Location: 7837 Herschel Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037
A truly magical atmosphere with a delectable menu to sit back, relax, and escape from the busy life.
Herringbone is a hidden gem in downtown La Jolla that has been on our go to list for quite a while and I’m glad to say we finally gave it a try! The location is not obvious, quite nondescript, and easily missed because it’s tucked away behind a wall of vines and a large wooden carved door. Good things are not easy to find and this is one place you want to make the effort to check out!
I first heard of this place while browsing around on yelp looking for unique local restaurants and the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful interior. I mean this place is really remarkable, upon entering you are immediately transported to another place! As you walk into the foyer your eyes are drawn to the warm fire place and large olive trees scattered within the restaurant as well as the warmth of the wooden ‘ship like’ whimsical interior décor.
The host took us to the back dining area where it opens up into a large space filled with more olive trees and a really cool center piece light fixture above the bar area that is an artistic mix of metal hoops and rope surrounding a suspended dolphin skeleton I think? There are also chandeliers scattered around where the bulbs are made of puffer fish, how neat! The warm lighting in this place is very inviting and immediately relaxes you and takes you into a new world!
This is a seafood place, casual and intimate that’s great for any date night. Since it was happy hour my husband and I decided to go for the Fresh Oysters. They were served on a wooden plate with ice and cocktail sauce or vinegar for dipping. To be honest, I’m not quite a fan of raw oysters but these were quite fresh and not as fishy as I expected.
Next up it was time for round two, Salt and Pepper Calamari served with crispy garlic, jalapeno, chili mayo, and lime! Lightly breaded and crispy you can’t really go wrong with anything deep fried. We also tried their Buffalo Octopus (pictured at the top), which was an interesting concept of chargrilled octopus served with a celery and carrot slaw and herb ranch dressing. Could be better with a little less Buffalo sauce as it was a bit strong for the delicate octopus but overall not a bad dish. All in all, delicious appetizers to get us ready for the main course.
We also ordered some cocktails that evening, after all it was happy hour! We had the a Black Cherry Martini and Grapefruit Berry Spritz. Both deliciously fruity, good to sip on while waiting for our next course and soaking up the ambiance.
For the mains, we ordered their flatbreads which to me are more like a pizza. We had the Foraged Mushroom that was prepared using house made California style sourdough crust, white sauce, roasted mushroom, mozzarella, pine nuts, and truffle – crème fraiche. Creamy, earthy, and super yummy, I especially loved the touch of pine nuts for extra texture.
Last but not least we had to have a dessert because why not? The waiter recommended their famous Pineapple Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. Winning combination in my book, the warm pineapple cake was not overly sweet just the way I like my desserts and complimented the cold ice cream and caramel drizzle. So good we wish we had more!
I highly recommend this place if you want to have an experience beyond just the food! Really great to relax here after a long week and bask in the warm, welcoming, and eclectic ambiance. By the way on our way out I checked out the olive trees and they aren’t real haha, but hey it’s so nice to feel like you’re dining in a magical forest right? Check this place out the next time you are in La Jolla and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Rice Bucket Recipes 