This was definitely five stars because there wasn't a single thing that wasn't fantastic here. The view, the service, the ambiance and the food. It's as good as it gets! We got there for an earlier dinner seating on a Saturday night so we had a beautiful table by the glass outside and got to watch the gorgeous sunset - so beautiful! Our server (Coop or Cooper?) was really nice, helpful and had a great personality. The drinks were good and then the food. Ok...I need the crispy Brussel sprouts recipe because those were to DIE for! I don't think I've ever had better Brussel sprouts. The hamachi was fresh and delicious and the shrimp cocktail was really generous and yummy. We will most likely become regulars here. You gotta try this place!! read more

I've been coming to this place for over four years now, and my family also loves this place. They've switched up the menu a little bit lately, which is still great. I usually order the breakfast burrito as that is my go to. The staff is really friendly here and offers good service. Love the atmosphere and the view! read more

Fabulous food, great customer service with an amazing view

A quintessential San Diego experience is dining with a view of the ocean and Pacifica Del Mar offer a meal with a peak at the ocean. Food - Decent, not remarkable. But they do have a good selection, especially if you enjoy seafood. Ambience - offers a peak at the ocean if you are seated on the patio. The atmosphere is vibrant and dressy casual is recommended. Service - slow but friendly and not much of a bother since the bread keeps your tummy quiet till the meal arrives. Value - pricey ($$$) yet sizeable portions This is a great place to go if you are to meet someone, especially out of towners, over lunch or dinner. Great time to go is during lunch since you can actually see the water as you munch in daylight. read more

Good place for business meals - decent wine list. Beware of the seats by the plexi-glass - you will get a sunburn for sure!

This place was really fantastic. I had the salmon, cooked medium rare, and it was so moist and delicious, absolutely perfect! It came with mashed potatoes and beans which were great compliments. We sat on the patio and had an amazing ocean view. Parking is free is the garage when you have it validated by the host. Our server was incredibly friendly, attentive, and she even pointed out menu options that saved us money! We got there before 6pm and they have dinner specials for around $21, which gives you the same dinner and sides, plus lets you add a salad. I definitely recommend this classy restaurant and if you can make it before 6pm you will find amazing deals on excellent food. read more

The food was delicious but we went on a very busy night and the service was slow. Will try it again for sure.

Management asked us to give them another try so we did. Recommend their crab cakes and their desserts. Delicious. Portabella sandwich looked good- will try that another time. read more

A upscale resturant locate in the mall. I had try their slow-cooked scootish king salmo served with ginger-soy marinade, snow pea-shitake mushroom stir fry, sake steamed white rice. Excellent touch. Best dish ever.... read more

I have been living in San Diego for 11 years and have gone to Pacifica many times. However, the last 4 times we have gone, there has been a constant decline in food quality. Unless you only care about the wonderful patio and the great view, I wouldn't go there. Last night we had 3 different dishes, meat, fish, and pasta. Neither of those were good. the pasta was probably the worst, tasted like a can of tomato sauce poured over some noodles with some cold shrimps..... My wife said the meat was terrible as well... Anyway, for more than $30 a plate, one should do better..... My humble opinion.... read more

I ate dinner at the Pacifica Del Mar (Del Mar, CA) this week. To start, I had Japanese Clam Chowder - which was a brown clam chowder, with a generous amount of clams and with water chestnuts and other vegetables that provided an interesting crunchiness. Very tasty. I also had the Dungeness Crab Cake appetizer, which was served with a roasted-pepper romesco sauce. It was delicious - with a good crab flavor and texture (and not heavy on breadcrumbs). For the main course, I had the Sugar-Spiced Salmon, which was served on garlic mashed potatoes with mustard sauce, some kind of white beans, and caramelized cippolini onions. The sugar made the salmon a little sweet, but this was balanced well by the mild spices. The fish was cooked perfectly, and had a great flavor and texture. For dessert, I had Crème Brulee, which I enjoyed - it had a good flavor and smooth, creamy consistency. The service was good and the ambiance was fine. A great meal, and I'd be happy return when back in this area. read more

Fun happy hour with good deals! I would recommend a visit. It gets very busy during track season.

I 100% ditto Robin L.'s comment below. The customer service here blows chunks. I had an 11:30AM reservation for today, Father's Day. With 2 little kids, double stroller, grandma, & proud Father in tow, we all managed to get checked-in at the restaurant at 11:25. I stood right outside the door within direct eye's view of the 2 hostesses so that they would not forget us, while also not wanting to obstruct the patrons' flow of foot traffic with our wide stroller. I knew things were going wrong the second I checked-in. The older looking hostess (you know who you are, you were wearing the peach/pink & black color block chevron/zig zag shirt) immediately confused me for another party of 6 under the name "Christine" or something when I was checking-in for my party of 4 and a high chair. 18 minutes later, and about 5 parties of people who have already checked-in after me and had been seated, I go in to get an update on my reservation. The same older looking hostess says, "Hi, are you here to check-in?" HELLO. I WAS JUST HERE 18 MINUTES AGO TO CHECK-IN the first time around. She looks at her computer and says, "Oh, it'll be ready in 2 minutes." We were finally seated after 23 minutes, keeping in mind that about 7 parties have now been seated ahead of us with later reservation times. I counted. I reserved via Open Table and specifically requested a high chair for my 1-year old which apparently confused the heck out of the younger hostess who asked my husband about 3x how many people are in our party...how many menus do you need...is that 4 and a high chair or 5? Let's not forget the classy customer service that is the rolling of the eyes from the older hostess. After I get frustrated and check-in on my reservation the second time around, the hostess has the audacity to roll her eyes at me in front of another customer who's waiting. My mom observes this and later calls the old hostess out. She says oh it was nothing. My mom didn't tell me this incident until long after we paid the bill and came back home. The food was alright. The waitress was sweet. The view was nice. But seriously, hey you, the people who man the front desk, who's impression we are immediately left with as we enter and exit the business: BE NICE. BE GRACIOUS. AND DON'T EVER EXPECT ME OR FRIENDS THEREIN TO RETURN. Karma's a bitch. read more

My wife and I enjoy coming here for romantic dinners. It isn't cheap, but the food and atmosphere make it worth it.

Enjoyed date night with my husband. Sea views, nice cosy atmosphere. The Passion Martini $7 is fantastic, I could have drunk them all night. Tangerine Martini (recommended by another reviewer) was comparatively bland. Grapefruit Martini is nice too (better than Tangerine but not as good as Passion). We shared the crabcakes to start (another reviewer complained about lack of filling but we found them to be very tasty). DH had a tasty piece of Sea Bass. I had a thick slab of perfectly cooked Swordfish. We shared a Chocolate Bonbon to finish. This is basically a fancy choc-ice and very nice too! read more

Amazing!!!! We searched and searched for a reasonable place to host a rehearsal dinner for 60 guests around the Del Mar / La Jolla area. Boy did we choose right!!! The restaurant itself is comfortable yet elegant, the printed menus were beautiful, the service could not have been better, the room we were in was separate from other guests, yet we still had an incredible view, and the food was delicious! The bakery did not deliver the groom's cake and claimed not to have a record of the order, normally this would be a huge disappointment, yet the restaurant staff at Pacifica went above and beyond to correct the problem. Amber actually went to the bakery and returned with a cake as close to the original order as possible. Amber was very professional, easy to plan with, and extremely accommodating for our large group. All of our guests had an over the top memorable evening. It simply could not have been any better!!!! 5+++ read more

Once again, and I didn't mean to, but I ordered the most expensive item on the menu, the filet. It came hot, perfectly cooked and medium rare, with two with a potato mixture covered with onion curls. I JUMPED on the steak before anything else. I sliced it thin and tasted it. It was TERRIBLE! This had to be wrong! This steak simply looked perfect. I couldn't finish it. There was a thin charcoal crust on both sides. My wife could smell it from next to me. I left about half of it behind. We advised the waiter. He apologized and immediately advised that there would be no charge for the meal. The manager soon came over insisted we share a desert he had made up for us. On the house. The place is a ten. If something isn't. Just tell them. They will make it that way. read more

OMG! I love this place. This is my second time eating there with friends, and I could not have asked for a better eating experience. So far, I have had the crispy calamari and angus burger. The drinks are just as tasty. And the view of the Pacific is to die for. If you ever have a chance to go to Del Mar, CA, you have got to try this place. read more

I have been in awe of this restaurant for years, it is by far the best fusion salad I have ever tasted, the ambiance is one of the nicest I have ever been too and I really suggest you get there, fish is awesome as well. ITmentorapps.com/mike Mike McDaniel read more

Nice service, good menu, lovely views. Thursdays are half-price wine nights so that's a bonus. The salmon is really good. It's their signature dish so if you're a salmon eater, go for it. We liked the tuna and hamachi (raw) as well. read more

My wife and I had a very pleasant brunch. It was well presented and quite delectable. The service was quite efficient and not overly "friendly" as in many other establishments favoring the "slap on the back" approach. In all we had a very pleasnt time. Thank you. read more

We enjoyed the view, on yes there was food too. The food was fabulous. We started with an appetizer...Oysters on the Half Shell - it was presented with wasabi cocktail sauce, spicy is always a plus for us! We then indulged in the Seared Ahi, served rare. Great dining experience! read more

Have been coming here for years because of the great food and wonderful ocean views. However on Wednesdays they have a fantastic deal - all night long $6 for any gin or vodka drink, any brand, any way you want it. With over 200 vodkas to choose from I've been taste tasting every week. read more

My husband and I had our wedding reception at Pacifica. Amber was a joy to work with in helping coordinate all of the details. We reached out many times before our big day, and the staff accommodated several meetings and phone calls. Paul was the lead server during our reception and everything ran perfect. The food was excellent and the staff was fantastic! Our evening was perfect! Thank you Pacifica! read more

Pacifica has a great Wednesday night happy hour - reduced pricing on martinis.

Took my boyfriend here for his birthday this past December and it was great from start to finish. I made a reservation online and noted I would prefer a window table and mentioned it was a birthday dinner. They sat us in a perfect location and brought a free dessert. To me, this means they read each request from their online booking system (which is a third party). The food was stellar and well worth the money. San Diego has a lot of great restaurants but I wanted to get out of downtown/Hillcrest/North Park and try something new....so glad I did! Would love to come back during the summer to get that ocean view. read more

Overpriced and underwhelming. Service was poor. Waiter was dismissive and tried to rush us through the meal. Food was not high quality. Would not recommend. Update: Pacifica management made an earnest effort to mitigate a poor dining experience by acknowledging our concerns. They reached out and tried to win back a customer. Kudos to Pacifica. We will certainly come back. read more

Went in for dinner last week for the first time. I was blown away by the food. Originally, I just went in to try some appetizers and margaritas, but ended up ordering halibut, dessert, the works (that could of been due to the ridiculously strong margarita that had me buzzed 1/3 of the way through it...). Great halibut. My friend had the Ahi -- and said it was amazing. Personally, I don't eat anything raw. The calamari was great, and since I was cheating on my low carb diet, I also sampled the rosemary bread. Ahhhhh. I think I found my new favorite happy hour spot. read more

My wife and I just tried this place for the first time. We got there a little earlier than our reservation and got seated right away even though it seemed busy. The service was great. Our waiter knew the menu well and gave great recommendations. The food was great and the cocktail list was filled with unique drinks. We had oysters for an appetizer I had a atlantic sea scallops and tiger prawns. All were perfect. We had a crushed ginger martini from the bar and it rocked. Super busy night, it took a little long to get out our entrees, but we were there to relax and not on a time crunch so it wasn't a big deal read more

The food was great and the ocean view unparalleled. We stopped by for lunch and started with soup. I had the White Corn Chowder with Clam followed by the Angus Burger, while my wife had the Japanese Clam Chowder and the Rare Ahi Salad. The meals were done to perfection. A special treat was the ginger scallion vinaigrette that came with the Ahi. We could tell that a real chef is behind the scenes here, and everything from seating to service to dining was perfect. A good tip is to dine upstairs, as the casual grill is on the first level. read more

A bit pricey, but worth it. Pacifica has professionally trained staff, nicely prepared dishes and excellent water views. The wine list is the only weak spot. The addition of a sommelier would pay big dividends in my opinion. read more

I have been here once. I actually took my ex girlfriend on a first date to here. Good ol' times... Anyways, mood and ambience were very nice. Our server was helpful and food tasted really nice. It's in the Del Mar Plaza. Great location. You can actually see the ocean if it's not dark outside. Nice place to take someone for a good impression. read more

I highly recommend their sugar spiced salmon and pretty much anything else on the menu. Is there calamari is delicious and the service is tremendous. If you cannot be put into words and with a deadly combination like this, this place is doing it right. Elie the manager is a top notch individual and very accommodating. They are lucky to have him. Enjoy a drink at the bar before lunch or dinner as long as you're not working but i'm not your boss and be ready for a treat. read more

The seafood and views are amazing! It's not stuffy and pretentious but more elegant and fun. It's a great atmosphere and great customer service. I have also been to the one in Palm Desert with my Girls - loved it! read more

My husband and I chose to have dinner at this restaurant because I had read such good reviews about it. The staff was friendly and very attentive, but the food was not what I expected. My husband ordered the crab cakes ($13 or $14) and although they were pretty good they each were a little smaller than a golf ball. I ordered the mussels. The portion was generous, but what I got was mussels drowning in curry sauce with ground beef. Definitely not a good combination!!! For entree I had the pan-fried sea bass and my husband had the mahi-mahi. We had to switch plates since my fish was mostly rare. My husband couldn't eat half of it and said that the outside was crispy, but the inside was just too bland. Even the curry sauce that came with it couldn't save the flavor. The $26 mahi-mahi was just okay. We also had dessert, the trio sampler and it was probably the best thing we had all night, though that really doesn't say much. After paying over $125 on this dinner we don't plan on coming back. read more

Three stars for the food and location with nice view of the ocean. The first visit was great and food was awesome and service was all right. The second visit was on opening day in the afternoon and wanted to have an early dinner here. But first you must pay a $25 cover fee which includes two drink tickets. Seriously, what if I don't want to drink alcohol? What if I had a child with me? Or my grandparents who want to enjoy a nice meal? And $25 is almost enough to buy drinks anyways and we are there to eat and of course buy drinks that would cost more than $50. The restaurant was not even busy the time I went and most of the opening day crowds were still at the race. What are you a Vegas night club? Idk I thought it was bizarre to charge a cover fee to have dinner here just because of Opening Day regardless you'll be making money without cover. Third time I went for drinks and apps on a Sunday evening and was able to snag a table at the patio, great! But then the ambience was not as wonderful as I was hoping for. The housewives of Del Mar brought their little dogs that barked the entire time they were there vs another couple who had a nice chill dog that didn't make a peep. Super annoying. For the area and location I don't think it should be pet friendly... don't get me wrong I like dogs but this is not the type of establishment to bring pets. On top of that service was super crummy. Shoot I wanted dessert on first and third visits, was never offered! I see good reviews from my friends on here, but that was years ago. So, something happened.... Just because you have a 4 star review doesn't mean you stop providing exceptional service for us to come back as regulars and tell our friends about Pacifica. My BF even made a comment to the waitress and told her that her quality of service was lousy and he does not yelp and I was like OMG he is putting her on the spot. After that she brought out the check and walked off, came back asked if he wanted another drink? LOL seriously you just handed us the check and we already paid. Come on get it together! Pretty much don't judge a book by its cover, picking, and choosing who you want to be nice too because you think they have a fat wallet and hoping for a nice tip. That was the impression I got from observing the wait staff. I felt like I was watching scenes from Bar Rescue. read more

This place really disappointed me, I ordered the pesto pasta, those are the smallest rock shrimp I have ever seen! I think the Salmon that was ordered by my in laws was the best thing of the night. The salad was meh and the best part of the night is the beach scenery! read more

Excellent food and service. The wine list is great as well. I definitely recommend it!

As a returning loyal customer, I was very disappointed in our last visit. We often order the same dishes. The Japanese clam chowder & baked oysters are excellent. However, they are only excellent if they come out hot. The oysters at $18 for six were served barely room temperature. We may have asked them to reheat but our server did not come by to ask how our food was or if we needed anything else. We did ask for water when our food was served which never came. We came in at 2:00 pm for lunch so it's not like it was busy. It was a very long wait both for our food & our check. This visit was not up to the usual standards. Enough of the bad review; the chowder was delicious & piping hot. read more

This is my absolutely favorite restaurant! You can always rely on receiving consistently perfect service and fresh, high quality food. I love the view and the atmosphere too. Can't say enough about how much I love Pacifica. From the amazing wine list to the fresh and perfectly cooked seafood, it just doesn't get any better than this. read more