Donovan's Steak And Chop House

Stopped by Donovan's last night for happy hour. We were greeted and sat promptly after entering. Our martinis we ordered were some of the best. They have great bartenders that know what their doing. We had the cheese plate and calamari which were standard and tasted fine. They served small cheesesteak sandwhiches for free during happy hour. We had their burger which was seasoned perfectly the taste was yummy. A friend had their mushrooms she is a vegetarian and she really liked her food. The crabcakes they serve is filled with crab too. I'm annoyed that many restaurants that serve this skimp on the crab but Donovan's doesn't do that. Another friend had the lamb and she loved it. I highly recommend a visit here. Parking on the street is metered or you could valet for a whopping $15-20. Needless to say I found street parking, lol. Enjoy!

We were wondering around the Gaslamp District in San Diego, wondering where to eat. I was looking for a BWW, but my wife decided to try out Donovan's, because of the reviews she had read as we were walking around. I was of the opinion that it would be really expensive and not that much better than other Steak Chophouse restaurants, to justify the price. How completely wrong I was !!! We went on a Saturday evening at around 7pm and it was still quite light outside, as we stepped in to the darkened interior, it felt like I had stepped into a dark and dingey, basement like bar. As my eyes adjusted to the low light, I realised just how rich and sumptuous the restaurant was. It gave you the feeling that you had just stepped back in time and been invited to an exclusive dinner event. The bar and the glass screens and dark wood as well as the subdued lighting really set the scene. I instantly felt under dressed, but I needn't have worried. The staff made you feel instantly special, and even though we hadn't reserved a table, the hostess quietly went about her business seated us at a romantically placed table for 2, away from the larger tables. Because of the impact of the ssetting and the attitude of the host and hostess, I just thought, "note to self, this is where I bring my wife for a special occasion, next time we're in San Diego". The service was top notch. Attentive but not obtrusive. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and the extensive wine list; the evenings special was well presented and descriptive, so much so, that, after much deliberation, that's what I ordered. The level of lighting inside the establishment is low enough to give you a sense of private dining but high enough to be able to see your food and the person across from you. It had a candlelight quality to it, without the candles. Seeing the menu was easy, the menus are gently lit from behind, demonstrating the restaurant's dedication to giving their clientele the exclusive feeling, "no need to spoil the ambience by turning the lights up, just gently light the menus !!!" Inspired. So, I had the 16oz prime rib with potatoes and sauteed mushrooms and asparagus. Cooked to perfection. My wife ordered the 8oz fillet mignon, rare; again, cooked to perfection. It really was a relaxing, enjoyable dining experience. My wife and I actually spoke about the service, There's good service and there's great service, the level from all the staff at Donovans, was EXCELLENT. I remember at one point, my wife and I were in fits of supressed laughter at something that had happened a few days ago; the waiter approached our table, smiled and just refilled our water glasses and faded away. He didn't ask if we wanted anything else or do we want more water, which would have killed the mood, he just let us enjoy the moment. He came back later ( when we'd stop crying with laughter ) and we ordered another couple of glasses of their gorgeous Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon. All in all, it was fantastic dining experience and somewhere I'd recommend you go for a special occasion or when you want to feel special. Thank you Donovan's, you made our first evening in San Diego a memorable one. Oh, by the way. For dessert, try the Tiramisu. Designed and perfected by the chef's at Donovan's. It's lovely.

Great place to eat. Best steak in the USA and it comes with the best service in town. If you don't want meat the Salmon is incredible. Their wine selection is second to none and you don't like what they have they will let you bring yours for a corking fee.

When it comes to a top notch steak experience there isn't anyone who does it better from a high level multi restaurant point. I've been to Ruth's Chris and Morton's but Donovan's is a touch above and delivers excellent food with exceptional service. I love dining here and celebrating my daughters birthday because she wanted a juicy steak made it even better because it was her first time of many more to come!

If you want to pay 2030s prices for 1950s food this is your place. Food very was good, but nothing was amazing. An extremely lacking beer list in San Diego? How you cannot put together a decent 5 or 10 beers on draft in SD is beyond me. Service gets 5 stars though. Great service. Raising my review to 4 stars for ambience and environment. I realize some people really like the classic steak House. Just not my thing.