Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant

Great happy Hour! Wedding was going on while we were there and the staff was still amazing!

This restaurant had a western saloon feel and the employees all played the part to add to the experience. The outdoor seating had a really cool feel to it, but we decided to sit inside because it was a little cold. We were happy to find that kids eat free (I don’t think that is offered every night) and they had a drink special for my husband. All of the items on the menu were very reasonably priced and the portions were very big! They even gave us bread and butter with our meal. The food was very good– I had the chicken fajitas. The service was top notch!

My family ate here Saturday night, and we couldn’t have been more pleased! This place has been renovated and in a classy way! No more cheesy fish bowl margaritas, no more fountains as far as the eye can see. This is now a wonderful restaurant AND hotel, and the ambience is top notch. But what really deserves the accolades is «D»…or «Mr. D» as my kids called him. He was wonderful with my children, inviting, and kind. He took us on a tour of the property, showing us hidden gems that I would assume most don’t get to partake in. He really told us a lot about the history of the hotel, as well as sold us on the idea of wanting to take a staycation at the hotel! I highly recommend coming here and just enjoying the evening, sitting by the fireside, soaking up the entertainment. And ask for «D», he’s a gem of a man.

Such a fun little gem right in the heart of Old Town. The staff is so nice. And the man in front walks you to your room, which they still use a real key for. Quirky room, no TV. And close enough to our club we were headed to for the night.
Restaurant attached is great too. Saturday night had some live music. Veg options too!

What a fun place for a private party! The staff there was very accomodating and VERY nice/​helpful.
I attended a small wedding reception for about 50 people on the back patio. Since it wasn’t a complete buyout, we had another party right behind us, but honestly there were no issues. They had a buffet, we had plated meal. No one got in our way.
They had a live band that was playing on Saturday which was perfect and added to the overall ambiance. The food was excellant as well.
I do not eat chicken, but the host did not plan for any vegetarian meals. I do eat seafood, so they simply gave me double shrimp with no questions asked!
Parking can be tough as it is Old Town, but the place is really nice. Fun outside bar, too! I don’t think anyone was eating inside, but they do have sets and a bar inside.
Check this place out for your next event!

Lovely and relaxing on a busy Cinco de Mayo weekend! The ceviche, and churros are highly recommended. Bill is a kind, excellent server. Visit this oasis in Old Town!

Seeing a lot of bad reviews for this place. Perhaps my visit was just a fluke? My wife and I came here for her mother’s birthday. We were seated and served right away. Food and drinks were delicious and our waiter was excellent. I recommend the Chicken and Churros. These aren’t your run of the mill theme park churros. They’re home made and melt in your mouth. We each got something different and everyone’s food was amazing and the chips and salsa were fresh. I don’t give out many 5 star ratings. This is one of the best resteraunts in san diego.

Pretty awesome, classic, old fashioned hotel. Very cool, yet creepy in a good way, lol. If you love creepy, ghostly stuff this is your spot. Clean location, friendly staff, only complaint is the mattress is super classic as well, I could feel the springs in my back, felt like a ghost punched me in the back in the middle of the night… Location is perfect, right in the heart of old town. Cool spot!

I wish I could give this place more than 5 stars! Chicken and churros, churro speared burger, and pear and Arugula flatbread — amazing. The churros are not theme park churros, but amazing cinnamon mini melt in your mouth churros. The flat bread was awesome with drizzled balsamic, and their drinks just as good. Service was great and the music on sat nights matched the cool saloon ambiance. Do yourself a favor and visit this hidden gem — also price was way under what I would have paid for just as much food and drinks at an any overrated San Diego restaurant. Thank you Cosmo!

We went to the ‘Saloon’ for a drink before dinner Saturday night.
The bartender was a little dull. He didn’t greet us when we came in and didn’t bring over a drink menu, he said «we have beer, wine, tequila and whiskey». He brought our check over a couple minutes after we got our drinks but never came back to get our card. We just left cash so we could get out of there. It’s a very small spot so we definitely didn’t get lost in the shuffle. There was only us and 2 other people in there. The place has potential to be cute but the lights were on full blast and there was no music. Pair that with the less than superb service and we probably will not go back.

This review is only for the restaurant. I came here with a group of 6 on Sunday for brunch and we were seated inside since the host said they couldn’t fit 6 people outside comfortably (boo!). Someone came pretty quickly to take our drink order, but then the waiter appeared to have forgotten about us because we didn’t see him for awhile. Once we ordered, the food took about 25 minutes to come out. I ordered the chicken and churros which was good but not amazing. We had to track down the waiter for the check.
Overall, food and prices are fair, but service could improve. I don’t go to Old Town San Diego too often so I will probably try something else next time I go.

Was not impressed with the renovation from Casa De Bandini. Seems like they lost the real «old style» charm when they renovated.
We were there on a Sunday and for the brunch menu.
I ordered the Carnitas Iron Skillet Hash which was supposed to come with an egg over easy. The egg was cooked completely all the way through and the rest of the meal was very greasy.
The service was very slow and the waiter had to come out and ask for our order twice. Drinks took forever to come and refills were non existent.
I think the Cosmopolitan leaves lots to be desired…

Stopped in in a Saturday. Sign out front reads: «Kids Eat FREE» — perfect! My 9 yr old had French Toast, my husband had Bandini Benny (short rib eggs Benedict — super yummy!!)), and I had fish tacos and a Bloody Mary (spicy & delish w/​beans, bacon, peppers, celery & olives). We sat outside in perfect San Diego weather. We had great service — Daniel was great.
Then we got the bill… My son’s meal was listed at FULL price. Waiter said «the catch there is that it’s only for the kids chocolate chip pancakes»… Uh… Whaaaat?
So, consider yourself warned.

This is such an awesome place. Sort of off the beaten path but we are glad we found it.
We had cocktails in the bar while sitting under the heaters… and it was divine. I had a great Manhattan and the wife had a VERY strong Margarita. Great service and great ambiance. I would consider staying a night in this historic hotel. Try it out

Best Bartender in California seriously though damn. The hotel is old but very well kept.
The bar is outdoor and has a great happy hour.
We ordered a ton of delicious items & superb cocktails.
I recommend this place for happy hour!

Super cool spot in Old Town. The restaurant is located in the courtyard of the hotel. An employee told me both the hotel and restaurant are haunted. I didn’t see anything weird happen. Cool fact: The bar inside the restaurant is 200 years old!
I ordered the parmesan-​crusted shrimp ravioli. It was amazing, I definitely recommend it. It wasn’t too rich, it was perfect. The fried ice cream wasn’t impressive. They had good happy hour specials too! I’d definitely come back. And they take passport cards!

If u read this review ask for Robin and tell her u heard about them via KPRi 102.1fm. Tell her Producer Sean said, «u could get us the best seats in the house.» Robin is the Manager over there w/​awesome energy and half the reason to visit the digs. She’s a true San Diegan w/​Minnesota hospitality skills and loads of ghost stories about the hotel and old town. One of the nicest people you will meet.
Then order the Brussels sprouts. Everybody who is a foodie in SD knows about Bo-​Beau in Ocean Beach and how good their Brussels sprouts are… Well, no joke! These are just as good! I stand by my word.
Other hits on the menu include the «Gnocchi» which is the best I’ve had. Plus, the bruschetta is a hit & for all u vegetarians out there, we both know veggie burgers can be hit or miss but the black bean burger here is solid. I order it every time.
The real hit here though is its «off the beaten path.» Nobody knows about this place because it looks like a Old Town museum that’s part of the «ghost tour» from the outside and it’s easy to miss the adorable, intimate garden, dining area inside. They got live music and the coolest little outdoor garden bar in town. A secret little place to hide away and catch a drink with ur lover. And it’s a hoot when around 10pm the ghost tour actually does come rolling thru the hotel. A toast to the ghosts of Old Town!
Don’t forget to Instagram a shot of #donjuanbandini the once charming, revolutionary that owned the hotel and was this joint was headquarters to a stagecoach operation. There is a painting of him inside the old hotel bar. It’s his daughter that still haunts the place and if u stay the night in room #11… You just might see a white sheet ;). Ask Robin… She will tell u all about it.
Vibe is totally family friend. My 4 yr old little Moon parked his rad, little scooter right at the table and currently if u want to make it a date night and hit up Cygnet Theatre right around the corner. Just flash ur tickets to Cygnet with the tab and u get 10% off ur Cosmo bill.
It’s a perfect place to catch a drink before a show and/​or a nice menu alternative to all things Mexican food in Old Town. Novel place in SD to cross off the list for sure.
Peace & Love & I’ll catch ya at the outdoor, garden bar.
Producer Sean

My family and I came here for dinner on Friday night. We used to come to Casa de Bandini (what The Cosmopolitan used to be) all the time and didn’t know what to expect from the new restaurant. We were very pleasantly surprised!
We started with the Rustico Bruschetta and the Crispy Brussels Sprouts and could have left happy with those alone! Both were absolutely delicious. Chef Niko came out and greeted us too. He was very friendly and gave us his recommendations. I highly suggest listening to what he says! We had the Pan Seared Chipotle Salmon dish he recommend and it was probably the best salmon I’ve ever had. We will most definitely be back for more!

Dined here on a Tuesday (St. Patrick’s day 2015) and was seated immediately. It was nice to have a sweet, old waiter — seriously found it so cute when I had to repeat my order twice. No sarcasm here, I thought it was adorable and totally endearing.
I ordered the fried chicken and churros and they did NOT disappoint. I’m originally from LA and swear by Roscoes Chicken and Waffles, and I think these are comparable (if not better). The chicken was sweetened with some kind of maple syrup type glaze, yet the breading was savory, slightly spicy and perfectly crunchy. I didn’t think the churros would hold up the way waffles would, but they did and I loved the cinnamon sugar and chicken combo!
Only thing I’ll complain about was how long it took us to get our check. We waited about 15 minutes after making it clear we wanted boxes to receive our check.
Sit outdoors! We got here before sunset and it was nice enjoying dinner while it was still bright out.

Amazing.
One thing that needed work: we came in at 8pm. It closes at 9. For our drinks and order, the waiters were quick to come to the table, but it was difficult to find anyone to get any refills, and I had to get up and track down our waiter to get our check.
The reason I am giving 5 stars instead of 4 for that is because everything else is jut that great.
The atmosphere is extremely romantic with all the flora and plants and the glowing lanterns hanging. The semi-​outdoor vibe creates a nice breeze, but there was a heat lamp right by our table so the temperature was perfect. Wanted to cuddle up and go to sleep next to it, it was so cozy. A band was playing there until about 8:30, and they played a bunch of great jazzy, but very sweet and romantic songs like «The World Smiles with You», which really made it feel like an old time vibe like you are back in the day of the hotel at it’s early years.
The restaurant, which is in the hotel courtyard, is perfectly placed amongst the antique setting of Old Town, which is in general a very romantic looking place. Food was truly delicious and unique– it was hard to choose what to eat because it all looked SO good. We went with the bacon bourbon wontons, which were larger than expected– super delectable. Then for dinner I ordered the chicken and churros (WOW soooo good) with tempura green beans (delish) and my husband ordered the scallop homemade gnocchi. It was all so delicious that we were too full to order dessert, which is a shame because it all looked so good! Looks like we’ll just have to go back :) :)