Great food, ambiance and music.

Valentines Day

We were on Valentine's Day. Everything is great, the food is delicious, but the service was poor. Not organized.

Horrible and slow service despite few occupied tables. We were told upstairs was at capacity (our reservation was at 5pm on 2/14) yet witnessed many people being taken upstairs during our meal. The menu presented was vastly different than that online which was very misleading and disappointing. We were brought the wrong food and had to request water refills and the check multiple times. The dining tables in the main area were not 6-feet apart and several employees were incorrectly wearing masks leaving their noses exposed. While our mussels and salmon appetizers were tasty (we initially went for dinner but after seeing the menu changed our plans) neither dish was worth the price.

Not a fair review, but the staff were quite inexperienced and uncoordinated. Probably will get better.

So good, such a great live musician as well!

They had live music and it was wonderful. Felt like pre-covid times.

We had a great time we weren’t expecting to go there but we found a reservation on open table and decided to try it out. Everything from the appetizer to our main entrées and drinks were delicious we will definitely be going back.

The server worked his butt off, and the soup was out of this world. My favorite place in SD

My food was delicious and hot! Our server was also so awesome. I'll definitely be back!

The food is as good or better than it’s ever been. Remembering the “glory days” of this bastion of the San Diego culinary scene made me a bit nostalgic and bitter-sweet about the “tired” look of the interior. The beautiful stained glass bar had merely 2 bulbs lit behind the glass and the 2nd floor mezzanine (where we dined) had visible stains in the ceiling from the HVAC. A little TLC would go a long way to restoring this historic destination for movers & shakers, business elite and celebrities who long graced it with pre-theatre dinners or post-deal business drinks. Feeling wistful for what this still could be, I wish the new owners well and pray that they support and promote the amazing chef who will keep us coming back for more!

Dobson's has been a favorite of our for years. Now with COVID, we recognize that we cannot expect the same quality of ambience and service as in the past. However, we made a reservation a week in advance and were greeted outside by a waiter looking at his phone and barely acknowledging us until we started to walk in. We were told we would have to sit outside even though this was not communicated at the time of reservation and even though there were empty available tables. We ended up sitting at the bar where we received good service from the bartender but it was not the Dobson's experience we remember. Generally disappointing.

We were sitting outside when it started to rain. They were ill-equipped to handle the rain. Our food was over done and dry.

I hate to leave bad reviews....We are so sad that Dobson's of old is completely changed! The wonderful mussel soup that my hubby looked so forward to was watery and the mussels were overcooked. We were a party of 4. My food was "fine" but everyone else said theirs was sub-par. The service was wonderful and they had live music in a truck. I would say they need a new chef-atmosphere and service was great.

We have always liked Dobson's. The new outdoor seating is very pleasant.

Longtime San Diegan’s but had never been. It was wonderful. The food was so good. The service was wonderful.

26 dollars for four scallops with nothing but the plate is a bit out there.

Great smaller French-inspired restaurant close to the Westin hotel and US Grant hotel. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic service was outside. Very friendly service and food selection, including seafood

Celebrating a friend

After a more than a 10 year absence, I went back to Dobson's and the food is delicious. I tried the beef short ribs and the file mignon and both were fantastic. I highly recommend Dobson's.

Love this place quiet and intimate good food and good service

Anniversary

I was traveling from out of town and found Dobson’s on Yelp. I was greeted by a pleasant host and shown to a table outside. I ordered the Caesar salad, which had an incredible tasting dressing. For my entree I chose the braised short ribs. Perfectly prepared and just the right portion size. I really enjoyed by dining experience at Dobson’s.

Went here for my birthday and everything was perfect even during COVID. Had a live performer which made everything really nice and special. Food was outstanding!

Quaint, friendly service, this tight space pulled off social distancing well.

My wife and I bought tickets to a show @ the Civic Theater, so we thought we'd have dinner before the show somewhere in the same area. Dobson's came up on a Google search and I will say that having their menu online for my wife to be able to look at is what sold her. Dobson's is in the Spreckel's Theater building, so I am sure there is a long history to the restaurant. We were seated upstairs at the railing, so we had a view of downstairs and of foot traffic along the sidewalk on Broadway Circle. My wife, our 2 sons and I all chose a seafood dish. Our sons had the special, which was yellowtail, I had the sea bass, and my wife had the scallops. I think the 4 of us all agreed that the scallops was the best dish. Myself and the guys thought the dishes were a little small, especially for the price, and we ended up getting hungry again later. The sourdough bread that they served each of us before dinner was tasty.

I had a ono mushroom risotto that was simply outstanding. Flaky,done just right. Mushroom risotto was out of this world. My wives steak was also done nicely. Cooked to the way she ordered. Their crab bisque was and still is one of my favorite dishes anywhere. The flaky crust cover the bisque is light and adds just the right texture that highlights the very tasty crab bisque. Thinking of it,I want to go back. Crime brûlée was also very good. Server was friendly and attentive. Job nicely done. I’m ready to go back. It was a few years that we’ve been to that we fought the crab bisque. Thank to the person that thought out of my box to remind me of Dobson’s. Thanks trip advisor for this forum.

Always excellent. Great for before or after theatre. Date night, celebration, such great ambiance and food. Must always get the mussel bisque!

Valentines

My wife and I went for Valentine’s night dinner because we had tickets to the ballet at the Lyceum. We had eaten at Dobson’s before and enjoyed. On previous occasions we had been seated upstairs which we enjoy but this time we were seated downstairs across from the bar. I assume this was because of heavy traffic for this evening. When we asked about upstairs we were told it would be difficult so we stayed downstairs.
We didn’t know that they had a special prix fixe Valentine’s menu but it looked interesting so we decided to take it. It was extremely good. We each had an appetizer, an entree, and a special shared dessert. We checked to see if thee was a choice for dessert since we didn’t want chocolate and were assured that there was. My backed oysters were outstanding one of the best preparations I have had and my salmon came with a silky sauce that was very light but creamy and silky smooth on the palate. My wife’s avocado with crab and lobster was excellent as was her fillet which was done medium rare as she requested. The dessert we received was a cheese cake creme brûlée and was excellent. We had a good glass of champagne before dinner that was included and I had a very good Pinot noir with my salmon. Other than the noisier seating it was an excellent dinner and a perfect Valentine’s evening.

We like the small restaurant ambiance. It is also close to the Civic Theater, Spreckels, and Balboa Theater. It is a perfect place for a pre-opera meal. If you order from the appetizer menu, you can enjoy great food and not guilty. But if you are in the mood, they also have very tempting entres. Enjoy

Great downtown establishment. Get the Mussel Soup!

Great experience all around. Delicious food and top notch service.

The filet mignon chez Martin was perfectly cooked and tasted great. The duck was cooked a little too medium and didn't seem like the fat/skin was rendered, so the skin was chewy.

Usually better. I like this place very much but this time—the food was not as good as usual: duck was tough & the usually great bread was only partly warmed.

We have stopped by Dobsons a few times in the past couple years and had good experiences so were excited to be there for apps and adult beverages before an early play. Unfortunately, the service was good but the food was not up to par. The mussel bisque lacked the sherry "float" on top until we had almost finished the soup, and our charcuterie platter did not come with the duck rillette described on the menu. We questioned our server and she took the platter back to the kitchen to show the chef the platter who identified the gray sausage on the platter as duck pate. We tried it but are sure it was some type of greasy pork. We've had the delicious duck rillette here before so know this sausage was not what we had ordered. It seemed there may have been a big party upstairs so staff were busy but not being served the correct food as ordered and as typically prepared was a disappointment. We didn't want to make a scene so we left the mostly uneaten platter on the table. We'll try this restaurant again on a quieter evening.

Wonderful experience as always

Great place for before or after dining theater. Makes nice combination of dinner and play or concert.

Terrible table upstairs by stairwell and bus station. Asked to move, couldn’t accommodate. Table was too small and not enough room for plates. Uncomfortable meal

Great food and service