Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar recently opened in Mission Valley. It’s a popular chain with several locations in Southern California. We are always on the lookout for family friendly restaurants that actually serve good food and this one seemed promising.

As its name suggests, dogs are welcome on the outside patio. The menu selection offers quite a variety, ranging from burgers, to brick oven pizzas, to wok fired dishes.

The interior is fairly spacious. The dog theme is used throughout the restaurant, with paw prints on tables and sprinkled throughout the decor. There is a large bar area too which offers Stone and other local craft beers.

We had initially tried out the food during a media preview party. We enjoyed it enough that we wanted to come back for a more normal visit and proper review. It was such a nice day when we came back on our second trip that we opted to sit outside on the patio. There were so many cute dogs outside too.

Grilled Garlic Flatbread

I really enjoy the flatbread here. It’s very thin, but still maintains a doughy chew. It’s topped with garlic butter and Parmesan, so it’s very reminiscent of eating garlic bread, but with fewer carbs. I definitely wouldn’t mind swapping this out for traditional garlic bread from now on.

Wok Fired Calamari

The calamari is tossed in a sweet and sour plum sauce. Mr. K thought it reminded him of orange chicken. It’s served on a big bed of rice with the option for brown rice, which we chose. We first had this at the media dinner and actually found the portions at our second visit to be even bigger and better.

Cajun Fries

This was the one repeat from our media experience that didn’t quite live up. I had loved how crispy the thick cut fries were at the media party but the ones during this visit were not quite as crisp. They were still pretty good though and Mr. K kept sneaking ones before I had a chance to snap a photo.

Loaded Hush Puppies

Balls of whipped potato and bacon bits are coated and deep fried. They were light and crunchy on the outside and fully of creamy potatoes on the inside. I really enjoyed this one.

Jerk Chicken Crisp

Jerk marinated chicken is served on an oven baked lavosh crisp. This is one of their healthier (under 650 calories) options. The crisp was a little too healthy for me.

Of course we couldn’t resist some drinks.

Sparkling strawberry margarita and White Peach Sangria

We attempted to hit as many of our favorites from the media dinner and some new items we had our eye on to give a proper review, but we only had so much room! Our table was so stuffed, the server offered to move us to a bigger table.

Here are a few we didn’t get a chance to retry, but that we liked from the media party:

Naughty Maggie

This is a limited time only throwback cocktail to when they first opened. I love the black salt on the rim and the drink itself is a vibrant red and quite sweet.

Hawaiian Sticky Ribs, Umami Fries & Asian Slaw 

We also really enjoyed this limited time menu item. The pork ribs were sweet and tender and the fries are drizzled with the sweet soy sauce and spicy mayo sauces you usually find on sushi rolls.

Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

I love the colorful plate and this was light and healthy too.

Butter Cake

We got to try a trio of desserts at the media party, but everyone’s favorite at my table was this housemade butter cake. I would have gotten it again if I had room.

We had a good time here. I like the variety of the menu and the reasonable prices. It’s a good spot to hang out with family, friends, or dogs. We’ll likely be taking some of Mr. K’s family when they come to visit. The full menu is available online, including prices.

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
1202 Camino Del Rio N
San Diego CA 92108
https://www.lazydogrestaurants.com/