Amaya La Jolla

I dined in the lounge which had live music. Lounge has dim lighting and nice ambiance. The live band was good (except one of the singers) and very entertaining while drinking and having a light meal.
Service was excellent! It is rare that all staff members are so accommodating at restaurants, so a place like this truly stands out. I wish all restaurants understood the importance of great service.
Food was very good. I ordered tuna appetizer and trout entrée. I recommend them both, especially the trout with lentils. Great combination of flavor.
The chef brought out a complimentary sorbet for dessert which was also very good and adds to the great customer service that Amaya offers.
I was told by our waitress that the menu is changing to French themed and there will be more of a club atmosphere with DJ’s where the lounge is currently located. I will be interested to see how that works out.
If you are in La Jolla I highly recommend stopping in for a bite or drinks. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve walked by Amaya numerous times when in La Jolla, and only until Mother’s Day did I finally get to dine here. The interior was classy and old-​fashioned, similar to Amaya at the Grand Del Mar. I felt this location was more formal, which is the opposite of how I would imagine a beach location vs. a 5-​star hotel.
Parking can be a nightmare on weekends. If you insist on free parking like me, your best bet is the surrounding neighborhoods. Amaya isn’t cheap, and the area is nice to walk in, so just park far and walk if you can!
They had a special three-​course menu for Mother’s Day, so I can’t comment on the regular menu. However, as I’m sure this special menu reflects their regular menu, the food is top notch.
Beet Salad — As a fairly fast eater, it’s rare when I take a bite, close my eyes, and savor the food for as long as possible. These beets are so full of flavor it’s ridiculous. This really set the tone for the rest of the meal.
Salmon — The salmon was perfectly cooked. The portion was small, but makes up for it in quality. The greens it comes with are also amazing. Excellent entrée.
Chocolate Mousse (?) — Not 100% sure the name is correct, because this item isn’t on their regular menu. However, it was SO SO GOOD. This was the richest-​tasting chocolate I’ve ever tasted. We requested to our server that this be put on the regular menu so others could experience this wonderful dessert. PERFECT ending to a great meal.
Lemon Genoise — I also got to taste this other dessert. This is another rich-​tasting, sponge-​like cake served with berries, but easily overshadowed by the chocolate dessert. I could appreciate this dessert as a lover of lemon desserts, but it was just OK.
The Mother’s Day menu was $ 65 a person, so perhaps save Amaya La Jolla for special occasions. If looking for high-​quality food in La Jolla, definitely stop by.

This place is amazing. Came with my wife and another couple. All 4 of us were thrilled with our dishes. And the service was superb. Everything first class. It was so sad that this restaurant was practically empty. They must be having difficulty getting the word out because if people knew how wonderful it is, it would be packed.

Wow is the only word that can sum up what I think of Amaya. Walking into this place I was skeptical because it was super empty. Michael was our server and he was 100% on point. He had extensive knowledge of the menu and made perfect recommendations for us. The octopus appetizer was so tender it basically melted in my mouth. The sea bass and the duck entrees were incredible. All the components worked so well together and I was totally happy with my dining experience. Just a fyi though portions are small.

Turn on the old school charm.
Very glad we had our anniversary dinner here because the experience was very positive. The location is near the water and area is very walkable. (though parking (!) can be hard) The servers were friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and very attentive. I really enjoyed watching them pour wine with perfect posture. These guys do yoga… Reminds me of those statutes in front of old italian restaurant. The whole vibe of the restaurant was very old school and charming with the crystal chandeliers and silk drapes. The food of course is the most important, and it was good overall:
House bread with butter–
I was served a mixture of pretzel rolls, cheese and herb biscuits and mini corn muffins. All were delicious and the herb biscuit was exceptional. The butter was house made and the wedge I was served had 3 layers: butter pecan, herb and salted butter. Delicious!
Day boat scallop and beef short rib–
AMAZING! For $ 16 you get one piece of short rib and one scallop but it was so worth it. When I tasted the scallop I was thinking that it was the best scallop I’ve ever had and then my husband said it out load. So validating. :) The short rib was delicious as well, not too sure how I feel about the vanilla– cauliflower purée and sweet huckleberry sauce paired with it.
Cumin dusted lamb sirloin–
Delicious, but the portions were so small. :(*sigh*… fine dining. The lamb was seasoned and prepared perfectly but I’m not too sure I was a fan of the merguez sausage with minted yogurt. Yes, of course I ate it all. It was $ 38!
Maple leaf farms duck breast–
Again, the duck was cooked perfectly I must say but the portions were still a bit on the small side for entrees. ($ 32) Everything on the dish really meshed well with each other and was very balanced and yummy.
Trio of cheesecakes–
Vanilla, hazelnut and passionfruit made up the trio and of the three vanilla was my favorite. This was a good dessert but I wouldn’t say it was the best cheesecake I’ve had. You get a decent portion in my opinion for $ 9.
4 stars for great food but small entrée portions. Also, you asked me if I was celebrating anything special when making the reservation but you forgot about me!

I love this new (newish…I may be late to the punch) restaurant in La Jolla! Came with my husband on a weeknight after Christmas and had a great time! Gorgeous restaurant, though completely empty on a Thursday, which was a bummer because I want this place to make it! Anyway we had our pick of tables and got a great one in the center area of the restaurant. Our server was also quite thorough, attentive, and sincere throughout dinner.
So let’s start with the pretzel rolls and cornbread and butter. WOW. Three different flavors of butter, with honey pecan being my fave. All so good. We ordered the day boat scallop and beef short rib appetizer, which was the RIGHT answer. Really tasty, perfectly done scallop and melt-​in-​your-​mouth ribs with creamy cauliflower purée and huckleberry sauce. For our entrees we ordered the sauteed garlic prawns (me) and the duo of sea bass special (hubby). I don’t usually order prawns or shrimp as a meal and had wanted to branch out, and they were pretty darn good with the gnocchi and broccolini. However, my husband’s sea bass is what really shone… one done as a tender, meaty fillet, the other almost in the form of a crab cake. Unreal! I may actually order that when we return…
For dessert, we ordered the chocolate truffle torte which involved a bananas foster topping and banana ice cream. What? As if that wouldn’t be delicious.
Need to make another rezzie and get back here quick! I thought every part of the experience was fantastic.

Amaya La Jolla has an elegant interior with nice woodwork and dark red tones. My dinner was quite good overall but not outstanding. I had a wonderful time spoiling a dear friend who wanted to try Amaya during restaurant week. Happy belated birthday!
I enjoyed a well balanced French Sauvignon Blanc for $ 12 which our server described well. (Les Deux) My friend was pleased with her red wine for $ 15 per glass (Rocca).
Our fresh bread basket had a nice variety.
My butternut squash soup with smoked duck and clover honey was my favorite of everything that I tasted. There were only bits of duck, but the flavors were original and delicate, and although the soup wasn’t as hot as I prefer, I ate every drop of it.
My slow-​roasted center cut pork chop was fine and thick, and the peppercorn sauce was nice, but this entrée seemed a bit boring. The pork chop sat atop a concoction called hash which the menu describes as mushroom, potato, and blue cheese, but the texture of this hash was a bit too gummy for me, and too salty for my taste. I prefer a lot of flavor and interesting spices but without much salt.
Dessert was tasty but not addicting. We shared 2 desserts and I didn’t finish mine. The chocolate caramel & cashew tart was my favorite of the 2 desserts. We also shared the apple cranberry cobbler.
I also had decaf coffee which came in a French press. It was a gourmet coffee with a hearty body, but some of the coffee grounds managed to get loose into my cup. When I told my server, he said, well, this happens, it’s a French press. Really? It’s never happened to me before. 0-​; This wasn’t a helpful answer. I ended up asking for a clean empty cup, and I waited a few minutes, hoping the coffee grounds would settle so I could pour a fresh cup. Of course while I waited, the coffee cooled off, and I prefer to drink it hot. A gourmet restaurant like Amaya should be able to serve me a cup of hot coffee without coffee grounds in it.
The bill came to about $ 143, before tip, for 2 people, for the restaurant week menu and drinks. Amaya in La Jolla is worth a try. I might return to try lunch sometime. I always enjoy treating my friend to celebrate her birthday. (-;

Very nice. Signature breads a must. We appreciated meeting Executive Chef Cameron Woods who spent time with us talking about the hard work that is going into creating a memorable dining experience.
We look forward to returning especially to check out the music.

Lovely! Why was this place nearly empty on a Sunday night? I have no idea. But I’m so glad I didn’t miss out!
Let’s just start with the bread and butter, shall we? The bread was totally interesting and tasty! Delicious mini-​corn muffins, some kind of buttery, herbal muffin, tasty buns… and the butter was so pretty! Whatever was in the green stripe in our butter triangle was awesome. I would buy that by the stick if I could. Delicious. I know better than to fill up on bread at a restaurant, but I couldn’t help but taste each kind. It was worth it.
For starters, I had the Suzie’s Farm salad, which was essentially a nice beet salad. Delicious. Sweet beets, lightly dressed frisee. I like that the dressing for everything else mostly dressed the plate and you had the choice of how much to dip into to season your veggies. Beautiful presentation, delicious taro chips. My friend had the crab and lobster bisque. Delicious. Visible chunks of crab in the bisque. For my entrée I had the cumin dusted lamb, medium rare. Came out perfectly cooked, fantastically seasoned. Delicate, tender meat, nicely roasted figs mingled into the mix– a great combination. I was wondering how the Merguez sausage might play out with the rest of the dish, but it was a very nice contrast/​accent to the dish. Full of flavorful spice, tamed mildly by the yogurt sauce. Very tender. My friend ordered the seared striped bass– nicely seasoned, crispy skin, generous portion. For dessert, the chocolate truffle torte. Decadence. I was convinced to order this dessert by the bananas foster ice cream that accompanied it. It was wonderful. I loved the hazelnut brittle mixed in with the caramel sauce… I could eat just that with the bananas over the ice cream alone and be happy, but the torte itself was so rich and divine. I am not even a sweets person, but there was something that charmed my tastebuds with this one!
Service was stellar, nice wine selection– we had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which went wonderfully with our meal. The servers hold the wine for you in the back and pour as your glass needs attending. I was definitely spoiled by a special dinner this evening! I think next time I will have to order the bisque for myself as well. :)

This is an absolutely wonderful looking restaurant inside and out which at first glance looks unaffordable but really provides an elegant atmosphere that is a lot more affordable that you would think.
The service matches the décor, it is five star all the way. The outside seating area allows for some of the best people and auto watching in the world and the lunch menu is fabulous. I would suggest the crab and lobster bisque, the fried okra, and fried chicken and butter lettuce. Yes, indeed I did say fried chicken in La Jolla.

Decided to try this place for restaurant week with some friends. Pretty posh place! Décor was fancy. I asked for a booth because it had cute pillows and looked comfy. They give you an array of breads with a triangular shaped butter that had different colors and flavors. I chose the chile lime shrimp for my starter– it was pretty good, not spicy enough and the grilled sourdough bread it came with was not crunchy enough. All of us ordered the pork chop and it was yummy. The sides and presentation was nice. For dessert, each of us got something different. There was the mini trio of cheesecakes, the chocolate torte, and the lemon crème brûlée. The cheesecakes were super cute and the best of the bunch! The crème brûlée was extremely lemony and came with pretty figs and a red velvet slice– weird combo lol. Service was excellent– they refilled our waters when we needed it and we didn’t have to ask for anything.

Came here for an anniversary dinner (and it happened to be restaurant week too) and had a pretty average dining experience.
My boyfriend and I were seated at a half booth/​half chair table made for 4 people. The table was awkwardly large, so we chose to sit side by side on the booth to look out and «people watch».
Our waiter was kind, but not memorable. The food was just average, which surprised me, considering how bougie the place was. The only dish I was in satisfied with was the tomato salad. It was refreshing and light, but that’s about it. I had the tenderloin for the entrée. Again just average. Nothing really stuck out to me about the dish, nothing special that would set the restaurant out from the bunch.
The best part about that dinner was the company, and the restaurant was just a-​okay.

This place is phenomenal! Everything from the ambience to the service and the food were impeccable. I’ve been wanting to try this place and SD Restaurant Week finally gave me that push to get off my big booty and try it.
The Good:
Honey Pecan Butter
Filet cooked medium rare (perfection!!)
chocolate something or other desert with vanilla bean ice cream (I had a bit of wine by dessert so I can’t remember the name)
The wine pairings
Excellent waiter
great atmosphere
What has two thumbs and loves Amaya La Jolla? This guy…
We will definitely be going back!

«VERY quiet Lunch
Restaurant had good publicity and reviews so, when we found ourselves in La Jolla on a Saturday at lunchtime, we decided to try it. There were only two other tables when we came in making the restaurant very quiet… if not unsettling as it is a large space. But perhaps we were just there at the wrong time to get the full Amaya experience. When I called ahead to see if I needed reservations we were told yes (but why when it was empty?) and then asked if we had any allergies. Confidentially, I can monitor my own «prescription» food selections and under HIPPA guidelines I wonder with who they are sharing my allergy list? I found some of this dinning experience silly. I’m an adult and can monitor my own healthily/​unhealthy choices! What will be the next thing that I am asked when making reservations at a restaurant?
We ordered the pizza flatbread which was fine but the same as evey other flatbread around except for the «use» of local ingredients? My husband and I both had salads. I had the grilled shrimp salad and he had the fried chicken salad. Mine was lovely… great tasting grilled shrimp with nice salad dressing which was requested as lightly dressed and it was perfect. My husband reported that his salad was also good. Were these the best salads ever? No, but the service was professional and the atmosphere well done. Will we be back? Probably not.

Another new La Jolla restaurant that fails to hit the mark.
Arrived for 6:45 Sat night reservation. Restaurant was at least two thirds empty but they wanted to seat us (three people) right on top of the one large party there. They did kindly move us but why do restaurants always try to pack you together?
Cocktails were good.
Heirloom tomato app with burrata was fair. Tomatoes were passed their peak and cheese was a little runny.
Butter lettuce salad was good.
Small basket of breads and rolls was enjoyable.
Very long delay getting main courses despite the small number of diners.
The southern «special» of fried chicken was somewhat salty. It was served with only a small side of Mac n cheese and no veggie. I think it was $ 30… Not cheap.
The duo of beef dish combined short rib (very small portion, average flavor) and a larger portion of NY steak. Ordered it medium well and it was served very rare. Sent it back and they still didn’t get it right. Served with brocollini and mashed potatoes. Not a memorable dish.
No Willamette Valley Pinot Noir by the glass but the Cali selection was very decent.
I wanted to write to Amaya’s manager to suggest they need to do better if they expect repeat guests or get good worth of mouth from LJ locals.
There is no link on their website to contact their manager.
To be complete, our server and the staff in general were very friendly and accommodating. The décor of the restaurant is pleasant, styled after the Grand Del Mar hotel. It was definitely an older crowd but maybe because it was still relatively early or perhaps the prices kept the younger crowd out. I don’t object to paying «fine dining» prices but the product should live up to the price.
I’m disappointed to say that Amaya La Jolla did not impress us enough that we feel any interest in returning.

Had a small group dinner here a couple of months ago. I’m a little unsure of what the message is for this restaurant. While it represents itself as a stuffy, old fashioned luxury restaurant, the food was mostly gussied up comfort food. The gussying up also results in very expensive dishes.
There was a fried chicken and waffle sandwich which most of the group got to try, but I’ve had better at much more reasonable prices. We also had the sweetbreads, shrimp and quail appetizers and nothing really stood out about any of them.
I had the duck main course. While the duck was prepared very well, I do not remember anything special about it.
The location and build out of that location screams «special occasion» the food, not so much.

I stopped into Amaya with my husband and in-​laws for some after dinner drinks and desserts. We initially stopped somewhere else and weren’t too pleased with the scotch selection, so we left and went to Amaya.
When we first walked in, we were greeted immediately by a very friendly hostess. I mentioned we were interested in drinks and desserts and she welcomed us and said that we could sit in either the main dining room or in the M lounge (with live music). (The other place we stopped at actually had us move from the table we were sitting at because we weren’t ordering dinner, even though the tables weren’t full.) We chose the lounge and as we walked to it, we noticed and admired the opulent décor as we were greeted by multiple other employees.
My husband and father-​in-​law were interested in Scotch and they both thought there was an excellent Scotch selection and enjoyed their whiskey. I had a nice glass of Sauternes with my berry trifle dessert. Our server was very nice and attentive. When I couldn’t decide between the Sauternes and Muscat, she brought both for me to taste and make my decision. My mother-​in-​law had the Peach float dessert (which came with a bottle of vanilla crème soda) and we both thought they were very nice. Each of our desserts came with a cookie or two (mine had 2 macaroons).
The lounge was very laid back and we enjoyed the live musician (he played the piano as well as the saxophone; pretty good voice too). There are multiple TVs in the lounge, so it would be a nice, classy spot to have a drink and enjoy the game. I’ll definitely be back to try the food.

Five stars for the lobster bisque and the spicy chili lime shrimp – both were superb! – as appetizers. Five stars for the pretzel-​like rolls (crunchy, salty on the outside) which came with this great butter spread wit three different butter flavors. Also, five stars for service.
We think that the main dishes are not as good as appetizers. We had the chilean sea bass which was on top of a seabass that was like a spicy crab cake; they were good but not great. We also ordered the striped sea bass which had a crispy skin and came in a sauce that was a little too sweet (tomato based with red pepper).
We would love to try the daily southern specials and will return.
We really liked Club M – the lounge with live music. That night, Blue Liquid Band (or rather three of its members) were singing and they were great.

Megan the bartender was very delightful. Why spend all that money at Herringbone?
This is the real deal.
Bravo Papa Doug.
xxxooo

Since I love the original Amaya location in The Grand Del Mar, I decided to come here to check out their new outpost in La Jolla since I no longer live down the street from The Grand Del Mar.
Walking in to the La Jolla Amaya, I felt like it was exactly like the Amaya in The Grand. The décor was exactly the same.
Now the menu is almost identical to the original Amaya, but the one new thing they added was they have a nightly southern special. Each night is something different, like fried chicken, bbq ribs, shrimp and grits, etc. And like the original Amaya, the bread that comes out is the yummy pretzel bread.
My friend and I ordered 3 entrees between the 2 of us! We couldn’t decide whether to get the duck breast, the branzini or the cannelloni, so we ordered all 3! We decided to split the cannelloni as an appetizer though. As usual, I had to order the lobster bisque. I still believe this place has the best bisque ever. I always get a lobster bisque at fine dining establishments, and of all the places that I have tried, Amaya still has the best. All the food was perfectly prepared but I did expect it having the Amaya name.
The service was also top notch. I am very picky when it comes to service at fine dining places, and I had no complaints at all from any of the Amaya staff. I really feel like the service is just as important as the food in a fine dining establishment for the overall experience.
After my friend and I gorged on our dinner, which we finished everything we ordered, we went back to the Club M section in the back of the restaurant to listen to the live music. We were blown away by the entertainment that was there on a Monday night!
I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a wonderful dining atmosphere with simply delicious food. I will be back for sure, even though I do not like going into La Jolla.