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Delicious food inspired by daring nostalgia - Books + Records, San Diego, CA

Books + Records

4.7
4.7
454 Reviews
$31 to $50
American
2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 26 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Neighbourhood gem
Global inspired American cuisine, craft cocktails, and weekend brunch in an upbeat atmosphere, with live music.

Chef Ryan Stickel is serving up San Diego's freshest food takes in an art deco meets mid-century mod warehouse space. With a tenured run on both Eater's Heat Map and list of San Diego's Hottest Cocktail Bars, the food and drinks are both guaranteed to delight your senses.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Cocktail Bar, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Sam Deckman
  • Catering
    For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
  • Private party facilities
    For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
  • Area
    Banker's Hill
  • Cross Street
    Ivy St & Fourth Ave in Bankers Hill
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 454 people are saying

Books + Records reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Books + Records offers an inviting mix of "great service," "super cozy ambiance," and "delicious food and drinks." The restaurant features a creative menu with "amazing brunch" and small plates perfect for sharing, all enhanced by live music that creates a lively atmosphere. A must-visit for a fun dining experience!
454 Reviews
  1. Erika VIP

    San Diego7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely! Here’s the polished version without that line: Went to happy hour with my girlfriends and had the best time. The vibes were on point, the portions were generous (which we love), and everything we ordered hit the spot. Special shoutout to the spicy margarita — bold, balanced, and totally addictive — and the burger? Juicy, flavorful, and exactly what a happy hour burger should be. But the real MVP? Our waiter Dalton. Super friendly, super fun, and totally on top of it. He made us feel like regulars even though it was our first time. Will 100% be back. Already planning round two!

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  2. John VIP

    Los Angeles9 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    Unfortunately, we had a pretty disappointing experience at their Easter brunch. Despite having a reservation, we faced long wait times, extremely slow service, and poor execution on the main dishes (our eggs were cooked wrong, and some plates came out lukewarm). Reso was at 1pm, didn’t sit until 1:20pm and finally got our main dish by 3pm. Our server Alex was a gem and handled this whole thing with class and very professional.

    Is this helpful?

  3. MICHELLE VIP

    San Diego9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing Easter brunch. The ambience, music, service and food were amazing. Can’t wait to go back for an evening jazz session to try their dinner menu!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Todd VIP

    Orange County8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really a great brunch and value! Exactly what we hoped for.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Robert VIP

    San Diego10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Fun environment for small plates and cocktails. Dishes are mostly Tapas sized for sharing between two people. The waitress recommended three to four dishes to make a complete meat for two. We found that to be accurate.

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  6. Sheri

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The atmosphere, the people working there and the food were all awesome!

    Is this helpful?

  7. Michel

    New Mexico20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 13 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    lovely decor and great service! i went for the duck eggs benedict and was very pleased!!

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  8. Ana

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was delicious, coffee was good but I would of like stronger coffee but service was excellent. Overall the place needs better music and it’s missing je-ne-sais-quoi something.

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  9. Francisco VIP

    Las Vegas3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely amazing! Everything was delicious, food and drinks, and the ambiance is super cozy and fun!

    Is this helpful?

  10. Lois

    San Diego1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 10 April 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Super cool vibe with great interpretations of fun starters. Loved the all night happy hour on Wednesdays!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Books + Records is rated 4.7 stars by 454 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Diego
  4. San Diego
  5. Banker's Hill

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 26 times today
Google Map for Books + Records

2202 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Ivy St & Fourth Ave in Bankers Hill
  • Area
    Banker's Hill
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Cocktail Bar, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Sam Deckman
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
  • Private party facilities
    For information regarding PRIVATE EVENTS & CATERING visit BooksAndRecordsBar.com and select the "Private Dining" Tab.
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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