Albert’s Restaurant

Wonderful menu and great quality food. This place is a bit more upscale, thus, slightly pricier, but well worth the experience!
I ordered a Mediterranean Pizza, and it was very delicious and filling. Best shared with 2 – 3 people.
You can make reservations ahead of time, and you can find this hidden gem in the Treehouse!

Coffee was ok. The clam chowder was pretty good. As amusement park food, it is great. As regular food, it is just ok.
Service is fast.
The chicken bacon sandwich was too greasy.

Booked a reservation for 2 on open table /​San Diego Zoo website the day before our Zoo adventure for my birthday. We made or reservation for 11:30 but ended up showing up closer to 11 when the restaurant opened, which was no problem at all for Albert’s.
We sat outside on the deck and even though it was little chilly out, absolutely loved it — the waterfall was a nice touch. Our waitress Lily was everything we could hope for; friendly, knowledgable, attentive and even laughed at our corny jokes. She was a total gem.
We were really excited to see this place had FULL BAR and promptly ordered a Pear Tree Martini and Stone IPA. Both were awesome and definitely needed for two adults walking around a crowded zoo.
For food we shared an ordered of sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup and a meat lovers pizza. Both were plenty of food for 2 people. The spicy ketchup was unlike anything we’d had before and really tasty. The pizza was wonderful, the crust was just thick enough without making us feel like we were eating a pound of carbohydrates.
The icing on cake (pun intended) was when Lily came out with an Ice Cream Sundae for my birthday.
Honestly the whole experience at Albert’s was fantastic, we had great views, great food, wonderful service and tasty drinks. I was a little anxious given the less than stellar reviews on Unilocal but honestly we had a great time and would gladly come back again during our next zoo visit.

I got an annual pass to the Zoo after not having been in several years, so we decided to go into the park and get reacquainted with everything.
We got hungry, but wanted some thing a little more than your run of the mill fast park food. We somehow stumbled upon Albert’s and could not have been more pleasantly surprised!
There was a bit of a wait, so we sat at their full service bar until we could get a table. The host came and got us there as soon as our table was ready. Everything on the menu looked amazing. We went with the salmon salad and cheese quesadilla. We were so impressed with the quality and presentation of the good, it was all so delicious!
Albert’s was such a wonderful discovery. We can’t wait to go back again and again, especially now that we are pass holders!

Came today for Mother’s Day Brunch and was shocked. For the two of us eat «buffet» brunch it was $ 97. Three tables were set out with food in a meeting room. One was cheese and bread, one was salads switch two proteins out of salmon and roast beef, then an omelet station.
We had to pour our own drinks, and refill them ourselves. Though there was plenty of staff around, all we got from the server was cleared two plates and dropped check.
Honestly feel swindled. It was so bland and basic. For $ 97 we could have been at the Prado with atmosphere and music.
It’s embarrassing they can put out that offering after making so much out of it wth reservations and advertising.
The only redeeming factor is that we’re at the zoo.

Finally ate here!!! We are zoo members and have always wanted to but not with the kids in tow. Came here on a Monday, kidless for lunch. Waited just 15 minutes, we wanted an outside patio spot by the waterfall. Had great service and the food was yum! I got the grilled fish (tuna) sandwich and my husband got the pulled pork torta… it was huge! Can’t wait to go back… maybe we will bring the kids next time.

I made reservations here for my wife’s birthday this past weekend. We ere at the zoo with the kids and cam here for a 2:00 lunch. She had the Jambalaya which was very good. I could not believe that a sit down place like this does not offer a steak or a burger. I was stuck to order a salmon salad or a chicken sandwich. I went with the salmon salad which was good with decent portionings. We ordered chicken tenders and a hot dog for the kids. I will admit that they have very good beer battered fries that we got a side of.
We sat in the patio right next to the waterfall which was awesome.

You’re at the zoo and you need a break. We wanted some seclusion and we found it at Albert’s. We sat on the patio after a very brief wait and enjoyed our food next to their waterfall.
The food was great and they had a decent wine selection. Our service was polite, yet confused, and I can’t fault the entire restaurant for that. Overall a great experience. The next time we visit the zoo, Albert’s will definitely be our place to chill before going back out into the crowds of zoo people.

Friendly staff. Decent food. Not many options though.
Agree this is a not a fine dining restaurant as its inside the zoo. The ambiance with the small water fall is nice.
The reason for my 3 stars only is because the chef seems to have gone all in with olives in my pasta. The whole jar in my pasta ?
Pasta is supposed to be bland. Hearty is ok if its marinara based. But to go overboard with olives and make dish salty. not good.

My experience here was average, nothing superb.
Came in for lunch. Although the place is huge, not all the tables are used due to the amount of servers working. No biggies. Only had to wait 15 – 20 minutes to be sat. Ordered the mushroom pasta dish as well as the shrimp and ravioli dish. My bf and I split both dishes. The mushroom pasta was huge while the ravioli dish was small. Ravioli was $ 18 for 5 pieces of ravioli! But after eating all that carbs, we were full. Overall the food was okay but nothing out of the ordinary. Our server checked up on us a few times but service felt a little distant. I’ll prob give this place another try

I don’t really have the highest expectations of any in-​park theme park/​zoo/​aquarium restaurants. Alberts was no exception. It was very nice to go to a sit-​down restaurant for the same price as eating at any of the cafes. Service was only ok. They serve alcohol (a highlight) and, unfortunately, the beer glass they brought me was visibly dirty. Better service could have solved this problem fairly quickly but my husband ended up needing to go to the hostess to request a new glass after 10 minutes of failing to capture the waitress’ attention whenever she was nearby. My entrée was tasty, although I’m pretty sure my raviolis were from frozen. My husband liked his appetizers (sautéed artichoke hearts and sweet potato fries) but my kids weren’t impressed with their pizza. The restaurant is also very difficult to find.

First of all, shout out to Terry. He’s an awesome server; great attitude and energy! I ordered Mai Tai and it was really good. The rum flavor was definitely there ;) As for food, I ordered the jambalaya, which comes in mild or spicy, and I got the spicy. The spicy flavor was reaaaalllly spicy, but one of those addicting spicy flavors. I loved this creamy, spicy, flavorful pasta and the pappardelle pasta they used was a great vehicle for all the sauce. My boyfriend ordered the seafood stew and that was even better than the jambalaya. It was spicy, great flavorful tang, warm, and inviting. He thoroughly enjoyed the food and I, as a girlfriend, didn’t mind stealing some bites here and there. If I had one suggestion, I would have served some kind of toasted bread/​baguette slices to go along with the stew but that is my personal opinion. To go along with the stew, he ordered Saint Archer White Ale. The beer was refreshing, bubbly, and had a hint of orange and coriander aftertaste.
As for the environment, if it isn’t too cold outside, ask for seating at the patio. There is a waterfall and, kind of evoking the whole jungle setting. And also, just sitting outside makes my eating experience more pleasurable.
I was seated right away, and if you’re going for lunch on a weekend (say noon or 1pm), I would try to make reservations, just in case.
There are a lot other cafes and restaurants you can have at the zoo; but if you’re on a date or some other kind of fancy occasion like me and wouldn’t mind spending some extra bucks at the zoo, go to Albert’s because it’s worth it :)

We didn’t wait long to be seated, but then we were sort of forgotten for a little while. Normally we are reasonably patient people, but we wanted to get some food and move along as I was starting to come down with a cold. Felt fine all day but you know when you get too tired for the activities you were up to? That was me.
Once our server finally came, we ordered sandwiches. Those took forever, and refills never came either. I was really thirsty and not feeling well, which didn’t help. Same story when the bill was finally brought. She seemed to disappear forever and not come back. For the price and the service, it was a definite fail.

I thought this place was going to be bad, but to my surprise, it was amazing. I ordered burrito #1 with extra sauce on the side. The food was superb

Most disgusting place I’ve ever dined. The waitress Dabub was so incredibly rude when we approached her. I seriously could not even believe it. Bartender made terrible drinks, had to send mine back because it was really awful and the waitress acted like she couldn’t take it off my bill and get me something else. Our server Janice didn’t even check back to see if my mom wanted to order.
Food– 2 stars. Ehhh!
Manager-​5 stars she was a nice lady. :)
Everything else 1 star. Boo!

Albert’s…
Delightful tasty treats in the heart of the San Diego Zoo; Imagine a restaurant in a zoo worthy of it’s allure; more than decent grub to be had, I dig the artichokes for sure. If you’re feeling hungry, check it out but only if you’ve got time.
I got in before the crowd but there was a real long wait when we were leaving.
The waterfall is nice and your in the zoo, they’ve got more than you’d expect and better too.

Love how there’s a sit down restaurant at the zoo! It’s very secluded which was great, it felt private and it wasn’t overly packed; we were seated right away. (Compared to other food places there that are very crowded) Great views all over, the food was delicious. The margarita was bigger than I expected and was delicious. Great décor friendly service. Will always eat here when we come now!

A hidden gem inside the San Diego Zoo. Usually, restaurants in tourist attractions are terrible. I was very, very surprised by Albert’s…in a good way.
Four of us came in during happy hour for a meal. Our server (I think her name was Amanda) was attentive and helpful. I even saw her putting garnish on drinks when they were taking a while to come out in order to speed things up. We weren’t able to get a table on the patio, but there was still a nice view in general. The interior is, for lack of a better way to describe it, retro jungle décor.
The happy hour menu had some nibbles and a few drinks on it. The vodka mule was actually fairly strong and quite tasty for a happy hour drink. The potstickers were fried and crunchy with a tasty sauce and the artichoke hearts were cooked very well.
As a party, we ordered 4 things and we tried all of them.
Jambalaya — made with what seemed to be handmade, fresh parpadelle pasta. A jambalaya with pasta is a bit unusual, but this was actually very good.
Risotto with wild mushrooms — very flavorful with plenty of mushroom flavor. Perhaps a teeny tiny bit overcooked, but I like my risotto a little on the al dente side.
Shrimp and ravioli — the sauce on this was amazing: a cream sauce that tasted like it was made with a seafood broth. Great depth of flavor. The shrimp were cooked absolutely perfectly and the ravioli were very flavorful.
Puttanesca — cooked well with a very richly tomatoey sauce.
Overall, I have to say… Albert’s was among the best meals we had during this trip. Thanks for giving me hope for restaurants embedded in tourist destinations, Albert’s!

I really have had better, but to be fair their menu had a lot more items than expect, such as the Jambalaya, which is what I ordered. It was good, not great. I was there with a big group (a family of 6) and was worried for the bill that head of the household was going to pay. Heck! I felt a bit robbed between my Red Trolley and my Jambalaya.
Overall, a very mediocre experience. Will not be returning.

Trying to find this place is BANANAS! I had some friends recommend Albert’s and we were on the trek to find it. I wasn’t going to settle for some bad Mexican food or a hot dog from a stand.
By the time we found this place it was between lunch and dinner and able to score a pretty awesome table close to the waterfall. The beauty of our table would deserve a 5 but the food was just okay. Our server was a cool guy and very friendly and talkative.
We ordered the Artichoke app, being from Central Coast I can’t pass up a chance to eat an artichoke. It was prepared well and I pretty much ate most of it. The Chicken Bacon Sandwich I ordered was just too much, very greasy and all that cheese. I ain’t gonna lie, I’m a cheese-​a-​holic but this was just crazy. I had to pick it all off and just ended up eating the chicken and the bacon. Dranks are pricey but you expect that when it’s a restaurant in the Zoo.