Cellar Hand

1440 University Ave, San Diego
(619) 876-4099

Recent Reviews

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Am Bez

Delicious food all sourced locally! Excellent execution and presentation.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Joe Gladstone

Had a beautiful meal here. Was calm and relaxed, excellent service, delicious food. Will come back soon. Perfect place for a date night or to catch up with a close friend.

RaeAna Eiley

This place was cute and service was pretty good but the food is terrible especially for the price they’re charging. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 3

Jocelyn Sanders

Great location, atmosphere, service, and gourmet food with all the pretentiousness. The wine list is so well diversified, allowing for every type of palate!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Josh F

I came here for dinner with my wife and experienced excellent service, food, and a beautiful atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ally Hurtado

Great place for food allergic like myself. So carefully made!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Daniela Silva Riera

Chef Ashley knocks it out of the park with a wide variety of small plates with hyper local ingredients. Every time a new dish came, we were surprised with such unexpected flavor combinations and beautiful presentation. Service was phenomenal and the wine selection was a fantastic representation of local wineries. The orange wine, both in the glass and in the gelée (with the chicken liver mousse) was so tasty! Great for special occasions and celebrations or any treat-yourself night! Loved it! Thanks for a great experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Phillip Johnston

This was our first time dining here. I saw write ups in the Night and Day Section of the San Diego UT as well as in the Auto
Club magazine Westways. Both of our entrees were outstanding. The halibut was moist and broth poured at tableside was flavorful. Ask for a spoon to enjoy this delicious broth. This pairs well with the white blend or the chardonnay. Also try the pork chop with the brown butter and cherries. The pork was very tender and served off the bone. We had this with the pinot noir and it paired beautifully. Try the Pali wines associated with this restaurant. They are very good. The service was very good and our server was very knowledgeable. We'll definitely be going back to try other entrees and wines.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Lorena Ortega

I rarely leave negative reviews, but my recent experience here left me really disappointed, especially given the price point. The restaurant presents itself as upscale, and the prices certainly reflect that — unfortunately, the food and portions do not.

I ordered the ricotta-stuffed pesto pasta as my main course, which was nearly $30. What I received was seven small pieces of pasta that lacked any real flavor. When I asked about the portion size, I was told that most of the dishes are “tapas style,” which would be fine if the flavors were bold or inventive — but everything we tried was bland and underwhelming.

Labeling small portions as “tapas style” seems more like a convenient excuse to serve less food rather than a deliberate culinary choice. And for a dish marketed as a main course, the serving size was disappointing at best.

Overall, this felt like a case of style over substance — high prices, minimal portions, and flavorless execution. I don’t mind paying a premium for a great meal, but this just didn’t deliver.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 2

Jennifer Hale

I came to cellar hand for a work dinner. As a celiac, I was worried when I saw “no modifications” but I called in advance and they shared that they can definitely accommodate allergies. I was so pleased with the service, they gave me a menu that was marked with gf items. I even shared some plates with my team and did not feel sick after so I know they took cross contamination seriously. The wines were also delicious, please note that they do not serve liquor. 10/10 would recommend as each dish was a delightful experience for the palate. They even have a parking lot!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Jenny Nguyen

Came here for a glass of wine and appetizer with my dog. Very cute restaurant, service was great. Waitress explained the menu thoroughly and food came out quick. The chicken liver mousse was amazing. Definitely want to come back and try other dishes.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Michael Nef

We went to Cellar Hand to experience Farm to Table food and we were completely blown away. They bake their own bread and pastries from flour they make. Everything they do is truly fresh and they only have a freezer to keep ice cream frozen. You can taste the freshness in the food! Johnny, our server, was extremely knowledgeable about their methods and their food. The burger was seriously one of the best burgers we ever had... and that includes the fries. If you are into wine, they will not disappoint in that regard either, although only 1 of us enjoyed it. We will definitely be back, as this has very positively surprised us and instantly became a favorite of ours. You can feel the love in the food. It's fantastic!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Nduja Toast

sam ghalie

The stars are for the people working there, they deserve 5 as they are really nice, welcoming, funny...
But the cuisine and the wines .... We got 2 different red wines and they were really medium; even a low price supermarket wine can test better.
However the biggest deception is the food. You can really feel that everything is fresh and has a good quality , but they are trying to make a special cuisine that isn't working: They will serve you an excellent fish (raw or cooked) but covered with so many spices that you loose completely the taste of the main ingredient. As for the hamburger , it tastes just of strong beef meat and charred bun. Then they have this so called Mediterranean plates with labne; what the heck!!! I've been eating labne daily for over 50 years, but the combinations they offer are very, very bad.
I am sorry, I don't like to give bad reviews, but they have a lot, a lot, to do to improve their cuisine.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 5

Katherine Ackley

Everything was fresh and had such unique flavors. I highly recommend the charred caulini and whipped tahina. The strawberry shortcake dessert was out of this world!! Also love a spot that has plenty of non-alcoholic options

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Kala Waddington

Love how this new farm to table gem is tucked into the hustle of University St. Sitting there for brunch you’d have never known a vivacious farmers market was on the next street corner nor would you have known it was a Sunday Funday. Everything about Cellar Hand exudes chill vibes, great wine and superb food. The staff is not only knowledgeable in all things food and wine but super down to earth, with everyone interacting as if you’d been friends for last decade or two of life. Make this your next spot to try with friends!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

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