FH and I recently had a tasty and affordable meal at Urban Eats, a new eatery that opened up in Hillcrest.
The intimate restaurant seats about 30 and has a bar area. What most impressed me about this place was the cost of the food. The menu is simple, but almost everything is under $10. The most expensive entree is priced at a mere $14. It’s rare to see such reasonable prices at restaurants these days.
The water here is flavored with cucumber. It’s something I’m seeing often at restaurants but I’m not complaining. I like the refreshing taste cucumbers bring to the water.
Crostini and Honey Butter
We were served some complimentary crunchy crostini, topped with parmesan cheese and a side of whipped butter mixed with dollops of honey.
salmon poki chips (wonton + papaya tomatillo + avocado)
For our starter, we chose to share one of their most popular appetizers, salmon poki chips. The salmon is served cold, ceviche-style, mixed with salsa and fresh avocado slices. The salmon mixture sat on crispy wonton wrappers. We loved every bite of this starter.
Tamarind Iced Tea
Before our main course was served, the server brought over some complimentary freshly brewed tamarind iced tea to sample. If you aren’t familiar with tamarind, it’s a sour fruit, commonly eaten in South Asian countries. The edible flesh is contained in a pod that resembles an oversized pea pod. I never had it until after meeting FH, but I enjoy the fruit. It reminds me of the preserved Chinese plums.
The iced tea had a slight sour flavor from the tamarind. We both really enjoyed it and I was happy to see them experimenting with tamarind.
Angus meatloaf (tomato compote + smashed potato + braised spinach + mushroom au jus)
The meatloaf was moist and tender. FH devoured it all. This dish gave me a comforting feel. It reminded me of dinners at friends’ houses when I was a kid.
Braised kobe beef (blue cheese smashed potato + spinach + crispy leeks + au jus)
The meat was tender, and fell off the bone. No knife needed. I loved the beef, the au jus flavor, just about everything about this dish.
Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies
All the dinner guests were also given complimentary fresh warm chocolate chip cookies with some whipped cream and strawberries. A perfect way to end the meal.
We left happy with our meal and will definitely be back. The menu is a little limited, but the service is friendly and we liked everything we tried. The restaurant is small so I wouldn’t bring a large group here, but it’s perfect for a small group.
Please note, our meal was complimentary, but I was not compensated for this review and my opinions are my own.
Urban Eats
3850 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
I have a good friend in San Diego and when I’m visiting in June, we’ll go to Urban Eats to check it out. I love to eat in decent restaurants/eateries that are not overpriced.
I hope you enjoy it!
Good prices + Cucumber water = I have to go.
One of the first things I noticed when I moved to San Diego is how bad the water here tastes. I usually put lemon in, but maybe I should mix it up…
I always drink filtered water at home. I’m not very fond of tap water in SD either.
I’ll be going here next week so I’m looking forward to it! Complimentary cookies would make me pretty happy!
I was really happy with everything. Hope you like it too!
Look pretty good, will hvae to try it out 🙂
yes, check it out! I was pretty pleased and hope they do well.
Looks like a good spot. I’ve become a fan of tamarind as well. Have you ever tried that tamarind candy?
The tea reminded me of the chinese plum tea. Oooh, there’s tamarind candy? I must try it now.