Kettner Exchange
American restaurant · San Diego ·
Creative cocktails, Asian-inflected American dishes, rooftop patio
![Kettner Exchange by Kettner Exchange [Official photo]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62582199/Screen_Shot_2014-12-30_at_9.56.19_AM.0.0.0.0.0.png "Kettner Exchange by Kettner Exchange [Official photo]")
Creative cocktails, Asian-inflected American dishes, rooftop patio
"Named as part of the area’s roster of high-profile, chef-driven restaurants contributing to the neighborhood’s buzzy reputation." - Kelly Bone
"An expansive rooftop patio is part of the draw at this bi-level restaurant that’s a fixture on the nightlife scene but was also recognized with Michelin Bib Gourmand status in 2021. The downstairs level is hip and happening, and the upstairs is quieter, with an eye-catching tree in the middle of the second-floor patio. Helmed by executive chef Brian Redzikowski, who’s created a consistently thoughtful menu with dishes inflected with Asian ingredients and techniques. Menu highlights include spicy tuna crispy rice, whipped buttermilk ricotta, and the spicy garlic noodles with royal red shrimp, shitake, broccoli, and cilantro. Must-try dishes: Be sure to get something from the inventive cocktail menu, like the Curry-osity with gin, curry, turmeric, and coconut." - Candice Woo
"Kettner Exchange might be the only clubstaurant in San Diego with legitimately good food. If you don’t want to party in a cabana on the raucous patio, grab a quieter booth and grab a Pig Mac that swaps pork belly for beef and folds the lot into a steamed Asian bun with a cartoon pig face made out of dough on the side. Or dig into assertively numbing and spicy Szechuan frog legs, and a giant duck meatball that outshines most Italian restaurants. The best perch of all is at the chef’s table, hidden behind the expansive and immaculate kitchen, where the restaurant hosts monthly six-course, off-menu dinners for just eight guests. Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardmembers can unlock access to primetime reservations on OpenTable through the Visa Dining Collection. Find exclusive bookings here. Get access to exclusive reservations at this spot with Chase Sapphire Reserve. New cardmembers get $300 in annual dining statement credits." - 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, candice woo, cora lee, candice woo, candice woo, cora lee, team infatuation
"Kettner Exchange might be the only clubstaurant in San Diego with legitimately good food. If you don’t want to party in a cabana on the raucous patio, grab a quieter booth and grab a Pig Mac that swaps pork belly for beef and folds the lot into a steamed Asian bun with a cartoon pig face made out of dough on the side. Or dig into assertively numbing and spicy Szechuan frog legs, and a giant duck meatball that outshines most Italian restaurants. The best perch of all is at the chef’s table, hidden behind the expansive and immaculate kitchen, where the restaurant hosts monthly six-course, off-menu dinners for just eight guests. How to get into Kettner Exchange Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardmembers can unlock access to primetime reservations on OpenTable through the Visa Dining Collection. Find exclusive bookings here." - Candice Woo
"An expansive rooftop patio is part of the draw at this bi-level restaurant that’s a fixture on the nightlife scene but was also recognized with Michelin Bib Gourmand status in 2021 for executive chef Brian Redzikowski’s consistently tasty and thoughtful food that inflected with Asian ingredients and techniques." - Candice Woo, Helen I. Hwang