Jeff L.
Yelp
**Island Prime - 50th Birthday Dinner Review**
We celebrated a 50th birthday dinner here, drawn by its location on the water with fantastic views of downtown San Diego. For the views alone, Island Prime is worth a visit. It's reputed to be one of the premiere steakhouses in San Diego, so our expectations were high, especially when comparing restaurant-grade food to the quality of a well-cooked Costco meal at home. We were not disappointed, but we weren't overly impressed either.
The food tasted delicious, with filet mignon plates all around. Each bite was tender and flavorful, though a bit one-dimensional for my preference. The filet was good but lacked the additional fat or flavor elements that elevate a steak from good to great. My filet was overcooked, but the server and manager promptly corrected this without any attitude, which I appreciated.
Service, however, fell short of the top-tier standards expected from a steakhouse like this. Our table, although providing beautiful water views, was awkwardly located and uncomfortably large for our party of five. The service was adequate but minimal, with our interactions feeling rushed and impersonal. We had more meaningful interaction with the kitchen staff (kitchen deliver server, who shared his tribal tattoo journey us, nice!) than our own waiter, which detracted from the overall experience.
The use of OpenTable for our reservation was convenient, but my special requests for the birthday celebration went unanswered, requiring a follow-up call. Although they did add a happy birthday message on our dessert plate, a little more personalization, like writing the celebrant's name in chocolate drizzle, would have been appreciated. This is a top-tier restaurant, right?
Leaving Island Prime, I expected a warm farewell from our waiter, but he was nowhere to be found. A bartender coming off break had to step in to take our family picture, highlighting the understaffing issue.
In conclusion, Island Prime offers a fantastic location and views, but the food and service, while good, didn't live up to the high-tier steakhouse reputation. I might return for the views and ambiance, but for an exceptional steakhouse experience, I'll look elsewhere. But would happily come back if I was only commandeered a gift card from Cohen Restaurants.