Barbarella Restaurant & Bar

This restaurant is the cutest place for brunch or a girls day! We went during the spring theme and the restaurant was decorated full out for spring! The food was great! We got the lemon ricotta pancakes, French toast, smoked eggs benedict, and the pizza max! My favorite were the lemon ricotta pancakes and the French toast! Their drinks are definitely very unique! We got a variety of drinks that were in unique glasses. The service was good, our server was very helpful with food and drinks recommendations. Can't wait to come back again!

Had brunch with a few friends here Saturday afternoon and the drinks and vibes were everything . The entire restaurant is set up for an ig photoshoot ! Let me tell ya about it--Parking is a bit rough as Barbarella is located in a super busy area in La Jolla-- luckily there was an open parking garage where we paid a flat rate of $20 --open untill 5pm . Upon arrival, the sweet host checked us in and we were sat right in the middle of the restaurant. I loved the bright open windows and the restaurant was decorated so nice for their spring menu . Our server Carly was the best and kept the drinks flowing ! Here's what i had--Honey bear-- literally the cutest tequila cocktail. It comes served in a bear glass and has a honey dropper as garnish . Don't let this drink's cuteness fool you, it was semi sweet, sooo strong, and tasty . 9/10Barbarita-- their version of a margarita . So refreshing ! 8/10To my mother-- fruity, flirty, yet so satisfying . Like a strawberry mint mojito, but with vodka . Perfect for someone wants a good drink, but wants fruity . 9.5/10New fashioned-- og classic . A great sipper, Smokey, and sophisticated. 8.5/10Jane Fonda-- pretty in purple ! The gin will get ya and it's so pretty to look at . 9/10And I can't remember if this was the bee's knees or birds and the bees, but it was served in a dangling glass . So extra and I loved it, this was super strong . Recommend sharing ! 8/10 Eggs Benedict-- basic, bougie, and tastes as it should. Hollandaise was delicious. The potatoes were actually the star of the show . Crisp and yummy . 7/10Prosciutto and Brie opened-faced sandwich-- sweet and savory . It was bit too "bready" compared to prosciutto ratio . Loved the fresh fruit and dresssed arugula on top . 6.5/10Overall, we had an awesome time ! I'd definitely be back just for the drinks as the brunch menu items were "just okay" for me . My friend mentioned that the dinner menu is much more elevated as she's been there a few times for dinner . I would love to be back to check that out in the future (:

My girlfriends & I ate here for our belated Galentine's after seeing numerous IG stories of people posing with their giant bears.They have dining inside & outside (where the giant bears are), & there are heating lamps to keep you warm.We had made a resy & it was pretty empty when we came in but they sat us directly behind the only other diners so it was a bit awkward. I would have definitely asked to move in hindsight.Customer service was nice & attentive. They had Valentine special cocktails which were yum. We shared a pizza & a few pastas. Hearty portions & good. I do wish their sauce was more flavorful.This is definitely a great spot for a date night because the ambiance is romantic & you can take a stroll along the beach which is just down the street.

What an adorable restaurant! My familyloved it! We loved each entree, so delicious! Kids menu available. Pizza was so good! I love all of the decorations! Such a happy vibe. Dine indoor or outdoor. We made reservations and loved our window seat. Our waiter was nice. I'll definitely be back with my friends!

My girlfriends and I made a dinner reservation for Saturday night to celebrate an early Galentine's. We of course loved the pop-up decor! We arrived on time for our reservation but weren't seated right away, but the restaurant wasn't really busy so we didn't quite understand what the hold up was.Our server was Asia and she did her best. She took our drink orders fairly quickly and I really enjoyed my Xpresso Martini. When I unwrapped my napkin and cutlery, I noticed that there was crumbs rolled into the napkin...uh ewwwwwww. How is that even possible? I told Asia right away and she brought me another set, thank goodness. We also started with Fritti and the bread basket. Both of which were delicious, we loved the warm bread. For my entree I had their prime steak, which was served with mash potatoes and green beans. My steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, BUT my pregnant friend ordered a side prime steak medium rare and her steak came out more rare than mine! We told Asia right away and she took it back. However, my friend was half way through her pasta and the steak hadn't returned so she gave up on it and just told Asia she no longer wanted it. My steak was nicely seasoned and good but the steak knife might as well have been a butter knife. I couldn't cut anything with that thing. It was hurting my hands/fingers to try to slice my steak with it. The green beans were also very thin, bland and weren't cooked very well. The restaurant has some music playing but for the most part it's very quiet. It's a much more intimate space. There were tables using their inside voices but we could still hear their entire conversation. It just wasn't the vibe we were expecting and the experience was not what social media made it out to be. Nothing fun about it, other than the cute decor. The food was atleast good.

A cute venue that caters to the various holidays and will change the decor and menu to suit.Made reservations for Sunday brunch via open table with ease. The place was surprisingly not busy as I would expect for the San Diego brunch scene. This part in La Jolla seemed to be the beachy vibe not the fancy part or La Jolla so I may have been overdressed in my heels.The drink menu was very impressive as I low key I'm trying to venture away from my normal Moscow mules. The La Vie En Rose was tequila based but the mixture of juice didn't make it taste strong , it was so smooth and light (a must try!). My xxxsresso martini was rather boring on the scale of how they can be made, but not nasty by all means.The pizza max was honestly my first smoked salmon pizza and it was flavorful and heavy on the capers (I love capers) . The size was massive , enough to share for 2 maybe even three people.Or only issue was with the chilaquiles, they came out with super soggy limp chips. I like mine with crunch chips and the sauce on the top so it may get soggy with time , but I don't want my meal to come out that way, the texture was not appealing at all. When asking the server if we can get not soggy chips she went to ask the Chef and was told that they sauté the chips in the sauce and that's their culinary style. We liked the flavor of the sauce so just asked if we could skip the sauté part and serve it as preferred above. They instead served it out completely separated and deconstructed as if it were a to go order. Which was fine , but I felt like it could have just been made differently and served again . No big deal , just confusing.This venue is perfect to instagram some pictures and the lighting works as well as all the various Valentine's Day decor . I will come by again.

We wanted to try something new for dinner before heading over to the La Jolla Playhouse for a show. It's in a cute part of La Jolla (what's not cute in La Jolla, I know) where there's a street blocked off to through traffic and lined with a bunch of little restaurants. We had reservations and were seated immediately. The service was prompt and friendly, and the cocktails were great . I recommend the XXXpresso Martini (don't worry, there's no nudity necessary to order that) and my husband enjoyed his margarita. Unfortunately, the food was pretty bland. We split a Ceasar Salad, and I had the salmon and DH had the burger. My salmon was cooked as ordered and the presentation was lovely, but the flavors were very plain. I was happy to have such a healthy option available but I felt like I could make it at home. The burger was also pretty typical. Overall, it was a nice evening out but we'll continue our search for the best pre-play meal in La Jolla.

Wow! What can I say?! This place completely exceeded my expectations with EVERYTHING! Decor: 6/5 The themed menus, the holiday-inspired drinks, the cute decorations--the details are incredible! You can see the front of the restaurant from down the street, but it's not just the big decorations that are impressive, a lot of thought and care has gone into making this restaurant stand out. Food & Drinks: 6/5 I'll be honest, I came here for the decor, not the food! We were all pleasantly surprised by how delicious everything was. Between the six of us, we tried the steak, chop salad, wedge, salad, chicken parmesan, mushroom risotto, and the barbecue chicken pizza. Every single item was extremely delicious. The drinks were amazing too. Not too sweet, just perfect. Service: 6/5 Tiffany is probably one of the best waitresses I've ever had at any restaurant. She was knowledgeable, funny, kind, and accommodating. As indicated in my review, if I could give this restaurant more stars, I would. I had high expectations, and this restaurant exceeded all of them. It's nestled in the heart of the La Jolla Shores Area and makes for the perfect date night spot or special occasion dinner. We are going to try to go back around Valentine's Day and we are definitely going back next Halloween time so we can see the decor for different holidays. We had a super fun night!

My review is based solely on their holiday drinks and the vibes since we came here after dinner and didn't order any food aside from 2 sides of fries.First off, I was surprised that we were able to get a rsvp on a Saturday evening on the same day. I was actually pleasantly surprised about that. Came at 8:30pm and it was still relatively busy. The restaurant was super festive and decked out for the holidays which I loved. What we ordered:TO ALL A GOOD EGG NOG: This was what I ordered for myself. I've never had egg nog before, but the waitress recommended it. It was good, very sweet, and kind of reminded me of a frappe. Even when it got watered down by the ice, the flavors were still strong and there. I actually didn't mind it getting watered down because it was pretty sweet.PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE: This drink comes in an adorable bird glass. I tasted this, and I really liked it! Also on the sweeter side, but with that hint of pear.The drink in the ornament: I can't remember what it was called, but there were cranberries involved lol. This one was good, had the perfect combo of sweet and tart. I would probably order this for myself if I had the chance to go back soon.Overall, if you're able to, I would recommend stopping by here to get into the festive holiday vibes and enjoy some delicious cocktails. Hoping I get to try their food soon!

In my last review I mentioned that my pasta was all stuck together and hard and I came back this year to try it again and it wasn't! I'm not sure if my feedback was taken into consideration or if it was just a coincidence but I was really happy to see that! The pasta was even more delicious this time around.We also tried the French onion soup and honestly I loved it more than I expected! I have had French onion soup here and there but I think this is my favorite so far!The chicken jidori wasn't my favorite. I think the chicken was a little dry!