Best Californian Restaurants in La Mesa

Food and service was outstanding. The must have dishes are the pork belly and venison tare tare appetizers, the oxtail gnocchi and Secreto entrees, and the date cake for dessert. The H&W Negron was also a stand out.

This was our second visit to Animae. Last night we dined as a couple, and I think we enjoyed the dinner even more than with a group of 7. We were not distracted by the friends and conversations, and we appreciated the amazing creativity and innovation that Chef Tara is bringing to San Diego diners! We began with the Kampachi Crudo with Yuzu sauce as a cold starter, and it was excellent. We also had the Beet Salad from the cold starter section, and the beets were on a ricotta creamy sauce. Also Excellent! My favorite burst of flavor from both visits was the Hunan Lamb Chops which have Szechuan Peppercorns as one of the lively flavors, from the Hot Starters section. We ordered the Wagyu Fried Rice, and enjoyed it very much with the Lamb Chops and with the final meat course: Roast Duck Leg, with an Asian flavors sauce. We had the Chocolate Cremeux dessert, and it was also a show stopper! The table service was gracious, informative, friendly, and not irritating in any way. The scene inside the restaurant was very cheerful, and the room is dramatic and very arty! Animae is definitely our go-to restaurant for out of town guests who might have preconceptions that San Diego dining is not on an international level.

I dined on a busy Saturday night. The food was excellent. As a party of two I tried the layered potatoes, calamari appetizer, sea bass and short ribs. I am gluten free and very happy with the options. We sat out on the patio which I highly recommend. All the staff was professional and responsive. I look forward to returning

I guess this is my 5th times @ InsideOut, during my birthday; Thanksgiving; regular days without occasion & this is our first time for Holidays Oasis Experience with my husband. It was beautiful experience especially the ambiance was so fantastic, our server Jonathan, he’s so great. The food kind salty (oven chicken) but the filet mignon was so good very tasty tender, and juicy it was perfect, my husband love it so much that his favorite. It’s 10 score for me. I love the place and definitely is a must to come back and highly recommend 😘

worth every penny and every calorie - bravo chef bradley and staff!