Best Restaurants with a Happy Hour in La Jolla

We enjoyed a fun dinner at Duke’s. Great service, beautiful view. Hula Pie never dissapoints.

AMAZING first experience at Le Coq! They are serious about their cocktails- and it shows! They have an array of cocktails with a variety of liquors- so there is definitely something for everyone (even a selection of cocktails!). The food was French with exquisite presentation. We ate the steak tartare, onion tart, pork croquette and baguette with chicken skin butter! WOW! Everything had intense flavors that complemented each other! For entrees, my husband and I shared the Australian Wagyu steak (large, like 16oz I think), steak & frites and the lamb. The night took a spectacular turn with the chef herself came out with a couple entrees! It was such a pleasure to meet such a badass chef! Overall, we were thrilled with our first experience and can’t wait to go back! The atmosphere was sexy/swanky, and despite loud noise levels, a good time was definitely had by all!

Chose Eddie V's for our Wedding Anniversary dinner and could not have been happier with the outcome. The staff at Eddie V's, from the hosts to the waiter staff, were very positive and accomodating. First off, the presentation was exceptional, they had a hand written card wishing us a Happy Anniversary with rose petals waiting for us at our table. Our waiter (wish I had his name as he was excellent) brought us a couple of glasses of champagne to toast with at the beginning. Our waiter was exceptional. He made good recommendations, was not pushy in any way, and made us feel well taken care of. We ordered a Filet Mignon and their signature Sea Bass, with brussell sprouts side, all were excellent. The steak was cooked exactly to our liking and the sea bass was flaky and moist in a tasty sauce. The brought us a complimentary desert with ice cream, cookies, and a banana flambe. Such a nice touch. We are very picky about where we go out for dinner, as my wife is an exceptional cook, and Eddie V's exceeded our expectations. We will be coming back to celebrate with them again.

Man, I noticed a few bad reviews for this place but we totally disagree. This is a cool, smaller restaurant attached to the Hotel Valencia. It has a nice u-shaped bar with what seemed to be mostly locals hanging out talking with the staff. Upscale vibe but not "stuffy" La Jolla vibe. The cocktails were amazing and fairly creative. We also thought the food was excellent, contrary to what a few other folks have said. The braised short rib Mao, crispy pumpkin squash, and twinkie ceaser were the standouts. Only minor downsides were that you can smell the seals a little bit and it was a bit chilly inside, as the door was kept open. Overall we really enjoyed our experience.

Service was incredible for a birthday celebration for 6 of us. Duck Crostini and Lamb Ribs were outstanding.