We tried Upper East for the first time on Mothers Day for brunch, as they had a special that sounded delish and it's my fave, Crab Cake Benedict. The good: Great service from our server, lovely atmosphere, seated quickly on even on Mothers day. Salad and basil dressing were great. The crab cake was good. The unacceptable: The most important part of eggs benedict is the poached eggs, that means cooked whites, runny yolk. 2 of us ordered the dish, and of the 4 poached eggs, three were so overcooked, the yolks were hard boiled, crumbly and dry. I let the server know and asked that they just bring out new eggs, no need to remake the plate. over 15 minutes later, (so ow we had cold crab cakes) they dropped off a small plate with 4 genuinely undercooked poached eggs, they looked like soup. they were a literal puddle. The manager came by to ask if we had out eggs yet a couple moments before they were dropped off, we said no and he and said I'll take care of one of these for you. I don't expect free meals, and I rarely send food back, but this seemed pretty petty. Soupy eggs that took an extraordinarily long time (the restaurant was not at capacity at all). When I received the bill, there was a 15% discount on the eggs benedict. I get tight margins, but at least make the dish correctly please. The hollandaise sauce was good, the server very sweet and friendly (and of course we tipped him 20%, food is not his fault) but I doubt I would try this place again if that is how the rectify substandard meals. They did give me a lovely flower! read more

Love their specialty cocktails Upper East old fashioned has four roses bourbon, Demerara simple syrup, Italian orange liquor, angostura bitters. It was very fragrantful. Happy hour was M-Fri 3-6PM But we were there for the world cup Mexico versus Korea. So happy hour was the entire time. The mini churros and wings were my fave. It was made just right :) the fried pickles were very sour. Reminds me of the del Mar fair food.. but no line or wait! Their brussel sprout elote was interesting, a bit dry. I would pass on this next time. read more

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One of the best tuna melts I've ever had and I'm a guy that knows his tuna melts. This was apparently added to the menu recently so I'm happy how good it turned out. They add onions, jalapeños, and tomatoes which are great but I think the real secret is the lemon caper aioli. The fries were also really good. Establishment is clean and okay service. (Took a little while to get checked on for extra napkins but hey.) Definitely gonna come back to try the fish and chips. read more

Upper East on Grand - A beer, a mint mojito, and lurking in the back is an iced water complete with straw. - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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This has quickly become my brother and I'm go-to spot! We're both pretty upset that our first experience was take out, but let me tell you..we fixed that VERY quickly. I can proudly say I have tried quite a few things on the menu already and have not been disappointed. I'd say at this point my brother and I have been here over 5 times. We even brought our parents here twice already. Once for dinner and once for breakfast. My brother and I have done breakfast, lunch and dinner at this point. The first item I tried was the Sun-Dried Tomato Rigatoni. This was so creamy and delicious (later found out you cam add another meat). Which my mom tried her first time around with Salmon. She said it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. From that first pasta, I tried the March Month Special, I got the chopped cheese with no cheese (lactose intolerant) but man did I devour it so fast!! There tater tots never miss btw ALWAYS crispy. The Grilled Chicken Sando, mannn was thay superr good too. Chicken was juicy and always love me some avocado. I told my brother I am going to make it a priority to try everything I cam here. Also, the presentation on the plates ESPECIALLY the Fresno 1/2 Chicken *chefs kiss* The service is NEVER misses. Soo attentive no matter the time of day. Tony's drinks are UH-MAY-ZING. We had Mckellen as our server and he was great. The biggest shoutout to James (the owner) seems like he knows how to create a phenomenal work environment and keeps his people happy. We've seen him walk around often and checking in. You can definitely see thay he cares. I HIGHLY recommend coming here if you have the chance. Also, try the Espresso Martini my brother who is far from a coffee drinker even loves it!! read more

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My husband and I stumbled upon this spot, mainly because it was the only place open. What a treasure find! Truly the most delicious burgers we've ever had! I had the Thanksgiving burger with sweet potato fries. All absolutely heavenly! The jam used is locally made. And the elote Brussels sprouts! Divine!! Everyone was super friendly and it was such a fabulous experience from start to finish. We'll definitely be back asap!! read more

Upper East on Grand - Thanksgiving burger - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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Went here for the first time after seeing good reviews. Unfortunately mine wasn't quite as good. Service - super slow. They never checked on us and it was hard to ask for anything since they never came our direction outside. Fried pickles - salty! I love fried pickled but it tasted like they added salt unnecessarily Loaded fries - not bueno. The fries were so dry and unenjoyable. They were totally dead, no crisp, and very very dry. Topping was Alfredo sauce that tasted like it came from a jar. Pretzel - this was the best thing we got and I dont even like soft pretzels much but th other items were worse. It was fine. read more

Upper East on Grand - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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Another great experience at upper east. Decided to try the Bourbon salmon and a chicken sando. Servers were on point and always a good atmosphere. Salmon had really good flavor sweet with potatoes with a good caramelized on them. Probably have used a green veggie in there but still really good. read more

Upper East on Grand - Chicken sando bourbon Salmon - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

First time here on a Saturday afternoon. My friends and I were looking for a midpoint. I chose this place due to the stars. It's a cute little area. Parking was not too difficult to find. It was very unorganized right when I got there. I was there first and waited for a hostess to get seated. A group of maybe 4-5 came up from behind me and just sat themselves at a table. Hostess answered them first then came over to me. They had no reservation and they assumed they can just walk in. Whatever. Maybe, hostess did not want any issues. My friends came and we looked over menu. Our server was Bryce. He was ok. He tried to be attentive but we were a bit confused because other servers would ask if we need help. I only remember Bryce because that's what was on my receipt. We ordered few drinks. I had an espresso martini that was delicious. I ordered fish & chips with salad. The fish was pretty good. Not too oily at all. The ambience is ok. Your basic bar/restaurant. Nothing stood out to me. I might try this place again. Not sure but it was an ok experience. read more

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Yum! We had the poke stack, fish and chips, and the carnitas mac. So yummy! Very flavorful and good portions. Drew was great and took care of us. Front of the house gave the recommendation for the mac and it was perfect! Clean place as well. read more

It was a 3 year reunion or so with a friend on a weekday and it wasn't so busy. Upper East, is one of those restaurants is one of those place where you seat your yourself. The restaurant is pretty big and has a nice bar. There's a regular menu and there's another monthly or weekly menu that menus. My friend I just shared food. Super yummy and I'll take my husband and kiddo here. We're trying to explore downtown Escondido more. read more

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Loved our server (5/5). He was very friendly, attentive, and checked on us often. I ordered the Fresno 1/2 Chicken (3/5). It was cooked well and juicy, but too salty for my taste. The Fresno peppers added a nice kick, though. My friends ordered burgers with fries, and I tried some of the fries (5/5). They were well seasoned and slightly crispy on the outside, which I really enjoyed. I'd come back to try a different dish. read more

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Newish restaurant on Grand in Escondido, so we decided our weekly delivery would be from them tonight. I ordered the special of a buffalo chicken wrap. It was ok but when it got to us it was more like a warm burrito. The lettuce was soggy, the tortilla warm. Usually this would be a nice crisp sandwich courtesy of the lettuce. My guess is because the chicken was warm and it was in a to- go container for at least 15 minutes that ruined the flavor. Fries the same thing, I like them hot and they needed to be reheated, they were soggy, abd lukewarm . Hubby got hot wings, a bit overdone but tasted ok and a Cubano sandwich. The Cubano was a nice size lots of meat though a tad bit greasy ( maybe same issue the to go box) the sandwich did have alot of flavor. Hubby picked this place because, they had a nice selection of appetizers and dessert. Which he ordered both. lemon/blueberry cheesecake was not eaten tonight. So I blame our Grubhub driver maybe? As the food sat to long it was wilted. I would try them again, maybe in person or order something else. Locals love the place so give it a try. read more

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Several weeks back, my fiancé and I had a spontaneous date night. We wanted to keep it local and casual....then I remembered Upper East on Grand. Upper East is a relatively new addition to the ever growing and changing restaurants on Grand. It took over the old Plan 9 Alehouse...and I'm glad it did! I went there a few times and I had more bad experiences than good...but I digress... We were seated promptly- there's indoor and outdoor seating. We chose indoor. Now, the place is loud. It's all hard surfaces so all the conversations bounce everywhere. Don't let that deter you from coming, just take note of it if you're planning a super romantic date with someone...probably isn't the best spot. Our server was McKellen and he was spot on. 5 stars for him! Super engaged, walked us through the menu with his favorites, checked in when appropriate, not overbearing, made small talk, all that. Really on top of things. We shared the Papa Bravas with bacon and the classic Grand Burger I ate more of the papa bravas than anything else! It was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend you check out this local spot in Escondido! 5 stars! read more

Upper East on Grand - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

Nice servers, clean and bright environment. The smash burgers were quite good and reasonably priced. Service was fairly quick, and they have a decent selection of beer and wine. Great place for a casual lunch with friends! read more

Upper East on Grand - Bar area - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

Another good dining option in downtown Escondido. While the menu is somewhat limited, the burgers and carnitas are solid choices. - Despite the crowd, the service was very quick and attentive. - like most small bar restaurants it does get loud inside. Not the place to choose if you want to have a casual conversation. read more

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love the all day happy hour on wednesdays. they have great daily deals and monthly specials which i enjoy. enjoyed the live music they had. the place is a bit small but is very homey and well decorated. i'd love to see them get a bigger location one day. our waiter was amazing! super nice and constantly checking in on us and making sure we were doing well. the food was on the salty side imo and required me to drink a lot of water. their cocktails are strong and tasty! will definitely be back read more

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Party of 6 with a child on a Fri for dinner. Before 6p the house wines were $6 & $2 off appetizers. The brussel sprouts were amazing!! Fried pickles just ok but both were very large & shared by 6. We had wonderful friendly service! The food was great. Everything from salads, sandwiches & burgers was delicious! You can't go wrong. We'll be back. Noisy bar atmosphere with sports on large TVs throughout. read more

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First I want to thank them for finding a good size party room. The waitress was amazing, she handled all of the orders perfectly and checked on us too. However, the food was terrible. Hamburgers were raw, many of is were ill going home. Chicken under cooked. Fish was very greasy . Wont be going back. read more

Had a lovely time today for lunch. Service was great, beer was cold and refreshing and the grub was plentiful. High marks to our server who caught a pesky june bug that had been bothering patrons, with one hand, on his first try. Yours truly had the Elote Brussels sprouts and added chicken. It was delicious and I had leftovers. Cheers! read more

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First time here at the invite of friends. Food is great. The burger is amazing and the rest was just as good. The carnitas mac, the ahi tuna and the flatbread. Yummy. The service was superb as well. The manager checked in twice and we always had refills. The only drawback is IT IS LOUD. So Loud as to be hard to hear our conversation. Other than that it was great and will be back. Oh, try the Elote Brussels. Also amazing. read more

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Came here about a month after opening for a post-work solo happy hour. I grabbed a glass of their house red-very mid but to be expected from a "house" drink. Asked the bartender what he recommended on the menu and he gave me a few good selections, which I then chose the carnitas sandwich and upgraded the side of regular fries to a side of rosemary tator tots for $2. I'm super glad I did because those tots were amazing! Like melt in your mouth yummy. The carnitas sandwich was super flavorful, but definitely more bread than anything (though the sandwich bread was great), was hoping for a bit more meat in each bite. I'd say this place is fairly priced, they have bar, inside and outside seating available and already a solid crowd of people showing up daily. I see a bright future for this spot read more

Upper East on Grand - Happy Hour House Red Wine $6 - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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On a random Thursday afternoon, I was randomly in Downtown Escondido,, and all places being somewhat random to us, we randomly ended up at Upper East for a late lunch. Kinda random, I know. It's hard to judge a sports bar-ish sort of place like this on a quiet weekday afternoon, especially when we're not drinking, so I'll just judge it by the usual restaurant criteria. As a sports bar, it seems to be a pretty good place to watch a game -- lots of TVs and a big open design that I imagine would make viewing good for anyone except those on the front patio. Our insanely buff server was very nice and extremely helpful (and no I'm just saying that out of fear of getting my ass kicked!). I ordered the carnitas sandwich. At first I thought I had been given the wrong dish, as it doesn't really look like carnitas and had more of a meatloaf-ish consistency about it, but with the peppers and other toppings, it had very nice flavor, albeit a bit oddly textured. The crispy fries on the side were excellent. My friend deemed her chicken sandwich a bit dry upon first bite, but then when she was done said she really liked it, so I guess it grew on her (she also ordered the aeoli on the side, so that probably explains the dryness). Her tots could have used some more seasoning, as they didn't have much flavor. All in all, this random lunch was a success, and I'd certainly stop by for a bite and a drink if I was in the area again and wanted to watch a game. read more

We came here w our feral children and it was great at 5 pm on a friday evening..the hanger steak was superb. Happy hour from 3-6 was a plus! Everyone finished their plates and we left well fed and most satisfied! The GM and all the staff are attentive and killin it! Shout out to Inocente! read more

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We loved our first visit Friday night. Good vibe, good food and great service. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was more like a restaurant bar, more inclusive and comfy than a hangout bar. Music was a little too loud. We had carnitas sandwich and chorizo flatbread. Flat bread was too spicy for me, which our waitress warned me about, and a bit overcooked, but the mushroom and garlic flavor made it delicious. My hubby loved the carnitas sandwich. Good beer selection with something for everyone including some lagers. They were generous about letting us taste a couple before deciding on one. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised to find a good new local spot with a welcoming and lively atmosphere. It also is a good late night spot in Escondido where everything closes at 8:30! Also, they have reward points using the Local app. $5 off next visit for every $50 spent. read more

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The food was good, drinks were good too, and our server Bryce was great. But gotta be honest, the live music was a major buzz kill. Didn't catch the name of the singer, he was fairly decent from what I could hear, but the tambourine and and percussion was so loud it was nearly impossible to have even a bit of a conversation while eating. Weirdly the vocals were the quietest thing. I'm all for great live music. Love it, actually. Don't even mind it when it gets a bit loud at times. In this case I don't think it added to the vibe, but took away from it. I definitely would have stayed longer and got another drink or some dessert to go with dinner, but had to get out of there asap. Will definitely come back, but probably not on a live music night. Four stars because maybe it was just an off night with the music. read more

Wow everything here hit the spot. Some of the best Brussels sprouts I've had. Comfort food to the max and also a great place to watch games as there were TVs everywhere. Did take a little bit to get our food but the wait was worth it. The carnitas Mac was so creamy and savory. The pancakes were very fluffy and buttery. Great spot and love the spin they take on classic dishes. read more

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Food: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Ambiance: 10/10 Location: 10/10 Perfect evening for a night out in town. This is a perfect date night spot any day of the week! Cocktail list is extensive, plenty of food options and portioned to be very shareable! A dog friendly patio for the perfect family night out. Our server (Jake I think his name was?) was excellent giving us the best recommendations for food and regularly checked in to make sure things were going well for us. The elote brussel sprouts were perfectly crispy and so well balanced with all of the toppings included! The carnitas Mac and cheese was deliciously cheesy, the topping of tender carnitas, and perfectly cooked pasta! We have already agreed we will be back again as there are so many items on the menu we want to try. read more

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We stopped by for a quick bite after some theater before heading back to San Diego. Food was good and the service friendly and efficient. read more

Upper East on Grand - Grill cheese and tomato soup - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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Burger was cooked well but the bun was slightly dry. The rotating sour on draft was great, had a nice beer selection. Service was good, staff were attentive. read more

Upper East on Grand - Classic Grand Burger with truffle fries - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

Fun place to grab a drink. Our bartender was friendly and whipped up amazing drinks. Would definitely return with friends read more

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I was delighted to visit Upper East on Grand, one of Historic Downtown Escondido's newest restaurants! Like other similar establishments on Grand Avenue, the whole front of the place opens up garage door style lending a nice, indoor/outdoor vibe. It really connects nicely to this reviatilized promenade breathing new energy and vibrancy into the heart of Esco. The staff were all so welcoming, friendly and genuine. I ordered the Fish & Chips and it was outstanding! Such a generous portion at an affordable price. Everything came out hot, crispy and flavorful. That tartar sauce itself was excellent and the grilled lemon half was a nice touch. Loved the nice selection of craft beers on tap plus full bar to boot. I look forward to returning again very soon. read more

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Excellent service. We sat in back room & even though we were not in eye's view of our waitress, she checked on us several times. Both my friend & I had Ahi Salads. They were very good - My only complaint was that they were a little skimpy on the spring salad mix which is very inexpensive to add in - but other than that - very tasty. I had a Palomar Paloma which was refreshing. I will be back for sure. So glad we have another great place to come eat right down the road from Valley Center. read more

I gave them a 2nd chance as 1st time we were never served due to Chocolate Festival confusion. Service today was great, our server was very fast, food was excellent. I didn't realize manager had messaged me before and I have no idea where the message went. But definitely great food and a nice restaurant. read more

The hype is real! My family and I moved to Escondido almost five years ago and, for a while, struggled to find great local restaurants. We tried many of the popular spots along Grand, but none really stood out enough to make us return--except for Miko Sushi. Fast forward to 2025, and we began hearing rave reviews about Upper East on Grand. While new restaurants often start strong and fade fast, we decided--after months of buzz--to see for ourselves. We were warmly greeted and promptly seated by the hostess. After looking over the menu, we ordered: Pretzel with Cheese Smashburger Skirt Steak with Fries Fish and Chips (Kids' portion) The food was fantastic. The portions were generous, but even more impressive was the quality of the ingredients. The skirt steak, with its perfect sear, was a standout. I also sampled the Smashburger and Fish & Chips--both delicious and definite reorders for next time. Upper East is truly a breath of fresh air for the local dining scene. The menu isn't overly ambitious, but the execution is flawless. Service was excellent, and we're already looking forward to our next visit. read more

Upper East on Grand - Pretzel with cheese! 10/10 - Bars Near Me - Escondido, California

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This is a great place to meet friends. The service was excellent. I had made reservations for inside table but we had an early dinner on a weekday so we were able to sit on the patio which was appreciated. We all were in agreement that the food was excellent and reasonable too. We were very happy with our experience. read more

My wife and I came to eat here recently and I am very sensitive to loud noises so I asked the employee where the least noisy place was. She said the back room, but it was closed. The boss was kind enough to open it since I get overstimulated and have trouble processing. The food was great and came out quickly, and the service was amazing. We will definitely be back! read more

Food was good, solid beer list. Lots of room and the servers were attentive. Easy to come to with kids. We'll be back. read more

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What a great addition to Escondido. We love the food and drinks. The servers and bartenders are amazing.

Loaded French Fries, not kidding, they are loaded with: beer infused cheese, pickled onions, garlic Aioli, cotija cheese, jalapenos and cilantro $12.95 Service is always great, lots of TVs a bonus read more

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PB and J burger was great!! Good comfortable atmosphere. Very nice and friendly staff