Manhattan of La Jolla

Be prepared to step back in time and enjoy some old school hospitality. It's dark, it's polished, it's rich mahogany and it's a truly wonderful experience. You don't find many Italian steak houses in San Diego so it's an odd experience unless you've been to Vegas but it's worth it. Their bar and wine selection is good and their drinks are surprisingly well balanced; I loved my Manhattan and my wife who likes sweeter drinks loved her balanced limoncello spritzer. The staff is polished and formal, can be a bit odd for the modern world but if you think back in time you'll appreciate it and they did an amazing job. The food was truly enjoyable; not only do they do table side Caesar's (a rarity) but you can customize it. My wife is allergic to egg and for her to have an eggless Caesar is amazing and it was delicious. We put them to the test with a Manhattan combo and a veal chop Milanese and both were delicious. The veal was crisp yet and succulent while the pasta combo was excellent across the board - probably the best cannolinis I've ever had. And to top it off they delivered a tiramisu for our anniversary. Definitely recommend visiting for any kind of meal

Really cool, dimlit, brick-walled joint with live music. Think jazz bar vibes, very fitting with Manhattan-like ambiance. My disappointment comes from the food and service. Came here on a date and the waiter was honestly too intrusive and talkative. It was really annoying. We tipped generously because we know the nature of the service industry, but he definitely needs to work on his table-side manners. People are there to enjoy a dinner with the company they bring, not to hit it off with the waiter and have frivolous conversations. Now, the food...for an Italian spot which such a price tag, I expected that at least the pasta would be cooked to perfection. Unfortunately the Ziti was overcooked and the pasta was mush. AVOID THE CAESAR SALAD (not table side). It tastes like straight anchovy and nothing else, absolutely inedible and a waste of money. The zucchini chips were battered really well, but lacked seasoning. The marinara sauce it was served with was good. Also the branzino market fish was good, but portion size was incredibly small.Skip the espresso martini here. It tastes like spiked milk with a dash of coffee granules.

Sometimes a restaurant just nails it on service, food, and overall experience.Last night the Manhattan was just perfect for a bday dinner.Our server Nilam was friendly, knowledgable, and perfectly attentive. Even her assistant Chuey was so nice and helpful.We each had a glass of very pleasant Chianti.Caprese app was perfect in texture and flavor.Warm Italian bread served is heavenly. They bring butter but we able to get oil and vinegar to go with.We both ordered shrimp dishes. Mrs NMD had the scampi and THE NMD had the Fra Diavolo. They let you dial in your spice level for the Fra Diavlo and "mild" was perfect for me. The shrimp were large ad perfectly cooked.NY cheesecake dessert and a limoncello ended the meal perfectly.Thank you Manhattan of La Jolla - bday dinner was perfect.

We were so disappointed with dinner so we left and in search for a place that has desserts. This place was right next to our hotel and at 9:30pm. This place was so alive. There was a piano bar and people were dancing. Pork chops looked amazing. We ordered the cheesecake and it was delicious. Definitely coming back for jazz night and chocolate cake.

10/10. Everything was out of this world. An amazing "date night" restaurant. We went here to celebrate our anniversary and had a beautiful evening. The decor is old school New York Italian with the leatherette booths, Frank Sinatra painting on the wall, wine storage on the wall, a live aquarium and even live music and piano in the bar area. The service was outstanding and also very "old school". And most importantly the food was orgasmic. I think I was honestly making yum sounds as I ate! And to top it off, they gave us a piece of complimentary tiramisu for dessert in honor of our Anniversary. Definitely contributed to the night being special and we are so grateful. And if you've never tried cannoloni, this is the place to do it--it was mind blowing. Very comforting as well as a flavor explosion of savory goodness. Tonight was perfection.

This place is old school. White table clothes, low lighting and servers in black suits. Valet parking is available for $15. Both the food and service was excellent. We wanted a relaxing dinner with friends and we got it. The server did not rush us. We started with calamari and eggplant Rollatini appetizer. The eggplant was exceptional. Then on to Caesar salad prepared table side. It was very good. Tasty with lots of garlic. I had the veal Marsala. It was wonderful. The meat was tender and the sauce was plentiful and full of mushrooms. It was served with green beans and carrots. The carrots were amazingly delicious. My dining partners had:Filet Oscar - a perfectly cooked steak with a nice amount of crab. I'm told it was delicious Cannelloni - I tasted this one. It was really good. Combo plate - lobster ravioli, scampi, and cannalloni. It was all quite good. I would highly recommend Manhattans. We had a great meal and a very enjoyable meal experience.

I was invited to go to Manhattan for a presentation and dinner was included. I was pleasantly surprised to see what a beautiful and secluded and quiet dining establishment this is. It reminded me of the old Albe's beef in that used to be in Mission Valley it's the old Chicago kind of piano bar steakhouse that is dark and cozy and serves the best steaks in the world. I thought these were long gone, but now I know where one is!! They have a very extensive menu of wonderful steaks prepared the way that steaks used to be prepared long ago. They have pastas that are homemade they have chicken, marsala and chicken piccata and eggplant Parmesan. They have wonderful salmon with an incredible garlic flavor.They also have a grand piano so you can sit and dine and listen to piano and also look at their incredible fish tank. The service was 10 stars. The management was amazing. Everyone treat you like your best friend and they want to serve you and give you whatever you need and give you a happy experience. I'm gonna come back here for many celebrations and special occasions. It's that kind of place. I can't say enough about the deliciousness of the food. We had a Caesar salad that had so much flavor with garlic and anchovies and the salmon came with lots of honey carrots, and Seasoned green beans that were cooked to perfection. We ended the evening with a New York style cheesecake. Drizzled with raspberries, tasted very fresh and delicious. And the bread they bring to the table is rustic, white warm and crusty with just soft enough butter to make it, melt in your mouth.And don't forget to come before your dinner and go for a walk and watch the sunset along the beautiful La Jolla coastline and listen for the bells tolling at Saint James Episcopal Church. A very romantic evening is in store for you.

Came to Manhattan for a work dinner with a group of eight. The service started off great giving us time to talk and not rushing us. However our food came out and people were given incorrect food and there was a lot of confusion. Overall the food was very good. The calamari and fried ravioli were cooked well and the sauce had a nice kick to it. The portions in the entrees were very big and the desserts were tasty.

Went here on a Saturday night with friends. The place was busy. They have live music but it was in the other room, so we mainly heard the low notes. This is a restaurant with a 80ties type of decor. It is dark, purple, plush, .. We had a nice corner table behind the aquarium that appeared mainly devoid of life. The service was overwhelmed and it took effort to get their attention throughout the night. We were missing utensils, glasses, ... Just not the type of attention you aim for. For the meal we had a variety of appetizers from calamari to lobster bisque, cesar salad, ... The lobster bisque was largely not consumed. The lobster was overcooked. The cesar salad had raw egg whites floating around and way too much mustard. We never found the anchovies that were supposed to be there. The main dishes included pan fried scallops, fettuchini, ... The dishes were overcooked and what I would expect in a diner but not in a higher end Italian restaurant. The wine list was good and we enjoyed some good Italian wines. Fair to say it is unlikely we will go back. Too many misses.

I have been dining at Manhattan for over 30 years. This is beautiful old school dining. Everyone is a pro. Make you feel totally at home. The food, service, ambiance and vibe are all first class. The quality/taste/presentation all superb. The evening just flies by. The piano bar adds beautiful music and singing to the evening. This is one of the classy holdouts to the classic days of La Jolla. I cannot recommend a restaurant in San Diego more than Manhattan.