My wife and I found this place a few years back and we never looked back! We loved everything about this steakhouse! The service is spot on and the steak was beyond my expectations. I highly recommend this restaurant to all my friends and family visiting San Diego!! My wife and I just celebrated our Anniversary here and our hostess went out of her way to make our visit here special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Prime Tomahawk Steak, Cheese Cake, Baked Potato, Porterhouse
Anna L.
I'm reluctant in leaving this review as I don't want to share this secret gem with many! Everything about the imperial house exceeded my expectations. By far the best steak, grilled octopus and lobster Mac and cheese of my life. The service, quality of the food and atmosphere was outstanding. We will be back next week for another amazing experience!
Andrew Allen
I hate to admit it but this has been and will always be my favorite bar in San Diego. Not pretentious, the piano player and dance floor is always a good time and the bar staff are always friendly and attentive. A relic of another era but one that I hope sticks around for a long long time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
ChicagoLocalB
This is a dive bar that serves steaks but is out of half of their menu. Not only was the bar, seating and restaurant filthy, but they play tacky dated music that seems to match the last remodel of the place. I will never return and would strongly encourage people to steer clear of this place if they expect great food and a nice dining experience!
Bob Hotter
We'd be on our way right now if it weren't for a $30 SPLIT PLATE CHARGE! How ridiculous. My partner and I typically split a steak as we try to limit our red meat intake. $30 for what? Thieves,
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Dorsey Tyson
It's an old fashion bar. Nice older
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ian White
Great food and great service. Knowledge staff. Nice atmosphere. Right next to balboa park. Also live piano music and Happy hour during the week. Stop by and see for yourself.
I dont understand how a steakhouse can be out of baked potatoes? Also no bread for the table!? This is a $70/steak restaurant? Also only had a couple house wines by the glass. The steak was delicious (a tad salty but cooked as ordered) and the service was good but everything else was a disappointment. High end steakhouse prices without the value.
William Butler Sr.
Nice private romantic ambiance with attentive services from Sergio!! Food full of flavor and well proportioned that was well worth the cost for the experience with My Love!!! Definitely worth the $$$!!
Mrhungry
Had a wonderful evening. Needed a late dinner to accommodate someone flying into SAN that evening. So picked the place b/c they had late dinner reservations. Didn't realize that on Friday and Saturday nights Kevin McCully sings and plays the piano in the bar part of the restaurant next to the dining room and his pleasant rendition of 80s songs delightfully drifts into the dining room. It was delightful. He starts at 8:30pm. We will be back if only for him...BUT I had a steak that was prepared to perfection (a rarity now-a-days). The dining room had an old world charm which we also liked and the service was excellent. It wasn't the cheapest steak dinner I could have had in San Diego, but it was a fantastic meal. We will be back.
Would give more than 5 stars. Amazing isn’t adequate. The folks who work here made us feel like family. They shared stories of the history of the building, including ghost stories- that’s right, apparently the place is haunted! This was in my top 5 best steaks of all time. The decor and vibe are crazy -old school upscale, classy, cozy. But again, the staff stole the show - that is until the ghost threw a plaque from a door to the ground…!!! Do yourself a favor and go experience the Imperial!
Glenn DiResto
Stopped in after St. Patrick's Day Parade it was a very vintage and interesting atmosphere. But fun was had by all.
Ozzie Barron
One of the best steaks I've ever had.Dim quiet place with a nostalgic feel, great for a romantic dinner
Tati R-S
I was not expecting to have that much fun! The live music was so much fun, lots of people dancing to the classics, and the food was great! We had the steak and a few sides, and everything was great.
DarkSidesHero
Came here after landing at the San Diego airport. Not bad at all. Got the Ribeye steak. Bit salty but can't complain. Wanted steak and all the other steak places were closing early, 9pm. Live music was good as well. If I were to ever come back around here I'd stop here again.
My wife and I found this place a few years back and we never looked back! We loved everything about this steakhouse! The service is spot on and the steak was beyond my expectations. I highly recommend this restaurant to all my friends and family visiting San Diego!! My wife and I just celebrated our Anniversary here and our hostess went out of her way to make our visit here special!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Prime Tomahawk Steak, Cheese Cake, Baked Potato, Porterhouse
I'm reluctant in leaving this review as I don't want to share this secret gem with many! Everything about the imperial house exceeded my expectations. By far the best steak, grilled octopus and lobster Mac and cheese of my life. The service, quality of the food and atmosphere was outstanding. We will be back next week for another amazing experience!
I hate to admit it but this has been and will always be my favorite bar in San Diego. Not pretentious, the piano player and dance floor is always a good time and the bar staff are always friendly and attentive. A relic of another era but one that I hope sticks around for a long long time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is a dive bar that serves steaks but is out of half of their menu. Not only was the bar, seating and restaurant filthy, but they play tacky dated music that seems to match the last remodel of the place. I will never return and would strongly encourage people to steer clear of this place if they expect great food and a nice dining experience!
We'd be on our way right now if it weren't for a $30 SPLIT PLATE CHARGE! How ridiculous. My partner and I typically split a steak as we try to limit our red meat intake. $30 for what? Thieves,
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It's an old fashion bar. Nice older
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and great service. Knowledge staff. Nice atmosphere. Right next to balboa park. Also live piano music and Happy hour during the week. Stop by and see for yourself.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 14-16oz Boneless Ribeye, Mashed Potatoes
I dont understand how a steakhouse can be out of baked potatoes? Also no bread for the table!? This is a $70/steak restaurant? Also only had a couple house wines by the glass. The steak was delicious (a tad salty but cooked as ordered) and the service was good but everything else was a disappointment. High end steakhouse prices without the value.
Nice private romantic ambiance with attentive services from Sergio!! Food full of flavor and well proportioned that was well worth the cost for the experience with My Love!!! Definitely worth the $$$!!
Had a wonderful evening. Needed a late dinner to accommodate someone flying into SAN that evening. So picked the place b/c they had late dinner reservations. Didn't realize that on Friday and Saturday nights Kevin McCully sings and plays the piano in the bar part of the restaurant next to the dining room and his pleasant rendition of 80s songs delightfully drifts into the dining room. It was delightful. He starts at 8:30pm. We will be back if only for him...BUT I had a steak that was prepared to perfection (a rarity now-a-days). The dining room had an old world charm which we also liked and the service was excellent. It wasn't the cheapest steak dinner I could have had in San Diego, but it was a fantastic meal. We will be back.
Restaurantji Recommends
Would give more than 5 stars. Amazing isn’t adequate. The folks who work here made us feel like family. They shared stories of the history of the building, including ghost stories- that’s right, apparently the place is haunted! This was in my top 5 best steaks of all time. The decor and vibe are crazy -old school upscale, classy, cozy. But again, the staff stole the show - that is until the ghost threw a plaque from a door to the ground…!!! Do yourself a favor and go experience the Imperial!
Stopped in after St. Patrick's Day Parade it was a very vintage and interesting atmosphere. But fun was had by all.
One of the best steaks I've ever had.Dim quiet place with a nostalgic feel, great for a romantic dinner
I was not expecting to have that much fun! The live music was so much fun, lots of people dancing to the classics, and the food was great! We had the steak and a few sides, and everything was great.
Came here after landing at the San Diego airport. Not bad at all. Got the Ribeye steak. Bit salty but can't complain. Wanted steak and all the other steak places were closing early, 9pm. Live music was good as well. If I were to ever come back around here I'd stop here again.