Vibrant restaurant with a nautical theme that serves handcrafted cocktails and a creative menu

The vibe at Kettner Exchange is amazing, but the food and decor make this one of my top recommendations!  As you walk in, it feels very cozy with an elegant bar and lounge to enjoy a cocktail after work or before dinner.  On those chilly San Diego nights (half-kidding) you can sit by the fireplace to keep warm.  There are booths and tables available for dining as well.  The nautical theme throughout the restaurant is over the top - you almost forget you're on land. Most of the seating is on the second floor, with some inside and others outside on the rooftop patio.  The patio is a lively place on the weekends with a DJ often spinning tunes after 9 p.m. It just makes you want to stay here and skip anything else you had planned for the evening.    

Kettner Exchange offers progressive American cuisine.  This includes many small plates for sharing and a few large plates that you can order individually or share with your table.  Their executive chef is Brian Redzikowski who competed in Iron Chef America and has received many awards for his unique mouthwatering dishes.  The menu changes often at Kettner Exchange, so you may not be able to find the same thing when you go back a second time.  And there will be a second time!  On our most visit we dined with my nephew and a friend, so our party of four shared everything from appetizers to dessert.  We started with the shishito peppers that were served with garlic chips, bonito flakes and ponzu. The bonito flakes are so light that they move on your dish with the slightest brush of air.  So it looks like they are alive.  One of our favorite dishes of the evening was the A5 Wagyu Hot Rock. It comes out with three slices of rare wagyu beef that you sear yourself on the hot rock.  It is served with potato puree, wild mushrooms, and a béarnaise sauce.  The dish was amazing and provides entertainment at the same time.  We also ordered the prime beef tenderloin medallions, which is a filet mignon served with potato puree, wild mushroom, cipollini and truffled hollandaise. For dessert, we ordered the budino and the snickers sundae.  The budino is a carmel creme fraiche with sea salt while the snickers sundae is vanilla ice cream, chocolate mousse, salted peanuts, caramel and nougat with two pieces of chocolate on top stamped with the Kettner Exchange logo.  

Kettner Exchange does not disappoint with their cocktail selection. They have a beverage director that has spent time to craft some of the best drinks in San Diego.  Since the restaurant group also owns and operates the Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach, they have carried over a couple of drinks from that hidden tiki lounge menu.  One of those drinks is the painkiller which is a blend of 7 magnificent rums, pineapple, lime, passionfruit and coconut.  It's so good, but very strong.  Another favorite is the stone blossom which is  whiskey, apricot, pinnapple, lemon and demerara.  There are also several seasonal drinks, so visit often so you can try them all.