Bite

I’d rate this place a 3.75 if I could. There is no doubt that the presentation and taste of the food here is amazing and and décor is chic and modern. I do think the place is a little overhyped based on a lot of the reviews here on Unilocal.Maybe the fact that it was on the pricier side knocked off half a star. I don’t mind paying a little more for higher end dining every once in awhile, but at the same time didn’t feel that it was the best 40 dollars I’ve spent on a meal. However, I had no complaints about the food and I’d definitely recommend Bite to any tapas lover like myself.
Okay if you’ve read up to here in this review, I had actually written the above almost 2 years ago (!!! i know.) and tucked it away in my «Unfinished reviews» section of my private Unilocal profile. Oops. If you didn’t know, I can be a little bit of a procrastinator…
Anyway, I’ve been here a couple times since then and I still generally stand by my initial thoughts. Beautiful chic atmosphere, great service but slightly overpriced. Much more worth it for lunch and happy hour though. The menu changes relatively often but I haven’t been completely dissatisfied with anything I’ve tried here, and there were a few times where the food exceeded my expecations.
I will warn you, thought, that if you come here with a big appetite, you will likely find that your experience will leave you a little unsatisfied… you’ll probably wish you had bigger portions and maybe paid a little less. For someone like me who can never finish large restaurant portions, it is always perfect & delightful :)

OMG!!!
The slyders here are amazing! I like better than Burger Lounge and In-​n-​Out! If I could rate this 500 million I would! And that’s not all, the fries are soooooooo good! With the slyders be sure to get the caramelized onions on the side and put them on your self. (or let your mom, who loves them, eat them) (yes, that’s what I did)
I LOVE BITE!!!

My friend and I dropped in around 8:30pm and were immediately seated on the outdoor patio (very nice). We decided to start with the Red and White Sangria and, for appetizers, the Calmari Steak Skewers and Medjoul Dates wrapped in Apple Wood Smoked Bacon. The Calamari Skewers were decent, but didn’t really wow me. The dates, on the other hand, were sooooo good. The contrast between the sweet and the salty (from the bacon) was delightful. Sadly, after about 15 minutes of waiting, we had to remind our waiter that our Sangria had never made an appearance. To Bite’s credit, they promptly brought it out thereafter and deducted it from our bill. Nice touch, Bite!
For entrees, I ordered the Steak & Frites and my tablemate had a Shrimp with Lemon Risotto dish. My steak was tough, but the frites were very tasty. My bestie seemed to really enjoy her risotto, although I thought it may have been slightly overcooked from the one taste that I had of it.
Let me say that all of the employees at Bite were so nice, welcoming and personable; they were all a pleasure to talk to. However, I became Mr. Grump when after waiting for about 10 minutes for the bill to arrive I noted that a reason for the delay was because the wait staff was preoccupied with doting all over a miniature schnauzer that had graced the dining area. The schnauzer – being coddled like a newborn babe by one of the waiters – was displayed to each table on the patio. Now, just like any other person, I can appreciate just about anything that’s cute in the face, but the mug of that schnauzer did not manage to temper my growing impatience for the bill. Additionally, my tablemate didn’t help matters when she decided to join in on the schnauzer love orgy. (sigh)
Still, in spite of the foibles, Bite has such a nice, innocent energy and vibe that it makes it difficult not to like it.
P. S. — Thank you Bite staff for promptly shoeing off the scary looking man with the missing front teeth who had approached the patio area from the public sidewalk! Mad props! :-)

1 star for Champagne happy hour! Great drinks for $ 4.50. I had the Peach and it was YUMMY
1 star for an AWESOME waiter! I loved him and he made our experience very enjoyable.
1 star for amazing food. I got the lemony risotto and my friends got a bunch of appetizers.
1 star for an amazing ambiance.
minus one star for food taking SUPER long time. but hey, I’d rather my food come out fresh and perfect than quick and unsatisfying.

This is cute little spot that is a great spot for a glass of wine or sangria and yummy appetizers and desserts. The food is fabulous. I recommend the dates and the crab pasta. Be careful, though — all the $ 4 – 9 appetizers add up and if you’re not careful you’ll leave this place with a full tummy and a lighter wallet.

Just like the name of this place «bite» there portion sizes are a bit on the smaller scale but I was aware of this before coming. To celebrate my best friend’s birthday she wanted to come here and one thing I like about this place is the ambiance. The décor is modern with a bit of retro with the circle patterns. The leather booths that we sat on that were quite comfy and there was a cool looking light thing in the center of the table, the mood definitely provided a intimate feel with the dim lighting. We got a sample of an appetizer chosen by the chef; it was a slice of thin toast? with Gorgonzola cheese (yum) over a thin slice of pear and drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar over it. Simple and delicious. Three Items I got to try:
1) Dungeness Crab Carbonara with Pancetta and Papardelle Pasta
Rich and creamy pasta dish, you can definitely taste the crab, the pasta is like strips of thick noodles which was interesting. Overall, it was GOOD and my friend wished there was more of it.
2) Steak Frites w/​Garlic Fries
There were a couple slices of the steak and it was kind of chewy, the garlic fries were a-​okay. The horseradish cream reminds me of wasabi; strong and if you put too much it can be over powering.
3) Chicken Marsala with Shitake Mushrooms and Creamy Polenta
This was the dish I got, the chicken was cooked perfectly and not dry at all. The creamy polenta was alright for me and it was my first time having it. It did compliment well with the chicken and mushrooms mmm! I liked it but I didn’t love it.
The whole point of «bite» is suppose to be eaten in courses and
that’s why the portion sizes are bit on the smaller size. If you want sophisticated smaller portion sizes dishes; pricing is a bit high but you have to understand the ingredients they use for it and if you want great ambiance for an intimate dinner with a few good friends or a loved one than you should try out this place! I wished to try there four course meal for $ 20, that probably would suited a better experience for me.

To celebrate a job well done, I made the suggestion to go out and eat somewhere new the other evening. A fellow tweeter suggested Bite in Hillcrest, right off of University ave. Despite the recent fury of rain from above, if I have an umbrella and a car, nothing’s stopping me from living! Looking at the modest website that auto plays Amy Winehouse upon entry, I went straight to the menu. Once I saw a Gnocchi and Scallop combination I was sold.
Surprisingly Bite had a restaurant week like menu, where for $ 20 you could have a 4 course dinner from their selected menu. I had come for the Gnocchi, so that was going to be ordered regardless. We ordered a Chilean red wine and the dishes to come would one amazing dish after another. I’m usually not too impressed with restaurant week menus and what they offer, I always feel like they leave their best dishes off, which is counterproductive since restaurant week is about bringing people in to taste and hopefully come back. But though I didn’t see Bite as part of restaurant week, I was happy to see a good variety from that menu regardless.
When I first drove up to the restaurant, the glowing neon and outside patio had this corner café bistro type of feel. Upon entry, the faux fireplace with LED lights, modern slick furniture and color combinations gave the look of a trendy uptown and quaint bar. Bite is one of those places that make you want to sit, drink wine and have a conversation with someone.
As a first course, we received two crostinis topped with a marscapone cheese and a mango cinnamon chutney. Due to my adverse physical reactions to dairy, i was limited to less than a bite. Our second course AMAZING,! Two puff pastries over an arugula salad with a dijon mustard vinaigrette, topped with cherry tomatoes, kalmata olives and caramelized onions. Though I’m certain I can make this now that I’ve tasted it, this is the dish that hooked me into this restaurant.
Our third course was a chicken marsala with the cheese polenta substituted with an olive infused garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. I’m always impressed when chicken breast can be cooked to be moist like dark meat! Words cannot describe how savory and succulent this dish was.
Lastly was our mango mint iced dessert with diced fruit. Not overly sweet, fresh and the perfect palette cleanser after so many dense
flavors. Definitely a great place and I’ll be going back soon.

Hillcrest is a food lover’s paradise. If you didn’t enjoy a meal, you can just walk around the block to look for another. Literally. I came here for second lunch today after an unsatisfying Thai curry at Amarin around the corner. I remember coming here a couple years ago for my very first Unilocal event, which I enjoyed so another visit was in order.
The restaurant was very empty at 2 pm on a Saturday so we had the whole place to ourselves. The lunch menu is affordable and consists of a few starters, salads, and sandwiches. All the sandwiches were priced fairly, around $ 5 – 7. I got the BBQ pulled pork sliders with fruit and Jenn L. went for their famous lamb meatballs sandwich. The sliders were great — the small buns were toasted, the pork was tender, and the hint of ginger made it more unique than your typical pulled pork sandwich. But, the star of the meal were the lamb meatballs. They were delicious and paired perfectly with the tomato sauce and cheese. I was afraid that the lamb would be too gamy, but that was not the case at all, which made me wonder if it was mixed with some beef. The side of fruit with my sliders were also presented really nicely.
I always thought the interior decoration of Bite was really nice. Contemporary bar/​restaurant/​lounges like Bite have really innovative décor, which makes you feel a notch up when dining at a place like this, even if it is just for a casual lunch. For example, they have what I thought was a candle in the middle of the table. Upon closer inspection, there was no flame. It’s actually a light built into the table, which shines through a candle holder with glass and pebbles. That’s pretty creative. Coolest thing is the fish tanks in the bathroom. When guys are standing in front of a urinal, I’ve seen newspapers, magazines, advertisements, but never a fish tank with live beta fish. Good food, great service, and fish in the bathroom; what more can you ask for?

One of my fave restaurants in SD. I love the tapas-​sized, creative dishes like the risotto croquettes and tapenade. The mushroom pâté is also nice because the mushroom really covers up the liver’s raw edge, while allowing it to remain distinguishably pâté.
Happy hour is 5−7pm and offers half priced drinks. Drinks range from fine wines to bubbly, girly drinks. A perfect accompaniment to your tapas or entrees! The scallop and potato gnocchi is nice, but not one of my first choices. My friends and I also ordered the flatbread with white bean and garlic hummus, which I would give 3 stars.
Long story short, my 5 star picks at Bite would be the pizza bianco (with baked salmon, arugula, pineapple and goat cheese!), lobster bisque w/​vanilla chantilly, risotto croquettes, sliders, and warm cream cheese bread pudding with blueberry buttermilk sorbet. Thsi list may continue to grow as I continue to come back to Bite! I love it!
Finally, parking is a little tricky on weekends, and this is definitely not a cheap eats joint. However, the food is delicious and WORTH the money. Check it out!

My favorite restaurant in SD. The champagne happy hour was amazing. Their bellini was amazing. I fell in love with their strawberry bellini :) It had strawberry ice cream in it. Most drinks are really good!
Besides that, the service was amazing. The food is a little bit different but not tooo out there. The lobster bisque was by far amazing.

Hands Down my favorite place for lunch in the area, or even out of the area, since I’m willing to drive down from N. County to get my chomps at Bite!!!
When I first moved to SD from SF around eight years ago several of my Foodie friends in NY, LA, and the Bay Area kept asking whether or not I would be able to «adjust» to the difference in dining venues. Their perception of SD tasty dining was, and for some, still is, well, Mexican food. Even though I LIVE each week for my blessed California Burritos, Carne Asada Fries, and Street Tacos I always knew there was so much more here.
Then comes Bite, which now moves to the front address of my Little Black Book of Most Excellent Eateries! What defines that for me? Follow…
Does the Chef prepare the dishes with appetizing style, farm fresh charisma, and exquisite flavors? Chris Walsh & his staff ROCK!!!
Their lunch sandwiches start out around $ 5 and include salad, fruit, or fries. I’ve spent 6x more at the Zuni Café in SF! My sliders were cooked to perfection, the cream of Portobello mushroom soup was divine, and the grilled asparagus was excellence personified.
Is there a cool bar that serves innovative and reasonably priced cocktails? WAY!
Is the décor stylish, welcoming, and causal chic? Oh YEAH!
Is the service «right-​on» without being overbearing? Righty O!
The innovative menu at Bite represents the BEST Foodie talents of America’s Finest City! Even for lunch there was so much to choose from and we can’t wait to have dinner here.
Bite truly is the quintessential San Diego brilliant dining experience!

Went to try out Bite’s new lunch menu the other day with Richard T — shoutout to my Unilocal bf! I had been curious about Bite, but was concerned it could get pricey based on friends reviews. I was pretty blown away by their lunch menu, everything was simple and fresh and for a ridiculously low price.
For my lunchtime cocktail (don’t judge me, it was Friday) I had the pear champagne Bellini for $ 4.50. It was presented beautifully and came with a mini scoop of pear sorbet floating in my drink. Loved it!
For lunch we ordered a bowl of the Portabello mushroom soup, and grilled asparagus. Both were great and around $ 3.50 each. For main entrees I had the grilled chicken pesto on ciabatta sandwich with Brie cheese and fries, that was a steal for $ 6.50. Richard had the beef sliders with fries for about the same cost. Everything was perfectly cooked and really flavorful, and the fries were crispy and light the way fries should be.
Our total bill was only $ 29 and we were very full and even brought leftovers home. Two thumbs up for the great service and food. Yay chef Chris Walsh, I will definitely be back soon.

I’m a sucker for tapas and wine. So it was a given I would fit right in at Bite. They start you off with Amuse Bouche which the day we went was a crostini with goat cheese and olives. It was tasty. There were 9 of us girls on a Monday night so we decided to have a few sangrias and a bottle of wine. The wine is ½ off Mondays which saved us $ 16.50. I ordered the Ahi with a spicy raspberry sauce. It was light and delicate. My friend, who ordered the chicken marsala, also really enjoyed her meal. Two friends opted for the watermelon salad, which didn’t appeal to me, but I sampled it and the dressing was very good. And the cheese also helped to add more depth to the dish. Portions are small, but that’s what you come to expect when dining in a tapas restaurant…
Atmosphere was trendy and cute. The bathroom was also a delight and, as funny as it sounds, a great place to take a picture! There’s a fish tank with a large martini glass in the room and candles surrounding the walls…
The disappointing part of the experience was the service. The waiter seemed uninterested and rude.
I would still come back despite the service. In fact, I will, to use my
coupons

My mouth hung open in disbelief after our waiter made it apparent that we were taking too long to order. After inquiring about a couple of dishes and briefly trying to finalize our selections, the waiter fidgeted impatiently and blurted out, «I have other tables to get to,» and quickly walked away.
We had places to get to; we needed to eat beforehand. So, rather than allowing my fiery temper to lash back, I snapped my mouth shut and looked back down at the menu in anger and shame. Plus, I didn’t want our food to come back to us with back kitchen revenge items, if you know what I mean. However, to be fair, the host was extremely nice. I can’t skip giving credit to those who deserve it.
After our tapas were served (3.5 star quality), the clouds seemed to have drifted away from our waiter’s head because he was noticeably more chipper. I was suspicious of the sudden change in his mood.
The food was not bad, but it lacked any genuine culinary finesse. If you dare to venture into this establishment, have the sliders and skip the sweetbreads. The deviled eggs and calamari on skewers were «ok.»

This swanky restaurant hidden in Hillcrest first peeked my interest after reading an article on it’s executive chef but, after inspecting their menu online and finding myself drooling over every item I knew I had to check this place out.
The ambiance was relaxed. The modest lounge area, simple spherical type décor and dim lighting contributed to the flawless ambiance. As a bonus, you’ll find a goldfish staring at you during a private moment in the ladies room. Strange but, hilarious.
The service was impeccable. Our waiter was über friendly and ensured that once we were done with one dish, another was ready for us to devour. Plus, secondary to some mix up with the orders we were given a couple of free drinks. What more can I say?
Foodgasm is right! You expressed it best, my fellow Unilocaler Lety M.
Here’s what I took a bite of:
Wasabi shrimp cocktail — big piece of shrimp and perfectly tangy cocktail sauce.
Lobster bisque — the best I’ve ever had.
Pancetta wrapped chicken skewers with grilled asparagus and spinach — the chicken was juicy and I couldn’t get enough of the asparagus. Simply scrumptious!
Steak frites — perfectly cooked and flavorful.
Vanilla bean crème brûlée — I use dessert as a measure of a meal made in perfection. Crème brûlée is my absolute favorite and I never fail to order it if it’s on a menu. The crème brûlée was tasty but, I thought the consistency was amiss.

First and foremost, the location can easily be bypassed because its next to Baja Bettys and its small patio compared to BB is also something that might make you miss this place.
Disclaimer, although I know the Chef on another site (FB), I have only talked to him online but never in person. I made the reservations because I thought the prix fix menu for 20.09 was a great bargain (esp if you skip lunch or are really hungry. Prix fix menu includes 4 courses (most normally only provide 3). The price is just right in this economy.
Of course on the reservation desk as I was walk in was a fellow Unilocaler, Lety. Again this cannot influence me since she handles the front desk mainly and assists in serving or taking dishes away but never the actual server. Walking in, its been a long time since I remember the spot as the Living Room coffeehouse, it was always configure with 2 different doors but a lot of space inside. The décor is minimal with flair. The atmospher e and patrons are quite nice for a group or a couple to enjoy a meal and have a conversation.
My partner Brian and I brought with us, our friend Christine (from Chicago) who was passing through from Palm Springs on the way back to Orange County. (Sorry Christine — damn 2 dollar Fair day probably killed your trip back to OC). After reviewing the menu and ordering our drinks from the Champagne Happy Hour (Bite only serves wine and beer), we all focused on the prix fix. Another wonderful feature of this menu is the variety of choices from the 1^st to the 4^th course.
drinks — Kir Royale (had 2), pinot noir, white wine sangria — all good (a little more fruit on the sangria is definitely an option)
Menu orders — we all ordered diffrent things, ordered the puff pastry tart (delish), partner ordered Lobster bisque (not thick but tasty and good — he finished it all) and Christine ordered the white bean hummus with pita bread (i tasted it, very good with a hint of citrus).
Maiin course — I ordered the salmon with a nice crust (cooked right for me), C — ordered the lamb meatballs, and B ordered the penne.
Kudos to the chef for a wonderful meal. And we had one more course. For the selections on this menu, all our desserts came with the scoop of ice cream, one on top of a blueberry cobbler, brownie and trifle.
Honestly, I have been to big and expensive restaurants and not have come out of those places satisfied and pleased. I will definitely return and take other friends. After I had read all the reviews, I didn’t understand the glowing praises until I experienced it. The staff were friendly and attentive.
As much as I want to keep this place a secret (despite glowing reviews for most places, going out to eat is a luxury for most of us these days), I encourage you to eat here and party next door at baja bettys. This is the restaurant and next door is the bar to get strong drinks and have raucus fun with your friends. At Bite get a bite and leave happy!

Oooh weee, I’m a fan! I ate here for dinner the other night after we tried to eat at Urban Solace (but there was a 1 ½ hour wait). I’m glad we ended up here, the food, service and ambiance was great!
We started off with the grilled flat bread with white bean and garlic roasted hummus… mmmm, yummy! Then the dates came out wrapped in bacon and Gorgonzola cheese. That was good, but it was a little too sweet for me. For the main entrees, we had the Parmesan crusted salmon with red pepper vinaigrette accompanied with olive mashed potatoes and the steak frite marinated in red wine that came with garlic french fries and Bearnaise sauce on the side. We shared all the dishes and everything was so tasty and well prepared. What a nice treat to such a tasty meal! We washed it down with a great bottle of white wine and saved room for some dessert. We were told they ran out of some of the dessert items, but it’s all good, I enjoyed the bread pudding we inhaled anyway.
I’d definitely go back, great place and fantastic food. The restaurant is very pretty and spacious inside and the women’s restroom has a goldfish fish tank that keeps you entertained while you’re taking care of business. Bite is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or to impress a date. There’s something for everyone on the menu and you won’t leave here disappointed. Go… now! ;)

Let me tell you about a place where I have received some of the best service in my restaurant going life ever!!!
I walked in and was treated like an old friend. Right away I was made to feel welcome. This gives me warm fuzzies when I go out because I like to think I’m famous or something. It appears that they treat everyone this way. Both the owners stopped by to chat and make menu recommendations. I also was there for the champagne cocktail happy hour and I had the passion fruit cocktail which the waiter recommended when I told him I was in the mood for tropical foo foo. It was exactly what I was looking for.
I wish I could remember what exactly everything I ate was called on the menu. It all was delicious so let me give it a shot. I had seared ahi with raspberry sauce of some kind crusted with sesame seeds and another type of seed, perfectly toasted flat bread with warm and delicious hummus, yummy garlic fries with aioli and goat cheese something or other melted on little crunchy breads. Jeez next time I gonna have to write it all down. That or not imbibe so much in the champagne. Yeah right. That’s gonna happen.

Yes, I AM expanding my horizons while not trying to expand my waistline.
You can do that here at BITE.
Not only gastronomically, but with all of your senses.
HEAR the smooth, soulful rhythms of the cool, ambient music.
SEE the cool, eclectic designs of the interior décor.
TASTE the menu which represents the best from the land and from the sea.
INTERACT with the friendly, helpful staff who will guide you through your courses.
We must have tried a dozen different tapas and went through several rounds of drinks. No matter, we don’t get out as much as we should.
We had a great time here and will definitely return.
YOU should check Bite out.
Word!

Bite,
Well what can I say it’s another trendy bar slash lounge slash restaurant? My brother and I went here for the elite event. We had a good time mingling with the fellow Unilocaler’s. I stuck to drinking the white wine and it was pretty good. They really should have the air conditioning checked out. It was super hot in there, it was like a sauna. The appetizers they served were pretty good and I can’t complain about the price since the food and drinks were taken care of. They do have a nice little patio outside, perfect for people watching. I may come back some day to grab a bite.