Books and Records

I really enjoyed Books & Records. Located in the old Bankers Hill location, it has a great vibe. Live music, great service, solid food! Absolutely loved the salmon! Great for dates or just a different feel than the Gaslamp or Little Italy. A little more mature of a demographic. Make a reservation!

T Lewis

Stylish yet cozy place for brunch. It’s kind of tucked away and not in the hustle and bustle of Banker’s Hill. Went there on a Saturday around noon, easy to find parking, and the restaurant was not packed. Everyone really enjoyed their entrées, the salmon latkes were delicious and a must order. The Sizzurp cold brew was bomb. I’ll definitely be back… I’m dying to try the Vietnamese coffee French toast!

Vivian Anne

I made brunch reservations for 10 AM on a Sunday and the restaurant was surprisingly quiet. However, the service was great and friendly. The online menu doesn't quite match the menu at the restaurant - different pancake flavors and they have cold brews too! Both cold brews were great but I preferred the Candy Bar, which was more creamy. Sizzrup - cold brew, oat milk, coconut milk, cinnamon, maple syrup Candy Bar - cold brew, coconut milk, mocha, orgeat Vietnamese Coffee French Toast - french toast was very custardy and creamy Smoked Salmon Latkas - really generous portion of smoked salmon, latkas were very crispy, and cream fraiche was a perfect sauce Short Rib Hash - loved that this was served on a very crispy hashbrown Overall, we really enjoyed having brunch here. All the food and drinks were delicious and the service was great. Bonus that the entire restaurant is dog friendly was well. I would come back to try other brunch items!

Charity Humphreys

Went for pre-theater dinner with the kids. The happy hour specials are amazing and the atmosphere very chill. Both picky moms and kids were all happy and full.

Tommy

Went for brunch and everyone loved their food as well as the bottomless mimosas. The server was attentive and friendly. All of the food was well executed, high quality, and full of flavor. Would recommend steak and eggs, chicken sandwich, short rib and potato cake, eggs Florentine, and Turkish eggs.

Kevin Zhu

I really enjoyed the cocktails here – they were both delicious and beautifully presented. The Asian fusion dishes were great, with the steak being a standout thanks to its perfect, unique sauce. The pasta was also super flavorful. They even gave us a signed anniversary card, which was a thoughtful touch, though we were a bit bummed that no dessert came with it. On top of that, the live jazz added a nice vibe to the evening!

Joe Whearty

Food was amazing. We went in to try their happy hour menu (which they have from 5pm-close on Wednesdays) and was not disappointed. The drinks were really great as well. It is such a great vibe in the place, and all of the staff were beyond nice. 10/10 cant wait to go there again.

Michael Dea

I’m convinced that anything named “thing & thing” is a win, at least here in SD. Dinner has been exquisite the couple of times I’ve been here. Cocktails are very well made (love Purple Rain) and the menu has a lot of wonderful offerings that make it hard to choose. Duck carnitas are a must as well as the jidori chicken and the yellowfin crudo. Balance it out with the mushrooms Diane and the oven roasted cabbage and you’re set! Service has been excellent both times and we’ve been well taken care of. Now, I’m not going to lie, it can get loud in there but I know they’re working on improving this, especially when they have live music. The musicians are talented and it creates a great ambiance. So give them a chance and treat yourself!

Amber Lichens

If I could give the service 13/10, I would. We went last night for a birthday celebration, and Dalton was our server and he was an absolute gem. Perfectly attentive, funny, and generously brought us a round birthday shots and the "check out" library punch card for future visits! He was knowledgeable about the whole menu and even told us about the nightly specials they have all week. I had the Coffee & TV espresso martini (I forgot to drink coffee yesterday and this was the perfect pick me up) and my friends had the Tom Kha Lins (creamy gin deliciousness) and the Wild Honey (we all agreed was our favorite of the night). The entire staff were charms, from the lovely front door hostess, to the food runners quietly bringing food and removing plates seamless and unobtrusively as we giggled and gossiped. And the food! You MUST get the Crispy Chicken Bao Buns (perfection, no notes), the Shrimp Aguachile and the smash burger! Easily one of the best smash burgers I've had in some time. The crispy brussels were also exquisitely creamy umami bombs. But most importantly, Dalton made our experience super memorable and so fun, he was engaging and hilarious, gave amazing suggestions and was definitely the frosting on a deliciously sparkling evening. Dalton, you were a doll. We can't wait to come back!

Andrew McGinnis

Absolutely love this spot. Been here 3x for dinner now and once for brunch. Every single thing I've had is delicious, almost through the whole dinner menu. Cocktails are balanced and a good value, the only complaint I would have is half the time the live music is so loud that it's hard to even talk and be heard. Just a slight reduction in that area and I'll never eat anywhere else. Emily gives great service as well, ask for her. Also please bring back the Beet It :)

Mariana Vega

The cocktails were amazing! Probably one of the best martinis I I’ve had. They also have a great whiskey and ube cocktail. The personnel was very kind and attentive. They treated my service dog like a king. As soon as we got there, the manager brought him a water bowl and treats. Our server was very friendly, too.

Ali S

I really enjoyed Books & Records. Located in the old Bankers Hill location, it has a great vibe. Live music, great service, solid food! Absolutely loved the salmon! Great for dates or just a different feel than the Gaslamp or Little Italy. A little more mature of a demographic. Make a reservation!

regis kwong

Located in the vibrant neighborhood of Bankers Hill, Books and Records beckons diners with the promise of social dining and live jazz, transporting them to the golden age of good times. As you step into the restaurant, the air buzzes with the melodies of live jazz music from the 20s, setting the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. Co-owners Brian Douglass and Anderson Clark have seamlessly blended the old with the new, preserving the original framework of the restaurant while infusing it with modern touches. The main dining room exudes warmth with its dark blue limewashed walls and plush green leather booths, creating an inviting atmosphere for guests to unwind and indulge. The menu, crafted by culinary director Sam Deckman and executive sous chef Ryan Stickel, offers a delightful array of dishes that showcase the best of contemporary cuisine with nods to classic flavors. From fresh oysters with aguachile mignonette to wagyu tartare with Szechuan chili crunch, each dish is a harmonious blend of textures and flavors. During our visit for brunch on the President’s Day holiday long weekend, we were treated to an exceptional culinary journey. The smoke salmon Latkes were a delightful start, followed by a selection of entrees including Short Rib Hash, hasselbaeck Butternut squash, Turkish Egg, and Breakfast Gnocchi. Each dish was a masterpiece in its own right, bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. While the food stole the show, the service was equally commendable. Our server was attentive and friendly, ensuring that our dining experience was nothing short of perfection. The only hiccup was with the receptionist, who seemed to be frequently absent from the front desk. Overall, Books and Records offers a dining experience unlike any other in Bankers Hill. With its enticing ambiance, superb cuisine, and live jazz entertainment, it's the perfect destination for a memorable meal with friends or loved ones.

This is our third time at this place. From the moment you walk up to host stand and when you leave—the staff is incredibly friendly, warm and efficient. One of the many thoughtful details, there is a communal table while one wait for your table while sipping a drink (There’s no need to search for a place to stand out out of the way). If you want to share small plates or grab a larger meal, the menu has many options. Thoughtful menu and great specials. Excellent and warm service. One of our favorites!

This place has turned into our date night spot. Anderson and his team are on it. The service, the food and of course the ambiance are all on point. The bao tacos and Brussel sprouts are delicious. They also have all day happy hour on Wednesdays which includes tiny tinis, we had the vespar (james bond) and it was delightful. 5 stars does not seem enough, food, drinks, atmosphere are all perfect.

We went during happy hour, and very much appreciated the long happy hour window. There were a great selection of cocktails to choose from and the prices very reasonable. I recommend the Tiny-tin (?) with gin, it was delicious. For food, we tried the bao buns, brussel sprouts, meatballs, steak and fries. All were delicious and cooked to perfection. But if I had to choose one, it would be the meatballs. For the best deal, go with the steak and fries. Pass on the chicken skewers. They were good, but not in the same level as what I mentioned above. Lastly, the ambience was elegant with a hint of old world charm. Lights were low and really set the mood and vibe. I highly recommend you try this place.

Karissa Porteus Reardon

This is our third time at this place. From the moment you walk up to host stand and when you leave—the staff is incredibly friendly, warm and efficient. One of the many thoughtful details, there is a communal table while one wait for your table while sipping a drink (There’s no need to search for a place to stand out out of the way). If you want to share small plates or grab a larger meal, the menu has many options. Thoughtful menu and great specials. Excellent and warm service. One of our favorites!

Michael Reardon

This place has turned into our date night spot. Anderson and his team are on it. The service, the food and of course the ambiance are all on point. The bao tacos and Brussel sprouts are delicious. They also have all day happy hour on Wednesdays which includes tiny tinis, we had the vespar (james bond) and it was delightful. 5 stars does not seem enough, food, drinks, atmosphere are all perfect.

Luna

Just stopped in because it was close to the air b n b and it was extraordinary!! The vibes, the books, the service, attention to detail all of it! It was my birthday and we were checking out some places around the area and the food was fresh and so delicious! Before we headed out the bartender (i forgot this their name maybe Amanda )offered a tester shot for one of the drinks I was interested in but was nervous to get, and then the second bartender(Chris, I believe) found out it was my birthday at the end and gave us a little champagne send off. It was a wonderful experience and a great start to my birthday adventure around the town. Definitely stop in if you get a chance!

My best girlfriend and I were looking for a place to go with happy hour, because Wednesdays are our day to hang out. So imagine hour lucky we were to find this place. Happy hour all day on Wednesdays! This is an adorable place in bankers hill. From the ambiance, service, food to the drinks, this place is such a vibe. The happy hour menu is also great because most of their favorites are half off or discounts. Making trying their menu a fun experience for half the price. My recommendations? Drinks: margaritas (spicy with tahini tajin rim) Food: Mac and cheese Wagyu tartare And can’t wait to try more.

Very loud but buzzing place! Small shareable plates with interesting combinations! Had to try the pesto with chicken parm, but definitely would’ve been better as separate dishes. Music and ambiance was a bit loud and our server was a little slow but it’s expected of a busy place! Lamb meatballs and peanut chicken skewers were phenomenal, Mac n cheese was not flavorful, almost tasted like they forgot the cheese

FOOD 4/5 - Based on brunch SMOKED SALMON LATKES | it was delicious! hand made latkes, dill-caper crème fraîche, pickled red onion, lemon, crispy shallot TURKISH EGGS | Not bad at all whipped labneh, za’atar, sumac, poached eggs, chili crunch, charred baguette NEED TO GET THEIR PANCAKES NEXT TIME PARKING 4/5 Street parking around the perimeter - some are metered while others are free if you're lucky SERVICE 4/5 Great service from the chef, servers, and all staff members AMBIENCE 5/5 Beautiful ambience inside and outside! Love their bar, tiered flooring and decor.

It was good but not amazing. We were excited to try out Books and Records for the first time, made a reservation in advance for sure because it's still super busy. We arrived on time but still had to wait 15 minutes till we were seated, not sure why. It would have been nice if we got to head into the bar to order a cocktail and listen to the awesome jazz trio that was playing inside. But we ended up waiting outside. We ordered lots of cocktails because they all looked so good on the menu. Everything was delicious! We ordered: Purple Rain Brass Monkey CS old fashioned The T For food, we got the following: Scallop and shrimp aguachile Bone marrow Charred broccoli Mushroom bucatini Our favorite was the aguachile, nice balance of flavors and textures. The other items were just ok, not bad, not amazing either. Based on this, we wouldn't come back to eat here again, unless perhaps we just came for drinks at the bar to enjoy a jazz band, aguachile, and cocktails. It was also ridiculously loud inside the restaurant. We had to yell to hear each other across our small, wobbly table. And it was so hard to hear the server, so we were borderline yelling to communicate with her too. The design of the space is beautiful, but architectural acoustic panels, or art, or anything to help with sound attenuation would improve the ambiance and atmosphere experience. Ultimately, nothing was terrible. But it just wasn't a great experience, especially for the high prices. So we would not come back again.

Levi Renninger

Very loud but buzzing place! Small shareable plates with interesting combinations! Had to try the pesto with chicken parm, but definitely would’ve been better as separate dishes. Music and ambiance was a bit loud and our server was a little slow but it’s expected of a busy place! Lamb meatballs and peanut chicken skewers were phenomenal, Mac n cheese was not flavorful, almost tasted like they forgot the cheese

Taka H

FOOD 4/5 - Based on brunch SMOKED SALMON LATKES | it was delicious! hand made latkes, dill-caper crème fraîche, pickled red onion, lemon, crispy shallot TURKISH EGGS | Not bad at all whipped labneh, za’atar, sumac, poached eggs, chili crunch, charred baguette NEED TO GET THEIR PANCAKES NEXT TIME PARKING 4/5 Street parking around the perimeter - some are metered while others are free if you're lucky SERVICE 4/5 Great service from the chef, servers, and all staff members AMBIENCE 5/5 Beautiful ambience inside and outside! Love their bar, tiered flooring and decor.

Faisal ALghamdie

Personally, I never read reviews of the place, but I went for the vibes and the live music they have on the weekends. The ambience is truly amazing and I enjoyed my time there, the service too is lovely. I ordered the crispy calamari, the lamb bolognese, and ended with the brownie for a dessert. The crispy calamari could have been better, was not as crispy as I thought, however flavor wise it was exploding in flavors. As for the lamb bolognese, I loved it, and would definitely order it again. The lamb meat is spectacular and well seasoned, and the pasta was perfect. I ended my meal with a nice brownie dessert topped with graham crackers dust and melted marshmallows, it was nice but check out their other dessert options on the day you go, I believe they keep changing but I’m not so sure. To be honest, I might not have dessert the next time, but thats personal preference. I would like to thank Daltin for his service. The place is not easy on the pocket, but it is definitely a place I would go to for occasions or dates or when hosting guests, especially if live music and shows were taking place. 5/5 Atmosphere 4/5 for the food since the calamari should be improved 5/5 for the great service.

Marissa Feliciano

It was good but not amazing. We were excited to try out Books and Records for the first time, made a reservation in advance for sure because it's still super busy. We arrived on time but still had to wait 15 minutes till we were seated, not sure why. It would have been nice if we got to head into the bar to order a cocktail and listen to the awesome jazz trio that was playing inside. But we ended up waiting outside. We ordered lots of cocktails because they all looked so good on the menu. Everything was delicious! We ordered: Purple Rain Brass Monkey CS old fashioned The T For food, we got the following: Scallop and shrimp aguachile Bone marrow Charred broccoli Mushroom bucatini Our favorite was the aguachile, nice balance of flavors and textures. The other items were just ok, not bad, not amazing either. Based on this, we wouldn't come back to eat here again, unless perhaps we just came for drinks at the bar to enjoy a jazz band, aguachile, and cocktails. It was also ridiculously loud inside the restaurant. We had to yell to hear each other across our small, wobbly table. And it was so hard to hear the server, so we were borderline yelling to communicate with her too. The design of the space is beautiful, but architectural acoustic panels, or art, or anything to help with sound attenuation would improve the ambiance and atmosphere experience. Ultimately, nothing was terrible. But it just wasn't a great experience, especially for the high prices. So we would not come back again.

These photos are from last year, on a very busy night when they had some sort of jazz ensemble. Music was very loud, but at least it was tasteful. The decor doesn't feel complete and seemed like maybe they hadn't quite finished decorating. Some of the dishes were very, very over salted so I hope they have resolved that issue. I remember being terribly underwhelmed with the dinner. I remember feeling like B&R was trying way, way too hard to be a fine dining place. Food was disappointing; as you can see from the images of the over garnished fish entree with rotten lime and the MSG dish served with burnt broccoli/ labneh. The jalapeno salad might have been the best of the food options. I see this more as a place to grab drinks and maybe an app or two, not full dinner. Good for first dates, I suppose. The cocktail menu was the best thing about this place, we enjoyed the Thai chili cocktail and the coffee martini.

Yendry Arreaga

These photos are from last year, on a very busy night when they had some sort of jazz ensemble. Music was very loud, but at least it was tasteful. The decor doesn't feel complete and seemed like maybe they hadn't quite finished decorating. Some of the dishes were very, very over salted so I hope they have resolved that issue. I remember being terribly underwhelmed with the dinner. I remember feeling like B&R was trying way, way too hard to be a fine dining place. Food was disappointing; as you can see from the images of the over garnished fish entree with rotten lime and the MSG dish served with burnt broccoli/ labneh. The jalapeno salad might have been the best of the food options. I see this more as a place to grab drinks and maybe an app or two, not full dinner. Good for first dates, I suppose. The cocktail menu was the best thing about this place, we enjoyed the Thai chili cocktail and the coffee martini.

This place is really cute but the service was awful. Our table was not ready when we got there right on time for our reservation. All that needed to be done was clean the table but it took them about 30 minutes AFTER our res time to get the table ready. Then we had to ask for our waiter bc we were ready to order and nobody was waiting the table until we asked. The food was good but everything needed salt. I would maybe go here again, but they need much better service. Everything also took forever to come out.