I had high expectations after seeing so many positive experiences and lots of promotions for this spot. The views are great but the cocktails were okay and the food selection is slim. The aperol spritz was good but nothing exceptional and margarita italiano was pretty sweet. The octopus salami was a bit tough and underwhelming. I did enjoy the funghi flatbread but wouldn't come back for that. The veal tomahawk was over cooked and dry. Overall cool view but won't return read more

Great service, views, drink and food! David and Marissa are wonderful. Super helpful and attentive.

Very forgettable experience. Many of the foods you see on yelp page is no longer there so we ended up ordering things we didn't want. We ordered one flatbread and two pastas but the pastas took more than 40 minutes to come out. We debated just leaving. When we did try it, the pasta was so overcooked and mushy... The service wasn't great, our waiter constantly went missing. The views weren't all that great either. We were initially hooked by the speakeasy concept but when you get there it really isn't a speakeasy at all. The food, service, view and parking/location were all mediocre. read more

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The price matches the view. The price does not match the food. In fact, our waiter told us the dishes were meant to be shared. I mean how do you split 3 dumplings and call it a meal? We could have ordered more plates, but after not completely being blown away by our first course, decided we would just leave. Anyways, we came on a Friday night. The staff were very friendly and showed us the fresh herb garden en route to our table. There is an unfair advantage and there are definitely tables and bar seats with excellent views and ones with out peak a boo glances of the water. Drinks average around $15 and are craft made. Our cocktails were excellent. I split the culurgliones (aka dumplings which are very similar to perogis). We added shrimp for an up charge. 3 dumplings and 4 shrimp totaled $30+. The taste was good, but gone in a few bites. We decided to leave after our first dish due to smaller portions.. and seagulls flying around, one which literally defecated on my hand and on our table. So eat at your own risk. read more

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As many of you know, I do a lot of staycations. I have been wanting to try The Intercontinental San Diego and especially... to come to the speakeasy, Garibaldi. Apparently opened just when the lock down happened. Entry was supposed to be a mask in lobby to whisper a secret password to. We waited by the yellow Vespa in the lobby. We were greeted by name and led around the corner and to the perimeter of the outside. What a beautiful setup. Gorgeous view, social distancing in full effect, masks all around, hand sanitizer offered and placed everywhere. Nice touch to have a place card at our seat, with name on it. Open it up and it had the handle @catchgaribaldi One thing I've noticed about COVID now is that the previous thought of servers is slowly going to fade. You can see this a bit as there were only a couple of servers working, including our server was the bartender right next to us. Superb service, very attentive, explained the menu and general idea. The seats we had were unbelievable, right in front of the harbor up above, palm trees and luxury boats and cruise ship right in front. Beautiful sunset, gorgeous moon out. Amazing picturesque location. Finally direct Harbor-view dining up above. Had the old fashioned (too sweet for me), and the Carlos something of another with vodka and lemon... did you see the pics??? Now for the food.... Such simple yet scrumptious Cauliflower...with an olive type of marinade. The tuna crudo... OMG... lime overtone, delish lentils... so good... fave of the night for sure. Ordered the pasta with Uni Butter, not on the menu, per Chef Matt's recommendation... (thanks Chef Matt)... it was huge portion, and not too creamy or buttery... had a little bit extra strong (dill??) taste.... but delish overall. Hotel doesn't have refrigerators for food only mini bar (yeah)... so couldn't pack it unfortunately. Ordered the pork belly, which was simple, amazing. No frills. Gluten free lol for the friend of course... Overall, simply a wonderful experience. Thank you team for doing a wonderful job in this Food In The Time of COVID. I hope things get a bit more streamlined soon with outdoor dining; I think Garibaldi did a beautiful job of these times. Much better than some of the restos I've been to lately. read more

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Garibaldi is an Italian speakeasy and hidden restaurant, which debuted right before the pandemic happened. They just opened back up again over the weekend, so my hubby and I went here as our first dining out experience since Covid-19. We made reservations on Resy and arrived on the 3rd floor of the InterContinental Hotel. From there, we were take taken through a few fish paintings of Garibaldi on the walls, and then out to the patio area. It was explained to us that the chef uses all the herbs in the little garden outside in her cooking! Even the Old Fashioned has a dominant plant, called the Myrtle, that is used for the cocktail. It was nice touch to have my name written on a placard at our table! We were given disposable menus to look over once we were seated. We were given complimentary bread and started off with a couple of cocktails, so I got the 6 minute history lesson and he opted for the orange Americano. My drink came with an edible QR code, which led to a YouTube video explaining about Giuseppe Garibaldi, the rebel fighter behind Italian unification. The drink is similar to a margarita, but a little sweeter. I didn't care too much for the sugary QR code though. His drink was pretty refreshing and matched the orange theme of the place. Next, we shared the tuna crudo and charred California squid. Both were nicely plated- the squid looked like a tiny garden! I enjoyed both appetizers. For our main courses, I went with the myrtle brined crispy pork belly and he chose the lorighettas. The lorighettas is a pasta dish, which came with baja shrimp, mussels, octopus, and orange. The shrimp were nice and plump, but the noodles fell short. I'm really glad I ordered the pork belly because that was the star of the show. It came with crushed fava beans and thick pieces of pork! For dessert, we shared the Colombine alla Mandorla Averna Custard. I thought it was going to be thicker, but it was essentially a blend of rich coffee, some chocolate covered coffee beans, and a few "dumpling" cookies. It came in the cutest cup and tasted great, but not what I was expecting. Service was nice- we were checked up on often and heat lamps were turned on when it was getting chilly. My only suggestion is to have more items on the menu because the concept is promising. read more

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We had an incredibly disappointing dinner here for Valentine's Day. There was a price fixe menu yet our server could not explain what was on our plates. The menu was small and should have been easy to memorize and understand prior to dinner service. Seneca, just a few stories up in the intercontinental is much, much better. read more

View was amazing, food was great! Service was great. He was very attentive and provide great recommendations

Jeff was our server at Garibaldi and made the experience so special! My husband and I kind of stumbled upon the place after an event that we attended at the hotel ended. Although we were not staying at the hotel, we felt very welcomed. the drinks were great and very well crafted. Jeff even shared some fun facts about the history behind the old baseball field that used to be located on the property. read more

Abraham was awesome! He made sure we had such a great experience from the beginning to the end! He explained the menu very well, gave our party food recommendations and it did not disappoint. We are visiting from out of town and we had a great time. We will definitely be back! read more

Visited this spot with family, and Abraham made us feel so welcomed! 10/10, visit during happy hour, everything on the menu was delicious.

Garibaldi is basically the private back patio of Vistal Restaurant + Bar in the SE corner of the InterContinental San Diego's third floor. This new "speakeasy" was by self-description. Other than making an online reservation and receiving a password (ours meant Sardinian style dumplings/ravioli) to speak into a deep sea diver's helmet in the hotel lobby, the rest of the experience was like eating and drinking on a rooftop bar. We had six people show up in our party of eight which was a good participation rate given the current conditions in society right now. After completing the above step in the lobby, we met a hostess in an area across from the front desk. She greeted our group and escorted us through part of Vistal's dining room and then through a corridor which led to an outside patio. Orange and fishes were the artistic themes to match the namesake of the venue. There were numerous high-tops and sit-down tables along with heat lamps if you wanted to remain outdoors. The westward facing view was great as you had a prime overlook of the Embarcardero, USS Midway, and the sunset. A small bar was located inside a room where there was a sofa, some stools, and limited table seating. When we arrived, there were maybe four to six smaller parties already seated. By the time of our departure, there was only one couple left so they were not busy at all. The bar menu listed the beers, wines, cocktails, spirits, and three small plates. A full dinner menu with a focus on Italian dishes was also available at the outside tables, but the kitchen didn't begin serving the listed food items until after 5:30 pm. The six of us finally settled at one of the patio tables which had the perfect number of chairs. We each got a drink and shared two of the bar bites, Italian Island Cheese (pataleo, moliterno) and Fennel Sea Salt Crackers (served with a castelvetrano olive spread). The food, drinks, and pricing were on par with what I have tried at other hotel restaurants. The bartender came out and served us since she had so few customers. Her performance was solid though. Overall, I gave a 3.5 star rating for the experience at this speakeasy. read more

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Garibaldi is a must see! I heard about Garibaldi from Facebook & immediately made reservations on Resy after reading it was a speakeasy! Located in the Intercontinental Hotel in DTSD. Complimentary 2 hour parking in their garage. On the day of your resy, they will text you with information on how to get in (so cool!) This is a unique speakeasy because it has a full on dinner menu, an outdoor patio, & is spacious. Since it was raining, we were seated inside. Customer service is top notch! So attentive & friendly! Their cocktails are delicious & strong, & interestingly created. & the food was superb! Casarecce: A must order pasta dish! Incredibly flavorful. The pasta was cooked perfectly. read more

Went this past weekend to Garibaldi to try their refreshed Brunch menu. The new Brunch menu features a southern Italian inspired feast, carefully curated by chef Todd Bencivenni Beautiful San Diego downtown views with scrumptious dishes and delicious cocktails was the perfect way for me to start my weekend with family. Staff was attentive, efficient and friendly. Can't wait to go back and try their dinner menu too. read more

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Great rooftop restaurant with a nice view! The service was slow, but the bartender, who also served our table, was nice! We ordered two drinks and shared the spaghetti neri. They provided complimentary bread and gave us blankets because it was cold out. It's nice for a date night! read more

Garibaldi - Octopus Neri - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

One of my friends put it as this - if I can see it from standing outside across the street, it is not a speakeasy. And I completely agree, this was more of a pricey patio bar. The "speakeasy" like part of it was telling the helmet of the 3rd floor lobby that we had a reservation, then searching for the fish painting before entering Vistal to then give a code word to the hostess standing in Vistal to take us to Garibaldi (which is behind it). Once in the Garibaldi space, a large outdoor patio and small indoor space, it was a free for all to grab a table/seats. So despite a reservation, tables were not marked for the groups. As the weather was rainy, the bar that is normally supposed to be outside was moved in. Again, the indoor space was tiny, there's much more space and tables on the patio. The cocktail list offered a nice variety of selections. I was curious about the 6 minute history with the QR code so I ordered that. The QR code is edible - sugar paper - and brings you to a youtube video describing the history of the guy Garibaldi in cartoon form. With the fear of spreading coronavirus, I only sipped my drink and sampled the old fashioned of my significant other in my household. Both were super sweet. Dinner service does not start until 5:30pm, so we only had 3 choices off the bar food menu and ordered the cheese plate and crackers. I really like the crackers with the fennel and olive dip - caution, it looks like guac, but is not. All of the cheeses were good too, but too bad descriptions were not offered for them so I have no idea what kinds of cheeses we were served. All in all, it's a nice patio bar to enjoy the San Diego waterfront, but with pricey and really sweet (~$16) drinks and limited bar food options, it would be hard to justify coming back. read more

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I've been here three times over the last year or two and have still not had a disappointing experience. I love bringing people here when I want to show them the best of SD because it combines amazing water views, city skyline views, awesome service and gorgeous themes coupled with a "secret speakeasy but not really" vibe. My friends and fam are always enamored by the deep sea blue walls as you are led by the host to the gorgeous patio that immediately meets you! I have prepared myself for small plates here all the time so I usually only bring folks here for drinks and a snack or two to share! The last time I came here, I was not too impressed by the 'lamb t-bone dish'. I expected it to be far more balanced with veggies and starch and was slightly disappointed to see that it was grilled lamb chop with a side of braised lamb, a drizzle of mashed potatoes and like one spring onion :D I had to ask for a side of mashed potato and even still didn't finish because it was just so meaty! As far as parking and access, this place is a little hard to find for first-timers but my recommendation is to use the intercontinental underground parking, get on the elevator and press the button with the orange fish. This guarantees that you will make it to where you want to go! The other idea is if you use street parking, direct yourself to the Intercontinental reception because Garibaldi is literally right across from it. It just makes the whole thing a lot easier to navigate as I figured it's hard to find because of the intended 'speakeasy' vibe they are going for! Definitely a great place for drinks and skyline views! read more

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Jalen was amazing. She was nice and attentive. The view was beautiful with the sunset

Went here for a special occasion and was disappointed. We waited for a very long time for everything, and the kitchen would get orders wrong. The staff were nice about everything, but the problems still never get resolved. Food itself was okay. The best thing was definitely the atmosphere. read more

Garibaldi - Seafood Tower - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

I want to start out that I did not have any drinks, and Garibaldi is technically labeled as a lounge/cocktail bar/speakeasy so this review is entirely about the food. I give the food 3 stars. It is very pricey for the portion given. The food is fresh (and cool that herbs from their own garden are used) but nothing really outstanding. I had the tuna crudo ($17), cauliflower ($11), the culurgliones di palate aka stuffed pasta ($19), and the malloreddus aka boar ragu ($22). The worst out of these choices was the culurgliones di palate which was on amusing 3 pieces of pasta. The best was the cauliflower- topped with pine nuts and a delicious sauce. All together, the view from the Intercontinental/Garibaldi is beautiful, but I do not recommend eating here for a full meal. I would maybe try here again but only for a cocktail (average price for downtown ($13-16). read more

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Absolutely insanely awesome! First of all I never knew I could love Orange so much... but wow! You pair it with tapas like this and it's my new favorite hue. When you make your reservation (RESY) if you're going during sunset ask for a seat where you can see the sunset best. You will not be disappointed. The food is incredible. The view is fire. I can't believe I didn't know about this place before! read more

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We came here for brunch based on an article my friend saw which talked up this place. My guess is that it may have been a paid article (and it's quite a stretch to label this place as a "speak easy") The view was nice. We were the only ones there for brunch which isn't a good sign though. Right before we left, one more group came in. The menu is limited and very mediocre. Between the 4 of us, we ordered Grilled Artichoke Spread appetizer: fine, but nothing special at all. Sardinian Limoncello Crespelle: VERY wet, bland, and undercooked crapes that were at room temp. Too much ricotta. Ricotta Pancakes: these were ok- nothing special and too heavy on the ricotta. It was a large portion at least. Prosciutto Cotto Panini: this seemed ok to me, but our friend didn't eat any of it because she didn't like it at all. Myrtle Braised Pork Belly Hash: this was fine, but the fava beans were an odd addition. Even if the prices were better, I still wouldn't come back because the food just wasn't that great. read more

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The service wasn't good at all, as we waited probably 30-45 minutes for our server to come. What's worse, is that it was super cold and our heater was broken. On the flip side, our server that did come was very nice and gave us blankets for the cold. The food itself was expectedly quite good. The drinks that we got from their happy hour were a pleasant surprise, as it was a bartender's creation option. I would come again, if not for the wait for service that was quite nightmarish. But hey, the view was great. read more

Garibaldi - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

First visit here and it was not encouraging. The service was great, attentive and personal. The food was mediocre at best. To begin with, the menu is meat heavy, including even the pasta dishes with an exception or two. What's listed under "vegetarian" is in fact all appetizers, no main course. The view from this location should be stunning but if you sit at a table the view is blocked by the bar seating along the railing. Sadly, though this is a neighborhood joint for me, there are other better choices nearby. read more

Ambiance? Fantastic. Food? Pretty good. Service? Debatable. I think the waiters/hostess are super nice and they are on top of their stuff!! I feel like my only issue was that sometimes it feels as though we are rushed because the servers take away our plate with food on it without confirming whether we are done or not. Other than that, this place was enjoyable! read more

Decided for a quick meal at the Intercontinental and decided to try out this place. We were first seated outside but it got way too cold and windy. They brought us some blankets but we opted to go inside. Fortunately it was sparsely populated so we had the room basically to ourselves. The food is pretty good but nothing memorable. The view of the harbor is a nice touch. I think it's a pretty good casual date place but nothing to sweat about...unless it's your first date...hahaha. read more

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If you're looking for a cozy rooftop with a fantastic view, and stellar drinks then this is the place for you. We dropped by today for Mother's Day and had a sort of mixed experience. All of the right elements were there but it Garibaldi didn't quite nail it. Huge miss with the service and kitchen. Starting with the service, our waiter wasn't as attentive as we would have liked. We had to ask for things like water refills and he forgot our bread order near the end. For a place of this caliber I was hoping for better. We even found a piece of aluminum foil in the sausage dish. Thankfully they made that part right. The drinks were certainly phenomenal. We had a few of their signature drinks. The tiki Goldfish swizzle and the Krinklebein (the one in the really neat fish tail glass). Certainly friendly faces, I just wished the service was a bit better. read more

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Jalen was great! And they have coats to keep you warm and heaters. The view is also fantastic.

Hidden treasure! Hard to find but Jalen led the way and was so sweet and attentive. Will be back!

On our last night in San Diego, we had a reservation for this place and we were so excited to try this place! However this place truly let us down. When we arrived we were greeted by a lovely view of the city and bay. The host led us to a table and we were provided with a heater and blankets as there was a chill in the air. Our server came up to our table to take our orders and we ordered drinks and food. It took about 45 minutes to AN HOUR for our food to get on our table. While we enjoyed the view we certainly did not enjoy our food. By the time food arrived we were upset and once we tried the food we were even more upset. Our food was bland and not in any way special. I'm not sure how you can ruin pizza but they somehow managed it. Way overpriced and not worth the view. Please save your time and money and go to Little Italy where there are a bunch of quaint yummy places. This was just simply not worth it. read more

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Thank you to Garibaldi Management and staff for such a great time on April 13, 2024. Our host the beautiful and charming Avery was really helpful, attentive and nice, not pretentious, condescending or aloof like many hostesses are. David was our server and he was so kind, so nice, so on the ball with everything it made our special occasion wonderful. The manager who came by watched our table of 14 his name was MJ and he helped whenever our party needed something when David wasn't there. We had a bit of a high maintenance table and the two of them and the bussers were excellent. The food was yummy but the kitchen needs to lay off the heavy handed chili flakes. You can always add more chili flakes yourself if you ask for it on the side, but you can't take it off the food when it's mixed in so heavily. It overpowers the food when you have that much chili flakes, especially in both the pasta dish and the tuna tartare. The rolls, grandma pie and vegetarian pizza were delicious, with thick but fluffy crust in small bite size pieces. The salads were wonderful fresh and colorful. The charcuterie board was excellent with the chorizo pate. The view is really lovely and they accommodated us to an interior window table when the weather would not allow us to sit in the sofa, balcony seating area. Everyone had a really good time from 4 PM till 6 PM and would definitely come back here in July for another special event. Thank you to the staff of Garibaldi! Keep up the great work, cocktails were excellent as was the desert. They went above and beyond to go to Vistal to get us a chocolate cake when that was not expected and that is what you call "Great service." read more

Went here for Valentines Day and had a great dinner! It's gorgeous for sunset, staff is great, service was through and through really smooth and quick. Wine was really good and the flatbread and charcuterie were really nice, too! It's a great spot if you want some classy rooftop vibes with some good drinks and a great view. Going back for another event in May, can't wait! read more

This is a HIDDEN GEM! Don't tell your friends about it either! We stumbled upon this restaurant after having a disappointing dinner elsewhere, wanting to finish the night with a couple drinks. Wish I knew about this place as a dinner option as the food menu looks amazing and very fairly priced so I can't wait to go back. The view is absolutely phenomenal, the staff are all very helpful and the cocktails are great. read more

We had an amazing experience with our bartender and server Peter! Amazing service and drinks! read more

Garibaldi - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

WOW! I've never been to a speakeasy-style restaurant before, but this place might have just made me a convert. Not only is the decor gorgeous, but the VIEW IS BREATHTAKING. I went for a late dinner and was able to see the fireworks going off at Seaworld, which was such a treat! The food was also fantastic, namely the truffle butter (I could have eaten it with a spoon and I was genuinely holding myself back from literally licking clean the bowl it came in), but the best part of this place was the service. Jeff was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and he even took the time to learn our names and thanked us for coming in. He was absolutely wonderful and is totally a reason to stop by. It was a wonderful place to spend a summer evening! read more

Amazing surface and view! The food was exceptional and the happy hour is a definite plus! The service is also amazing, they made sure we were warm by offering blankets and putting a heater near us! read more

This place typically is not my ideal stop, but one bartender changed my mind one night I went to get cocktails. The Sardinian old fashion he made for me and off the cuff margarita he made for my wife was all I needed to talk non stop about coming back. As long as he is there, can't remember his name but slender gentleman with a beard, I'm going to stop here over Seneca every day. Drinks at Seneca are fantastic, but this guy is a legend. Cheers I will edit my review after I got back and find out who this myth of a man is. read more

Very cute spot. The drinks were good. The food was good. The view was good. The service was good. Only one star down due to the limited menu, a picky person might have a tough time finding something that they like here. We got the brussel sprouts which were cooked nicely and super tasty and the Casarecce (pesto pasta). It was probably one of the best restaurant pestos I've ever had. It was super fresh and clung well to the pasta. My friend and I both got it and were super happy with our selection. For drinks, I got the Carlos K. Krinklebein which didn't have a lot of drink volume-wise, but was super tasty and came in the cutest glass! After that I tried the Caprera Island Cocktail which was also very good and came in a cute tiki glass. My friend got the Aperol Spritz and liked it. I don't get the total speakeasy feel, it definitely is secluded and and we had reservations so it was easy to access, so not sure how the process would be if we didn't have reservations. The decor was cute and they had heaters if you came in the evening and it got chilly. I'd definitely show this place to visitors as it has a great view and is a fun spot! read more

Garibaldi - Sunset drinks with a perfect view - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

Husband took me here for my birthday. Great service and the food was delicious. If you're looking for the standard Italian spaghetti and meatballs, this is not it. We had the Palermo appetizer. Braised lamb and spaghetti Al Ricci Mare. We were pleasantly surprised. And the view...speechless. read more

Garibaldi - Stunning view - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Diego, California

The hostess, our waitress Jalen, the Aperol Spritz and the squid ink pasta were the best things here :( We ordered 4 dishes and only finished the pasta. Even out of our drinks, we only liked one. We really wanted to like it but seemed like we just paid for the view (which I understand). Found better food and experience elsewhere. Will not be returning... read more