California Modern - George's at the Cove

Everything was fantastic. We had the chef’s tasting experience with the wine pairing and we enjoyed it thoroughly!

Our first time. Outstanding food. The Head Chef clearly is a star, creating interesting and delicious dishes unlike 99% of other top tier restaurants. Service matched the food. Well trained wait staff who made us feel at home.

Wow!! George’s at the Cove was amazing!! It was my second time eating here and it was even better than the first time in October of 2018. Our waiter was fabulous! The cocktails were amazing, my cousin and I had the Baja Bramble and her husband had the whiskey cocktail. Both very tasty. The Bramble was not too sweet and the whiskey cocktail he said was so smooth.
The entrees were unbelievable. Perfect portions. I had the scallops...cooked to perfection. They had swordfish and yellowtail. Both said so delicious. Will visit again!! Thanks so much!!

The restaurant has two levels .The upper deck has an outside terras. Very hip atmosphere. We had a tabel on ht first floor. The food was fabulous. The service outstanding. I was her also last year and will absolutely come back

I have eaten in some of the most exquisite restaurants in the world and George's at the Cove is just as fantastic! The presentation, service and ambiance was outstanding.

Excellent staff and food will be dining again

Not the best value for money out of tasting courses we've ever had. $3/person charge for bread seemed petty given our bill for 8 was well over 1K and seemed ridiculous for the caliber of a restaurant this is trying to be; so was the 4% service charge which is added regardless of the group size. The management should just add it into the overall cost of the meal otherwise it feels like 'nickel and diming'. Food was good but some portions were too small even for a tasting course standard. For example the tiny 1cm by one inch piece of lamb just didn't allow for a proper tasting and was a frustrating note to end on before desert. Poached egg was by far the best course. Service was good and that somewhat redeemed the dining experience. I really wanted to like this place.

It's been 10 years since our last visit and George's was better than I remember. Each course was special and perfectly prepared. Staff was friendly and professional.

Wonderful, soul-affirming food that is Michelin-good, but not Michelin-priced!

as someone who works in the food business, i am usually not one to say this, but from the moment me and my girlfriend were greeting upon arrival to our exit, it was nothing short from impeccable. patrick was my server, and he recommended me his favorite and the most popular dishes on that menu from our appetizer to our dessert. and as a part time server, that’s something very important to do to guests. if i could give another star (6/5 stars) to patrick, i would. excellent job.

We had a large group (12) and they were wonderful and accommodating! Server was thoughtful and good with timing and suggestions! Good was terrific California cuisine. This made for A fantastic fun night!

Food and ambience were excellent. Highly recommend/

My husband & I visited La Jolla for our 25th anniversary & chose George's California Modern for one of our dinners during our visit. Beautiful view, great server, great food & wonderful dessert! Highly recommend! Also, loved their casual rooftop restaurant. Can not beat the views from either restaurant!

The restaurant was nice and the food good but I probably would not go back. The menu was limited and the price of entrees without sides was not a good value.

Service was really good. My friends thought the wine selection was good.

They changed their layout for the holidays. Was more elegant before. Normally. Food was great tasting. Pairing was good. Service always great.

I had an absolutely lovely meal at the California Modern section of George’s at the Cove. The meal was elegant without being fussy and the food was creative without being odd for oddness’s sake. The service was friendly but unintrusive. And the pace of the service seemed adapted entirely to our desires—not rushed, and certainly never slow. Perfect for a date and a celebratory dinner.

Family get-together, with two couples from different parts of the country.

I had been to a very nice reception at George’s by the Cove, so I booked there for Saturday several days in advance, after checking the menu. I was informed through a phone call on Saturday afternoon, several hours before our reservation, that the menu would be the Valentine’s Day menu with a fixed price for 3 courses, carried over to the 15th of February. The food was excellent, but the prices were astronomically high.

Of course, any business can set its prices, but this last minute unusual switch seemed unethical.

Great environment and ambiance. Wait staff was amazing. We did not like our waiter- we felt he was snobby and kind of looked down on us. Accidentally booked on Valentines weekend without thinking and didn’t know it was a separate menu until the day of- the cost of food goes up drastically and for the amount we paid was not a lot of food. The plates are very pretty if that’s important to you, but not super filling. The reason for going for us was definitely not the environment not the food. Glad we had the experience but wouldn’t go again.

It took them to seat 30 minutes after our arrival, long wait after seating to serve. Long wait between appetizer & dinner, cold food., longer water before dessert.. Around tow & half hours. Boring, Worst experiences, Very expensive, bad service & not going back...

George’s is always a great place to go for a fancy dinner! Get there early so you can watch the master mixologists/bar tenders produce their craft!

Come hungry. They feed you well. But not like crazy amount that makes you sick after 😂

George’s Level 3
Food, drink, & service has gone downhill while prices has been raised since we’ve been to George’s a couple years ago. Very disappointing. George’s use to be an incredible night out. Now, I doubt we’ll go back unless they make some serious changes.

Great food and service, for Valentines it could have had a bit more ambiance. Was not overly happy with the manager Matt when asking for a nicer table. Would recommend going here since the food was unique.

I do not recommend this establishment. Arrived ten minutes early for our reservation on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 5:00PM. Greeted ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ by a non-smiling hostess in a robotic tone. A male host led to our table a few minutes later in a primarily empty main dining room. He stood behind my chair but failed to pull it out.
Our server, Nick, approached cautiously and stared making me feel uncomfortable. We ordered the tasting menu along with the wine pairing. Our appetizer course arrived, and we waited several minutes for the wine pairing to be delivered. Nick quickly ran through a long monologue on the wine. Our appetizers (soup and carpaccio) were beautifully presented, appropriate temperature. The quantity of each food course was quite large. The entrée (pork chop and swordfish) were both beautifully presented, moist and appetizing. The dessert (pound cake and chocolate fudge cake) were well presented. The pound cake was dry, and the fudge cake was burnt looking (edges blackened) and had a burnt odor.
Nick hovered on the edges of our table, but rarely spoke to us directly. Nick offered coffee or after-dinner drink and at that time, we inquired about the sparkling wine that was supposed to come with the meal. He stumbled saying, “It could have been brought ahead of time” or, “I can bring it now”. We said we did not want it and he finally said, “I’m sorry” but did not offer any type of compensation (nor did we ask for any). The Manager was seen in the dining room several times, walking amongst the tables, but we did not see him speak to any tables.
Upon reading the reviews on Open Table, I’ve learned that apologies are the only thing you get here. A common theme is for the Manager to apologize and suggest they ask for him at their next visit and he will make sure they have a positive experience. Good service should be given not requested.

Love the attention and kindness of the staff. The ambience is lacking - no view other than a wall mural of the ocean. Seems tied and impersonal.

Food was good but not memorable.

Cocktails on level 2 are very good and worth the time and creativity!

Great food. My only complaint is that they nickel and dime you for everything (ex: bread is charged per person! Really? I’m paying $40 for 3 scallops and I don’t get a piece of bread with that)?

30 year anniversary!

Level 2 and the Terrace we really enjoy. California Modern was good but the overall value was not there for us. If you are eating while the sun is up there would be more value in the view.

Wonderful anniversary celebration. We were made to feel so special. We really appreciated the extra attention of our waiter. Thank you!

We did the 7 course and two of us paired with wine. Everything was amazing. We totally enjoyed our meal. Looking forward to the next time we are in town.

Awesome food and Great service. Worth the money. Was a little skeptical with the limited menu but all concerns disappeared after the dining. It was extremely satisfying.

Everything - literally everything - was super salty.

Service was exemplary.

Great food as always; wonderful service; perfect evening.

Undercooked swordfish and super slow service today. We’ve loved it every time but tonight was a total bust

There were a lot of empty tables and we were seated right next to another couple and made it very uncomfortable because we were in such close proximity that we could hear each other’s conversation since the whole restaurant was quiet.

We went to celebrate our anniversary!! Food was amazing! We went for restaurant week and every dish was delicious. Only two downsides were 1) took 30-40 minutes inbetween courses so ultimately asked for desert to go; 2) price fixed menu had hidden fees, adding over $35 to each event based on your meal choice; be more upfront about costs so your guests aren’t surprised when they get their bill.

Cited as a romantic restaurant is soooo bogus. It was very very bright, very loud talkers and view was of top of building tho we were at the window. OUR MAINE LOBSTER WAS SERVED BARELY WARM> When we complained,(Sean was busy) host took it to "take care of it". 10-15 mins brought it back, obviously just put under a broiler, the lobster was hot, but the vegetables were charred, black, unrecognizable! Not worth complaining (and it was our anniversary romantic night!) anymore& because I was through with my meal. We finished our wine, were going to leave, but Sean (nice server) brought us a comped "anniversary" dessert, so we stayed & I ordered a vin santo (that was a plus)

It was too expensive for the quality of the food.
Service was great!

Service was very very slow

Used to a fabulous. Sad to say that the food is nothing special, service nice, but incompetent.