George’s At the Cove: George’s Bar

Have been coming here on and off for years. Usually sit at the rooftop or second floor bar for drinks and food. Most recently had the happy hour tacos and a beer for $ 10, which was a great bargain. Three tacos (pork, chicken, beef) and a local San Diego beer hit the spot. I do miss their Cuban sandwich that was on the menu for a long time, but has been taken off. It was delicious. They recently remodeled George’s Bar and it looks great, except for the cold coming in. They have vinyl enclosure windows to put down when it’s windy/​cold, but there are gaps at the top that allow just enough wind to be annoying. However, it is not very cold in SD often, so it’s a minor issue most of the year.

This was a Murphy’s law dining experience. My girlfriend and I were walking around La Jolla and decided to stop in here for a drink and an appetizer. We told the hostess that we wanted to have a drink and an appetizer. We were initially told that we could only sit at the bar or the high-​top tables if we were only having appetizers. No big deal.
So we sat and were then provided with the lunch menu. This was during San Diego restaurant week so we were given the lunch menu in which you order an entrée and an appetizer/​dessert for a fixed price. This was not what we had planned but figured we would give it a shot. We placed our order and received our drinks
The waitress then told us that we could not have our order as the kitchen was transitioning from lunch to dinner. We would have to wait 45 minutes but we were now allowed to have a seat at one of the tables. Would have been nice to know this before we ordered drinks but we decided to go with it. We did get a table with a great view so I cannot complain about that.
After taking in the view for 45 minutes, the waitress informed my girlfriend that she could not have her original order because it was not on the dinner menu. She could order off the more expensive dinner menu. At this time, they brought me my entrée which also was not on the dinner menu? I had no choice but to be rude and finish my entrée since it would be cold if I would have waited. She is vegetarian and ordered the gnocchi which we were told could be made vegetarian. When her entrée finally arrived, it had plenty of scallops. Of course, it had to be sent back since it had meat. As a carnivore, this made me sad since the scallops looked so tasty. (Confession: I tried one just to confirm it was a scallop. It was quite good.) Finally, she received her entrée without meat.
I wish we could say that we all lived happily ever after, but I found the whole experience was poor. The waitress did talk to the manager who comped two of our beers. While this was a nice gesture, I feel as if more should have been done given the multiple faux pauxs. At the very least, the manager could have came over to speak to us.
The service/​dining experience was very poor; however, the food was good. The gnocchi was nicely textured and the sauce was flavorful. The fish tacos were a little on the petit side, but quite good. The pineapple dessert was good.
My recommendation: Go here for drink. They really can’s screw that up. Enjoy the view. And go somewhere else to eat. Or be prepared to stay several hours until they get your order right.

Great bar, incredible food and drinks! Excellent cocktails! And if you’re lucky enough to snag a table with a view, stay awhile and have fun!

Great views, beautiful sunset and terrific service but not impressed with the pineapple pepper margarita (way too sour) and the sangria tasted like there was no alcohol in it. I ate the scallop ceviche and it was fine, just not amazing. I would give this place a second chance for the food because I wasn’t hungry enough to eat more than the appetiser but the drinks weren’t up to par.

I have been to Georges many times before. Service this time as very friendly but slow. The food was reasonably priced for the quality. I just couldn’t understand why it was not too busy and I ordered a glass of wine and took almost 10 minutes, I would of just walked up to the bar. Either way the food was great and when back in La Jolla I’ll stop by.

Four stars because one of the servers was really rude. She didn’t help us coz she said she was done with her shift. She could have a least said that she was going to get someone to help us. She didn’t handle it the right way.
Other than that, the view is nice and the drinks were good. This is my second time here.
The first time I went with family and we ate.
We were a big group but they still accommodated us and gave us really good service. We were loud and annoying but they helped us. Plus points for that!
The food is good as well. Lots of options.
The second time I went here, we ended up here because we were waiting for our table for George’s Ocean Terrace. So we just ordered drinks. That and they close the kitchen for a while. Somewhere between 3:30 — 4:30pm. They need to prep for dinner, I guess.
I tried this chocolate Martini. It wasn’t on the menu but I saw someone order it and it looked so yummy. It was yummy BUT pretty strong! So if you’re looking to get a good buzz, order that!
They also allowed us to bring our drink upstairs since our table was ready. Really good service with that as well.
I’ll be coming back for sure!

Every time I get to go to George’s I feel so fancy! Love this place. The food has always been great, fresh and delicious. I love love love the ocean views. Ahhh! Life is now complete.

Not as stuffy as I feared. Incredible views and the bartender on the patio Aaron is second to none. Will try to come back more often

Killer view but the host and hostess need a refresher course. The good looking host in the bar had zero personality and the beautiful young girl in the restaurant needs to put a smile on her perfect face.
We were told our table would be ready in 45 so we headed for the bar below. Walked in and stood outside entrance while the host stood at desk with back towards us then he ever so slightly turned and made some gesture as if he’d help us eventually. His eventually turned into 5 minutes so I walked past him and asked a server if I could seat myself in the bar and she said of course. So the host basically blew us off, never greeted us properly nor gave any direction — almost seemed to block our way. We Just didn’t feel welcome at all.
We grabbed a seat in the bay overlooking La Jolla Bay. Lovely view. We saw no service so my husband walked up to the bar and ordered 2 beers, attempted to pay and the bartender said no, the server will be alerted and she has to take care of it. It was 2 beers A-​hole and he did not have one single customer sitting at the bar. He would not close out our tab which turned out to be a big mistake. We finished half of our beer, and of course our beeper went off for our dinner reservation and once again there was no wait person to help close out our tab.
I ran upstair to secure out table in restaurant for sunset while my husband waited a solid 20 minutes to clear out a 2 beer tab, all the while the bartender sat there with a glum look on his face. This place had definite operational personnel issues last night.

Good food good service and a great view. We walked in on a Saturday evening and they sat us immediately. The ocean terrace had a 30 minute wait. First time I’ve been here, hummus appetizer was great, pork tacos were good. We will definitely come back for a future visit.

Came here for happy hour and was not disappointed. Got 3 tacos and a beer for $ 7, the beef taco was my favorite (you can get 3 of the same tacos). *Remember to wear something warm, it’s a bit chilly here. Great ocean view! …most importantly a good dating spot… one can’t have too many dates! :)

To the hostesses of the Terrace and the Bar. Get over yourselves! It’s amazing that when you make the decision over several choices of restaurants that you can have two bad experiences at one restaurant. I would have left but my daughter and I were hungry. It started out that the Terrace hostess said they don’t take reservations. It’s first come first serve. We decided to walk around for about 15 minutes. We came back and said we would like to wait for a table near the edge. Then she said the were all reserved! I couldn’t even wait for a table at all because EVERY table was reserved and she suggested we go down to the bar. Wait! I thought there were no reservations 15 minutes ago?
We went down to the bar. I asked the hostess for a table on the balcony. Mind you, it’s around 6:45pm now and there are only two or three tables taken in the whole place and not even along the balcony. First thing she asks me is, «Are you ordering dinner or appetizers?». Now I’m being qualified as to how much I will be spending. I said «I’m not sure. Let me see a menu.» I realize this was a dumb question but I asked, «how do you serve your Hamachi?». She said, «It’s served on a plate. It’s raw fish. The menu lists the items it is served with.» Again, I wanted to just leave but this was supposed be a nice evening out with my daughter and I didn’t want to ruin it.
After looking at the menu, I didn’t see any dinners I wanted but said, «Don’t worry we eat a lot and will probably spend more than someone who orders dinner. She reluctantly sat us where we requested without a smile or kind wish of a nice dinner. The wait staff was very nice. The food was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀.
We started with the Kale salad. Very bland with tough kale. The Soup ($ 10) was very good and worth the view. The stuffed dates. Very bland and in a tomato sauce base which was a weird taste profile together. The goat cheese tasted more like ricotta. No flavor. The Hamachi was very good and the Ceviche was decent but I feel I could have made it at home with Salsa Fresca, canned crabmeat and totillas. We spent about $ 85 with my wine and tip. The sunset made the evening worthwhile. When we left, the hostess snarled and never said goodbye or thank you. She was rude to everyone that night so it wasn’t just us. I found her manners as a hostess appalling. The hostess should set the tone for a fabulous evening. Needless to say, we went elsewhere for dessert and another wine.
These days there is no excuse for bad service or food. The two stars are for the view.

Had a great time at George’s! While we waited for a table, my friends and I sat at the bar. Our bartender Nelson made sure he made it a memorable experience for us! Drinks were amazing, he was very attentive, friendly and made sure we had a drink in our hands the whole time! Great view, great food, and awesome staff! Would recommend this place to anyone! Ask for Nelson!!!

Happy Hour at George’s
I went to George’s at the Cove for happy hour on Thursday night. They have a pretty good happy hour Sunday through Thursday that features a different theme for each day of the week. I find that the menu is constantly rotating which is nice because it keeps the food new, exciting, and fresh.
Drink:
I had a «Black and Stormy ($ 13) to drink. This is an interesting cocktail with Gosling’s Black Seal rum with muddled black berries, a squeeze of lime and 1 part Bundaberg ginger beer. I always find that the best ginger beer comes from a bottle or can. If the ginger beer comes from the bar gun, steer clear as it can be too sweet or just taste like soda water. The cocktails at George’s are always interested and sometimes incorporate obscure juice such as beet juice.
Food:
We had the Crispy Calamari which was just fine. Fried calamari is pretty standard. No complaints, the dish just did not pop like some of the other food George’s has to offer. It is served with a fennel-​lemon aioli for $ 12.
What I cannot get over is the Grilled Local Octopus ($ 12). This was served with what I would consider a deconstructed potato salad. You could build a perfect bite with fingerling potato, some greens and a smudge of smoked paprika aioli. The octopus is so tender it was almost like a perfectly cooked potato. I would go back to George’s just for the Grilled Local Octopus, the dish is really superb.

what can I say… it was a HUGE treat to come here for lunch on Friday. Fortunately, my friends visiting from Northern California had made a reservation. We had a lovely table overlooking the cove. We ordered a couple of cocktails (I had the Pepper — which is a bloody mary). We then ordered the chips and salsa and stuffed dates for an appetizer. For our entrée, two of us ordered the fish tacos — yummy and another friend ordered the chicken sandwich.
Too full for dessert, but because we were celebrating one of my friend’s birthday, we went home with a bottle of artisan olive oil… which I scored since they weren’t planning on checking their luggage upon their departure :-)

A great place to see the ocean and enjoy a great cocktail. Their old fashioned is to die for. I’m not a huge drinker, but that cocktail blew me out of the water! Also, if you have time, make sure to walk downstairs and see the seals:) (at your own risk) ;)
The only reason I’m giving four stars is because the bartender was rude and had no interest in serving me a drink until he realized we were ordering top shelf items. The attitude of our server changed out experience and was totally worth 5 stars.

It’s hard for a La Jolla regular to not have heard of this place, so I finally decided to dine here after walking past it over 20 times.
George’s Bar had a happy uplifting mood to it. We were seated near the window with a very scenic view of the ocean. The restaurant was nearly empty since most patrons decided to eat at the Ocean Terrace on the rooftop, which I’d obviously recommend over eating indoors on a warm sunny day.
The food itself was pretty good. I made the mistake of ordering the Freshly Baked Levain Bread ($ 2) thinking it was some kind of unique appetizer, but it turned out to be plain bread you get for free at other restaurants. It’s the first time I’ve seen ordinary bread offered under the menu’s appetizer section, but at least the $ 2 wasn’t a big loss.
The Cuban ($ 12) was a decent lunch sandwich, served with ham and pork. It’s the type of sandwich you would expect from an upscale lounge, so I wasn’t disappointed. Good choice for a fairly light, casual meal.
The Seared Rare Ahi ($ 15) was very good! The soba noodles and vinaigrette really brought this meal to life. If you like seared ahi and/​or soba noodles, you can’t really go wrong with this!
I’ll be back to try to the other two levels of George’s, but this one made for a good casual dining experience. Stop by and enjoy the view!

Get there for Happy Hour for the best restaurant view of the La Jolla sunset on the upstairs patio and an amazing taco deal Monday through Friday in George’s Bar (Ocean Terrace on the 3^rd level), from 3:30 — 6:30pm. And EXTENDED happy hour on Thursdays ’til close!
For only $ 7, their three-​taco sampler features tomatillo chicken, smokey Oaxacan pork and beef short ribs, plus a beer. WOW!
Tip: After sunset, it’s dark and cold up there!

My husband and I originally intended to go to George’s Ocean Terrace for dinner, but there was a 45-​minute wait, so we mosied on over to George’s Bar and were able to get a table immediately. The space is on the small side, with a modern but casual feel. Both the Terrace and Bar have nice views so we weren’t really missing out on that part, but it was on the gloomy side when we went (hello June gloom). I ordered the following:
Bruschetta (roasted mushrooms, ramps, ricotta) — can’t say I was a fan of this one. If you think this is going to be anything like Italian bruschetta, you will be disappointed. The mushrooms and ricotta are served on the side of some toasted bread slices, but all of it was rather bland. Would not order this again.
Grilled Faroe Island Salmon (farro salad, artichokes, cherry tomato, radish, corn, lemon-​dill yogurt) — I wanted something that wasn’t too heavy for dinner and this fit the bill. Looking at the menu, I liked every ingredient in this dish (except the farro which I had never had before) so choosing this entrée was a no brainer for me. The salmon was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I ate every morsel of food on my plate, down to the last grain of farro.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake — I have a known weakness for sticky toffee pudding, so I knew before we ordered our drinks that I was going to get this for dessert no matter how stuffed I was after inhaling my salmon. It isn’t like traditional sticky toffee pudding, but similar enough. The flavor is spot on, but because it’s a cake it didn’t seem as heavy of a dessert as traditional sticky toffee pudding usually is. The candied almonds were tasty too.
Service for us was fantastic. Our waitress was so attentive and super pleasant. Bussers were on top of things too. The minute we finished a dish a busser came to clear our plates and replace our utensils.
Earmarking George’s Bar for a return trip!

Six stars! too bad it only goes up to five.
The incredible view of the water was highlighted by a gorgeous sunset. We came here at a perfect time, but even on a cloudy day, the view is breathtaking. In my opinion, it’s has the very best view from any other Prospect restaurant.
Everyone’s food was impeccable. I highly recommend the self-​named soup they are famous for. I can imagine coming here for that alone on a regular basis.
The thing I liked best was what they gave my friend for his birthday. No unhealthy desert or silly song singing here. He walked away with a bottle of olive oil. How cool is that? I’m going to go on my birthday!!! :)