Costa Brava, San Diego CA

The food is great and the waiters are really good BUT, there is a crossed eye blonde hostess with a really bad attitude. We had no reservations and the restaurant was not even at 30% capacity but she said all the tables were reserved. The tables were never occupied and she gave us the worst table.

My recomendation is for her to get a boyfriend.

My smile grew with every bite. Went in for a meal by myself and the waitstaff made me feel like family. Food came out and looked amazing and tasted better

I’ve been wanting to come here based on my friend’s recommendation so I decided to celebrate my birthday here. I just got back from Madrid a few days ago. In comparison, their tapas and sangria were okay but the mixed seafood paella was good. I gave four stars mostly for the service. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. He even brought me a piece of flan for my birthday and ice cream for my kids. We had a great time overall.

A coworker that lives in Spain got me a gift card for this restaurant and it was outstanding! Wonderful service and the four of us got a bunch of different tapas and we got dessert. Service is on the slower side but it's a lovely outdoor environment with a musician. Very authentic and we will go back!

Love the food here, great vibe, and the wait staff is amazing. I come here probably once a week and always take good care of the wait staff most of whom know me by now. But the hostess is horrible, this is the 3rd time I was made to wait outside for over 30 minutes while multiple groups that arrived after me without a reservation were seated. At this point idk if I’ll ever go back, the level of disrespect to do that to someone is beyond me.

My girlfriend and I came here for our first date 2 years ago, and we came back to recreate it. (Obviously there was COVID last year so we didn't do it then.) I remember the food being amazing, but it was actually better than I remembered. Try the squid ink risotto. It's absolutely delicious.

My Spanish friend Juan has been pushing us to visit for ages. We were not disappointed. Great authentic tapas and wonderful service. Would certainly recommend this place.

Total gem in San Diego. One of the best Spanish restaurants I've tried outside of Spain. Lovely staff, great Spanish wine listing and awesome food. The vibe is.

Can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. They accommodated our large party late in the evening and the staff was exceptional. I’d like to thank Gustavo for the excellent recommendations, good laughs, and amazing memories. Hope to be back!

Dinner for five, at ease in the delightful courtyard area, live guitar serenade wrapping the area in a lovely ambiance, was relaxing and very sociable. Wait staff was accommodating and solicitous, with humor and great attentiveness. Dinner was a wonderful selection of tapas; the Manchego matching the olives, cornichons and aglia acetico impeccably. Octopus (pulpo) was seasoned with flair, filet with grilled pimento superb in flavor if a tiny bit tough. Wine selection was very accommodating. The Alberino was excellent. As with many Pacific Beach locations, parking is the first and last problem, but worth the challenge to enjoy this fine bit of Paradise. This was our second visit, and a location we’ve discussed in family get togethers over and over. God willing, we will be back!

Had the best time at Costa Brava tonight. The food was amazing and Michael was our server. He was very attentive. When he was at our table, he was focused on us and we felt like we were his only table. We weren't his only table. This place was hoppin'! Happy hour is from 5pm-6pm and the Sangria is delicious and there are plenty of yummy food options! BTW, Michael might have been the yummiest thing in the restaurant. Enjoy!

Took me back to Spain! My second home. Beautiful patio, authentic Spanish ambiance and most importantly authentic tapas. Five stars!

Awesome place
Great food! Come visit, support your small business- leave the fast food alone!
If I lived closer I would come every chance I could!

This host was rather unwelcoming and a bit rude.
She was the one with blonde wavy hair and glasses. Ruined the experience this go around.

We like the food and the servers, but this host has to go. That is all.

The reviews about the food and service are accurate, but there is something else that needs to be told. We were given a Gift Card and decided to enjoy a special dinner. Well, turns out they don't take gift cards. Server, who's english wasn't too good said it had to do with credit card machine being old. The Manager came over and said same thing. So i paid with Credit card. On the way out, i mentioned to manager that was a bit outdated policy. He went off on me. Said i should be thanking him. That after all we have been through for 18 month, i should be thanking him for being open. In a city that has had restaurants decimated by COVID and all the closures, of restaurants owned by really gracious and thankful people, this attitude blew me away. I feel bad that truly wonderful and thankful restaurant owners have lost their businesses and this ungrateful man has kept his. Sometimes life isn't fair. Best Spanish food in the city, but i'll never go back. I hope others will support those restaurant owners who really appreciate their customers and don't think that they are doing them a favor. The owner of Costa Brava is so ignorant, he won't get this post.

Best tapas bar in San Diego. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the happy hour menu, which has delicious options at a very friendly price.

Amazing restaurant and dining experience! Matt provided terrific service and had excellent recommendations on various dishes and wines that my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed! The ox-tail and various tapas dishes were delicious. Dining here was one of the highlights of our trip!

Great happy hour. Patatas bravas was awesome. Octopus ceviche was a little mushy. Escargot taste a little like liver, but hey.anything is great with butter. Atmosphere and service were excellent

Frenetic atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon! We sat at the bar for tapas and had fun watching the bartender quickly mix drinks for the patrons and the staff hurrying to fill orders. We ordered various tapas, gazpacho and sangria. All good. Ask for a cruet of olive oil to go with your bread, delicious!

Great atmosphere and great food. Been coming to this place for a few years and it's always a favorite with the family. The tapas are so much fun and flavorful. Sangria is amazing!