Kingfisher

We had the best dinner and drinks on a Sunday evening. The vibes of the restaurant and bar are amazing - beautiful decor and open concept to let the outside breeze come in.We loved the cocktails which were unique twists that were balanced and tasty.The eggplant was delicious - as was the steak entry we split. The waitress was also very helpful to give us advice of what to order as it was our first time. Definitely an upscale date night spot to add to anyone's list!

At first I thought this was a Michelin star restaurant; come to find out, it was Michelin recommended. What I find a bit odd that its next to what looks like a halfway house....regardless of looks and location, this was definitely a unique experience and I give this restaurant/food/experience a solid 4.5!I booked the Chef tasting menu for my family and it was pretty interesting. They started off with a champagne/sparkling drink to toast - my only complaint was that the drink was a bit dry for my taste. Not sure if that's to set the mood for the menu but would've loved if they had sweet or dry wine to start with. Our first course was the hamachi crudo drizzled in a Thai chili vinaigrette, with tomatoes, pickled papaya, and cucamelons. Absolutely delicious and refreshing. I give this a 10/10. The second course was geoduck clam with pickled taro root, rice paddy herb in a buckwheat broth with chili oil. This was a 6/10 because this dish was too acidic and a little bland. They served us bread with bone marrow butter - this was absolutely amazing; the bone marrow butter is ridiculously smooth and rich. I wish they served this between the 1st and 2nd course.The third course was a prime ribeye with black truffles, Madeira demi, corn, and chanterelles. This was a 7/10 - the steak was a bit tough to chew on. I couldn't really taste truffle in the black truffles and the corn and chanterelles was extremely spicy; if they could lay off the Thai chilies/spiceness, it would be a lot better. The 4th course which was our dessert was a coconut semifreddo with strawberries, tapioca pearls drenched in a strawberry calpico drink with coconut flakes. 9/10Id definitely like to come back and try their other menu items

I've been 3 times now and Kingfisher is just consistently good (despite changing of chefs). It's a great night out with friends or guests from out of town, albeit pricey. Have a reservation or show up when they open to grab a seat. Cocktails are delicious and they can also make a killer mocktail. Endless prosperity is so good, both as a cocktail or mocktail. Food is really very well done here. The flavors are bold, so come with appropriate expectations. I've enjoyed everything I've tried; they are great at maximizing flavor with herbs and sauces.. turning even the most simple dishes, like japanese eggplant, into a delightfully complex burst of umami flavor. The beef tartare, clams, whatever vegetable they have in season, congee... all delicious. For the mains, if you get there early enough for the duck and you have 3-4 people who love duck, definitely get it. Otherwise the seabass or pork belly are great options for larger entrees as well.

This was our first time dining here, and we absolutely loved it. The food, service, and ambiance were exceptional.The menu isn't your typical Vietnamese fare; it's more like an American menu infused with Vietnamese flavors.Everything we tried was delicious, but our two favorites were the wild mushroom with Chino Farms corn congee and the housemade egg noodles with truffle shavings.We ended dinner with the flan with espresso syrup... perfect ending to a fantastic dinner

Great service and delicious food! Highly recommend the dry aged duck. They put one of the last 4 orders of the night on hold for us (we arrived at 7:30 for our res). I'm so glad we decided to go with it. The 2 apps and duck were the perfect amount of food for 2 of us. We also had some fantastic cocktails! I'm usually a wine drinker but I highly recommend trying a couple of their cocktails instead. Really loves this place and would definitely go back.

the vibes of this place are so nice! the inside area is so aesthetic and lovely. service is also top notch - our server, hostess, and bartender were all super attentive and helpful. the cocktails we got (starry eyes, kingfisher spritz, and golden hour) were all quite refreshing and sweet. starry eyes was my favorite!for apps, we got the crispy chicken wings and duck liver pate. the pate was incredible. matched with the kumquat preserve and the baguette, it was a delectable appetizer. the crispy chicken wings were better than i expected, the sauce and peanuts were very savory and yummy! only comes with 6 pieces so keep that in mind. the egg noodles were absolutely fire, the truffle and soft boiled egg mixed with the sauce was a perfectly umami combo. the noodles were al dente and very chewy! the price is a little steep in my opinion but worth it for the experience. i was a bit let down by both of the entrees, but i appreciate the artistry behind the creation of the dishes. the beef rib came with a nice refreshing star fruit salad. however, i have had better beef. the duck came with some greens and noodles to eat with. it was good, but again i have had better duck. lastly, we got the black sesame house made ice cream. it was good, but a bit salty and not very sesame-forward. overall, i think kingfisher is worth a visit for a special occasion, the service is phenomenal. the food is good, but i would say the appetizers are better than the entrees.

I wish I had taken food photos, but we were too caught up in the moment... in the love... in the ambiance... in the phenomenal service... and in the FOOD and the COCKTAILS! Wow. Everything was absolutely wonderful. Can't wait to go back.

this place it at the top of the list for the restaurants I've been to in San Diego so far. Everything I have had here has been excellent. I've had the majority of the menu at this point, but I'd say the standout items were the beef tartare, diver scallops, wild mushroom congee (a must get), and the wagyu skirt steak (honestly liked it more than some of the other nicer proteins on the menu).The decor in the place in nice and very themed. The color palette is pleasant to be in while eating and the lighting is just right.The cocktails are also a must get. Some of the best cocktails in the city, easily rivaling some of the best cocktail bars around.Overall it's a must go.

We made reservations and arrived slightly early. Fortunately they were able to seat us right away. Ambiance is perfect for date night. Drinks were great. Lots to choose from from. We then switched to wine for dinner. The wings were my favorite dish. So much flavor. My second favorite was the hamachi but I would say that the noodles were my wife's second favorite. The flan for dessert was excellent. We shall return to this wonderful establishment.

We had heard great things about Kingfisher.  As Vietnamese cuisine is one of our favorites, we decided to have dinner here with friends.  Overall, what a disappointment. FOOD (4/5) ... SMOKED DRY AGED DUCK (5/5) -- This is the restaurant's signature dish ... and the best part of our meal.  The duck itself was medium rare, very flavorful.  Two of us shared it with tasting bites around. ($81) SALTSPRING MUSSELS ESCABECHE (3/5) -- Our server advised that that dish was "sharable".  Well, with six mussels in fennel and cucumber, the total volume was about a half cup ... not my idea of sharable.  The flavor of my small bites after passing it around was excellent but not enough to justify the price. ($21) DUCK LIVER PATÉ (4/5) -- This was a nice slice of paté served with toasted baguette. Very sharable. ($29) BEVERAGES (3/5) ... There's a full bar.  Wine list is small.  The featured cocktails look interesting, but inconsistent in execution. SHIITOKI MANHATTAN (4/5) -- I enjoyed this Manhattan made with shiitake-infused Suntory Toki whisky.  ($17) SINGAPORE SLING (1/5) -- This was NOT a Singapore Sling.  ($16) SERVICE (2/5) ... Our server was pleasant but unattentive.  There were long periods of time when she couldn't be found.  Runners delivered our food and gave a brief description of each dish.  AMBIANCE (1/5) ... The restaurant has indoor tables around a central bar and outdoor tables.  We sat inside on the far side wall.  The front of the restaurant was open to the outside.  The most significant feature of being inside was the noise!  Exceedingly loud.  One of the worst restaurants I've ever experienced. There's only street parking.  I found a space around the block on E Street.