Barbarella, La Jolla

Charming place in La Jolla. Had a great dinner there the other night. I had the Steak Frites with a glass of Australian wine. The service and dinner was excellent and had a chocolate mousse dessert to cap off a quiet evening. I was alittle taken back by the amount of Halloween cheer at the restaurant and was not completely happy with the ambience provided with various things dropping from the ceiling and it was a LOUD restaurant. I would recommend for those that want to have a nice dinner in La Jolla without breaking open the bank.

The atmosphere was very nice, easy going. The staff was friendly but then the food came. Don't get me wrong it wasn't disasterous just marginally adequate. The french onion soup might as well have been steaming brown water. Boring. The ceasar salad was mild in it's flavor and presentation. We ordered the chicken dinner with spinach...hello applebees is better and cheaper on that one. Overall, great atmosphere, pricey and marginal food. But what can we say when your a local in La Jolla you stick with what you know, so how would you know there are better options down the hill.

We went to Barbarella on July 4th. There were quite a few people on the patio but we were the only ones inside so I was confused as to why it took 15 minutes to get our menus. The hostess said there was miscommunication but she told me after seating us that she would be right back with the menus and proceeded to walk by us about 4 different times before we finally got them. I'm not exaggerating to illustrate my point either. They did make up for it by giving us an apology and free dessert and coffee which is great because the food isn't cheap. They have a nice menu so when I ordered the pan fried chicken I thought I was going to get something really creative because the entree was priced around $15. When it came to the table it was a wilted piece of chicken with spinach underneath, smothered in chicken broth. The chicken didn't even have any spices on it. My friend ordered the salmon pizza and that was really good. Our waitress/bartender was really sweet. My daughter didn't know what she wanted to drink so she suggested the shirley temple and that went over REALLY well. I ordered a bottle of Spanish wine and when the waitress/bartender brought it to the table she opened it for us, let my friend taste some and then proceeded to poor each of us a glass. I thought that was very professional. Usually restaurants will just bring an open bottle and let you do the rest. After dinner we ordered dessert and I have to say that the quality, quantity, presentation and flavor was stellar!! It made up for everything. I gave this restaurant 3 stars. It was going to be 2 stars but the apology and free dessert earned it another star. I will definitely go back and try other menu items. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. After I go again I will surely write another review. Hopefully next time it will receive five stars.

This amazing restaurant is the best in La Jolla Shores. It is cozy with a garden patio, firplace, blankets for the people if they get cold. The food is clean, colorful and healthy. You can tell the staff are happy to be there. Everyone is helpful. The overall experience was wonderful and I will tell all my friends.

We had a very nice dinner there. The food was good, and the service was fine. The bruschetta with broccoli greens was an excellent way to open a meal. Their prices seem a little high for what you're getting, but you can't beat the location.