Best Family Style Restaurants in University City/Golden Triangle

Great experience, highly recommend for any occasion. Shout out to our server Stefano, he was exceptional, great customer service 👍. Everyone was so friendly and nice. Dined here with my fam on my birthday, food was excellent especially my grilled lamb chops which was cooked in perfection, hubby and our son loved their food too. Ambience was very good and not too noisy. Loved it here will dine again someday. Highly recommended 👍

Food was all delicious! It’s so great to receive impeccable service… an art form that seems to have been lost a bit after Covid. The patio seating was comfortable and the decor and ambiance were great. What an absolute treat!

AMAZING first experience at Le Coq! They are serious about their cocktails- and it shows! They have an array of cocktails with a variety of liquors- so there is definitely something for everyone (even a selection of cocktails!). The food was French with exquisite presentation. We ate the steak tartare, onion tart, pork croquette and baguette with chicken skin butter! WOW! Everything had intense flavors that complemented each other! For entrees, my husband and I shared the Australian Wagyu steak (large, like 16oz I think), steak & frites and the lamb. The night took a spectacular turn with the chef herself came out with a couple entrees! It was such a pleasure to meet such a badass chef! Overall, we were thrilled with our first experience and can’t wait to go back! The atmosphere was sexy/swanky, and despite loud noise levels, a good time was definitely had by all!

Man, I noticed a few bad reviews for this place but we totally disagree. This is a cool, smaller restaurant attached to the Hotel Valencia. It has a nice u-shaped bar with what seemed to be mostly locals hanging out talking with the staff. Upscale vibe but not "stuffy" La Jolla vibe. The cocktails were amazing and fairly creative. We also thought the food was excellent, contrary to what a few other folks have said. The braised short rib Mao, crispy pumpkin squash, and twinkie ceaser were the standouts. Only minor downsides were that you can smell the seals a little bit and it was a bit chilly inside, as the door was kept open. Overall we really enjoyed our experience.

First time at Pacific Catch. Very good, enjoyed our date night.