The Switchboard Restaurant and Bar

The Switchboard Restaurant and Bar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. T

   Teresa VIP

   San Diego25 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 4, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Chloe was awesome – even though they were short staffed, Chloe took excellent care of us and was both friendly and efficient. Our twin granddaughters loved their food and Hudson, our dog, loved her pup cup. Thank you, Chloe for making our lunch with our twins so special and fun! 
   

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2. J

   Janis

   Greater Boston16 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on April 1, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The Switchboard has a charming vibe and unique history tied to phone service connection to military bases. Food was delicious with healthy options available. Our server, Stephen was charming, fun and knowledgable. Just right on a rainy night.
   

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3. M

   Michael

   Unspecified1 review

   5.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was fantastic. Server was ready when my four year old arrived for his birthday.
   

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4. B

   Belinda VIP

   San Diego23 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on January 26, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Had enjoyed twice previously for dinner, but this was the first time for a Sunday breakfast/brunch. Menus are limited but beautifully executed. Rebecca’s service was friendly and fabulous plus she was working on her birthday. Her upbeat personality is infectious. One of our 4 diners has to be gluten free and although the menu items are not marked, Rebecca was very knowledgeable about menu & prep and offered to bring a fruit bowl instead of the breakfast potatoes. It was huge, fresh and delicious. The Hawaiian breakfast plate was great & even the spam nonbelievers in our group were impressed. The table seating is quite limited so we were glad to have reserved our table for 4. The restaurant still has the retro switchboard decor, an homage to the telephone operators who worked in the building during the 40s as Oceanside was exploding in growth with the establishment of Camp Pendleton. The restaurant is located in the Historic Fin Hotel, now a Hilton Tapestry Collection, boutique hotel. Opened in 1927 & having colorful history and several owner & name changes, most recently The Dolphin. It was one of the first seaside hotels to have hot & cold running water & steam heating in each of its rooms. From modern, to seedy, to almost destroyed in a 2015 fire, to reborn in 2016, if you enjoy a restaurant/building with retro cool history and great Hawaiian/Korean food, you’ll enjoy The Switchboard. The ambiance of the Fin Hotel building and the coffeehouse next to the restaurant are added pluses.
   

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5. R

   Reilly

   San Diego7 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on January 19, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   My parents and I do a weekly restaurant of our choice and I chose Switchboard(been there once w my friends) and my parents and our friend Mark loved it. My dad is very picky and he loved everything. Our dishes were all delicious, (we all cleaned our plates!) the drinks were yummy, and the staff was wonderful. Super attentive, helpful, easy to talk to and we asked for her to pick a dessert for the 4 of us and she picked the banana lumpia and ice cream. So good! The Korean fried chicken was bomb, ahi poke wontons, I got the Hawaiian plate with teriyaki chicken, fried rice and Mac salad. So yummy. Def recommend to anyone, it’s a great spot!!
   

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6. J

   Joel

   San Diego5 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on January 18, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The service was impeccable. Both the manager and our waiter were accommodating and patient, not making us feel rushed at all. The menu had lots of choices for different preferences and the food was good. The only thing that left us wanting was the atmosphere. The main room had a lovely, cozy ambiance but with our slightly larger party (5) we were in a room off to the side. It felt like a big unfinished space and was very bright. They were able to lower the lights so that it did not feel like we were in a Target, but the ambiance still lacked. This restaurant deserves a makeover to make the auxiliary space as inviting as the main room.
   

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7. L

   Laurence

   San Diego3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on January 12, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Great little place for cocktails and a meal. Small and intimate with excellent service. The four of us had a blast!
   

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8. N

   Nadine

   San Diego1 review

   5.0

   Dined on December 26, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had never heard of the Switchboard Coffee Shop and Restaurant. The food was excellent and for a price fix dinner, it was surprising. We will go for brunch soon.
   

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9. N

   Nancy

   Los Angeles1 review

   5.0

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Love the switchboard. Great service, ambiance, and food!
   

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10. W

    Wendy

    Sacramento1 review

    5.0

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Such a cute place! The food was amazing and the service was fantastic! Highly recommend!
    

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