JOEY La Jolla brings the Canadian restaurant group’s first San Diego location to Westfield UTC. The brand began in Calgary in 1992 as Joey Tomato’s before growing into a North American restaurant group known for globally inspired cuisine. The menu is broad on purpose, with sushi, seafood, steaks, bowls, handhelds, pasta, fries, cocktails, and shareable plates all part of the same experience. The La Jolla location is led by chefs Tony Diaz and Connor Voigt, with the broader culinary program guided by Executive Chef Matthew Stowe, a Top Chef Canada winner. For this location, Stowe and his team created two La Jolla menu additions, the Crispy Nigiri and Black Forest Baked Alaska.
The space was designed by JOEY’s in house design team, led by Director of Design Meghan Pitt. The design starts before you even step inside, with a fire bowl, greenery, wraparound seating, and a covered patio that opens into the dining room through large glass panels. Inside, the bar and lounge open into the rest of the restuarant with bronze detailing, a showcase wine wall, architectural wood arches, and large scale artwork that brings color and personality into the space. The main dining room is centered around a large olive tree beneath a wood canopy, with glass globe pendants, bronze mirror finishes, slatted wood, stone, and metalwork layered throughout the space.
Image credit JOEY
Website: JOEY La Jolla
Reservations & Private Dining: Available
Menu: Lunch & Dinner
Address: 4489 La Jolla Village Dr Ste 1600, San Diego, CA 92122
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am - 12am, Fri-Sat 11am - 1am
Image credit JOEY
JOEY also makes the wait feel a little less like waiting by offering guests a complimentary glass of bubbles before they sit down. Once we sat down, we ordered the JOEY Martini with the Truffle Parmesan Fries and grainy mustard aioli. The martini is made with Ketel One vodka or Tanqueray gin, dry vermouth, hand stuffed blue cheese olives, and an extra martini served on the side. A martini with something salty is one of my favorite combinations.
Image credit JOEY
For starters, we had the Korean Fried Cauliflower, made with sweet and spicy Korean chili glaze, pickled fresnos, and watermelon radish. The Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps followed with sweet soy ginger glaze, peanuts, crispy wontons, and spicy aioli. Since the Crispy Nigiri was created for the La Jolla menu, we had to try it. The dish is made with ahi tuna, salmon, avocado, yuzu wasabi mayo, and chili crunch caramel.
For the mains, the JOEY Classic Steak was my favorite of the night. The 7 oz filet mignon came with seasonal vegetables, fully loaded crispy mashed potatoes, and I added the red wine jus. We also tried the Ravioli Bianco with shrimp, crispy onions, grana padano, and truffle beurre blanc sauce.
Image credit JOEY
Dessert was between the Black Forest Baked Alaska and the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, so we tried both and we are glad we did. Since the Black Forest Baked Alaska is the other dish created for the La Jolla menu, we wanted to include it. It is made with cherry chocolate ice cream, chocolate cake, cherry compote, caramelized meringue, and jubilee sauce. The Crème Brûlée Cheesecake came with strawberry compote, graham cracker crumble, and strawberry whipped cream.
Service was attentive from the start, and the location makes JOEY easy to work into a day or night at Westfield UTC with valet right in front and the luxury shops nearby. The restaurant has several areas for different group sizes, including the patio, lounge seating near the bar, the Firepit, the Swimmers Lounge, and private dining options for anything from a smaller dinner to a full restaurant buyout. You can go in for a martini and fries, order sushi and lettuce wraps, or make it a steak and dessert night. It is an easy option for cocktails, dinner, celebrations, or private events without having to leave UTC.
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