Bistro 39

It was one of those days where we had a long drive and a long day and the Hilton this is located in was a nightmare to park my truck in and we just did not want to go out again to find food.
Of course the front desk staff said the food was amazing.
I ordered the «Vegetarian» «burger». This was made with Portabello mushroom and eggplant. There was no veggie patty which was a surprise to me.
What in the world was I thinking. Eggplant is tricky and Hotel food is notoriously bad.
The mushroom tasted FOUL. The Eggplant was cooked horribly and you would have needed a chainsaw to cut through it. Chewing through it was not possible. The «burger» was disgusting, and I am being very nice here. The french fries were good. However $ 12 bucks for Bread with Tomato and lettuce which is all was left after removing the offensive Egglplant and Mushroom.
We got free Chips with out Unilocal check in. The chips were ok, the cheese… meh
My friend ordered a pizza. She had no complaints.
So disappointing.
Bottom line– I knew better. You can usually count on Hotel food to be overpriced and mediocre. This place does not disappoint in that regard.

I am revising my general impression of Bistro 39.
I stand by the previous review as that one visit was quite awful, but am glad we gave it another go due to the managers suggestion/​reply on Unilocal.Go before the restaurant section closes and don’t sit in the bar area. It’s quiet and peaceful for a date night. We went last night and had one of the best meals in our 3 month stay in San Diego.
The service was excellent (Raymond) and the food was perfection. We took advantage of the specials (grilled octopus and ribeye entrees) and were not disappointed. Our compliments were delivered to the Chef. The drinks (Moscow Mules) were great, the beer was good (Red Trolley Aloha IPA) and dessert (lava cake) was delicious.
Thank you for blowing me away! We will be back on our next business trip to San Diego to say hello and eat a wonderful meal.
Danielle + Arnold

4-​star food, 1.5-star atmosphere and service.
The food was solid – nothing mind-​blowing, but the classics I ordered (Caesar salad, filet mignon, mud pie) were very tasty and met expectations. My girlfriend was also satisfied with her choices.
Now, I chose Bistro 39 for Valentine’s knowing it was a hotel restaurant. What I didn’t realize was that it’s literally inches from the lobby entrance, with no barrier in between. Atmosphere was seriously lacking, and it wasn’t helped by several other problems. The waiter was awkward and a bit gruff. The waitresses were moving tables around and removing tablecloths, as if eager to return the dining room to its usual, less-​romantic state. At one point the overhead lights began flickering strangely as well.
When the bill came, there was an automatic 20% gratuity added. Sure, fine, though I would’ve opted for less due to the less-​than-​stellar service. But then I noticed they had ALSO added a 20% service charge. Service for what, I wonder? I went with Bistro 39 in part because it was one of the only reasonably priced prix-​fixes in the city. Had I known of these unpleasant little surprises, I would have chosen someplace else.

Came here for Valentines dinner and let me tell I was very impressed. I had the Filet Mignon and it was outstanding. My girlfriend had the Halibut another amazing dish. Definitely will come back again. Highly recommended.

This review should be better than what it displays, but they did what I call a big no no and then when I brought it to their attention, they did nothing about it. I was even thinking of giving them a lower rating, but that would not reflect the decent food and good service, I received from my server.
This is what happened, for breakfast you pay $ 12.95 for anything on the breakfast menu and can order more if you desire at no additional fee. So, I ordered an veggie omelet with a side of potatoes, some rye toast, and a side of bacon. My server suggested I try the waffles at the break bar area because they were very good, so I took her on her offer and proceeded to make some which was included in the $ 12.95.
While I was up there, I suggest that some fried chicken or chicken strips would go a long well with the waffle and that they should add them to the menu. At that point, my server and a gentleman that was there, who I presume was the manager, did not hesitate to offer to make me some chicken tenders to go along with my waffles. My server checked with chef, he gave her a thumbs up, and they were made.
My delicious omelet came with mushrooms, spinach, red peppers, and feta cheese came with, even though they were previously frozen, pretty good breakfast potatoes. The potatoes were a nice color, but a little seasoning on them would of been nice. Anyways, I made my waffles and my server happily came out with a plate of four piping hot chicken tenders. The tenders were great and so was the waffle mix I use to make the waffles. I added drizzle of honey and butter and it was game on!
I have not complaints about the food nor the service, but what really bugged me was that they added a unknown $ 10.00 fee to my bill because of the chicken tenders. Yes, essentially I paid $ 10 for four chicken tenders that came out of a box. Now they were good, but it is essential that a business notify the patron that there will be an additional charge for an extra food item. Never, did they state that to me, nor that four chicken tenders would bank $ 10 for them. If I would of know, I would said, «no thank you,» and if they were at a reasonable price, let’s say about $ 6 or so, perhaps yes, but the problem was they never communicated it. They just added it to the bill.
In the end, good food, good service, but don’t charge people $ 10 for chicken tenders to a bill they are already agreed to. I say, be a sport, and add those chicken tenders to the $ 12.95 price, so people can enjoy those chicken and waffles as I did. They were good!

I had the pleasure of dining at Bistro 39 during a recent stay at the Hilton Hotel in Del Mar. The food exceeded my expectations and the staff was extremely courteous and professional. One waiter in particular was exceptional and I was very impressed with the way he carried himself and performed his job. I wish I could recall his name, but I do remember that we shared the same last name (Williams). This restaurant is a hidden gem that I would have missed had I not stayed at the hotel. My stay with the hotel in general was a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend the Hilton and Bistro 39 to anyone who is vacationing in the area.

This restaurant is inside of the Hilton Garden Inn I decided to give it a try last night and ordered the 12 ounce ribeye I got admit, it is the best 12 ounce ribeye I have ever had, this is the reason why it’s getting four stars cooked to perfection in and great waitstaff.

Genevieve is a great bar tender. She takes the time to get to know everyone in the bar, introduces herself, and is wonderful to all the customers. The happy hour deals are pretty great. My favorite is wine and wings Wednesday. Half of a bottle of wine and delicious teriyaki chicken wings? Yes, please!
Kids eat free on Friday!

This place is above average for hotel restaurants. The service is personalized and the food from breakfast to dinner is well presented and of quality ingredients.

I was looking for a happy hour place in Carmel Valley and was surprised to find Bistro 39! It is not easy to find this place as it is inside the Hilton Garden. And once you walk in, you will always be surprised how small this bistro this. Nonetheless, their happy lasts until 7pm so it’s good for those of you who don’t get out of work until 6pm!!! Despite its small size, there were quite a few people here for happy hour (not sure if they are locals or out of town-​ers staying at the hotel). The happy hour menu is fairly extensive, ranging from calamari, spicy broccoli, ceviche, to tacos and sliders. The price for each of them varies so make sure you check before you order. We tried the shrimp ceviche tostada and I was not impressed as I couldn’t really taste the shrimp (they were chopped up to fine pieces and mixed with salsa). The calamari was fine but who really messes up calamari anyway? The spicy broccoli was interesting, quite spicy. For $ 5, I guess i expected more broccoli but at least the taste was good… overall, it is not too bad if I can’t make it to other happy hour near UTC area.

I live in area and love the food here! The staff is amazing, even thou it’s a hilton they hired the best staff. They always have specials and large portions great service every time .
Maui taco is the best grilled, filet, bacon wrap scallops and buffalo eggs rolls r to die for ! They always have the games going in bar… please try and sit in the bar it’s great atmosphere!

HEADS UP… this is inside of a hotel lobby.
Had to get that out there, because I was not prepared for that when I made Christmas dinner reservations here.
That being said, the service here was an easy 5/​5, and the food is like a ⁶⁄₅ stars. I have no idea where the Hilton got this chef, but I had the best short rib I have ever had here… and I’m a gal who loves her short ribs.
We left SUPER full, having paid a totally reasonable price, and stoked.
Also, the service was so great… and it was Christmas!
I travel a ton for work, so when I’m home, the last thing I want to eat is hotel food. This is not hotel food. This is legit.

Haha… I travel kind of a lot, so I really despise the Restaurants inside hotels. They are convenient so they hose you on the price for what they give you (quality/​quantity) Then, Bistro 39 pops up and knocks the SHIT out of that stereotype. I got the fiery skirt steak salad and it was plentiful and delicious, and started with the butternut squash soup that was equally incredible. Servers; great, Bartender; Fuckin Rad, Chef Jose; On point. I usually find a little joint down the road from where I’m staying to eat, drink and watch sports. Not this time, I’ll eat other places when I HAVE to.

Came here for dinner based on the reviews. The ceviche and deep fried brownie (think brownie inside a fluffy donut) were amazing. The halibut was slightly overdone, but still tasty.
Just be aware this place is in the lobby of the hotel, so not quite the ambiance of a high-​end restaurant. The service was fantastic, though.

If you are looking for a pretty good restaurant in the Carmel Valley area, look no further! Bistro 39 is located in the Torrey Hills residential area, within a hotel.
FOOD: WOW. I never expected the food to be so good! We ordered a meatball spaghetti and a halibut. Considering the food in this area sucks major balls, (no pun intended) this spaghetti with meatballs is all dente (!).
The halibut was crunchy and flavorful. The dish had a layer of green beans and canned corn. Don’t bother eating it all.
The service was terrible considering we were the first ones to arrive. As soon as a group of old ladies who seemed to be regulars arrived, they received BREAD and lemon in their water, which we did not. wow. Really?

This place is a must do there surf and turf special needs to be a regular menu item they nail it thanks guys

What can I say, consistently the best value breakfast buffet option in delmar. Great service, a buffet with made to order eggs, breakfast sandwich, whatever u think as non buffet is in this buffet! Check in for 10% off using Unilocal.The wait staff are so attentive, they remember your order if you are a repeat customer. Gotta love that family feel. It’s inside a hotel, parking is free, everything is clean and modern.

My brother loves this place.
It’s a relaxing place after a long day of work, especially if you work or live nearby.
Grab a drink or two and watch something on their TV, they even give you a remote.
Try to stay in the side room for more privacy (next to the pool) and let the waitress know you’re there.
Personally liked the FREE sugar cookies at the front desk, fried calamari, and the long drink list.

Mac and cheese w/​Bacon and chicken was the bomb, very creamy, cheesy and meaty! And the key lime dessert was delicious, refreshing and fruity. Loved the soft little ginger snap cookies with it. Oh, and they serve pineapple juice. Use your Unilocal check-​in thingy for 10% off. Mmmmmm delicious discounts.

This is a great local lunch option that most folks will miss because it is inside the Hilton Garden Inn. In fact, I hesitated to write this review, since I enjoy this secret treasure quite a bit. A very nice selection of menu items at a fantastic price.
(Psst: pricing is comparable to the nearby deli, but here you get table service and hot french fries with the pastrami sandwich!)
Wait staff is very attentive. They focus on the lunch and breakfast crowd, as they don’t seem to get much traffic between primary meal times. Plenty of drink refills.
The menu is small, but with a fair amount of variety. There are several salad options (the steak salad is quite nice). Don’t hesitate to have salmon here: it has always been quite nice and tastes great on the salads and their salmon club (not always available, though).
For basically the same price you’d pay to stand in line at a Roberto’s or drive-​through a Wendy’s, here you an have a relaxing enjoyable meal. Plenty of parking, as you might guess. Enjoy!