Cellar Hand

Review summary

1. d

   danny

   VIP

   San Diego

   35 reviews

   5.0

   35 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent variety of appetizers and small plates. Wine choices varied and fairly priced. No gluten free bread or crackers for dips. vegis suggested for dipping but then a $5 charge for a few slices of cucumber listed on check as “extra pita”. San dabs were a great special but “very boney”. The chef said its easy to just remove the remaining bones along the vertebrae. If its so easy why doesn’t the chef remove them prior to serving. Pleasant ambiance. We have more to explore.
   

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2. L

   Leonard

   San Diego

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Based in Hillcrest. One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. 5 out of 6 dishes were S Tier. Tinned yellowfin was A tier. Unreal textures in the beef tartare. Zataar was an incredible seasoning choice for the carrots. Cavatappi was a special for the evening, & it was special indeed. Rockfish crudo was fresh asl (just fished for in the morning). And the pound cake was a top 3 dessert for me, ever. Meticulously crafted & everything cooked by the book. Could not recommend this place more. Kudos to Chef Logan!
   

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3. A

   Alan

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Every items was perfectly prepared and tasty. Also good for sharing. Order everything!! Pork chop - fantastic. Agnolloti, great. Everything great!!
   

   Cellar HandResponded 4 days ago

   Thank you so much, Alan! We hope to see you again soon.
   

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4. K

   Kathy

   San Diego

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on February 16, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great brunch menu choices with a good selection of CA libations. Excellent staff, very accommodating for our large party.
   

   Cellar HandResponded 4 days ago

   Thank you for sharing, Kathy! We hope to see you again soon.
   

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5. R

   Rosie

   New Orleans

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 16, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   The mussels escabeche brought me back to Barcelona 😩 I’ve never had such decadent sugar snap peas, likely from the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market which is literally right there. It’s wonderful to see a restaurant so committed to shopping local, even the art is locally made!
   

   Cellar HandResponded 4 days ago

   Thank you so much, Rosie! We hope to see you again soon!
   

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6. B

   Bianca

   New York City

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on February 16, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Food is amazing and Chef Ashley explains the dishes very well.
   

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7. B

   Brian

   San Diego

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 15, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The valentines day pre fixe menu was not clearly outlined on OpenTable as the only available menu. We chose to pivot and be flexible as the dishes sounded quite good. The disappointment was that the mains were disappointing. The scallop dish had 3 scallops. The pork chop was dry and the fat was not rendered. This was hard to get over as we had paid for a pre fixe menu that we didn't necessarily choose, but was willing to accept. At $85/person, we would hope that the mains would be well executed since there were only 2 options being served that night.
   

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8. J

   Jonatan

   San Diego

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 15, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   I booked my dinner about a month in advance. My reservation was at 6 and I was not seated until 640. They asked we sit at the bar to wait , and no sort of compensation was offered for the wait. If I reserve a time, especially so far in advance, I would expect a small wait but not 40 minutes. What would be the point of using a reservation system? For the price of the experience, I expected better restaurant management. During the 40 minute wait, we were not approached my the staff to let us know the progress of our table either. It was not until I went up to the desk after the 40 minutes to ask on the status. The food was good, but I would say slightly over priced.
   

   Cellar HandResponded 4 days ago

   Dear Jonatan, Thank you for your feedback. We do our best to seat all guests as close to their reservation time as possible, and we’re sorry to hear that your wait felt longer than expected. While we do our best to offer seating in our bar/lounge area and provide complimentary wine for extended delays, it sounds like we may have missed the mark in your case. We’ll be sure to share your experience with our team to ensure we’re consistently keeping guests informed and cared for during busy nights. We appreciate you dining with us and hope to welcome you back in the future.
   

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9. J

   James

   Orange County

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 15, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Wasn't aware it was set menu for Valentines day until we got there - food was amazing but wasn't aware when we made the reservation on Open Table. Was also not offered any Happy hour that was meant to be mid week. They didn't have a high chair for our toddler Some wait staff didn't know what they were dropping at tables 'here is your seafood platter' without telling us what everything was.
   

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10. J

    Joe

    Detroit

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Cellar Hand is wonderful date night spot. The food is amazing: locally sourced and prepared with skill. Bonus: if you’re a member of the Pali Wine Co club, then you can bring their bottles with you for no corkage fee.
    

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    Cellar HandResponded 4 days ago

    Thank you for sharing, Joe! We can't wait to see you again soon.
    

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