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The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA

The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park

4.5 (1393)
$30 and under
Gastro Pub
15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027-7017

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 45 times today

About this restaurant

  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Great for scenic views
  • Charming
Located in the San Diego Safari Park
OpenTable Diners Choice 2025 Award for Best Ambiance

Enjoy an incredible view of the African Plains at the Safari Park's newest gathering spot: The Watering Hole restaurant and bar. Watch rhinos and giraffes as you dine on menu items including tasty sandwiches and fresh salads or relax with a refreshing beverage from the full-service bar with a wide selection of craft beers, wine, and mixed drinks.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, African, Fusion / Eclectic
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Sat, Sun 10:30 am–3:00 pm
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Neighborhood
    Escondido
  • Cross street
    San Pasqual Valley Rd
  • Parking details
    None
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wine

What 1,393 people are saying

The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park 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

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • North San Diego

    Best Ambiance

  • North San Diego

    Kid-friendly

  • North San Diego

    Great for outdoor dining

  • North San Diego

    Great for scenic views

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Watering Hole at San Diego Zoo Safari Park offers an "amazing atmosphere" with stunning savannah views. Diners enjoy "great food and service," with favorites like the Ahi Flatbread and Miso Salmon Salad. The unique experience of watching wildlife while dining makes it a "must-visit" spot.
1,393 Reviews
  1. Julie

    San Diego9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I love eating here because of the ambiance location and views. Great customer service and bringing my family to enjoy the view of the Serengeti from San Diego. Sad the menu has changed again limiting the vegetarian options even more with too much onions on your food! Hope you can add more vegetarian options with no raw onions. Other than that thank you for always having Vu being such a great server she makes our visit extra special:)

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  2. Beatriz

    Cancun / Riviera Maya1 review

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The food tasted old like the chicken in the salad, like refrigerated burn chicken. The mushroom sandwich was like a grilled cheese very oily and was not worth the money. The server was amazing though, not his fault the food was awful, still tipped him but felt like complaining… smh instead, I don’t want him to get in trouble

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  3. Jeremy VIP

    San Diego19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful setting but service can be slow during peak times

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  4. Linda VIP

    San Diego4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful view from an open air patio! Giraffe and rhinos close by! Great food with some good choices. Attentive and helpful staff. Best to make a reservation!

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  5. Dawn

    San Diego8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food. Great service. Wonderful surroundings!

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  6. Gabriela VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area4 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    The service was terrible. A lunch that should have taken 1 hour or less took 2 hours. We did not order any appetizers. Just 2 flights and 6 meals. It took us 20 mins to get water. Four meals came out first. 2 meals did not come out until the rest of us were done eating. One of those meals was a salad and the other was a sandwich. Our waiter was nice and maybe it’s on the kitchen, but there were not that many people at the restaurant as we chose a 2:30 pm seating right after the rush. If the food had not been great, I definitely would have given this place a 1 star. It was Father’s Day and the dad we were celebrating is whose meal was missing. Furthermore, by the time we were done eating the safari park was closing. Therefore we lost an hour of our day sitting there and waiting for food.
    The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari ParkResponded 5 days ago
    Thank you for providing us this feedback, I'm sorry to hear that your service was less than ideal. Our vision is to create world-class experiences through service, and your feedback will help us move in that direction. We have responded privately, as we would love to discuss this further with you.

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  7. Lisa VIP

    Seattle / Eastern Washington5 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    The servings were quite small for the price point, and the quality was not on par with what we had experienced at the reservable restaurant in the San Diego Zoo. For reference, our party ordered the miso salmon salad and the cubano sandwich. The venue is in a lovely location, so you do get a nice view. The salad was overly dressed in a cloyingly sweet salad dressing.
    The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari ParkResponded 5 days ago
    Thank you for providing us this feedback, I'm sorry to hear that your service was less than ideal. Our vision is to create world-class experiences through service, and your feedback will help us move in that direction. We have responded privately, as we would love to discuss this further with you.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Melissa

    San Diego3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful spot to relax with delicious food and drinks. The staff is attentive and inviting and we had a lovely lunch! Tip: Make sure you leave plenty of time to get there because it is hard to find and pretty far from the front gates…

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  9. Amanda

    Seattle / Eastern Washington1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love the atmosphere and Vu my waitress is super sweet and I’m glad she helped me again. Can’t wait to see here again the next time I go.

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  10. Ashley

    Los Angeles17 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 13, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    You guys need to step it up when the new restaurant opens at the elephant enclosure. I would change the appetisers and add Guac and chips (can’t go wrong) traditional nachos (add meat for additional charge) gourmet sandwiches and burgers either other sides besides chips (you should have fries), maybe a pasta dish as well.

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FAQs

The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park is rated 4.5 stars by 1393 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. North San Diego
  5. Escondido

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 45 times today
Google Map for The Watering Hole- San Diego Zoo Safari Park

15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027-7017

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    San Pasqual Valley Rd
  • Neighborhood
    Escondido
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Sat, Sun 10:30 am–3:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, African, Fusion / Eclectic
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wine
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