The food at this establishment was not worth the money. All the dishes were served lukewarm, which was disappointing. To make matters worse, the bread pudding was served cold, which was a letdown. The fish was overcooked, and the lentils were served raw. Overall, the quality of the food did not meet expectations and left much to be desired. If there was a highlight, our drinks were good.
Rebecca R.
Delightful and much needed in this food wasteland. $$-$$$ but a Charcuterie Board, which is generous, at the bar is adequate to give a you a sense of the place and you want to make a full dinner commitment. Drink menu is creative as is the dinner menu. We sampled bit of every thing and our favorites were the beet salad and the scallops. The band was good but I would preferred sitting a little farther away for talking. Perfect place to break a sparkly dress!
Craig F.
I too was going to start off this review by saying what a "hidden gem" this restaurant is and decided to do so despite the previous reviewer saying mostly the same thing. The restaurant is built into the former golf course club house which I had seen the interior of ~ 12 years ago. What a spectacular re-making of the interior space. Fabulous, eclectic décor. It's obvious that very competent interior designers worked their craft here. It's worth visiting for a drink and a walkabout if nothing else. The food was quite good, we tried 8 dishes, with one exception noted below. We were particularly fans of the meatballs, elk and scallops. The waitstaff was friendly and mostly competent, again with one exception noted below. The only real disappointment were the cocktails. Yes, I'm a mixed drink snob, so take this with that in mind. I took a look at the stock cocktail list and saw some interesting drinks along with typical standards. I like gin so when I saw that their Corpse Reviver 2 was made with an orange liquor, I asked the bartender about that choice. He was a bit surly and not interested in engaging in a discussion. He showed me the bottle of orange liquor and said we make all cocktails "out of the book". I ordered one, It was not traditional, but had good balance and was a hit with one other at the table that also ordered one. Emboldened, I ordered an Aviation. Admittedly Aviations are definitely difficult to craft and strike the right balance of sweet and lemon. I've made 100's and still struggle. The one I was served was just plain BAD. It was a sickly blue green color and had terrible balance. I took a sip and told the server I would not drink this and please take it back. She declined to do so. Not cool. For a restaurant that spreads the speak-easy vibe, I think more attention should be paid to mixology. Aviations (IMO) contain, Gin, Maraschino liquor, Creme de Violette, lemon and ice. They should be a pale lavender or blue when mixed, not blue green. I'll definitely go back for the décor and meatballs, but will likely choose less challenging cocktails such as a Manhattan. Ps, I'd avoid the chocolate avocado dessert. I'll try to attach photos of what an Aviation should look like IMO.
Amy W.
This place is a hidden gem! Coolest ambiance in the area by far. 1920s Speakeasy on steroids. The food and service are awesome. The menu is eclectic and every single item we've tried is amazing. Matt and David at the bar make it an extraordinary experience. The cocktails are the best we've had! These guys know their way around the craft cocktail space and bring it to a whole other level. Highly recommend!!!
Frank F.
Matt and David provided some of the most amazing drinks. They made us some off the menu cocktails that were amazing. the food was great and the atmosphere is even better. well worth the drive.
Brandi C.
Really wanted to like this place. Been a few times and no more. It's expensive with the portion sizes quite small and a far out obscure location, but the cocktails and decor are good. The deal breaker for us is that the dishes are either good or horrible, but not worth the price, and the service is rude with a could-care-less attitude. I don't think anyone is truly in charge of this place. A bit of a hot mess.
Jamie M.
No response? You are sadly going to lose more business as a result of leadership in the community that relies heavily on my recommendations.
Lysa Solano
Absolutely phenomenal cocktails! The food is exceptional boasting fantastic flavor and freshness! You must come to this restaurant! The service is excellent and the atmosphere! Classy, elegant with elements of whimsy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chelsea Peterson
The food was just so so. We had to order bread for a starter, it wasn't free. Also no soup or salad option.. The glasses were very small for water and soda. We ordered lamb 2 ways which came w no side except some sort of gooey mess that had a flavor I couldn't place, and scallops which arrived cold and gooey. They resembled a jelly like texture which was disgusting and some sort of rice which was also cold. We had a great server tho which sort of made up for it. I can see how they want to be. But they should be in downtown SD not Bonsall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Keasha L.
My first visit to Harlow's was for my birthday in August 2023! The only reason I knew about this eclectic, speak-easy like place is because at the time, my friend was on their calendar to sing on Fridays. I love a unique, little-known, gorgeous place and Harlow's fit the bill for that. Plenty to look at and I like that there were lots of places hidden away to sit with friends and enjoy a drink if you opted not to dine in the main restaurant area. You can definitely feel the energy of the past in this place. For some reason - the movie Dirty Dancing came to mind because the property was a golf course and gives off vintage resort vibes. Anyway, the music and ambience was A+ but I didn't enjoy the food. The cocktails were pretty and tasty but I am a plant-based eater who enjoys seafood but just wasn't feeling the food options. We shared a couple of items, I got a salad and could taste "meat" on the salad due to cross contamination on utensils- Yikes! I know they don't claim to be vegetarian friendly but having a couple of options would be nice!
Harlows is a hidden gem. Step back in time and imagine walking in to a Sinatra lounge. David at the bar is a amazing mixologist who makes any cocktail look like a work of art.
Ambiance is pretty cool here. I was looking really forward to trying this place, but left disappointed. Drinks were good, but service was lacking, and the food was too out there for my tastes. We ordered the Duck Wings and Fried Quail as these were items we hadn't tried before. The wings were way too greasy and the Quail didn't have much flavor. We spent a lot and left hungry. I'd suggest checking out the menu before you visit to make sure it's your style.
Carolina G.
A Hidden Gem. A Friend brought me here for my birthday, and let me tell you the ambiance is mellow, elegant, and a step back in time (I'm a good way). The service was great, we didn't make a reservation, it was a last minute resort, a hidden gem. Thankfully we were able to wait at the bar order our delicious cocktails till our table was ready, which took 5 min. The food was great, I was able to share my dish with my friend since the food came in three small, but enough portion sizes. After we finished, we walked towards the front and noticed they had a large living room with antique furnitures, couches, framed pictures, different lightings, great area to take pictures. Could be a waiting room, now that I think about. I WILL define returning here in the future.
Julian N.
Friendly service: Food was actually pretty good, ambiance was quite interesting, and certainly a period style vibe Where the experience took a bad turn was having a flamenco style guitar playing, slamming away on his acoustic guitar, was so distracting and poor coice of atmosphere, we couldn't wait to leave this place. May try again, but no time soon.
Tammy G.
The ambiance is awesome. Stands out from the many other offerings in North County. The feel is Speakeasy, many nights there is live music, and the menu is unique with wild game like quail and venison.
The food at this establishment was not worth the money. All the dishes were served lukewarm, which was disappointing. To make matters worse, the bread pudding was served cold, which was a letdown. The fish was overcooked, and the lentils were served raw. Overall, the quality of the food did not meet expectations and left much to be desired. If there was a highlight, our drinks were good.
Delightful and much needed in this food wasteland. $$-$$$ but a Charcuterie Board, which is generous, at the bar is adequate to give a you a sense of the place and you want to make a full dinner commitment. Drink menu is creative as is the dinner menu. We sampled bit of every thing and our favorites were the beet salad and the scallops. The band was good but I would preferred sitting a little farther away for talking. Perfect place to break a sparkly dress!
I too was going to start off this review by saying what a "hidden gem" this restaurant is and decided to do so despite the previous reviewer saying mostly the same thing. The restaurant is built into the former golf course club house which I had seen the interior of ~ 12 years ago. What a spectacular re-making of the interior space. Fabulous, eclectic décor. It's obvious that very competent interior designers worked their craft here. It's worth visiting for a drink and a walkabout if nothing else. The food was quite good, we tried 8 dishes, with one exception noted below. We were particularly fans of the meatballs, elk and scallops. The waitstaff was friendly and mostly competent, again with one exception noted below. The only real disappointment were the cocktails. Yes, I'm a mixed drink snob, so take this with that in mind. I took a look at the stock cocktail list and saw some interesting drinks along with typical standards. I like gin so when I saw that their Corpse Reviver 2 was made with an orange liquor, I asked the bartender about that choice. He was a bit surly and not interested in engaging in a discussion. He showed me the bottle of orange liquor and said we make all cocktails "out of the book". I ordered one, It was not traditional, but had good balance and was a hit with one other at the table that also ordered one. Emboldened, I ordered an Aviation. Admittedly Aviations are definitely difficult to craft and strike the right balance of sweet and lemon. I've made 100's and still struggle. The one I was served was just plain BAD. It was a sickly blue green color and had terrible balance. I took a sip and told the server I would not drink this and please take it back. She declined to do so. Not cool. For a restaurant that spreads the speak-easy vibe, I think more attention should be paid to mixology. Aviations (IMO) contain, Gin, Maraschino liquor, Creme de Violette, lemon and ice. They should be a pale lavender or blue when mixed, not blue green. I'll definitely go back for the décor and meatballs, but will likely choose less challenging cocktails such as a Manhattan. Ps, I'd avoid the chocolate avocado dessert. I'll try to attach photos of what an Aviation should look like IMO.
This place is a hidden gem! Coolest ambiance in the area by far. 1920s Speakeasy on steroids. The food and service are awesome. The menu is eclectic and every single item we've tried is amazing. Matt and David at the bar make it an extraordinary experience. The cocktails are the best we've had! These guys know their way around the craft cocktail space and bring it to a whole other level. Highly recommend!!!
Matt and David provided some of the most amazing drinks. They made us some off the menu cocktails that were amazing. the food was great and the atmosphere is even better. well worth the drive.
Really wanted to like this place. Been a few times and no more. It's expensive with the portion sizes quite small and a far out obscure location, but the cocktails and decor are good. The deal breaker for us is that the dishes are either good or horrible, but not worth the price, and the service is rude with a could-care-less attitude. I don't think anyone is truly in charge of this place. A bit of a hot mess.
No response? You are sadly going to lose more business as a result of leadership in the community that relies heavily on my recommendations.
Absolutely phenomenal cocktails! The food is exceptional boasting fantastic flavor and freshness! You must come to this restaurant! The service is excellent and the atmosphere! Classy, elegant with elements of whimsy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was just so so. We had to order bread for a starter, it wasn't free. Also no soup or salad option.. The glasses were very small for water and soda. We ordered lamb 2 ways which came w no side except some sort of gooey mess that had a flavor I couldn't place, and scallops which arrived cold and gooey. They resembled a jelly like texture which was disgusting and some sort of rice which was also cold. We had a great server tho which sort of made up for it. I can see how they want to be. But they should be in downtown SD not Bonsall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
My first visit to Harlow's was for my birthday in August 2023! The only reason I knew about this eclectic, speak-easy like place is because at the time, my friend was on their calendar to sing on Fridays. I love a unique, little-known, gorgeous place and Harlow's fit the bill for that. Plenty to look at and I like that there were lots of places hidden away to sit with friends and enjoy a drink if you opted not to dine in the main restaurant area. You can definitely feel the energy of the past in this place. For some reason - the movie Dirty Dancing came to mind because the property was a golf course and gives off vintage resort vibes. Anyway, the music and ambience was A+ but I didn't enjoy the food. The cocktails were pretty and tasty but I am a plant-based eater who enjoys seafood but just wasn't feeling the food options. We shared a couple of items, I got a salad and could taste "meat" on the salad due to cross contamination on utensils- Yikes! I know they don't claim to be vegetarian friendly but having a couple of options would be nice!
Restaurantji Recommends
Harlows is a hidden gem. Step back in time and imagine walking in to a Sinatra lounge. David at the bar is a amazing mixologist who makes any cocktail look like a work of art.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pistacio Granola Diver Sea Scallops, Morrocan Spiced Lamb Chops
Ambiance is pretty cool here. I was looking really forward to trying this place, but left disappointed. Drinks were good, but service was lacking, and the food was too out there for my tastes. We ordered the Duck Wings and Fried Quail as these were items we hadn't tried before. The wings were way too greasy and the Quail didn't have much flavor. We spent a lot and left hungry. I'd suggest checking out the menu before you visit to make sure it's your style.
A Hidden Gem. A Friend brought me here for my birthday, and let me tell you the ambiance is mellow, elegant, and a step back in time (I'm a good way). The service was great, we didn't make a reservation, it was a last minute resort, a hidden gem. Thankfully we were able to wait at the bar order our delicious cocktails till our table was ready, which took 5 min. The food was great, I was able to share my dish with my friend since the food came in three small, but enough portion sizes. After we finished, we walked towards the front and noticed they had a large living room with antique furnitures, couches, framed pictures, different lightings, great area to take pictures. Could be a waiting room, now that I think about. I WILL define returning here in the future.
Friendly service: Food was actually pretty good, ambiance was quite interesting, and certainly a period style vibe Where the experience took a bad turn was having a flamenco style guitar playing, slamming away on his acoustic guitar, was so distracting and poor coice of atmosphere, we couldn't wait to leave this place. May try again, but no time soon.
The ambiance is awesome. Stands out from the many other offerings in North County. The feel is Speakeasy, many nights there is live music, and the menu is unique with wild game like quail and venison.