Urban Bar and Grill

August 8: Where to eat before the padres game? Well in downtown of course. Wanting something quick and something cheap we found Urban Bar and Grill was having happy hour. Walked in and it was dead no one was even there at all. why? We arrived at 6ish and was greeted and we asked to sit at the bar.
Once seated we were then greeted by the bartender. I ordered their Cajun Tots and Rib Sliders. The Cajun tots were just regular tator tots. It was only $ 4. So cheap. The rib slider were good and also on HH but $ 9.
The bartender was really nice and recommended a few beers. We end up only ordering one beer and it was only $ 4. Keeping it classic with the Stone Pale Ale. Pretty good beer prices.
I really like the bar seating, comfortable and clean. Next time going to try more things.

My husband and I decided to try Urban Bar and Grill since we had a BOGO. I ordered the seafood linguine and he had the beef short ribs. The linguine looked delicious and had a beautiful presentation with large chunks of seafood however when I started eating the flavors were off.
The white wine garlic tomato broth was not balanced… it was too tart. In addition, the shellfish had a very off putting taste (the mussels and clams were gritty). Now by no means was this the worst seafood stew I have eaten, I just expected more. The beef short ribs were fine nothing with a particular wow factor. It could have used a bit more seasoning as it was on the bland side.
Our waiter was professional and well versed with the menu… he made several suggestion of the most popular items. He checked on our table several times and our glasses were never empty. There was one problem we had with our BOGO. They could not figure out how to use the coupon however they were more than happy to honor it.

I really enjoyed this place. Have been living in Gaslamp for 3 years, last night was the first time I went. Got the Top Sirloin and switched up one of the sides for brussel sprouts and mashed sweet potatoes, delicious. The staff was very accommodating and everything was really good.
It wasn’t very packed, so some people might be put off by an empty restaurant but give this place a try! Solid dinner spot!

Had dinner on Saturday August 23, 2015. Sat outside which was great. Food and staff were great. I had the arugula salad with beets, feta cheese and salmon. Excellent! My husband had the lamb burger. It was NOT baaaaaad. Absolutely loved the lamb burger. Our friends split the angel hair pasta with scallops. They enjoyed this dish too! Great IPA’S. I enjoyed the Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara.
Our waiter Chris J was excellent and knows his food and good advice with adult beverages. The hostess was sweet. I forgot her name but I know she goes to SDSU

«Cloth napkin», half bar, half restaurant. Happy hour specials on draft, food, and signature cocktails. Only four bc the food wasn’t that special and I wasn’t found of the Heneberry old fashioned. Calamari was salty and short rib sliders were bland but the olé’smokey moonshine craft on draft was great. Drinks greater than food.

Middle of the road for Downtown San Diego. Pluses: great presentation; food looked terrific. Minuses: Taste was less than expected from what we saw on the plate. Service is typical for Gaslamp area.
All in all a very middle of the road place making it a safe but not spectacular location.

On out excursion to SD, we decided to dine here. It turned out to be a great choice. We sat down at one of the outside tables. We ordered our drinks, and they were made well. My whiskey sour was a lot smoother than most I’ve had.
We ordered the surf and turf, which came with lobster tail, filet mignon, and mashed potatoes. The food was amazingly good. The service was excellent. We ordered another round of drinks, before taking off to other parts of Gaslamp.
Overall, the experience was awesome. The price was well worth the quality. I recommend checking this place out.

I want to give them 4 stars but the service is bad. There were not even busy. Our waiter is also the bartender. He didnt even ask if we needed anything thrroughout the meal. At the end he sent someone else over to give us the bill after which we realized we were supposed to have been offerred desert. The hostess realized our plight and did her best to repeat the dessert menu. When it finally arrived they had obviously pulled it hastily out of the freezer as it almost broke our fork. Otherwise the food was good. I ordered baked salmon with artichoke wine sauce. Their calamari I think they used coconut oil and it was tasty along with my husband’s rib eye. Great location pero kailangan Maraming trabaho sa improve dito

I came to Urban in early July 2015 and had a good dining experience. It was a rainy night and I was with two friends from out of town. We chose Urban because it was a place that we had never been to and it seemed to have dishes that everyone would enjoy. The service was great and the place had a nice, slightly above casual feel. I tried everyone’s food and all was delicious.
My big problem with the place and why I reduced a star is because the prices are unreasonable. I had the sliders and based on the price I would have expected larger portions. If you are not too budget conscience try this place out.

I wanted to love this place, particularly after reading the majority of the reviews… but alas I am giving it 2 stars… 1 solely because I loved the actual look and feel of the restaurant. Super open, high ceilings, tables spaced apart appropriately (vs. being crammed in like many Gaslamp eateries)
Our reservation was at 7:30P and the place did not appear very busy at all, we were taken to our table in the back corner which may have been the reason we got such terrible service.
Let’s start with the GOOD: Okay, the Moscow Mules were pretty delish… well done Bartender. We ordered the spicy calamari as a starter and it actually came out rather quickly and was very good. (Mind you we ended up eating all the lettuce and dried rice noodle bed later given our food was taking so long to come out.) They bring you little baskets of fresh bread — that was good too and kept us from eating our napkins. The only dish at our table that was enjoyed were the Asian Noodles (which I almost ordered, and wish I had) I took a bite, and it was quite tasty.
The BAD: Service. Our server (a dude) seemed totally uninterested in being there let alone serving us. It took him 10 minutes to even acknowledge we were there, or ask if we wanted something to drink. Oh and when I ordered water with my Moscow Mule, he brought ONE water, despite someone else asking for water. I guess my point is — water is rare here? So if you want a glass speak up as they won’t automatically bring it to you. Food/​main entrees took FOREVER to come out. We were a table of six — two in our party were late… so we ordered at 8:15PM — Did not get our food until almost 9PM. 2 of us ordered the Kobe Burger which had a crazy funky taste to it… was not good at all. (fries were good though!) The other 2 in our party that came right after we had given the server our choices, ordered their food at roughly 8:30P — did not come out until almost 9:30! holy crap — the place was truly not that busy… not sure what was going on in the back. My stepson ordered the sirloin which came with parsnips as a side that tasted hideous. Now the kicker… for a table of SIX mind you, awful and inattentive service — when we got the checks… they had added in 18% gratuity. Yup. I actually had to laugh and while some at the table were incensed — I figured the best reaction is to just never return which we will not.

First time I tried it was on Valentine’s Day in 2014. I ordered the filet mignon and it was so juicy I had to come back and try the other dishes.
Luckily, this place is also on
so I bought some deals. The server was very accommodating. I got the fish the second time and it was good. The Brussel sprouts could be better, but otherwise good food so far.
Overall, reservations are always good so you don’t have to wait. Also, good service.

We did our research on Unilocal prior to selecting Urban Bar & Grill. Well… we weren’t disappointed.
We arrived around 6:00pm (April 29, 2015) and no one was sitting outside on this beautiful night. Must say. we were a little worried. Especially since a lot of the other restaurants were pretty busy outside.
First of all, our food was delicious. It exceeded our expectations.
Our server was young and seemed new, but also knowledgeable. We ordered the Surf and Turf which the server said it was large enough to share… so we did. And it was perfect. Save room for dessert… we had the Lemon Cheesecake… YUMMY.
As far as drinks go… I tried the Strawberry Crush and my husband had the Moscow Mule which were also not a disappointment. Especially since they were on the happy hour menu.
Thanks to Unilocal… we knew there was a happy hour menu which wasn’t offered to us. We asked about it and was given the menu which had our drinks on it.
Oh … the mac n cheese is a must try!!!
By the time we left around 7:00pm…there were no outside seats available.
Great Food… Great Service!

Delicious specials!
Looking for a place to have a nicer dinner in San Diego and I stumbled upon this joint. Glad I did!
I made a reservation for a Saturday night and was surprised it wasn’t busier at 7:30 when we got there, but that was fine.
I love the atmosphere — modern and eclectic and upscale. I started out with a Strawberry Crush and he got a Pimm’s on 5^th. Both were great. There were nice muddled strawberries in the drink which balanced out the lemonade.
We got the gourmet charcuterie board as an app — loved most everything on it. Nice cheeses and meats.
My husband had a fish special which he loved and I had the kale and corn stuffed chicken breast. It came with roasted veggies and brussel sprouts (which I do not like, but my husband thought they were great). My chicken was crispy on the outside and the corn was great!
Good food, nice people and delicious drinks made for a great night!

The venue is very new, modern, and eclectic and looks like a great place for dinner downtown. The food is on par with a typically upscale bar and grill. My complaint here is the staff, as it appears to employ service industry newbies. I had interactions with multiple different staff members, and it appears that each one of them was new to the industry and seemed flustered. I understand everyone starts somewhere, but there should definitely be more experienced staff members on every shift to keep a good balance. I’d like to see the service staff upgraded here.
If the staff here typically does have experienced service industry people, then it clearly doesn’t show.

We had a group of ten here with a 7:15pm reservation. I was a little nervous when we walked into this cavernous restaurant and only one couple was eating.
However, food was delicious and the (very young) server was knowledgable about the food — I asked about the fish (wild or farmed and he knew about all 5)…my choice was wild. Yay!
Beers were mainly local and very tasty. Loved the beet and arugula salad (munus the cheese), and the strawberry «shortcake» — TDF!
The server was newer and a but overwhelmed, but all in all the entire experience was a solid 3 stars.

I came here with a large party for dinner on a Saturday night, and the place was empty. That was a tell-​tale sign that the food would not be good. Either way, we got seated, and the service was super slow. There was like 1 couple at the bar, and another small group there for dinner. It took forever for them to come take our order, and bring our waters.
In terms of the food. Don’t get the filet mignon quesadillas. You’d imagine big chunky cubes of steak, but what you get is definitely not that. The truffle mac and cheese was just mac and cheese. No truffle. The burger was probably the best thing there, and I’d say that was a below average burger. Overall, everyone was very unsatisfied with the food, and the price isn’t cheap either. The service left much to desired, even with only a few parties in the restaurant.

Only tried a few dishes but I would probably come back to try different things.
I had the pimms on the 5^th drink and it was pretty good. Had some good flavors to it. I also tried their calamari and their pita bread and hummus. Pretty good. It’s also pretty pricey but that’s fine. Next time I’ll try an actual entrée.
Overall great and fast service.

Who in the world does happy hour all day? Fortunately, this place does! I was bummed that I missed happy hour at another location until I found this restaurant. Their happy hour foods are pretty darn affordable. They range from $ 3 — $ 5. I recommend their calamari which is not on the happy hour menu. Also, get their sliders (beef and short rib). So good! I would definitely come back again!

This place was pretty good. I won a gift card for the «Dining on 5^th» restaurant group from the livedeal app (everyone should totally download it by the way). Hubs and I chose this place out of the group because we were in the mood for American food.
Service was great! Everyone was fully attentive but not overdoing it. The food options were pretty good, but a little pricey for my liking. I ordered the braised short ribs with Brussel sprouts. Omgggg! Amazing. The Brussel sprouts were perfectly steamed. Loved my food. Hubs ordered the Kobe beef burger but they ran out of Kobe beef. It sucked. Lol. He got the lamb burger. He said it was just alright. And hubs normally likes everything.
The lighting and environment was good and the chandeliers were pretty! I would definitely recommend this place if you’re visiting the gaslamp area.

SETTING:
Trendy restaurant in the heart of gaslamp. Indoor and outdoor seating. They have booths on the left side and tall tables on the right side by the bar. They have a nice big bar that you can sit down at as well. The first thing i noticed was their unique ceiling lamp fixtures. Each one had its own original design, some more complicated than others, but you can tell it was a form of artwork.
SERVICE:
Dinner time on a Saturday night was busy, but there were available tables on the right side of the restaurant where they had the round tables and high chairs by the bar. We were seated quickly and given menus and waters. Food took quite awhile to come out. Alcoholic drinks came out first. Our appetizer came out first.
When our main courses came out, they had it all wrong.
The boyfriend ordered the top sirloin and i ordered the rib eye steak.
Instead, they brought out two filet mignon plates and kept insisting that that was what we ordered.
Somehow my boyfriend thought it WAS what he ordered for a moment and took the plate anyways but i stood my ground, and told them that i specifically ordered the Rib Eye plate which was the only steak plate that came with french fries and that i requested to sub the fries for truffle mac and cheese.
They apologized and thus, i had to wait for my food again. But the waiter wanted to make it up to me and gave me a complimentary drink which was nice. And surprisingly my plate came out a lot faster the second time.
Other that mishap, customer service is professional.
FOOD:
N.Z. Mussels and Pommes Frites $ 16
–sautéed green lipped mussels in a white wine sauce + truffled french fries
This appetizer was delicious. The mussels were soft and tender and well flavored. The sauce was the best part. It was so good that we kept dipping the fries and bread in it. Highly recommended. Enough to share between 3 people.
Rib Eye Steak with vegetables and Truffle Mac & Cheese $ 30
— Sterling silver boneless rib eye + chipotle honey glaze
Steak was very well flavored, you can mostly taste the honey glaze. There were nice pieces of fat marblelized within the outer areas of the steak. The steak was not exactly cooked medium rare like i requested, it looked more cooked but it was still good. The veggies were pretty plain, seemed to be only steamed. The truffle mac & cheese was quite a disappointment because it was not cheesy or thick. The sauce was light and tasted a bit powdered. It was ok.
Baby Arugula and Beets Salad $ 10
Add filet mignon steak $ 6
— wild baby arugula + gold and red roasted beets + chèvre cheese + mango + chive dressing + fig balsamic reduction
My friend ordered this plate and she gave me a taste. It was fresh and really well seasoned. All the ingredients and toppings went really well together. It was delicious. Steak was cooked to perfection.
Prime Aged Filet Mignon $ 34
— veggies + truffled mac & cheese with bacon
I personally did not try this plate and it was what they gave my boyfriend instead of the top sirloin that he originally ordered. I just wanted to say that it was a very small piece of steak. Probably about 5oz piece and he said it was ok.
DRINKS:
Caiparinha — cachaca, muddled strawberries and basil lime juice, sugar, soda $ 12
This drink came out pretty, but it was a bit too sour for my taste.
Pimm’s on 5^th — cucumber infused hendricks gin — pimms no. 1 lemon juice, muddled mint & cucumber, and ginger beer (Complimentary drink)
This drink was delicious, light flavors but you can definitely taste the cucumber and mint.
We also had two different glasses of wine which i do not remember the name, but they have good quality wines there as well.
Crème Brulee Cheesecake (Originally $ 8)
*** CHECK IN HERE ON Unilocal FOR A FREE DESSERT
(Only one dessert per table of up to 4 people)
It was delicious. Tasted exactly as what it should be.
Overall, this is a nice little place to have dinner but it will start adding up on the bill.