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James' Place, San Diego, CA

James' Place

4.0
4
1074 Reviews
$31 to $50
Contemporary Asian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Lively
  • Charming
****JAMES PLACE IS NOT CURRENTLY SERVING SUSHI****

James’ Place is a high quality and moderate price dining establishment. Specializing in Asian fusion cuisine, with a large variety of appetizers, and a nice selection of entrees.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Asian, Unspecified, Contemporary American
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Fri 5:00 pm–7:30 pm Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (858) 638-7778
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    James Holder
  • Catering
    James' Place Prime and Seafood offers on site and off site catering
  • Private party facilities
    We offer a Private screened in dining area that can fit up to 18 people, or the out side patio can be reserved for up 32 people for sit down dining, you can also reserve the entire restaurant.
  • Neighborhood
    La Jolla
  • Cross street
    Gilman Dr.
  • Parking details
    Free on Weekends $2 on weekdays after 4:30pm.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,074 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.0
4 based on recent ratings
  • 3.9Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 3.5Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
James' Place is a convenient and charming pre-theatre dining spot adjacent to the La Jolla Playhouse. Guests appreciate the "excellent professional service" and "great location." The varied menu offers delightful options like crispy rice and spicy poke tacos. While some diners mention slower service, the "servers are friendly," and the ambiance is artsy and tranquil.

1,074 Reviews
  1. Thomas

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Charming staff. Great location before the play at La Jolla playhouse. Food is always delicious and interesting

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  2. Paula

    VIP

    San Diego

    24 reviews

    4.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I am so disappointed there is no sushi. I understand it could be me due to waste. The food is solidly good. My mussels were a little overcooked. There was quinoa with the fried tofu which makes no sense. Quinoa's wetness un-crisps the tofu. The ahi tacos were very pleasant. I'm thankful they are right next to LJP for convenience.

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  3. Claudia

    VIP

    San Diego

    24 reviews

    4.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    James place always has great food but because it is only open when a LJP production is up, it often does not have everything on menu. This being said what they do have is always very good !!!

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  4. Beth

    VIP

    San Diego

    61 reviews

    4.0

    61 reviews

    Dined on December 13, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Perfect for before theater dinner. Many delicious choices to suit multiple needs.

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  5. John

    VIP

    San Diego

    49 reviews

    5.0

    49 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful service, lovely ambience, extremely convenient pre-playhouse, great drinks, and magnificent food at a reasonable price. A genuinely terrific experience.

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  6. Guy

    VIP

    San Diego

    42 reviews

    5.0

    42 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife and I shared the fried calamari and the caesar salad. The calamari were outstanding with sauce with just the right amount of spiciness. The salad was wonderful-included several anchovies. The salad was quite ample even with us splitting it. The service is very good. It is the perfect place to enjoy a nice dinner before a performance at La Jolla Playhouse.

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  7. Lori

    VIP

    San Diego

    17 reviews

    1.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    I have come here several times before going to the PLayhouse. Tonight when I arrived, I learned that the sushi chef had quit and there was no sushi. This was disappointing because that is what we always ordered. We ordered two main entrées on the menu and a bottle of wine. We asked for the salad to have no dressing. The server recommended the Ahi sesame crusted as it was the closest to sushi. The salad came with the dressing on it very heavy, and the waitress didn’t apologize nor even comment when we mentioned that we asked it to have no dressing. The Ahi was nothing like I have ever had before. It was basically four slices, not a single piece of fish or sesame encrusted and it was pretty awful. The rice was cold and on the side and it had some cold cabbage around it. Overall both the salad and the Ahi dish were less than mediocre and what you would expect from a cafeteria style restaurant. The service was awful, hard to track down and inaccurate. We were rushing to get a check and get out with less than 10 min before curtain yet we arrived for the reservation an hour and 45 minutes early. I have had issues here with slow service before but tonight the slow and inaccurate service and lack of sushi and poor quality yet expensive food will be the last time I come despite the convenience. No time prior when I gave feedback about an issue with a visit did anyone ever reach out to address it. No surprise people are quitting.

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  8. Adele

    San Diego

    13 reviews

    3.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Food wasn’t served in a timely manner. Dinner was not very warm. All food is overpriced. Ambience is good.

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  9. Christi

    San Diego

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great place to come before a play at the La Jolla playhouse. Can get crowded so come early! Great drinks and food and friendly staff. A bit pricey, but worth it for the location.

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  10. Joyce

    Denver

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 4, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Not sure what the problem was in the kitchen? I have had dinner at James Place before every play for 2 years,and until last night it was terrific. Unfortunately, something must have happened in the kitchen last night and we had to leave to not miss the play without dinner coming out of the kitchen. Whatever the issue was should definitely be remedied. My party was not the only one to not receive their food and people had to just leave to not miss the play.

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FAQs

James' Place is rated 4 stars by 1074 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
Google Map for James' Place

2910 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA 92093

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Gilman Dr.
  • Neighborhood
    La Jolla
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Fri 5:00 pm–7:30 pm Sat 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Asian, Unspecified, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Free on Weekends $2 on weekdays after 4:30pm.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    James Holder
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (858) 638-7778
  • Catering
    James' Place Prime and Seafood offers on site and off site catering
  • Private party facilities
    We offer a Private screened in dining area that can fit up to 18 people, or the out side patio can be reserved for up 32 people for sit down dining, you can also reserve the entire restaurant.
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  • Terms of Use
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