Callie

"Chef Travis Swikard comes back to his hometown wreathed in glory, having earned his wings helming restaurants for culinary icon Daniel Boulud in New York City. Hip locals can now reap the benefits of the years he spent honing his craft in fine dining kitchens at this sharply designed and boisterous spot.The cuisine takes advantage of the best ingredients SoCal has to offer in highly shareable dishes featuring the bold, sunny flavors of the Mediterranean. Vegetables and seafood steal the show, with spice as a key supporting character. Behold the  kampachi crudo with an herb-y Israeli hot sauce and black lime, or carrots with crunchy cashew dukkah and burnt orange habanero dressing. Save room for sweets like the warm chocolate chip tahini cookie." - Michelin Inspector

The 38 Best Restaurants in San Diego | Eater San Diego

"Still one of the city’s most coveted reservations, Callie has become an essential contributor to San Diego’s restaurant culture. Chef Travis Swikard’s compelling California-Mediterranean cuisine lets local ingredients shine, making the East Village food scene a whole lot brighter. Be sure to start with the house pita and dips like hummus and avocado labneh. The menu is punctuated by stellar pasta and Greek/Morrocan/Syrian/Middle Eastern dishes like Aleppo chicken and harissa-grilled lamb chops. If you’re looking to dive into a bit of everything, order the five-course feast for $75 with an optional $40 wine pairing or $35 non-alcoholic pairing. Know before you go: For those that fear parallel parking in East Village, an underground parking garage sits in the same building as the restaurant. They’ll even validate your ticket." - Candice Woo

The 25 Best Restaurants In San Diego

"Spanish patatas bravas, North African merguez, Lebanese fattoush: a dinner at Callie might give you the travel bug. The roomy interior is decorated with terracotta tagines and stacks of cookbooks, and one step in the blue-tiled washroom will have you checking ticket prices to Chefchaouen. Each order of babaganoush comes with a puff of house pita that hits your face with steam when you rip it open. Enough red-aproned staff will whiz by with sizzling plates of Aleppo chicken in hand to make you order that too, and you’ll be glad you did. The skin is crisp but the flesh is moist—accompanied by sumac pickles, yogurt, and coriander honey, this elite combination of flavors scratches an itch we didn’t know we had." - candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, candice woo, candice woo, cora lee, cora lee, candice woo, candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, candice woo, candice woo, cora lee, candic

Callie - Review - Downtown - San Diego - The Infatuation

"Spanish patatas bravas, North African merguez, Lebanese fattoush: a dinner at Callie might give you the travel bug. The roomy interior is decorated with terracotta tagines and stacks of cookbooks, and one step in the blue-tiled washroom will have you checking ticket prices to Chefchaouen. Each order of babaganoush comes with a puff of house pita that hits your face with steam when you rip it open. Enough red-aproned staff will whiz by with sizzling plates of Aleppo chicken in hand to make you order that too, and you’ll be glad you did. The skin is crisp but the flesh is moist—accompanied by sumac pickles, yogurt, and coriander honey, this elite combination of flavors scratches an itch we didn’t know we had." - Cora Lee

The Best Romantic Restaurants in San Diego for Date Night | Eater San Diego

"This East Village gem has become one of the hardest date-night reservations to land in San Diego, for good reason. Beyond its industrial-chic interior, it’s a destination for consistent and compelling food, from homemade pastas (go for the pappardelle with duck and sausage ragù) to delicate crudos and larger main plates that have a Mediterranean and Levantine flair. Couples might opt to share the Aleppo chicken with sumac pickles, yogurt, and coriander honey, or the chargrilled hangar steak with chermoula aioli. Regardless, there’s no better way to finish than the Meyer lemon pavlova that comes with rose water-washed meringue, honey labneh, and nutty pistachio halva." - Helen I. Hwang