Amaya

Having been to Addison, I was afraid I was going to be disappointed at Amaya, but it was a great experience. The staff was great and they were very friendly and attentive.
We went for restaurant week, but would definitely go back again to try their regular menu. My only complaint about the prime rib entrée was the edges were slightly fatty, but I just cut those parts out. It was still pretty delicious with the sauce that was topped on it.
Thank you Amaya for a wonderful night.

Went for 2016 San Diego Restaurant Week; whooping $ 50 per person, but worth the price.
My girlfriend had the following (and I took a bite out of everything: D):
Lobster Bisque– Based on the bite, it was very thick and delicious. She loved this dish.
Sea Salt-​Crusted Prime Rib– Humongous piece of meat. Just this alone can fill you up. Also delicious.
Coconut Tart– Accompanied by banana ice cream (Banana Crème Glacée) and two white chocolate (?) filled cookie. Tart should taste good for those with sweet tooth, I was just too full to appreciate it (and I prefer something not that sweet).
I had the following:
Tenderloin Carpaccio– Fresh and tender tenderloin. Wrap the rare meat with arugula gives it a lot of flavor, and throw in a hint of Pecorino Romano cheese makes it an excellent appetizer.
Pappardelle– Like the rib, it is a very fulfilling dish. Since it comes with truffle, it has this rich cream and mushroom taste. My first time having truffle, and I did like the taste. Unsure if it was meant to be that way, but pasta was overcooked for my personal preference. Rib seems to be a better choice.
Chocolate Crémeux– Awesome dessert! Reminds me of Kinder Bueno (which I like a lot). What you have here is a small piece of caramel Chantilly (think of it as a thick mousse) on top of the chocolate Crémeux (pudding if you will). And at the bottom you have a thin hazelnut crispy. If it’s too rich, dab a bit of the raspberry sauce on the side, it pads out the rich flavor and brings a new flavor to the mix. Really nice dish.
The appetizer really impressed us, and we know we were for a treat and definitely worth the price. Even the bread was delicious. They also gave us fresh bread with cute little ball-​shape butters. Entrée was flavorful and humongous, but it wasn’t up to par to the dessert or appetizer. You get full and sick eating such big portion, and I think most people probably had to takeout parts of their meal (girlfriend certainly did). Service was great; they check up on you and really attentive. Despite not being perfect, this place deserves a 5 star. Pricey, but worth.

Best service ever! Beautiful surroundings. Fantastic food and VERY reasonably priced. Not a stuffy atmosphere, as I had expected. Our waitress was as good as it gets.

You cannot get better ambiance than at Amaya. I love dining on their patio for lunch. The staff is amazing and so friendly and the food is really good. Their pretzel bread is a must-​try. They have an extensive wine selection, including a few sommeliers on staff to help you choose. They are so accommodating and just make you feel special. I can’t say enough good things about this place. I’ve been going to it for 6 or 7 years now about once a month. Can’t get enough of the whole experience.

Came here for the first time with my bestfriend and everything was great. Service, food, atmosphere was above and beyond. The steak I had was really good so when I told our server he brought out the chef and we were able to talk to him! (Phong, very cool dude) after our dinner we were able to walk around the place and everything was so beautiful. I will definitely come again.

I have eaten here twice (both during restaurant week). No slacking on service or quality. Let me first say Jaime, my amigo and fellow chef, is running the team there and executing at the highest level. Was the food inventive and showing his personality, no, but his team executed the menu very well and consistent. The whole experience was on point, the wait staff continually made sure my party was being taken care of without being intrusive. The timing of each course allowed us to digest and savor the experience on its own. And the paused between each course allowed the enjoyment of the company. Both FOH and BOH was in concert; allowing us to enjoy the short 3 hour dinner. Thank you again Jaime!

SDRW 2015
Great customer service. Everyone was attentive.
Appetizer:
Mushroom bisque: really good
Sea scallops: very good. Nice portion!
Entrée:
Trout: seafood was fresh. Skin on trout was soggy. Overall very good. Too much food to finish.
Tenderloin: flavors was good. Steak was overlooked. Didn’t mind it so just ate it.
Dessert:
Pumpkin dessert: the pumpkin mousse was good but did not understand the layer of jelly at the bottom.
Flourless chocolate and raspberry: too much raspberry jam. Comparable to Ghriradelli raspberry chocolate square.
Drinks:
French kiss: raspberry drink. Yum
Manhattan: a bit too sweet for a Manhattan.

Wow, quality really dropped since a year ago! New chef?

Amaya was good. The reception was awful!!! When we first arrived there were two people at the reception table and then as we turned the corner to be greeted they both walked away. Girl with blonde hair hid near bar and the lead (I’m assuming since she looked like she was training her) she went to do something. Not a very good experience and did not feel welcome for the price we paid for brunch, but because our family likes to experience different culinary restaurants we thought we would give it a try. The food was okay and nothing over-​the-​top. If you want great service, then this would be the place with the exception as the hostess staff. We give the facility and grounds an A++.

There are very few times that I find a fine dining establishment to be excellent. I worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years and believe highly in quality of service, food, cleanliness, price and ambiance. This place hit the mark 100% in all of those categories, which is very hard to do. I was highly impressed and fell in love with this place.
This was the first time that we’ve been here and the funny thing is we live less than 3 miles from this place. When we drove in through the gates it felt like we entered into another world. The golf course was to the right, on our drive up to the restaurant, and it was stunning and I don’t even golf. It was so green and lush. When we walked inside I felt like I was stepping into a Roman castle. There were huge ivory pillars, gorgeous marble floors, beautiful oil paintings and so much detail in everything.
We came to celebrate my birthday and the hostess new right away, from my husband’s reservation, and wished me a happy birthday, which was really nice and made me feel special. We sat outside and there was this beautiful courtyard to look at and beautiful trees and architecture. Our server was super personable and never missed a beat. We never had to ask for more water or for our plates to be cleared. All of the staff was amazing!
The food was phenomenal! The pricing was not ridiculous either for what you get, I felt like it was fairly priced. I ordered a Sicilian flatbread as a starter, which was ridiculously good! Then I ordered a New York red wine braised steak with garlic mashed potatoes for dinner and almost died and went to heaven. For dessert there was this amazing lemon tart with a real 24k gold flake at the top… say whaaa?! First time eating gold. Of course I paired it with one of my favorite drinks, Jameson on the rocks. I felt like a Queen! Can’t wait to come back!

We came for Sunday brunch where they have a mix of their standard breakfast fare plus sandwiches and salads. They start you off with some toasty pretzel bread like rolls which were delicious. The sandwiches and burgers come with house made chips, fries, or fresh fruit. We tried the chicken sandwich on focaccia bread which was decent but a tad salty. The burger here was pretty good though.

Had breakfast here at the hotel both mornings on the outdoor patio, which was covered in red and white umbrellas. Service was exceptional and is without a doubt deserving of the ⁵⁄₅ stars. I ordered the three-​egg omelette: basil pesto, peppers and mozzarella served with seasoned potato wedges. The omelette was pretty good, the mozzarella was a bit much for my taste but I still enjoyed it. I also tried some of the seasonal fruit plate with honey yogurt, which tasted like dessert custard. It was amazing! Great ambiance, service, and food! It lives up to the hype and you get what you pay for.

In one word this restaurant was awesome! Everything was fantastic — food, desert, wine, beer, and service. What do you expect for a five star hotel at the Grand Del Mar? This is the Hotel where Lebron James got married 2 years ago. I am sure he ate here or at the Addison which is rated even higher but cost about $ 500 to eat there.
We had the fixed menu which started with the Butter Lettuce Salad with crispy onions, blue cheese, and buttermilk dressing. Excellent. Then for the Entrée we had the Jidori Chicken. I was told this is one of their middle of the road dishes but it definitely did not disappoint! For Dessert it was Dark Chocolate Cake with Mango Sorbet? which had pieces of chocolate on the bottom. Very good as well and probably my wife’s favorite part of the meal. She couldn’t stop talking about how good everything was.

I technically had breakfast and lunch here today. I enjoyed the Juevos Rancheros actually in the restaurant in the morning. It was quite good and reasonably priced given the setting. I also had a bite of the Eggs Benedict also yummy.
In the afternoon I ordered poolside splitting a Garlic Shrimp Greek Salad and Grand Del Mar Burger. Don’t expect bargain pricing but both dishes were delicious and obviously made with the finest quality products. I really can’t say enough about the burger, and they actually cook it a true medium rare if you’re a burger vampire like me.

Okay, atmosphere and service is definitely a ⁵⁄₅ here. It’s the Grand Del Mar. It’ll blow you out of the ocean.
I got the Western Manhattan as my drink — it’s different than the classic Manhattan — slightly more acidic (?).
I hate writing reviews for experiences from Restaurant Week but I felt like I should since when else would I even come here anyway lol
Scallop: One piece of scallop :(Fatty yes but one piece! it tasted amazing but I was sad.
Pork Tenderloin: Yummy. Portion was pretty good. Cooked to perfection. Juicy! I want another one!
Assemblage: ⁵⁄₅ dessert would get again. I would prefer more though.
Of course portion is a problem for restaurant week in these kind of high premium places. Was it worth the money? ⁴⁄₅.

Beautiful scenery, very good customer service and great food! I went there for lunch and we sat outside and surprisingly it was crowded for lunch hour!
Ordered the trout which was AWESOME!!! I mean if you like fish, don’t pass this dish please! The vegetables are cooked deliciously and the fish is pan seared to perfection!
I was almost licking my plate with a piece of bread!
A great dining experience :)

Came here with family and friends for a birthday celebre. None of us had been here. I just made reservations on-​line. Oh wow. it’s like going into another world! Thankfully it was a gorgeous day, lows 70’s so we could sit on the patio and get the fabulous view.
The menu was varied which helped since some in our party are picky eaters. My friend and I couldn’t decide so we decided to each get a plate and split it. They wait people spit it for us. Service was superb, five stars*****. Water always filled, coffee too but not obtrusive. no pressure to hurry but just enjoy the company, good food and view.
Checked out the gift shop afterwards and found something cute for Christmas. They had some nice things and unique with a varied price range.
Definitely will return. Check out the afternoon tea or?

I’m 4 years late on this review, but nonetheless, it still needs an homage for being such an amazing restaurant. I never knew this restaurant existed until I was working as a nurse in one of the villas at the Grand Del Mar back in 2010. When it was lunch or dinner break, my supervisor would send us nurses to have dinner or lunch here at Amaya, all charged to her villa.
Amaya has outdoor seating and the view of the garden outside is absolutely stunning, the patio is a nice balance of shade and sun on a gorgeous day (which, in Del Mar, it’s always a gorgeous day!)
I’m sure the menu has changed a lot but I can say that the charcuterie plate we used to share never fails for an appetizer to share. I also had their broccoli soup and it was out of this world! Also, the pork chops and the rib-​eye are both great choices!
This is a wonderful restaurant and the service is impeccable. Don’t feel intimidated by pulling up your car to the valet and parked up next to the ferraris, just know that you’re there for the food and people are very nice!

I recently ate here for a business dinner and it was my first time here. The Grand Del Mar is located close to the 56. Valet parking is free. The hotel is beautiful!
I had dinner in one of the private rooms and the menu was pre selected. We started off with the Catalan style shrimp which was so delicious. It’s pretty spicy and I love spicy! For the entrée I had the red snapper and that was delicious too! The portion Is a good size. For dessert, we had the keylime cheesecake. I’m not a big cheesecake person but it was good. It was a bit too tart for me and I couldn’t finish it.
Service was on point and food came out fast.
Overall, I’d recommend this place if money isn’t a deciding factor.

Came here for restaurant week :) made a reservation and checked in — we were seated immediately. The host was very polite. All the staff are friendly and polite. Very attentive.
DECOR —
Well decorated, Definitely a spanish-​y vibe. Romantic ambience.
FOOD–
French kiss — great cocktail, pretty strong and tasty. The raspberry purée in it really hides the alcohol. Easy to drink.
Crispy duck confit — delicious! It’s like a meal within itself. The duck is juicy and tender. The brussell sprouts are cooked well.
Thai Red Snapper — it was ok. I was expecting more flavor from it.
Duck breast — super good. Tender, Juicy, Packed with flavor!
S’mores Pot de Crème — deliciousss.
Lemon meringue ice cream pie — interesting. I thought it’d have ice cream on the side, didn’t realize the lemon would be the ice cream part.

This place isnt quite expensive as Addison but the food is good. Still not cheap, but the service is great and the view of the golf course and outside patio is awesome!