The Bellows

Been a few times now. Nice change from the norm. The whiskey drinks are so good. They make the best Whiskey Sour, hands down. The food is delicious! I tend to judge a place often on how good their fries are… these are bomb!!!

Very pleasant experience dining at the Bellows. First time visiting this place. Service was a little slow getting food out of the kitchen but was made up for the quality of dishes and the friendly and attentive service by our server Amber. First off drink wise they have one of the most extensive whiskey menus I've seen for a restaurant. I had the Black Manhattan w/Italian Amaro. Never had it before but would highly recommend. As far as food we started with the Little Gem Caesar which was made with butter breadcrumbs, Parmesan, house Cesar dressing. This was very good. For our main dishes my friend got the Pan- Seared Nordic Blu Salmon which came with coconut curry sauce, bell peppers, roasted carrots, fingerling potatoes, chickpeas, & cilantro. She loved it and would recommend it! I got the Nikon Ranch Flat Iron Steak Frites which has caramelized onions butter and pommes souffles which is basically different kind of French fries potato. Recommend this for a meat lovers and it was definitely large enough a dish to satisfy. For dessert we got the Banana Bread Beignets which were made with a house made caramel sauce. We were split on this. I liked them enough but whereas my friend didn't. It was good but I'll probably get something different next time. Overall excellent location. Highly recommend!

First time here and they had a dish called pastrami drunken noodles. Had to try it. The rice noodles tasted undercooked but it surprisingly had thai flavors. Definitely interesting to have pastrami be the protein. It was good but I wouldn't order it again. Wife had the shrimp and grits and that was really good. The shrimp were large with shells on. The grits were creamy and cheesy. We would definitely order this again.

A bit on the pricey side, but it's still as good as ever. We had the steak, burger, salmon and a pizza. Unfortunately, we had to return the steak as it was very salty, but they were very accommodating and were able to cook another one in a reasonable amount of time. The best part for me, I can walk there!

OMG so good a hidden gem. Had the pot roast and it was melt in your mouth good. It is a bit pricey but well worth it. Tried the Black Manhattan, Whiskey Sour and Old Fashion. All had their distinct flavors and all were great 👍 Will be back and will highly recommend !!

I can't say enough good things about this spot and the people here... from the servers, the bartender, and chef... It is my go-to spot when traveling in this region. I have limited myself to the woodfired pies, but they are damn amazing! The Funghi, and the Arugala/Prosciutto are great. Let's not omit the pepperoni and sausage pie. The drinks... beer or mixed are amazing. I lean to mixed (stirred) and Chris is a library. Trust his mixology recommendations. What can I say? This spot is a must if you're in the area.

Pretty good! Great vibe. Pretty good food. The Aperol Spritz my friend got was mediocre. But the Whiskey Sours we ordered were fantastic! My burger was cooked perfectly the way I had asked! Not the BEST burger, but definitely enjoyable. My friend's flatbread was pretty good. The menu is kind of expensive. But happy hour drinks 👌👌. Our salads/side salads were good; the arugula was fresh and great! Sorry for using 'pretty good' so often but that seems to be the best descriptor phrase here in my opinion to give you the right idea! Worth going to and checking it out for yourself.

We love The Bellows! Amazing food and service. They have a great selection of cocktails and craft beers. The food is delicious and unique. However, I always order the same thing, Rib Eye Steak Frites. 👌

Yes 100 times over!!! Came here yesterday afternoon for the first time and had an amazing time. We were promptly greeted by Mike and we had a seat at the bar. The drinks, food and discussions we shared with Christian have me wanting to go back soon. First off, the whiskey selection here is incredible. Pappy's, Wellers, EH Taylor's, Middletons, Michters and a couple hundred other top-shelf whiskeys, bourbons, scotches and ryes. I started off with an old fashioned, but then switched to neat pours to try some that I had never tried to include a Pappy 10 year and Weller CYPB. One of the coolest things that caught my attention is that these guys cut their own ice cubes for cocktails! Christian was great, knew his stuff and made solid recommendations. Thanks Christian! Hope to see you there next time. For food, my date and I split the meatballs with pita bread which were incredible. Easily could've crushed another order. For dinner, I had the Faroe salmon with curry and my date had drunken noodles. I cleaned the bowl and she had enough noodles for a second meal. On top of the drinks, food, and employees, the ambiance here is really cool. It's pretty open and they have plenty of bar, indoor and outdoor seating.

Delish!! I dined for an early dinner with a friend. The chopped salad and juicy Bellow's burger were particularly noteworthy, offering a pleasing blend of flavors that contributed to an overall enjoyable dining experience.

Can't say enough good things about this place. One of our absolute faves, it's a shame it will be closing soon. Christian and "Wells" are the perfect dynamic duo of bartending. The hostess always greets with a smile and a welcoming energy ready to accommodate. The food and the staff that prepares it, is top tier. Will truly miss this place when it is gone.

Came here almost closing time and there were still a handful of patrons dining. We did make a reservation (had to call) just in case. NOTE- they close the kitchen at 930PM so get all your orders in before then and the restaurant itself closes at 10. Our waiter was really friendly and attentive even though it was almost quitting time. Menu had a lot of choices and has pretty good range from salads to pot roast. Ordered the chicken parm & added spaghetti on the side for an additional $4. Wish I ordered more spaghetti cause it was really good and cheesy! The chicken parm was also delicious. Loved how thin and breaded the chicken was- super crunchy! Also ordered the Margherita pizza which was okay... not the best I've had but it was decent. Definitely made for sharing too. The dessert was really good! Banana bread beignets were a hit with our party. One order came with 8 generous portions of "balls" (see pic) covered in powdered sugar. One piece of advice- wait until it cools down so the bread isn't sooo mushy. All good things over at the Bellows!

Another great dinner night at The Bellows. Food amazing as were the cocktails. Outstanding service.

Food was good but the servers rarely got the orders right. Many returned dishes were replaced with bad attitudes. The interior was cramped. I upset one guy by telling him that, at this rate the place would be closed in a year. It is now out-of-business.

Super slow service and they appeared to be under staffed the food was just okay. The Chicken parmigiana was tasty but I never ever in my life seen it served without any pasta? Weird!

I was really happy with this place! I love the vibe and decor of the place. The food and cocktails were great and our server was awesome and had his timing down perfectly. The Great - We had a cheese board and Fungi Pizza. It was goooood The Good - HUGE cocktail list! The Bad - I would probably come back often if they had happy hour - maybe after covid times. I know nothing is discounted in life anymore! The Ugly - This is why the place didn't get 5 stars. A staff member was cussed out by another staff member because she took a coke. The F bomb was dropped as was the S word. Granted I can cuss like a sailor, but never in front of my customers or within earshot of my customers. This was poor form and disappointing enough for me to write about it. I do plan to go back here and try other cocktails and menu items in the future! I would recommend this place to locals. It's nice to visit a place that isn't all fried foods and standard fair. It's a little pricy for my Thursday dinner night rotation, but on occasion I'll be back!

Best cocktails in North County, by far. One of the best cocktail spots in San Diego! Service is AWESOME! Christian, Wells, and Eric are the best! And where else is the owner there all the time, watching everything, and hanging out with patrons?! This place is not just a neighborhood gem, it is a San Diego gem! Do you want fantastic cocktails, people, atmosphere, and food?? Get in here!!!

This is really good food!!! Best I ever had in life! My grand son son loved it and my beautiful wife loved it!

Great food & drinks tucked away in a little niche of San Marcos! Fair prices, friendly staff, recommend this fine restaurant to anyone!

Great food. Love the decor and ambiance in here. I usually go here for work related events/meetings. Food is always great!

This place is perfect for a date night! My girlfriend and I have came here twice now, and the food is SO good every time. We've shared 2 dishes each time + appetizers and everything so far has been 10/10. Likely a weekly tradition for us!

If you love whiskey this is the place to be in north county. (And the food is excellent too)

This place is great! Highly recommend it! Their steaks and burgers are top notch! The ambience is good too!

NO PARKING ANYWHERE- Friday at 630pm Pulled in along with 20+ cars to try and park in spaces only a Mini Cooper could fit. Abandoned our reservation and plans due to a complete lack of accessibility. Unless you walk or UBER here - just avoid this chaos.

Overpriced and strange atmosphere. Did not receive quick service and had to wait almost an hour.

It's a rare occurrence that I'm up in San Marcos, but boy I'm glad I was up there tonight! Stopped at The Bellows for a quick bite and a few cocktails, and now I see myself frequenting San Marcos more often! Their cocktails are superb, specifically their Whiskey Sour, Blackberry Smash and Old Fashioned. The meatball app and Mayor's bread were both delicious, and the service couldn't be better. The owner seems like a great guy, and the vibe was perfect. I look forward to coming back for a more extensive dive into both their food and cocktail menu!

This is the third or fourth time I have been to this restaurant. I'd easily give it four or five stars previously. Good food, great service and fun drinks. Today was super weird. They open at 4:00. My wife, son and I arrived at 4:40 and the restaurant appeared to be WWWWIIIIIIDDDDEEEE open. Granted, there might a staffing shortage, but I was very surprised and very disappointed when the hostess greeted us with "I can seat you now, but I need you to leave by 7:15 because someone else has reservations." Weird way to be greeted, especially since we were 2.5 hours before she needed us to leave. Breakdown of my overall rating: Food: 5 Drink: 5 Server: 5 (he was wonderful) Hostess: 0 Greeting: -5 Training opportunity: 20

Had a whiskey sour, which was delicious! They have great cocktails! I also absolutely love their Funghi Pizza with mozzarella, roasted mushrooms, roasted peppers, red onion, Parmesan. This pizza is delightful and one of my favorites! My hardest decision when I come here is whether to get this pizza or their burger.

Great find and recommendation from being a local resident , There is indoor and outdoor seating. The Tequila / Whiskey / Bourbon selection was Great and the bartenders we're very knowledgeable thank you to the owner and chef as well , The food was unexpectedly great. Looking at the menu , I definitely recommend the Chicken Artichoke flat bread , the Grass Fed Burger & the Short Rib pot roast . I would recommend to anyone !

Food is creative and delicious and drinks are amazing! I especially love their whisky sour. The indoor / outdoor vibe is very inviting and amenable to our fantastic weather. The decor is fun and a bit hipster-like. The service is good when they are appropriately staffed. Sometimes this seems to be a trouble spot especially on Friday / Saturday nights during the dinner rush, but I can tell they are doing their best. It's a great spot for locals or anyone looking for a nice time out in beautiful San Marcos.

This place is surprisingly cozy and upscale inside, and the food is excellent! They used to have a roasted cauliflower dish that was out of this world. The wood fired oven makes everything yummy. Service is not as warm as it used to be, and was slow on our last visit. But we'll keep coming back when in the area.

Here's how we rate The Bellows: The ambient: 5 Customer Service: 5 Food: 2 We ordered one pizza as a starter, it was ok, then we ordered the burger, chicken parmesan and chicken Milanese. Everything was lack of flavor, the fries were too salty, in the end none of us finished our meal. Maybe others like this place, but unfortunately it's not the type of food we enjoy.

we had a reservation we had to cancel because we could not find parking for 15 minutes. suggestions: when potential diners call make the suggestion to take uber/lyft if close by. we would have totally done that if suggested.

Services consistently great, cocktails, yummy. Food delicious. Love their pizzas. I wish the landlord would fix the fountain that's across from the outside seating area, which is been inoperative for about five years. This would help Bellows have a nicer, outdoor ambience.

I LOVE the Bellows. It is just down the street, so that we can walk over. The fries are unbelievable, and although I have tried several of the dishes and enjoyed them all, I love getting the fungi pizza and arugula salad. The service has always been amazing over the dozen or so times we have eaten there. I have also brought a Ladies Night Out group a few times, and the servers were so patient with our high-maintenance group and kept the drinks flowing. I feel so lucky to have such a fab place so nearby.

Sad it is closing soon. This place has the best whiskey sours on the planet, the best hummus plate ever, and fancy animal fries. You'll be missed The Bellows!

This is our go to place! We love love the feel of being there, sets the mood for a great date or just catching up with your friends. The food is so fresh and delicious every single time, love love their Jack Rose drink! The staff is always professional and friendly! 10/10

Bellows is a hidden gem with delicious food and crafty cocktails. Service is typically good. I'll be sad to see them close!

I have read some good reviews about this place and kept begging my boyfriend to go and sadly, it was way overrated. The bad: The service was horrible and it wasn't very crowded. The wine list isn't great. The meatballs sounded amazing but they were over cooked and not as good as the past reviews had mentioned. Bummer. I love a good meatball. The chopped salad was incredibly bland and lacked flavor - could have used pepperoni or something - something was definitely missing. The good: the decor and ambiance is charming! My boyfriend had chicken parmigiana and loved it but if you order it - definitely get the side of pasta for an extra $4. The server put up with my crass humor so that's also a positive. If I remembered his name I'd apologize but he wasn't around enough to know it. Damn - I went back to bad . Sorry!

I can't believe this is my first review of The Bellows. I've been coming here since it opened. What I appreciated most (so many years ago) was that I could finally have a place in San Marcos to have a local fine dining establishment for business meetings. Since then, this has been my go-to for everything from business events to civic events to personal events. I am so well taken care of when I come to The Bellows and I am super appreciative of the high level of service that this restaurant offers. Everything on the menu is delicious. I am grateful that I can always count on the pomme soufflés (the best french fries you will ever eat) and I love that I can always be surprised by new dishes. Tonight I had some thai shrimp noodles (sans chicken) and the shrimp were mildly cooked to succulent perfection. I used to think rubbery shrimp were properly cooked until tonight ‍ This is the best place to come for every special occasion or no occasion at all. 10 out of 5 stars

Love their cocktails. I went back after haven't been there for years and the quality of their food and cocktails have not changed. They were even able to make me a virgin version of my favorite cocktail Service and vibe were good. I just wished 7-Eleven wasn't there

We've been in twice now. Disappointing visit last night. "Mike" was our waiter. Nice enough guy. I just wish he'd steered us a little when we ordered dinner. I asked for a wedge salad. Would have ordered something different had I known our Chicken Milanese was coming out on a plate sized beds of Arrugala. This place leaves you feeling nickled and dimed. We ordered an appetizer hummus plate. $12. It was good but only came to the table with only about 6 small triangles of warm pita bread to scoop it up. Mike kindly brought out a few more small triangles of pita bread. He didn't bother to mention though that The Bellows was charging us an extra $1.50 for each small dish of extra pita wedges. Prices are silly----$5 for a lemonade? Although our waiter insisted "the Chicken Milanese is excellent!" We found both plates of it to be large but utterly lacking in any discernible flavor. To our waiter's defense----he apparently works without the help of any bus person. This left him spread way too thin between all of his tables. We waited more than 20 minutes for a small ramekin of marinara sauce so we could salvage our lackluster main course by dipping in bite fulls of Chicken. The dinner check for my daughter snd myself came to about $91. I paid in 20's and requested that Mike break an extra $20 bill for us to figure out tipping. Having worked more than 20 years in hospitality this next part was a disappointing topper for the night: After a rather long wait, Mike returned to our table with our extra $20 broken only into two $10 bills. I've dealt for decades with coworkers who routinely try the same ploy. They leave change as large as possible to force the customer to either tip higher than they deem fair or to cause them to wait even longer for smaller bills to work with. We're in no hurry to return soon.

Delicious food! Roasted carrot & arugula salad and the banana bread beignets are our favs!!

I love this cute little neighborhood vibe place! I have been there 3 times now and NEVER disappointed- my favorite items for appetizers are the meatballs and the hummus plate .. muy delicioso ... I also have had there dinner one time the first time any that was equally good. I highly recommend you visit - one of the best things about this place besides the food is the wait staff has always been great! Attentive and helpful! You can come here for a casual meal with friends or on a date and have the same great experience -- The Bellows always delivers ...

The service is extremely slow on Sunday morning brunch. They didn't have enough servers. The water had pieces of food in it. It took 20 minutes to get drinks. They were out of coffee. They had no Coke. The bloody Mary's were poorly made. -this review wasn't posted until years later because it saved as a draft. -I'm happy to see that the owner realized they couldn't handle brunch on Sundays and stopped. -still would never come here again

Ambiance is the best, food delicious and drink selection large. Have eaten here and sat at the bar as well and love the location and service.

This is the type of restaurant that San Marcos needs more of. A good hole in the wall place with an excellent and unique menu. Everything I've had here has been really good!

Arrived at 5 for happy hour! Luckily the parking wasn't an issue but by 5:30 it was beyond packed so plan ahead and be ready to hike! The happy hour is short so we went off menu! I enjoyed the best spicy Smokey aged Margarita I have ever had! I'm craving for more! My complaint would be too small of glass and ice cubes too big but otherwise it was mind blowing Also the flat pizza was good with like 5 different choices

I got the pastrami drunken noodles, they were a bit salty. I didn't get a drink, but my friends said the old fashion was good. Ambiance is really nice outside, we were there during the sunset, the put the heaters in for us and service was good.

I love The Bellows, Chef Schuyler really knows what he's doing. Everything I've had there has been some of the most delicious entrees I've had. They have a great wine selection. Their bartenders are mixologists and can make you a great dealers choice cocktail. They have great charcuterie boards and flat breads, and their entrees are so so good. My favorite is the salmon dish, the cauliflower dish, and and the post roast. I also requested the chef make a special meal off-the-menu for my husband and I's anniversary and chef Schuyler did not disappoint.

Very disappointed! Apparently they moved to reservations, but cannot find online. First time we were told there was a huge party coming for outside (there were 2 people on the patio), everything else was empty. We asked for 1 of the 4 empty small tables and were told ok. Well, we stayed till closed and no one showed! Second time we were told you needed a reservation, once again all tables except two people outside. We just left. We seem to be bothering the waiter Mike with our presence. Turned away twice, no online reservation, you over look a 7-11. Too bad- food & drinks are good.

Came here on a Tuesday night and was seated immediately. The food here is amazing! We got the meatball pizza, short rib pot roast, and rib eye steak frites. Everything was delicious. Meatballs were so flavorful, the pot roast melts in your mouth, and the rib eye was cooked perfectly and very well seasoned. We also got the mai tai and blackberry smash cocktails and fyi these drinks are pretty strong. I really liked the blackberry smash but the mai tai had a really strong rum taste to it.

After our third attempt to check out the highly recommended bar, with their extensive selection of top-shelf whiskeys, we were excited to be able to find parking without having to circle around the compound for 10 minutes waiting for a spot to open up. It was a pretty cozy place and the staff were friendly and helpful with making drink selections. This seems to be a hidden gem where locals go to unwind before heading home. I ordered a margarita pizza, which disappointingly lacked flavor. Don't recommend ordering that.... Go check it out if you're in the mood for whiskey!! :)

The Bellows is a charming restaurant that serves American comfort food with a modern twist. The menu is filled with hearty dishes, including the pork belly and fried chicken sandwich. The cocktails are also noteworthy, with creative and delicious options.

1 star for ambiance. It really is a little gem of class once you get inside considering it's next to a state college. The food has been terrible each time. All three of us got food poisoning from the steak this last time in. The time before that our food came out wrong. It was difficult to flag a server down to have the issue corrected . The service doesn't seem to be a priority but that could also be due to a lack of qualified help. I am ok waiting 20-30 minutes for a drink when it's busy but when the drinks are wrong and I have to wait another 15 to get someone's attention at the bar, I have to assume they don't care.

My wife and I go here for drinks and special occasions. The food is great and the ambiance is fantastic

Stopped by for a quick lunch and my bride while daughter was at Kaiser. This Place has a cool outdoor seating area and cool booths inside. Decor-upscale gastropub look with well stocked bar. Booths seem big and comfortable, we sat outside. Large windows allow daylight for lots of natural lighting. Service-could've been a lot better. Had to wave them down a few times as they walked by our table. It didn't seem busy at all and yet still seemed to lag on water, silverware, and check. They were nice, just not on it like I was expecting. Food-Pretty tasty! I ordered burger, because waiter said it was the best in North County and it was good but the best. Potato wedges were crispy and well seasoned. Meatballs were large and according to my wife very tasty. Wouldn't mind going back to taste other items on menu.