Kettner Exchange Awards
Progressive American cuisine in a high-design building with rooftop cabanas and a fun bar scene.
Openings: Dinner nightly, Brunch Sun.
Features
- Valet parking
- Dress code: Casual dressy
- Full bar
- Outdoor dining
- Private room(s)
- Reservations suggested
- Romantic setting
- View
Kettner Exchange Restaurant Review:
About the restaurant: Named for a politician, William Kettner, who helped put San Diego on the map, this hopping spot offers diners and partiers multiple experiences in the 8,000-square-foot, two-story setting, from a subterranean chef table to rooftop bar and cabana socializing with views of Little Italy and downtown. Kettner Exchange is the brainchild of nightlife duo Matt Spencer and Tyler Charman, whose other joints have included Analog Burger and Firehouse. The overall design feels sexy and sports a great mix of woods and metal throughout the space.
Food & Drinks: Respected toque Brian Redzikowski dishes out innovative American eats with everything from octopus ceviche and duck meatballs to Alaskan king crab salad, barrel-roasted chicken, Niman Ranch pork chops and New York strip steak. End on a sweet note with the budino or molten chocolate cake. Brunch scoffs tradition with compelling plates like papaya and crab salad; char sui pork sandwiches with Vietnamese herbs; soft shell crab and grits; and Chinese sausage hash. The well-crafted libations are creative and refreshing, like the Spicy Gallagher with serrano-infused tequila, Aperol, lemon, watermelon and soda. Craft beers and wines highlight California producers.
|