A luxury movie experience one needs every now and then, this THE LOT location in LJ with upscale, clean, and comfortable environs perfect for serving that desire. The Lot is very unique in that they not only serve as a movie theater, but have a full-service dinner and bar area as well. Adjoining ASA Bakery is also on-site, serving creative, too-pretty-to-eat pastries and matcha drinks. Honestly, the $24 price tag for a movie experience might seem steep, but other movies theaters are in and around that price anyways. At The Lot, at least you're getting comfortable, plush seats, a seemingly private viewing experience with your partner in your recline-ready love seat, food and drink wait service at your seat (if you desire it), and superb picture with okay enough sound. On that note, some cons: -We recently watched The Odyssey and some of the scenes were blaringly LOUD to the point where my ears felt like they could bleed. They do not divulge their sound system either, only that it's "high-end". The sound could definitely use better balance. -Mentioned love seats are very apparent upon booking now, making selection easy with no confusion. The theaters do cater to them so if you're in a group, you'll feel far from them. -Try as we might to pay in person, we could not avoid the service fee applied to all sales. Service fees are my biggest gripe, enough to teeter this rating. The atmosphere though is rather spectacular, so some things are to be ignored. -No true matinee prices unless you're a member. $20-22, otherwise, on Wednesday's for non-members. read more

I really enjoy the experience of The Lot, but between this location and the one on Liberty Station, the service always leaves something to be desired. Each visit (three separate occasions), something I've ordered was either forgotten or brought out very late. On this particular visit (Fri, July 3rd), I went to see a movie for my birthday. Unfortunately, due to public transportation, I was unable to make it to the theater as early as I wanted. My movie started @ 1:30, but I didn't make it inside until about 1:40 or so. The trailers were still playing, but the lights were off inside and the other guests seemed to already have their food/drinks. So, I attribute some of the mishap to that. However, there were less than ten people in the theater. So, keep that in mind as well. I ordered poke nachos, a popcorn, and a soda. Pretty simple order, right? My "host" brought out the popcorn + drink pretty swiftly. The popcorn tasted stale, just like another time I'd visited. Even though I'm pretty sure their 1:30 movies are their first showing. About halfway through the movie, I pressed the call button because I still hadn't received my nachos. The host said, "They might be ready now. Let me check." Translation: "I forgot them." That was pretty annoying. Especially as this is the third time something like this has occurred at The Lot. And I've only been three times in total. Luckily, the popcorn was free because it was my birthday, which I had to remind the host twice before he tried charging me. Do not order it unless you enjoy stale popcorn. The nachos and ginger ale were tasty, though. Overall, the vibe/setup is nice for viewing films. I only which the service and attention to detail was better. read more

My boyfriend and I recently caught a movie at The Lot in La Jolla, and overall it was a great experience. We arrived around 6 p.m. and had no trouble finding parking in the garage, which was a huge plus. Even better, parking is validated when you see a movie there. The theater itself is beautiful, with a restaurant, bar, indoor-outdoor lounge area, and a cute concession stand that makes it feel much more upscale than your average movie theater. After scanning our tickets, we went straight to our auditorium where we could order food either through a waitress or by using a QR code. I appreciated that they offer both paper menus and digital ordering options. The ordering app was incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate. While some menu prices felt a little steep (around $20 for a hot dog or kids meal), the food itself was delicious. I ordered the BBQ chicken pizza and a Coke Icee. The Icee was a little more slushy than icy, but that was my only minor complaint. The theater was extremely clean, spacious, and comfortable. The reclining seats were great, and there was plenty of room between guests so you never felt crowded. One tip: bring a sweater or wear pants because it gets chilly inside, and the leather seats can feel a little cold and uncomfy against bare skin. Overall, The Lot delivers a premium movie-going experience, and I'd definitely recommend it for a fun date night or a special trip to the movies. read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Lay flat reclining seats - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

The food here was OK. The service was fantastic. The ambience was the best comfy chairs feet up a table to put your sliders and your fries. Will be back we saw Michael Jackson. It was amazing what a sweet man. read more

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The Lot in La Jolla is a complex which houses many theaters to watch movies. They validate four hours free parking on the street level and subterranean parking, the later offers limited spaces, so you can street parking too. Since the Covid pandemic I haven't frequented going to a movie theater to watch movies. Also, because my movie watching experience is nice and in the comfort of my own place with a 85" tv, my own leather recliner and access to lots of streaming movies with a touch of a button. I recently rewatched Devil wears Prada part 1 and wanted to see part 2 and not have to wait for it to show on streaming because it will take a long while. The movie was very entertaining and if you haven't watched it, I suggest you rewatch part 1, because it has been 20 years since! The bathroom facilities were clean with everything touchless, but the hand soap dispensers were on the blink and perhaps need batteries. Staff were courteous and helpful and efficient. There was no long wait for anything I ordered. The Lot theater where I watched this movie was smaller than expected and the seats weren't situated optimally because a few rows ahead of mine, a viewer's head blocked some parts of the screen when he was sitting up and not reclined down. The leather seats were wide and spacious, reclining feature did recline pretty low but not flat 180. The call attendant button feature is great; it's table service: you can order food and drinks. The menu includes burgers, fries, pizza, popcorn, hotdogs. Drinks including FIJI bottled water, sodas and alcoholic beverages... all served during the movie is very convenient. The LOT is the closest movie theater to me and for the sake of convenience I would return and recommend it. read more

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Crunchy Cashew Salad $26. Before I ordered I asked the waiter if it was spicy. He said no. Hardly any cashews so it shouldn't be called a chicken cashew salad. And the chicken had a hot spice on it I wasn't able to eat it. Very disappointed. I told the waiter he said it wasn't spicy but I wasn't able to eat it. He said do you want me to add more lettuce to it? Do you want another salad, he was so I'm a hurry, I didn't know the menu, we had a large group from celebration of life, so I said never mind. I know he was busy but we were the only customers in the restaurant. He should have been more compassionate than defensive and rushed. My first time coming here and more likely the last. The price was outrageous for this small plate of lettuce, and the lettuce was not fresh as you could see browning on the edge. read more

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I've been here quite a few times and I like it. It's pretty much the price of an AMC ticket, so I'd rather come to the LOT! It's just a couple dollars more, but you'll have a more enjoyable experience. The seats are super comfy and I like the convenience of being able to order right from your seat. You can pay in the moment or keep the tab open. The staff taking orders can feel a bit rushed due to the high volume of orders, but everything still runs smoothly and the food comes out faster than expected. As for the food, it's okay. I've tried the fries, poke nachos, chicken strips, and popcorn. Dipping sauces are mid, but the BBQ is good. I'd still be open to trying other items, but I'm a little hesitant. They used to have sweet potato fries which were my faveee. Sad to see they took them off the menu. The charges add up quickly and to be honest the food doesn't stick out to me. I was expecting more from the poke nachos the wonton chips and flavor are good, but the ahi didn't taste very fresh or best quality. I've also had dinner at the restaurant before, but I can't recall the order. I just know I didn't love it. Coffee is good! I usually add a shot and the service at the coffee shop has always been friendly. The bathrooms have been a bit dirty most time I've gone. On the plus side, they validate parking up to 4 hours, which is really nice since street parking in the area can at times be a pain. All in all, worth checking out for the convenience, memorable experience, casual date night or family time. read more

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Heard about both locations about THE LOT and wanted to try a different movie theater experience from my usual theater! Upon arrival, you see the huge restaurant space through the glass window panes. If you walk a little past the restaurant up the stairs, the theater is on the right hand side. The restaurant/bar connects to the theater. The customer service is courteous, however, the theater from the previous showing was still closed for cleaning fifteen minutes before our next show time. I also wanted to grab popcorn, but only one person was away from the concession stand for awhile. To grab a drink, we also went to the bar to try their seasonal Cooling Ash. It would be helpful to know what goes in the cocktail, otherwise it was a light drink. You can order food for your movie with the QR codes at your seats as well! I thought this way to combine a restaurant and theater together is a good idea, however, can quickly elevate the cost. I do think it is worth it for the reclining seats and luxury feel for the movies, though and I liked my experience! read more

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Came to watch a screening of an old classic movie, The Land Before Time. Our waiter in the theatre Brett was great and very nice. We ordered chicken tenders with fries, pretzel bites, and salt and vinegar popcorn. We also sat in a reclining love seat. Overall the experience was good. Food was average, popcorn was phenomenal (if you remotely like salt and vinegar the popcorn is so worth it), the seats were comfy and perfect, and staff was kind. The bathrooms were kind of dirty and 2 of the 3 soap dispensers were out of soap. We came pretty early so I was surprised. But really enjoyed the cheap movie and fun experience. read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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What an enjoyable experience. Everything was so easy and accessible. We sat comfortably on recliners and watched the Mario Movie. The theater was clean and cozy. The attendants greeted us promptly and let us know they were available by pressing a button on the recliners. There's free parking (4 hours) under the venue and in the parking lot. We'll definitely be returning. read more

This was my second time visiting this movie theater and both experiences have been great. The theater itself is nice and well-maintained, and there's convenient parking available nearby, which is always a plus. If you arrive a little early you can enjoy drinks and food at the restaurant, and they'll help you take your food in the theater before the movie starts. We ordered the turkey club, pretzel bites, and the BBQ chicken flatbread, and everything was delicious. The service was also excellent as well. Overall, it's a great spot to catch a movie and enjoy good food. I'll definitely be back! read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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The Lot & Zentrl Kitchen & Bar I came here today with colleagues to watch Hamnet. We were in theater 2 - row F. The seats are super comfortable and they, of course, recline. The theater looks very nice even though it hasn't been updated much in over 10 years, but for the most part, it looks modern and better than most other theaters. The service was helpful & efficient although she did speak at regular volume when she was taking & checking on orders during the film which was a little surprising. I had the Daou Rose & pretzel bites to share. Both were good. The screen and sound quality are excellent. However, we were shown over 25 minutes of previews & commercials though which was a bit much. Hamnet was excellent. Our whole row was crying because the film was so moving. I'm very glad that I was able to see it at The Lot. We also had a reservation at Zentrl for dinner. Since we'd had snacks in the theater, we mostly had light bites like the tortilla soup, Caesar salad, & poke bowls. I was the outlier and ordered Miso Salmon. I asked for it to be well done, and it was. It was also the last dish to arrive. The fish was well-done but nothing else about the dish made sense. I could not see what the vision was behind it. The salmon tasted plain, I could discern no miso flavor whatsoever. Guacamole, carrots, forbidden rice with an odd coconut profile, and a boatload of shishito peppers piled up in a lukewarm mess. Supposedly Zentrl is California Asian-fusion with Mexican flavor, but honestly & sadly, this dish did not work for me at all. Everyone else enjoyed their food a lot & the company & the service were very pleasant. read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Hamnet poster - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Great movie experience. Comfortable seats and great dinner service. Restaurant afterwards was great for deserts. Everything looks very high end and well maintained. Definitely recommend. read more

Such a disappointing service here. Showed up early for a 10pm showing so that we could order food without being too close to the cutoff time. Was ignored by the two servers at first so i sent my partner out to ask for water. More people came in after us, and every person was approached for last call except for me and my partner. Im not sure if this was an act of discrimination due to being a person of color, or just poor service, but it felt really crappy being looked past the entire time, we were there to spend a lot of money and have a nice night. It was my first night out since getting surgery and i was really upset that we had to leave before the movie started. Shoutout to the younger woman who was able to give me a refund and acknowledge that it was messed up that we were treated that way. read more

Clean, high-end, comfortable chairs, reasonable quality and price when you want to splurge on junk foods and fried foods. My husband and I come here frequently for date night. It's our favorite theater in San Diego. Other luxury theaters such as Cinépolis in Del Mar have gone down hill with dirty theaters, worn out chairs and poor food quality. The Lot, however, always rises above and beyond our expectations. read more

I love watching movies at THE LOT! The comfortability is unmatched!! My family and I went and watched The Odyssey last night. The reason for the 3 stars is because we ordered buttered popcorn which we were very excited about and the popcorn was extremely cold, stale, and was not buttery at all. How is that even possible? Also, ordered a cherry Icee which is usually my favorite drink and it tasted like straight up cherry cough syrup. SAD!! read more

I love The Lot, but this location really disappointed me. The women's restroom was extremely dirty honestly it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. There was dust, grime, and it just felt unsanitary. I hope management pays more attention to cleanliness. read more

i come here a lot and love to watch movies & get a drink/bite! want to give a small critique on my recent experience though. i attended a movie showing and ordered the salmon lime bowl ($27) which was said to include guac. the bowl itself was good but i was a bit disappointed as there was quite literally one small spoonful of guac and for the price i would have expected more. it also was just salmon, rice, beans, and tiny bit of guac, would have been nice to have some other veggies / components to the bowl instead of so much rice/beans. the overall portion of the bowl was very filling though. my only other bone to pick would be that sometimes the theaters have kind of an accumulated scent of fried food and chicken that isn't super pleasant, it would be nice if they had more air filtration or something that would make the theaters smell a bit nicer. being nit picky here but i've noticed it every time i've gone. love the lot and will definitely come here again soon just wanted to give my two cents :) read more

Comfort of seats and the ambiance was absolutely incredible! Super clean and great value to watch a show. Will definitely be back. Was looking forward to the chicken tendies, but not great coming from the restaurant within the theater/bar. Food took 30 mins to get; however, the in-seat service was outstanding. read more

The LOT La Jolla is the BEST place in San Diego to watch a movie. I live closer to the one in Liberty station and prefer to come to this one instead. If you're looking for a luxury movie experience, this is it! It's clean, has reclining seats, clean bathrooms, button service to order stuff during the movie, etc! After having many unfortunate experiences in an AMC, I come here instead. Yes it's pricey, but worth it! Food is PRICEY though - although it does have large potions and meals are definitely shareable. From my last experience, food was overly salty and I couldn't finish it (had the poke nachos). GF Lava cake was pretty good although I was not a fan of the berry sauce. They serve cocktails, coffee, etc. Suggestions: My wish for this place is that I wish there was an option to order all 3 flavors of popcorn (so I can try all them!!) that would be such a cool meal deal. I also wish for this place to have Coke Zero! read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Combo - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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This is a review specifically for The Lot's Superbowl special which included the an all-you-can-eat buffet and an assigned seat in the theatre for the game. I wavered between 2 or 3 stars and settles on 2 because I left feeling like it wasn't worth it and I wouldn't do it again. For $87 per person you got the buffet from 2:30 - 5:30 which included hamburgers, hot dogs, wings, chicken strips, ribs, mac-n-cheese, a pasta, coleslaw, potato salad, hummus, jalapeño poppers, fried pickles, chips, fries, margarita flat bread, and some deserts. The good - - The theatre is nice, and watching the game in a recliner is great - The food in the buffet was pretty good - Service was friendly The could be better - - No drinks of any kind are included in the price. Non-alcoholic drinks for 2 was an addition $40. - As a standard for the location there's 4 hours of parking with validation. The problem is that the event is longer than 4 hours resulting in another $9 parking. - They ran out of ribs before half-time. - The TV's outside the theatre were constantly pixelating. Had we opted for the outside seating I would have been livid. Although I like The Lot for a movie, at roughly $112/person for that experience didn't seem worth it, especially when they ran out of what I would consider the main dish before even halftime. read more

Wow talk about a theater! Their dining room alone is so beautiful. This is the best it gets to seeing a movie !! cinepolis, who!?! Is what you will be saying! The drinks and food on point and service and vibe is great!! You can bring a blanket or even buy one!! Can't wait to see another movie there!! Update: went back again and I ordered pretzel bites and the brownie and ice cream. It was so good that we ordered another one. The staff came up to us to let us know the kitchen would be closing and if we needed anything else. And we did so I was very greatful!! Another great experience!! read more

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My fave movie theater to go to. Best recliner seats of any theater that has them. Food is decent but expensive. Wait staff is usually nice and service is fairly fast. There is a parking garage or street parking available. read more

There's A LOT to say about THE LOT... It's located in the heart of downtown La Jolla offering indoor-outdoor seating for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus offering a bar and cafe. It has a 7 screen in-seat dine-in luxury cinema...a beautiful clean space to hang out and watch a movie while you eat or drink. They have all sorts of goodies available...I love ordering from my seat! The fully-reclining, over-sized leather seats are sooo comfy...you'll be glued enjoying your experience. Eventhough this place is high-end, I love the atmosphere and great customer service...it's totally worth it!! read more

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The pros: Small secured parking lot. The theater provides 4 hours of validated parking. Make sure to validate your parking at time of check in. I emphasize small parking lot. We arrived in multiple vehicles and the second vehicle had to park a block away. Comfortable leather reclining seats. Each seat has an adjustable tray table, additional table space between each seat, and a smaller lamp. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Customer service is courteous and consistent. There was a private event taking place at the restaurant. This review is specific to the theater and in seat dining experience. Loved the layered buttered popcorn option. From the concession menu we ordered popcorn, candy, icee, soda, and bottled waters. It would have been nice to select layered butter and jalapeño for our buckets of popcorn. The app only allows for a single modification. The cons: Each seat has a QR code for ordering. For those without a smart phone this can be a bit of a challenge. As a party of 4 I had to pass my phone around to place an order. You are instructed to pay on the app when placing your order. Our initial order was $158. An hour into the movie a second order for $43 was placed. Instead of charging for that additional item. The system attempted to charge $201 (for both the first and second order). Which my bank immediately flagged as fraud. I asked why they were recharging the first order along with the second order and was informed the first order would eventually drop off as a "pending" authorization. The quality of food from the kitchen did not compare to other luxury theater dining experiences. The cali burger, sliders, and parsley truffle fries were dry, cold, and bland. The calamari was chewy and bland. We didn't finish any of the items ordered from the kitchen. read more

My boyfriend and I came in for a couple glasses of wine and to watch Obsession, and the blonde bartender with an arm tattoo (we didn't catch his name!) was the kindest, most generous server ever! I want to say thank you again! Great great service here! read more

I ordered a paloma and it came very late with no salt on the rim. I asked if they could at least bring me some salt. I did not send the drink back or anything. They brought me an iodized salt packet which obviously didn't go very well with my paloma. Definitely hindered my experience. read more

The Lot is a great place to unwind with drinks and food, but only if you plan to watch a movie you either don't care that much about or have seen it before because the whole having service straight to your seat is very distracting, so please keep that in mind. The food is alright, the drinks are better. Service is fast, but if you've never had the whole dine-in experience in a movie theater and you want to be enthralled in a movie, then this is not the theater for it. read more

THE LOT La Jolla - spacious, reclining seats! - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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If you want to watch a movie in complete luxury with a waiters/waitress coming to your seat to take your order and deliver your food and drinks then this is the spot. I absolutely love watching movies here in the Lot at La Jolla. This location is so clean and neat and has such a good vibe. They have a restaurant adjacent to the cinema and the restaurant serves delicious food. There are fire pits throughout the outside area, which is nice to sit down and have a hot drink and relax also there is aa huge television screen where you can watch sports at the bar with the friendliest staff. read more

First time watching a movie at The Lot and not sure if can go back to our peasant movie going life. We ordered food and drinks at their restaurant before heading into the movie. It was a nice day outside on the patio. Service was slow but apologetic. Surprisingly the food was very good with plenty of healthy options just VERY overpriced. Seats are large with plenty of leg room for reclining. They have a very small above ground lot and a bigger underground lot. You get 4 hours free with validation. read more

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THEY DONT GIVE WATER OUT! They make you pay $10 for a bottle of Fiji or walk to the drinking fountain every time you want a sip. How CRAZY. I'm paying $60 for two people to see a movie & an extra $80 to eat... they should provide drinking water for free. INSANE. When I was here 7 separate people asked for water cups and we were all denied. read more

THE LOT is an upscale movie experience. I think they have several locations in San Diego but I visited the one in La Jolla. I arrived by rideshare so not sure about parking situation. Neighborhood is pretty and I felt completely safe waiting for my ride after the movie. It's a sizable complex compete with restaurant, bar, and luxury movie theaters with recliners and at-seat food & drink service. The restaurant looked beautiful but I decided to order from my seat and eat during the film. I went with the one vegan entree on the menu - a veggie burger with fries (think it was Impossible Burger). It was so dark I could barely see my food but it tasted good! The price tag is hefty which is to be expected at this type of place in La Jolla. By the end of the night, I'd definitely spent over $50 on my ticket and meal (no popcorn, candy, alcohol, or soft drinks). It's a splurge but I had a fun night especially during a record- breaking heat wave (their a/c is top tier). read more

the lot's popcorn is airy and not too salty, spacious and stylish decor, service is inconsistent, and high prices.

Not gonna lie I love going to the lot. I love how Greta it is to order food and basically have dinner and a movie at the same time. BUT, my last visit was horrible. The server was not wanting to be there. They were nice, but they were not wanting to actually serve. We ordered and closed out, but then about 45 minutes later we wanted more so we pushed the button. They came over and stayed we already closed out. We said okay we can pay for more what's the issue. They were annoyed and it took us almost 30 minutes just to get a sprite. We got our food quickly and it was great really just the server was horrible read more

This theater is one of the best theaters we have ever been to. The seats are extremely comfortable and our waiter was very nice. The only problem was my husband and I ordered a carne asado wrap which when it came, the movie had started so it was very dark and we couldn't see what we were eating. The wrap was mushy and there were no utensils (fork) to use since the wrap fell apart. We had to use our hands and it wasn't pleasant. We tasted only a couple of pieces of meat and it certainly wasn't worth the price we paid. read more

We had a great time. I like this location better than the one at liberty station. Very clean. And servers made their rounds right away. Alcoholic bev was decent. Not weak. Con, popcorn was cold and food came about an hour after order was placed. Parking was not bad, but came on a weekday. There is ACE parking spot up underneath the basement - free for 4 hours with movie vouchers. Pro Tip: bring a blanket & get cozy. read more

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https://youtu.be/ChRTShWM9gc Watch my video on YouTube for more but there is a really cute little coffee cafe off of The Lot. They had tons of beautiful desserts. The barista/cashier was super nice. I ordered an oat milk latte and although it was weak, I still enjoyed sitting in the beautiful space.They have water and dog treats for dogs which I love! I would still recommend it but maybe not the oat milk latte! Get a plain coffee and let me know how that is! read more

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First time coming in here. Celebrating my daughter's birthday. We watch a movie ( The Thunderbolts ) with the comfiest reclining couch and enjoyed ordering food from the comfort of our seat. The food is good and a lot of selection good drink selection. The service was outstanding. Staff are very attentive. The venue is pretty clean and only a few seats. So I recommend buying your ticket before heading there. We're totally coming back soon. read more

We came here during vacation and it was a hit. Family friendly and great customer service. Good seats that are comfortable. It was pricy but thats California in general and especially in La Jolla. The carne asada nachos was good! And so was my kids meal. Chicken tenders. I usually do a taste test read more

This location is 10x better than the Liberty Station location. It just screamed "elegance" once you walk into the restaurant. I think the movie theatre itself is about the same as Liberty Station, but the restaurant is fab! Almost no one was there on a Friday night so we got seated right away. Our waitress was chill and nice. The entrees were all mouth watering but we decided to get a couple of apps to share: Ahi Poke Tacos [$23] which was perfection! Really good poke & really good portion size. Then the Kobe Beef Sliders [$23] upgraded to sweet potato fries were really tasty as well. These apps can be a meal in itself with the portions! We ended up getting a flatbread as well "just in case" but we didn't really need it as we were fullll. The parking situation here is a little strange. They have a surface lot with very limited parking- I counted maybe 10 spots if that. Then they have a garage downstairs which you need to pay for after 3 or so hours I think? Lucky for us the machine was broken so we didn't have to pay! There's also street parking, but a Friday night in La Jolla? Good luck. This will be our chosen movie theatre moving forward! read more

THE LOT La Jolla - Kobe Beef Sliders - Cinema Near Me - La Jolla, California

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