Waters Fine Foods

I love Waters! I was running through downtown on a trolley adventure with a friend when i had an urge to look to my left at the business next to me. Crazy to find this place especially since I was hungry for something healthier than an ice cream shop we went to earlier in the day.
I’d only ever been to the Solana Beach location but this one had everything the northern location had plus a cute little water bar.
The service was great and the clerk was very personable. I got the accini de Pepe which is my faaaavorite pasta salad and needless to say I was a happy girl that day.

Just walked out of here. All I wanted was to buy an iced tea and leave. I was ignored.
First, I waited in line and both the people in front of me who ordered food and the people after me were taken first. After being overlooked here I went the foot or so over to the register and waited there with my iced tea in hand as neither of the front of house people even acknowledge my presence. Both other parties who were finally done ordering their meals arrived after me and were rung up first. I was completely ignored. Plenty of other lunch options near by. Will not come back.

Loved their food and coffee. There is free internet to use, however make sure you are charged because they don’t have a charging station. I had the cold brew coffee, and later a sandwich.
I was stuck in downtown for a passport appointment, this was reasonably priced and walking distance, as well as had a nice outside patio. I was able to do my work in peace, and people watch a little (at around noon the business crowd came for lunch so it got very busy). The staff was really nice and accommodating, overall a great experience.

The quality here has been unpredictable for me and my lunch crew, but it’s usually decent and had healthy (and unhealthy) options. I love their vegetable sides. They always have a fun cold salad out too.
Most recently, I got their tandoori chicken meat balls and related seasonal vegetables. Both were good and the server even picked out some extra beers for me because I asked.
I also love their roasted nuts with rosemary. I get them to go sometimes and have a hard time not eating them all in one sitting.
The line can be looking here sometimes so come early. The menu of freshly prepared dishes changes frequently. It’s also very pricey. I love that it features humanely raised meats though, and to me, that’s with the extra money.

Very nice stylish eatery. But the food is very average, over priced and the servings are tiny. It does the job if you need a quick bite but that’s only because nothing else is near by.

I recently went to Waters downtown and the gentlemen who waited on me was so rude and indifferent. I asked him about one of the dishes and he said he didn’t know. He wasn’t listening and spoke less than five words to me. He packed my food to go. I went on a Friday afternoon at 3:00 & it was dead. I noticed other people come in and try to talk to him and he gave them the same stone face. Food was good but I won’t go back to a place with rude staff! I hope the Waters management reads this review and makes some staff changes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a long time customer of waters and make weekly visits to one of their locations. I appreciate the quality ingredients they use and don’t mind the slightly inflated prices. However, I do mind unfriendly staff when I am spending $ 10 on a sandwich. My last visit to their downtown location will be my last. It seems like they mess up or forget about my order every time I’m there, which I usually don’t mind, as they make up for it with a free cookie.
On my last visit, I had parked at a meter and ran in to get a quick sandwich. 25 minutes later, I was still waiting and watching as everyone else in the place got their food. When I asked the guy behind the counter about my order, he was super rude and not apologetic at all. I explained that I had been waiting awhile and my meter was expiring soon, to which he scoffed at and told me it would be right out. I’m all about slow food, but I really don’t think a sandwich should take 30+ minutes. When he finally gave me my order, he again offered me an extra side of attitude, no apology for the wait and no cookie as a peace offering. The food may be good but the service is horrible and makes the experience unbearable.

Had the market Cobb salad. Tasty, with a yummy white balsamic vinaigrette, but pricey at $ 10, especially for a pre-​made salad.

Did not have a place to write a review for location in Columbia district. With respect to new location in Columbia district, don’t bother as these people just don’t care. Not sure why this location is opened. Employees are disinterested, food takes too long, and is over priced.

This is one of the best places downtown! The food is always fresh and delicious. We use their catering service for our office meetings and we’re never disappointed. What I also like is that they use biodegradable plates & utensils. Can’t beat that! Christina and her crew are worth the five star rating. I’m getting hungry just thinking of their food.
P. S. We even had a very relaxing Happy Hour there one day after work! Best, Jaime

It is not fine food. It is good food that is overpriced. $ 8 for a pre-​made «beet» salad with just a few pieces of beet in it. $ 1.75 for a can of soda… Give me a break.

When I worked nearby, I was usually the one sent to pick up the boss’s phone/​online order. After a while, I decided to try it out.
The food is good, sure, but I honestly don’t think its worth the price, given the portions. I mean, over $ 3 for a brownie? I love brownies, but c’mon. None of the sandwiches or burgers come with a side, and nothing includes a drink. A full meal can easily rack up to around $ 20 per person. Besides that, nothing I had really stood out.
I’m not going out of my way to eat here, unless I’m not that hungry and have money to burn.
If you’re into it, though, just avoid this place during lunch. Or place and online/​phone order.

How can everything go so terribly right? Waters Fine Foods are catering wizards — not only in a town that’s not particularly food savvy (sorry, San Diego, but let’s be real about this) but also in terms of catering in general.
These guys produced an amazing display of hors d’oeuvres and wines for a corporate open house reception that went flawlessly thanks to Waters. Let’s count the ways: their planning and event staff were responsive and on point; they used fresh, high-​quality ingredients; their preparation was delicious with an attractive but unpretentious and approachable presentation. (How many times have you been to or hosted an event only to think to yourself that you could have duplicated the results with a cheap CostCo platter? Not here, friends.) Find familiar foods with impeccable execution: Tender, herbed chicken brochettes with an emerald sauce; roasted, carmelized winter vegetables; imported cheeses with dried fruit and honeycomb; endive boats spooned with curried salad that made my colleagues elbowy and competitive for the next bite.

Lovely little farm to table café. Organic fare, complimentary wifi so you can take a nice little working lunch. Gluten free and vegan options are well indicated to make easy ordering for those with food restrictions. Nice sized outdoor patio. I will definitely be back when I’m in the area!

Food is really basic and not that good. Also really expensive.
My sandwich had one slice of turkey (on pretty good bread) one slice of lettuce and some mayo.
It wasn’t terrible but for the money it seems like a huge ripoff. When I commented to the manager that the portions seem really small she said «I’ll double check our scales». Not great service either.

My lady and I, having both graduated from culinary school, like to eat around on our vacation. It was a lovely afternoon in San Diego when a concierge at the Westin recommended Waters as light, farm to the table fare. We love sharing food we find fantastic and talking about it… Unless it is really, really good.
Such was the case here, my girl and I sat guarded and silent, so immersed in our food and largely unwilling to share. Not having a pen to write terms on our napkins, we engaged in verbal negotiations before sharing.
Sadly we were only in town for a day…

So I tried them again today’s special was Tandoro Sandwich and fries again. My lunch was fabulous fries where hot and sandwich was delicious with mango salsa!

I luckily work a couple blocks from Waters, but just recently gave it a try and wonder why I waited so long. The first time I went there for lunch I tried the bacon quiche. It was perfectly butter-​y with a good amount of bacon and cheese. I also could not resist a chocolate dipped macaron. I recommend their BLT salad. Thumbs up to their creamy citrus vinaigrette. The BEST thing I have had for lunch was their chicken salad, which I ordered on a salad. It had artichoke hearts and tarragon with the right amount of mayo and paired well with the creamy citrus vinaigrette. I will be back for more chicken salad! All of the employees have been really pleasant, helpful and friendly.

YUM!!!
I ordered the turkey pesto sandwich and it was delicious!
You can tell they use fresh ingredients. They even let me sub the cheese to accommodate my food allergy.
Plus, the staff was super nice!
I will definitely be returning for lunch!

Portabello sandwich was perfection. Focaccia was perfectly soft but not soggy and held up really well with all the vegetables inside. It was a light sandwich, but also filling and tasted good for you. You really can tell that they use the best and freshest ingredients and care about producing great food.
Their menu is pretty extensive and offer many interesting sandwiches. I almost couldn’t decide what to get but after eating pretty badly that week, I opted for an all vegetable sandwich.
Their sweet potato fries were also delicious. $ 3.50 gets you a decent portion, not too much or too little.
Like many other lunch places in downtown San Diego, there is usually a lunch rush so expect some waiting in line and for your food. Line to order moves quickly though and it looks like they also take call in orders if you don’t have time to wait.
This is probably the best place for lunch in the vicinity. It is now definitely my favorite in downtown San Diego. Great food at a decent price. Can’t wait to try the other items on their menu.