Starlite

I was very disappointed with this place.
I decided to book my girlfriends birthday party at Starlite. I wanted to be seated inside because the vibe is cooler, we wanted to be served at our table, and frankly the bar upstairs is a shit-​show getting a drink. I called to confirm the reservation and again specifically requested to be seated inside. Each time they requested I reserved seats upstairs, but I insisted that I wanted to be seated inside. After paying lip service to my request, they seated us outside after having to wait more than 30 minutes. I don’t even know where to begin with that…
I mentioned the situation and got an insincere apology. Ten minutes later, the manager appears. But not to apologize, no this is Starlite, but to tell us we will have to order at the bar because they can’t be bothered with splitting tabs. This was the situation I wanted to avoid — having to lean over bar patrons, scream over the ambient noise to make an order, and the squeeze between to seated patrons to pick up my drinks. When I tried to place an order where the wait staff grab drinks, the bar staff just started barking at me in repetition ‘we don’t serve customer there, we don’t serve customers there, we don’t serve customers there, in repetition until I moved. Previously I thought the cocktails were decent to good, but this night they were not good at all, a ¹⁄₁₀ to a ³⁄₁₀.
The vibe inside is cool and different, but the service was terrible and the drinks are disappointing. Worth checking out once but that’s about it.

Food is amazing. And the customer service awesome. We celebrate my friends 25^th birthday and it had a very nice vibe and like I said amazing food everybody was happy with their food.

Starlite has been my favorite place in San Diego for food & drinks for years. it’s the perfect place to socialize over food and drink, and the décor is just enchanting. Perfect cocktails, delicious food options for literally any dietary restriction, and amazing management that takes the experience of every customer very seriously. A+ all the way.

Love the ambiance of this spot! The mules were recommended & great! I don’t think we ate here but I heard the kitchen is open late… Definitely a spot to try. Ps– parking here is awful.

You know it’s an amazing restaurant when they don’t offer you any incentive to write a Unilocal review & you had such a good experience there that you feel the need to do so anyway!
I had dinner with my boyfriend last night and everything from the service to the food was perfect! Ordered a cheese/​salami/​olive board to start and ended with the fish of the day & steak. Our meals were so yummy, our waters were always filled, and everyone working there helps, which I love… Would definitely recommend this hidden gem to anyone looking for a new spot!

Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
I wish I had the perfect Moscow Mule…
*Poof* The Starlite Mule shows up! Happy Hour Starlite Mules are $ 8 all night Sundays and Mondays. You can also purchase the cool copper mugs individually or for $ 25, for a set of 4.
Not only does this bar serve a mean moscow mule, the interior is fabulous (great for Instagram photos)! All specialty drinks are $ 10, and the ambiance is quite intimate. Since we got to the bar quite late, we weren’t able to check out their back patio area. Will definitely be back for that!

This is my go to late night spot for food and drinks in SD. I love the lounge/​chill vibe. Servers are hip and friendly. Super chill.
The food is definitely above average. Tough to imagine a place that serves better late night food. I have had many things on the menu, and they all please. I have yet to be disappointed. The ice cream sandwiches are a must.
Now lets talk about drinks. The bartenders cook up some mean cocktails. I prefer the starlite mule but there are plenty of other good choices. Be warned! These drinks pack a punch. Über or Lyft required if you have two
There is a cool outdoor space if you wanna sit outside. Or you can chill inside at a booth. Either way, you will enjoy.

I’ve come here three times. The food is not good and the drinks are mediocre. I really want this place to work since it’s so close to my house.
It has a wonderful ambiance but everything the waiters have ever recommended were not good.

In my lonesome days living in SD, this place was the only recluse that carried my favourite rare whiskies w/​awesome cheese + charcuterie plates to boot. 7+ years later, it still has the same vibe + same awesome drink snacks. when my friends say SD, i always think of this place (+ a couple mom + pop eateries) but it makes me nostalgic happy pants coming here — btw the cocktails (i.e. moscow) still rival the noob places if you’re someone that knows spirits + carry any innate distaste for girlie cocktails.

LOVE this place!
Have only had good experiences here for dinner, drinks, dates, ladies nights, work happy hours, you name it!
The starlite mule is my classic go to. And the mac n cheese… yes, yes, yes! Perfectly portioned, just the right amount of creaminess and toasty breadcrumbs to top it off.
You can pick your ambience… dark inside or spend you evening under the stars out on the back bar/​patio under their retractable roof.

We discovered this gem thanks to all the Unilocalers! It’s a small place that is well decorated and cozy. Every dish we ordered was great! We had the beet and beef soup, the mac and cheese, and the seared swordfish of the day. We also had the fried chickpeas and local vegetable. That was so delightfully good. It had the consistency of potato and kale.
We ordered the ice cream sandwich for dessert. The cookies were too frozen so the sandwich was slightly wet. A bit disappointing since all the reviews sang its praises.
Cocktails– hands down amazing! So refreshing!
This is a great place for unwinding with friends– yummy food, amazing drinks, and excellent service.

The mac’n’cheese!
Oh yes.
So good.
Now, I came here after a few other places and was already feeling friendly from libations.
But what I remember from the night was… mac’n’cheese.
And I will be back.
For more.
Mac’n’cheese.

This place is cool, real cool. Midcentury modern, mature environment, laid back music, low lights.
There was a bit of a wait, but there was bar seating on the covered patio. The staff was laid back, but attentive.
I ordered the swordfish. It was cooked to perfection. The mac n cheese, burgers, and cocktails were fabulous.
I am definitely returning. Good place to impress a out of town guest or first date

Issac’s (and my) realtor recently hosted her birthday party at Starlite. Since Cam and I can’t afford a house any more, her realtor services are on hold for us right now. However, if you’re looking to buy a house, we definitely recommend her if you’re looking for a great realtor!
I digress. Starlite is a restaurant bar in the outskirts of Mission Hills. It’s definitely within walking distance of central Mission Hills, so it only took us about 20 slow walking minutes to get there from Issac’s house. I’m not sure what the situation on parking is, but I did see a valet service when we walked in.
Speaking of walking in, it was dark inside the restaurant. I was almost shocked at how dark it was, but once my eyes adjusted, I saw that the ambiance was really nice — candle lit and romantic. I noticed that most of the tables were reserved, but since we were part of the party on the back patio, we made our way over there.
The patio gets a lot of sun near sunset, so the overhang was still covering the patio, but once the sun set enough, they opened the overhang and we got to enjoy an hour of blue skies before the sun fully set. The back patio was also really nice — although you’re outdoors, it still kind of feels like you’re inside because of the high walls. The bar is also located here, and they definitely know how to make a margarita.
Our realtor ordered assorted bites for everyone to share. I believe she ordered the french fries, chickpea battered local greens, cheese & charcuterie boards, and the broccoli and cheddar fritters. Everything tasted great, but did I mention that the margaritas were awesome?
Overall, I’m definitely interested in coming back to Starlite. The staff was extremely friendly and the entire place was super comfortable to talk and hang out with people. I’ll definitely be making a reservation for dinner.

This past weekend, I was in San Diego. I was there once before, also for a weekend, so, it was great to be able to hit up some spots that I wasn’t able to before. First stop was at Starlite in Midtown. This restaurant and bar prides itself in its architecture and aesthetic, as well it should, because all the details are pretty stunning. Which, you’ll see as soon as you walk through their hexagonal front doors.
To start, I had their Starlite Mule (Rain Vodka, ginger beer, lime, Angostura bitters). Now, aside from this drink just looking large and in charge, the contents were just as great. Not too strong, not too weak, and tastes delicious. I mean, I’m not sure what else you could ask for. Well, maybe to keep the cool mug. Oh wait, you can totally purchase that there too. Damn, they’ve thought of everything.
As an appetizer for the table, we got Broccoli and Cheddar Fritters (with honey mustard sauce). Definitely order these. The fritters are golden brown and crisp on the outside, and filled with chopped broccoli and cheddar. You get those nostalgic flavors of cheddar covered broccoli you ate as a kid (because slathering cheese over food is a sure fire way to get a kid to eat their veggies), mixed with the light, bready texture and rich flavor of the batter. Dip those bad boys (or girls) in the honey mustard sauce, take a bite, fall in love. Repeat.
Then as a main I ordered the Grilled Octopus (marinated garbanzo beans, arugula, smoked paprika aioli and lemon). Well, octopus is one of my favorite things, so, I had to order it and put theirs to the test. Luckily, they passed. The octopus was cooked perfectly, totally tender and lightly crisp from the slight char on the outside. The aioli was a nice component for a bit of dipping, adding a nice smokiness and creaminess to each bite.

One of my favorite spots to hang out and enjoy sustenance! Parking can be challenging especially since the street out front is a one way. **Tip: Try not to accidentally miss the restaurant. I usually come at night, bit I do recommend visiting around dusk because they feature an outdoor patio that has lots of chill to it. The place isn’t huge but they make up for it with flavor. The drink menu is simple and each drink is handmade (As opposed to??) My starter drink is usually the Starlite Mule. If you sit around the bar long enough, you will see tons of mules being made. Yes, its that good! The food is great too. I usually order «The Burger.» If they are offering the Pork Belly Toast… get it! Your welcome.

Starlite Starlite Starliiiiite … 3 words Chic, fun, and Fancy.
(not classy, but fancy ;)
came here on the Wednesday with a friend and it was busy, however that didn’t keep the employees from offering great customer service. Everyone was super chill and seemed happy.
Food:
Tonights theme was «sharing is caring» so my buddy and i decided to share everything. We tried the fried octopus, oysters, mac & cheese, and washed it down with a refreshing mule.
fried octopus — Ugh-​May-​Ziing! Cooked to perfection, and not chewy at all.
oysters — Not bad at all. however i didn’t expect 4 oysters for $ 15. They were good though.
mac n’ cheese — if you don’t want to commit to a whole one, share it with a friend.
cool date spot, also good for snagging drinks with friends.

God I want to like this place as much as everybody else! It just disappoints every single time I’ve come here.
Yes they are known for their so called «best Moscow mules». To be honest it’s not that great! They were known as the original Moscow mule place with the copper mugs, but now that it’s blown up so much, every other trendy place serves it in a copper mug! They add tooooo much bitters.
Secondly known for their burgers… If you like burnt charred burgers, yes then they are known for that. Third a very limited expensive menu. This time we got the hanger steak and the octopus. The hanger steak was the worst piece of meat ever! It was chewy, had this weird taste to it (probably old) and it tasted like asshole. And I had bad assholes before, but this left a nasty taste in your mouth. What a waste of $ 25 bucks. The octopus on the other hand was decent. But for that price you expect waaaaaaaay much more in flavors.
I reallllllly want to like this place as much as everybody else but it always and I mean always falls short! Do I come at the worst time or they just hate me? I’ve given this place many chances! I’m very easy, I love good food, simple as that! Sometimes it’s the horrible slow service, other times the food is off… Now and days where there’s so many new trendy uppity places opening run by well known chefs, starlite doesn’t cut it anymore.
I really don’t get why people like this place?

You cannot not love a restaurant with a hexagon entrance! My girlfriends & I came here for Happy Hour 5p-​7p.
Starlite Mule — Comes in the famous copper mug. So refreshing & flavorful, I had to order 2!
French Fries — Good, love the garlic lemon aioli.
Chickpea Battered Local Greens — Really flavorful, I highly recommend it! My mouth enjoyed the lemon yogurt sauce.
Mac& Cheese — Buttery crumb toppings… Delicious!
Parking is horrible, especially at 6p! There is valet in the front for $ 7 until 930p.

I’m fair. But this place could be better and I might give them a chance but not sure.
A foodie friend and I go this late night spot after I chose it finding it on here.
Greeted nicely and told since we were there to have a drink and eat that we could sit at the bar, patio or the tables. We go in and have a seat at a table not marked for reserved. We waited patiently yet no one. We were approached by one of the doorman approached us and told us that those tables were reserved. We were just told we could sit at the tables… ok.
We get to order rather fast at the bar and the the mule house specialty. Good but not impressive. A spot opens at the bar, we sit and we order the grilled octopus as a starter to share. We had been waiting to eat all day so we were excited to see how the first dish would fair. Beyond rubbery. The chick pea salad that accompanied was clean and tasty but the octopus was way below expectations. Tasted frozen and a slightly fishy scent. Fresh should not smell fishy.
Needless to say our experience was lack luster and did not wow. I will give this place another shot and just hope it was a bad night. Friday night.

5 Stars for our bar server Jack!
Came here for Happy Hour on a Friday night.
TIP: Bar is open for drinks however the kitchen doesn’t open until 5pm. Happy Hour every day until 7pm.
Jack was very accommodating and took our order prior to the kitchen being open and made sure to have it in at 5pm. Thanks Jack! Now that’s customer service.
So why the «3» stars? Bummer, the food was not up to par.
My friend and I ordered the following:
Chickpea Battered Greens in Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Coffee rubbed pulled pork toast with arugula & pickled red onion.
The Burger on a brioche bun with dijonnaise, house made pickles and fries.
The coffee rubbed pulled pork was probably the best dish out of all three dishes. Trust me, it does not taste like coffee at all. I ordered the burger medium and it came out very well done. **see my photo. Normally I would return it and have it remade however since I shared it with my friend I just let it go and took only bites of it. Also, the burger had no flavor that I asked for salt. (Dry probably because it was well done.) The chickpea looked really good (I glanced at someone else’s dish.) The lemon yogurt sauce was a little strange in taste.
Overall, I’d give this place another try and this time order different dishes. Hopefully they won’t disappoint me like my last visit.

During a recent trip to San Deigo, I had to return to Starlite because I knew my friend would love a bar that’s both retro and modern. It was busy on a Wednesday night but still had spots available at the bar for us.
I love their deliciously crafted cocktails. The Starlite Mule included balanced flavors that was refreshing, fruity, and bubbly in the classic copper mug. I also liked the Pomegranate Sparkler, which tasted like a mimosa. It had prosecco, vodka, and fresh pomegranate juice.
With 5 star cocktails and nice bartenders, it’s my must stop in San Diego for a drink or two or even three.