This is my kind of place. Located within a historic house in Hillcrest, La Bonne exudes a timeless vibe that invites romance, intimate conversation and of course appetite. From the moment we walked in we felt welcomed, like visiting a dear friend you haven't seen in a long time. Within moments we were enjoying perfectly made cocktails while browsing La Bonne's small yet enticing menu. Menu highlights: - Pâté Maison. Creamy and luscious this is gold standard paté. Spread onto warm baguette, with a smear of dijon and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt; just perfect. - Steak Frites. My steak was cooked to perfectly medium rare. Deeply flavored with just the right amount of salt, this steak was satisfying. I substituted gratin for fries, I couldn't have been happier. - Cremé Brulee. The top was shatteringly crispy with such a delightful custard hiding underneath. Another good standard. We arrived via Lyft but there appeared to be on street parking. Tho with so many tempting cocktails and well curated wine list, we will stick with Lyft. We simply had the best time at La Bonne. What an amazing find. read more

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Excellent food, atmosphere, and atmosphere ! It's hard to find good French cuisine, this is the best I've found locally and I will definitely be back for more ! read more

I was really expecting to like this place based on the reviews and have been wanting to try this place out for a long time. We finally made a reservation to eat during SDRW and tried the rillette de crab, lobster bisque, the steak frites, and duck leg confit, creme brûlée and chocolate cake. I've eaten plenty of duck confit at different French restaurants in SoCal and in Paris and it's safe to say I think this was the worst duck confit I've had. I was really disappointed since I love duck confit and I always get it anywhere it's served. The duck was bland, the cream sauce was boring and filled with brussel sprouts. I barely finished my meal and had to take home the leftovers since I was dispassionate about my duck confit. The rillette de crab was very bland and it tasted just like tuna salad sandwich without the bread and crab instead. The saving grace was the lobster bisque that had great flavor. The steak frites were better but the steak was cooked very rare when we ordered medium rare. The frites were great and were probably the best part of the meal unfortunately. The pepper sauce had an incredibly odd taste to it and had a flavor reminiscent of soap. I think the peppercorns they used had an odd flavor. I figured dessert couldn't be any worse, but the creme brûlée also fell under my expectations. It was very liquidy and didn't have much hold and the sugar on top was scorched to show black burnt spots. I know creme brûlée means burnt cream but they really BURNT it . The result was a very unsatisfying liquidy and carcinogenic flavor. However, my husband's chocolate cake was to die for and they gave us champagne to celebrate our anniversary. Overall, I would definitely not recommend this place. read more

Really nice French restaurant. Some good selections are better than others here. Salads, soups and rilettes are nice. Steak & frites was nice. Duck needed to less gamey and seasoned better French/German beer was fantastic Chocolate Mousse was heaven. read more

Very pleasant, cute, small dining room. Maybe 10-12 tables. Great French menu with all the hits. Very good, attentive service. The food quality, unfortunately, is just OK, not terrific. Wine list is limited, but a decent variety of French wines by the glass, and more by the bottle. My husband I went for restaurant week and had a decent meal. We had pate maison (yummy), confit duck leg w/Brussels sprouts (very tender, on the bland side, skin not crispy, 2 legs although menu said thighs, tender and delicious sprouts), jarret de pork (pork osso buco--delicious! Extremely tender, nice, rich flavor), creme brulée (OK, but should be smoother and richer) and chocolate hazelnut cake (a super chocolatey, rich, dense chocolate cake, smothered in fudge sauce. Heaven for chocoholics, misses the mark for the chocolate-hazelnut (like gianduia or nutella) lovers). I'll return if a friend wants to try it, but probably won't rush back on my own initiative. read more

La Bonne Table - Beverage menu Mar 2024 - French Near Me - San Diego, California

What a delightful restaurant, It was like being in a little bistro in the left bank of Paris. Small, unassuming room, fabulous service, lovely wine list and terrific food. We strongly recommend this place! read more

Overall, place was excellent! It definitely feels like a fine dining in an intimate space. Food was great and presented well. I loved their french onion soup and the pork chop the best. Trout had bones and flavored mildly. It would have been nice to creamy sauce or some kind of dressing. This is an ideal place for a special celebration or a date. Id love to try their other dish as well! Merci!!!! read more

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I was so excited when La Bonne Table opened up after the Pandemic eased up. It was so cute and charming on the outside and the reviews we spectacular. I must say, it didn't disappoint. The dining room is extremely small (some would say cozy), but they do have a little outside seating. All the dishes we have had here have been fantastic. The pate, escargot, trout have been well-prepared and appropriately seasoned. I ordered the cassoulet yesterday and it was absolutely delicious and even better the next day. I have had this dish at another restaurant where it was salty and unenjoyable. This was not the case. The cocktails are also good. The reservations fill up fast but you can do a walk-in and sit at the bar and meet some interesting locals. Wonderful neighborhood spot. read more

I always come to French restaurants to try their French onion soup which lead me to here. The restaurant is super quaint, with only about 12 or so tables so you'll want to ensure you make a reservation! The service was phenomenal, the waiter never missed filling up our water and wine! The French onion soup was good, a tad salty though. The mussels were great though, such good quality! Another thing we ordered was the escargot, tasted amazing and I love the puff pastry top! Very nice restaurant and would definitely come back to try more! read more

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Last night was a blast! We did a Table of 8 at La Bonne Table, Hillcrest, a what a good table it is! First off let me say that walking into this place it's like walking into someone's cozy dining room. When you look at the windows, Kathe says: "You can almost picture (because of the type of windows they are, and because of what the inside feels like) the Eiffel Tower". I must say at that if you are going to eat authentic French food this my friend is the place to go. We start our meal with their French Onion Soup. "Delicious" says Sheri. Kathe says: "Very savory". TaraRachelle adds: " Rich and deep flavor". It's crusted with cheese on the outside of the bowl that you can peel off. The two chefs at the table say: "That's my favorite part"! We also add lobster and crab cakes they call Gillette's de Homard et Crabe. Steven says: "Very good". Kimberly says: "It's seasoned just right". Kathe agrees:"The crab is great". I think to myself: "How can you miss with lobster and crab"? The white wine we pair is a simple chablis. Last time, we had a Joseph Droughin Chardonnay. We love that one. Try it off of any menu. It will not disappoint! We alert Victor our waiter, (who is always more than helpful in helping us pick our food and wine) to uncork our Red Cabernet as we follow the fish with Cote de Pore, a bone in pork chop. Kimberly loves the pork chop. Kathe says: "I don't usually like pork chops, but the pork chop with caramelized onions and a mushroom sauce is moist and delicious". She adds as an afterthought: "With a touch of mustard". Obviously she has a very good palate to detect a hint of mustard. TaraRachelle chimes in: "Really, really good". Actually everyone enjoys both pork dishes. And I just can't figure it out. A French restaurant with two amazing pork dishes, one better than the next. Merci beaucoup Chef! We enjoy our Confit de Canard (duck). Sheri loves the duck with Brussel sprouts, and so do I.  I mostly a pork and fish girl when I eat protein that isn't vegetables. And they do an amazing job with it. Kimberly (our other chef at the table) agrees. Sheri says: "The Brussel sprouts melt in my mouth". Moules Frites, although they don't call it that, is unusual to be steamed in a quality Lobster Bisque. That's up next. Kathe says: "I like all the chefs' little surprises, like the tiny shrimp stuffed into the Mussels". So many people enjoy the Mussels. Jarett de pore, the other pork dish covers the most amazing whipped potatoes. Kathe says: "I'm gonna grab me some of those mashed potatoes", and she's right to do so because they go quickly. So delish. This is our last but not leastI notice that we still have some red in our glasses, so as a surprise, I order two different chocolate dishes that everyone enjoys: a mousse in a tall sundae glass and a chocolate cake, to pair with the wine. Elizabeth is vegetarian. Now where or when could or would you order vegetarian food at a French restaurant? La Bonne Table, of course! She loves the salad and the Potato Gratin (Gratin Dauphinois). She says: "The delicious cheese mix on the potatoes is beautiful". Everyone loves the cheese plate with pears. Apparently, the line that runs down the middle is ash, not blue cheese, (which we all think it is). Either way, it's a beautiful cheese. Elizabeth likes the cheese with bread and the Legumes Du Jour (Brussel Sprouts).  She adds: "And especially the bread" (we know both the bread and butter are imported from Los Angeles and I took both home with me). Yes! It is that good. We will probably go again before the year ends, to see what's new on the menu. I will say once again, this chef does not disappoint. It's good, everything is good, EVERY time. Consistency. I think that's the key to running a great restaurant. Don't miss this one! You can check in on San Diego Foodies or our Carlsbad Foodies (depending on where you live) to be a guest at our table! The only thing that is better than the food is ..... the company. You will love our members!  Best, Chef Marian read more

Like this place so much. Tried their restaurant week menu. Everything was so delicious! It is a hidden gem. Price was reasonable as well. read more

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Perfect cozy little date night bistro. I love LBT so much. Try the Duck Confit; won't order it anywhere else. Pork chop-perfection! I'm spoiled. Of course creme brûlée and chocolate mousse are wonderful. Did I mention French Onion Soup? Divine. Now I'm making myself hungry! Service is great, ambience is romantic and casually elegant. Guests are never rushed; reservations mandatory. read more

This place was fantastic. The food was wonderful and the service was sublime. Walking into the restaurant transported me to France itself. I look forward to returning! read more

Restaurant week was an outstanding value. We had reservations for an early dinner at 5 pm and the place was full. It's a small and quaint restaurant on a busy street corner in Hillcrest. I had the crab rillette, truite amandine, crepes suzette and Kir Royale. My meal was flavorful and light, but I felt very satisfied. The crab was fresh and I used it as a spread on the complementary and freshly made French bread. The trout was a generous serving. It was delicate and well balanced with butter and lemon and topped with asparagus and almonds. The crepes weren't overly sweet and a nice way to end a meal. The Kir Royale was slightly fruity and bubbly and the perfect French cocktail. Service was friendly and attentive. There are other menu items, such as the lobster bisque and pate, that I would like to try. read more

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I highly recommend this place!! We went for restaurant week and we're so glad we chose this place. This place has an intimate, cozy vibe. The place is small, so definitely recommend a reservation. We didn't have to wait at all when we got there. The service is impeccable. The waiter is very attentive and professional. Our water is always filled and they cleared all the dishes and utensils before our next course. The menu consists of 3 courses. We tried the lobster bisque and the rillette de crabe. The lobster bisque was light and had a nice nutty flavor. The crab was also light and tasty. A bit like a crab mayo salad. They gave bread along with our appetizers, and both the soup and crab paired well with the bread. The stars of the show were the entrees. We got the pork shank and the duck confit. They were generous with the portion sizes. When we saw the pork, it looked like a little meat fortress. Both the pork and duck had super soft meat. It was literally falling off the bones. We didn't even really need to use the knives. The flavor of the sauces was amazing and really enhanced the meat. Really recommend trying either. For dessert, we all tried something different. We got the crepe with orange sauce, the chocolate hazelnut cake, and the creme brulee. The orange flavor really enhanced the crepe and was nice and light, not overwhelming. The chocolate hazelnut was delectable with a nice crunch that kind of reminded me of ferrero rocher. We liked the creme brulee the least since it was a bit thinner and not as rich as we are used to for creme brulee. Overall, we had an amazing experience at this restaurant. Service and food were both very good. read more

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Very nice and classic French restaurant! It surprises us because it's pretty tiny indoors with only 8 tables and several bar seats. But you don't feel crowded and it's very cozy. The foods here are very delicious. We ordered French Onion Soup and Escargot for appetizers, Duck Confit for Entree and Bread & Butter as a side. All of the foods are very good, I recommend them all. The cocktails are very nice as well. My husband had two glasses of French 75 and I had a Kir Royal, both are great. read more

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A perfect french meal. Simple menu, but everything we had was absolutely perfect including, bread, water and champagne. Excellent service. A delightful spot for our 19th anniversary. We will be back. read more

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Did I really not review this charming restaurant with French bistro food so good you'll think the chef fly over from Paris in the morning? The place is tiny, in what must have been the front parlor of an actual house. Service was warm, welcoming yet unobtrusive. Every single thing we ordered was perfect, from the bread -crusty , chewy and warm; pate (country style with pistachios); endive-frisée salad that had a memorable vinaigrette - we cleaned that bowl right out; the duck confit on Brussels with mustard cream sauce. The confit skin was crispy, the meat tender with the fat rendered out. I would never have thought to pair duck confit with a savory sauce but it worked beautifully. We finished with crepes Suzette which were freshly made with the perfect orange sauce. Yum. The only drawback might be that if there is a big group (more than 4 people in this place), it can get loud. The evening we went in, all the tables of two and four tops were conversing with each other using their "inside voices " as my mom used to say. All good. But the party of 6 was so loud I thought they had 10 people over there. Minor quibble and one the restaurant can't control. I am still thinking of the entire meal with great appreciation. And figuring out when I can go back! read more

Sooo good. Went for my birthday, again, and we were all "Wow!" amazed by the beautiful and succulent pork chops we ordered. Always a special treat. read more

The food took a bit to come out so I started writing this review to kill time. I'll start with the bad. 1. Is there a bread shortage in San Diego that I'm unaware of? They said that "for now" they charge $3 per baguette. For the exorbitant prices you pay at this place you'd think they could cover a bread basket for the customers while they wait. I always feel like it's a slap in the face when I'm paying $$$ and restaurants at half the cost provide free bread. 2. The Sangria was absolute garbage. $14 for fruit punch with a bunch of ice. Do not order their drinks. Absolute rip-off. I was a sad potato for buying this. 3. I noticed they charge $3 to split the bill. This is getting ridiculous that these restaurants are so lazy. I used to work in the industry and I would split it 6 ways sometimes. Putting a maximum of 2/3 is understandable but come on. Living in California is already a joke with the taxes, don't slap our face with this. The good: 1. The customer service itself was fantastic. I really enjoyed our server! He also was apologetic as he told us about the bread situation. Not his fault but still was very nice about the situation and handled with grace. He was on top of filling waters and very attentive. 2. The food was delicious! I got french onion soup ($14) and the pork chops (around $30). They were incredible and I felt like these were all reasonably priced as well. I was absolutely blown away by the taste of it. The chef knows what he's doing. & That's it. The best part about eating out is the service/food so overall the experience was still great and worth 4 stars. read more

La Bonne Table - Pork Chops - French Near Me - San Diego, California

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Small little cafe. It had a weird smell though. Street parking. We tried the endive salad, escargots, lamb, mussels and potato gratin. Overall food is good but couldn't stand the odor. read more

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For our anniversary, Chun P made us a dinner reservation at La Bonne Table. It was a rainy, cool night, and stepping in the cozy entryway off Fifth Avenue, a sense of warmth and bonhomie filled the room. We were greeted with "Happy Anniversary" and were each handed a glass of complimentary champagne. It was restaurant week, so I selected the lobster bisque, trout almondine and hazelnut chocolate cake. Lobster bisque was sweet and exactly as expected. The trout was fresh, light and exceptional. The hazelnut chocolate cake was absolutely incredible, and after I gave Chun P a bite, I could tell he wanted to trade desserts (too bad, B!). Both of the servers we met were wonderful and welcoming. I'm really looking forward to coming back! Je t'aime La Bonne Table! read more

La Bonne Table - Trout - French Near Me - San Diego, California

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Atmosphere is cozy and serves is great, however food was underwhelming. I got the 'Moules a la Bisque de Homard' and my friend got the 'Cote de Porc Forestiere 36'. While both were fine, nothing to praise, it was not outstanding. My lobster bisque was lost in a sea of muscles making it very difficult to eat and overall rather flavourless. The duck was dry and overcooked and was beyond under seasoned. read more

The best French restaurant outside of France. Food and ambiance are absolutely fabulous!

All I have to say is fuego, fuego, fuego!. The food was incredibly delicious, I had the trout, frites and crème brûlée. Shout out to the chef 100000000000%. He back there doing his thing. 10/10 recommend. Service was awesome as well, very attentive, warm and welcome, and the atmosphere is cozy. Loved!! read more

Had one of the best meals I've ever had last night for Restaurant Week. The food and service was incredible. Their duck confit is world class, better than any we had in Paris. The chocolate mousse deserves special recognition as well. Service is always par excellence and the ambiance is like dining in someone's home. Can't wait to go back. read more

La Bonne Table - Duck Cassoulet - French Near Me - San Diego, California

Fantastic French restaurant in the heart of Hillcrest. The food here is phenomenal. I've enjoyed the salmon rillette, escargots, mussels, duck confit, trout, chocolate mousse, and crepes suizette. Honestly, everything has been fantastic. The stand outs in my opinion are the salmon rillette and chocolate mousse. I also love the herby buttery goodness of the sauce with the escargots and the incredibly fresh mussels soaked in delicious lobster bisque. The bisque had large chunks of sweet and tender lobster - delicious. In addition to the amazing food, the environment is lovely. The inside of the restaurant is small and very cozy, and they have a great little patio outside. The service is fantastic and it's easy to make reservations. read more

I went here last month for Restaurant Week with friend/fellow elite Tracie. She was so sweet and treated me for my birthday! We didn't have reservations but we were lucky to snag a table outside. We got to try the escargot which was absolutely delicious! It was cooked with a flaky buttery pastry on top which was to die for! For my main entrée I got the Steak Frites! It was a lot of food so I couldn't finish it in one sitting but the leftovers the next day tasted even better! For dessert we tried the crème brulée and chocolate mousse and both were super tasty! The inside was so cute! It looks like cozy house! Overall a great restaurant with delicious French food! Thank you Tracie! MWAH! read more

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Grateful to have finally dined here and celebrate my early birthday with my dear friend AnaMaria. We ate out on the small terrace and had the heater above on. You are sitting above the sidewalk so you have a nice view of the sidewalk and people watching. Parking is easy especially if you come to dine early at 5pm. We started with Les escargots in puff pasty drenched in butter, garlic and parsley. We each got our own because it's truly delicious. I think it's wise to share with another because it's rich. The baked snails came out perfect and tender. We ordered French bread which is an extra charge. delicious and crunchy. We had the French fries with parsley, deep fried well and flavorful. We both ordered the duck confit with Brussels sprouts over creamy mustard sauce. The duck was roasted to perfection, the meat was tender and coming off the bone and the skin crispy and crunchy to the bite . Everything was outstanding! We shared the mousse chocolat which was creamy and not overly sweet. Nice touch to end dinner with delicious coffee and meaningful conversations. Service was professional and attentive. Our waiter recognized my friend who often comes to eat here. Lovely dinner and you must come here with someone special. Warning; dishes are all delicious and rich. read more

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Very nice cozy little restaurant in San Diego serving authentic French cuisine. Great for a date night. Excellent food, good service, wonderful ambience. You won't be disappointed. read more

Thank you for the amazing French dinner experience in San Diego! Beautiful cozy restaurant with an incredibly attentive and friendly staff. The food was cooked to perfection and with TLC! My Steak melted in my mouth, the pork chop was flavorful and the duck thighs were devine. Highly recommended! read more

La Bonne Table - Confit du Canard, Steak Steak Et Frites, pork chops - French Near Me - San Diego, California

We came for Restaurant Week. 5/5 stars for French onion soup. Delicious, rich, fresh, piping hot, cheese melted over the side of the large bowl. 4/5 stars for escargo: We like lots of butter and that didn't happen here. I wanted to dip my bread in there. While we appreciate the little cute muffin like tops on the escargo--nice touch visually and different. 4/5 steak frites: It was good, juicy, tender. Service was on the slow side but I guess good food takes time. Small restaurant but cute. read more

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This restaurant was a beautiful experience! My mother wanted something French and we found this quaint, charming place. It was much smaller than I had anticipated but that quality contributed to its charm and intimacy. This really feels like the place you'd go on a nice, relaxed date or meetup with a friend. I've never eaten in a restaurant that served beautiful fancy food and still maintained an air of cozy casualness. We ordered 3 starters: the french onion soup, escargot, and salmon. The french onion soup was beautiful with the gruyere crispy and stretchy and melting over the side. The soup itself was just the right savoriness and tasted delightful, though I wouldn't say it was extraordinary. The escargot with puff pastry was also tasty. The puff pastry is delightfully light and crisp and really helps balance the green almost pesto-y garlic butter. Dipping the bread in the little wells to sop up the rest of the butter is also so satisfying. The salmon is the only thing I would have passed on. It was a kind of slab of poached and smoked salmon with a sour cream/yogurt type sauce. It really just tasted like smoked salmon to me and I wasn't too impressed. For entrees we ordered the pork chop, mussels in lobster sauce, and trout. I really loved the pork chop - the meat was tender and delicious with the mushroom sauce and really satisfying to cut for some reason. This is a really hefty portion and definitely enough to share with someone. The potatoes were also very tasty and cheesy. I wish there were more mushrooms though, they were a great change in texture and taste from the meat. The mussels were good and there are a lot of them! The mussels were plump and tender and there's some lobster mixed in, though the lobster was a bit chewy and nothing special. I also loved the sauce. The fries that come with it are also really tasty and potato-y without feeling too greasy or intense. The trout was a very healthy option as it comes with asparagus and almonds and lemon drizzle. Very light and refreshing. There are some bones in it though so be careful! For dessert we also had the creme brulee, which is probably one of the best I've had as it's not too sweet. Definitely recommend it if you want something to finish off your meal! It did take a while to get all our food. We were probably there a good 2 hours and I'm not sure if they're intentionally slower to make it feel more relaxed, or if it just takes a while to make the dishes. All of this + a glass of wine came out to about ~$150 for 3 people which is not bad for the quality of food! read more

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My husband and I came here during our trip to San Diego, it is such a hidden gem! Hands down our favorite restaurant that trip and we tried quite a few. The restaurant itself is charming and quaint and brings you back to France. The service was above and beyond in their attention to you and how well and kind they are. My husband is French and said this was the best and most authentic French food he has had in the US. I got the cassoulet and he got the duck confit and both blew us away. We were so surprised by the portion size. Usually restaurants give you one duck leg when you order duck confit but this one came with two. Their cocktails are also delicious. We loved both the Kir Royale and French 75, so refreshing. Will definitely be going there again the next time we're in San Diego! read more

La Bonne Table - The interior and bar area - French Near Me - San Diego, California

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Overall I had very high expectations for this restaurant, small but cute and the ambiance is enjoyable. The host was very kind to set a late notice reservation over the phone for us which I felt gracious for. However, the food is the reason I have to give this place 2 stars, we ordered a total of 4 dishes each not satisfactory at all. To start we had the Bone Marrow ( Os a Moello ) & French Onion Soup ( Soups a l'oigon ) The Os a Moello was simply over the top, too oily, too greasy, too salty, too buttery. The bread needed less seasoning and less butter to contrast the strong taste of the bone marrow covered with salt on bone rim. Unfortunately because of this the dish was overwhelming. The Soups a l'oigon ( French Onion Soup ) was the exact opposite, literally little to no flavor .... The Steak Frites was what got my hopes up and I was even willing to disregard the first two starters... However, the steak was juicy but again little to no flavor. I felt as though I could have went to a local sprouts and got a ribeye steak put a sprinkle of salt and cooked it and it would taste better . The fries were terrible , how could such a simple dish be ruined ? Any fast food restaurant could pull off a better set of fries... they had such a strange taste at one point it tasted like cardboard. The gravy was okay but really didn't elevate the dish. Finally, my partner had the Cote de Porc Forestiere, This pork chop was decent perhaps a 6.5/10 some flavor nothing special. Unfortunately, due to the food being quite bad we took it to go, later we found out that the pork chop was not fully cooked in the center when reheating it to eat again. Overall our experience was pretty bad and will not return , I advise others to not come simply because the price to flavor ratio is so bad, paying $43 for a below average steak is disappointing, I even hesitated to tell my server to take off our entrees... even to the wine that our server recommended was foul smelt like nail polish remover.... I say save your money and explore other restaurants in balboa. read more

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We had a wonderful time at this small, intimate eatery in Hillcrest. The staff was engaging and attentive. Our meals were excellent, as was my martini. We sat on the outside porch, and I felt like I was dining in someone's home. It was a meal but more. We had a fine dining experience that was like traveling to another country. read more

Love it here. It's hands down my favorite French restaurant in SD. It's so quaint and the food is amazing.

Cute, cozy ambiance with amazing food. Escargots amazing. Attentive service, kir and other amazing cocktails as well! Great date spot !

Great restaurant and great food and good ambience. Prices fair good portions. French Onion soup was so good. The crepes was so yummy. Will come back again and again. Love this part of San Diego the neighborhood. read more

La Bonne Table - Inside just like a French Château. - French Near Me - San Diego, California

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Wow. Just wow is all I have to say. Service and food were amazing. Duck confit was truly one of the best ever. Also got the steak frites and they were awesome but the duck just blew us away. read more