Bali Hai Restaurant in San Diego

We found this restaurant by accident and we had a fantastic experience. The food was great, the service was awesome and the views were outstanding

Let me start with the good….The view is INCREDIBLE. Panoramic views of the bay, seeing the city lights and boats coming and going.Now the bad…The hostesses didn’t say a word, just stared at me when we arrived. Reservation for 2….still nothing, just grabbed two menus and said follow me.Ordered the poke appetizer…was good…little spicy…My wife got the fried chicken and a side of garlic mashed potatoes…server didn’t even mention it came with rice. Was good…but not outstanding.I ordered the scallops with a side of Brussels sprouts. I’ve never had scallops with that much grit in them…made every bite crunchy. Brussels were very good, best thing we ordered.Drink we ordered was for 2….was really good…rum vodka and juice…super tasty.We both agreed that for what we paid…not worth it…we wouldn’t come back…too many other options out there that we love.On a side note….it was the loudest experience I’ve ever had. Hard to hear each other talk.If you want a place with a view, this place is amazing. Want outstanding food….not here.

The waiter didn’t wait on us. Didn’t stop to check on anything, didn’t ask if we wanted desserts like the next table. We asked if we could sit by the windows, he never came back to tell us. The table sat empty the entire time. I had the worst burger ever - Teriyaki burger. There’s no teriyaki sauce, the same burger at Red Robin tasted way better and half the price. The restaurant smells like a musty basement. The fries were good and the fish and chips were decent. The view was nice.

Made reservation for 10:15 AM and was seated right away. Friendly staff. Made to order omelet station. Carving station. Plenty of seafood varieties and wide variety of side dishes. Even have ice cream for dessert! My favorite dessert was the raspberry lemon tart. Plenty of parking in the lot.

This place was absolutely amazing! The ambience was sexy and the food was Great ! I came with a party of 10 the service with Brandy was fast and super friendly everyone food came out at the same time and was delightful! No music … I wish they had something soft in the bc but that ok ! It was a very great time here … wait for drinks 15 mins wait for food maybe 25-30 it is a party of ten lol n we stayed for 3 hours ! Price for the tickets was nice 😊

For our 23rd wedding anniversary I took my wife to Bali Hai. She had never been, and it had been years for me. I let them know it was our anniversary when I made the reservation and we got a window table with a gorgeous view of the downtown San Diego skyline at sunset.We started off with calamari - perfectly crisped, with a very nice sweet-hot garlic chili sauce that wed not seen paired with it before.My wife got the crispy ahi tuna - one of which you see next to my steak. Amazing! Like seared ahi, but crispy all the way round.The reason for four stars instead of five? I ordered my steak medium rare but it was delivered medium. Not a fatal flaw, but they should know better. The skimpy fried potatoes were crispy but had too much seasoned salt.We added the super tasty Thai brussel sprouts with Chinese sausage. Easily enough for two (with some left to take home). Really glad we opted for the side.They topped off our evening with a complementary dessert. Overall, a great way to celebrate.Oh, and if you have more than one of their famous (deliciousmai tais, make sure someone else is driving!

Exceptional restaurant on the bay with an astonishing view at the skyline of SD. The food is extremely tasty and overall dining there gives you a perfect experience. Reasonable prices. A must go place when in SD.

Great food. Amazing ambience. Can’t get much of a better venue for a wedding. Staff is lovely too.

Absolutely delicious!I am a tough critic. This place is amazing. The view is beautiful. Drinks are delicious and food is very good.The hostess and wait staff were very nice and professional. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends and eat here again :))

This is our favorite restaurant in San Diego and is our go-to for special occasions. We’ve been here many times and it never disappoints. Bali Hai does everything perfectly! The food is superb, the staff is attentive and friendly, the drinks are strong and smooth, and the view is spectacular.The appetizers are all terrific. We had the spare ribs, calamari, spicy edamame, shishito peppers, and coconut shrimp.The only small complaint is with their seared scallop entree. The scallops were high quality and perfectly cooked, but one of our dishes came with only 3 and the other came with 4. There is basically no side dish accompanying this meal other than some shaved onions and micro greens. 3 scallops for $35 was disappointing even though they were delicious.

My bf and I LOVED Bali Hai! Amazing food, drinks, service, and an unbeatable view. They could easily rest on their location and history, but they deliver! Mario, our server, was fantastic! He was friendly, made great suggestions, and was very attentive without hovering. The drinks were delicious. I got the Mr. Bali Hai and Aloha Kiss. In true tiki-drink fashion, they both were strong but tasted amazing (hard to taste the booze)! My bf got the Goof Punch and famous Mai Tai. He loved both, and the mai tai tasted delicious (I had a sipeven though it’s super strong! I loved my New York steak and my bf loved his Korean friend chicken. And we split the fried rice. Also delicious. The whole experience was a pleasure, and we would love to come back. I’d recommend making a reservation. We’ll keep this place in mind as an event space.

Nice atmosphere. Pleasant staff. It was my birthday and they gave me this free cake and a primo table along the water. Their drinks are very strong. Was somewhat disappointed in the flavor of a passion fruit drink I got and the waiter kept checking about it which was nice but I wasn’t going to complain. Salad and chicken dish was good. Prices reasonable. We got a reservation a day or two before.

Gorgeous views of downtown and wide rum drink selection. The menu is kind of limited and pricey but delicious. Poor acoustics can make it noisy inside at times

The dinner was good, and the view, location, coconut shrimp appetizer and specialty drinks were great.It’s not cheap. But it is an off the beaten path treat with unbeatable views from Shelter Island looking back to the San Diego skyline.It can be noisy (depending on those around youand definitely pricey with most entrees 25 and up.

Travel is all about trying the great local food. With no exception, Bali Hai fit that bill perfectly during our visit to San Diego last month. Situated at a perfect location overlooking San Diego Bay, this Polynesian-themed restaurant is perfect for people who enjoy Hawaiian culture, seafood, and the nautical lifestyle. We sat along the large windows where you can look out into the bay, which is simply a divine view watching the sailboats and powerboats.As for the restaurant itself, the service was very good, we enjoyed the sea bass and salmon entrees, an oyster appetizer, and a chocolate dessert. The overall menu selection is quite varied. There is also a central bar area where people can enjoy a mai tai or other beverage. This is one of the venues that we definitely utilize in the future when we bring people to experience the best of San Diego.

The BEST views in the city! While I’m San Diego, I wanted a coastal style birthday dinner by the water and I cannot tell you how much I LOVED Bali Hai. The location is just perfect, right on the water, opposite side of downtown. While you wait, you can sit outside and watch the boats right on the water. Highly recommend reservations! We made reservations for my birthday and were seated right away, possibly at the best table in the house.The food was delicious! We went with the poke appetizer as well as some oysters. Loved both. For dinner I had seared ahi tuna, perfection.Their world famous Mai Tais aren’t for the faint of heart. They don’t put any juice, straight liquor and once you order you cannot take it back! So good though.I can’t wait to go back to SD and back to Bali Hai!

We went to this Shelter Island restaurant for my birthday. Its a cool restaurant, and was recommended by several friends. It has kind of an upscale island theme going. Be sure to reserve a window table with a stunning view of the downtown skyline at night when its all lit up. The seafood is good and the dishes are well plated...but the atmosphere and views are what sell the place!

Really great ambiance and its right on the water. Great drink selection and a good place for shareable plates/dates/familys. Service is quick and very welcoming.They do events to for larger parties you can call ahead to setup in their separate dining room.The food was very good amd we left feeling very full. They offer an array of Indonesian style plates. The fried rice and ahi was our favorite. They were out of the Fried Fish of the day, but that just means well have to come back.We came for an anniversary dinner date and I cant wait to come back

Overall, dining at Bali Hai is a really enjoyable and fun experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, the bar area is fun, the entire restaurant has a wonderful Polynesian vibe, and the food is quite good. We had an oyster appetizer. The only critique there is that the oysters were very, very small and that made us rather sad. But ... they were delicious. We had the salmon and fried snapper for the main course and both were delicious and perfectly cooked. Our chocolate dessert was also delicious. We really enjoyed the views out the large windows into San Diego Bay, too. If you cant get to Hawaii, then Bali Hai is the closest youll get to the isles without actually being there. (Oh, and even though we didnt have any, we hear that the Mai Tais are famous and rather legendary). Checkem out!

Been to this place several times for dinner but today was our first time trying out lunch menu. Based on our experience today, I would only recommend coming here for their dinner menu unless youre coming for the spectacular view. The food was just ok and for the price youre paying for, its just not worth it.For appetizers, we were disappointed that they dont serve fried calamari (this is only served for dinner apparentlyso we told our waitress if well catch an octopus since were by the waters, can they cook it for us so we ended up ordering spinach cream cheese lumpia and bali fries savory spicy seasoned. The spinach cream cheese lumpia was bomb! We loved it but you only get 6 pcs. The fries were good but its very very mild spicy, I guess for some people thats ok, but for us, we wished it was a bit spicier.For the smoked albacore tuna melt, this is what I recommend. You can surely taste the smokeyness of the tuna, this is my favorite!For bali hai cubano, pretty disappointing because it was too dry. Its supposed to be spicy but didnt taste the spicy flavor at all. If youre getting this and expecting some spicyness, perhaps its better to ask for the level of how spicy you want it to be (they dont ask for spicy level so you need to just tell them). It needed more sauce that we asked for a ranch sauce to make it more tolerable to eat.As for the bali hai crispy lobster tacos, another disappointment. The only good thing about this is that it is crispy but for the flavor its very bland. Perhaps add more jalapeño ranch sauce or season or maybe marinate the lobster before frying it.Now, for the pan seared salmon, this is VERY flavorful! Highly recommended this!The cheeseburger was just ok, nothing special except you can add egg or bacon. Id go for in and out burger than this and itll be much cheaperLastly, dont expect the macaroni salad to be like the regular Hawaiian macaroni salad, this salad taste so dull and boring. I only took one spoonful of this and my friends didnt like theirs either. I guess they try to modify and create their own Hawaiian macaroni salad but at least make it better.We will not be coming back here for lunch.

The food was well seasoned and presented perfectly. The server was very nice & attentive. We booked a reservation at 11:30 and was seated next to the window overseeing the harbor. The entire experience was worth it. Recommend.

Caution, mai tais are very strong. Personally, it wasnt pleasant to drink. I like that later I was given pineapple juice to sip in between. I ordered the Kalua pork bowl--it was OK. The flavor was weak, especially considering the price tag.My rating is really based on the beautiful view of the water and the good service. However, its very unlikely that I will return to this restaurant for a meal.

Always delicious, and the staff is super knowledgeable about everything they serve. Plus the view is incredible

Great tasting food, location is great with both out door and indoor seating. Has lamps to warm outdoors. Marco our server was attentive, patient and pleasant. All the others were very attentive.I ordered a side of tofu, goodness it was so good. If you like to try different varieties then go try this menu.

Excellent experience! The food is delicious and very well cooked. I recommend the calamari and the Thai Brussel sprouts. For entree I had the seared tuna with spicy rice. Its not really spicy but is good. The service was outstanding and the view is spectacular! About the drinks cannot tell other than theyre fabulous and extremely delicious. Be careful though, most of them are sweet but they are strong, so go slow by drinking them. I really recommend it and will be happy to go back as often as possible.

Gorgeous views, good food, amazing location.The San Diego sling was tasty, as was the tuna melt.

Teeny $19 poke bowl for lunch; small scoop of tuna with matching small scoop of white rice, with overcooked fries, uninspired plating.Good local beers in bottles, but no draft beers, Nice view. Maybe come for the view with out of towners, or Happy Hour, maybe. 😕

Service is great and the food is very tasty with a Pacific Islander twist. I have a DJ company and we have been a vendor at this venue 4 times already. If youre looking for a wedding venue right by the water at an affordable price and beautiful decor, THIS IS IT!! Everyone is always very accommodating and kind.

We went with a group of friends while staying on Shelter Island and had a great time. The food was very good and you cant beat the atmosphere.

Lovely place to start my birthday trip!Great drinks and delicious food! Staffs are friendly and professional.Terrific ambiance looking over downtown San Diego!

The restaurant has a great view! If you want seat next to the window or outside, should make early reservation.Service: 5/5 Seated promptly. Drinks and food orders was taken at adequate time. Answered our food and drink questions in details.Ambience: great views and nice Polynesian decors.Drinks: Mai Tai was strong as it advertised.Food: Our favorite were the tuna poke and Chinese garlic noodle, a side dish. Other food were too heavy with sauce.Will return for happy hours!

Great food, waiters were awesome, atmosphere is incredible. Fried Corvina is such a great meal on the veggies. The Corvina is boneless. The breading isn’t very heavy but absorbs some of the garlic chili sauce which is soaking the stir fry veggies. One of the best I’ve had. Drinks are stiff and the Lumpia is very good.

Gorgeous views of the Downtown SD waterfront & lovely vibes! Had a virgin Piña colada & the coconut shrimp. Pleasant wait staff and lovely live music that begun about happy hour!

What a great evening! Came here as a recommendation from a friend and was certainly not disappointed! The food was absolutely delicious. I had the Crispy Ahi Tuna which was very tasty and perfectly done. All reasonable prices and a lovely atmosphere. Would highly recommend Bali Hai.

Fabulous views. Our drinks were great. The food is fresh and delicious. Try the lobster tacos, we did. Small breaded lobster bits, deep fried, with fresh, citrusy toppings. The salmon was perfectly seared. Excellent service. It tookus a minute to get checked in. The front desk is on the second floor, inside, throgh a passage to the left at tye top of the stairs.

This is the second time we came here on the first Sunday in a new year. Last time was 2 year ago. We really loved here and impressed with the food. My husband enjoyed the unlimited crab legs and I enjoyed all the sweets. The oysters and tuna poke are very nice too. For me, my favorites are coconut waffle, cinnamon rolls, bread pudding and MY cheesecake. They really know how to do sweets! I also love their grilled salmon. By the way, they don’t have bottomless mimosas anymore. But it’s only $4 per glass now.

Delicious food and fun drinks! We sat by the windows and watched the Christmas parade of boats :overall it was a great experience! I would eat here again😋

Drinks: my first drink was a Big B,s Brito. It was light and refreshing but not at all spectacular.My second drink was a world famous Bali Hai Mai Tai. WARNING, its as strong as advertised . Be careful with this one.Appetizers: my Appetizer was the Bali Hai poke. It was a bit simple but good. I would order it again.Main course: my main course was the days fresh catch which was Mahi Mahi served with rice. It was a visual let down and honestly, it smells funny. The fish was very perfectly grilled and mostly bland. I enjoyed like I would undressed sashimi and this is not complimentary. The rice was old . The odd puree served with my meal was muted and unnecessary.Dessert: I had the tropical cheesecake

this place Was amazing. The coffee taste good the scene is even better. the view is exceptional and the waitress very nice. came in a date with my lady and i am glad we did. every time we have come here i am pleased.

Great food and customer service... Cody and Brandy were so professional and friendly, they reserved us a great table with a beautiful view of San Diego bay. Our waiter Victor was extremely attentive and catered to us wonderfully, super friendly and professional as well.... Bali Hai we thank for your great food, amazing staff and unforgettable experience ... look forward to returning soon 🧡🧡🧡💐👱‍♀️🍷🥂🦃🍾🎊🎉🎈

1. Food was incredible, along with iconic views of the San Diego Bay. 🙌😍2. Service was not good for such a high price. ⬇️3/5 stars because the service was not great. Really slow to bring drinks and the check. Considering there was a big staff, I don’t know why the service was slow.Food was incredible! 🌺 A great pineapple mimosa and fantastic fresh crab. 🦀 We went on Sunday afternoon and caught the tail end of their brunch. It was buffet style, all you can eat, but quite expensive for how small the buffet layout was.They do not serve their menu while the buffet is open, which was disappointing. We were going for their menu.

Amazing food, incredible skyline views (and trust them when they say the Mai Tai is strong). Got the Sea Bass, which was some of the best fish I’ve ever gotten in a restaurant. Excellent service, catered to dietary restrictions in our group, and just an all around great dining experience. The cocktails are strong and relatively cheap compared to typical San Diego prices, especially with the view. Will definitely be back!

Nice vibe and view. The service was great . We stayed out side and the open air seating was nice. We wanted to try oysters but they are only available for dinner service. Overall was really nice, will definitely go there when we are on town .

Excellent location and view. Love the Polynesian theme. Food is great! Tip, great spot for 7/4 fireworks!!Service is hit or miss. Excellent photos on the lower level by the water. They have a dock boaters can use. Sunday brunch is awesome. Mai tais are extremely potent!!! Straight alcohol.The puffer fish drink was delish. Steak skewers were tender and nice size portion. The poke is decent.Bar area has limited menu but is first come first serve.

We hosted our wedding here. Jenny was our coordinator and she was so helpful and flexible. We originally had out date for May 2nd 2020 but they temporarily closed, we waited for over a year and then started to plan again. We had our reception here October 24th 2021 and it was perfect! The food was delicious, we had our own space. We basically upgrade everything from our first date. We went from the small Tiki room the the large outside pavilion (Hawaiian Village). The waiters were super attentive and Desi who performs regularly at Bali was available for our celebration, book him you won’t be disappointed! All the touches were there. Decorations and flowers were DIY, but the space, venue & staff were perfect. Highly recommend this space. Everyone was impressed and enjoyed themselves.

This place was packed to the max. The vibe of the harbor is really nice, service was good, food was tasty and the drinks are next level. We had the spinach lumpia, grilled Caesar salad and some nice drinks to sip on and enjoy the date night.

Terrific experience! The staff could not have been friendlier and the restaurant is just a beautiful getaway from every day life.Had made reservations online for 8:45pm on a Sunday, but then saw that they closed at that time. Called and the staff was able to move up the reservation time to alleviate the kitchen staff a bit. We had a terrific view of the bay at our table, but it seemed like there isn’t a bad seat in the whole house!Our group would highly recommend the tasting for two, garlic noodles, and poke! Drinks were strong and despite my best efforts I was not able to come close to conquering the Mai Tai. Others in the group loved the Mr Bali Hai, Pina Colada, and iced tea.Hope I get to return in the future and would say it’s a must visit in SD!

Bali Hai was simply the best wedding ceremony and reception location. We could not have asked for more beautiful scenery, incredible food, strong drinks, attentive staff and a happy tropical vibe for our big day. Everything you need is all in one place! Jenny assisted us the entirety of the planning process. She was detailed and accommodated us with a date change, my gluten-related food restrictions and vendor recommendations. You really get much more than you are paying for at this venue. We couldnt believe it. Our tasting was fabulous and took place on a devastating day for the staff after a recent death and yet they still followed through on our appointment when the rest of the restaurant was shut down to the public in observance. You can really see that they all operate like family there! We saw and talked to the owner all 3 times we were on the property and it added such a great personal touch. On the day of the wedding, our guests couldnt believe their eyes seeing our backdrop of the sweeping San Diego skyline as the sun set. We used the Hawaiian Village and got to soak up the beautiful views all night long as sailboats traveled past. The buffet was the most delicious buffet our guests said they ever had (we went with the salmon-big hit! As well as kalua pork and tri-tip). The drinks were well-poured, the bartenders and servers were polite and hardworking and we are so thankful for an absolutely perfect wedding day. Everyone in attendance raved about it for weeks! Not a single regret booking this venue – thank you!!

An absolute 10 been going here since the 1960s. Outside dinning, dinning room and areas for weddings. In fact there was a beautiful wedding going on below the second floor outdoor dining. Pacific islander theme menu. My mom said I had salmon and yellowtail. YUMMY 😋 fantastic customer service and focus. Family owned. Yeah!

Think we caught them on an off night as this wasnt the best experience. Guessing they were just understaffed or something as service from the kitchen was slow and the food coming out could have been a lot better.Appetizer: We started with the Coconut Shrimp which was just okay. It was salted pretty heavily so much so that we couldnt really taste the coconut.Dinner: For dinner we had the Wok Fried Bass and the Pan Seared Halibut both were very good. Biggest disappoinment though was the pineapple shrimp fried rice which showed up after receiving our main meals. It was pretty cold when we got it so the server sent it back for re-fire. It took so long to get back to us that we finished our main dishes and to our surprise the rice dish came back even colder than the first one!!! Thankfully our server was kind enough to take it off the billDessert: They were sold out of the Banana Foster Creme Brulee so we went with the Chocolate Praline Torte and the Tropical Cheesecake. The torte was just okay. The Tropical Cheesecake however was a winner!!! Highly recommendWas originally going to give them 3 Stars but I was there for Fathers Day brunch and thought it was good so I bumped it up to 4. Overall I liked the Bali Hai. Think we just caught them on an off night.