Le Fontainebleau

On Monday night if you speak Mexican don’t expect any service. The bread was stale, the wait was terrible. Too many great places to go in Downtown to ever think of going there again

I came here because I love seafood, and I was not disappointed. Everything was fresh and appealing to the eye. Ive been wanting to come here for a long time and I’m glad I did. The crab is to die for. Oyster’s were the best Ive had in awhile. Most would think $ 50.00 is a little to much for a buffet but its not. When you walk in and see the place you know you’re going to get good service and great food. Great experience. I loved it! Will definitely be back.

Let me preface this review with: I go to Vegas about 8 times a year, and almost every trip will include a buffet. Not just any buffet. GOOD buffet. EXPENSIVE buffet. I’m talking bout Bacchanal at Caesar’s Palace, Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan, the Fountain Brunch at Jasmin at Bellagio, and the (formerly great) Sterling Brunch at Bally’s. So trust me when I say, I know my buffets.
With that said, this place is awesome. There’s not a huge selection like a Vegas buffet, but the quality is definitely there, and there’s still a good variety. The price when we went was $ 50 per person, and included unlimited champagne.
Some of the stand-​out items: their butterfly fried shrimp was surprisingly delicious. Big meaty shrimp that’s beautifully crusted and fried. Speaking of shrimp, cocktail shrimp was also nice and meaty. They have a good selection of oysters, crab, and shrimp. Good stuff here.
Other stand-​out items: their meat. Leg of lamb and prime rib: outstanding. Beautifully done, especially for a buffet. Crab cake surprisingly good as well.
They also have caviar. Yep. Mmm.
Items to avoid: crawfish lo mein (it’s like they poured a bottle of soy sauce in it), BBQ brisket (dry), there’s a weird macaroni dish with bay scallops in it (lacks flavor), pork shu-​mai (gross).
OH! I must mention dessert. At the Vegas buffets, I’m always wowed by all the desserts, and for the most part, I will take a couple of bites of each item. The desserts here? I pretty much ate everything. They were absolutely delicious.
For 50 bucks, it’s not cheap. But I’m used to paying Vegas prices, and because the quality of the food is very good, I think it’s worth it. Definitely will be coming back!

Sunday Brunch Review: I’m a little torn about this place. On the one hand, service and atmosphere are excellent, I would rate both five stars. On the other hand, the food mostly lacked flavor and I was disappointed in the majority of items that I tried, I would give maybe a 2, 2.5 star rating for food. There was a lot of variety, and while I was very satisfied with the quality of the desserts, it was the high end entrée items (mostly seafood) that left me feeling disappointed.
I would probably give another star if the price was lowered around $ 15. This brunch would be reasonable at $ 37 per person rather than the $ 52 per person currently charged. Either lower the price or increase the food quality.
Pros:
–beautifully decorated tables, chandeliers, piano music in the background, food tables are all laid out and organized nicely so that there is little to no wait
–more than just champagne is served, you also have the option for a bloody mary or a margarita. I stuck with traditional champagne, and it tasted great
–wait staff is attentive and very polite. Our server came in to check on us every 10 min or so, we never felt abandoned :)
–food is plentiful and there is a lot of variety, they are very good at refilling empty trays quickly
–Dessert is top-​notch, loved the crepes!
–valet parking is provided
Cons:
–food I tried mostly lacked flavor; the sushi was just okay, sashimi was better. Shark was not very good, I only had a few bites of it. Underwhelmed by the salmon wellington, caviar was so-​so, oysters rockefeller did not taste good at all
–my boyfriend ordered a bloody mary and did not like it, he ordered a second one and requested that they use regular tomato juice instead of the bloody mary mix. While they did try to honor this request, he still did not like it and could only drink a quarter of it before giving up
–Valet parking, while provided, is not included as part of the brunch deal. It cost us $ 4 for the first 2 hours
–We felt that $ 52 was rather steep for the quality of food; either the price should be lowered or the food should be made to taste better
All in all, it was a fantastic experience while at the same time a disappointing one. It was good enough, however, that we will likely give them another chance in the future. I will update my review if our second experience fares any better.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place!!! Amazing, friendly service from the minute the valet opens your door. The décor is like being at a mini Versailles, so fun to be somewhere with European Elegance in a beach town like San Diego. This is my go to spot for everything — drinks, tea, brunch, lunch, dinner, date night, girls night… I love sharing it with friends and family; most people have no idea what to expect and everyone is wowed once they step inside.

Certainly not worth the price of admission! Food was good, service was barely adequate, atmosphere is kind of fun because there is nothing else like it in San Diego! Considering how little the server staff has to do, I always had to ask for more water and more champagne which I find unacceptable. I walked into the men’s room and the door hit a female staff worker on the rear and as she was bent over picking up trash, and yet there was no warning on the exterior door that the bathroom was closed or there was a servicemember inside. Ironically, she acted put out that I rammed the door into her, in spite of the fact that I was a man in the men’s restroom and she was female, and after I apologized, she finally softened and said, «oh, ok?!» Really!!! The more I think about it, the service was actually terrible, our dirty plates were never cleared in a timely fashion… yeah, I know it was Mother’s Day, but I still found the service to be terrible considering the level of restaurant that they position themselves to be.

I have loved brunch at the Westgate Hotel for years and have counted on it many times for special occasions. In particular, I have appreciated the elegance and refinement that is part of the experience. These are the qualities that set this Brunch apart and which have made it a San Diego institution.
Unfortunately, my last two visits have not lived up to the standards that I have come to expect. Most of the food is still great, the mimosas are above average, and the piano is lovely which is why I have given 3-​Stars in this review.
However, here are the reasons that the experience is not 4 or 5 stars.
1) The service was mediocre at best. In my last visit, we sat at the table for 15 minutes before having any contact with a server, we were ignored for long periods of time while plates sat in front of us, we had to constantly ask for water/​utensils/​coffee, our waiter was no where to be found when we were ready for the check, and once I gave him my credit card he disappeared again.
2) The fish for the sushi was just bad, it was clearly not fresh, Further, the attendant serving it, did not appear to know anything about sushi. For instance, he did not know that one of the types of fish he was serving was called hamachi and the sashimi cuts that he was making reminded me of the way that you would chop meat for stew or a sauté.
3) The dining room was in disrepair. The sconces on the wall were almost all askew and the chair that my son was sitting in had a broken arm. At one point during the brunch, my son’s finger ended up getting pinched between the broken sections of the chair.
4) Finally, there were many people in the dining room who were dressed down. They were wearing jeans and casual shirts or sweaters. I don’t know what conclusion to draw from this fact. Maybe its just the reality of living in a laid back city like San Diego or maybe it reflects the institution’s lost prestige. I don’t know.
In the end, I will go back and appreciate all that Brunch at the Westgate has been for so many years. But, I will also be on the look out for a new special place that can deliver on the elegance and refinement that I am looking for.

Although the price tag was hefty ($ 52 adults and $ 29 kids) for Sunday brunch, everything was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed that the chafing dish foods were in individual dishes so it looked (as well as tasted) fabulous. My favorite foods were the mac-​n-​cheese on top of a short rib, the chocolate croissants, the fresh made crepes and the chocolate fountain (with high quality chocolate). I also liked that margaritas and bloody marys were included as well as champagne. If you do not like seafood, you may find this buffet a little limited — there were other options, but it was very heavy on seafood. It also does not include sparkling cider if you want that as a champagne alternative.

Lovely Brunch! The dinning room is ornate and feels very old European. Live piano music played. It was a nice touch but a little loud based on were we sat. There was a large variety of food– meats, cheese, seafood, crêpe bar, omelette station. Dishes were served in individual serving dishes. The Prime Rib was delicious. The dessert buffet was amazing. Our Mimosa’s were always filled. Our waiter was very attentive. Valet parking cost $ 4 with validation from the hostess.

For a beautiful, elegant yet relaxed brunch, with excellent food choices, champagne, and live piano music, this is the place. There isn’t another brunch place that could even come close in San Diego, so save yourself the time searching — make a reservation for Sunday brunch, you won’t regret it.
This has become our regular brunch get away.

Delicious brunch! Food is fresh and I like the way they serve a lot of their food in little dishes that you take back to your seat (instead of big trays where you could easily take more than you should). They had a very nice selection of seafood, like crab cakes, ahi, coconut shrimp, crab claws, and shrimp. Will definitely be hitting this place up again!

Overall this was a wonderful brunch experience. The only issue is that some types of seafood are left out for too long on the buffet, so they get dry and lack flavor. The oysters, mussels and clams were all dried out and bland, not freshly opened as they would be in a restaurant during dinner service. The oysters were difficult to get out of the shell and had no brine. Other than this one issue, brunch here is lovely. There is a wide selection of food, from breakfast items such as an omlet station, to carving stations and desserts. Crepes and crab cakes, and bread pudding were all standouts. The price is very reasonable for what you get. Champagne, juice and coffee are served at your table, along with a delicious table side cheese cart. Service is wonderful and attentive, and I enjoyed the live piano music as well. It’s so nice to have an alternative to the usual brunch madness!

I love this place for brunch (in San Diego). Crown room at Hotel Del does not compare and the price at Le Fontainebleau is reasonable (unlike the Crown room). I personally like the atmosphere & the food is amazing. A great place to host birthday’s, anniversaries, and any special occasion for brunch.

One of the best place to go. Food and service and environment are simply straight ***** five star. There is not a second place that matches it close. We are very pleased with their high quality business.

My girlfriend and I went for Sunday Brunch. We had a reservation from opentable at noon. We arrived and they did not have my reservation. We waited about 15 minutes and then was seated.
It did not seem very busy at all. Our waiter come over promptly and took our drink order. We got up to go get our first dish. I was craving the crab and went straight for it. Too bad there was none! I asked the worker standing around if they can bring more crab out and he asked the woman bringing out oysters if she could bring more crab out. She tells him they are out and speaks to her privately. He comes back to me says they’ll be out in 10 minutes. I come back ten minutes later and there’s nothing. The same woman comes out and puts out more food and I ask her directly and she tells me they are out. How is that possible? You are only half way through brunch and you are out of crab? Paying $ 45 I expect to get crab. I was highly disappointed.
Besides missing the crab, I was not impressed by any of the other food offered. I like hot food and all the food was luke warm and/​or cold. $ 45 is highly overpriced for the type of food you receive. Besides no crab and cold food, I also was unimpressed by the service. The waiter was very slow in clearing our table. Sitting at a small table, you can only fit enough plates for 2 people. If the plates don’t get cleared we can’t put our new food on the table. I was constantly calling over random waiters to clear out plates.
In the end, I will not be coming back and I was highly disappointed in my experience at this restaurant. I’d rather go to brunch at Tom Ham’s for $ 10 less. There’s a view as well as hot food and food that does not run out.

The family went for Sunday brunch. Was it good. Yeah. Great? No. I think I’m being generous with three stars.
The service was pretty good. Contrary to some reviews, we didn’t have a problem with the wait staff clearing plates and bringing the cheeses to the table. However, they never refilled the water.
The food was pretty good but limited. If you look on their website, the menu is pretty extensive. In reality about 25% of the items were not available. It’s a little misleading.
The food was pretty good but nothing spectacular. If your spending this much money, go to the Hotel Del Coronado. Yes, it’s almost twice as much, but it’s about four times better.
It was an ok experience, but I wouldn’t come here again. They validate parking, but you still have to pay $ 3 instead of $ 8.

We’ve been to the Sunday brunch buffet more times than I can count. This is one of our favorite places to celebrate special occasions and to take our out of town visitors. At $ 45 per person, it’s the best brunch deal in town *and* you get to feel fancy while you stuff your face to live piano music in a rococo inspired dining room. Having said that – please dress appropriately! There’s always a handful of ragamuffins that taint the
frou frou ambiance.
(As far as the price is concerned, it should be noted that for special occasions, such as their Mother’s Day brunch which we attended recently, the price usually shoots up to $ 65; the food offerings remain mostly the same except its way more crowded and the service is worse).
Over the years, the food selection has been consistently impressive. The spread ranges from salads, seafood, hot dishes (which, given its a buffet, are actually lukewarm), made to order breakfast items (i.e. omelets, crepes, waffles), carving stations, and an array of little desserts and a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows, biscotti, and mini donuts for dipping. As with any buffet, quality and creativity are sometimes limited and compromised because the food needs to sit for long periods of time and be continuously refilled, but they do their best.
My go-​to favorites include the crab cakes, fried shrimp plate, the ceviches, scalloped potatoes, and gnocchi. I always order a crêpe with berries, as well as a waffle, and I try one of every dessert – except for the brioche chocolate chip bread pudding, of which I have at least two servings even if I’ve already stuffed myself to the point of nausea.
Bottomless mimosas are a must for us, but they also offer margaritas, bloody marys, and champagne. There’s also coffee and tea if you don’t feel like getting sloshed at 11am on a Sunday.
While this may be the best brunch in town for the money, I have been irked by the level of service we’ve received over the past year or so. For instance, I *always* have to ask our server (s) – usually repeatedly – for crab crackers, for their table-​side cheese service, for the table-​side pastry/​muffin/​bread service, for mimosa refills, and for plate clearing.
Its incredibly annoying and disappointing, but I try to eat and drink my feelings instead of giving the staff major «tude.» So, if this is your first visit, just keep in mind that they do offer these table-​side services & they are not to be missed! You might have to ask your server multiple times, but the gouda and croissants are worth the uncomfortable nagging.
Though there is certainly room for improvement, this brunch is definitely secured as one of our favorite places to celebrate with the people we love.

This review is for their Sunday Champagne Brunch…
One of the most memorable things a friend once told me was that being a friend (in his circle) meant that I was in their ‘flock’. That the way a shepherd takes care of their sheep, his friends take care of each other. I thought that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard.
Well two of those friends are leaving SD soon so I wanted to plan something nice. So a group of 5 sheep got together last rainy Sunday for one last possible get together.
I was sold about their Sunday Champagne Brunch by the menu they have online.
— $ 45/​pp
— includes ts traditional champagne, Mimosas, Bloody Marys (!!) and Margaritas (!!)
— array of artisan cheeses will be offered on table side
— new Juice Bar composed of locally grown freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables
— caviar, oysters, crab claws, prime rib, sushi: did I mention CAVIAR?!
— Chocolate fountain!!! Crêpe and waffle station
I figured each one of us could easily get our $ 45 worth with the menu that I repeatedly studied last week. For example, friend#1 doesn’t like brunch stuff per se but she loves drinks so I calculated that she would need to drink ‘x’ amount of drinks and eat ‘x’ amount of oysters in order to get her $ 45 worth. Or friend#2 would need to eat two orders of prime rib, drink 8 fresh juices, and make 3 trips to chocolate fountain in order to get HIS $ 45 worth. Something like that. I had it ALL calculated in my head.
To summarize: (go to their online menu to see list of items served that day)
— Bloody Mary tasted a bit too clamato for me but the others at the table loved it. Nice presentation and they don’t skimp on the booze
— Margarita: A.W.E.S.O.M.E! Our server even asked me if I wanted a double shot of tequila in this drink (which my overly protective friend said ‘no she does not’). There’s fresh lime, tequila, orange juice, sweet & sour mix (I think) in this beautifully presented drink. Even the salt lined rim of the glass tasted good!
— I thought someone would be squeezing fresh veggies and fruits for the Juice Bar but that’s not the case. There’s 3 juices to choose from in that department: I believe they’re 1) carrot & ginger; 2) kale, spinach, green apple; and 3) pineapple and acai berry.
— most of their hot food items weren’t very good. Wellington of Salmon with lobster sauce, chicken breast with mushrooms, scallop/​shrimp pot pie, and both eggs benedict were all pretty bad
— I’ve never been a caviar person because it always tasted a bit strange to me. But when it’s included in a Champagne Brunch, you betcha I’m gonna try it and try LOADS of it (I figured it was the most expensive item that day so this would be the item I would make them go broke on… that was *my* smart stupid thinking).
I topped my little blini with crème fraîche, chives, and a big ol’ dollop of black caviar (the name of the caviar wasn’t displayed). It looked pretty but just tasted too fishy for me. Maybe this is the way it’s supposed to taste and I, for lack of better judgement, don’t really know my caviar. So perhaps there are those out there that would really love this dish. But all I can say is that no one at the table went back for seconds for this caviar.
— Jonah crab claws: the version here is semi cracked and there’s a crab claw cracker on each table. But dang man, these were a pain in the buttocks to crack. The shell is super hard and even though they partially crack it, it still takes some intense work to get to the crab meat. And not sure if you’ve cracked a crab claw recently, but it isn’t exactly a non-​messy type of chore. Needless to say, I had a few crab pieces in my hair and dress
— oysters were fresh but not the meatiest of oysters
— Sashimi: It’s not that this wasn’t good. It’s just that it wasn’t amazing for what you think you’d be getting at The Westgate Hotel for a Champagne Brunch. My second serving of the hamachi sashimi was questionable: the slice of fish looked unhealthy
— my 2 favorite items: Prosciutto (perfect amount of salt and fat) and Duck breast with
walnut truffle vinaigrette sauce
— crêpe and waffle station: VERY GOOD. Everyone said this was the highlight of their meal
— Chocolate fountain: they have strawberries, mini donuts, marshmallows for you to run through the chocolate waterfall !
— valet is $ 3 for first two hours, $ 4/​hour thereafter
The restaurant and 2^nd floor felt eerily quiet, old, and haunted house-​ish to me (I don’t mean this in a negative way — I’m just a scared-​y mouse when it comes to this type of stuff).
Service was attentive and we never felt rush. It was a fun meal: not b/​c the food was all that great but b/​c of my flock that beautiful, rainy March afternoon…

The Sunday Brunch at Le Fontainebleau is excellent. They offer a wonderful array of dishes. The selection is more lavish and the dishes are more refined than what you’d normally see at a brunch buffet in San Diego. They have black caviar on the buffet. I’ve never been to a buffet that had all you can eat black caviar. Usually, you only see salmon roe.
The service was excellent! I will definitely be back and would highly recommend Le Fontainebleau’s Sunday brunch.

Honestly? This is the best buffet I’ve ever been to, ever. Ever.
My aunt and uncle were visiting from DC, and they work in Congress so they are used to exorbitantly fancy fare. I wanted to impress them, so I asked around, and everyone told me to go to Westgate for Sunday champagne brunch.
By the time we were done eating, all we could talk about was how wonderful the entire experience was. The sitting area is very pretty — a bit frou frou but it’s champagne brunch for crying out loud. The waiters purposely lead you past giant blocks of aged stinky cheeses that they later bring to your table. These cheeses are lethal and decadent, and they cleared out my sinuses.
Onto the food itself. Buffet. Several tables. Well-​organized. Gorgeously plated. Bonus points for the chocolate fountain that I didn’t go near because I’m an Angeleno.
The seafood was so fresh and delicious. All you can eat fresh sashimi for $ 42? Seriously? Wait, that’s not even true, because there’s also AYCE lamb, prime rib, oysters, gourmet food that I can’t pronounce, and — wait for it — caviar. My aunt and uncle were astounded, and I was very proud of myself, especially after my third glass of bubbly.
Now, there’s one thing that I do have to pick on. It was getting near the end of brunch, and there were only a few parties left. So I politely asked the waiter if it was time to go. He said, a bit snappy, «We are waiting for you.» Did he mean it in a rude way? I don’t think so. I was food coma’d and happy and full of delicious fresh seafood and lamb and prime rib, so I let it go.
Westgate Hotel itself is a bit of a trip. It’s like Versailles took E and threw up on itself. A bit tacky and silly, but just go upstairs and gorge on this wonderful champagne brunch.