Yanni's Bar & Grill

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#157 of 4,386 Restaurants in San Diego$$ - $$$, Mediterranean, Greek, Vegetarian friendly

+1 858-527-0011+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Mon

11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Tue

11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Wed

11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Thu

11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Fri

11:30 AM - 9:00 PM

Sat

11:30 AM - 9:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

192 reviews

#157 of 4,386 Restaurants in San Diego

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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CUISINES

Mediterranean, Greek

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

12015 Scripps Highlands Dr, San Diego, CA 92131-5156

+1 858-527-0011

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Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?

Yes

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About

Yanni's Bar & Grill has fulfilled the need for a great restaurant in the Poway and Scripps Ranch area. A loyal following of guests comes from Rancho Bernardo, Ramona and Escondido, even traveling from as far as Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, Julian and Point Loma. Yannis MusselsThe feeling at Yanni's Bar & Grill is elegant and sophisticated without being stuffy. Simplicity is the focus: delicious food served in a comfortable, spotlessly clean environment. Proprietors Yanni & Denise Pihas are veterans in the hospitality industry, and owned a very successful restaurant in Sherman Oaks. Previously they worked for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in several locations throughout the United States. In keeping with Yanni's and Denise's heritage, the menu reflects a fusion of northern Mediterranean cuisine with predominant influences of Greece and Italy. The open kitchen allows the guests to enjoy the view of the culinary action. A wonderful terrace complements the dining room and is perfect for dining al fresco. A very extensive wine list was designed to complement the menu and has a very good balance between old and new world wines with some hard-to-find wines and vintages from Yanni's private cellar. Yanni features his own wine label called "Grano Greco" (Yanni's nickname), along with a large variety of wines by the glass. Quite often Yanni will open an exceptional wine to make it available by the glass. Come and visit Yanni's Bar & Grill for a gourmet lunch or a memorable dinner! Yanni & Denise

CUISINES

Mediterranean, Greek

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Table Service

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4.5

192 reviews

Excellent

110

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

TFabgirl

San Diego117 contributions

Our favorite neighborhood restaurant!

Oct 2020 • none

My husband and I have going to Yanni's for 12 years now (from their original location to the new one). We have our favorite dishes, saganaki, salmon caviar brushetta, capellini tourkolimano and of course the Budino! Every time we've eaten there, the quality of the food and quantity has not changed in over a decade! It is like going to your relative's home and partaking in a sumptuous home cooked meal. That's what it feels like. Also, we've brought friends and family to this place and they are always pleasantly surprised. First of all, being a bistro you'd think they don't offer the variety and quality in their menu but it is a very extensive menu! Needless to say this is our go-to place. Even on Valentine's day (when most restaurants are charging exorbitant prices and impossible to get a table), this is the only place we patronize. They are also very accommodating if you do have a special request or allergy concern. They will work with you to make sure you have a lovely meal. And in today's world of Covid, we are still happily supporting them by ordering take out. They do have patio seating but we'd rather give others a chance to eat there since our home is very close anyways. Try out this place if you are in the area. Just order the saganaki.......that's all you need. Then you will keep coming back.

Written November 18, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

J4662KCmichaels

Santa Fe11 contributions

My ‘Go To’ Restaurant in the Scripps Ranch - Poway Area of San Diego

Jan 2020 • couples

I live in Scripps Ranch and work in Poway. This is the restaurant that I always take friends and clients to when they are visiting and we don’t want to drive more than 5 miles for very good food and drinks. The Mediterranean menu meets the needs of everyone in the group. The beer and wine list is very good with pricing to meet a wide range of budgets. The only complaint from my guests is that the mixed drinks, though good, are a bit pricey. The pleasant atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant is casual to business casual. I go for lunch and dinner. It is not a place to go for a dinner that lasts later than 10:00 PM. They don’t support those after dinner discussions with that final bottle of wine or those final drinks to linger over while enjoying a romantic evening or finalizing the details of a business deal, a major drawback if the dinner starts at 8:00 PM. I noticed that the average review rating for Yanni’s in Trip Advisor is a 4.5. I agree. I gave it a 5, but that’s a bit too high. A rating of 4 would be a minor disservice.

Written April 21, 2020

Mary Jane S

415 contributions

Everything was perfect

Sep 2020 • none

Adjacent to our hotel that had no food options available, Yanni's served us well. I spent a quiet afternoon alone with a few good beverages on an airy patio, good service, peaceful atmosphere. My husband and and I and another couple had a delicious lunch the following day. Again, attentive service, high quality food, compliance with COVID rules at all points. This was quite a find. Our Cobb salads were among the best we've ever had, and the guys' burgers, fries and onion rings were enjoyed with great pleasure. Highly recommend.

Written September 9, 2020

yannisbarandgrill

Maryjane, thank you so very much for your kind words. We are so happy you enjoyed the food, patio and service while you were visiting San Diego. We hope to see you on your next visit. Cheers! Yanni

Written September 13, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mcasabar

Keller102 contributions

Uninspired food. Won't be coming back

Mar 2020 • none

The only reason we went to the place was due to a search on iPhone map for closes greek. They don't have Gyros on the lunch menu. What the heck? My son and I ordered the Yanni's Cheeseburger. It had a skewer in it. Why? Because the burger is so filled with the bacon, lettuce, onions, burger and cheese, the skewer is needed to keep it together. One removing the skewer, the burger was impossible to eat. It literally fell apart. I had to squeeze it all together to keep it from falling apart again. The eating experience of holding a squished hamburger in my hand enhanced the fact that the burger was just ok. Or as my 15 year old son put it, MEH. My wife ordered the Chicken Souvlaki sandwich. After we were driving away, she told me that the sandwich was just luke warm. Of the many restaurants that we went to on this vacation, we all agreed this was the worst one and we would never come back.

Written March 16, 2020

Judy J

White Bear Lake211 contributions

Excellent meals!

Mar 2022 • none

We visited on a Wednesday evening. All staff we saw were masked. We didn’t have a reservation. There were spots available in a communal fire top table, so we took a couple of those. The menu is quite extensive. We chose two bruschetta (purchased by the piece) and two pasta dishes. Everything was EXCELLENT! I had a smoked salmon with asparagus, capers, spinach and grape tomatoes. I was happy that I still had bread left so I could savor every bit of the creamy sauce. Staff were friendly, the service was prompt and prices were reasonable. If we were locals, this would become another favorite location.

Written April 2, 2022

Love Food and Travel

Ramona930 contributions

Deliciousness

Feb 2020 • friends

My third visit to Yanni's for dinner and have ordered the same dish everytime! Love the seafood pasta in white sauce with extra bread for dipping into the broth....and a glass or two of sauvignon blanc. The restaurant is clean, the space between tables and chairs are completely spaced, and the service friendly!

Written February 25, 2020

Chase Matthew E

1 contribution

I highly recommend Yani’s

Aug 2020 • couples

This was my favorite restaurant I found on my trip to San Diego. I ordered pickup and received my food on time without any hassle. I haven't eaten on the patio, but it is beautiful and looked very safe and spread out. The food was incredible. We ordered the Penne Chicken Marsala and Lamb Skewers. Both dishes were fantastic. I'm not usually a dessert person, but we decided to also order a Chocolate Budino. To anyone reading this review, you absolutely have to order a Budino. It was easily the best part of an already delicious meal. I couldn't recommend the Budino, or this restaurant, any stronger.

Written August 8, 2020

yannisbarandgrill

Thank you so very much for your kind words. We are so happy you enjoyed your stay in San Diego and dining with us. We hope to see you back in San Diego and we'll have a budino waiting for you. Cheers! Yanni

Written August 9, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

laura s

123 contributions

Super tasty

Nov 2021 • family

This was quite unexpected. The food was really good the brussel sprouts I love love love them. They were black and fried and drizzle will balsamic vinegar. Also the salads are incredible. Roasted vegetable salad was over the moon with dead of cheese and the pasta was exceptional. The only complaint I have is the type of bread they serve you is not up to scale of the food that they serve

Written November 8, 2021

cgwifey

107 contributions

Can we have a Yanni’s in Florida?

Dec 2023 • family

I went to Yanni’s twice in one week while in the area visiting family. My first time having dinner at Yanni’s was in June 2023, and my daughter kept talking about their chicken lasagna. I wish I could duplicate it, but I’m not that talented of a cook. The tomato sauce in their lasagna tastes fresh, homemade. I had their mussels cooked in a very light creamy saffron sauce. They were perfectly cooked and the sauce was tasty. I also enjoyed their Linguini Luciana. Calamari is often over cooked and rubbery, but not here. My brother ordered their Beets with Feta as an appetizer to share, which had me a little concerned because, well beets. I was very pleasantly surprised and how good they were. I lost my aversion to beets with that one dish. The service is amazing at Yanni’s! Everyone is welcoming and friendly. Tyler, our server, was constantly checking up on us despite a very busy evening. Denise, Yanni’s wife, is a lovely woman and also stopped by our table often to make sure we were well taken care of and enjoying our meals. Between the ambiance, staff, and food at Yanni’s, you can’t go wrong.

Written December 10, 2023

IrishSurfer

89 contributions

My brother was right! It was good and mom liked it.

Sep 2024 • family

My mom and I enjoyed a late lunch at Yanni's. This place is obviously a favorite amongst the locals. Despite it being 2:30pm, there were people enjoying wine out on the patio and snacks at various tables. My mom and I split a Scripps Ranch Club and the grilled chicken was delicious. I started eating the chicken out of the sandwich. The chicken soup was also very tasty. We ordered a small Caesar salad with proscuitto. The salad was crisp and lightly dressed. The proscuitto wasn't needed to make the salad better. The soup and sandwich was the clear winner. Delicious! Our server, Nate, was polite, spot on, and kind to my mom.

Written September 25, 2024

heather j

San Diego198 contributions

Lovely patio dining with excellent food and service

Feb 2021 • family

My family and I recently ate dinner here. It was our first time here since before the pandemic. There are plenty of patio seating and heat lamps available. It was a preexisting established patio (not makeshift outdoor seating because of the pandemic). As always, the food and service were excellent, and appropriate COVID-related precautions appeared to be in place and followed.

Written March 21, 2021

Francesca Milano

San Diego3 contributions

Amazing Menu

Aug 2022 • none

Just loved the food here. Beautifully presented and cooked. The size of the menu and variety of the lovely meals here is a first for me. Outside dining also, in a beautifully decorated area with the sounds of water falling. Tranquil, worth going for sure, and really lovely servers.

Written September 19, 2022

George S

Vacaville43 contributions

Perfect outdoor seating!!!

Oct 2021 • none

Wow!!! Excellent selection of cocktails. Food top of the line and a large portion. Scallops were amazing. Wife's Chicken Vesuvio was perfect!!! Chocolate Budino dessert is to die for!!! Seated outside under cover and with a vine covered wall. Will be back every time we visit San Diego.

Written October 7, 2021

Charles W

1 contribution

Rediscovered Favorite

Jan 2025 • family

We hadn't been to Yanni's in a while and now I'm kicking myself for not going back sooner. Easily the best place in Scripps/Poway the we have been to. Everything was very flavorful and well presented. Service was friendly and we never had to wait long for attention :). We had a Mediterranean Sampler Platter including Beets and Feta which were awesome and the Salmon Lemoni that my 'picky eater' daughter thoroughly enjoyed. The Budino with a glass of port was a perfect finish. Thanks so much! 1-18-25

Written January 18, 2025

katy j

San Francisco112 contributions

Yanni’s is an excellent restaurant- especially for a solo business traveler

Mar 2020 • solo

Yanni’s is an excellent restaurant! For a business traveler staying in a nearby hotel, I was pleased to have such a great dinner at a family owned restaurant. The mix of Italian and Greek specialities have plenty of options - something for everyone. The atmosphere was upscale casual and most of the clients were local. I ordered the lamb/chicken skewers - perfection! The service was OUTSTANDING and I felt completely at home. EM (Emily) was my server and she was knowledgeable about the menu and wine list - oh yeah the wine selection was awesome with a great variety. If you are in the area - do yourself a favor and have a nice meal at a family owned restaurant.

Written March 15, 2020

yannisbarandgrill

Thank you so very much for your kind words. We strive to give the best possible service along with our amazing food. We look forward to seeing you soon. Cheers! Yanni

Written March 24, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.