The Prado at Balboa Park

Great service and good food! We went around 2pm (so after the lunch crowd rush), and it was super easy to get a table and it was a great view!Parking was also nearby at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion parking lot.

Service = PhenominalFood = Overpriced for what was servedMy Fiancée, stepdaughter and I decided to spend Saturday in Balboa Park to check out a couple museums and to visit somewhere that I haven't been to since I was a kid. Saturday's weather was beautiful and afforded us with what we've all grown to expect and love in San Diego and the park was full of people enjoying their Saturday. After leaving the Fleet Science Center, we were all pretty hungry. I'm not too familiar with Balboa Park in general let alone the places to eat nearby, but I had heard of the Prado, so we walked there to see about having lunch and give it a shot. We approached the hostess stand and were greeted immediately. We were given the option of sitting inside or outside and opted to see out back on the patio since there were fewer people and it was busier inside. We were lead to our table and each provided with a menu and told that our server would be right with us. We were greeted at our table by Shaira who was to be our server and she asked us if she could get any drinks going for us and let us know the day's specials. Shaira's presence was very warm and personable, she wore a wonderful smile and appeared happy to be there. She gave us a few minutes to decide on our drinks and in the meantime brought us each a glass of ice water. Shaira's attention to us was nothing short of stellar and made for a very delightful experience the whole time we were there. For food we ended up ordering something different. I had a bowl of the clam chowder to start with which was one of the specials while the girls had cauliflower elote. I didn't try the elote, but enjoyed my clam chowder. It was a large serving, very meaty and full of the good stuff. For our main courses I opted for a steak sandwich while they both had the birria torta all of which came with a side of fries. The main courses were where we were a little disappointed given the price point of the food. The sandwiches were all only okay at best. For the price point of this restaurant, they didn't seem as fresh nor as well presented as I would have expected. The fries were a little soggy and there just really was no appeal to the main courses over what you'd find at a sports bar, or gastropub. We ended up taking some of the food home in hopes we'd eat it later, but it just wasn't up to the quality that we had expected from a restaurant in such a prime location. Shaira's welcoming personality and her attentiveness to us made for a wonderful experience from a service standpoint and really it was only the cost of the food for the quality of what we got was the disappointing part of our visit. Our daytime adventure to Balboa park made for a wonderful afternoon, but I think we will check Prado off our list of places to revisit. This is a great location that I would imagine sees a decent amount of foot traffic and has the protentional to be a phenomenal establishment, but the food left a bit to be desired in my opinion.

Friends invited me to brunch at the Prado. We selected the Brunch buffet. No price was posted, the bill arrived it was $70 each! It was supposed to come with Mimosa's but none at the buffet. Only saw it was included online after eating.The food was pretty good, short ribs so tender, mashed potato bar, sausage and bacon and cold scrambled eggs :-(, fresh fruit, salad and toppings, bagels and lox, and French toast with syrup and nice desserts.No way was worth $70 for the food despite being decent quality.

Service and food - amazing!Luis and Andre did great at the bar.The potato and leek soup they recommended was to die for!The prime rib sushi was good, but would be better if they had wasabi and ginger.Love this place.

The service was okay. The food was mediocre. I went with my boyfriend and his family. My boyfriend and I don't like fancy food because of the small portions. We decided to share one dish because of the cost. Most the entrees were about $35+ here. The dish was $40. We got the pan roasted sea bass. The sea bass tasted like nothing. The corn puree and potatoes were tastier than the fish! The fish portion was 6 bites maybe, the size of a small wallet. We were annoyed and hungry afterwards. We decided to get fish n' chips afterwards. The ambiance was nice. The restaurant was big but few people dining. I wouldn't go again.

Started our feast with crab dip and spicy calamari fries. Fries were a spicy kick, while the crab dip was a bit oily for my liking. But then came the main event: the pan-roasted sea bass. Cooked to perfection and seasoned like a boss. And can we talk about the presentation? Insta-worthy!Place was buzzing like a beehive, especially with a wedding party outside. Inside was packed too, but it added to the party vibe. Perfect for a Saturday night after a museum stroll.Staff were on their game, though our entrees took a bit to come out. Seemed like they were waiting for the perfect timing, but hey, we weren't complaining. They kept the water flowing and the drinks coming, so all good.Had a blast at The Prado. Great food, great vibes, and top-notch service. A few minor speed bumps, but nothing that dulled the experience. Count me in for another round at this Balboa Park hotspot!

Five stars for the service and ambiance, but the food left much to be desired. The Chicken BLT was a poorly constructed mess that fell apart as soon as it was brought to the table; a big clump of lettuce hiding a miniscule piece of bland, tasteless and practically undercooked chicken. The tomato slice was palid and the bacon cold, chewy, and made who knows how many hours earlier. The fries were tepid, not nearly crispy enough, and obviously poured into the fryer from a frozen bag. The Cobb salad was standard issue, but was horrifyingly drenched in some institutional grade ranch dressing, which conflicted with the chunks of blue cheese. The seared prime beef sushi roll was pretty good but there was no apparent searing, and the flan dessert was excellent.

Fabulous restaurant in the heart of the Balboa Park! Spacious with great interior and even nicer outdoor seating with a view and fountain side!!! Staff is very friendly with even the bus boy introducing himself to customers! I liked that as it added a touch of classiness! Menu is pretty good food wise and drink wise but I only had a salad. Cobb salad is absolutely great! I loved it. I asked for different dressing and that was easily accommodated! All in all - this is a great place to meet friends for drinks or dinner, or have even larger celebration!!!

The large outdoor patio is absolutely beautiful. Enjoyed a cocktail and the best beat salad with goat cheese, fantastic!!! I would highly recommend

Wendy was wonderful! She was very informative! Great food! We were there with family for lunchSteak sandwich was the bomb!