Juniper and Ivy

We are blown away. The service is phenomenal; Lauren was very personable and knowledgeable; every one of her recommendations was a hit. Chef Owen was also very attentive and kind.The food comes out quickly. The ingredients are locally sourced and the restaurant is barn-themed to fit the farm-to-table vibe. But most importantly, the food is immaculate. Sitting at the bar, we were able to see that chef Owen runs a very cohesive kitchen. We only anticipated to order a few plates, but ended up staying for two hours and ordering several courses. Almost everything was cooked to perfection and had a wonderful balance of salt, acid, umami and sweetness. Chef's dishes are very unique and inspired. Our favorites were the Spanish octopus, the carne cruda tart, the snake River wagyu, and the strawberry basil yodel. We are excited for the next time we are in town and can come back! We anticipate this restaurant to have a Michelin star in the future.

We were jazzed for our anniversary dinner in La Jolla. Michelin star? Top Chef connection? Sign us up! We scored an outdoor table, but the airplane soundtrack wasn't exactly romantic.We ordered the first 3 gluten-free small bites, hoping they'd be "bite-sized delights," but they were a bit "meh." The small plates were better, though - hubby loved the clams, and my Thai salad was a flavor party.The miso fish was tasty, but swimming in sauce. It needed some crunch or texture to break up the monotony.Dessert was a game-changer. Hubby's sorbet was good, but my yodel? Holy smokes! Liquid nitrogen magic. It was so good, I was practically licking the plate. I had to order another one, it was that "yodel-icious"!Service was great, and the pace was relaxed. Serena made us feel welcome, and Mike, our server, was knowledgeable and chill. He might've even given me a subtle high-five for demolishing two yodels.Valet parking was $15 - a steal on a Saturday night in that parking jungle.Would I go back for dinner? Maybe not. But I'd hit the bar with friends for a yodel any day!

I enjoyed the dining experience at Juniper and Ivy. It is a casual upscale restaurant. Very attentive staff. I'll give you the run down on everything we had. So I don't have to repeat myself, I'm just going to say that serving sizes for everything we had other than dessert was very small.1) Local Hamachi tostada - 8 out of 10. Very fresh Hamachi on a bite-sized tostada. 2) Kawano farms melon custard with Uni - 1 out of 10. Not. A. Fan. It was a very strange dish. Didn't care for the combined flavors of melon custard, trout roe, and Uni. The Uni was overpowered by everything else. 3) Wagu Butter Biscuit - 4 out of 10. It's a biscuit. There's not much more to say.4) Pork Belly Yakitori - 8.5 out of 10 for me. I'm a little conflicted because when I read Pork belly Yakitori, I was expecting thick cut pork belly or at least cubes. This was literally a piece of bacon threaded onto a skewer. It was a very good piece of bacon, but I felt like they set you up for disappointment because of the description. 5) Black truffle agnolottini - 9 out of 10. This was delicious. Creamy, savory, salty, and that hit of umami from the fresh truffles. I just wanted a hint of spice, and that would have sent it over the top for me. 6) Snake river Wagyu - 9 out of 10. For the price, you get very small portions, but those portions are so good. The steak is buttery and melts in your mouth.7) Nutella Creme Brulee - 6 out of 10. It was good but too much of the same flavors (nothing to contrast). If you like Nutella, this may be right up your alley.8) Strawberry Yodel - 8 out of 10. This was such an interesting dessert. It had a strawberry shell, a basil sponge cake, creme fraiche snow, and a strawberry ganache. I really liked the combination of all the different flavors. All in all, it was a flavorful dinner with excellent wait staff. I'm glad we went, but I'm not sure if I would go back. For the price point, I was expecting maybe a little more.

A nice place to dine and just simply enjoy. The front of the house staff was very accommodating and super attentive! I love how their menu changes and how there is always something new to try which makes me want to go back already! The Japanese sweet potatoes were one of my favorite dishes, it's definitely a must try! We ordered lots to try as their portions are not as big. For starters we had:Puttin on the Ritz: I was not sure what to expect but once I saw the Ritz cracker, the name made perfect sense. It was okay, a nice bite however the ritz was a little stale.Spicy Tuna Handroll: Wrapped in shiso leaf, an interesting concept!Carne Cruda Toast: Super yummy and big enough to share! Loved the egg yolk.Oysters: Simple but yummy and fresh!For entrees we ordered:Japanese Sweet Potatoes: My fave dish!! It was sweet, salty and the cashew cream paired so perfectly. Risotto: A unique presentation, it was good however lacked some flavor. Kampachi Sashimi: Refreshing and light, definitely more of a smaller portionFor dessert we had the yodel and it was amazing!! It was mint chocolate chip with actual pieces of mint such a unique concept! Definitely enjoyed every bite!Overall, I can't wait to come back and try out new menu items!

Such a miss for Juniper & Ivy tonight! Really wanted to give them a better rating but such a huge miss tonight . To preface, Juniper & Ivy has been a Little Italy staple since I moved here in 2016. I've had my birthday here, had a handful of other dinners and post-work drinks here, but tonight just missed the mark. Service was great-polite servers, Serena (one of the managers) came by to check on us and was super courteous, but the food and the timing fell short. We got drinks at the bar at opening, left, and excitedly came back for dinner. We were seated promptly for dinner and were served our cocktails and wine in a timely manner. We placed the entire order at once, hoping they'd course the meal out appropriately. We got the octopus which had a great flavor and texture, but wondered why half of it was missing? Seemed odd that half of the octopus was missing, while other tables appeared to get the full serving of the tentacle. Beans, chili, and the texture of the octopus we got was pretty good but sort of an odd serving for two people. Angolotti: no complaints. Great texture, great flavor. An okay serving size but can't really complain since we've had smaller servings at places like Trust. The Duck (~$118). We knew it would be a bit of time for the duck but it felt like an eternity waiting for the main to be served. It took so so long, we eventually had to ask for it to-go. Serena and our server were apologetic about the wait but we felt it maybe should've been started when we placed the entire order at once since the other two plates were coursed pretty well. Eventually ate the duck at home and while the breast was cooked nicely, it lacked flavor while the dark meat was SUPER SALTY. The included sauce was hardly enough, and luckily for us, we had a jar of Kim Chi at home that saved the Duck, Farro, and mushroom and vegetalbe medley that was a bit of a letdown for a price tag of over $100. For this price tag, we'd probably hit up Kingfisher next time. We were really excited to celebrate our anniversary here, but Juniper and Ivy just fell short of the mark. We were looking forward to trying out a spot that was tried and true in the past but were so disappointed by tonight's experience. Not sure we'd come back with so many other options in the area.

While I do have to the say the service here is EXCEPTIONAL and the food is wonderful, I did not feel as wowed by the experience as I had assumed I would. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary ingredient wise, but everything still paired well together. I will also say they did have a great selection of wine and I did prefer it to their cocktail options. Portions were divided between small plates and just plates. The small plates were honestly small but still filling enough. My plate was cleared away before I had finished my meal, but everyone was so nice that there was no reason to say anything. Their sourdough bread was fresh and flavorful and their honey butter was a great additional treat. I enjoyed my unilinguini as I love sea urchin! The broccolini and sauce on the pasta made it all come together perfectly. I was honestly most impressed by their yodel dessert. It consisted of a white chocolate deconstructed log filled with lavender/lemon/thyme snow and then presented with the white ganache on top. It was delicious and the best presentation of the night. I chose lavender quite often in my food and drinks and being paired with thyme and white chocolate was a great balance for this dessert to be perfect.

Came here again last night and it's still 5 stars lol really just wanted to share some more photos.

Overall a good restaurant, but in my opinion overpriced for the flavors. I appreciate the story of local farming, but wished those ingredients were highlighted more honestly and expected a step above in flavor/concept.The space is beautiful and large. Service was amazing. Cocktails were excellent. Tried the Stones Throw and High And Dry and really enjoyed both of them. Just had higher expectations for the food for the price. But overall still good, just not great. More details:SD halibut hand roll: 3.5 - wrapped in a perilla leaf and a small touch of sauces applied. this was good, but for such a small bite I would have preferred something that packed more of a punch.R&L farms stone fruit: 2.5 - this was a big miss for me. I would have preferred for the stone fruit to really be highlighted as the predominant flavor, but everything sort of fell flat in the almond crema which took over and the dish was lacking a lot of acidity in my opinion.Pixca farms summer beans: 3.5 - these were decent. I liked all of the beans except for the dragons tongue. That felt like it needed a different preparation or blanched for longer or something as they were pretty tough. flavors were decent.Miso black cod: 4 - this dish on its own was delicious, but it had such a delicate flavor profile that I'm not sure how it belongs on a small plates menu, it got lost by the two dishes to either side of it.Spanish octopus: 4.5 - this was my favorite dish. some of the best cooked octopus I've had in San Diego so far. super soft and tender with just enough chew to it. I thought the sauce pairing was just alright, but the cook on the octopus made up for it.Rigatoni al forno: 4 - this was pretty good. really rich in flavor and pasta cooked really well. wish it had something with a touch of texture in it though, but overall was enjoyable. Worth visiting to have a good meal, but yeah, on the expensive side for the flavor quality.

Very nice restaurant in Little Italy, one of the nicest areas of downtown San Diego. They have a great menu with options for smaller dishes, so you can get a variety of their options and dine "tapas style". The food was very good. A few highlights for us were the grilled octopus, the tortelli and the linguini. They also have an exquisite wine list. The staff was very friendly and professional. The overall vibe is upscale but casual, so perfect for a night out in Little Italy.

Attended a private event here recently and it was very well executed. One of the best events I've attended. Just the right amount of professionalism and fun! A great space to enjoy music, a lively reception and not to mention the food.... Great display of local ingredients & flavors!! Can't wait to come back for another visit