Harry’s Bar & American Grill

I was introduced to this little gem a couple years ago by a friend who was a regular. I wanted to share this place with some other friends today and I was so disappointed this place closed down! I liked the food, bar, and ambiance on my previous visits. It was an unusual find in such a strange location. They were busy in previous visits so I was very surprised to see them closed.
I hope they reopen in another nearby location!

Harry’s is now closed (as of 12÷24÷15)! They may be opening up a location in Banker’s Hill in February.
My mom gifted me a Groupon for Harry’s, so we had to use it before the expiration date and before they closed. When we made reservations, we made sure to mention the Groupon and also asked if we could use it on Christmas Eve. The person who took our reservation confirmed. We didn’t get a call until 2 days later (and the day before our reservation) that we could not use the Groupon on that day because it was a «holiday». Last time I checked, Christmas Day is a holiday, not Christmas Eve. We wouldn’t have even gone to Harry’s, but because we didn’t want the Groupon to go to waste, we ended up going.
Service was OK. We were seated quickly and we actually had 2 servers show up at different times to start our order. While there, it didn’t seem like the tables were actually assigned to the servers, they just chose (or were told) which table to take. Our server was actually pretty good in that she was very friendly, but she was busy waiting on a number of tables so she wasn’t as attentive as she could have been. We didn’t even have napkins at our table, so when our appetizer was served, we had to ask someone for napkins (we did have silverware). We also didn’t have any bread plates and it took some time to get our bread… which the bread didn’t even come with butter or oil/​vinegar. Water wasn’t refilled that quickly, but my husband at least did get his soda refilled.
Food was actually pretty good. We had the bone marrow appetizer and it came with 3 large bones with a lot of marrow. I really didn’t taste any of the gorgonzola; it just seemed to be on top, but I still enjoyed it. It came with 2 different dipping oils, but we weren’t told what they were at all. We also didn’t have that much bread to go with the bone marrow, but I made it work with the breadsticks we were initially served.
For my entrée I had the lobster ravioli and although it was good, the portion size was not. There were 6 pieces of thin ravioli. I was able to finish all of it; I just wish I had more lobster. My husband had the zarina and that was delicious and a more reasonable portion size. He actually had leftover pasta because it was so much. The pasta itself also tasted better than my ravioli; cooked perfectly al dente and the right amount of sauce.
I understand that in the last days of a business that not all ingredients may be available and service may not be the best, so I didn’t expect too much coming here. If they reopen, I may try them again, but probably won’t go out of my way to do so and will do it with a coupon of some sort!

Have had several great times at Harry’s — BUT their voice mail says closed as of 12÷24… no other info…

This place is closed for construction. It’s not clear when will it be open again. Someone has forgotten to update the availability on Unilocal

I lost my receipt from a previous lunch I had over a month ago. Called them, gave date an amount. They had a copy scanned back to me in three hours. That is awesome customer service!

I bought a Groupon for this place ($ 30 for $ 60) and I’m glad I did, as I would most likely have never stepped foot in this restaurant. It’s right across the street from the UTC mall.
It occupies the base of a large building in what looks like a typical business park in this area… not quite easily accessible for the average family leaving the mall to grab dinner.
We had to park on the street, but they do have valet. I have read that it was free (minus tip obviously), but ask first. If you go in through the lobby I hear there are large fish tanks to check out.
Our server was awesome and so was the food. Here are the highlights:
* Bone Marrow — three bones stuffed with that oozy goodness. Messy but so good!
* Beef carpaccio — arugula capers shaved-​parm. GET IT
* Linguini Frutti di Mare — lots o seafood. Couldn’t finish
* Risotto — heaping bowl full. Wife also couldn’t finish
* Tiramisu — the real deal. A MUST!
* Carrot cake — So good!
The ambience is perfect for that date, business meeting or even a family outing such as ours. Their was a singer on this night and it added the perfect background noise for our fantastic meal.
We didn’t order any wine or cocktails (unusual for us) yet we still had a great time and our bill was next to nothing with the $ 60 Groupon applied. My only gripe were the bathrooms. They seemed fine for the kitchen staff, but not for customers (maybe I went to the wrong ones lol).
Anyway, get the Groupon and check them out. You’ll love it.

The boyfriend and I went here and the experience was just okay, although it could be because they are closing down soon and don’t have enough staff??? Our server was nice and gave us recommendations on what we should eat, but it was hard to flag him down as he was always running off to a different table. Lucky for us our water was filled and we got plenty of bread to gnaw on.
I also didn’t like the ambiance of the restaurant. I was under the impression it would be a little bit more quiet but everyone around us was loud and we could easily hear conversations from nearby tables. My boyfriend and I were sitting next to each other but we had to talk loudly so we could hear each other. I thought it was really grating and I couldn’t relax in the environment. That and the chairs are terrible. They are these cheap, wicker patio chairs that lean back; when I’m dining in a nice restaurant, I like to sit upright not lean in my seat. Because of this, I was forced to put my elbows on the table, even though I know that is considered «rude». Whatever, if you had good chairs, I wouldn’t need to put my elbows where I eat!
The food here is actually quite good and made up for the aforementioned flaws. I got a tasty risotto of the day while my boyfriend had a creamy pasta with salmon. We both loved our meals and I forgot about the little irritations I had prior to my food being served.
Overall, it was an okay experience. I feel a little bad that the place is going to shut down the end of this month, but just based on this experience alone, I am not surprised they are going out the door…

THEY ARE CLOSING THEIR DOORS END OF DECEMBER!!!
So for all the people that have the Groupon deal, might want to get in there… they are still offering that deal on Groupon as of today! Says it expires in 120 days! But you won’t be able to use it past December… not a good business practice!
We’ve been there twice in the last two months, both times they were not overly busy. First time, bartender was just too distracted, had to ask for more wine, water, can you take our order please… I ordered a steak, medium, it came blood red raw… no «I’m so sorry», just waited even longer for another one, boxed it up.
Second time, no one was at the bar when we arrived, bartender was nice enough, 2 couples came and left… I ordered a lobster stuffed pasta with a lemon cream sauce. The dish arrived along with a basket of bread… I took one bite and said, I don’t taste lobster, bartender, says, that’s because, that is spinach pasta with a tomato sauce??? Hello, that’s not what I ordered… again, had to wait for the correct dish, told them to box it up, as while filling up on bread and salad while waiting, I wasn’t really in the mood.
Maybe they just don’t care any more cause they are closing… we really tried to like this place…

The service was pretty good, convenient location for a lunch meeting. They are known for certain dishes, the burger being one of them, however was extremely dry and burnt. Was expecting much better since it was recommended by a co-​worker. After, I discussed it with the locals and heard they are closing in a month due to their lease being up, which could possibly have to some bearing on the drop in quality of food.

I had a $ 20 steak sandwich here for lunch… that was just okay.

$ 17.00 plus tax for 6 pieces of paper thin ravioli and a tablespoon of tomato sauce. It was good but not filling. Thank goodness bread came with the meal.

I’ve seen this restaurant many times on Groupon however last Monday I ventured in with a friend who wanted to treat me to a nice dinner as a «Bön Voyage» to my upcoming travels. The ambiance is very romantic with dim lights, you also have the option of sitting outside. I started with the Caesar salad, I wasn’t impressed it was lacking in flavor. For my main course I ordered the rack of lamb and my friend had the veal chop, we shared… both were equally amazing!
Note: Bring cash for Valet parking

The name «Harry’s Bar & American Grill» makes this place sound like a sports bar with some steaks and burgers. It’s not. It serves upscale Italian and American dishes, with a very pleasing, warm atmosphere, where you can actually hear your companions, and the TV over the bar, and the music, compliment, but don’t dominate.
We came here for the first time last night because we had a Groupon (a very good deal.) We had no trouble getting reservations on a Tuesday night. We parked at the valet, and had to be told where to go to enter the restaurant (not obvious.) It’s in a big office and condo complex across from the UTC mall.
We were greeted warmly, and immediately seated by our server. She was warm and friendly, but the quality of service varied. When our entrees were served, she had put in the wrong order for me, and never came over to apologize. She did correct it, and came over after I finally got the right entrée. Strangely, when she brought our check, she had deducted the difference in price AFTER totaling the final bill, leaving us to pay tax on the wrong amount. I’ve never seen that before. But it was only about 65 cents extra, so it wasn’t worth making a stink about, especially with the Groupon.
The food was delicious. I ordered the soup du jour, which was a mushroom & lobster bisque, and it was really good! Slightly too salty, but still yummy. My husband’s «Four Onion Soup» was also very good and, for a change, was an onion soup that wasn’t too salty! He ordered the Branzino (fish) entrée, which was OMG-​delicious — I’d probably order that next time. I got the «special», 8 oz. NY Steak with bone marrow and spinach, which was perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it all after scarfing on the delicious, complimentary garlic bread and Bisque, but it didn’t go to waste — my husband enjoyed the last couple of bites!
So…5 stars for the warm and relaxing atmosphere, 3 stars for the service, and 4.5 stars for the food, averaging 4 stars. The prices are reasonable for what you get and for the atmosphere. And it’s easy to park (at the valet — $ 5) and not in a crowded area for dinner time. We’ll be back for another date night!

Harry’s is close proximity to my office, so we frequent this place for business lunches and client catering. The atmosphere is business casual because of its location among the executive offices in the La Jolla/​UTC area. The restaurant itself has an «old fancy» feel with white table cloths and old-​fashioned décor. If you are not well-​versed in Italian, no worries. They have English descriptions below all of the menu items :)
I personally prefer their dinner service over their lunch and take out options. The quality of the seafood is great and cooked to perfection. My favorite dishes are the Linguine Frutti di Mare (seafood pasta) and Cioppino (fish stew). They used to serve the seafood pasta with scallops but have since removed them as part of the dish (boo). The sauce and broth for both dishes have a touch of spice (so you can see that I am biased towards: seafood and mildly spicy tomato sauce/​broth bases).
I would also recommend the Tortino di Granchini (crab cakes) and risotto (I have had it separately with spinach and chicken).
I would pass on the Harry’s burger and steak sandwich. They are both ordinary dishes. Definitely stick to the seafood.
They are closed on Sundays. They take reservations. There is a self-​parking structure which they will validate for 3 hours and also offer valet service for $ 3. The service is friendly but slow.
3 stars for the location/​décor and 4 stars for the food.
Overall rating: 3.5 stars.

Just had to come and have a Bellini which is one of the most famous drinks in the world, having been invented by Harry’s Bar original owner in Venice back in 1948. This is an awesome place for Happy Hour. The bartender Kiela who also waited on us was fabulous, and she made the visit so much better with her great manner, menu knowledge and super service.
Favorites:
* Grapefruit Moscow mule (refreshing, spicy drink, loved it)
* Rolatini (off the charts wonderful, try it)
* Crab cake
* Baja shrimp cocktail
* Sliders (seriously, the meat in the slider, and the French fries themselves, were perfectly seasoned)
* Frito
Bottom line, we had a great time!
PS Not sure I’d bother with dessert, as we weren’t fans of the flan or carrot cake.

i came here for HH recently with a girlfriend.
we were greeted by both the owner and a fabulous hostess.
we opted to sit at the bar… i’ve realized the bar is the best place to sit when you’re in a small group. Love the personalized service i get from the bartender when i’m sitting at the bar. The bartender was super nice… and was able to be creative and make us a surprise drink!
happy hour is M-​F 3 – 6 this is seriously one of the best deals in town
apps range from $ 3-​$ 7
drinks range from $ 4-​$ 6
on this most recent visit, we had
mussels — cooked perfect and the broth was flavorful
crab cakes– i’m not normally a fan of crab cakes but these were so good!
caprese– oh the cheese! it was perfect!
for drinks
our first the bartender made us a surprise cocktail… it was yum (no clue what it was)
#2 a glass of prosecco.
we thought we were done but we were surprised with a glass of sparkling red that the owner had just bought a case of in napa… what a fabulous surprise!
looking forward to coming back…
Harry’s is really bringing it!
our service was fabulous!!!
everything I ate was delish!!!

A lot of the reviews stress the fancy character of this establishment. I came wearing jeans and a sweater, and no one flinched. I found the atmosphere to be fairly informal. If you call it «clubby,» I won’t disagree.
The restaurant is quite beautiful inside. It’s a good place to kick back and relax, at least if you don’t plan on being raucous and noisy. Everyone and everything is very quiet; you don’t have to shout to be heard by your dining companions. There were a couple of male diners sitting alone with iPads, glasses of wine and their dinners. There’s a big screen TV over the bar. One of the lone diners was at the bar, but the other was in the dining room.
They have Stone IPA.
The food was pretty unexciting: I tasted the grilled octapus [sic.] and the fried calamari, shrimp and artichokes appetizers. Both were at the 2 ½-​star level, though the portions seemed generous to me. (The two appetizers were shared among three people.) I ordered the risotto of the day ($ 23) as my main dish. It was made with bell pepper, lemon zest and crab and tasted like a plate of rice with some stuff mixed in. This is comfort food for rich people and for those who have snagged coupons online. (I didn’t get a special price, but the Unilocal reviews show that there are deals to be found.)
My experience was positive enough that I’d return with a group if people wanted to come here.

No more complimentary appetizers for happy hour? Yeah, see ya later, I can get booze from any bar. What draws people in and keeps them happy spending more money on liquor is the finger food.

We had lunch reservations at 11:15 to beat the crowd and I’m glad we did!
Our waiter was very friendly, attentive, and came to our table more than I can count to check up on us and to make sure everything tasted great!
I ordered the Ahi Tuna salad, delicious! It is a pretty semi-​upscale Italian restaurant which is located next to Ernst & Young and across from UTC. They offer valet and if you blink, you will miss the entrance. :-)
P. S. Their chocolate/​vanilla mousse is delicious!

I came here for dinner with a few friends one night. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live music! The restaurant is nice and quiet.
We ordered the Zarina pasta, risotto, lasagna, and the grilled chicken. The food does take a while to cook, but it is worth the wait! As we were waiting for our food to cook, we had bread. The bread is soooo good!!! The cheese on it is a great addition!
Zarina pasta: It’s a cream sauce pasta with salmon. The salmon was delicious! The pasta was al dente and the fish was not overcooked. The best part is that you can taste the «sea» in the salmon!
Risotto: Very yummy and good the next day too!
Lasagna: So filling! One of the best lasagnas I’ve ever had.
Grilled chicken: Usually I don’t like grilled chicken because I find it too dry, but not here! It was well seasoned and tasty!
The service was pretty good. He made sure we had water and checked in on us from time to time.
Overall, I like this place! I wouldn’t mind coming back in the future!
TIP: As of today, there’s still a deal on Livingsocial for this place! You pay $ 40 for $ 80 worth of food!!!