Hawthorn’s Restaurant

Um, yeah. So they’re closed. Good riddance.

Very cool décor, I wouldn’t mind having that black chandelier in my house.
The food was below average and the presentation was sophomoric.

FIVE star food and FIVE star service!!! I hope that you guys stick around for a long time. Special thank you and shout out to the servers who make suggestions on what to order. EVERY time they hit the mark spot on!
I hope that this place sticks around my neighborhood because they bring much needed class and beauty to this area of town. The food is always great and well prepared too.
I want to send a thank you to the owner’s for switching it up and hiring nicer, more professional servers. Classy is the word that comes to mind.
Unilocalers, don’t write this place off! It is better than a lot of the other eateries that have opened in the neighborhood of late.

This is an absolutely charming restaurant attatched to the North Park Theatre, making it a perfect place to catch dinner or drinks before a show. The large glass window, which is actually the entire wall, provides a perfect way to watch the North Park Scenery (always good people-​watching).
I went to dinner there last week with some girlfriends before heading across the hall to the theatre. The first thing we noticed was that we were not chilly, which we tend to be in most restaurants that blast air-​conditioning while we shiver in our evening dresses.
The service was absolutelty perfect and professional. Our server came when he was needed, and left us to our conversations. He changed our bread plates part-​way through so we could have clean plates and promptly arrived with a towel when my friend splattered her water. Later, another server came to help out when he saw us struggling to take a photo and took extra efforts to ensure it came out as we wanted it.
The wine list is long, but not overwhelming. The menu is short, with about three pastas, four fish dishes, four meat dishes and a few chicken and various dishes. I like this kind of menu as it shows me a lot of care was taken to select the dishes for that day.
Our food was fresh and good for the most part, but I will keep from giving a 5-​star rating, as I feel that the pasta and crostini were not as flavorful as I would have liked. The steak and sweet potato fries were excellent.
I probably will be back each time I head to the North Park Theatre.

I love this place. Although I’ve only eaten here once, it just left a very positive impression in my mind. The décor/​ambiance are very nice. I’d say romantic, and while it is, it’s a high-​end restaurant in an ideal location. I love the marqee sign outside.
My cocktails were perfect, calimari appetizer was perfect and the seared ahi was delicious.
I highly recommend this place for a special event or a splurge night out.
The only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is because their bathrooms is scary.

UPDATE: The owner, David, has emailed me twice now and taken responsibility for the messup last night. I respect that alot. We all make mistakes but it takes some big ones to own it and try to correct it. I gotta give a guy credit for that and because of that I am going to give it another shot and I’m upgrading the rating to a 2 for his efforts to right the situation.
Went there tonight for a
inaugural celebration. 80 plus people had signed up and the restaurant had been notified. The event started at 6 and at that time there was only a cook and a bartender on duty. Getting a drink or food was impossible. At 6:20 a server came on and the owner or someone who looked like an owner started to help wash bar glasses. That was it. We waited another 20 minutes to order food and drinks after that, and could never get waited on because the poor server was overwhelmed with having to wait on both sides of the restaurant. Many people walked out because they couldn’t get served. One star is really generous, I would give it 0 but can’t. Oh well, I can only imagine the owner is kicking himself for all the missed good will. Penny wise… pound super foolish.
‘nough said.
peace out

I’m not sure if it’s the delicious (and strong!) martinis, or the tasty and creative food, but the verdict is definitely 2 thumbs up for Hawthorn’s.
They have an amazing selection of specialty drinks and martinis (everything I’ve tried is good), and they also make a killer dirty martini if you’re a traditionalist.
The appetizers are fantastic — my absolute fave (and I will make the bold statement that it’s my fave in all of San Diego) is the Tuna Tartare. It has a creative twist with mustard, capers and olive tapenade. OMG, I LOVE it.
For dinner, I had the tuna steak, and it too was DELISH, with a tasty basil cream sauce.
We’ve been here for lunch in the past and they have an awesome truffle mac n’ cheese as well as a tasty mushroom risotto.
YUM, YUM, YUM.
It’s usually not packed, and the service has been great. The reason for the 4 stars vs. 5 is the fact that it’s a bit pricey for me (tuna steak dinner was $ 22), but I like to eat on the cheap for the most part so it may not seem as pricey to others.
This is a MUST if you love martinis, and good food.

Our second stop on our progressive New Year’s evening brought us here. last year we started here, but because Splash wasn’t serving their menu, we came here. The place was packed, but since we weren’t eating dinner, we sat at the bar.
The girl working the bar was adequate. I mean, she was nice, but swamped with orders. I could tell she hadn’t been bartending very long, but in time she’ll probably be great. She wasn’t «working it» like most do, especially on a night like this. However, she poured some really good martinis, so I’ll forgive her.
We ordered and waited for the salmon and crab cakes.
He: What’d they do? Go fishing?
Me: Well, it’s a full house, at least they’ll be fresh.
A few minutes after they arrive.
He: This tastes fishy.
Me: Well, salmon is a fish. (evil laughter)
He: Do you want to finish this?
I was going to only give 2 stars, but since we only had an appetizer, I felt it wasn’t fair for me to judge them on that alone. We will probably come back for dinner at some point. Also, my martini kicked in before we left and that’s always a good sign… so hence, the extra star.

We’ve only been to Hawthorne’s once, for my fiancé’s birthday dinner last year. The place is a little spendy (we dropped $ 100 without any alcohol) so it’s a bit outside our normal parameters.
I had made reservations for a Saturday night. No worries, we were early enough there weren’t many other diners. We were greeted quickly at the door, shown our table, and our server was very attentive without being annoying.
I hadn’t mentioned it was his birthday when I made the reservation, but our waiter must have overheard some comment about it. At the end of our meal he brought Aaron and crème brûlée on the house. Now THAT is service.

If you wanted to have sunday brunch at the Mission but got kinda bummed on the wait, I highly suggest you head to Hawthorn’s instead… just a few doors down. Great standard breakfast menu ranging from benedicts to french toast to omelettes & scrambles. Seems like they are fairly health conscious because the meals do not by default come with bread… just a small side of perfectly roasted potatoes and a little cup of fruit. You have to order your additional carbs a la carte. I customized my own scramble w/​sausage, spinach, and gruyère (just like my fav LA brunch place Grub.) Man — that was a delicious combo — their sausage is really really good.
The service was friendly and fast. My only complaint was the coffee — it tasted like the coffee in my office. I mean this was like folgers quality. If they upped that game this would be 5 stars. If you really need some mud-​like Joe, then you better wait for the Mission. Otherwise Hawthorns is perfect.

Michael and I sashayed into Hawthorn’s today for their Sunday brunch. When we first got there, we were like uh oh… this place is empty… which usually isn’t a good sign for a Sunday brunch kind of a place. But since we were hungry and the place looked appealing, we decided to stay.
And boy were we glad we stayed! Oscar, our server, was cute (always a plus), charming and attentive. Michael’s eggs benedict is one of the best eggs benedicts that we’ve ever had (Oscar swears it’s the homemade hollandaise sauce). My ratatouille omelette was pretty good, too. Add a couple of mimosas and we left Hawthorn’s fully-​satisfied.
We will definitely come back here again for Sunday brunch.

I’m reviewing Hawthorn’s solely on their happy hour.
My pal and I popped in for a cocktail around 6pm (ends at 7pm) and were saddened by the fact that there were no appetizer specials.
The specialty cocktails were half off though and boy howdy, were they DELICIOUS.
We ordered the Basil Passione, a sublime and lethal combo of passion fruit vodka, basil, fresh lime, simple syrup and LOVE.
Two of these bad boys and girly and I were ready for a karaōke bar, or some similar embarrassment.
The salad and calamari were just slightly above average but those drinks, man, they were heaven sent.

I was disappointed with Hawthorn’s. The food was not good. Everything was overdone… too saucy, too salty, too much! I got the ceaser salad which was coated in rich dark brown dressing. Looked like gravy… blech! My dad got steak that was tasty but again drowning in brown steak sauce. My mom got the scallops and again brown dressing coating the whole thing. The sad part is that the menu is great in writing but poor in execution.
The ambience is great though. It sits in what used to be the lobby of the Birch North Park Theatre. Classy and plays well to the theatre theme.
But I won’t be coming back.

Hawthorn’s you get the privileged distinction of being my one hundizzle review! Since it’s my hundredth I figured it had to be a good place. First off the setup is very nice. Walking in I thought this place was going to be expensive. I thought about it again and thought «naw, this place is in Northpark, not LaJolla.»
This place is a renovated theater. They kept the marquee outside and it lights up and flashes. So if you are looking for the place just look for the flashing lights. Inside is the actual restaurant. You can peek into the kitchen as you go in. Full bar. If you go to the bathroom you can see the old theater. I believe they still hold plays there. Dinner and a play. Nice combo and you don’t have to leave the building. Convenient. I’ll get back on the play thing.
The Food: I had the mushroom risotto and it was really good. I was inspired to look for a recipe and cook it at home. My friend had roasted chicken breast and I had a bit. It was good, moist and tender.
The Drinks: I’d have to say that the bartenders were excellent. All the drinks were good except the sangria. I had their version of a sangria and it wasn’t all that. It actually tasted different from another friend who ordered the same thing.
The Service: Our servers were Josh and Oscar. Props. These guys were on point. Friendly and accommodating. The group was a party of two that grew to a party of seven. If you are in the area for brunch on Sundays they are there so drop in and grab a bite.

I LOVE this restaurant!
Went on Saturday with family and friends for my graduation dinner and could not have picked a better place!
I made last minute reservations for 8 people and they had no problem fitting us in, their layout makes it easy for large parties.
The décor is really nice, nice and modern while still keeping a theater theme.
Upon being seated the server was quick to pour our water and helped me to pick a cocktail (as I take way too long otherwise!)…the
I ordered the Crustini (baguette with roasted garlic and goats cheese) for starter which was yummy!
For main I had the Ahi Tuna, which was probably one of the tastiest I’ve had a in LONG time!
The food was served in good time and are champagne glasses always full!
We had 2 guys serving us and they were great, very friendly, relaxed and made sure we were happy.
Plus I got a free dessert for it being my graduation, so of course that always adds extra points ;)
Overall I was extremely pleased, so were my parents, and seeing as my dad used to be a chef and my mum is fussy when it comes to service… having them praise it means it MUST be good!
I would recommend this place to everyone… and plan on going for sunday brunch this weekend!
Hopefully see you there!!!

Oh. My.
We had nothing much to do today, the wife, the baby and I. So we (the eldest two of us) decided to go have Sunday brunch at Hawthorn’s.
In short — a cool, charming place with friendly servers and host, nifty little patio, delicious food that was fresh and hot, no wait for a table, decent prices, good selection, and the best bloody mary I’ve had since we were at Café Luna in SF in April of 2005. I would have cheerfully sucked down SEVERAL more if not for the facts that I am A) nursing and B) a embarrassing lightweight after nine months of not drinking.
Can I say again — DELICIOUS food? Ham and cheese omelette was the perfect size with just the right amount of fillings, breakfast potatoes were fantastic (better than — o blasphemy — The Mission), and even the little fruit cup that was mostly there for looks was good.
Absolutely a place to go back to…

I forgot how much I like this place. We went here for dinner and sat at the bar this past weekend. The main dining room was pretty empty for a Friday night, but the bar was full of people. We sat at a high boy on the side and our server was very nice and attentive which is always nice. We got the crostini to split which was tasty with goat cheese and roasted garlic. Then for an entrée we split the shrimp risotto which was also very good.
Now that we live closer, I am sure we will go more. I have heard their happy hour is very good and I love happy hour. This Sunday we walked by and it looked like there was a DJ out on the patio. we iwll be checking it out for sure!

I stopped in here for some happy hour action jackson with a girlfriend.
Décor was cute and the vibe was tres chic.
This was the perfect place to catch up with some girl chat.

We plopped down at the bar and the fun began.
Happy hour ends at 7 you say? Half priced on specialty drinks? Booyah!
Martini #1. My first martini ever made with Absolut Ruby Red. I love Ruby Red. It numbed me from my work troubles.
Martini #2. Spicy ginger with gin? Hmmm, what work troubles?
Martini #3. Pomegranate and orange go so well with vodka.
So nice to meet you Bayardo. You are the BEST bartender in the world!
Drink #4. Gummy bear shots all around with B!
Food needed asap to soak up this martini mess. Chow on some truffle mac and cheese with some kobe beef sliders and shoestring fries.
YUM!
Specialty drink #5. More Ruby Red please. Hiccup. Hiccup. Ruh roh. Time to go.
B hugs it out with me and Myleen. Yes, we will most definitely come visit you when you work at Hawthorn’s, Lei, or Universal.

Head home for some water and advil.
Lights out sleepy time.

Hawthorn’s is trying to reinvite itself, and is doing so pretty well. I’ve never come here for dinner, but it’s always been a reliable spot to come grab appetizers and drinks. I like their bar seating ~ it’s easy to get a seat & the service is always good.
The new thing about Hawthorn’s though is their Sunday Brunch ~ a great alternative to the super crowded Mission. Hawthorn’s brunch is definitely a little more refined that the Mission — there’s no oversized home-​style comfort food here. But it’s almost better that way… you can justify it by drinking more mimosas. They have an asian pear mimosa that is awesome… it has real pear purée in it & it’s sweet without tasting like juice.
I’m a big Zen Breakfast fan when I eat at the Mission and Hawthorn’s has a North Park Sunrise that is a really good alternative… I might actually like it better! No asian-​style braised tofu… but the NP Sunrise has scrambled egg whites, a veggie ratouille, black beans, and PERFECTLY cooked brown rice. They cooked that rice like my Korean mom cooks her brown rice — it’s soft, sticky, and doesn’t require 10 chews per bite. If only they had sriracha… I had to make do with Tabasco & Cholula.
Hawthorn’s has a DJ & patio seating for their brunch… it’s a nice touch since sometimes the décor inside can look too fancy-​schmancy.

The Sunday evening I was there for some drinks, it was off duty employee night. These two little twinky boys, both of which have NEVER been exposed to the inside voice concept, kept yapping off at the mouth and being generally idiots.
The shift manager said that the company policy set forth by the Cohen Restaurant Group, is too allow off duty employees to have a cocktail or two. While I have NO issue with that policy, I do take exception with a manager who allows an immature and drunk employee to remain in the bar.
When a customer paying BIG money for a drink has to endure an employee’s boorish behavior, and see the manager not remove the employee from the bar, I question my policy of supporting local businesses.
I’ll give them another shot, oops, bad pun there, later on. Perhaps I’ll rate Hawthornes higher next time, provided the kindergarten class is not in session.