Books + Records

Name: Books + Records
Address: 2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA, United States, 92101
Telephone: (619) 795-1000
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.7

4.7 (493)

$31 to $50

American

2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 16, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 17 times today

About this restaurant

Great for creative cocktails
Neighborhood gem
Great for happy hour

Global inspired American cuisine, craft cocktails, and weekend brunch in an upbeat atmosphere, with live music.

Chef Ryan Stickel is serving up San Diego's freshest food takes in an art deco meets mid-century mod warehouse space. With a tenured run on both Eater's Heat Map and list of San Diego's Hottest Cocktail Bars, the food and drinks are both guaranteed to delight your senses.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Cocktail Bar, Californian
Hours of operation
Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(619) 795-1000
Website
http://booksandrecordsbar.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Sam Deckman
Catering
For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
Private party facilities
For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.

Location
2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood
Banker's Hill
Cross street
Ivy St & Fourth Ave in Bankers Hill
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 493 people are saying

Books + Records reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.6Service
4.7Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

San Diego
Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Books + Records in San Diego offers a cozy and stylish ambiance with a "vintage charm and modern twist." Known for its "live jazz music," the restaurant presents a menu of "spectacular" dishes, including "to die for" bao buns and "amazing" Brussels sprouts. Guests enjoy "craft drinks" and a "pretty good happy hour." Service is often praised as "attentive" and "friendly," adding to the overall delightful experience. Perfect for both casual outings and special celebrations, Books + Records is highly recommended for anyone seeking a blend of "great food, drinks, and vibes."

493 Reviews

D
Dorn VIP
San Francisco Bay Area14 reviews
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service, cocktails, food, and value. I am amazed that it remains relatively under the radar on the San Diego food scene.
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l
leasa VIP
San Diego14 reviews
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We celebrated our 27th anniversary there. Our server Dalton was great. Attentive, and not overtly which I like. We had small plates and nibbled on man n cheese, meatballs and chicken bao buns. All were yummy! Our drinks were delicious. The name made me think they would have a lot of books & records around the restaurant and they didn't which surprised me and yet the restaurant is really nice ~ just my own thing. I would recommend going there:)
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N
Natalia VIP
San Diego6 reviews
5.0
Dined on July 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Books & Records is easily one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego ! Location is perfect ! Easy for parking and away from hustle and bustle of downtown. Broccoli & chicken bao buns are to die for. Ube old fashioned was my favorite drink - delish ! Highly recommend over live music on weekends & we discovered there is a pretty good happy hour. We will be back !
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C
Casey
Greater Boston3 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Came here for my boyfriends birthday, and it was such a lovely spot! Great food, and our server Bri was amazing!
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M
Michael
Los Angeles1 review
3.0
Dined on June 29, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Server was rude and would ignore the table when requested for certain items. Brought the bill when we were still working on our dish. Never asked or brought to go boxes. Services as horrible. However, food and ambient of the restaurant is amazing.
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S
Shreyas VIP
San Diego9 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 29, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Went here for our anniversary dinner and I was so surprised by the experience. Everyone was so sweet and courteous. They gave us a card and a complimentary rose! The cocktails were very classy and tasted amazing. We ordered the brussel sprouts, flatiron steak and buccatini. The brussel sprouts were too good. Never tasted anything like that before! And the portion sizes were more than sufficient. They also had live jazz music which was perfect. Definitely going back again for any special celebration!
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B
Benjamin
Philadelphia County1 review
5.0
Dined on June 28, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our waiter was wonderful! Even gave us out-of-towners solid sightseeing tips!
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OT
OpenTable Diner VIP
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 28, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food and drinks! Happy hour was is amazing!
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w
wendy VIP
San Diego118 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The Brussels Sprouts were great! so is the cabbage. Service was excellent. Was not noisy because we were there at 5 PM and enjoyed their happy hour.
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T
Tania
San Diego1 review
5.0
Dined on June 21, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The drinks, food, service, and vibes were all excellent!!
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FAQs

Books + Records is rated 4.7 stars by 493 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 16, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 17 times today

2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

Cross street
Ivy St & Fourth Ave in Bankers Hill
Neighborhood
Banker's Hill
Hours of operation
Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
American, Cocktail Bar, Californian
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Sam Deckman
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://booksandrecordsbar.com/
Phone number
(619) 795-1000
Catering
For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
Private party facilities
For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.

Books + Records

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About this restaurant

Additional information

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What 493 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

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