The Lion’s Share

An outstanding place. The food and drinks were made to perfection and the atmosphere was fun and inviting.

Love this place, a thriving, bustling bar/​restaurant that could be my new favorite haunt. It features craft cocktails, small plates, and a menu of hearty meats from wild critters like elk and boar. The bartender made me a special drink tonight from my description of flavors I like. Thanks, Josh! I’ll be back!

Trendy bar just a block off the beach in San Diego. I was staying at the Embassy so it was right across the street. It was a wonderful evening and the drinks were DELICIOUS. We had the boiled eggs and sliders and were happy with both. They were shareable if you weren’t starving. There are many cool menu items including a $ 20 burger… I wanted it but decided not to indulge. It is definitely well decorated but on the small side. We were there on a Tuesday night so it wasn’t too bad at all but I imagine it can get super crowded with longer waittimes, b/​c we were really ENJOYING the meal and weren’t in a rush. Service was good… solid, polite but not too in our face, which I appreciate. Overall a COOL spot in the midst of many many options.

This place is quite the little gem. I had the boar sausage poutine and the hanger steak which were all wonderfully delicious! Their menu was so unique we can’t wait to go back and try some other things I normally wouldn’t consider putting in my mouth on purpose. Great vibe and atmosphere and a damn near perfect evening except for that drippy pipe that kept refilling my water glass. .. Service was fantastic and this is definitely a place that most people would love unless you’re an Applebee’s fan.

Quite a funky little bar with a great selection of food. Things like bison tartar and antelope sliders should give a clue on what to find. Has a great, although limited, dessert selection also. Good for craft beers and excellent wines. Worth the visit.

This place is all around a hard 10. The décor is fantastic and j couldn’t stop looking around at all the wild paintings. Plus, that fantastic lighting. The ambiance couldn’t have been better.
I started with the French75 cocktail which was delicious. My sister got the Mr. Gnome It All, which is served in a green bell pepper. Super whimsical and tasty. The cocktail list is superb and there were so many more I wanted to try.
We enjoyed the wild boar poutine, which was hearty and delicious. The quail and duck fat waffle is truly fantastic. All around the dinner was one of the best I’ve had in San Diego. This place is truly a must.

I have heard lots of good things about this place and have been wanting to check it out for a while. So when I saw it on the San Diego Restaurant Week list, I had to take advantage of the opportunity.
My friend & I started off with some cocktails at the bar while we waited for our table. It was a busy night, but our hostess was very courteous & friendly. In fact, we were seated before the cocktails were even made. We ordered a Sidecar & a drink called Tiger Hug. The Sidecar was smooth and went down easy. I didn’t like the other one too much, so switched to an Old Fashioned. That was a much better choice for my whiskey drinking palette.
For dinner, we went with the Restaurant Week Menu. They had a pretty good selection of their usual items. So, we started with the Deviled Eggs and Corn & Coconut soup. I’m a big fan of deviled eggs & these did not disappoint. The toppings, which consisted of prosciutto, caviar & red peppers were all on point. I could’ve eaten a dozen of them. For our entrée, we ordered the Fried Quail with Waffle and Wild Boar Bolognese. The Quail was cooked to perfection-​crunchy on the outside & juicy on the inside. Definitely my favorite of the two. Finally, we finished off with the Chocolate-​Orange cake & Salted Caramel Pudding with bacon bits. We didn’t care much for the cake, but the pudding was delicious. The bacon bits on top was definitely a nice touch.
Overall, we were very pleased with our meals and service. The atmosphere & the décor, while unique, was pretty cool too. And our waitress was superbly pleasant & helpful. Looking forward to returning again soon, especially during happy hour, so I can try out few more of their cocktails & those delicious deviled eggs.

I have been wanting to come here for a long time. This place can get me eating meat even though I am a vegetarian — I am talking about kangaroo, ostrich, antelope and yak!
Recently I came for the Space Shuttle drink
Really good happy hour wine and food — the corn coconut soup was an excellent creation
Service was attentive and thank you for going above and beyond to get me the internet — The username is Rag n Bone — how cute
The only less star I wished they had more people working — everything was slow when you only had one guy running around.

Their Moscow Mules are A-​mazing!!! They use really ginger which gives it spicy punch. One of the best mules I’ve ever had.
Also had their wild boar sliders which were amazing as well. They use wild boar bacon which is prepared extra crispy… My favorite.
The coconut corn soup had good flavor and was piping hot when served.
The foie gras was average, and serving size was a bit small.
Overall great ambiance and very friendly servers.
I will be back.

Me and my boyfriend spent the weekend in SD and he was the one to pick this spot-​I was not disappointed. Right when you walk in the door you realize what a great find it is. The bar area gets a bit crowded and loud, but it doesn’t take away from the amazing dining experience, it just adds to the ambience.
Everyone is dressed up, even the workers! It has a bunch of random cool art hanging up everywhere and unique food. I ordered the antelope sliders with the pear salad and he ordered the grilled hanger steak-​all absolutely delicious! So happy with our experience here. My boyfriend did a great job picking out an awesome spot.

We came here for my husbands bday in December and all 15 of us loved it!
Ok first off, super cool and unique ambience! A huge peacock was on the wall by our table along with awesome paintings.
Craft cocktails… Bomb! I just told her what kind of drinks I liked. Not too sweet and I like gin or vodka. She brought me an amazing cocktail that I had to have seconds of.
Food. One of the best burgers I’ve had. Super juicy and the flavor was incredible. Couldve been the boar bacon but whatever it was, rocked! Along with truffle Parmesan fries. Mmm. Read the menu before you go cause their items are unique so not everyone will be a fan. But I know we were.
They also have a snail mail mailbox that you can fill out good ol fashioned post cards and put them in the box and they send them out! My husband got 5 in the mail so far from that night. Such a cool idea!

The close proximity to my apartment made me a regular here. Whether it was dinner, happy hour, or a late night drink — I found myself here at least once a month.
Favorite drink: St. Elizabeth Sexy Pants. It’s the perfect fall-​weather whiskey cocktail that I continued to order through the spring and summer. Yes, I’m that obsessed — think: allspice and cinnamon in a drink with bourbon. It’s delicious.
Foods I love: (1) the sausage poutine (definitely a splurge item on the healthiness scale, but it’s a great item to share with the table); (2) hangar steak; (3) the fried quail and waffles (an awesome take on chicken and waffles); and (4) lamb tacos (full of flavor and the meat is so tender!)
Items I tried and wouldn’t order again: there aren’t that many, but the rabbit rilette and antelope sliders were not worth a second order. The sliders especially were pretty dry for my taste.
The space is small, dimly-​lit, and can get crowded. I highly recommend reservations, or to take a seat at the bar if one is available (the bartenders are friendly and full of advice when it comes to drink recommendations!).

Went here with the boyfriend after reading about it during my last trip to San Diego. It was a Friday night so we decided to see if there was room available around 7:30pm – we were in luck as they let us know that they had a spot open until 9pm.
We were seated right away in the main dining room, which had some very eclectic décor, but was a little darker than I would have liked. Nonetheless, the candlelit tables provided for a great ambiance.
For dinner, we were pretty hungry so we decided to split a few dishes.
Peach and arugula salad (3 stars): This salad was decent and refreshing compared to our other dishes, but was not one of the more memorable parts of the night.
Bison tartare (2 stars): We ordered this at the recommendation of our waiter and we wish we hadn’t. I don’t know what the issue was since we both usually love anything tartare, but the flavors here were just off.
Tacos de lengua (4 stars): These were actually pretty tasty and filled to the brim with ingredients. The lengua was tender and the veggies provided a nice crunch.
Antelope sliders (5 stars): These were our favorite dish of the night. The meat was so tender and juicy – absolutely delicious. I’d come back just for these any night.
Rabbit hand pie (5 stars): This was also a very strong dish as the pastry dough was perfectly cooked and flaky and paired well with the rabbit and carrot purée.
Chocolate orange cake (3 stars): We ordered this for dessert. While the flavor was there, the cake was a bit dry for me and I would have preferred ice cream to the light frosting that accompanied it.
Drinks (5 stars): I had the no esposa and I can safely say it is one of the best drinks I have ever had. My boyfriend had the Hunter Thompson and that was also pretty tasty. Definitely try one of their signature drinks.
Overall, this place has some great food and awesome drinks and a nice ambiance to boot. The prices are reasonable and the service is friendly – definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area.

I have been here many times over the last couple of years. I always am inspired by the level of service and friendliness of the staff.
Oh and the food and drinks… wow!
Carlos is the head bartender or at least he is to me. If you want to observe impeccability. Watch him in action.
Check it out. Great date place too!
I almost always sit at the bar!

Came here for San Diego Restaurant Week.
We tried
Appetizers: Poutine was super salty, fries were soggy, didn’t care for the wild boar. Devil eggs were pretty good, but the portion (4 halves aka 2 eggs) could be more generous for how much they charged.
Entrée: We got the sausage board and hanger steak. Both were very good.
Desserts: Salted caramel pudding was waaaaay too sweet
I will still go back, but only the entrée is encore-​worthy

SD restaurant week: $ 30 for three course meal, definitely enough food for one person. If say you had a party of three, 2 three course meals would be enough to share between three people.
Seared Foie Gras– 3.5÷5 This was a bit too rare for my taste. It’s similar to a seared tuna steak to me, where the outside is seared but the inside is quite raw still. Overall it’s a little on the oily side as well.
Antelope Sliders– 3.5÷5 You get what you ordered on this one, for sure. Antelope is on the dry side, though less gamy than expected. It’s a bit dry overall but interesting to taste antelope. I do think they should’ve had more sauce to balance the natural dry texture of antelope.
Blood Sausage Poutie– ⁴⁄₅ Nothing much to complain about here, expect heavy texture and flavors because it is a gravy made from blood sausage over thick fries. Again, a little too oily for me personally, but flavors are good.
Wild Boar Carbonara– 4.5÷5 This was good, it’s like a meat sauce rigatoni but with a twist. The wild boar was surprisingly tender and juicy and they give you a lot of it in the meat sauce. I would’ve gone just a tad lighter on the oil and maybe a bit more creamy on the sauce, but great dish nonetheless.
Grilled Hanger Steak– ⁴⁄₅ meat is good texture, perfect medium rare. The restaurant actually serves this medium rare unless you ask for otherwise. Pairs well with the mash potatoes and the Chinese brocolli.
Bread Pudding– ⁵⁄₅ If I wasn’t so full, this was extremely good and served on a sizzling pan with bubbling hot chocolate syrup.
Overall good experience because you get to venture out of the norm and taste antelope and wild boar, but they make the flavors more acceptable to the average palate. Even though they serve exotic meats, the flavors are not over the top crazy. Price is good for portions and exotic foods as well.

Adventurous, bold and creative. That’s what comes to mind when I talk about The Lion’s Share. Checking out the menu initially has you wide-​eyed and hesitant, but once you’ve ordered one plate, you can’t stop. The Lion’s Share does not disappoint.
My husband and I picked The Lion’s Share as a fun option for a dinner reunion among friends, and were we glad we did. We felt like being adventurous and that is certainly what we got — and man was it good.
We shared so many plates I can’t even recall them all but I’m going to try:
Antelope Sliders — delicious, soft and tender and flavorful! Tastes like a burger.
Kangaroo Tartare — not my favorite, a little too salty and «gamey» for my taste
Meat Cheese Board — love the variety and especially the jams and cheeses to pair
Tacos de Lengua — sounds bold, but those tacos were super flavorful and juicy
Deviled Eggs — not a huge fan, overpriced and couldn’t really taste the enhancements like the quail or prosciutto
Sausage Board — just like it sounds, the boar meat was most interesting and fun to try
Lamb Bolognese — yes! comfort-​like food and the best bang for your buck
Rabbit Pot Pie — BEST ITEM ON MENU, hands down. A must!
And that’s just the food. The drinks?! Well those are spectacular, not to mention their ice cubes are perfectly clear and see-​through. Straight up magic.
Overall, The Lion’s Share is a great place to check out for something different! Got a date coming up or visitors in town? Go to The Lion’s Share and make it a fun adventurous experience to remember. Because you will and you’ll be happy you went.

A place with character speaks volumes to me. I don’t need a fancy bar with strobe lights and bumping music, but if you create a comfortable and quirky environment, you’ve got me! This place nails it.
It’s bright and sunny outside, but once you enter, it’s dim lighting. Dim almost to the point of mysterious haunted lodge, in the middle of downtown San Diego. Throw in some anthropomorphic art aka human bodies with creepy animal heads on top, and you’ve created the ultimate drinking atmosphere.
Happy hour is grand from 4−6pm, where you can enjoy a $ 6 cocktail. My libation of choice was the old fashion. Seemed fitting to go with the vibe. It was excellent and made me jealous this was just a stop along our jaunt around town.
The food smelled delicious and I’d for sure go back for more imbibing and a dive into the extensive menu offerings. Bookmark, and make sure you stop in, if not for a gander at the awesome art!

new favorite restaurant on planet earth. Nothing that we tasted was less than perfection.
We stumbled upon this place while walking around the area and thought it looked interesting from the across the street. When we got closer and looked at the menu, we were immediately drawn in. Not only did everything sound wonderful, but it was INTERESTING and well priced. From rabbit hand pies, antelope sliders, wild boar poutine & venison carpaccio to unique versions of bruschetta and tacos.
The waitstaff was lovely. The hostess was welcoming, our waitress, Katherine, was incredible, and the bartenders were entertaining and fun to watch. As mentioned in some other reviews I’ve read, the service was a bit slow but we Felt as though it was a courtesy towards us allowing us to stay longer & enjoy their unique cocktails and menu options in peace. Both the Hunter Thompson and the monks gone wild cocktails were amazing.
The seasonal bruschetta was fresh & tasty without curbing our appetite before dinner. For entrees, we tasted the chicken fried quail & duck fat waffle (food orgasm) and the wild style burger with boar bacon and truffle fries. Both of these entrees were almost too good. It felt wrong for this food to be so amazing. We will be back!

HAPPY HOUR! So fantastic, most places happy hour is only at the bar. This place is a bit tiny and they only have a few tables so that means make reservations and at the comfort of a table you can order happy hour. I was so glad we did as this place get super crowded with people wanting to order food but don’t really have anywhere to eat the food.
They have a fantastic happy hour from 4 – 6 everyday. Yup that includes weekends as well. We came on a Saturday and enjoy ordering from their happy hour menu. I couldn’t believe how tasty their $ 6 cocktails were. Try everything lol.
We weren’t sure how we will feel about the chicken liver but it was surprisingly good. Since we read so many reviews on the deviled eggs we had to order it, it was just okay and will skip that next time. It just tasted like boiled eggs and yolk. The Wild Boar sliders was nice and good, I really like the mini buns. Last for something refreshing we ordered the Pear and Marinated Fennel Salad. Yum.
Will definitely visit again. Thanks for a great experience. YAY!