Currant American Brasserie

Meh. I don’t really like extra garnish surprise on my plate — especially soaking wet sour pickles. That with the most bizarre wilted nasty under the burger makes the bottom unusable. The weird sauce was also unnecessarily wet. Basically dry out the burger and plate.
Beer list fine — if it was current. Either print updated lists or put your current tap online.
Fix the speaker which spazzes out on heavy base — very annoying.

Great brunch! Old-​fashioned pancakes were beautiful, fluffy and tasty. Added on beignet sauces of Bacon-​Pecan (deliiiiicious) and Lavender-​Honey (sweet and light). Friendly, prompt service and no wait for a seat! Great décor.

Had the best experience after a long day Daniel the bartender was incredible. I was working at the bar counter on the phone with stores and mapping out a merchandise floor set for our retail store. My food got cold due to being on the phone non stop with my i pad pro. Daniel offered to have it redone but i told him i tried it and was not great he then told me something amazing the chef special i fell in love with it and came back tonight for it a second time. Thank you Daniel you gave such an amazing experience and i enjoyed our conversation. I look forward to the next time i run in to you. I wish you the best and I recommend everyone come see him here !!!

We stayed at the Sofia Hotel so when we didn’t want to go out we ate dinner at the Currant American Brasserie. The waiter was very friendly. He served us even it was 20 minutes before closing. The food was great plus I got one popcorn appetizer for free thanks to Unilocal’s coupon!

Husband took me there for pre-​concert birthday dinner. The positives: great outdoor table; excellent, personable service; delicious chardonnay recommended by server; my dish – the scallops– was excellent; complimentary dessert of my choice for birthday – the poached pears were scrumptious.
The negative: husband ordered the «wild king salmon,» and got white fish that looked and tasted just like tuna. It was not moist like salmon, lacking its characteristic oily flakiness. If this was indeed «white king salmon» as claimed by management, it should be described as such on the menu in order to avoid disappointment for those expecting salmon as we know it.

My server Lynore was very helpful. Wentfor breakfast and had one of the excellent vegetarian skillets with egg whites (no extra charge)

This is a hidden gem. Very generous Martinis. Salads are large and the Duck tacos are delicious. Service is top notch (thanks for splitting the salad for us), prices are fair and the atmosphere at the bar is nice. Definitely worth the walk to Broadway.

Went here with a group of 8 or so. This is a VERY small establishment with maybe 15 seats at the bar and 30 other seats (estimating). Décor is nice, but space is tight. I arrived a few minutes behind the group and several had drinks were seated and others were standing near the bar and did not yet have drinks. I did not know our group already had a server, and not seeing one, reasonably concluded that the bartender was serving the bar area. I waited a few moments, surveyed the situation, and as I was parched I asked the bartender for a water. I also had the audacity to ask what the «popcorn of the day was.» Boy, was that a mistake.
The bartender snapped at me, and rudely told me that I should ask my server for those things, and essentially refused to give me a glass of water. At that moment the server walked by to pick up drinks at the service bar, and the bartender told him, while pointing at me, that «he wants the popcorn of the day» and walked away. It all seemed so rude, and truly unnecessary. At one point during this exchange, he had a water glass AND the soda gun in his hands. I understand how the tipping system works, and I understand it is a courtesy to not order from the bar if you are seated or if the bar is slammed. Neither was the case! There were two or three other people at the bar looking down at menus and half of our group was standing at a bar table 3 feet from the bar. I was not going to stay the whole time so was going to have a separate check anyway and could have very easily ordered a drink, closed out, and paid my 25% to the bartender. UGH.
Won’t go back. If the bartender is rude at 5:15 with an empty bar, I’m not interested in seeing how customers are treated when it is busy.

Place is amazing! Food is top notch. our server Amber has been amazing and very interactive and really brightened our day!

Stopped in on a whim due to close proximity to Spreckels Theater. Carafe of mimosas for $ 15? Yes please! And they don’t pre mix the OJ… this is my kind of place! The beignets are outstanding and a great way to start brunch. Service was a bit slow but can be attributed to the marathon that had taken place that morning so the restaurant was busy. Needless to say, I will be returning when I am in need of brunch in downtown SD!

I had to update my review… love this restaurant. I had the Smoked Salmon Farm Skillet which was my servers favorite-​amazing service by the way, it comes with swiss chard, capers, tomato, hollandaise sauce, and country potatoes… a must try! This dish is so full of flavor! We sat outside on a beautiful sunny but not too hot San Diego morning for some people watching.

My husband and I went there for dinner last night. The food was awesome and the service was phenomenal. I had the roasted beet salad followed by the fennel sausage and saukraut. The dressing was a vinigrette that was light and flavorful and didn’t overwhelm the rest of the salad. The sausage was spicy but not burn you mouth hot and it was really complemented by the tangy kraut. Our server, Kyle, was wonderful and welcoming.
We ended up going there for breakfast and we shared the beignets and also the country skillet. The beignets were hot and light. There were 4 in a serving with a choice of sauces. They were the size of a doughnut. We decided to save half for later but it was difficult to reaist. The country skillet has to be the best that I’ve had.
I would recommend this restaurant in a heart beat

This is such a charming restaurant in the heart of downtown San Diego and at the foot of the historic Sofia Hotel. I was last there for a book launch luncheon and everything was picture perfect! The food was marvelous, service impeccable, trendy surroundings and they were able to accommodate media surrounding the event.
The chef paid a visit to our banquet room to welcome us and go over menu, our waiter Omar was attentive and kind, the management is just phenomenal.
This is a class act restaurant to visit. It’s a San Diego jewel and a must. I fell in love with the French onion soup, salmon salad and pastas!
The Currant is perfect for large parties, dinner before movie nights, family gatherings, power lunches and they have a beautiful bar for cocktails before a night out on downtown San Diego Classy, yummy and unforgettable.
*Ask for the Pop Corn of the Month*

Came here with a large group for a friend’s birthday and we had a blast! They were all familiar with the absinthe minded friday special so we ordered a couple of shots once we were seated. My friends ordered a few apps including the beef sliders and thyme fries which they really enjoyed. I also took advantage of the Unilocal offer after checking in and got a free order of the popcorn of the day. The popcorn had sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese and was nice to snack on especially after drinking the strongly flavored absinthe! (tastes like pure licorice). We had great service and our waiter was very patient especially since we accidentally stayed about 15 minutes past their closing time. it can become a challenge to split a check between 10 people when you’ve all been sipping on absinthe! Currant has a cool european atmosphere and we all appreciated their great taste in music! Definitely hope to come back!

Came here for dinner with my husband. The décor reminds me of French Brasserie we dined at in Europe. It was romantic with dimly lit chandeliers, candle lit white table cloth tables and traditional black and white marble floors. Bartenders are awesome! We went to bar after dinner to watch the Warriors play since we were away from home, and they graciously accommodated us with the tv stations which played the game!
Food? Loved loved loved the mussels and thyme flavored frites. Wine sauce was killer and moules were fresh and juicy! Another hit were the sliders, which were done perfectly with smoky bacon and Gorgonzola cheese! For entrees, we had the braised short rib ravioli and Porcini Dusted Sea Scallops. At the bar, we chose Popcorn for the Moment to munch with our drinks, watching the game. Everything Perfect. We skipped dessert and rolled out of the restaurant. Great food!

Menu looks pretty good and the staff is very friendly, though not quite as attentive as I’d like. I ordered the duck tacos and the meatballs on polenta. The meatballs were pretty bland and so was the polenta. Price was good, but still I could have had this at almost any restaurant and there’s a good chance it would have been better. The duck tacos were not good. All I could taste was garlic. It was so heavy that it actually made my stomach turn and I had to go use the restroom shortly after visiting this restaurant. The garlic in the taco dish completely overpowered any other ingredients on this plate… What a shame.
So. This restaurant has a great staff and a nice and pleasant location. Their prices are fair and they source many of their meats and vegetables from local farms. Menu looks good too and there’s a little something for everyone. Unfortunately the two dishes (besides for the garlic steroid injection) I had were completely bland and not exciting in any way, though they looked inviting. I wouldn’t come back if I lived close by, but since I’m traveling and staying just a couple blocks from here, I may give them one more chance.

Decided to stop here for breakfast since it was walking distance from the Westin where I was staying at. The service was great. Server was very attentive.
We ordered the Beignets with Bacon & Pecan Infused Maple Syrup. It was light and fluffy. The bacon maple syrup was so sumptuous with the beignets.
The all American skillet was tasty. Bacon, onion, mushroom, cheddar and 2 sunny sided up eggs were seasoned well and cooked perfectly.

When we started the hunt to determine where we wanted to host our rehearsal dinner for Thursday, March 17^th {Yes, St. Pattys’ Day} we had been referred by a few to look into Currant American Brasserie. We could not have been happier about the recommendation! We initially reached out to the event manager Lindsay who was a dream to work with from the start. We told her where we were with budget, guest amount and preferences on meal choices and she went above and beyond to meet all of our needs. She even printed adorable personalized menus which allowed us to thank all 48 of the friends and family that came out. Very easy to keep in touch with!
Kyle & Evan were our servers for the night and they were such a popular hit! My Grandma is still raving about how awesome the service was. They were sure everyone had their starters, entrées and desserts in a timely manner. They were extremely personable and were great at making sure everyone was taken care of.
The food was incredible! We had two different starters to choose from, 3 different entrées and 2 different desserts. We had even met with the head chef, Walter, and the restaurant manager, Alberto, prior to the big day to go over tastings and narrow down items we wanted to offer. They were great to work with as well! We kept it simple with bottles of red or white wine and the servers did a fantastic job keeping their glasses full.
The ambience is so romantic and charming. It was not too busy and not too slow. We did take up the entire dining side with 48 people but they did a perfect job setting up the room and moving tables around to make it comfortable. Another favorite part is that we totally felt like we could set the tone with guests attire. I’ve seen people in flip flops and people in tuxes there; and neither seemed over or under dressed. I love that it is attached to an adorable boutique hotel {Sofia Hotel} but you do not at all feel like it is a standard hotel restaurant.
I would 100% recommend hosting any type of party at Currant.

They’re connected to the Sofia Hotel, so convenient you can’t help but go! Except you can. I don’t know what happened to their heavily-​advertised happy hour, but the bartender insisted that they don’t do that anymore. I showed her my menu, which was clearly labeled «happy hour» and she snapped, «well it’s wrong» and snatched it away from me.
We settled for bar bites instead. The Truffle Parmesan Popcorn was fun, and the Duck Confit Tacos were even funner. The duck was delicious, and the combination of avocado sauce and cabbage worked well.
It’s so convenient that we went back for brunch, which, unlike the happy hour, actually does exist. The Beignets melted in my mouth, and I loved the lemon curd. I only had a half-​portion of Red Chili Pulled Pork Skillet and I was so full! The pork is soft and juicy, and the there are a ton of potatoes. I would have like a better ratio, but no real complaints there.
I don’t know what it is with Gaslamp, but this is the second of three restaurants I’ve dined at that had terrible service. I loved staying in the area, but honestly, I’m not eager to eat there again.

Excellent! But a bit pricey $$$
I am sooo hungry that I don’t have time to wait for a meat order so I just got the Beet Salad. It filled me up very good though, and just the kind of dressing I want: vinaigrette. Yummy!

Checked floors, fancy décor and some of the nicest service around this French inspired restaurant apart of the hotel was a treat for my friends bday.
We made a reservation for 10 (but 2 didn’t show… boo) but they had our table ready with the menus, glasses and everything all set up. The server even placed two coat/​purse hangers on each side of the table which was an nice touch. The place is small but made it very intimate and cozy. one side was the main dining area while the other side was the bar with small tables. (note they do have a happy hour!)
We started off with the popcorn. Who has popcorn at a French restaurant? Well they do and its delicious! The chef flavors it up and we got the basil and mozzarella combination for the night. Sweet, buttery, puffy and the additions were quite an interesting take. What was really good was using the popcorn and dipping it into the goat cheese ball we ordered later on that night. Oh, that herbed cheese ball with warm cherry tomatoes and a lovely toasted crostini! I never had a warm cooked cherry tomato with my goat cheese but OMG, that is a new combo I’m going to do myself.
I ordered the short rib ravioli and though the plate looked small, those 4 ravioli’s packed a punch. Saucy and savory, the ravioli pasta was cooked to a nice al dente where it wasn’t mushy or too hard to cut through. It had a nice firmness which kept everything together even with the short rib sauce. The meat inside was tender and juicy and melted so delicacy in my mouth. The big surprise was the big chunks of gorgonzola bleu cheese. When you think ravioli you think cream sauce right… oh move over cream sauce and HELLO blocks of CHEESE! This was a smart dish. You take the block of bleu cheese, cut it in half, eat a portion of the ravioli and wa-​la! Magic cream sauce in your mouth.
My partner ordered the scallop risotto (he didn’t share any scallops with me but whateves) but I did have some of the risotto and it was creamy, soft and full of flavor. Even my friend who hates mushrooms was liking the dish.
To top off the night, the server was kind enough to give my friend a free dessert for her bday. We shared the Crème brulee (I forgot what he called it but it had a sweet mandarin orange taste to it.) By that time we were already stuffed however that crème brulee was a nice ending to a heavy meal.

The first time that I came here, I had a great time. We were seated at our own private table in a little nook and again, had a great time celebrating my friends birthday. The food was one point and the noise level was prefect.
Flash to this past Sunday when I came here with a big group of friends to celebrate our friends engagement. The staff had a whole private area at the bar for our group. We had a great time enjoying the happy hour deals, drinking, and celebrating. Our group had different tables and different checks and I’m impressed that they were able to keep track of it all. We had a lot of people walking around and interacting with the newly engaged couple as well as the celebrities who stopped by after their performance at the Civic Theater.
The drink that I truly enjoyed was a nice little fruity number. I forget the name (wish they had their bar menu posted on their Unilocal menus) but it was delicious and packed an awesome punch! For dinner, I had the King Salmon. When the menu said it came with potatoes, I was thinking mashed and creamy, but instead it came with the purple fingerling type of potatoes. Kind hard to interact with famous people when you are munching away but none the less, it was delicious!

This awesome place is attached to the lobby of the Sofia Hotel. It came in handy as its easy access to morning eats/​brunch was crucial to early day survival from a long night.
Great menu full of morning goodies, but I went with the Chicken Sausage sweet potato hash with scrambled egg whites on top. Very good and a huge portion. It was so good that I came back the next morning and got the same thing. The bloody mary which included onions, ham, cheese and all the normal trimmings was awesome! Servers Casey & Omar were really cool guys and helpful with the menu.
TVs from all angles to watch some Sunday afternoon football and the bar is full stocked. Its one of those places that has alcohol bottles showcased above the bar as well as behind it. Good joint and is good to try even if you do not stay at the Sofia Hotel.

I came here for happy hour with friends. We ordered a Manhattan, Moscow mule, and sangria. All if the drinks were decent. The Manhattan and the Sangria were both on happy hour and only $ 5. I liked my Manhattan, which was strong and not too sweet. I tried my friend’s sangria, which was the right combination of sweet and more complex for the wine. My other friend loved that the Moscow mule was served in a traditional copper mug. He really seemed to enjoy good drink too.
I really adored the popcorn of the day here. It was addictive. We shared one order and got another impulsively.
Finally, I’ve been here for lunch before, but it was a while back. They make a mean burger and fresh salads. My experience is that they are not the fastest restaurant, but they are attentive. I recommend this place for people who are stuck eating downtown for lunch and want something a little more sophisticated.

I have been here a few times for drinks, once for dinner and once or twice for lunch.
Currant is located right on the north side of Broadway in the Sofia hotel. They have happy hour from 4 – 7 Mondays through Fridays (I am not sure about weekends, the website says daily, but I have been burned by that in the past elsewhere)
I like their red sangria. It’s sweet but tasty. Also depending on what it is, I like their popcorn of the moment. A great way to grab a snack and try new flavors
onion Soup Gratine — had a measly amount of cheese. So sad. So very little cheese. I love cheese.
I would have gone with 3.5 stars but rounded up because I don’t really have anything bad to say, I am just not rushing back.