The Prado at Balboa Park

Be careful when you order. They scammed us and wouldn’t take our passport card for a free entrée like they advertize.

A special shout out to our waitress Tara She was really GREAT, friendly, efficient and FUN. Food was good and the setting beautiful for my birthday lunch. .. . but Tara was our favorite!

Had dinner at Prado last night. Just not hitting the mark anymore. Signature pork loin dish a little tough and could have been warmer when the plate was brought to the table.
Still love the décor but it’s a restaurant, so quality of the food comes first.

You can go wrong with anything over their, they also have an amazing waitresses! !!!

I came with my husband to Prado for a lunch date and we were pleasantly surprised!
The restaurant is in the heart of Balboa Park and provides indoor and outdoor seating. They also have an adjacent bar area where you can just order drinks and appetizers. The place is clean and the décor is beautiful. A great location for a date or to catch up with friends. On a sunny day, definitely request to sit outside on the patio. The food was delicious and very fresh. Everyone gets complimentary thin bread and hummus. We had the fish tacos and Kobe burgers; both which were yummy! The food seemed less salty than typical American restaurants but we prefer that. Our server was friendly and accommodating.
Beware it gets busy here during lunch and dinner hours and guessing weekends too. Definitely recommend making a reservations or else expect to wait at least 20 – 30 minutes.
Tip: if you have the San Diego passport card, you get one free entrée if you purchase one.
There is free parking all around the park but they fill up quickly! For those who don’t like to walk, there’s a tram that goes from the parking lot straight to the visitor center during the day (Prado is right next door).

I was thinking about giving 4 stars because the VALET a was disgraceful but I wasn’t sure if it was connected to the restaurant– my family owns a valet company so I was more than appalled by the service– he was on his phone– barely looked up and barely greeted us until we had to roll out window down– sauntered over to the car and obviously did not open my door. ASIDE FROM THAT this place is amazing. Food was great as well as service– ambience and décor is perfect as well. And the restaurant deal is amazing! $ 30 for app/​entrée/​dessert. Definitely a place to try if you’re visiting SD!

Some of my co-​workers and I headed over here for restaurant week for the 3 course meal for $ 30. Parking was free since you can park at any one of the Balboa Park parking lots. Our reservation was for 5:45pm for 6 people on a Friday night (01÷22÷16). Four of us had arrived early at around 5:20pm and they mentioned that we would have to wait for the whole party to be seated, so we waited a bit. It came around to 5:50pm and we eventually just asked to be seated since it was a bit chilly. The place was very nice. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and while they do provide heating lamps next to the tables that seem to warm you up properly, I’m glad that we chose indoor seating.
The waiter was polite and attentive. He immediately brought us some large chips with hummus. Our other 2 guests arrived and we were able to order. Most of us chose the spicy calamari fries which we all agreed were delicious and the plate offers a good helping, so not everyone was able to finish it without feeling completely full. I ordered the Shrimp and Filet which I believe was an upgrade of $ 10, but was well worth it. The dish was just too delicious to not finish. The waiter always did a great job of checking in on us periodically and re-​filling wine glasses for the other ladies. Finally, it was time for desert and I had ordered the
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Bar which might’ve been too rich in chocolate for others, but I thought was perfect. At the end of the night, it was quite busy, so I imagine reservations are probably the best idea for a Friday night.
Overall, we all had a great experience and would definitely come back. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, especially for a date night.

For the price of this place for restaurant week ($ 30 for dinner), this place deserves five stars! (They also have a Tuesday Date Night deal: two entrees and a bottle of wine for $ 40 total) WORTH IT!!!
Recommend: Mustard crusted pork prime rib
Red wine braised short rib
Chocolate hazelnut mousse bar
I got the spicy calamari fries everyone raves about. At first bite, it really didn’t seem that special to me at all. It honestly tasted a bit like sweet and sour sauce on calamari, however, I must admit this appetizer did slightly grow on me with a couple more bites as it was so flavorful and tangy. The calamari is mixed with Korean chili sauce and on top of Napa cabbage slaw, which had too much dressing on it! :(a little goes a long way…
I got the mustard crusted pork prime rib. I was a bit surprised at how big the portion was (see pictures)! The meat was super tender, and it was just SO GOOD!!! The plate had Irish style mashed potatoes (there was Sooo much bacon in it– yum), baby carrots, roasted Brussel sprouts, cipollini onions, and mustard sauce– ALL delicious. I highly recommend this entrée.
I also tried some of my friend’s braised short rib, which was just as delicious! The sauce was a little more heavy, and the meat was super easy to cut. It, too, came with mashed potatoes (not Irish) and Brussel sprouts. Popular entrée, as we heard a waiter tell the table next to us they were out of short rib for the night.
I got the lemon crème Brulee, which was a bit of a light dessert. My friend’s hazelnut chocolate mousse bar, however, was what I actually regretted getting. It was much heavier, but had a perfectly rich and smooth consistency on the chocolately/​fudge top portion, and just the right amount of crunch at the bottom. It came with small raspberries, and a small scoop of ice cream as well.
Service was mediocre… Nothing special, but no serious complaints either, though he could have checked up on us more.
Parking was free (there’s a lot behind the outdoor theater only about two min walk away), however there is valet parking at the front of the restaurant for $ 12.
Super cute date spot! Outdoor area is dimly lit with beautiful lights :) very pretty spot. I came here on a Wednesday night at 7:30, and the place was pretty filled. I’d recommend making reservations as I definitely can see this place being completely full on a weekend.

First stop during restaurant week of my choice was this place! Came here with my boyfriend and was seated within 15 – 20 minutes not much of a long wait since I heard this place does get busy.
The place itself was beautiful at night with lights hanging over and candle light center pieces. A perfect place to go on date night! Going over the food I had ordered… We stuck to the restaurant week offers. I had ordered the calamari fries as my appetizer and it is so unique compared to most calamari when you order it since the sauce is already drenched in it it was delicious! The braised prime rib for entrée was extremely tender and the sides with it was amazing. I fell in love with the zesty crème brûlée. I’m usually a fan of the classic type but I decided to try it and was satisfied!
Kevin was our server and was very attentive and made sure we were well taken care of. Customer service was excellent! Kevin always made sure we were doing well. Offered us his full hospitality and ended up having small talk about the food and the restaurant in general since it was our first time even though we’re San Diego natives. Our experience was wonderful and plan to come back!

My fiancé and I went to the prado date night, which happens every Tuesday, I had seen the advertisement from previous visits and finally was able to come check it out.
So the Tuesday night special is a bottle of wine and 2 entrees for $ 39.95! You can’t beat that price. We had the bottle of Tempranillo as our choice of wine, I ordered the spiny lobster bucatini and my fiancé got the mustard crusted pork prime rib. Both dishes were amazing but the pork prime rib was the star, even if you’re not a mustard lover (like my fiancé) you’ll love this dish. The bucatini was really tasty and flavorful also. The portion sizes are not skimpy, I had to take the rest of mine to go.
I think what made our date night so much better was the service. Our waitress Noelle was awesome! She was very friendly and personable. She was giving us suggestions on her top picks and you can tell how knowledgeable she is with the menu, she knows her job well and we could definitely tell. We both agreed that we hadn’t received such great service in a long time, so thank you Noelle for making our date night perfect! Next time eating at Prado or maybe for another Tuesday date night I would absolutely ask to be seated in Noelle’s section.

Food is delicious. Ambience is awesome!
Our server, Matthew is so friendly and so cool! He took care of us so well! Thanks so much Matthew! Keep up the good work.
Highly recommended!

A nice spot to relax in the middle of Balboa Park. There was actually a wedding going on in the pavilion below the restaurant’s patio, which seemed really fancy, but we were surprised that it was being held right by so many regular diners, and in the middle of the ceremony we started hearing this loudspeaker announcement from the amphitheater area nearby. We felt so bad about that!
THE WAIT: None around 3:30pm on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They were just closing up for lunch so only part of the patio was open, and you could only order drinks/​appetizers. We got the last table (there were only 3 or 4).
THE SERVICE: Very professional.
THE COST: $ 44.77 before tax/​tip for 2 beers and 2 appetizers.
* Free flatbread + hummus — 3 stars
Love the different grain flavors on the flatbread, but the hummus is a bit, dry, a bit fishy in flavor.
* Kobe beef sushi roll (asparagus, wasabi cream, ponzu dipping sauce, tobiko aioli. $ 13.95) — 3.5 stars
Not bad, unique, the sauce was like a salsa but not much flavor.
* Spicy calamari (korean chili sauce, napa cabbage slaw. $ 13.50) — 3.5 stars
I didn’t try this, but my boyfriend says this had a unique flavor.

Their main restaurant is closed from 3p-​5p, even on weekends which I think is odd because they are busy during that time! Their bar area is available with open seating but it can fill up quickly. The restaurant is pretty, especially their outside patio!
Chips & Hummus — Complimentary.
Spicy Calamari Fries = Served with Korean Chili Sauce & Napa Cabbage Slaw — Delicious! Lightly crispy & the seasoning on the calamari was amazing, especially with the sauce. The slaw was sweet.
White Wine Sangria — Refreshing although a little bitter.
I have the Passport card & they have a BOGO deal for The Prado. Good thing I asked the waiter about using this deal for their appetizers because the deal only applies to certain appetizers…
Customer service was great!

We always head to Balboa Park for a stroll — when we were dating years ago to now that we have a one year old. Always had events at the Prado but this time went to late lunch.
Décor is splendid inside. Adds flair to the restaurant. You can request Voss water instead of tap. I ordered the grilled portobello mushroom arugula salad with grilled shrimp and paired it with wine. Wow that was so good! We ordered my son the grilled chicken tenders and fries. I’ve never heard of kids menus with grilled tenders so this was pleasant! Thumbs up.
Overall it was a good experience and the food was superb!!!

A restaurant to go and be seen. I’ve been here for happy hour and lunch. I enjoyed lunch more, but the happy hour was great given that we needed to eat and had theatre tickets.
For dinner happy hour/​dinner, we had a couple flatbreads, some fries, and the black bean soup. All of these were tasty, but nothing to write home about.
The fish tacos that I had for lunch were better, especially with the mango and slaw. But even though the build yourself concept seemed fun, it wasn’t well executed. The tortillas stuck together. The beans were just okay. My friend really liked her turkey burger. That was a very generous mean, and I can attest that the fries were delicious
The beer selection here isn’t great. The are a couple local beers, usually saint archer and greenflash, on draft. But nothing amazing or rare. The cocktail and wine selection is more satisfactory. Still, you can’t beat the location.

This place is amazing, if you’re in Balboa park I definitely recommend coming here.
The calamari is so incredibly good. The pear martini is delicious! The best martini I have ever had. The food overall is absolutely amazing.
Service was excellent. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. Probably the best service I’ve ever had at any restaurant. We were also the only ones seated in our area, which is probably why the service was so great. But no complaints! Fresh silverware after our appetizer, wiping down our table in between courses, and constant refills on our drinks. He was great!
The only thing I was disappointed by was my boyfriend and I showed up around 3:30 wanting to have an early dinner; but unfortunately when we arrived the dinner didn’t open until 5. The hostess was very nice she just told us they were serving small things like soup and salad then. So we made a reservation for 5 to come back. We waited an hour and a half but it was so well worth it!
If I’m in the area again I’ll always come here! 5 star food and service!

Our service/​server was far superior to our last visit. I wasn’t even planning to return but due to another nearby restaurant being unexpectedly closed we decided to give the Prado another chance. The chicken club sandwich was a little on the bland side which was surprising as it had bacon on it. Fortunately the «Deliful» Sandwich came with a side greek salad which we used on the chicken club to zest it up. The strangely named deliful had bison, pastrami, turkey and bacon. The only thing about this sandwich that I didn’t care for was the malted brown bread… very dry. But the other flavors all worked well together. The fries were really disappointing… next time we’ll go for the homemade chips.
They really know how to do their cocktails right. The mojito was one of the best I’ve had. You are definitely paying for the park ambience so just know that you aren’t getting any culinary masterpiece here.

Romantic place. Great ambiance. Food can use an upgrade.
We came here for our anniversary.
We started with the spicy calamari as per everyone’s recommendations here. It was «ok».
The waiter naively pushed the short rib. It was very tender, but lacked a bit in flavour.
The mashed potatoes however were outstanding!
My wife had the steak and shrimp duo. Great flavours but shrimp were on the smaller size and the steak had to be a 3oz steak.
Our dessert was the star of the night. You MUST try it. It’s amazing!!! Seriously. I’m not getting paid to endorse it either ;)

I am a fan of the Cohn Group, and have now eaten in about 6 of their restaurants. (I totally miss the Ken Grill. Can we bring it back in another form, maybe in North County?)
Over the last year, I have been to a lot of events @ CRG restaurants, since they are partnered with KPRI.
I really enjoyed the Happy Hour at the Prado. My friends and I have eaten there several times before the concerts at the ballroom. It can be difficult to get a table, so give yourself some extra time.
The staff was really friendly, and had to hustle with the crazy crowd (I’m sure the event made it more crowded than normal). The food was good, and with HH pricing you are able to try more things than you would normally. Their salads are really good, and I also really love their desserts.
We got a promo coupon at the event, so I will have to come back and eat in the regular restaurant.

I love love love love LOVE Balboa Park. It’s just beautiful, so of course The Prado compliments the park well.
My boyfriend picked me up from the train station downtown and took me straight to The Prado for dinner. Unfortunately we didn’t have the pleasure of sitting outside, but their patio is stunning and overlooks the park. (If you’re making reservations, ask for outdoor seating!!).
Romantic and lively. A live band was playing while we were having dinner… it was nice :)
+ seared American Kobe beef sushi roll — everyone rants about this app on their review so we had to order it. It’s a sushi roll with asparagus and kobe beef. Sauce: wasabi cream, aioli, and a ponzu dipping sauce. A super Americanized «sushi» roll… it was good, but nothing to be excited about. If you really think this is amazing, please try real sushi. Or a beef tataki roll at a real Japanese restaurant. Guaranteed you’ll be mind-​blown.
+ thyme roasted jidori chicken grits & gravy — boyfriend wanted be slightly healthy so he ordered the chicken. It comes with potatoes, onions, pea vines, and topped with a mushroom cream sauce. The chicken was moist and the dish was overall light and flavorful, but also not the best jidori chicken I’ve ever had.
+ red wine braised beef short ribs — Didn’t even have to use a knife. I just gently scraped the ribs with my fork and it would fall off. Amazing texture. Flavor was mediocre, but the texture.
The Prado is definitely a great date spot, but more so for the setting and not the food. I am in no rush to come back.

Ce restaurant est niché au coeur du Balboa Park, ce qui est un très bon point en soi !
Autre bon point: sa grande terrasse, sa verdure, ses grands parasols et ses guirlande de lumières… un endroit idéal, donc, pour faire une pause déjeuner au cours de votre balade dans ce parc immense.
Côté carte, nous avons tous opté pour de belles salades, copieuses et originales. En ce qui me concerne, une salade de jeunes pousses, agrémentée de champignons, de tomates séchés, de pesto, de fromage de chèvre frais et d’une vinaigrette au citron… Yummy ! Comptez entre 10 et 15 $ la salade: excellent rapport qualité/​prix !
En boisson, j’ai opté pour un Virgin Mojito, qui se prêtait bien, selon moi, à l’atmosphère estivale et tranquille du lieu.
Serveurs très sympathiques, qui ont l’amabilité de poivrer votre assiette (avec un imposant moulin à poivre), funnny !