Review Avant Restaurant - San Diego

It's a nice place overall, bar staff is great. The food happy hour menu though leaves a lot to be desired. The items, though at a discount, feel like they were made at a discount compared to their full price menu equivalents. The burger was kind of a joke. The (2) shrimp cocktail was just kinda weird served with seaweed salad that added to the fishiness. A classic shrimp cocktail would have been nicer.

Always a great meal at Avant. Great views, food and service. Be sure and order the bread it's surprisingly a real menu highlight. Only feedback would be the pricing does not align well with the food quality.

Great atmosphere, elegant restaurant and the food is super delicious, if you are into duck then you have to try the duck breast dish. ☺️

I have been to Avant before, and this time we went to do the chef's tasting menu. It was $95 a person and another 55. If you wanted the wine pairing. We decided just to get a separate drink. The tasting menu was an 8 out of 10. In my opinion. The things that were good were really really good. The only disappointing part for me was the sculpin which was my main entré. Unfortunately. It was under seasoned and the relish style side was not complimentary to the fish at all. It was very bland as if the fish was not seasoned at all. It was however, cooked perfectly as was everything else. Everything on the menu was beautifully plated, thoughtfully crafted and we really had a wonderful time. The German chocolate cake dessert was amazing. The rhubarb dessert left something to be desired. It was essentially some fruit scattered on a plate. In comparison to the German chocolate cake log, that had a chocolate mousse under the chocolate shell, it really needed something else to even be on the menu in my opinion. Before we left they brought us a spiced rub to take home and use on fish, chicken, steak, etc... I use it on salmon and it was absolutely incredible. If that's how the sculpin would have been seasoned, I would have lost my mind in a good way! Thanks again to the chef!

This place is a great experience! Their menu is a unique blend of fresh garden produce, experimented with some exotic vegetables and edible flowers. Their dishes are really creative and amazingly tasty! This is my first time trying the truffle butter and bread, I was absolutely amazed by the taste. Being a vegetarian, there are not many food varieties one can have. But this place has done a great job of serving well cooked vegetarian dishes. They have some turnip and daikon based dishes which I highly recommend to try. Don't miss the desserts. They are very artistic, unique and a prefect end to the dinner! The ambience is beautiful, perfect lighting with a fireplace, green view outside.

I am with San Diego Foodies and Carlsbad Foodies and our Table of Four. Tonight we are at Avant in the Rancho Bernardo Inn. This is certainly a date night place. Soft lighting and great ambiance. A special Thank You to Sue who gave us these beautiful pix! Gougères arrive as 'first bite'. And what can be any better? A round pastry with a parsnip and brie mousse inside, topped with a gooseberry gel and a Sorel leaf on top. World famous Alain Ducasse creates his Gougères with Gruyère cheese, and each are equally good. There are a few ‘stars’ in our meal tonight. The first two come in our ‘appetizer’ delivery. Parker House Rolls and Wagyu Beef Tartare. The Parker House Rolls are with choices of butter: a horse radish crème fraîche and another with several interesting ingredients including honey, anise and fennel. And at this point I am thinking: “If this is what they do with their bread, I can only imagine what they will do with the food”. Dari says: “One of the butters has a lemon taste and the other is more earthy. Both different. Both tasty”. Sue takes a bite of the Tartare and looks and me and says: “This melts in your mouth”. Dari is in ecstasy as she eats some herself. She says: The crunchy rice paper that tops it, which brings the beef tartare to life. Sue adds: “I’ve had tartare with a lot of friends, but this is just amazing. Dari chimes in: “just melts”. Next comes the Duck. “Quack Quack” I say. Lol This comes with some delicious root vegetables. We ordered, along with that, foraged mushrooms. “The duck” Dari says “is amazing". Sue says: “I think because it’s aged”. Dari says: “I would eat that any day of the week ....... any day of the week” she repeats. So when you come to Avant, please make sure you order the duck. Very impressive that this restaurant grows their own vegetables. Noticeably good. Now we are finally getting to the foraged mushrooms. Sue is talking about trying to cook Lions Mane and how hard it is to bring the flavor out. This foraged mushroom side dish makes three different mushrooms cooked, work perfectly together. “This is lovely” she says. And I agree. I tell them all that mushroom gets a bad rap. In addition to helping with inflammation and providing vitamin D they are also mostly fiber. You can let mushrooms be your Metamucil! Lol Our recommendations for dining: the three things to make sure you order when eating at Avant are: The Parker Dinner Rolls, which are better than any, and I mean any dinner rolls I’ve had. Good idea to order the side dish, a forage of mushrooms and their duck as a main. Our chef came out to greet us. And we left saying we think this was a really nice Saturday night out with good company, good wine and good food. We recommend that you try a night out here.

Just finished a wonderful anniversary dinner at Avant. The service was excellent (thanks Wayne!), the food was spectacular (don’t miss the scallops or the fabulous Bluefin Tuna), and the atmosphere was upscale, but casual at the same time. Will definitely be back!

The Parker House Rolls with the chef made butters are to die for. I’m going to have sweet dreams about those rolls. The food, service and mocktails were delicious. The scene is upscale, relaxed and has its own vibe. Pure Essence of Excellence. You are not going to want to leave. From the Hostess with the mostest to the wait staff the experience was unforgettable. AVANT made my stay in San Diego EXTRA-ordinary!

Chef Christopher Gentile and his beyond superb staff (thank you Gaby!) host an exquisite and refreshing palette of flavors amidst a farm-to-table menu from their own, onsite garden, providing a culinary delight that rivals some of the best I've had in Southern California. Not only was I delightfully surprised by the high quality but I was continuously reminded how fresh and healthy the menu was as we enjoyed each dish! Truly a one of a kind experience. The ambiance is inviting, warm, and earthen as fireplaces and lanterns move to greet you against a backdrop of sweeping panaromic pine views. The cocktails are inventive with using their onsite garden ingredients like red beet vinegar, thyme, basil etc. I had 3 cocktails: Honey's Alibi (gin, honey, basil and grapefruit), Thyme Change (vodka, homemade citrus-thyme syrup, prosecco and lemon) and a dessert cocktail (scroll down to see). We then ordered the tasting menu which the chef happily modified a bit for us! Crème fraîche ice cream, caviar on top of a garlic crouton. Grilled, fresh oysters, seared scallops in brown butter and pureed asparagus, and 48-hour sous vide pork belly and cheek bathed in dashi broth, wrapped in savoy cabbage. Japanese A5 Wagyu with aerated potatoes and a never-before-seen Wagyu confit (this tasted amazing!). To cap this insane meal, we ordered the chocolate torte with raspberries and crème fraîche ice cream as well as the pièce de résistance, Dark Pedigree dessert cocktail (cognac, calvados, dark chocolate and coffee) . Extremely smooth finish with chocolate ganache balls, perfectly balanced between a digestif and sensual taste experience. Hats off RB Inn!

Good restaurant in the Rancho Bernardo inn hotel. They have 2 special dining room that you can book. There is a minimum. The service is good and I liked their 45 days after ribeye steak

The food is quality and the service is personable and warm: from Katarina the hostess, Dalton the server and Tyson the manager (...and the kind bartender else granter I didn't get) ...and even the regular patrons like my bourbon expert friend, Al. You'd expect this place to be stuffy, but it's just classy without the arrogance. The food is beautiful. Eat with your eyes first, then delight your senses with flavorful layers. Bon apetito!

Very fancy upscale dining experience. Ambiance was nice. Food was delicious. I ordered the Chef's Choice Four Course for $95.

Been thinking of this place a lot lately. Hope it's still open when the COVID-19 lock-down ends. Reliable fine dining restaurant in the Rancho Bernardo Inn -- definitely high-end, but not exorbitantly priced. Pleasant and accommodating front-of-house staff and fussy food made with premium produce and meats.

This is great place to dine in slowly and enjoy your time. Every course is carefully prepared and designed that blows your mind. Taste is unique and authentic.

This place has pretty fantastic food and drinks. I’ll come back any time someone else is paying for it!

A+ food and service! There is plenty of free self parking if you are not staying at the Inn.

Wow! We had an incredible meal at Avant on Saturday night! Happy hour snacks were interesting and fun - puffed crudite with a fantastic onion dip, green chickpea hummus, both went great with a glass of bubbly. And then on to dinner - the lobster served in the coconut with aloe and celery was light and refreshing, the pork shortribs were wonderfully decadent. Add in the excellent service and gorgeous view and it was a winner of an evening!

The asparagus soup is very refreshing and the menu has a wide variety of choice to offer. I had the steak tar tar and the wagu beef. the Bloody Mary is awesome!

Refined dining with exceptional service. We had a private room, with our own team of servers, who did an excellent job. The drinks were stiff, and the food delicious.

The service was awesome Jonas was so awesome and was so attentive! Suggesting wine peering with dinner! The food was top notch! We will be back�

Great place, outstanding service and terrific food but they did not have my kind of wine "Moscato" to enjoy even though they have a big cellar in the back.

Great food wine and staff. Best spot in Rancho Bernardo.

The Ribeye and Sea Bass were absolutely amazing!!! The service was even better!!! We had a great time and will be back!!!

I remember this being one of the better Valentine's dinners I've had in a decade. We normally dread the v-day limited menu/bloated prices/prepackaged deserts fiasco. However, this year at Avant, everything was wonderful, from the choice of appetizers to the main course and dessert. Will definitely be a possible choice next year, as well as throughout the year.

Come for the Happy Hour with signature cocktails and always unique Cali-bistro appetizers. A great one-of-a-kind place to unwind in RB. Happy Hour Daily from 4pm-6:30pm AVANT offers complimentary valet parking.

Service was superb, bone in ribeye was perfectly cooked. Desert was fabulous. Can't wait to enjoy Avant again.

Went for drinks and dessert. Great service, food and ambiance. Will be back.

The service and ambiance was wonderful. However my husband and I were both very sick after eating there that night and the following morning due to something we ate there. Not exactly the anniversary gift we were looking for.

I love this place, views, food, service! They treat you like royalty

Super yummy- SLOW but very friendly service. Cozy dining room also

Great Chefs, great food and service, fresh local farmers products!

Every dish is a unique celebration of flavors, color and beauty. The Chef takes advantage of the different cooking techniques to present exquisite dishes paired with excellent service in a beautiful and comfortable setting. I hosted my son's graduation party back in May and I was very pleased. Every time I go there, I have a wonderful experience.

Me encanto el lugar comida excelente