Location: 1201 Camino Del Mar #200, Del Mar, CA 92014

A beautiful patio hangout in Del Mar to enjoy great coastal inspired food with friends and family!

If you’re ever in San Diego head up to Del Mar to Beeside Balcony for a meal that won’t disappoint! This place has been a family favorite of ours for years and our go-to place to enjoy fresh Californian inspired Mediterranean cuisine or to entertain friends or business clients. Situated on the second floor at the corner of Camino Del Mar and 12th St., the entire restaurant overlooks Del Mar downtown with great relaxing modern vibes.

They offer a variety of familiar goodies with hints of Spanish and Italian influence. A great way to start the meal is with their steamed mussels in garlic, shallot, and white wine cream sauce. Classic I know, but you can’t go wrong as they do it so well. Perfectly plump mussels in a rich creamy garlicky broth that’s served alongside two large pieces of crispy bread for dipping, yum!

After inhaling the appetizer, on with the mains! An item very unique to this restaurant was definitely the Spanish grilled octopus as it’s served as an entrée instead of an appetizer as with most restaurants. Believe me you MUST order this when you come, the plate is served with two GIANT tentacles perfectly char grilled and super tender, served over a bed of lemon truffle arugula salad and fondant potatoes. Every time we come to Beeside Balcony we never failed to order this dish because one we love octopus and two we love OCTOPUS!

They also had a special that day of fried chicken served over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and drizzled with their house honey sauce. The chicken was tender, crunchy, and juicy like how a good fried chicken should be with a touch of sweetness. Overall a good comfort food dish.

Our friend ordered their pan seared Chilean sea bass served over a lemongrass beurre blanc sauce with confit fennel and tomatoes topped with tobiko caviar (fancy!). It’s a delicate and tasty dish and the fish was well cooked and flaky not dry.

For dessert we had to each order one, no sharing haha! So we had their top picks, the first was their tropical Pineapple Delight which comes with toasted coconut and pineapple ice cream served on a fresh caramelized grilled pineapple slice and salted caramel sauce…super good! Next was their classic Chocolate Mousse Cake that’s sure to satisfy all chocolate lovers, and finally their signature Baklava Ice Cream Cake which is a unique twist on a classic that has all the elements of great baklava’s flaky phyllo pastry, pistachios, and honey paired with vanilla ice cream. Great dessert, not too sweet and an awesome way to end the meal!

All in all, a wonderful restaurant with fantastic service, atmosphere, and above all good food. Happy to say we never had a bad meal and remember if you do go (especially for all those seafood lovers out there) please order the Spanish Grilled Octopus, you’ll thank me later!