Ponyboy at The Pearl Hotel

Went here to celebrate my wife’s birthday. The evening was perfect and just warm enough under the heat lamps. Our drinks were perfect and really went well with our meal. Our meal was a blast of flavors and hit the spot for many reasons. I wasn’t sure about ceviche at first but it turned out to be one of the favorites! The ambiance was nice and I’d done inside next time for a more comfortable experience.

Too long;didn't read: Great food and atmosphere for a great price point. I was going to say that we were surprised at how good it was but that is actually pretty far from the truth. We knew it would be delicious but even with the high expectations we were very impressed. It feels like fancy eating that is approachable and unassuming. The theme was completely recognizable and distinct while not feeling forced. We were making comments during our meal to eachother about how on the ball our server was as well as the random folks swinging by to refill water cups The water cups were about half the height of a standard cup but even so I don't think I ever made it tot he bottom without someone approaching to refill it. As someone who has worked waitstaff before, that is really impressive! They hit all the waiter "touch points" perfectly and were very personable. Also, the food was super good. The ambrosia salad was especially memorable and fun with the spicy salts on top. We had a lot of fun eating there, the lack of loud music was welcome as the general energy around the pool was a nice soundtrack for a meal. The price point is in a nice spot where it is low enough that it is a place that one could easily be a regular to without having to be too concerned about a budget.

We had been to this locale's previous iteration several times and loved it at first then later not so much. So I was very excited to read about Ponyboy - my favorite dining decade was the 1970's and I was eager to see how the modern interpretation would be. I was not disappointed! First, the service, which was excellent. All service was friendly, informative, and prompt. The meal was spaced perfectly - this has been a problem for us at many area restaurants where courses are rushed or long extended periods between. Not here! Everyone was happy to chat and listen to our reminiscing about favorite restaurants in our past. Next, the ambience. So relaxing and different! Even though we kidded about our pool being bigger, sitting poolside under the lights gave us both inclusion and privacy. Finally, the food. As others have noted, the Chicken Kiev was fantastic and my favorite dish. Yummy and luscious, and my reheated leftovers were almost as good as the original, including the potato. I am looking forward to returning to have it again. And again. My Banana Daiquiri was fine; it seemed small but had a kick. I enjoyed the Pineapple Fritters; they definitely need to be shared. My husband said his Chiffonade Salad was tasty; he did mention expecting more than one piece of grapefruit in it but I said the dressing likely included grapefruit juice. The Prime Rib was well flavored, but slightly chewy and closer to medium than medium rare. All vegetable sides were perfectly al dente. We shared the Grasshopper Pie for dessert - dense and tasty but I expected perhaps a bit more minty taste. Just a thought - it would be fun to include a shot of Grasshopper cocktail with it! Our server mentioned that the menu would be changing with the seasons - hope you always have the Chicken Kiev! It might be fun to try the cheese fondue this fall/winter and maybe they'll add a chocolate fondue (hint, hint). (Note - I posted this same review elsewhere.)

Whimsical, nostalgic, lighthearted, and just damn delicious! The service was spot on, atmosphere perfect for a Thursday night date, and totally worth paying double for a babysitter. Not pictured in my review is the Juicy Lucy - Ponyboy’s take on a cheeseburger. We ate it too fast to take a pic. Even after sampling 3 appetizers, it was amazing, perfectly cooked, cheese oozing out, and a fresh flavorful bun. The gazpacho with olive oil sorbet rivaled the flavors in southern Spain, and the old fashioned will now stand in my head as what I want when I order the drink. While I loved and will miss Charles & Dinorah, Ponyboy and its Frosted take on staying gold is charting a less traveled path that is going to make all the difference in the San Diego Restaurant Scene.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a new restaurant but my wife and I were blown away by everything we ordered here. The Jidori Chicken Kiev will be stamped into the top five of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Also, I figured out the best way to eat the jidori chicken. So, you cut a square of the chicken off. Then take your fork, and from the outside to the center of the center of the plate, scoop towards the chicken. This will be the best bite you’ve ever had.

inventive food, good drinks, great service. accommodating of dietary restrictions. the vegan kebab al pastor dish was one of my favorites despite me being a huge carnivore. highly recommend the jidori chicken. happy hour 4-5pm wed-sun

I've been coming to the pearl for a drink at the bar for about 20 years, but they've really stepped up their game with the addition of Ponyboy. We've been 3 times for dinner and once for drinks, and the food, drink and service have been impeccable. They do change the menu pretty frequently, but I haven't had anything bad yet. The burger and fries are spectacular. The fries are good enough that I order them as a side, even if I'm not getting a burger. We've had the Chicken Kiev twice, and it's a really wonderful dish. The menu might seem silly when you first read it, but everything comes out plated beautifully and tasting spectacularly. Now, on the subject of drinks, definitely order one of the cocktails. The bartender and bar prep team are using some really unusual methods, and the results are as good as anything served in San Diego. Everything is also BEAUTIFUL. Please go check this place out. Ponyboy for the win.

We had the pleasure of dining at Ponyboy during our stay at the Pearl Hotel. The menu options were delightful, offering classic American style dishes elevated to new heights with thoughtful and palatable adaptations. Our server Holly was knowledgeable and patient with our questions and her recommendations were spot on. They also made a point to inquire about allergies and dietary restrictions We greatly enjoyed the experience and atmosphere offering privacy and community at the same time. The old movies and shows playing on the projector screen made the experience feel so classic and allowed us to absorb everything the establishment had to offer while spending quality time together. You can’t go wrong choosing to experience Ponyboy!

Delicious Iced Cafe Cubano & Cuban sandwich! Went with a large group, stayed a long time, and the staff were very gracious. Parking is easy too!

I had to try this new restaurant that just opened a few weeks ago! This restaurant is situated in the boutique hotel, The Pearl. I love the meld of both retro and modern with both the aesthetics and entree offerings! Recommendations Banana daiquiri - Love the banana chip in this refreshing spirit forward cocktail. Jidori Chicken Kiev - Love this classic dish! Chicken was both juicy and crisp. Loved the creamy mashed potatoes with the veggies. Juicy Lucy - Definitely was juicy and full of flavor. The table next to us ordered two of this dish! Pandan Cheesecake - Highly recommended by the table next us. Definitely recommend to finish your meal. Love the other items on their menu with TV dinner offerings and homemade Wonder bread! Watched The Jetsons on several TVs and the movie screen above the pool. Love the nostalgic feel of this one place. Definitely will return to try other dishes.

Fun new spot that just opened at the Pearl 4 months ago. It's got a definite 60s vibe with modern takes on the classics, like tuna casserole topped w/ seared local tuna, and a Barbacoa Beef Stroganoff w/ chanterelle mushrooms. They have happy hour daily 4-5 pm with $1 oysters, deviled eggs and tartlets, plus $3 hot dogs and $5 fries. Drink specials: $11 select cocktails and $8 wine. Oysters and glass of white wine were perfect. For dinner I had the Barbacoa Beef stroganoff served over their housemade egg noodles, and my husband had the Thursday Soecial: Prime Rib w/ roasted Caesar Brussel Sprouts - so good. Main complaint: the wine list prices are outrageous. Only two of the red wines by the glass were less than the price of an entree - glass of Chilean cab was $14/glass; $50/bottle, and they didn't have a full bottle available. The Pinot Noir from Wilamette was $17/glass or $62/bottle. The other 2 reds were $32-36/glass or $120-125/bottle. Most of the reds are $300-$2,500/bottle. We love good wine, but not at this price point. Apparently, the Som is from Addison. Those prices might work in Del Mar, but not in Pt. Loma, at a little spot, right on Rosecrans, w/ affix whizzing by, where they are playing Gumby in the TVs. Please add more reasonably priced wines for the locals. Thanks!

This was such a fun dining experience and concept. As someone who has spent time in the Midwest and is familiar with the supper club culture, I was excited to see how it would be interpreted on the west coast. The restaurant and bar are in (what I assume was) the old lobby of a motel. We made reservations and were seated promptly. The drink menu was fun -- a decent selection of wines, some cocktails, and to my delight a pickle beer! We ordered the ambrosia "salad" and the fondue for two (which is definitely enough for 3 or 4 people). Then for entrees we went with the Juicy Lucy burger, the ratatouille kabobs, and the fisherman's catch. The ratatouille was my favorite. The service was great. The food was solid. And this place is full of good vibes.

Cute restaurant & fun "golden hour" menu! Tried the mini chili dogs, fries, chili tarts, and deviled eggs! All were bite sized and tasty! Staff was amazing and the drinks were delicious. Sat at the bar and it was great for meeting up with a friend or for a date night!

Please don't go to Ponyboy at The Pearl because my friends and I want to keep it for ourselves! There is no place cooler than this spot in Point Loma. You are transported back in time upon entry to a much more hip and vibey place than I can recall going to anytime recently. Decor is delightful. Service is impeccable. Even the servers unis are fabulous (I'm sure they get tired of wearing the same thing for work but they all look like approachable super models in awesome vintage outfits). Every person we interacted with was so nice and helpful. The food is plentiful and delicious. We had a variety of dishes (see pics) that were all fantastic. Cocktails are unique and beautifully presented. My GFs and I had such a GREAT time at Ponyboy and if you all don't take up every reservation (which you should), we'll be back soon.

Came here for a date night to experience the movie night on Wednesdays. They were really helpful with changing our reservation to line up with the movie as I anticipated it would start earlier since I was unable to find what time the movie started. The food is an interesting take on those TV dinners you used to eat on a tv tray which matched the vibe of the hotel overall. The movie was hocus pocus but you could barely hear the movie that was playing over the conversations. It would be pretty cool to stay at this hotel one day.

I have already dined at this new flagship restaurant inside the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma twice during its first week of operation. The crew that runs Ponyboy has honed its chops from working at Addison which speaks of the pedigree and experience they bring. The mid-century vibe of this legacy property has remained unchanged. A bar with a dozen (or 13) seats was available along with a few tables in the lounge area adjacent to it. Most of the seating was outside along the perimeter of the swimming pool. Reservations can be made on OpenTable which I used to get a seat for my first visit. Valet parking cost $5 which might be the most efficient way because finding curbside parking in this neighborhood took me a while. Dinner was served from 5 to 10 pm on Wednesday to Sunday with a Golden Hour from 4 to 5 pm. That experience will be described later as it encompassed my second visit. The menu had a retro flair ranging from playful concepts like "TV Dinners" that featured daily specials (e.g. prime rib) to modern takes on classic entrees from the 60s and 70s like Barbacoa Beef Stroganoff and Jidori Chicken Kiev. All of the seafood was sourced from the nearby Tunaville Market and Grocery along the harbor. I stuck with that theme and ordered the Fisherman's Catch Ceviche from the list of six starters and the Fisherman's Catch & Grits from the six hot plates. The ceviche was made up of a gelatinous clamato aspic in the middle of the dish with cucumber, avocado aioli, and pickled onion mixed with the diced fish. Fennel tortilla chips were provided on the side to scoop up the ceviche that had a light tartness. The presentation was very colorful with edible flowers added as garnishment. Vermilion rockfish was the daily catch used in my main dish which contained parmesan grits, tomatillo-gooseberry salsa fresca, rancho gordo hominy 'corn nuts', and chorizo iberico. The cheesy grits were a perfect bed for the two fillets. As a bonus, the kitchen provided a complimentary serving of the Tomato Gazpacho. It turned out to be my favorite item of the evening. Three types of grapes, olive oil sorbet, garlic crouton, and basil oil were added to the cold tomato soup. The grapes and the sorbet made the gazpacho into a sweet treat as normally a savory tomato flavor reigns supreme. I would easily order this again. For dessert, I picked the Vanilla Raisin Ice Cream. Caramel was drizzled on top along with rum soaked raisins. Fast forward to the first weekend of business... I showed up a few minutes before the 4 pm opening time of Golden Hour. It's first come first served as the food and drink specials were only offered at the bar and lounge. Cocktails were $11 each which featured a Daiquiri, an Old Fashioned, a Margarita, and a Moscow Mule. The real deal (steal) was the discounted food which was the following at $1 apiece... * Raw Oyster * Deviled Egg * Swedish Meatball * Mini Chili Dog * Ratatouille Tartlette * Tuna Melt Tartlette * Five Alarm Chili Tartlette I ordered two each of the first three choices, one mini chili dog, and one of each of the tartlettes. Before the clock reached 5 pm, I got a second round of oysters and deviled eggs. One dollar oysters are not as frequent as they used to be prior to the pandemic. The size of the bi-valve mollusks were large. Lemon and tabasco sauce were provided to liven up the raw taste. Even though the deviled eggs were basic with paprika sprinkled on top compared to the fancier version served as a shareable plate on the regular menu, the cheap price was too much of a draw for me. The service I received at the table and at the bar was fantastic. The staff was well-trained and answered all of my questions without hesitation. For the quality of the food at Ponyboy, the menu prices were very reasonable. Overall, I was impressed with the debut of this restaurant and gave it a five star rating.

Review for Golden Hour Only! While visiting with my friends, we decided to pop into the Pearl hotel to visit the Ponyboy restaurant in Point Loma for their Golden Hour. The golden hour is offered daily from 4-5pm at the bar and lounge area only. On a Friday afternoon the bar filled up within 15 minutes of opening time-only 13 or so seats at the bar with a few lounge seats. The Golden hour features a one dollar food menu that consist of raw oysters, deviled egg, Swedish meatball, mini chili dog, and tartelettes ( ratatouille, tuna melt and five alarm chili). The Golden hour also features discounts on select cocktails for 11 dollars (Daiquiri, old fashion, margarita, and a moscow mule), wine by the glass for 8 dollars and beer for 6 dollars. The highlights of our golden hour were the following: 1. Oysters- oysters for a dollar is a great deal. Plus most of the oysters were quite plump. And the oysters were from Baja area- so rather local. 2. Drinks- we tried a couple of drinks on the golden hour, including the daiquiri. The drink were perfectly made! Very well balanced! 3. As we sat at the bar- we had great service from the bartenders. They were super busy, but still very attentive. Also they put a lot of care in their drinks! 4. The environment- how can you go wrong with siting in a cool mid century hotel/bar. Misses: Besides the oysters, I was not too keen on the dollar menu. The food was just ok, nothing to write home about. The food seemed premade and not fresh except for the yummy oysters that seemed very fresh. As we enjoyed the vibe, oysters and great service- we will be back!

Made a reservation for a Friday night. It was pretty busy and it looked pretty similar to what it was before. We sat outside near the pool. I will say our server was cordial and polite though I tend to like warm and friendly. The menu is comfort food elevated which really pairs well with the retro vibe at The Pearl. Also the menu isn't huge which is great. I put our order below. Ceviche- fresh with nice pieces of seafood. The Clamato aspic was interesting and fun. Stroganoff- creamy and delicious. This is one of my favorite dishes and this one was pretty good. Tuna casserole- tasty and elevated with some big pieces of tuna on top. I added pics - sorry but we started eating before I took them, oops. We will be back!

Food was not as good today for some reason. The oysters not as fresh and tartlets were overdone. It's still a good value if you eat and drink from the golden hour menu. Service however was five star! Friendly and attentive. The bar is lively and still casual and welcoming. I want to come back for the dinner menu next.

Menu was diferent but everything was amazing. Service was 10/10. Very attention to detail.

My husband and I checked out Ponyboy for my birthday. The ambiance and service was great. We shared deviled eggs, a Cobb salad, fondue, and the grasshopper pie. We tried a few of the drinks including the Mamie Taylor, Mint Julep, Mexican Firing Squad, and Summer Vodka Collins. We enjoyed everything, especially the fondue and Summer Vodka Collins drink. It's the perfect place for a date night.

Went here with some friends one who recommended happy hour menu. Just wow! The food was great the environment was cute and the staff toast to you all! Everyone was super friendly and made for a great night. The chicken Kiev was soooo good!

Enjoyed the ambience here immensely. 60's tunes playing with the Jetsons on a projector over the midcentury pool set a beautiful scene. Not at all cold despite it being late December. The deviled eggs were a great starter, and my spouse loved the tuna casserole. I felt lukewarm about the stroganoff. Weirdly I almost wished it wasn't a modernized take, and would have dug a more classic flavor. I'm sure it's just an individual preference. The only large miss was the poached pear dessert. Flavor was great, but the ratio of a single half pear with a giant plate of mascarpone was really off. Oh - and oddly, during our visit they were doing minor construction/repairs on a room in the hotel, which killed the ambience a little. 6-7pm on a Saturday is a weird time for power tools. Friendly, attentive service. Will return and give it another go!

Retro feel ... ambiance and menu. Our service was great with our waitress who was very attentive! Started with the deviled eggs so savory. My daughter enjoyed the kids beef stroganoff with homemade noodles, she loved it. My husband tried their take of chicken Kiev stuffed with melted butter... delish! I had the fresh catch fish and grits, made perfectly!

I love Love LOVE this place! The meals are on point! Drinks are beautiful. The vibe is so chill, yet upscale. Service was great! We've been twice and plan on going back again soon.

Hidden gem!! We were in Point Loma for a bay night tour and were looking for a late night bite. Ponyboy is one of the only restaurants open past 9pm in the area. We arrived at almost exactly 9 and there were still parties eating. We were a party of 5 and were sat outside in the pool area. The ambiance is awesome! There are large screens outside and they were playing Gilligan's Island! The menu is diverse but not overwhelming. We had the stroganoff, fish and chips, burger, and fries. Everything was absolutely delicious! It was an absolute accident that we found Ponyboy but we will definitely be back!

I had heard wonderful things about this restaurant, so I made a reservation to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and unfortunately, my garage flooded a couple of hours before the reservation time, and we had to cancel. I immediately called but was still charged $20.00 for cancelling. You would thing a restaurant would make an acceptation in those situations. It's not like I no called, no showed. Disappointing. I was hoping to reschedule soon.

Beautiful ambiance. Amazing service. Food was top notch -- the best one we've had yet! We're in love! Will definitely be back again!

Like many people "of a certain age" I have fond memories of 1950s-'60s comfort food and restaurant mainstays. Although I adopted somewhat healthier, more gastronomic (and yes, more expensive) eating habits as I matured, I always wondered what it would be like if a daring restaurateur with an expert culinary staff reimagined many of those old-school dishes and drinks with quality ingredients and a chef's touch. Apparently, the pros behind Ponyboy were on a similar wavelength. When I heard in mid-2024 about their plans to open such a place in the Pearl Hotel on Rosecrans, I knew I had to check it out. Recently, my wife took me to Ponyboy for my birthday and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Rather than default to the lame, Disney-fied props that make many "retro" eateries garishly kitschy, the Ponyboy team has created a comfortable, authentic mid-century ambiance with a subtle autumnal tonal palette and simple decor. Where too many attempts at "retro" restaurants look like mashups of the sets of "Happy Days" and "Grease", entering Ponyboy is like time-traveling to an actual '60s chowhouse. We started with cocktails and Grilled Oysters a la Rockefeller. I love oysters and always order them raw on the half shell to fully appreciate their briny succulence and to appreciate the differences among the regional varieties. But this seemed like the perfect place to enjoy a bygone preparation, and it was -- the oysters (prepared with poblano rajas con crema, spinach, lemon, and crispy leek) were delicious. For our mains, my wife got the Barbacoa Beef Stroganoff and I opted for the "Wednesday TV Dinner" -- Chicken à la King. The Iberian take on Stroganoff (chanterelle mushrooms, Ponyboy pasta, pearl onions, Madeira wine, cotija, cilantro, lime) was rich and filling, and my Chicken à la King was savory and satisfying. It also was surprising, in a good way, in keeping with the Ponyboy approach. The Chicken à la King of my youth featured diced chicken in a cream sauce, usually incorporating vegetables, mushrooms, and sherry, and served over rice, egg noodles, even bread. Ponyboy's Chicken à la King is a generous chicken half (thigh and breast) bathed in a mahogany mushroom gravy and served over rice. When I saw the plate-dominating brown mound, my first thought was "doggy bag," but it was so good that any pretense at "portion control" evaporated and I cleaned my plate (hey, this is retro food, and in the 1950s, "cleaning your plate" was the accepted mandate for kids). Our drinks were reverse-engineered versions of cocktails from our parents' era -- a "Super Friends" Old Fashioned, a "Pumpkin" Brandy Alexander, a "Spiced" French 75. My "Apple Cinnamon" Whiskey Sour, aside from being tasty, provided some unintended entertainment. Floating on the concoction (whiskey, apple, lemon, and egg white) was a mixologist's answer to a barista's "Latte Art" -- an apple-shaped raft of ground cinnamon so perfect that I was reluctant to disturb it. When I finally took a sip, I inadvertently inhaled some of the brown powder and had a sneezing fit, much to my wife's amusement. We exited wondering which delectables we'd try next time, but we took a printout of Ponyboy's "Golden Hour" menu, so we'll also be returning for inexpensive late-afternoon delights. Can't wait.

Are you kidding me? Seriously! Service is topknot food is out of this world. Keep doing what you're doing. It's brilliant. I can't wait to go back.

If you offer people comfort food and a nostalgic setting, how much can you mess with the familiar and the comforting? I was so excited to try this place. But there is an awful chasm between the concept and the food. Fondue! Pineapple upside-down cake! Alphabet soup! If you ever really ate fondue at home, the happiness you feel will peak when the server brings you a long fondue fork and rests it on an object like a toy jack. It will plummet when you realize a plate for two ($39) is a pot of cheese sauce, three slices of apple, five grapes, four Brussels sprouts, a few green beans and carrots, and a lot of stale brown bread chunks. For those whose mothers did not make bernaise sauce from scratch and serve raw beef with sizzling fondue pots of oil (which are probably too dangerous for our era) AND bread chunks and cheese and vegetables, maybe this is just fine for you. (The menu doesn't promise any meat, but it does say "FOR TWO.") If you try to cheer yourself up (and sate your lingering hunger) with pineapple upside down cake, you will be presented with a deconstructed thing that has pineapple in it, but not in a nice way. Why not serve a really good made-from-scratch pineapple upside down cake? If you're not going to do that, call it what it is: pineapple-guava-coconut dessert. Do not make me think of the past and then give me the future or the present. That's all.

Wow!! The food here is incredible!!! Came here with friends and had an amazing time. 1st of all the $1 Happy Hour food menu is fantastic. So many choices at an incredible low cost. They are very small portions, but the chip dog is a great value. After Happy Hour at the bar we were seated at a table and enjoyed many items from the menu. Service was great, but best of all the food was fine dining. The entire evening I was complex of the location of the restaurant. Inside a retro hotel and on the patio that share a hotel pool. Inside the restaurant is a bit plain, with little to no art and blank walls with no texture. Behind the bar is just bottles of liquor. No hanging fabric, no natural wood, just painted empty walls. But maybe this is the goal? When other restaurants focus on the aesthetics and not on the food, this place dares to be different and offer an unassuming experience with escalated fine dining. I won't get into the particular dish's and theme, because it is best discovered on your own. We have already made reservations to go back. Enjoy!

Had dinner with friend that came back into town. Everything was delicious! We all got different items and we were all very happy with the food. The ceviche was very interesting. I had the tuna casserole and it was really good, not what you're thinking of when you think mom's tuna casserole, that's for sure! Service was also excellent. Highly recommend and we'll be returning. The setting at the Pearl is great too.

Reservations for 4 inside at the Ponyboy restaurant. We came here because of good reviews from a friend. We're always open to trying new places. It was a Sunday evening at 5:45. It's not a large place, there are a few table outside near the pool and a few inside just feet away from the bar with customer seating. As is common for many restaurants these days for the music to be played too loud and when mixing in the communal chatter from the bar area, it was hard to hear each other at our table. We started with the deviled egg appetizer, it was good and refreshing. We then ordered the Barbacoa Beef Stroganoff (x2), the special which was pot roast and the Fishermans catch and grits. The meals were just okay, nothing great especially if they are broadcasting Michelin chefs. For dessert we split the Pineapple Upside Down cake. This was totally disappointing from the plating to the flavor. Once we left, each of us asked each other what we thought of the food experience. All of us agreed that it was just okay and we would probably not come back. Sorry for the sad review, we were really hoping for a better eating experience.

Sat poolside and the food was amazing! We ordered the fisherman's catch ceviche, navy beans and bone marrow, stuffed heirloom tomato and uni, and peach's and cream. The service was very attentive.

We had been to this locale's previous iteration several times and loved it at first then later not so much. So I was very excited to read about Ponyboy - my favorite dining decade was the 1970's and I was eager to see how the modern interpretation would be. I was not disappointed! First, the service, which was excellent. All service was friendly, informative, and prompt. The meal was spaced perfectly - this has been a problem for us at many area restaurants where courses are rushed or long extended periods between. Not here! Everyone was happy to chat and listen to our reminiscing about favorite restaurants in our past. Next, the ambience. So relaxing and different! Even though we kidded about our pool being bigger, sitting poolside under the lights gave us both inclusion and privacy. Finally, the food. As others have noted, the Chicken Kiev was fantastic and my favorite dish. Yummy and luscious, and my reheated leftovers were almost as good as the original, including the potato. I am looking forward to returning to have it again. And again. My Banana Daiquiri was fine; it seemed small but had a kick. I enjoyed the Pineapple Fritters; they definitely need to be shared. My husband said his Chiffonade Salad was tasty; he did mention expecting more than one piece of grapefruit in it but I said the dressing likely included grapefruit juice. The Prime Rib was well flavored, but slightly chewy and closer to medium than medium rare. All vegetable sides were perfectly al dente. We shared the Grasshopper Pie for dessert - dense and tasty but I expected perhaps a bit more minty taste. Just a thought - it would be fun to include a shot of Grasshopper cocktail with it! Our server mentioned that the menu would be changing with the seasons - hope you always have the Chicken Kiev! It might be fun to try the cheese fondue this fall/winter and maybe they'll add a chocolate fondue (hint, hint).

What an amazingly pleasant surprise. Went with the intention of just getting a few cocktails but the menu was so different we thought we should try a few things and boy I'm glad we did. Everything was so unique and packed with fresh flavor, will definitely be going back for the food because it's unlike anything else out there. We got the ambrosia , pineapple fritters (a MUST) and tuna casserole (inspired by 70s staples). They also had blue cheese olives for my martini which is an instant plus for me :) So excited to go back!

Love this place. Great food and awesome service with a very funky vibe. Love the 'classics' on the menu.

The Pearl and Point Loma finally have something unique. The 60's retro hotel has a equally retro 60's restaurant but with some serious culinary chops. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant towards 60's era classics but they nailed it. Quality ingredients, fine dining cooking, creative cocktail program, and a extensive wine list really sets this place apart from everything else out there in SD in this space. Too be fair, I'm not too sure how many 60's fine dining restaurants really are out there but I'm glad they exist! It's a complex offering with some serious comfort food vibes like the chicken kiev and the stroganoff. House made noodles for the stroganoff and deep rich flavors in the kiev will have me coming back to try other items. Cheers

Ponyboy: you may have heard of it. It replaced the Charles & Dinorah restaurant a while back. The proprietors know what they're doing - they used to be at Addison in Del Mar. If you don't know Addison, look it up. Ponyboy is nothing short of EXCELLENT. The service is second to none. The ambience is quirky, that's for sure. Do you dine anywhere else with a swimming pool within ten or fifteen feet from your table? I didn't think so. But quirky is good! Let's talk about the food, though. Retro take on Beef Stroganoff? Yep! Shells and Cheese (with pickled peppers)! Specials daily, ranging from prime rib to fried chicken to fish and chips. The prime rib is FANTASTIC and very reasonably priced too - Thursday's special! Secret tip: Ponyboy's gazpacho is the best on the planet. Earth, that is. And no, nobody from Ponyboy asked me to write that. But ya gotta trust me, it's amazing. A full bar with fancy wines is there, but you owe it to yourself to try a couple of Ponyboy"s cocktails. Pretty darn tasty. I'm ready to go back again! You should go too!

Great meal at the new Ponyboy restaurant at the Pearl! The ceviche is phenomenal, as are the grilled oysters and tuna casserole (def not the tuna casserole you're thinking of). Really modern takes on classic dishes that feel new while still being comforting. Drinks were delicious and well balanced, very attentive service. Sip a martini poolside and feel like you're transported back to to the 60s at this wonderfully classic SD hotel!

The food was amazing, we had the jidori chicken kiev. There is a reason that they don't have the wine prices on the website - way too expensive for a glass at $19