Pamplemousse Grille

A classic. So nice to have this place in San Diego (Del Mar)! The menu has something for nearly everyone, and the chef manages to pull out great seasonal offerings to accentuate the already solid offering of meat & seafood.The service is on point - well-trained & proper. Drinks are robust, the wine list comprehensive, and the ambience delightful due to carpet, table clothes, and acoustic panels to keep noise levels in check. My only criticism would be the over-sized round dining tables in the west dining area are too big. You have to squeeze by, and I observed a server nearly lose three plates after a bump, trying to get past the too-big tables.Other than that, a great place. Whimsical art adds to the fun, and indicates that they don't take themselves too seriously. Good for them. Very pricey, so expect a hefty bill. Dinner for four with wine/cocktails was $550.

Ample parking. Really good food. Among the best in North County. Prices are high but as long as they deliver on the food you can shrug it off...for the most part. We had some steaks, cod, salmon, and some quail. All of it was stellar. They seem to pay closer attention to balancing flavors and textures than most restaurants (including their cocktails and desserts). The service is not bad but less than you would expect at this price point. The bathrooms need a major remodel. They are acceptable but barely. My wife had a similar experience in the ladies...

It's restaurant week! Had a three course menu with choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert with a wine pairing for each course. First, the space is well laid out with dividers between booths for privacy and noise reduction. You can actually have a conversation without speaking loudly. Service was excellent, both informative and accommodating. Bread basket with salty whipped butter was first to come out. The muffin was yummy, but the other two breads were a bit dry.The kimchi lobster/crab appetizer was perfectly chilled and flavorful. The kimchi did not overpower the sweetness of the lobster. My friend went for the short rib agnolotti which he enjoyed. Next we opted for the cod and fried tofu. The kitchen was out of cod so went for the salmon (pescatarian). Salmon was buttery and luscious served in a bed of rice with vegetables. The fried tofu was seasoned tofu wrapped in wonton skin and fried - pretty tasty, and also served with rice.Two options for dessert - a caramelized pear with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate mousse cake with chocolate ice cream. Both were rich and decadent. Everything that a dessert should be! Plus sugar cookies for an extra sweet treat.

We came here during Restaurant week. I don't know that I would recommend coming here otherwise, because it is definitely pricey!! Our menu included an array of food and drinks options. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc and the Kir Royale which were both delicious drinks. For appetizers, we ordered the Roasted tomato and fennel soup and the Lobster Ravioli. Both were delicious and I can't choose one over the other! I will say that the Ravioli was definitely an appetizer to be shared. It was as big as a usual entree for me. For the main course, we went the seafood way. I got the basil roasted salmon and my friend got the miso black cod. The clear winner here was the miso black cod. The cod itself was delicious, but the miso sauce and the fried rice were simply YUM! My salmon, while good, seemed very plain and boring...no dancing flavors in my mouth with this one!! For dessert, we got the chocolate caramel cake and the passion fruit tart. I'm biased towards fruity desserts, so again, the clear winner was the tart. The tartlet itself was crunchy, the filling was just sweet and tangy enough to not be overwhelming...the sauce was delicious and just see how pretty it looked in the photo! Neither the chocolate nor the caramel are flavors I particularly enjoy. So, the fact that I still liked this dessert says a lot. I do think that the vanilla gelato saved my palate. If you are a chocolate or caramel fan, definitely try this out. So yes, I'm glad I tried this during Restaurant week and only paid $70 + tax/tip because, there is no way we would've eaten all these dishes for that amount at other times!

I was a bit surprised that this place only has 4 stars instead of five.We have been going to Pamplemousse for years. This year it is a participant in San Diego restaurant week so we decided to head over for dinner. The select menu for restaurant week had good items and the price at $70.00 per person was not bad. The beet salad was particular good as was the Cod. Food quality was good, the items were the right temperature and presentation was nice. The service as always was exceptional. The food items coming out were a bit slower than normal but the place was packed so it was no surprise.You may ask why then the three star. The reason is the corkage fee. BEWARE! We took our own wine and were never told what the corkage fee was $60.00. We understand a corkage fee and don't mind paying it when given the information before hand to proceed or not which we were never given. For $10 more we could have brought a guest and skipped bringing our bottle of wine, as a glass of wine already came with the meal. We don't mind paying for things but do mind paying when not told about the cost till it's too late. Never will we take another bottle of wine and will just have a glass there or sparkling water for the beverage. We told friends of ours and this is what they found this online. It shows a $25 corkage fee. Attached is a screen shot.Just one note and this is not being picky and this is said because we hold Pamplemousse to a high standard as attention to detail is what made this place great. The bathroom needed a bit of a touch up. The trash was full and there were paper towels on the floor. Not a good look for an establishment of this stature. Thanks Pamplemousse for a good dinner and great service.

No, I do not know the history of this restaurant. I chose to dine here because their Restaurant Week menu sounded good and my partner loves grapefruit (which is what pamplemousse means in French). This was one of the places we were most excited for during Restaurant Week - it certainly seemed like the most "fancy".The highlight of our meal was the complimentary cornbread muffins and whipped butter with black salt. It was delicious. The escargot was also good - but also hard to mess up (escargot + herbs + butter, et voila). Everything else was underwhelming. Not really French, not really American. In retrospect, we should have asked more questions. Kim chee seafood martini at an establishment labeled as French/New American? I don't mind some fusion, but if you're going to make dumplings, your dough needs to be thinner and also cooked thoroughly. Same goes for pastries (like in the pear tarte tatin). This was not the case for both. I'm also not sure how agnolotti or ravioli came out looking like Shandong dumplings (see photos).We tried to stay positive during our meal but the food was poorly executed and we had much higher expectations. This is fine dining only in pricing.

So apparently we came here just over a year ago on Oct 3, 2022 and I wrote a 3 star review. I read through my review and yes, I was spot on, and nothing has really changed. This is still very much a "3" restaurant in my opinion. When we sat down my daughter was looking at another table and seemed a little shocked. I glanced over and there were two ladies seated at a table with their backs to us and facing them, and what my daugher was shocked about, was their poodle sitting at the table on the booth side. That was different. The waitress was nice but not very friendly. The food was average at best. I feel like the prices are too high for the quailty provided. I do love their bread and the little cookies shaped like pigs that they service at the end when they bring the bill.

When you want to spend big bucks on a meal, this place is it. Excellent French food and definitely a great celebration dinner restaurant.

The food is wonderful. Anything you'd like is there. Service is high quality & friendly. The resturant has a relax very interesting feel. Parking is easy

Absolutely amazing food, incredible sunset, and excellent music, cool, international jazzy vibe, really set the mood there.