Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
insideOUT, San Diego, CA

insideOUT

4.8 (2605)
$31 to $50
Californian
1642 University Ave, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92103

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM
Booked 63 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
insideOUT is Hillcrest's elevated restaurant and lounge, and San Diego's only urban oasis! We are an 18+ venue.

Reservations for our upcoming "Sweetheart Experience" are now open! The Experience will be February 5th - 16th!

Our menu is curated by Executive Chef Johnny Duran and is updated seasonally to reflect his creative approach to California-Mediterranean inspired fare, using the freshest ingredients provided by our local purveyors.

Aside from our impeccable hospitality, insideOUT is known for their over-the-top seasonal experiences. We also provide customized private event planning with venue buyout options. More information can be found on our website.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean, Seafood
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Bar Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–10:30 pm Fri 4:00 pm–12:00 am Sat 10:00 am–11:45 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 888-8623
  • Website
    http://insideoutsd.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Johnny Duran
  • Private party facilities
    insideOUT® features unique indoor and outdoor semi-private event spaces, as well as a full venue buyout option. It all starts with an idea! Let our Private Events Manager, Christine Kerns, elevate it for you. Please contact christine@insideoutsd.com for more details and walk-throughs.
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Location
    1642 University Ave, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92103
  • Neighborhood
    Hillcrest
  • Cross street
    Centre Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    https://accesshillcrest.com/
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,605 people are saying

insideOUT 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

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • San Diego

    Best Ambiance

  • San Diego

    Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
insideOUT offers a vibrant dining experience with "amazing atmosphere" and "fantastic service." Guests praise the "delicious food" and creative seasonal decor, making it a "hidden oasis" in San Diego. Although parking can be challenging, the lively ambiance and attentive staff make it a "must-visit" spot for special occasions and casual outings alike.
2,605 Reviews

  1. Himamsu

    Unspecified1 review

    1.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    BBQ prawns were very tuff and very chewy. Returned the item but still got billed in the end. Date Lamb was just Ok. Salmon was not that great.

    Is this helpful?

  2. debra

    California Central Coast1 review

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Charles our server was outstanding and made Our Dining experience wonderful! What we were disappointed in was the lake of decorations. We had been there before, and it had been decorated with flowers all over and it was beautifully done. This was not so with this experience. This was an extreme disappointment because I had talked about it so much to this group of women who had never been there before.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Sherrie VIP

    San Diego42 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I made our brunch reservation online. Book the outside oasis, its so pretty even without the special decor. There was a reminder about parking & Farmer's Market challenges. We enjoyed the farmers market before our reservation & parking is easier the earlier you go. There was plenty of room for wheelchair access which is very important! The service & food were great! Everyone loved their food: California Scramble, Loco Moco, Seasonal French Toast, Kalua Pork Benedict & Italian Breakfast to share. Fun place for brunch and great food!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Roberta

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
     We had so much fun!! Everyone nice and friendly. The food was great our waiter Josh was the best!!!  We will most definitely come back when we’re in San Diego.

    Is this helpful?

  5. sandra VIP

    Chicago / Illinois4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Staff was great and food was very good. The courtyard is beautiful with an oasis ambiance. They surprised me with a delicious piece of chocolate cake for my birthday.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Rod

    San Diego7 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Due to rainy weather, our outdoor reservation was cancelled by management & no discount offers for a future visit was offered to us. Despite that poor service by their management, I booked again for a future date because it was meant to be a Mother's day celebration event. We arrived & were seated right away by one of the outdoor ponds. However. I noticed the ambience of the outside was no where close to what I had seen on the restaurant's website video( pink blossom trees throughout the outside seating) which was the main reason for choosing this place. I asked our server about it & he said that all those decors were removed after mother's day & in a few weeks they are going to a new theme. We ordered our food & 2 out of the 4 in our party didn't like the taste of what they had ordered. The tomato soup was too spicey & the roasted chicken which wasn't impressive the way it was plated on the dish( half the plate was empty, no side vegetables was included) & didn't taste that great( we ended up going to In & out afterwards to get burgers for the two in our party that didn't get to eat much food at this restaurant). Our only positive experience was with our server that constantly checked on us & had a great personality. When he found out that we were disappointed with not experiencing the pink blossom tree scenery, he comped out a desert cheesecake us which was much appreciated.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Ju Nae' VIP

    San Diego4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 5, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Our server Marshall was amazing. The food came fast, adn the drinks were amazing. For a Wednesday, it was very lively in there, and we could tell people were having a good time. Parking was pretty easy to find for the time of night and would come back again.

    Is this helpful?

  8. DeAndrei

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was a great after work gathering with good vibes!

    Is this helpful?

  9. OpenTable Diner

    Las Vegas1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved the spring decor and the food was great! Highly recommend the French Toast! Probably should be aware that the Farmers Market runs Sundays.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Janel VIP

    San Diego31 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We absolutely adored our server’s energy and enthusiasm. Sitting the garden watching our staff and guests feel comfortable to be who they are without fear of judgement is the type of community I want to live in everyday. With that said, the sea bass was outstanding. I’m usually not a fish person, but I now have an admiration for seafood.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

You can order delivery directly from insideOUT using the Order Direct button in Additional Information section.

insideOUT is rated 4.8 stars by 2605 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Diego
  4. San Diego
  5. Hillcrest

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM
Booked 63 times today
Google Map for insideOUT

1642 University Ave, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92103

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Centre Street
  • Neighborhood
    Hillcrest
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Bar Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–10:30 pm Fri 4:00 pm–12:00 am Sat 10:00 am–11:45 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Mediterranean, Seafood
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    https://accesshillcrest.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Johnny Duran
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Website
    http://insideoutsd.com/
  • Phone number
    (619) 888-8623
  • Private party facilities
    insideOUT® features unique indoor and outdoor semi-private event spaces, as well as a full venue buyout option. It all starts with an idea! Let our Private Events Manager, Christine Kerns, elevate it for you. Please contact christine@insideoutsd.com for more details and walk-throughs.

Featured in

Discover
OpenTable
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Press
More
Our sites
Businesses
  • Restaurant reservation software
  • Industry insights
  • Hospitality resources
  • Marketing resources
  • Operation resources
  • How to open a restaurant
  • For restaurants
  • For restaurant groups
Join us on
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2025 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo