The Guild Restaurant and Lounge

What happened!!!
You sold out to please the clueless masses and now what was once a reliable and very cool place for special dinners flat out SUCKS. Dry, over-​cooked meat, bad wine, zero creativity. Still good service but who cares if your once amazing food has become inedible. Very disappointed. Gave you two more chances after the first bad dinner because we loved you guys so much before (dropped a lot of coin in the process out of good faith). We will not be back. :(
P. S. I would not be this harsh if you hadn’t been so wonderful before. What a loss.

I first heard about The Guild (1805 Newton, 92 113, (619) 564‑7584) on Citysearch and can attest to the fact that all of the hype is well-​deserved. The drive down there was an adventure, to say the least. Located in Barrio Logan, a residential neighborhood with an industrial (a.k.a. «ghetto) feel to it, suddenly one stumbles upon a half blocked of parked Audis, Lexusses (Lexii?), and other luxury marques. Such is the power of the blogosphere.
The architecture and interior are beautiful, in an urban loft sort of way. At one point, someone’s pet dog came down the stairs, like the owners live there or something (?).
The Kobe beef sliders with pommes frites were a messy, greasy gut bomb in that backyard BBQ sort of way. The fries’ asparagus dipping sauce was a nice rebound, though. The squash/​corn/​carrot veggie trio and steak with horseradish foam were OK but not worth ordering again.
The tuna tartare with wasabi foam was the best tasting (we ordered seconds!), but unfortunately worst looking dish, in my opinion. The tuna was raw, extremely fresh, and cut in an almost tangerine-​like sized wedge. It was also infused with chili sesame oil, scallions, and (possibly ponzu) sauce, which all sort of played well in the aftertaste. The foam is bonded together with vegan mayo, which the thought of, quite frankly, almost made me just puke in my mouth (mayonnaise is NOT my friend!). Pancy said it looked more like a mousse than a foam.
Dessert was a chocolate /​strawberry mousse with mini Milano cookies. It was uninspired, but when paired with my capuccino, did an adequete enough job of finishing off the meal with a treat.

Having lived in an industrial area of downtown L.A. for a few years, my husband and I are drawn to non-​destination neighborhoods with atypical downtown views. We thought we’d use The Guild’s $ 30/​person Restaurant Week Prix Fixe special as an excuse to check out a new neighborhood.
Inside and outside, the restaurant had a nice glow and the lower ceilings gave it a cozy feel (granted, the January heat wave may have contributed to my coziness, too). I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the hand-​made chairs had a cut-​out on the back where you can hook your purse, which I appreciate since I understand it’s bad form/​luck for a lady to store her purse on the floor.
The appetizers and entrees were a bit disappointing: the Caesar salad was a paltry 5 Romaine leaves; the soup, on the bland side, had mushy rice and peas in it; the meatloaf was one step away from being a hamburger with a sprinkling of ketchup. And wouldn’t you know it, they had just run out of the chocolate cheesecake when we arrived, leaving only the banana cake and coconut flan, neither of which sounded appealing.
I was so cranky I almost forewent dessert and I am very, very glad I didn’t. The banana cake was a lighter version of Universal Café’s banana bread (in San Francisco), and so good I’m still thinking about it. Not a huge fan of coconut or flan, I enjoyed it nonetheless since it wasn’t overpowered by egg or coconut flavors.
Is an intriguing location, cozy yet urban atmosphere, and great dessert enough to bring us back to try out the regular menu? On half-​price bottle Monday and Tuesday nights, absolutely!

If I could, I’d go 4.5 stars. We went early and the location is not a big plus, but it sure was convenient to our hotel.
The Guild exudes creativity. The setting, the accessories, and, most of all, the food. We has Frites and the stuffed Pasilla chili. The fries were just what they should be, but the stuffed chili was unique.
Our entrees were excellent, the tacos, which were stuffed fat with shredded chicken, wonderfully spiced, and the petite filet which was sliced, sauced, and as tender as could be. Filet Mignon is often bland for lack of fat, this was not.
We enjoyed a great bottle of wine, half priced due to the early hour.
The service was friendly and comfortable.
We couldn’t have been happier. Highly recommended.

Despite being in an area where urban renewal is just starting to take hold, The Guild freakin rocks! The ambiance is chic but low profile, reminds me of spots in Soho NYC. The paintings and furniture are conversational pieces as well as the general architecture.
Service was great as well, the servers were attentive and amiable. Props to Troy our assigned server for not only providing impeccable service but keep us entertained and providing recommendations.
The food is equally great. The Slider mini-​burgers are a ‘must-​have’ when you visit The Guild. The only negative I would give Guild are the menu and wine prices are a bit on the high side. They might want to reconsider lowering their per unit margin a little for recessionary times.

So my parents decided to visit me in downtown and I didn’t know where to go. Its restaurant week and I don’t feel like going to Mister Tiki’s again but I remember there was a Unilocal event at The Guild so… The Guild it is!
The fixed menu looked appetizing but I also wanted to try their caprese salad, it was different. The presentation wasn’t very appealing but the flavor was good. I don’t think most of the fixed menu items are on their regular menu but the main entrees were all very good (Tasmanian Salmon, Veggie Pasta, and Brevette Steak). All the desserts are on the main menu and all were excellent but they do slightly change daily.
They serve sushi here too but I wasn’t able to try any, I’ll have to come back and try it.
The service was friendly and timely and the décor is cool. I don’t like the chairs though… they are ungainly and I feel like I am going to tip over if I lean too much in one direction.
I would give this place a 4 (I still might after I try the sushi) but there was way too many flies for my taste.

This is my second review for this place and unfortunately their rating has not gone up since the last time I was there almost a year ago to date. Once again the service was great, we had a well informed server who was great at describing the menu but it was the food…
They now have sushi with a good choice of rolls but was nothing impressive in flavor or in the quality of the fish. They were poorly rolled with a fat layer of rice and really small amount of fish. We ordered one of their fish specials for the night which was was chewier than gum, and we had to return it.
We also shared the king crab brushetta which was in a heavy cream sauce and of course over salted which seems to be the case of most their dishes.
Considering this place is out of the way you would think they would step if up a notch. I will not give this place a third round…

Ok… so i just busted my Unilocal cherry… ok that didn’t sound quite right… hmmm.
I attended my first Unilocal event… Thanks Ruggy for setting this up bro. Met a lot of interesting people that night. Paul/​Sarah, Ruggy, Marisol, Nick… to name a few. I hope to go to more events in the future.
The Guild was originally designed from the same dude who designed Cowboy Star off of 10^th and Market. The place first off is in Barrio Logan. Initially was I was a little thrown back. The décor of this place reminds me somewhat of Basic in East Village.
Being there for the Sake School, we were treated to 2x complimentery Sakes. I tried the unfiltered and the sparkling variation. I’m not really a big sake drinker nor can I say I am able to give sake in general a review. I did have several of the complimentary beer and wine, consisting of Orion and I forgot the name of the red wine.
Appetizers included cream cheese stuffed mushroom which in comparassion by other places I’ve been to doesn’t really stand out too much. I had a rib eye kobe style skewer which complimented my Orion Beer very quite tasty. They just opened up the upstairs portion from what I heard and The Guild is expanding on their sushi menu items.
I can’t really review this place on their main entrees yet, cuz I was mainly there for the free appetizers and booze. I feel I have to go back there to give them a fair review.

Gentrification: Activate!
Form of: Modern Restaurant in Industrial Heart of the Barrio!
Shape of: The Guild
Not that I take too much issue with new places opening up in obscure parts of ‘da hood, yo’. I rather like finding those hidden little treasures. Cool spots sprinkled about San Diego is just grrreat: in moderation.
So yeah, we hit this joint up late Thursday night for the Guild’s Sake School Afterparty. We were literally greeted at the door by Sir Ruggy with high 5’s. He bought us beer. We were off to a good start.
I have to say, the place was pretty dang swank inside. Architecturally, it had the look of industrial loft, but with the soft lighting and interesting array of urban art hanging on the walls, the ambience rang modern, chic, intimate and sophisticated. I feel my membership to the cool club in need of a renewal.
Upstairs was a little bit more casual. It was a large open space with one long table running down the center for communal eating. A few tables were set off in the corner. And some more very cool art was thrown up on the walls.
Food: By the time we had arrived, the party was winding down, so we grabbed a quick bite. The servers, though a bit frazzled, were really nice. We ordered salmon nigiri and the Nuts and Bolts Roll (Spicy Yellowtail, Avocado, Ponzu, Spicy Mayo, Seared Ahi (?), organic greens and a couple of other ingredients) It wasn’t too bad. Not the best sushi I’ve ever had, but it was their opening night so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. The beers we had, however, were fantastic.
So, we sat around, chatted, and enjoyed the ambience.
I’d go back in a while, once they got their bearings a little bit more.
Overall, the 1^st impression was a good one and definitely merits a second visit and most likely a second (and better) review.

Ok. It’s 3:10am and I can’t sleep *freakin insomnia*
and I’ve been lagging on writing this review, so here goes…
I attended the Sake School, and was given 2 tokens for sake (which ironically I ended up not using).
Met several Unilocalers and non-​Yelpers, had a couple (ok, A LOT) of goat cheese stuffed mushrooms (MUSHROOMS…YUMMMM), mini squash/​steak kabobs, and sushi.
The passion fruit/​jalapeño drink had a zing to it that made me shake my head like a wet dog.
But oh my goodness… the «Heaven in a Glass» or Bellini (?) was AMAAAAZING. Good stuff, meng. Thanks to Paul’s wifey for recommending it to me. It had strawberries and I don’t know what else, but for $ 8 a pop it is SOOO worth it.
DJ Rugster was in the house *wOOt*
Fun times. Great meeting all of you’s *wink*
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Adiel– was the hostess with the mostest. Great job keeping us Unilocalers happy ;)

Sake School @ the Guild was my first Unilocal-​sponsored event. I wasn’t sure what to think about an «upscale» tapas restaurant, located in Barrio Logan, which is best known for its hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican food joints. I raised my eyebrows at the sight of a group of kids, hanging out a ½ block down, from the restaurant. They were straight street boxing, with gloves and no protective head gear, right on the sidewalk, for everyone who passes by, to see.
Mental note to self: I ain’t parking near those kids.
The Guild Restaurant and Lounge was a surprise itself. A craftman workshop attached to a restaurant? Who woulda thought? Metal and wood craftmanship can be seen in the décor, throughout the restaurant. If you want, you can hop on up to the 2^nd floor to check out the craftmen doing their thang.
I enjoyed the free drinks and appetizers provided. The shrimp linguini, steak and squash kabobs and the sushi was very delish! The company was great. Folks were really nice. Our wait staff, especially Adielle (sp?), was excellent. I dig her accent!
In regards to price, in most instances, I would say this place would be a ‘splurge’ place. Prices for regular meal plates are in the $ 15 range. If I were to frequent the place, I’d probably do the happy hours. $ 3 Kobe beef sliders, anyone?
There is street parking and a private lot available for customers. There’s also a unisex bathroom. And, if you happen to wonder what the «T.» on the bathroom stood for, it’s T for TOILET. Yeah, it took me a while to figure that one out. Duh.
I’m docking a star for the price and it’s remote location, away from downtown. But, this would be definitely a place I’d like to checkout again. 4 stars for the hip, intimate and cool vibe.

They just added a sushi bar upstairs. It’s a must! The have bangin’ ass raw fish!

Industrial meets modern décor at the Guild in the same way that eastern sushi and soju cocktails meets western steak and mushrooms on their menu. Was our hero the only one at the hosted sake tasting event here who wanted to get loaded on Orion beer and sparkling sake before running next door to play with power tools in the adjoining workshop? Possibly.
The wooden tables and chairs here were all made in the workshop right next door!
The washroom had a really neat slanted sink and an $ 800 picture on display (which was for sale). Who would want to buy a picture that’s been hanging on display in a public washroom though?
PROS:
— There’s lots of street parking around.
— A nice selection of both filtered and unfiltered sake, which rivals some Japanese restaurants.
CONS:
— The passion flame martini leaves a terrible aftertaste in the mouth, like cayenne pepper and ginger.
— They don’t let you play with the power tools next door. Especially when you’ve been drinking.
— Only one unisex washroom.

Yeah the guild didn’t do it for me it’s so blah that I don’t remember what I ate barely.
The tuna sashimi with wasabi foam was interesting that was pretty good and the pink peppercorn scallops tasted soggy and had no flavor.
I had a fear of tipping over in the chair, while I was eating.

I like where they were going with this restaurant-​I like the décor, the drink list, the menu, the overall concept. However, the food failed to live up to expectations, in terms of size and taste.
As stated by other reviewers, the portions are small. I get that it’s a small plate restaurant, but when you go for lunch, and you’re still spending $ 12 on kobe sliders, they should add up to more than ½ a regular burger, or charge $ 6.
The taste was all over the place too, the frites were seasoned with something too strong and they were too crispy. The sliders themselves were just off, maybe it was the aoli that was on it, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it tasted like. Definitely disappointed.

My friend Erin recommended the Guild to me and since she had never failed me before I checked it out. She has now failed me once.
The service was friendly and helpful. Our waitress was actually quick to tell us that the happy hours prices were expiring soon so we should take advantage quickly. We started with the Kobe beef sliders. The meat was shaped more into meatballs than meat patties making them awkward and messy. They were also very raw on the inside. I should also add that they took almost forty minutes to arrive.
Next up: an artichoke heart on crostinis with a soft cheese on top. There was an awful lot of cheese and it really took over the dish. It was just okay.
The stuffed roasted poblano was the best thing my wife and I tried. A small salad was very average and their take on a caprese salad was tough to eat without making a mess.
So the service was slow, and the food was okay, but not worth the prices. We were also haunted by tiny bugs throughout our meal and the location was very inconvenient. Not horrible, but not a place I’d try again.

My husband and I joined some friends at The Guild for Restaurant Week.
We called a night before our reservation to see if we could squeeze an extra person into our party. I think I gave the receptionist a heart attack, as he gasped and then exclaimed mightily that there was no possible way (but he got my phone # anyway). Called back later to let me know I was very lucky, they had space to fit five. Groovy.
We showed up the following night for our ressie, and the place was half empty! Why all the drama, I wonder. Anyway– on to the review!
The restaurant is very close to downtown/​hillcrest/​coronado… pretty central to all. It is architecturally beautiful, and completely encapsulates the minimalist design that I personally just love.
We were tucked into a dark corner table which was lovely except that our server quite literally forgot about us. She must have– she never came around after we ordered our first drink and first course. Due to having to constantly flag her down, dinner ended up being 3 ½ hours long.
They also gave us the Restaurant Week menu AND their regular menu, so we were able to discern that our Restaurant Week deal saved us a whopping $ 3.
I also think they overcharge for their cocktails, considering they are using soju. I like to feel a little tingly for my $ 8+.
The food was quite heavenly… really delicious… but as has been noted, is served in tiny portions (ok with me, I can never finish a typical meal dining out).
Overall it’s a fine place to try at least once, and I will probably go back again soon (when it’s not Restaurant Week) to see how everything stacks up.

Two stars for the room.
I went to lunch and paid close to $ 20(!!) for a BLT which consisted of little more than a croûton with a some crumbled bacon on top of it. WHAT?!! It was served with some weird, whipped «green» soufflé that had horrible mouth feel (like a greasy donut).
Overpriced — I mean WAY overpriced. The menu reads well, but what comes to the table is a far cry from the sumptuous descriptions. What you get is more like Stonehedge from the movie Spinal Tap. But, again, the room is beautiful and the bartender makes a mean mojito.
Udate — the owner — Paul Basille contacted me and invited me back for a second try — on the house. So, you bet I won’t pass up a free lunch — human nature or greed — you decide. But he assures me they’ve made changes to the menu and have a new chef in the kitchen. Will let you all know when I’ve had a second go at it!

I convinced my girlfriends to do happy hour at The Guild based on the rave Unilocal reviews. My best friend summed up our experience in an email the following day. Here is what she said:
«Okay, I did some evaluations of last night. Why did we all drop like 40 or 50 or 60 bucks and not get buzzed or full? I like bougie food, but I don’t like bougie food portion size. I went and picked up two pieces of bronx pizza to go last night. I got full off of $ 5! «
So basically all of us picked up fast food after we left the Guild. I went to McD’s for fries and a shake which tasted surprisingly good even though mixed with wine breath.
Okay back to my impressions of the Guild. I was warned ahead of time that it was expensive but the food was good. The inside was nice but to not walk to my car alone. We got there early on a Thursday evening and we all got parking right in front of the restaurant. Maybe because we got their early and left around 9pm, I still felt pretty safe given the neighborhood.
The Guild had a nice wine list with open bottles half off before 6pm. We ordered frites (french fries for non french speakers), kobe beef sliders, the seared swordfish and something else… oh yeah, the s’mores. I’m not a foodie and don’t pretend to be one but I personally did not like the sliders. Neither did my friend Shelby. Kelly loved them. So 2 out of 3 thumbs down on the sliders.
I thought the service was okay, not overly helpful or friendly. Our waitress did eventually explain to us that we were actually supposed to hang our purses in the funny shaped back of our chairs as that was what they were designed for.
We ended up spending over $ 200 even though we ordered half of our drinks and food before the happy hour specials were over. AND more importantly to us lushes, we weren’t buzzed or full!!! Tragic!

I liked this place. Unique & boutique decos. Well thought thru food items. Impressive and interesting drink selections — altho they don’t have a hard-​liquor license, yet, they are creating various drinks with japanese shochu (wine-​like alcohol content).
{I’m pleasantly surprised to see Orion on their beer menu. This is probably THE LAST Japanese beer that is sold here in North America that is *still* brew in Japan! Orion is from Okinawa}