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The Prado at Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

The Prado at Balboa Park

4.6
4.6
7916 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 60 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for outdoor dining
Located in San Diego's Balboa Park, in the Historic House of Hospitality, The Prado offers historic charm and California cuisine.
Private dining

Private dining

Book your next event with us

View details

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Tue 11:30 am–2:30 pm Tue 4:00 pm–8:00 pm Wed–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–7:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    John King
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    6th Avenue
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Daou Wine Experience

    Nov 7, 2024 - Dec 31, 2024
    Daou Wine Package Add a bottle of Daou Wine to your table prior to your arrival. Payment will be added onto final check.
  • Prado New Year's Eve Celebration

    $89.95 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    New Year's Celebration Happy New Year's! Enjoy a special preset menu at the Prado in Balboa Park. We will be serving a 3-course meal for $89.95 per person for adults excluding tax and gratuity. We have seating availability from 4-8 pm inside our dining rooms or outside on our heated garden terrace. All reservations are not table specific and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. Outdoor reservations have no weather back up. Standard seating is inside our dining room. *All reservations have a 2 hour time limit. We kindly ask that your experience does not exceed this time in order to seat other reservations on time.

What 7,916 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Prado at Balboa Park is an elegant dining gem, perfect for a special occasion or pre-theater meal. "outstanding service" and "beautiful outdoor patio" settings elevate the dining experience. Guests rave about the calamari and sea bass dishes. While some note menu repetition, the ambiance and attentive staff make it a San Diego favorite.

7,916 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We used to love this place…but unfortunately the quality of food has really gone down hill. The bread with our appetizer was very stale (like difficult to bite into). And the Birria sandwich was basically half grease…and they included more grease as a dipping sauce on the side. And extremely expensive for not a lot of food.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Brian

    VIP

    San Diego

    161 reviews

    4.0

    161 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    We always enjoy the Prado. This particular evening the restaurant was pretty full and the noise level was a bit distracting.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Megan

    Greater Boston

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It’s been several years since I last ate at The Prado and it’s still a lovely place to get lunch on a visit to Balboa Park. My group sat on the patio, which has a great ambience and enjoyed our meal together.

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  4. tanner

    San Diego

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Good food and nice ambience. Maurice was a delight. He is the best waiter we've had in a while.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Ana

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Attentive server, heaters making my outdoor experience comfortable! Food delish…drink, seabass, port & arroz con leche all excellent.

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  6. Adalia

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had the steak sandwich—so delicious with garlic aioli on a brioche bun. I also tried the strawberry arugula stacked salad—very delicious! Service is great and loved the low noise level.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Hannah

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My mother is in town visiting and we took the opportunity to check out Balboa Park and The Prado. The food was delicious, my only small issue was the crab dip was pretty salty. The ambiance was calm, we brought my 2 year old and they were very accommodating, the service was quick.

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  8. Leia

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    We have been here many times over the years so we were excited to come for Christmas Dinner. We sat outside and the warmers were enough to keep us comfortable, but there was a funky smell coming from somewhere which was somewhat unappetizing. The food was great, especially the appetizers and desserts. Unfortunately I’d compare the main course to something that you could get at any restaurant. Service was on the slower side, but it was Christmas and later in the day so I am assuming that everyone was ready to go home and I can’t blame them. Overall, we had a great time.

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  9. Frank

    VIP

    Columbus

    22 reviews

    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Marvelous setting, super yummy food, great service… we love the Prado for special occasions… don’t miss it!

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  10. Sarah

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Christmas pre fix dinner with a toddler. Meal portions were large and delicious. Ambiance was great. Service was a bit lagging due to being busy, otherwise experience was awesome.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Prado at Balboa Park is rated 4.6 stars by 7916 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 60 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Prado at Balboa Park

1549 El Prado, Suite 12, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross street
    6th Avenue
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Tue 11:30 am–2:30 pm Tue 4:00 pm–8:00 pm Wed–Sat 11:30 am–8:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–7:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Free public parking lots available throughout Balboa Park.
  • Public transit
    Visit Balboa Park using the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), with easy access from the downtown and Mission Valley areas.Review the times for route Routes 120 (Fashion Valley), Route 7 (Smart Corner) and Rapid 215 are the main bus routes through Balboa Park
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    John King
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (619) 557-9441
  • Catering
    Prado Catering<br />The Prado also offers full service catering at various museums and other locations within Balboa Park. Please contact our catering department for additional information.<br /><br />Experience our Award-Winning Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner Menus<br />Professional Staff-Synchronized Service.<br />Full length table linens, gold chiavari chairs and porcelain china.
  • Private party facilities
    The Prado, located in the historic House of Hospitality in the center of San Diego’s famous Balboa Park is known for its world-class California cuisine, unparalleled ambiance and excellent service. From intimate gatherings to grand affairs, the Prado has it all to make your event unforgettable!
  • Private party contact
    Event Manager: (619) 557-9441
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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