Top New American restaurants in San Diego, United States

This place was amazing. Went for a solo dinner and had great service, excellent food (Reuben and Poutine) and great beer. This will be a go to spot for date nights in the future.

Great clean food, great flavor, fast service, and great portions. I got the California bowl with BBQ chicken. The ingredient ratios were good and the chicken was cooked well, not dry.

We made a reservation for a party of five and were seated promptly at a nice corner table. The restaurant and the adjoining brewery (Abnormal Beers) have a mid-upscale casual ambiance, which was exactly what we were looking for. The service was great, and we really enjoyed the Abnormal beers. Based on the reviews, I was excited to try their wings, but unfortunately, I was not impressed. The poutine was wonderful, as were the short ribs. I did not try their burgers, but they looked very good, and our friends raved about them. Overall, we were very happy and will certainly be back.

Great food and great service! Had pesto sandwich which had little bit too much pesto but other than that was great. Bottomless lemonade was nice. We were also offered to refill lemonade to go. Highly recommend

I really love tender greens as its my go to spot for healthy dishes. Its quite unfortunate that its pretty expensive in my opinion, but the service that I received was pretty good, and wifi was accessible for us.

My wife and I just happened to be in the area unexpectedly due to a medical emergency and I wanted to make the best of it. Found this restaurant and the experience was outstanding and turned my whole psychology around, it really made a positive impact on my psyche, I’m not kidding.

Loved the ambiance and vibe, it’s modern and while hip and really great lighting and furniture (and great layout, too, I love the hallway that separates the dining room from the bar, and we chose to eat at the bar, whee we got great service and of course the awesome food. But the bar area was really appealing, the kegs of beer behind the bar, the nice bar lighting (I know I already mentioned lighting but this is specifically the bar area) and cool counter.

My wife had the lobster roll and tater tots. She normally eats gluten-free but no way she was gonna pass on that delicious true to New England lobster roll. No element disappointed. Delicious flavorful lobster, perfect texture for the dressing, and great split top roll. And the tater tots are perfect. By the way, even though this is a beer place, uh, wine is great! My wife had a sparkling rose she loved, it came out of one of the spigots like the beers!

I had the prime rib sandwich. WOW. Delicious. How do they do it? Seems so basic but it’s the seeded bun, the horseradish aioli, greens, it all works perfectly. And fresh hot crispy fries.

We stayed a while drinking after we finished our meals, enjoyed the great service and the vibe just put us in such a great mood and turned our stay in the area positive! I won’t forget it.

Really great food and excellent service! I wish we had a restaurant like this on the peninsula up in the Bay area. The reuben, prime rib sandwich, the double double and gnocchi were all excellent. Our waitress and the service in general was excellent.

Superb! The best word to describe this place. The peach mojito is a most, happy hour is the best. The tomato soup dipper is a trip to wonderland 💕

Had an amazing dining experience at True Foods, much of which can be attributed to Grant, the manager. His exceptional service, attention to detail, and genuine care for customers were standout. Grant made thoughtful recommendations and ensured our meal was nothing short of perfect. The food was delicious, fresh, and memorable. It's rare to encounter someone as dedicated to customer satisfaction as Grant. Highly recommend visiting True Foods, especially when Grant is around. Looking forward to our next visit!

Ended up trying the burger after long deliberation of the excellent menu. To quote Pulp Fiction, "That is a tasty burger." Like, really good. Friends loved the rainbow trout. And the flourless chocolate cake was almost as good as a molten chocolate cake (but honestly, is anything?).

They want everyone to have a good meal so they're happy to accommodate food allergies or preferences.

We really enjoyed our food, the waiter was great, and on a rainy weeknight we were able to sit and talk before and after dinner. Nice place to be. Looking forward to returning.

I like this place overall but it seems to have gone downhill recently. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable about the menu, the food and drinks are tasty, and everything is clean. However, in the last few months or so, it seems like they do not have enough waiters or bartenders for the restaurant. The last three times I visited, it took about 10 minutes for a waiter to visit the table after we were seated and the drinks took forever whether we ordered a glass of wine or a cocktail. The food always comes out quickly. I have received food before cocktails numerous times. Some meals are decent portions but others are really tiny. I enjoy the food but it’s getting harder to go back with the amount of waiting that happens and the smaller portions of food.

The food is nothing special, just classic American food. I ordered the tuna and it was genuinely pretty good, but the prices were a bit high. The seating was not very comfortable and it was a bit cold inside the restaurant. However, the cashier was relatively friendly. In terms of the food, I felt that the portions were a bit small so I wish they gave a bit more veggies, which wouldn't add to their costs too much but would also feel more like a meal.

Pretty disappointed from this last experience at tender greens. This used to be my favorite dish. This time the chicken was bone dry and flavorless. The seasonal veggies consisted of just carrots and a few mushrooms, and the overall taste was just not good. Not sure what has happened to the quality of the food here. What a disappointment..

Amazing food and atmosphere. Great service. Food is pretty healthy and not too greasy. Fresh and very presentable. Service is excellent.

This was our first time eating here. Food was interesting and unique. Our server did a great job helping us understand the menu and the ingredients. You could also tell that he truly believed in what True Food is trying to do with this particular concept . Overall good experience!

I went here a long time ago and remembered liking it, so I'm glad I followed my hunch and recommended meeting some friends here. They have a nice covered outdoor patio (dog friendly of course). On the cold winter day we were there we had the patio to ourselves, which was nice since two couples brought their babies too. Service was quick whenever there was something to bring, but they left us alone a lot when we didn't have an order on deck, which was fine since it was probably clear we were all having a good time catching up with each other.

Abnormal Beer is their in-house brewery, we all really liked the beers we had from them. Since they have a separate listing in Google Maps for that I'll have a review there for the beers.

The food definitely feels a tiny bit upscale for the venue. The prices aren't crazy but when the menu lists the executive chef, you know they take themselves seriously. We all definitely enjoyed the poutine as an appetizer. I adored my short ribs, I didn't even need a knife to cut through the meat! The bread pudding creme brulee was definitely more bread pudding than creme brulee, luckily I like both so I didn't mind either way but if you prefer creme brulee over bread pudding you might be a bit let down.

Ultimately I would definitely come back here. It's very close to the freeway so it's easy for people to converge here.

A favorite restaurant at the UTC Mall for lunch. We just love their lunch special of half flatbread and small salad.
The house salad is really delicious and I always order it. The greens are fresh and the dressing is nice and light. We also love the mini desserts. They are perfect for a little indulgence.

Service is always nice and the restaurant is usually not too busy at lunch time. They will also validate your parking ticket.

My husband and I were there last night and had an incredible dinner. Everything was super delicious. The service was also amazing! I would like to shout out Kimil our server for making us feel special and at home. She gave us the 5+ star experience and made our NYE one to never forget.

Went here for a holiday party and have some mixed feelings. The atmosphere is great! It was very festive and comfortable for a private party. The service was also great, especially with such a large group. The appetizers were hit or miss - the tater tots and brussels sprouts were excellent, but the macaroni and cheese was bland. The entrees were just okay, with one of our party member's salmon being so overcooked that she ended up not eating at all. The desserts were also pretty underwhelming.

I've seen some really good reviews so I'm not sure if this just might have been part of being in a sizable private party because they had to cook so many items at once. I'd be interested to go back sometime solo and give another try, but overall I'm not sure I'd recommend it based on the experience we had.

The quality of the food is uneven. Sometimes great, sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired. On this last to go order (for example) I doubt if the pizza was even in the oven 2 minutes as the dough was still raw in the center. We literally had to recook our food from the restaurant to eat it. When done right, their food is very good.

The employees there are always super friendly, and when eating in, the service is good and attentive and the atmosphere enjoyable. The restaurant is always very clean (including the rest rooms) and there’s plenty of seating.

Note that this restaurant is part of UTC (northwest side of the mall), so you park in a paid parking garage, and have to walk to the location.

The meatballs are tender with a well seasoned sauce. The crab cake is all crab with very little filler and nice dipping sauce. The table bread was soft.

The truffle risotto is amazing; get the side portion if your entree doesn't include it.

The grits under the "shrimp and grits" are passable: the shrimp, chorizo and sauce elevate the dish and make it good.

The seating is comfortable and the tables are spacious so you don't feel cramped. The decor feels upscale but there's no dress code.

The staff are knowledgeable and attentive. We didn't have to ask for refills and they were quick when we asked for a box and the bill.

This was our first time here. We were nicely greeted at the front desk by a girl and a guy, then we were quickly sat at a booth. They were not very busy. We ordered an Expresso Martini to get started. We had the Salmon Salad and the Filet Mignon with Lobster. Both were just ok. Unfortunately, not great. Deena was our waitress. She seemed nice but not much of a spark or enthusiasm. As much as I tried being nice and friendly, we didn't get much of a genuine response. All in all the food and drinks were just ok. Our overall experience was just "meh." Not much of a wow factor. We may give this place another try in the future.

Wow just wow. The hostess was amazing and detailed and in charge. She was awesome and gave great recommendations. Make a reservation to ensure your spot. It's worth it!

Always saw this place when walking around, but only thought to go in recently. Great food that was surprisingly low calorie and full of flavor. Service was top notch, especially our waitress, Natalie. Attentive and fun to talk to. It's got a bit of a sleepy ambiance, so it was perfect for a date. Definitely recommend coming in if you have a small party or want something nice but not too nice 😉

It is a great option to eat healthier. The food is tasty and fresh. The service was also good. I think everything was excellent.

This was our first time at this restaurant, thanks to our friends. We received gift card for our wedding from friends and decided to give this place a try. We have been to many places before, and we are reserved people so didn’t known what to expect. Let me tell you that the service we received was way above expectations! Our server was Keegan, very nice guy, but he also caught us by surprise. We got into a conversation with him and told him we were newly weds. He was so very polite and took his time to explain everything about he menu. He also complimented us with desert for our wedding and was such a joy to have him serve us! We will definitely be back and I would recommend this place 100% if you want to experience upscale restaurant with great food and service with fair prices!

We came here for a Wednesday lunch. I would rate the place as 4.5 stars overall. Our server Maria was very friendly and attentive. The lunch menu offerings on the weekday are great value for money (reasonable portion size, authentic and interesting flavors and an attractive presentation). I would definitely come back here again.

This is my 3rd time trying out this restaurant in the UTC mall.

I love their watermelon juice. This is my staple every time I visit this restaurant, and it was super tasty and refreshing... As much as I love watermelon though, sometimes it's hard to know what to do with a giant melon. Unless you're having a party, a whole watermelon (or even half) is a lot to eat. I'd actually never had watermelon juice before concocting at Tender Green, and I feel like I've been missing out!

I ordered Seared Ahi Tuna and it is reasonably priced at $14-ish. Some premium restaurant could charge you as much as $35 for this dish. Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna. To make seared ahi, you need to start with very fresh, sushi-grade ahi, as you will only be lightly searing the outside, leaving the inside raw. Not even rare, but raw. The freshness and the quality of the fish make a huge difference with this dish. If you love sushi, this is the salad for you.

My friend and her daughter ordered a chicken salad and steak salad and both are delish.

I recommend this restaurant if you opt for a reasonably priced health eat in UTC mall.

This is a great place to have good drinks and eat good foods. We each had two drinks and I love Water My Melon cocktail the best, it is so refreshing, not overly sweet and it is very tasty. For foods, we ordered 4 appetizers to share, which are Brussel Sprouts, garlic noodles, prosciutto & peach tartine and steamed mussels, my fav is prosciutto & peach tartine. It has goat cheese and balsamic vinegar, so delicious! We enjoyed our dessert as well, the pineapple cake, super yummy! The plating is beautiful too. Our server is friendly and helpful. My only complaint is the hostess, when I came in, she is not really patient and her face somehow is little mean.

I had an okay experience. I visited on a Monday around 3:30pm. It wasn't busy but service itself felt slow even with a full staff. The food was really good, I had the California bowl with salmon. The salmon was perfect and the bowl was delicious. I would come back and hope the service will be better.

My family loved the special tasting menu we had. It was a great setting in what was basically a chef's table with a great view of the action in the kitchen. The food was all very good and showcased an array of flavors and textures. The beer pairing was a great touch as well. The service staff was all very good and attentive. I'd definitely come back.

The food is good, however the menu never changes. You can only eat miniature portions of salmon for so long. A bit pricey for what you actually get. Very easy to spend $40 on 2 meals hand still leave hungry.