant to enjoy read more

Katsu chicken sandwich was delicious but fries were limp, not crispy. I left more than half of them on my plate, which never happens. Should be an easy thing for the restaurant to correct. They also should add sweet potato fries and onion rings as options. read more

The best food and drinks! Gigi was amazing and helped us pick out the best food. The vibes were great and their onion dip and spicy tuna are a must! Highly recommend read more

Our server Chelsea was fantastic! She took great care of us & her recommendations were on point & very much appreciated. Food was fabulous! Thank you Chelsea! read more

Amazing day 3 for Culinary Dropout! Andy was a fabulous host and kept us laughing the entire time! Monkey bread was 5 stars. Welcome to the neighborhood! read more

I had the fried chicken and asked for a side of jam and bbq sauce. My husband got the burger. Great food and fun vibe. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly! read more

Overpriced and not that good. Certainly not worth the money. I ordered the ribs and honestly, the ribs at Nick's across the street are infinitely better. read more

My son and I went to your restaurant yesterday for Mother's Day for a drink and appetizer. We sat at the indoor bar. JP, our bartender, was superb! Paid excellent attention, very polite, and friendly. He overheard my son telling me about the Tijuana Spa Water cocktail. Within a moment, JP brought over a small glass of the "base" of the drink for my son to try. My son ended up ordering the drink and loved it. We had the pretzel balls and fondue, which was outstanding. The server however neglected to bring any napkins or appetizer plates. We got JP's attention immediately and he brought napkins and plates and apologized for the server's neglect. Two things I'd like to bring to your attention. JP told us to scan the QR code for $10.00 off our next visit. When I got home and read the e-mail, it was for $10.00 off an "online order only." Very misleading and very disappointing as I never order food online and go pick it up. I like the ambiance of going to a restaurant. Secondly, the bartender, Michele, while very pleasant, was dressed extremely inappropriate. I won't go into details, but ask your staff how she was dressed. Several people within our hearing distance made the same comments. We checked out at 4:42 p.m. so you'll know who was working at that time. Unfortunately, she was at our end of the bar the entire time, and her outfit was not pleasant to look at and made several people uncomfortable. Otherwise, we will definitely be back! One other note: While the ADA doesn't require automatic faucets in bathrooms, I was rather shocked that you had a self-pump soap container and a faucet that you actually had to pull the handle. Yours is a brand new restaurant, therefore shocking. In addition, the faucet handle on the left hand sink, while it still dispensed water, was broken from the connection. read more

Wow! Request Mo as your server every time. She had stellar recommendations, picked our drinks & apps when we weren't sure, and brought an upbeat attitude everyone wants from a good eating experience. read more

Mo made our evening go from good to great. Her attentiveness and knowledge was incredible and for a large table of first timers- we were blown away. We can't wait to come back again!!! THANKS AGAIN, MO! WE LOVE YOU! read more

From start to finish impeccable service. The hostess, our server, and even the manager Gigi all made the experience five star. A very special experience, plenty of options for everyone, and great bar. Highly recommend for everyone especially in the summer. read more

Went here 1st time. Waitress nice. Atmosphere fun. Order the famous fried chicken and omg... waited almost 45 min. Wait staff just keep saying sorry, chef says coming soon at least 3 times. No one said "can we get you something while you waiting",nothing off bill, etc. A mom and pops restaurant would of never done this. Oh..by the way it was also a birthday and they just handed us a list of dessert to buy. read more

Food and drinks were so good! Gigi and Diego were both so great! Definitely will be back!!

We just came in at 6:30 pm to order foods to go. The front desk said foods will be ready in 30-40 minutes. When coming back to pick up, the foods were not ready. It seemed like they totally missed our order. We ended up waiting for a hour to get our food. Plus, the pasta and macaroni we got were both cold. We were not sure what was going on. We waited such a long time to get cold foods. They didn't even apologize or anything. read more

Absolutely amazing service the second we walked in the host were so kind and friendly. We grabbed seats at the bar and the bartenders were very helpful especially Michelle and Maddy they were awesome, they made our drinks swiftly and they were delicious. The manager Chris he was our favorite he was so warm and welcoming and was checking on us to make sure we were enjoying everything. The food was incredible didn't take long at all. The ambiance of the restaurant was fun and chill they play good music and have a nice outside bar. Overall was an amazing we will be making this our regular spot! read more

Just went here for lunch, had an absolutely amazing experience. The food was amazing and our server, Alina, did an excellent job taking care of us. She was super attentive to our needs and took care of us the whole time. Great spot, the ambiance is great and the cocktails are delicious. Can't say enough about the service! read more

Meh, $$$ and virtually no GF choices for those who don't have a choice, which means our whole family can't go. Mishmash of food choices. In a shopping center, so if that's your thing you might enjoy it. read more

Absolutely phenomenal experience! Macey was the best and was so attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and friendly! Also, I'm vegetarian and they instantly accommodated my request to make the sandwich vegetarian - and it was delicious. The live music was a huge plus. Can't wait to come back! read more

Where to start. We were excited to try Culinary Dropout; we'd heard good things and read a review that said it was great. When we arrived it was busy; we assumed that meant the reviews were correct. We got seated, and then it started to go downhill. First, we waited 20 minutes before anyone came to even get our drink order. They apologized; the drinks came quicky. The Manhattan tasted like it only had 1/4 of a shot of bourbon in it. Watered down is an understatement. The Abandoned Cadillac was OK but not great. We ordered the Crispy Brussel Sprouts. They were anything but crispy, perhaps because they had so much sauce on them that we couldn't even taste the brussel sprouts. Both of us ordered the Mongolian Short Ribs as our main course. What a letdown. They looked marvelous; the combination of ingredients was fantastic. Except... the greens were so overcooked (except for the bok choy) that we didn't know if they were broccolini, chinese broccoli, or something else; too chewy, almost woody. Crap. And the entire dish was SATURATED in sauce; so much that the rice was mushy and it obliterated any taste sensation we might have got from the other ingredients. Except for the meat; it was great; but that means about 1 in 5 bites of dinner was edible. I picked the meat out and left the rest. To say we were let down is an understatement - the food simply underscored the 'Dropout' part of the name, not the Culinary part. Ok, let's talk about the abiance. They had two guys playing live music out front; the rythym guitarist had a pretty good voice but only seemed to know one strumming pattern and played the same thing on every song. The other guy did leads; we couldn't hear him over the rythm guitar. Which is ironic since the band, piped in to the restaurant on speakers, was so damn loud we couldn't carry on a conversation. This restaurant must be immature; they can't keep their food quality up when they have a large crowd; they're either understaffed, or poorly staff (my vote, since we saw clusters of service personnel standing around in groups of 2 or 3 doing absolutely nothing while others were running around like chickens with their heads cut off); the front-of-house seems like it's run by a 20-year-old whose only background in restaurant work is In-and-Out; and since noone listens to the music, I guess they don't care if it's good, or in your face loud, or whatever. In short, we won't be back. I haven't ever given a 2-star review; but there's always a first time. And it wasn't priced very well... expensive (way too expensive) for what we got. read more

I heard about this new food truck through the San Diego Food Truck facebook page and was intrigued by the name. I went to the Culinary Dropouts facebook page and saw they'd be at Aztec Brewery so I immediately sent my friends a text and made plans. I was so excited to try their food and it was deliscious. We shared an order of the Seared Ahi Fries and they were great! A few of my friends got sandwiches and they all said that they were very good as well. I work right outside Del Mar so I can't wait to see if they make it down this far so that I can get my co-workers to try this truck for lunch someday soon! read more

Culinary Dropout - Seared Ahi Tuna, Sizzled Asparagus, Onions and Bell Peppers over Steak Fries. Uh-mazing! - New American Near Me - San Diego, California

Im the owner of Culinary Dropouts, thank you to our growing support group. We are working on a schedule that allows us you come to everyone atleast once a week! read more