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Kettner Exchange
Where upscale dining meets vibrant nightlife in the heart of San Diego.
3.8(5 reviews)
restaurant
$$$
Where upscale dining meets vibrant nightlife in the heart of San Diego.
Kettner Exchange is a premier American restaurant and bar in San Diego, offering an upscale dining experience with a lively social atmosphere. Known for its creative dishes, craft cocktails, and music nights, it's the perfect spot for date nights, group gatherings, or after-work drinks. With a 4.5-star rating and a prime location on Kettner Blvd, we blend culinary excellence with a fun, energetic vibe that makes every visit memorable.
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Creative dishes like butternut squash dumplings and duck meatballs in a sophisticated setting.
Extensive drink list featuring signature cocktails, wine, and spirits for socializing.
Vibrant atmosphere with music events and a lively patio for evening entertainment.
Ideal for celebrations, corporate gatherings, or special occasions with tailored service.
Relaxed brunch offerings in a stylish environment, perfect for weekend outings.
So my first time going to Kitna exchange very excited to try this place out so I book on OpenTable for New Year’s Eve. They have a set dinner menu for New Year’s Eve on paper sounded amazing so I arrive with my wife they put us at a table that was against the wall, which wasn’t even a table which at first I wasn’t too mad until I saw a lot of other tables that were still open that were a nice view I was wondering, why didn’t they just sit us there which they weren’t reserved because 20 minutes later somebody comes in and gets sat there. And again everything was already prepaid with my Chase sapphire card so I’m already in $360. Drinks not even included service was pretty up to par very tentative, but the food which is the reason why we’re here was not the best part might’ve been the dessert and the scallops the shrimp dish, which looked amazing but lacked flavor. My wife didn’t enjoy some of the meals more than me. We go to probably 80 restaurants a year and wanted to close out the year with something special and it fell far from that. Maybe it was because it was a fixed menu so I didn’t really get to try there better selection, but for the cost, I usually would give another place. Another chance this is probably a never again would I ever advise no even when I went to waterfront after the bartender there so that place used to be good but with the new chef doesn’t come close anymore especially for what you’re paying so 1000% even if I was offered a free mail there highly doubt I would go. Honestly, the best thing I appreciate it was the Photo Booth that they added easily was the best part of the night at that establishment.
Pros: The food was absolutely amazing. I had the butternut squash dumplings and the "Mapo" and both were phenomenal in terms of taste. The staff were friendly and the server was able to recommend popular dishes or which dishes pair well together. Cons: Finding parking is very difficult unless you want to pay $10+tip for the valet. I circled the surrounding blocks for around 20 minutes until I got lucky and found a spot 2 blocks away right as somebody else was leaving. The dishes are tiny for how much they cost - especially the dumplings. $16 for 4 dumplings that don't even have a protein stuffing is insane. The "Mapo" was a little better on the size, but I still left without feeling completely full afterwards and I have a pretty small stomach. If cost isn't a factor, this place has amazing food, but I personally don't think it's worth the price.
Love this place. Def a great a lot to come to when in San Diego. The food, the vibes, and they even have music at night. Great drinks and bites. Love coming here and Everytime I come here I have a good time. Highly recommend coming here any day of the week and seeing what all the talk is about.
It's an Experience that's Meant to Be Shared. Top-notch Service Coupled with Great Ambiance and Paired Dishes Creates a Unique Memorable Adventure Worth Coming To. This is a 5 star Restaurant that is Fun and Serious at the Same Time. It takes its culinary delights seriously but after hours/weekends it turns into a fun social experience shared with friends and coworkers. A San Diego Must.
Great vibe inside. We were there to dine but the patio was going off and seemed like a great place to hang out with some drinks. Wine and drink list was great. We ordered four dishes, three were good to very good (kale salad, duck meatball, tomato ceviche) and the piquillo pepper/peanut spread was honestly terrible for us. Could have been personal preference.
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