The French Gourmet
Our restaurant serves California-influenced French cuisine in our completely remodeled outdoor patio, brand new menu and bar with signature craft cocktails. We are a long-time favorite of locals who appreciate the personal service and our extensive wine list. After more than four decades of serving our clients, it is as much an honor and a privilege, as it is a reassurance to know, that while culinary trends come and go, appreciation and dedication to quality endure.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Duck Two Ways
Confit leg, juniper berry & coriander roasted breast, beet puree, braised shallots, spiced apricot, fried parsnips
8 reviews
Soupe á l'Oignon Gratinée (French Onion Soup)
Topped and broiled with a toasted baguette slice and Swiss cheese Bowl. FG Style: with boneless short rib, truffle essence & soft poached egg
6 reviews
French Gourmet Toast
House made brioche, cinnamon egg batter, fresh berries, sabayon, ganache
6 reviews
Food was delicious and seemed like every serve took the time to see if we needed anything. They made sure we were sat quickly and everything came out at such perfect timings! Thank you for such a great experience
Enjoyed ... delicious food and great service. Very pleased.
At the tail end of brunch service the kitchen and service teams were clearly out of sync. Courses coming out of order and or at the same time. Food was wonderful and staff were friendly though getting started on a cocktail was quite slow.
We had a fantastic brunch on their outside patio. I highly recommend it.
We love this restaurant and especially their new patio- we will come here again and again!
I took my daughters to brunch here for San Diego Restaurant Week. We sat outside on the patio and it was a beautiful day. The service was great, and the food was delicious. I will definitely come here again!
Had a delicious lunch from SDRW menu on 4/16.
Salmon with Dijon sauce and Steak Frites, both were delicious and portions were large for a lunch entry. Enjoyed two glasses of lovely Red blend wine as well. Took dessert home from the bakery, chocolate croissant was amazing! Will return for sure.
Food was outstanding! We have French onion soup which was good. I had chicken which incredibly moist. Other person had scallops which was incredible. Creme brûlée was good and chocolate orange cake was very delicious! I didn’t like the plastic separator on the table.
Good food Authentic French flair Good value thanks to SD Restaurant Week.
We went for restaurant week. The food was simply amazing! I would have given the rating a 5 star, but there was quite a bit of food on the floor under our table. It was at lunch, so I feel like it might have been left since the day before. My 87 yr old mom said it may have been the best meal she ever had! I have a beautiful photo but I can’t seem to share it.
We enjoyed a special vintner's dinner at The French Gourmet and it was amazing. The staff was super friendly and attentive and the meal itself was delicious. Chef Douglas really outdid himself with that meal. We will most definitely have dinner at The French Gourmet again. Besides, they also made our wedding cake years ago and they made it very memorable.
Awesome as always!
We really enjoyed dining at this restaurant. Great food, creative use of outdoor space, and excellent servers! We will go back.
Awesome experience. Great service and food. Thank you for taking such great care of us
Easter. The food is always excellent as is the service. Lucky for us it is in our neighborhood!
It is wonderful to have the restaurant open again and in a charming outdoor setting. The food remains exceptionally good and the wait staff is efficient and accommodating. We always enjoy the brunch and have never been disappointed. The French Gourmet deserves and has earned the support from the community.
We went for breakfast on a Sunday morning and it was perfect! Great little outdoor section to eat, not too busy, friendly service and the food was amazing. We had our 3 year old with us and it was a comfortable spot to bring him that felt casual enough but with first class food. Also loved the beautiful French soundtrack they had playing. Definitely going back!
First time having Sunday brunch there and we will be back! The food was delicious and my husband now has found a new favorite French Toast! We hope that they will be opening up for more days during the week soon.
Delightful brunch destination. Steak and eggs breakfast and wine selections make for a wonderful Saturday afternoon treat.
Always very well prepared and flavorful food. Fish a tiny bit undercooked, but who wants it dry? Excellent coulis, well prepared vegtables and "Frites". Portions modest.
Small wine selection but adequate for most dishes. Dessert not what I would label as FG did so a little too sugary for me. Always a bit pricey but at least very satisfying. I would return but would study menu carefully.
Welcomed and seated promptly (outdoors due to COVID), the service was excellent. The charcuterie board was quite good with a lovely pate. My duck and bean stew (forget the french name, it was the special) was delicious. The desserts were unimpressive, with my creme brûlée the consistency of fondant. Overall the meal was pleasant, the food taste, and the service exemplary. Skip the desert. I can’t speak to the wine list (which was extensive) as we are not wine drinkers, and the ambience was ordinary, due to seating in the alley (again, due to covid).
The meat and cheese plate was good. Good wine prices!
Delicious food, outstanding service, and a phenomenal wine selection! What an experience! Todd was amazing and really made our night even more enjoyable! Will definitely be back ASAP!
Food-fabulous. Waitstaff-terrific. Cant wait to return!
Hidden gem and would absolutely come back for delicious food that is reasonably priced...
As always , the French Gourmet never disappoint’s me.
The French toast were superb ! The chocolate sauce adds the perfect taste to it all. Thank you French Gourmet.
heaven! cant wait to go back. from the food, to the awesome service, all of it was perfect.
the wait staff was amazing! Very attentive. We had a reservation and it wasn't clear with the line down the sidewalk if we were to wait or go right in.
I made this reservation weeks in advance, knowing my family and I would be traveling to San Diego for Super Bowl weekend. I received at least 2 reminders that my reservation was upcoming. We WALKED 2 miles to get to the restaurant and, when we got there, were told that the restaurant is CLOSED. There was a walk-up and take-out, but no restaurant. Why didn't they report same to Open Table? Why didn't they contact me rather than accept my reservation and remind me twice in the 48 hours before my reservation that my reservation was upcoming? Nothing but a blithe apology and then on to the next take-out customer. Terrible customer service. It's unfortunate because the menu looked great, but we were not going to give our business to a restaurant who had our reservation on file for over a month, reminded us it was coming up, didn't tell anyone (Open Table or us) that the restaurant was closed, or even offer us a latte for our inconvenience. Unbelievable.
We enjoyed the food, French music and good service.
California Eggs Benedict are a must ! Best I’ve had in a while.
It was a total disappointment. We had reservations and had to wait over 15 to be told that they did not have available tables even though there was a table available, but instead they offered us a tiny table next to the bathrooms and were everyone passed by... we did not feel safe there, yet there was no apology and they were sitting other people without reservations in better seating... never going back.
We had a fantastic lunch at the French Gourmet. The combination cheese and charcuterie board was outstanding as were the steamed mussels. Our waiter was very attentive and the outdoor patio was nice. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience!
My Cesar salad consisted of 2 very large sections of Romaine lettuce with very little dressing. On a separate plate were several strips of very good chicken. The salad was not tossed - I ate the chicken alone as there was nothing to put on the Romaine. Highly disappointing and not at all up to the French Gourmet standard.
My guest ordered a chicken sandwich of some sort and ate only half of it.
I did have a small bowl of French Onion soup which was very good.
My bill was $51.00 which would have been okay if we had been able to eat what was served. We did not order drinks.
I'm sorry to write such a review. We won't return until we can order from the regular menu - your outdoor menu needs your consideration.
Mark, our server was great. Christian guided us on a wine pairing and we were very pleased with his Bordeaux selection. Given the current covid climate, the outdoor seating was very nice. We'll be attending the champagne tasting event next week.
We used to eat at the French gourmet about once a week and loved it. Went once since the menu change and - very disappointing! None of the same tried and true delicious favorites. It seems the restaurant tried to make its menu younger and trendier, but instead killed off everything that was good about the place. It’s also less French than before, IMO. I don’t think we’ll be returning unless the old menu comes back.
We had a wonderful time at the French Gourmet . The outdoor patio is delightful and food and service incredible. We enjoyed appetizers and drinks and then shared the steak entrée for dinner. Love that French Gourmet serves complimentary delicious bread.
The overall atmosphere created a lovely ambiance that only enhanced our meal.
We were welcomed with a glass of bubbly on our arrival, which was a nice touch as it was our anniversary. Service was fine. Nothing exception but certainly nothing to complain about. We shared a plate of hummus but could have done with a little more toasted bread to accompany it. My wife the duck as her main course, which she tells me was very good, and I had the steak au poivre, also very good and perfectly cooked to my desired done-ness. We shared a tiramisu for desert. Tasty but a little dry and heavy. We had a nice evening there and will go again. Have already recommended to friends.
It was our first visit to French Gourmet and it was great! It was a bit chilly outside, so we asked for in-door seating and we got a great booth - it almost seemed like the whole restaurant was open just for us. Spanish octopus was smoky and delicious and so were the scallops. Excellent service to boot. Highly recommend this neighborhood gem!
Everything was amazing for Sunday Funday brunch!! Bottomless mimosas? Yes please.
Also the French toast was awesome
FAQs
The French Gourmet offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (858) 488-1725 ext. 316.
The French Gourmet is rated 4.7 stars by 1077 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.