Vistal

We celebrated our friend's birthday here and this place did not disappoint. The place was pretty new, I think they open their doors about 4 months ago, but we were glad we tried this place. The food was good; not one complaint from our group the service was great (Shoutout to our server Antonio!) and the view was awesome (we were there for dinner I would imagine lunch will be just as awesome) The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The complementary cheesecake was the bomb. And btw we were there early enough to take advantage of the happy hour drinks.

We are big fans of the chef and have now followed her through four restaurants. As always, her food is sublime. Wine list was very nice. Everything was locally sourced.

Menu was creative and interesting. We will go back.

The tough part is that the restaurant is literally across from the registration desk at the new Intercontinental. Lucky for you if you are staying at the hotel. As a local, well not exactly romantic.

Staff was excellent. Enjoyed reconnecting with the AGM who is another veteran of the local restaurant scene. Truly we felt well taken care of by the team.

Very pricy food - which I don't mind if it's good....but here was mediocre at best. You get bread with butter. Cutlery on table not even a plate...the place was cold, my wife was sitting there with her jacket all night. At the end we paid 12$ for parking, even it was explicitly complimentary at reservation...excuse: "you parked in the neighbor hotel garage" - which happens to be run by exactly the same private company as their own...

Overall the food was disappointing.

Came here with family for Christmas and had a great dinner. The prefix menu was delicious and the view of San Diego Bay during sunset was beautiful. Would definitely eat here again.

Came here for Christmas dinner as we had heard good things. Called ahead to ask about vegan options which we were told the set menu could omit items to make things vegan. Sounded average for accommodating until the person answering the phone mentioned that both chefs are vegan and very accommodating. This made me scratch my head because not one item was vegan by default yet both your chefs are vegan?? Hmmm. We were seated early which was nice, however, it was not busy. The view and atmosphere was very nice. Service was ok. First course arrived and was underwhelming for all of us. Main course came out with the vegan risotto covered in cheese which meant not everyone ate together as the risotto needed to be remade. Lobster pot pies were described as bland and the flavors that came through didn't go well together. Portion sizes were underwhelming for a $60 price point. Dessert was ok, nothing notable. Overall, an underwhelming and expensive set menu option that met no one's expectations.
To add insult to injury, the parking was $18 at their garage. We were told later that there was complimentary valet parking and that this was on the website. Upon looking, I did locate this on the bottom of their site in tiny font. There will be no return visits to this restaurant unfortunately.

We decided to come to Vistal for Christmas breakfast with our visiting family. And man am I glad that we did. Great food, very friendly service, wonderful ambiance. There could have been bit more holiday decoration but the food was so good and yummy. I highly recommend trying Vistal for a wonderful dining experience.

A wonderful view to match the amazing food. What a treat at a great new venue.

Exceptional food and attentive service. The menu is unique, and very creative.

very nice organic food options. great view of the bay. lovely service.

Awesome location, views and brunch selections!

Welcome back to San Diego Amy DiBiase. We missed you and your extraordinary way with food. I fell for you back in your Roseville days. When I learned you were coming to the Intercontinental Hotel’s Vistal, a restaurant with harbor views, I began salivating in anticipation. This first visit was a dining highlight for my memory book. First, having a glass of wine on the restaurant deck and watching the sun set over The Midway has to rank as one of the quintessential San Diego moments ever. Jovial wait staff help set the mood. To anyone who wonders whether the unusual black cod with fennel, crunchy malted toast, and Persian cucumbers is the right appetizer? You cannot afford to miss its deliciousness. The sturgeon was another example of Amy’s herbalicious skills, and I was happy with her kind of dumplings: sweet stone crab and ricotto gnudi, a leap above more conventional Italian gnocchis. Writing this I hunger to return, maybe for lunch, but Vistal has instantly become my favorite dinner restaurant in town. Wait until family and friends back east get a load of this winner. Oh, just go while you can still get a reservation.

The Thanksgiving 3 course lunch was very good. The selection for each course were plentiful, the oysters were delicious with their toppings, the duck confit with gnocchi was fantastic. We liked the Salmon Wellington, as well as the traditional Turkey dish. Typically restaurants in a hotel have the stigma of being subpar, but not at the Intercontinental.

I've never been a fan of a restaurant charging for bread, even though the quality was high, and the beet hummus spread was excellent. I would have preferred the bartender use tongs to retrieve my large ice cube for my Blanton's Old Fashioned, versus picking it up with his hand and walking the distance of the bar from where the ice was kept back to the well he made my drink out of. He used a little too much simple syrup as well. He was pleasant enough, though. The Malfatti was excellent I thought, although the Mezzalune was a bit under-prepared, and was really just not a very good dish I thought, as did the rest of my table. The halibut my boss had was great, as was the pork cheeks the other three of us had. Super tender and just really, really good. Both desserts were pretty good. The cuisine was a bit ambitious for my colleagues, but was in line with what I expected from Amy. Our server, while pleasant enough and knowledgeable of the menu, she just really wasn't very engaging. I must admit I was surprised to see that this particular hotel had flight crew staying there.

Amy DiBiase's and Paul McCabe's food is really exciting, and there is a great view. Definitely recommended for out of towners who want a scenic view and great food, and for San Diegans who are fans of their food. It's not a cozy neighborhood bistro vibe, as it's right next to the hotel reception, but it's a lovely restaurant with fantastic service. Antonio is a treasure!

great place, great view. free valet. no reason not to go here. enjoy

Food was excellent and service top notch. I will definitely return with my friends!

We had a breakfast meeting at Vistal and the atmosphere, service and food were perfect. Plenty of options for all diets - vegans, vegetarians and omnivores... and the coffee is wonderful! Will definitely recommmed this spot!

Tried Vistal this last weekend and I left there thinking 'Meh'. I got the ribeye and while cooked nicely, the accompanying herbal topping was rather bland leaving me with a salt & pepper ($49) steak. My wife got the Crispy Skin White Sea Bass which was nice but fairly ordinary and more fishy than you'd want. The Garlic Butter Ahi Belly appetizer was very good as was the Caramelized Cauliflower Ravioli appetizer. The Sweet Corn Pound Cake dessert was unique and tasty. The atmosphere is modern and clean with a nice view of the Midway and Star of India, bay, Pt. Loma, etc. It was only about 1/3 full on a Saturday night for a new restaurant which seemed odd. It's a pricey place too at about $200 all in for a couple. I'll go again after a few months of seasoning but my initial visit was average.

Amazing food and outstanding customer service! Can’t wait to go back