Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Diego
  4. San Diego
  5. Downtown
Callie Restaurant, San Diego, CA
Icon

Callie Restaurant

$50 and over
Mediterranean

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 54 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Great for creative cocktails
Callie represents Chef Travis Swikard's debut solo project after spending a decade working alongside the esteemed Chef Daniel Boulud in New York City. The restaurant’s name, "Callie," comes from the Greek word "kallos," meaning "the most beautiful," and embodies its blend of Mediterranean cuisine with local ingredients and terroir, from sea to land from San Diego, Swikard's hometown. In 2022, Callie was acclaimed as one of America's top new restaurants by Esquire and Robb Report, and received both a Bib Gourmand and a Plate from the Michelin Guide. Callie is a dedicated supporter of Feeding San Diego, having contributed over 1 million meals to those in need in San Diego since its launch. Swikard is set to open his second restaurant in La Jolla in 2025.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Chef Travis Swikard

  • Award icon

    MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

    2024

  • Award icon

    MICHELIN Bib Gourmand

    2023

From the OpenTable editors: Chef and San Diego native Travis Swikard is an alum of iconic restaurants like DANIEL, and that pedigree shines at this sophisticated Mediterranean spot named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America in 2022. Feast on plates like lemon saffron linguine or harissa-grilled lamb chops, or go all-in on a five-course family-style tasting menu. Either way, a meal in the inviting space decked with blue tiles and lush greenery feels like a lively dinner party on every visit.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 255-9696
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2024
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Parking details
    Our parking garage is located in the building, but because of the one way streets downtown, the entrance is on 11th Avenue between J St and Island Ave, on the right. The parking garage has a sign '1155 Parking' over top and is through LAZ. For security purposes, the gate will be down when you pull up, you will press the kiosk for a ticket. Once you've parked, take the elevators in the center up to the lobby and be sure to get your ticket validated by a host. Validation is good up to three hours.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wine

Experiences

  • Thanksgiving at Callie

    $90.00 per person

    Nov 28, 2024 only
    Gather with friends and family at Callie on Thanksgiving Day as Chef Travis and his team prepare a shareable feast with many of your traditional holiday favorites and Callie influenced seasonal takes on the classics. We will be serving a 4 course family style menu at $90 per adult. A 2 course children's menu will be offered for children ages 10 & under at $40 per child. Please note that only the Thanksgiving Feast will be offered on this day, a la carte dining will not be available. Please inquire about any dietary restrictions. No-shows or cancellations less than 1 day in advance may be subject to a charge of $10 per person. Tax, 20% service charge, and 4% surcharge will be added to all checks.
    Thanksgiving at Callie Photo
  • Mediterranean Feast - Parties of 7 & 8

    $75.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Mediterranean Feast - Parties of 7 & 8 For the ultimate dining experience, choose The Mediterranean Feast, a 5-course, family-style menu priced at $75 per guest. This menu, curated by Chef Travis Swikard, provides a full culinary journey from spreads to dessert. While the Feast is required for parties of 7 or 8, it is also available to all guests without advance notice. When booking, please let us know of any dietary restrictions so we can accommodate them. To secure your reservation, a credit card is needed, but no charge will apply unless you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice or do not show up. In those cases, a $10 per guest fee will be charged to the credit card on file.

What 173 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Diego

    Mediterranean

  • San Diego

    Best Food

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Callie Restaurant in San Diego offers an exceptional dining experience with "phenomenal" Mediterranean-inspired dishes. Guests rave about the "best lamb rack ever," creative menus, and outstanding service. While some note the noise and automatic gratuity, the flavors, high-quality ingredients, and "impeccable" service make it a top choice for special occasions.

173 Reviews
  1. Alexandra

    Inverness

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very friendly staff - exceptional good food! We had a great evening at Callie’s

    Is this helpful?

  2. Chantal

    Montreal

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing fresh food. Great atmosphere. 2nd time here and did not disappoint!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Dayle

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is a very comfortable and welcoming restaurant. The staff are friendly and professional and very personable. The food was excellent and carefully prepared and presented. The bar provided excellent cocktails and service as well.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Dr. Stephen

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food here is always excellent. The Sommelier was especially helpful. We needed a little more wine to finish dinner rather than another bottle, so we ordered two glasses of wine and expected to share the two glasses between the four of us. Somm anticipated what we were going to do and brought us four new glasses and then divided the pour between the four glasses! That was excellent service! Thanks!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Larry

    San Diego

    34 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    34 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    i’ve dined here eight or 10 times over the years just brought someone new last night and he raved about the entire experience: food service creativity. We got the tasting menu and as usual the Alna and the Kampachi were huge hits early on. The subtlety combined with sharp notes took what could otherwise be very straightforward and made them rich. It was all excellent but as usual the Leppo chicken is Callie’s feathering the cap for that experience. Why doesn’t have a Michelin star is beyond me? Perhaps it’s the more casual approach to dining, but the food is easily Michelin quality for my taste by far away the best food in San Diego south of Addison 

    Is this helpful?

  6. Mel

    Las Vegas

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely ambience and delicious food! Every bite was terrific!

    Is this helpful?

  7. Robert

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very happy with our meal. The duck was excellent, the lobster and fettuccine was excellent. Uni on toast with truffles to die for. We flew in to try this and another restaurant in Carlsbad. Both excellent.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Cheryl

    Los Angeles

    172 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    172 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food here is fantastic. The wonderfully puffy pita that comes with the hummus starter is a delight. The Aleppo chicken is outstanding. One of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. If you think chicken isn't "special" enough to have in a nice restaurant, let this dish change your mind. We also had the lamb chops, which had some char to them, tasty and delicious. We had the "beets & roses" vegetable dish as a side to the chicken and lamb, and the flavors went together perfectly. Our server Bethany did an excellent job advising us, and the service team was very attentive while not being intrusive.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Prachi

    Phoenix

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food combined with an attentive service. We were here for dinner at 5.30pm and the service was fast, mostly. The dishes looked great and tasted amazing, and the quantity was decent too. If we had to nitpick on something, it would be the slightly underwhelming desserts both in quantity and presentation. A small steel container? Come on, you can do better than that for what they're charging for it. 20% gratuity and a 4% surcharge, okay, it's San Diego, we get it. At least they were pretty upfront about it.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Luis

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Buena opción para ir a cenar , la comida rica y diferente

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Callie Restaurant is rated 4.8 stars by 173 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 54 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Callie Restaurant

1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101-7230

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2024
    2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean
  • Dining style
    Elegant Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Our parking garage is located in the building, but because of the one way streets downtown, the entrance is on 11th Avenue between J St and Island Ave, on the right. The parking garage has a sign '1155 Parking' over top and is through LAZ. For security purposes, the gate will be down when you pull up, you will press the kiosk for a ticket. Once you've parked, take the elevators in the center up to the lobby and be sure to get your ticket validated by a host. Validation is good up to three hours.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo