Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

Well, six of us tried to spend our money for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. The hours of operation are until 10:00p.m. We walked in at 9:45 p.m. We were told by the hostess that we could sit at the bar, but no food could be served. We asked when they closed and she replied 10:00. We mentioned it was 9:45, and asked to speak to the manager. The manager comes out and proceeds to tell us that since it was slow, she closed the kitchen. So they lost food and beverage $$ from 6 adults. Bad policy and not too smart to shut down early on a Friday night. We went next door to Pizza Nova which also closes at 10:00. The gracious manager, an employee that knows true hospitality, seated, served and has us gone in less than 50 min. Smart and profitable thinking. Too bad Jimmy’s has lost our future business, (we are all locals)
I wonder if the owners feel this is good policy.

Pro — you can bring your dog — through they are not overly happy when you do
Con — Overpriced and small portions for the price.
I was with a big group of people so several appetizers were ordered. I only tried the warm cheddar, spinach, beer & bacon dip. It was kind of blah. It seemed like everyone at the table tried it but didn’t go back for seconds either. The other appetizers looked good — brussel sprouts and calamari but I didn’t try them and I don’t hear anyone complain about them.
They have two outside areas. A small cramped area where they allow dogs and a huge area with fire pits. It looked really nice but whatever fuel they are using for the fire pits is so strong I can’t even imagine sitting out there and trying to eat. The smell was nauseating. Thankfully we were in the small area.
I ordered the French Dip — $ 19.00 — WAY overpriced. It was smaller than my husband’s burger and at $ 17.00 it was also overpriced for the size. It seemed like everyone left some of their food on their plate and not because they were full. No one was like — this is the best food ever.
Service could have been better but then again, maybe they don’t want /​need return business.
They are probably staying in business because of the tourist crowd. There are several hotels in walking distance and the airport /​Harbor Island /​downtown are close. And tourist just love the «view» — I am not impressed but I guess if I never saw the water before I would like it.
I would maybe try it again for happy hour if someone else wanted to go but I wouldn’t go on my own.

Went there just after 3pm on a Thursday and the place was completely empty, I wasn’t even sure if it was open. It’s a fantastic location right on the marina, we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and the view. The beer menu is disappointingly limited, I think I may be spoiled living in a city where most places offer 10 – 20 local brews. I ordered the pastrami cheese fries which had a lot of potential but just didn’t deliver; the fries were nice crispy and the cheese sauce was a delicious sharp cheddar sauce but it was very skimpy so only a couple bites actually had cheese on them. The pastrami was also on the skimpy side although the flavor was good. The staff were all very polite and friendly and the place had a nice atmosphere. All in all, I would give the place another chance but I’m not jumping out of my chair and rushing down there to do so.

This restaurant has a wonderful view of the marina which is only steps away from the building. The parking lot up front is free for this area, which is great. If you can’t find the entrance to JFAT, it is on the side closest to the water. The restaurant has a nice, clean indoor/​outdoor atmosphere with plenty of seating. The staff was friendly and attentive.
We started off with the Cheddar, Spinach, Beer & Bacon Dip. It was warm, cheesy goodness. The dip is served with several pieces of herbed croustades which are pretty much toasted slices of bread. This was a great way to start off the meal.
For our entrée, we decided to share an order of the Jimmy Burger with french fries. The burger was cooked perfectly and stacked with thick applewood smoked bacon, jalapeño jam, and southern pimento cheese — all of which was a tasty combination. The fries were nice and crisp and were even better when dipped in their Chipotle Ketchup.
Overall, we had a pleasant experience and will be back to try more from their large menu selection.

3.25 stars
Please read previous review
The music has been turned downed below 110 db. A lot of the wait staff and prior management have moved on to other venues. More good news. The «Admirals» burger was not cooked well done enough. So we sent it back. A while later, an attractive blond woman came up and apologized, and introduced herself as the assistant G.M. Very pleasant. I asked for her to stop by again and we chatted for a while. Mind you, this is the FIRST time in five years that I have ever seen any management in evidence on the floor in this restaurant. A real positive move, finally.
Of course they have changed their burger beef back to the good old school stuff. No more fancy over named overpriced foreign BS. The cole slaw was fine. The fries, just frozen insipid Mickey D wanna bees
I am actually considering dining there twice a week as we did in the past. Or until they screw it up again.

You know it’s good when they get the fries right! Prime rib sandwich could not have been better, and the spinach/​cheese appetizer was super. Do this at sunset, best harbor view in SD. Service perfect.

Was an amazing meal and view. Gladys suggested the lobster tacos which were to die for. Calamari was wonderful as well. Thank you for my birthday desert Gladys!

What do you want from me? A review in a nutshell? Okay, okay, here you go…
Over Christmas vacation I popped in here to treat a party of five to a decent dinner. Though visibly empty, there seemed to be some confusion from the hostess stand of where we’d be seated. There were no shortage of tables but I have no doubt that there was a balancing going on making sure not to overload one particular server or section. As luck would have it we ended up with the most uninterested server not only in the restaurant but quite possibly on planet earth.
As for the food, it’s good, not great, but certainly not worthy of the inflated price tag especially with the deflated portions. My short rib was pretty standard and tasted as if it had been plucked from a crock-​pot in the kitchen. I also sampled the chowder and some of the seared ahi, which were both decent at best and definitely a little deceiving as they were visually quite appealing. Average food with some lackluster service simply makes it that much worse. Make sense?
Will I be back? Sure, it wasn’t my first visit and most likely won’t be my last, but all I can hope is for the stars to align and for that customer service to walk hand in hand with some better menu decisions on my part next time.

We are staying downtown but drove out of our way to come here tonight. I usually get one of the great burgers before heading out on one of the fishing charters, but chose to enjoy a meal tonight
We started out with the clam chowder on the happy hour menu. We were surprised by the portion size, it was a large bowl. I chose the braided ribs I wasn’t disappointed. My wife filled up on the chowder and even took some home.
Kristen our server was great. We enjoyed a cool night on the patio, but the heaters took the chill off. If you are in the area, it’s worth the drive and there is plenty of parking

Good food, huge menu, great view! We went for Sunday brunch to watch football and it’s exactly the place you’d want to go for that. Pretty big selection of food and drinks, along with speedy service and good atmosphere. I had the veggie burger with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, and peppers. It was HUGE and delicious! And tater tots because it was brunch-​time (apparently they aren’t always on the menu). Don’t forget to try the chipotle ketchup!

Great airy space with a big ol’ bar and big ol’ outside patio, most of it covered. Lovely view of the marina. And crowd-​pleasing comfort food that’s not gourmet really, but totally hits the spot.
Is this a chain? It feels like it… Still good though if you’re in the area and want lunch on the waterfront.

Yes.
You want to go to Jimmy’s. You should ask to sit outside and enjoy the view of the yachts. and dream about the day you might be able to afford one.
You should order the buttermilk chicken dinner, but everything else is good also… and there are many beers on tap. They make their own spicy ketchup that goes great with their house made chips. You will enjoy it immensely.
*hypnotization complete.

Great service, the server let us stay here for hours watching the football game!
The food was great-​I ate a egg sandwich. The only thing is that there were not too many options for food, let alone vegetarian food!

Top notch burger and top notch service. The Cowboy Burger was great, although it did fall apart fairly quick due to the barbecue sauce, garlic parm fries were super flavorful. Our waitress was Gladys, she was just the right amount of attentive and really just an all around sweetheart. Would definitely recommend to friends, would definitely recommend for you as well.
Monday’s are the best days to drop in. Burger and a craft draft for $ 12!

Excellent view of the marina good food and decent drink prices during happy hour. Outside seating has heating when needed and there are a couple of fire pits going on the patio.
I tried a couple of their signature Margaritas during happy hour ($ 5) and it was a little small but good. They use fresh juice and not a mix which is a real plus. For appetizers I tried the chicken strips with fries and gravy, a side of buttery mashed potatoes and some chargrilled maple bacon Brussel sprouts. All good!
The service was really good too. Waited no time to be seated and our drink order was taken as we sat down. The waitress was right back to take food order and followed up regularly.

Positive Unilocal reviews brought us to this place on our last day in San Diego. What?! Why didn’t we come here sooner! It was a delight!
First and foremost: the albacore tuna melt has CHANGED MY LIFE. The addition of the green chili was revolutionary. I’m not even exaggerating, I’ve started adding green chili to the tuna melts I make at home, since I don’t live close enough to frequent JFAT. Also, the parmesan melty bread stuff that they use here is really, quite ace. Also, it’s worth mentioning that these are tied for my favorite french fries tasted while in San Diego.
My boyfriend ordered the half sandwich (clam chowder) and half tuna melt with a side salad meal, and was pleased. The clam chowder here is tasty and unique, it had a slight… hmm…smokey type taste. It was very subtle, but was really made it distinct from the other clam chowder we tasted on this trip (at Mitch’s and Point Loma Seafood).
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the FABULOUS DECOR in this place. Mid-​century, industrial and hipster chic, with a fabulous view of the marina. All the yes, Unilocalers.
JFAT, stay fab. I’ll be back next time I’m in San Diego.

Beautiful views with a great brunch atmosphere.
I came here for brunch and sat on the side patio. The views of the harbor were beautiful! However, the food itself was hit or miss. I loved the biscuits and gravy! The biscuits were the perfect blend of softy and crispy. The inside of the biscuits were moist and buttery but the outside had the perfect crispy. The gravy was also full of flavor. So delicious!
However, I also ordered the tomato soup and it was inedible. It was so salty that I couldn’t swallow it. I’m usually not very picky. I tried to eat it but I just couldn’t. That bad.
I still give this restaurant four stars though because of the service. Our waitress was awesome. Super personable and she noticed that I didn’t eat my soup and took it off the bill. I didn’t say anything but she noticed on her own! Great attention and care. Overall, I’d still recommend this restaurant. My soup was bad but the biscuits were good and everything else the people at my table ordered also seemed good!

Wine and dine. Marina view. Comfort food. great ambience. Friendly staff = happy customers.
The Sun harbor Marina is a great place to walk and chill. Lots of parking here too. Outside patio with Fire pit/​heater. Fishermans landing. last time I was here was about 3 or 4 yrs ago. Gotta love this place! Highly recommend for a perfect sunset dinner.

Ocean View from Patio — 5 stars. Speed and Service– 1 star. Food– 2 to 3 stars. It might be higher if priced accordingly.
When we arrived, the hostess made it seem like we’d have a very long wait because we didn’t have a reservation. The place was not even half full. Then she came back to us and said we could be seated, but it would be in the sun (in a snooty way I can’t accurately describe). We wanted to sit on the patio anyway, so that was not an issue for us. When we were led outside, there were 10+ open tables on the patio of various sizes, so I’m not sure why there would have been a wait.
Ryan, our waiter came over pretty quickly and we ordered drinks. I got a watermelon margarita — $ 11, tasty, but very weak, John got a 16 oz draft Coors Light– $ 5. We also ordered the Cheddar Bacon Spinach Dip with garlic croustades app– $ 12. Not bad, but it should have been about 6 or 7 bucks, not 12. It also should not have taken a half hour to come out. That was beyond long for an appetizer.
For dinner I ordered the Santa Maria Tri-​tip plate. It came with cole slaw, baked beans, pickled zucchini, cheddar potatoes, and corn bread. $ 22. The Tri-​tip, cornbread, and cole slaw were all meh, the beans were delicious, the potatoes were very good and a bit spicy, and the zucchini was different– tangy and tasty.
John got the ‘3 Little Pigs’. Ribs, pulled pork slider, and hot link, with cole slaw and fries $ 26. He said the hot link was fantastic and the ribs & pork were okay. Fries were soggy and same meh cole slaw.
In addition to our appetizer, I also feel that our entrées were overpriced for the quality. In my humble opinion, this was not a $ 90 meal ($ 110 w/​tip). We’ve definitely gotten better BBQ for a lot less. Should’ve gone back to Phil’s…

The service was super attentive. Inside during peak hours was very very loud and even on the patio the noise is preserved n bouncing around. The only quiet tables seemed to be the two seaters far out on the patio by the glass.
Anyway, dropped in to kill time, had some chips n dips. I didn’t care for the flavors too much, couldn’t even taste the Essence of Hass avocado in the guacamole. The Bloody Mary was just okay… Peppery. There’s a beer shot they brought out with it. Doesn’t go but whatever.
There was a rowdy table nearby with some beach hags trying for attention. Kinda annoying, they oughta shush em.

Wir waren hier an zwei aufeinander folgenden Abenden. Am ersten hatten wir die happy Hour erwischt, auf der es 3 $ Rabatt auf die Starters gab (ich glaube, sie geht bis 18 Uhr). Sehr zu empfehlen sind die housemade Chips with Salt and Pepper.
Die Bürger sind wirklich klasse. Auch diese waren am ersten Abend günstiger als dm zweiten. Warum auch immer.
Doch man muss dazu sagen, wenn man keine happy Hour mehr erwischt, ist es auch nicht schlimm, denn die Portionen sind größer. Wir hatten ja den direkten Vergleich.
Ich kann die Burger hier sehr empfehlen und Würde jederzeit wieder hingehen.