Herb & Wood, San Diego CA

One thing you should know about this place is that it has the absolute best and greatest Espresso Martini of all time. On top of that, Cass is one of the best Mixologist I have ever met. I frequent the Little Italy area often. In Little Italy I’ve tried the Espresso Martinis at Born and Raised, Barbusa, Nolita, Wolfies, Caminos, Juniper and Ivy… by far the best one I have ever had is at Herb and Wood. It’s the classic Espresso Martini here and how it should be with the foam and Body. Cass is beyond skilled and I had her make me an Espresso Martini with Tequila and one with Mezcal, both were supreme. I tried one with what I believe to have contained Rum and some butter variant. I hate Rum, absolutely hate it, but this Espresso Martini was so good that I don’t think I would have guessed it at first. The odd thing was even the Mezcal Espresso Martini was phenomenal as I never really expected that. When I went back to the classic, it was actually hard to stop drinking it and so I just chugged the whole thing. I will absolutely come back here. The service here is also very good. I didn’t eat but my friends said the Pizza was good too. Overall it has a very open feel to it with great ambiance, upscale, super nice with a clean look to it. Also they allow natural sun in on the side with this open roof part. We sat at the bar and it’s a good size rectangle bar. The only thing I don’t like about this place is that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to taste an Espresso Martini this good anywhere else. Also there’s a unicorn here named Herbert if I remember correctly.

Food definitely does not taste bad, but is very difficult to see the actual food with the dark lighting after sunset (photos are with flash). The overall prices seem inflated for the size and quality of the dishes.
Our service experience was also quite unpleasant, our waiter seemed impatient and kept pushing unnecessarily high priced dishes and drinks without mentioning the cost. We also called three times to ensure that a dessert would be presented for a celebration and during our experience it never came.

Great atmosphere and very fast and friendly staff!
We had a reservation for four (early in advance, not really nice cancelation rules within 24h - 25$ /person).
We started with a round of cocktails and some shared starters (cauliflower which was delicious) and continued with pasta and pizza. The pasta portions could be a bit bigger, especially the ravioli.
The dessert was delicious.

Food is good. However the environment was one of the worst dining experiences. The noise level was unbearable. I felt as if I am actually inside of a boom box during the whole dinner. It may be the interior structure, but the amount of acoustic echo and noise (between the music and chatter) was one of the worst I have ever experienced. This place is like eacho chamber. My dinner companions could not communicate or hear anything.

The best dining experience is combination of food and the environment. Overall, I would rate the ambience/environment as zero because of unbearable level of loudness and food as much higher. Service is also flighty as I had to flag down the server a few times to get adequate attention or needed service.

I would not come here again due to the uncomfortable environment and unenjoyable experience.

Absolutely incredible service - I was here as a guest to a party/dinner in the gallery space, and my husband mentioned to a waitress while tray passed appetizers were going around that I am dairy and gluten free. It was a passing comment just to politely turn down a particular appetizer, but a few minutes later I was approached by a member of staff, Dominique, who graciously went through the menu for the evening with me to point out what was friendly to my dietary restrictions and make sure I had options. That alone was super thoughtful and kind, but then, later on during the dinner she brought out a plate of dairy- and gluten-free roasted seven-spice cauliflower "to supplement the meal" and make sure I had enough to eat. I never expect special treatment, I know multiple dietary restrictions can be complicated and annoying, but I was floored nearly to tears by that kindness. And it wasn't even my party - I was just one of dozens of guests! And beyond THAT, the cauliflower was perhaps my favorite dish of the whole night, and everything was delicious. The whole experience at Herb & Wood was just superb, the food, the atmosphere, and obviously the staff as well. Thank you - I will most certainly be back any chance I get!

I love this place. It’s eclectic, the menu is creative and the staff are attentive. The indoor/outdoor mini courtyard has an appealing vibe with the plants and greenery, open air top, and cozy lights. The heat lamps keep it just at the right temperature once the sun goes down. It has an energetic noise level, but not so that you can’t easily hear your own table, which I really value. Creative cocktails include the Tropical AF that I tried tonight - couldn’t turn down the passion fruit mixed with bourbon! The pork belly and goat cheese were the starters (the sauce with the mushrooms and cheese perhaps a bit salty), and the summer squash and potatoes along side the rabbit tortellini. If I had any room in my stomach I would have tried the blueberry soufflé - the table next over ordered it and it looked very fluffy and large - so I’ll have to save room for that next time.

Great atmosphere, drinks, and food. Had the Goat cheese and it was amazing. Bartenders are all very knowledgeable and made great off the menu drinks based on our tastes. Had a good experience and will definitely be back again.

Herb & Wood was good overall - the Baja shrimp was stellar, and the hanger steak with mushrooms was also excellent. Otherwise, the appetizers didn’t pack enough flavor punch to justify the price point for a small portion; the stone fruit and burrata I could’ve made better at home, and the summer squash, while perfectly textured, lacked depth. For a restaurant that was highly lauded and listed on best restaurant lists, and for the price point, I expected a little bit more. But still enjoyed the experience.

The restaurant has a good vibe. The music was too loud and 90s/early 2000s rap with bad language was totally inappropriate for such a nice place. The warm goat cheese app was excellent. The melon salad was not. The hangar steak was cooked perfectly. The sauce for the steak was good but there was too much of it. The broccolini was good but the potatoes lacked salt. The blueberry soufflé was a highlight. It’s pricey for sure. $300 for 4 people.

Came here on a Monday night and it was *packed*, definitely make a reservation. Both food and cocktails were top notch.

We got the bone marrow/otester, gnocchi, branzino, and cauliflower. Everything was cooked to perfection. Come here! It’s pricey but worth it.

Food and drinks were delicious, but with the prices we hoped to get better service. Especially with the automatic 4% added to the bill. Our waiter was very condescending.

I’ve heard good things about this place but I don’t think it’s worth the money to go again.

This place was amazing! The service and atmosphere were great! The food was absolutely delicious! The only issue was the amount of salt on the food. Soooooo much salt. It was right on the border of being too much. A little less salt and the food would have been absolute perfection. The other flavors were great!

Herb & Wood is indeed a rare find with a delectable menu to satisfy the most discriminating palate and a wait staff suitable to serve the Queen of England!

The decor is a combination of rustic, modern charm with an indoor/outdoor feel. My major problem is the fact that they have too many staff members that step on each other's path and no one bothered asking me for a coffee refill. Certain seating areas are a bit claustrophobic and the noise level can be a bit overbearing.

All in all, the appetizers, entrees, and desserts were flavourful and beautifully presented.

Great service, great food & cocktails, awesome ambiance! Our highlights were the Bourbon & Honey cocktail, the Hamachi, the Ahi & the Gnocchi. We really enjoyed our experience at Herb & Wood and highly recommend for a nice night out!

This makes two Brian Malarkey restaurants in a row that are actually good, the first being Animae. Herb & Wood has an interesting ambiance, albeit with the music turned up a little too loud. I wouldn't classify the cuisine as Mediterranean, either.
That said, their flavors were good. The hangar steak has a good sauce, and the oxtail gnocchi was also flavorful. The gnocchi should have been less dense, however. The pork chop also had a pretty decent sauce, and the rabbit tortellini was tasty. The iberico pork was disappointing and tasted like gristly beef. One problem was the tiny portions especially for the pasta, particularly given the prices ($35-$45 for most entrees). You really need to load up on appetizers, which were also on the small side for dishes that are meant to be shared.
I was surprised that the server didn't ask if I wanted another drink after I finished my cocktail with the appetizers. I had wanted a wine to pair with my entree, but they never asked and the waiter didn't even come back until I was half finished with my entree (which didn't take long because again, tiny portions). At least two servers brought over the wrong dish, so they seem to have their communication lines crossed, and while our food came out quickly, the table next to us was sitting with nothing but water for over a half hour.

Loved the look, feel and ambiance. My food was great just expensive for what you get. Small portions. If your curious the gnocchi was really good. For me i would up the appetizer options a bit and give more overall. Huge fan of just getting drinks. Wine by glass options could be better too. Serves/bar needs to have more trying and educating of menu to patrons. Samples of wine within reason.

Really cool vibe, especially in the main dining room. Food presentation and taste was outstanding as was the service. The broccolini and cauliflower vegetables were very good. The hanger steak and pork chop were amazing. The pork chop is a huge meal! I really enjoyed sipping on the bourbon honey refreshing cocktail as well.

Loved the atmosphere. Went for brunch. Fabulous cinnamon rolls. Chorizo burrito should be called potato burrito and the bacon on the bacon and eggs plate was a bit too candied for my taste. Good but not fabulous.

Warning seriously good food here! We came as a large party and we’re able to share a number of items. Some of my favorites were the pork belly appetizer, the whipped feta appetizer, and the broccolini vegetable. The pork belly was amazing and has this great curry sauce that just works incredibly well. The broccolini has fish sauce in the mix and again just works so well with the dish. I ordered the iberico pork which has slices of pork over white beans in a great light sauce.

The cocktails were amazing as well, highly recommended to try if you can. The sessions was a favorite at the table which was very good but also the old fashioned was excellent.

The entire staff were wonderful and very nice. I really loved the interior decor overall. Highly recommend and would come back in a heartbeat.

Experience was mixed. Space is wonderful. The menu makes the mouth water but the actual food didn’t meet expectations. Some dishes are out of balance (for instance the roasted oysters w bone marrow, the mustard dominated the taste profile and the bread was meh), other dishes weren’t that tasty. The roasted cauliflower was good but, if you had a similar dish at North Abraxas in Tel Aviv, it feels like an elementary attempt. The kale salad was flat out disappointing. The pork was good but not amazing. The service was mixed - some were kind and helpful, others felt like they were going through the motions and not attentive, as if it was another Sunday night. Lots of potential, but more effort and passion needed.