50 Best American Restaurants near Rancho Santa Fe

“Charming cottage has the best food and atmosphere!“

“One of our special date night places when in the San Diego area. Outdoor seating is great and food is wonderful. Rancho Santa Fe in the evening is quiet and you can just have a nice conversation over dinner.“

“Ambiance, service, exceptional food (Dover sole, branzino) - simply elegant“

“Beautiful setting, warm cozy room, delightful attentive smiling, staff, and FANASTIC food. 5 Diners and everyone loved what they ordered and or shared with each other. Standout dishes the fried chicken, fish tacos, hamachi crudo, roasted cauliflower, focaccia bread, and number 1 were the swordfish bites. Dessert churros best we'd ever tasted light, crunchy cinnamon sugar goodness. Thank you Rancho Valencia for a special evening!“

“Ava our server was just so amazing! Such a great attitude and got our food/ beverages out in a timely manner. Definitely would give that girl a raise!“

“My husband and I came here once and it’s now our favorite place to come eat! A woman Trudy who works there is an absolute super star! She is always going above and beyond to make the experience even better, the food is a plus ? don’t miss out on the grandmas Mac and cheese. It’s the best I’ve ever had!“

“best chicken fried steak and gravy this side of El Paso“

“We really enjoyed our lunch/dinner! Excellent chicken pot pie. Our waitress was Diane and she is top notch! Thank you so much !“

“Great place! Excellent service! Delicious food!“

“Great vibes everyone is super friendly loved the service! 🍷😀“

“Have always had a great experience at The Money Pit; except for today (10/28/24). My wife and I stopped for lunch and ordered 2 hamburgers, 1 fry, and 2 drinks. At the time of ordering your employee gave me a to-go carrier for the two drinks, and I told her that we were eating at the Money Pit. She gave me two cups for the drinks. I paid the bill of $20.04 with cash, and she gave me my change. She seemed very put out that I was not taking the drinks and food out. Anyway, when they brought the meal, there were 3 hamburgers, not 2. I said I ordered 2 and she basically told me I was lying and walked away. If you get a server about 30-35 years old, 5'4" tall, with glasses at the Money Pit expect to be treated in a rude matter. Never happened to me in the past (over 10 years of eating there), and I hope you don't have to deal with this employee.“

“We attended the 20th annual Celebrate the Craft. It was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the event. The waitstaff at the bar was friendly and provided excellent service.“

“Awesome spot!! Good beer and good sandwich’s“

“I know food. I know service…….. This place excels at both. An extensive menu, packed full of traditional fare, as well as creative, unique items. Fresh baked goods Quality coffee, which I rarely find in my travels. Great staff with excellent leadership at the helm. I was only visiting from Palm Desert on a packed Sunday, but this will be a regular stop for me when I’m in town for work.“

“Loved eating here the mall that this location in is very nice with lots of seating overlooking the fountain and things to see. The food was delicious, even my picky toddler enjoyed her grilled cheese. Definitely will eat here again when I am in town!“

“Great food and great service from a very friendly and attentive staff! Had an awesome date night! Our first time here but won’t be our last.“

“It’s a beautiful restaurant in Carmel. It’s delicious. Serving sizes are huge and healthy. I loved all the healthy choices they had. I ended up trying the beat salad. It was amazing!“

“Amazing atmosphere! Fantastic food and service! A go to destination! You will not be disappointed 👏🏼“

“Great food, friendly staff, great selection of adult beverages. Butcher shops.“

“Vanessa was really friendly at the counter and bringing it the food AND cleaning dishes up. So nice!! Also the good was A1, to notch, amazing! En Fuego Burger delivered on good spice/great, great fresh ingredients, and perfectly cooked! (I ordered medium rare) Then those sweet potatoes fries... There is no way to make them better than how they do it here!!! I need to come up here to MTB more often so I can come here after! Oh, and everyone else loved their meals too.“

“If you’re in the Poway area and need a bite to turn your frown upside down look no further. You’ll be seated fast indoor or outdoor and waited on without delay. Food is delicious and staff is friendly. Highly recommend chicken fried steak, the gravy should be the envy of every diner in Southern California.“

“Friendly and courteous staff, high quality and delicious food! Love their drinks and desserts as well. The menu is not overwhelming for me to choose! Lovely atmosphere!“

“! I wouldn’t go anywhere else“

“Delicious food and great value, great atmosphere“

“The girls of Girl Scouts troop 2999 want to thank Debbie’s Pie shoppe for the wonderful pie!! It was tasty and wonderful. Thank you #girlscoutstrong“

“I’ve been dining at Le Papagayo’s for 20+ years. I love the atmosphere, ambience, live music, and fabulous food. It’s a down to Earth place and you can come casual or dressed up! This place will not disappoint.“

“I've been a customer of theirs for a long time and the reason is simple, the food is super healthy and it tastes good too. Also, the portions are generous, and all for all for a good price.“

“Met some friends at Amalfi Dockside about a week ago. The food was superb!!! We also enjoyed the wonderful entertainment provided by Relic Ruckus....“

“I had high hopes for Huckleberry’s—this was our first time visiting, and my husband and I love exploring new breakfast spots. Breakfast is one of our favorite meals of the day, so we were excited to try it out.

The experience started off well. Our waiter was friendly and attentive at first, but unfortunately, he didn’t check on us again until we had to flag him down for drink refills. That lack of follow-up really affected our overall impression.

When the food arrived, it didn’t come out all together. My husband and I got our plates first, but his potatoes were cold and his English muffin wasn’t toasted at all. My son’s meal—chicken tenders and fries—arrived much later than ours.

On the bright side, I really enjoyed my meal. I had the Bananas Foster with scrambled eggs and fried green tomatoes—everything was absolutely delicious. But it was disappointing to see my husband, who was looking forward to the meal, not enjoy his due to cold food and poor preparation.

Overall, while there were a few highlights, the inconsistent service and food quality—especially the cold plate—make it unlikely that we’ll return. There’s just no excuse for food coming out cold.“

“Love eating here! Great customer service, delicious food, and a perfect ambiance. Immediately a new favorite and looking forward to our next visit!“

“Was a great idea stopping to Islands Food was great and waitress so wonderful I really recommended Thank you“

“It was about noon as I left my Doctors office and feeling a little hungry. I say Pegah’s Kitchen next door and gave it a try. The staff were all very professional. I had their Italian omelette and if I had to rate it on a one to 10 scale with 10 being the best, I would give it a 12. This is the Vista location. Highly recommend this place for breakfast and lunch, as they are not open for dinner.“

“What a great place! When you first walk in you see the bar area, around the corner are dining tables which are great for a nice dinner. The food was absolutely amazing, I highly recommend the French onion soup and sea bass entree. The servers were attentive and kind, the ambience and music was relaxed yet had good energy. It wasn't happening when we went but sometimes they have live music too. Please check this place out!“

“Solana Beach Kitchen was amazing. Each dish was spectacular. Loved the Surf & Turf Nachos, the Calamari was the best I have ever had. The Mac n Cheese with brisket was a recommendation from the fabulous Tracy and it was incredibly delicious. Everything was so good that we returned the next night!! Highly recommend SB Kitchen.“

“Super attentive service. From the Hostesses, wait staff to buss boys. Food is delectable. Entrees were well prepared, fresh ingredients, served hot & salads crisp. Highly recommended.“

“Good food and coffee, perfect set up for business professionals, meetings, laptop work etc. good vibes overall, staff is super friendly as well. I randomly found this place on Google and a year later it is still my favorite place to work from. “

“Excellent Thai food in a beautiful setting. You will love the ambience, the food and the service.
The place is nicely decorated, the most beautiful food I have been to. Everything we tried was excellent, cannot recommend highly enough.
The roti and curry is delicious and a must try. Soups are nice and perfect for winter nights.“

“I enjoyed the Ginger Miso salad“

“Seasons Restaurant in Carlsbad is such a hidden gem! We stopped in for their Golden Hour menu and were seriously impressed--great prices, solid portions, and everything we tried was super flavorful. The vibe is upscale but still relaxed, and the service was friendly without being overbearing. Definitely recommend the Golden Hour for a chill evening with good food and drinks without breaking the bank. We'll for sure be back!“

“Family friendly. Dog friendly. Nice patio. Mimosas. Biscuits and gravy. Corn beef hash. Chocolate chip pancakes. Rueben sandwich.“

“Live music and the food are great at the Roxy“

“Really appreciated that they had a vegan option and knew what they were doing (the receipt stated that the brioche bun would be ciabatta, mayo would be subbed for plant-based mayo, cheese would be vegan cheese). It was really good, more than the typical burger, even with added arugula. Well-priced, great service, wonderful ambiance.“

“Outstanding salads! Friendly staff!“

“Great food, fun and quirky vibe.“

“our server Annie was so nice and the ranch is homemade and delicious. I got my free birthday burger one of the finest burgers on the menu. and I highly recommended the Rancho parkway Red Robin. food was delicious everything was good temperature freshly served quick and made to order delicious. 😊“

“Duffs is a great go to place for great quality hot dogs and more. smiling, friendly people work there.“

“Amazing food and service. You must try the Bread Pudding. I loved the one of a kind drinks with the adorable garnishments. The atmosphere was warm and inviting.“

“I absolutely love this place. I have been going here since I was a teenager and now love coming with my two little boys (my dates). We sit outside and watch the cool surf videos on TV and enjoy the laid back atmosphere and incredible food. This has truly become our go to when we want to get out of the house and enjoy a great meal, some fresh air, and lovely staff.
I stopped in after work recently with about 30 minutes to spear before I had to be somewhere. I mentioned this to Jason who greeted me when I arrived, and we quickly started chatting about our children and other related things. He knew I was in a hurry and immediately took my order when I was pretty sure he was a Manager and doing this just to be accommodating. My meal and drink arrived almost immediately and I was approached several times by him and the waitress after that to check on me and see if I needed anything else. I was out of there with time to spare and so grateful for the kindness I encountered there, especially after the week I'd had. I am grateful for this little spot so close to home and appreciate every aspect of Islands from the food, the staff, the ambiance, and the yummy drinks. Thank you Islands for doing what you do so well and caring about your customers, and thank you Jason for being such a bright light in a dim week. Your kindness and willingness to go above and beyond to make my visit so pleasant was appreciated more than you know!“

“Chef Felix and family put together an excellent meal. Every. Single. Day.I've been going here for 4+ years and am still going back. Everytime Chef curates, weekly, a menu and will even still make you almost anything you can cook on a skillet. From flatbreads, to home made soups, and a Cubano I would fight you for, they make a bit of everything.¡Provecho!“

“Great food and server she was on top of it“