Torreyana Grille

During our two-​day stay at the Hilton (Sunday through Tuesday), the jacuzzi broke. We had gone down to the pool/​jacuzzi area and were disappointed to find that the jacuzzi was just barely lukewarm, so we called guest services. Unfortunately, a part broke the day of our arrival and wouldn’t arrive until the day we left. However, they offered us our choice of a free movie or breakfast buffet vouchers. We took the buffet vouchers and had breakfast at Torreyana the next morning.
There weren’t that many people dining in the restaurant, even though we went at what is probably prime buffet time (around 9:30 and we stayed for about an hour). We were seated right away.
The buffet options included a made-​to-​order omelette bar, cereal, granola, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, home fries, sausage and bacon, french toast, egg and sausage strata, chorizo and corn, and breads and pastries, including nutella banana cake. There were juices and coffee available to drink.
Having had an overcooked omelette the day before at a restaurant that should have known better, I was happy about about our made-​to-​order omelette. It was perfectly cooked, large, and with plenty of the fillings I chose. Relatively speaking, the omelette bar didn’t have that many filling choices though; I think there was ham, spinach, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, two types of cheese, and maybe bell peppers.
The rest of the food was okay. I tried the strata (average), the home fries (not crispy enough, and the nutella banana cake (good flavor but not very moist for a banana cake). The Greek yogurt paired with honey and granola was good, but that’s not saying much. I’m not sure what kind they were using, but I liked the coffee.
I thought the service was above average. The waiter came often to check on us and the man making omelettes was nice. We had no difficulty using our vouchers. Still, I wouldn’t ever come here purposely to eat since I could get a way better meal with for the price ($ 22 per person).

Please don’t waste your money here. It’s not that the food or service was terrible, it’s the price and level of service you get. As I said to my partner, «this isn’t a motor lodge off the highway, It’s an upscale Hilton». I expect to have a level of service that reflects the outrageous pricing.
No, I don’t want to go to the buffet and gorge myself when I only wanted fruit. And, I’m not paying $ 17 for it either.
He got the multigrain oatmeal and it looked great but, seriously enough to feed a family of four. Don’t try to justify the price by giving far too much of a portion. It’s wasteful.
Then there was my tea. The tea bags were haphazardly put in the tea caddy so I had to pick it apart to see what the choices were. The hot water came in a water spotted pot and was plopped down with a mug. No saucer, no lemon, no offer of honey. Again, not to be nitpicking, but this is the Hilton at Torrey Pines. When my order of «buttered toast» arrived, it was lightly toasted and not buttered or cut. Seriously, I asked for buttered toast, not warmed bread with butter on the side. Yes, there’s a difference. A fine hotel should know what that difference is.
We only ate here this morning because of an early tee time but will not eat here for the remaining two days. The menu doesn’t offer anything special and the experience isn’t special. For example, I ate at the lodge at Pebble Beach last year for breakfast. It was a $ 35 breakfast and was worth every penny. Impeccably clean, polished professional service, and good food. Not great food. It didn’t have to be because everything else was perfection.
There are so many great places in San Diego to spend your cash; don’t do it here.

Price $$$
Quality: 4 stars
Service: 4.5 stars
Value: 4 stars
Portions: buffet
Located inside Hilton Torrey Pines, this establishment is a really nice place for buffet style dining for the holidays. The holiday décor, poolside/​ocean view, live band/​music really gives this place the «ahhh» factor.
They have a good selection of salads, sushi, hot dishes, and desserts. We’ve dined here 3 years in a row for the holidays, both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The only thing I would suggest is for them to switch up their selection. Because it has been pretty much the same every year, we decided to go elsewhere and try something different.
I still highly recommend their holiday buffet lunch/​dinner if you haven’t already. Definitely a wonderful experience if it’s your 1^st time dining with them for the winter holidays.

House special steak very good, cooked perfectly. Lobster Mac n cheese yummy! Burger (nicely provided off bar menu for picky teen) was good. Other special salad — persimmon w pears & pecans NOT overdressed, which allowed flavors to be appreciated. Attentive waitstaff A little pricy but not outrageous.

1. Great view.
2. Friendly staff
3. Food is decent but overpriced imo.
My sister came down to visit and stayed at the Hilton during our Torrey Pines golf extravaganza. The sunset deck view is wonderful, great place to chill and watch the sun set. Ambiance is nice and tastefully done. Staff is friendly and helpful.
I liked the breakfast buffet. For $ 22, had a nice omelet bar, some decent quality bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, cereal, bagels, croissants, strudel, cut up pineapple, cantaloupe, and melon, apple, orange, grapefruit, and cranberry juice. Given the hotel environment and ocean view, $ 22 was reasonable.
Dinner, on the other hand, was disappointing on a value basis. The chef’s specials that the bride and I tried were pork belly risotto ($ 17) and hangar steak ($ 35). The pork belly risotto was just OK, (a) the pork belly pieces weren’t large enough to really taste, (b) the portion size was on the small side, and © it was entirely too sweet for my personal taste. The hangar steak was better, but the portion size of about 8 oz of steak for $ 35 was disappointing. The prosciutto wrapped asparagus was excellent, but the asparagus was a bit overcooked, I’m sure they prepare that in large batches. The baby potatoes were relatively bland.
I would give the breakfast buffet 4 stars, and dinner 3 stars. Tip: be sure to bring your parking ticket in, they will validate for 3 hours worth of parking.

Sometimes you have no choice but to buy a lukewarm chicken sandwich with not much chicken for $ 13.50. That’s what happened to me here. Attending an all-​day seminar and not interested in spending $ 50 on lunch, I came to the Torreyanna Grille to eat. In hindsight I strongly regret my decision. I think I’ll bring myself a sandwich tomorrow.
The chicken sandwich barely had any chicken in it. It was served not hot, but lukewarm. And came with a small side of fruit, salad, or french fries. It was served with a red bell pepper aioli or something very red, but not very flavorful.
I’m glad I can write this lunch off as a business expense, because I can’t believe I had to actually eat the abysmal sandwich. Service was strained as they were slammed with other conference attendees. But I imagine you could find time to refill water and get the bill after I asked for it two times.

BREAKFAST BUFFET
I was a guest at the hotel and due to the beautiful location of the hotel, there weren’t that many convenient options for breakfast around. Coming down from the guest elevators, it is kind of awkward looking for the host stand since they placed it at the bottom of the main stairway from the lobby and there isn’t a sign pointing to the right direction.
There were some empty tables at the terrace, but they hadn’t been bussed. Instead of asking if I would like to wait for them to be bussed so I could sit where I requested on the terrace, the host sat me at a table by the glass wall instead with no alternative option.
There was no pointing out where the buffet was (hidden behind a wall) or asking for water.
The silverware was very worn and my knife was dirty. Thank goodness the 3 other place settings were left for me to choose another knife from.
I must say Enrique manning the omelet station was fantastic and probably the highlight of my experience.
I had to pull another server for some water and also for my check. Other than that, I did not have anyone check on me in a very empty restaurant with maybe 20 – 25 covers and at least 4 servers on shift.
I charged to my room and did not have time to wait for them to give me a copy of my receipt, assuming (as in other hotels) that they would be able to pull a copy from the Front Office.
I came back that afternoon to ask for a copy and met with a very pleasant manager who offered to email it to me and I have yet to receive that email. Hopefully they will respond to a follow up call.
I will be coming back to this hotel in November, but I think I will plan to grab a cab to La Jolla and visit one of the other restaurants for breakfast instead.

My family is at the hotel for a wedding, so naturally we sampled breakfast at the restaurant. 4 bucks for coffee, 3 for juice, and Huevos Rancheros for 20 is steep. 4 people, nearly 100 bucks with tip is insane, unless it was kissed by God and dipped with edible diamonds and the blood of Aztec Sacrificial Goats, then sure, but otherwise I can’t believe eggs and salsa is 20 bucks. Forget the prices of the room service menue. Dinner wasn’t bad, and typical prices for upscale, tasty food. But truly an arm and leg eatery.

It was good at first but then it took them to long to make it I guess you could say the food… and him the food wasn’t that great it was kind of cold and the mac & cheese was very dry but the breadsticks were fantastic and they had a lingering taste to them that made my day that’s why I did start.

Slow as molasses service. Very frustrating to try and make all our conference events.

Our waiter was sweet. But way to busy to properly check in on us. They didn’t wash the lettuce that made it on my Sammy. Super gross.

I enjoyed an entrée salad — eggplant, lentil with added ahi (+$ 9). It was tasty refreshing and had some tasty crunchy polenta cubes. I wouldn’t make this a destination but for a bite in the hotel it was pretty decent, although the service today was slow. They may not have anticipated the conference rush. Pleasant wait staff.

We went here for pre– and post-​dinner drinks during our New Year’s trip to La Jolla and stay at the Torrey Pines Hilton. (This is part of the hotel, if you didn’t know that.)
+ The happy hour options here are decent for a hotel and for La Jolla.
+ They had nice, friendly bartenders. (You don’t always get that at higher end spots, so this is an extra little plus.)
+ They also have some decent apps. (We never did a full meal here.)
+ They know how to mix their drinks.
Bottom Line — We wouldn’t go out of our way to go here if we weren’t staying at the hotel, but we definitely enjoyed some drinks here while staying at the Hilton.

Average at best. Food quality is not consistent and generally over priced. Epicurean highlights include soggy nachos, freezer burned chicken, and a burger that gave me the tummy rumbles.

A nice little place to eat within the Torry Pines Hilton, but it’s a mixed bag.
The good. The food. I had the red velvet pancakes and they were stupendous! STUPENDOUS! It didn’t look all that great until I took a bite and I was floored. A nice little surprise. Gf’s omelette was pretty nice as well.
Now the bad. Place is on the pricey side for what you get. 14 bucks for three pancakes seemed a little steep. Also the service. Our waiter vanished into thin air after taking forever to even greet us. The manager seemed to show up and offer to help and she seemed confused as to where the waiter had vanished. He tried really hard to make up for it at the very end, but by that point it was too late.
So basically, good food, but a little steep on the price, and the the service could use a little bump.

The food and service here is inconsistent. Everyone was extremely friendly and the level of customer service was good, they just forgot things, or needed prompting continually to order items or refill beverages.
We ate here more than five times during our stay and the service was the same, and while the food was good, not bad at all, the rating is for the inconsistent service, especially at the price of their food!

I visit the bar about once a week. The staff is incredible warm, and always make me feel welcome. Ty, Denise, Jennifer, and the New guy (whose name slipped me today), always say hello and will chat a little bit when I am by myself. Ty makes the meanest (in a good way) cocktail, the only man to make a martini, that is palatable, in San Diego.
Here is the problem. I normally I just want a beer at the end of my day and then skidaddle home. Their beer select NEVER makes any sense. They will have 3 IPAs one week, and then 2 pilsners and kolch the next. In the summer, they have nut brown ales, and in the winter only heffeweisens. I have mentioned it to management several times, but to no avail. I am hoping a little peer pressure will help sort out the beer situation. Considering I come once a week, while being irritated with you selection of the one beverage I consume the most of, imagine how often I would come when the beers make more sense!

Our room included breakfast, BUT no one explained to us that it only included continental breakfast… basically cereals, breads, and fruit. When I went to the restaurant I showed her my vouches, she did NOT provide me with a menu and just told me to help myself at the buffet, with no explanation!!! So when we got the bill there was a upcharge for the breakfast buffet, would have been nice to know that a head of time!!!
The regular price for continental breakfast is $ 15.25, and for the buffet $ 20.50. Pretty pricey for breakfast.
They have a omelet bar which I ordered over easy eggs from each morning. The fruit section had watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and some over ripe bananas. There were about 4 different varieties of cereal and a variety of yogurts and breads. They also offered french toast, potatoes, sausage and scrambled eggs. Overall the food was okay, but a bit over priced.
Service was fair at best. They only had a couple of waiters and getting service was a wait!!!

Stopped here twice last weekend (Saturday and Sunday) when I was here for a wedding.
Robert N was our bartender and took great care of my friends and I. Before the others joined it was just Robert and I chatting as I plowed through my hangover hell.
I got the fish tacos which despite having corn instead of flour tortillas were very tasty!
The frozen mudslide was amazing as was the cucumber mojito: refreshing and not too sweet.
I had the bar to myself and enjoyed talking with some of the other staff as well. There were far too many servers in ratio to the diners.
The staff at the grille was super accommodating to us especially after the reception around 12:45 when we bombarded the bartender.
Good times at the Torrey Pines Hilton!

This place is better than its low star count. It has a charming, open ambiance and very comfortable seating with a lovely view.
Mr. Picky really enjoyed the seafood chowder, and more so the second time when he asked the kitchen to pre-​heat the soup bowl. On the fish taco, its blandness was off the charts and only adding a lot more of the dressing could rescue it and give it some flavor. Our waitress both nights was Katherine who was fabulous, and we had a wonderful bus person (Estela) who kept our water glasses filled and carefully managed the table’s service level. We tried the Carrot cake but, unfortunately only found it very average, although it’s definitely big enough a slice to share. As I had nowhere to drive, I decided to have a rare drink and tried one of the house specialties which had a slow kick to knock you on your butt, their version of «iced tea» made with vodka, gin, rum, Limoncello, cranberry and lemon. We really liked the Wedge salad we shared. But the absolute STAR of our dining experience was the shrimp and crab nachos which are delicious!!! Yummy!!! Thin chips made fresh on-​site, light, delicate, a yummy white sauce, really, just quite perfect!!! We finished with a lighter dessert so we would feel less guilty, not on the menu, but a special request of their homemade waffle cone bowl with vanilla ice-​cream and berries.