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Saint James French Diner, San Diego, CA

Saint James French Diner

4.6
4.6
275 Reviews
$31 to $50
French American

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM
Booked 20 times today

About this restaurant

  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for happy hour
This American diner meets elegant French bistro is open Monday–Friday for Breakfast and Lunch, every day for Dinner and Happy Hour, and on the weekends for Brunch. With a full bar and an approachable menu, locals and travelers can indulge in a variety of French-inspired classics, from shared mussels to ratatouille and burgers.

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French American
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 7:00 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 7:00 am–10:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Offers

  • Daily Happy Hour!

    Multiple dates available
    Tue - Wed - 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
    Daily from 3pm - 6pm. $4 Beers, $6 select wines by the glass $8 cocktails, and $10 burgers all night long! Served 3pm-6pm.

    Daily Happy Hour! Photo
  • Society Brunch Club!

    Multiple dates available
    Sun - 10:00 AM - 2:45 PM,Sat - 10:00 AM - 2:45 PM
    Join us for Society Brunch Club Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm. Make your brunch sparkle with Bottomless Mimosas or a Saint James Combo! Cheers to you, San Diego!

    Society Brunch Club! Photo
  • Tuesdays All Night Happy Hour!

    Multiple dates available
    Tue - 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    Make Tuesday's your spot! $4 Beers, $6 select wines by the glass $8 cocktails, and $10 burgers all night long! Served 3pm-10pm.

    Tuesdays All Night Happy Hour! Photo

What 275 people are saying

Saint James French Diner reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Diego

    Most Booked 1000-Point Tables

  • San Diego

    Most Booked 1000-Point Tables

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Saint James French Diner offers an authentic French dining experience with "superb service" and delightful dishes like the "Parisienne burger" and "French onion soup." The charming setting and teamwork-oriented staff make it a "must visit" in San Diego. Reservations are recommended, especially for busy times.

275 Reviews
  1. Chip VIP

    Atlanta10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Creighton (sp?) and Shea were the cherry on top of great service and a great meal. Steak frites and chicken were enjoyed with Ratatouille and green beans. lovely Sancerre to enjoy as well

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  2. Victoria

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a delightful and delicious evening. Service by Creighton was superb as was the busboy. Everything was exceptional and we will definitely be back. Noise was very loud but somehow when dessert arrived, an amazing chocolate soufflé, we forgot about how noisy it was, probably because we stopped talking so we could devour the dessert.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service and great food! Will be back to try the happy hour!
    Saint James French DinerResponded on March 7, 2025
    Thank you for your kind words! We're glad you enjoyed everything and can't wait to have you back for happy hour!

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles1 review

    3.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Parking was a situation. It should be more explicit in the description online about the parking. And the service at the restaurant was not up to par. Communication with the waiter was not very clear. The drinks took a long time to come out.
    Saint James French DinerResponded on March 7, 2025
    Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your feedback as we continually work to improve.

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  5. Andrew

    San Diego10 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 28, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    I’m just here to comment about three things. 1. Hands down the best French Onion Soup in San Diego, it’s literally perfect! The crisped pâte feuilletée with Comté draped & crisped over the bol à tête de lion is heaven (the French even make the classic bowl French onion soup comes in sound like you want to eat that too 😉). 2. THE Best under-the-radar burger in San Diego! The Burger Parisienne is a symphony of flavors with a proprietary blend of freshly ground beef, caramelized onions, American Cheese (THE only cheese any self respecting burger should ever have), & the coup de grâce is their bordelaise, not only is it in this unique burger presentation, but clearly the chef knows how to make it the old school way. The demi-glace with bone marrow does not go unnoticed. My guess as to one of the other reasons the French onion soup is so good is because of the demi-glace 3. The lady who served us, I didn’t get her name, was an absolute delight!
    Saint James French DinerResponded on March 7, 2025
    Thank you for your thoughtful review! We're thrilled you enjoyed the food and the warm service—we truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back soon!

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  6. Jennifer

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 24, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was a great find for a quick meal before we went to the Civic Theater. We each chose a different burger from the happy hour menu, and everyone agreed it was great burger. The happy hour cocktails were wonderful as well!!! I can't address the other items on the menu but the burgers and cocktails were outstanding. Service was wonderful, attentive but not overly hovering!!
    Saint James French DinerResponded on March 7, 2025
    Thank you for stopping by before your show! We’re glad that you enjoyed the food, cocktails, and service, and we hope to welcome you back again soon!

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  7. Noah

    San Diego19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Good atmosphere and delicious food. Would definitely go back for there happy hour and half off on burgers again!

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  8. Maurice VIP

    San Francisco11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It hits the right spot! Not pretentious, just warm and welcoming with a great diner/bistro atmosphere. The staff was super friendly! Food 5 stars!
    Saint James French DinerResponded 7 days ago
    Glad you had a great time! We love keeping things warm and welcoming—hope to see you again soon!

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  9. Kim

    Atlanta1 review

    3.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was good. Service was lacking. Never checked on us had to flag them down for anything we needed. Expected a little better.
    Saint James French DinerResponded 7 days ago
    Glad you enjoyed the food! Sorry to hear the service wasn’t quite there—we appreciate the feedback and hope to do better next time.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego1 review

    2.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    I made the mistake of coming here for valentines day. We were informed on arrival that there was a prefix menu and could only order from that menu for the night. Something like that should be communicated before arrival so we know what kind of dining experience we would be getting. I was actually excited for a number of things on their regular menu and was disappointed to find out about the limited selection for the night. I did make the decision to dine in despite the limited menu which is something I regret. The appetizers were good but very small, think 2 small oysters as an app. The entree we both chose of the two options was the beef wellington, which was delicious and really saved the experience from being a total disaster. Now for the fun part, there was one dessert option listed as, "build your own smores". What we got were 4 relatively undercooked marshmallows, and bowl of soupy chocolate and 2 Graham crackers split into 4 pieces. I'm surprised they weren't embarrassed to bring this out. Whoever made that decision on the dessert should be ashamed of themselves. I work in the industry and would consider myself understanding to how restertaunts work but this was a mess from start to finish outside of the beef wellington which was quite good.
    Saint James French DinerResponded 7 days ago
    Sorry to hear the experience wasn’t what you were expecting. We appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration. Glad you enjoyed the beef Wellington, and we hope there’s a chance to make a better impression in the future.

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FAQs

Saint James French Diner is rated 4.6 stars by 275 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM
Booked 20 times today
Google Map for Saint James French Diner

830 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101-6307

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    French American
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 7:00 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 7:00 am–10:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Cash not accepted, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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