- 956 Broadway Circle
- San Diego, CA 92101 (Map)
- (619) 231-6771
- http://www.dobsonsrestaurant.com
Recommended by 1 local
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Parking in Horton Plaza garage; also metered street parking. Nearest trolley station: Civic Center, 1 block North. Bus Service runs down Broadway. Nearest freeway access: I-5, Front St. exit.
Transit & Parking Info
Hours of Operation 
Mon: 5pm to 10pm
Tue: 5pm to 10pm
Wed: 5pm to 10pm
Thu: 5pm to 11pm
Fri: 5pm to 11pm
Sat: 5pm to 11pm-
Updated: 01/07/07
Here’s to !
If they don’t already know your name, go and you’ll wish they did!
The first time I went to Dobson’s I was in law school, and my head was filled with grandiose ideas about what the practice of law was going to be like. Dobson’s fed right into that: a glamorous clubby bistro, right in the thick of it, populated by important-looking people. I couldn’t really afford it, but that didn’t stop me from taking every chance I had to slide sideways into one of those little tables on the ground floor and order a bowl of mussel bisque. Student loans are like monopoly money anyway, you know. I actually went often enough back then that Paul Dobson, the owner, started to recognize me. Lest you think this makes me special, you have to understand this man knows everyone, and he never forgets a face. He’s a fantastic host and consummate restaurateur.
I hadn’t been around for a while when I popped in for lunch recently, and found myself transported right back to the past. Practicing law may not have turned out to be as glamorous as I had hoped back in the LA Law/Ally McBeal days of the early 90’s, but Dobson’s hasn’t changed a bit.
In my opinion, Dobson’s is really best experienced at the bar. The place is small enough that you can’t get lost, and there’s a camaraderie that you don’t find many places in San Diego. The bartenders are friendly and professional, and you shouldn’t be surprised to strike up a conversation with your neighbors, especially if you’re sitting near the corner. Some might complain that the space is cramped, but I would describe it as cozy. There’s something about the patina on the place that feels like the big city, maybe even Paris -- with the bentwood chairs, mirrors, wood and cracked tile floors.
If you eat at the bar, the bartenders will set a place for you, draping a napkin over the bar like a little tablecloth. It’s a great place to enjoy a bowl of the mussel bisque, or as I recently discovered, a “baby bisque” -- a smaller serving at a slightly reduced price. This soup -- a lobster bisque with mussels, topped with a large dome of puff pastry -- is one of my very favorite things to eat. When it arrives, your server will dramatically puncture the pastry and add a generous slug of sherry. Truly, it is to die for, and at $9.00 a bowl ($10 at dinner) it’s an affordable meal in itself.
That’s not to suggest you should limit yourself, by any means. The salads are terrific -- fresh, interesting and perfectly composed. They also make a mean burger, and great sandwiches, with all the good stuff you’d expect. At lunch, sandwiches are priced between $11 and $14, with entrees in the high teens. I recently enjoyed the chicken sandwich with grilled red peppers, lemon aioli and avocado, served with perfect shoestring fries.
The dinner menu offers familiar favorites with an upscale twist, such as a fried oyster Cobb salad with avocado and bacon, and pork chop with white beans, braised cabbage and apple jus. I am partial to the house-made chicken liver mousse, with clarified herb butter and spices. While the bar is great for lunch and drinks, the upstairs dining room is a good spot for dinner, especially if you can snag a perch overlooking the bar from the railing. Prices at dinner are in the high twenties to low thirties, comparable to most other fine dining venues in town.
Paul Dobson (known as “Pablo” to the regulars) attracts plenty of local power brokers to his little restaurant, but one of the secrets to his success is treating everyone like a regular, right off the bat. As his website says, “If you think you have no place here, polish your shoes, show up and be proven wrong.” So belly up to the bar, order a bisque and a glass of wine, and let the conversation flow. Whether you’ve got stars in your eyes like I did, or money in your wallet like most of the other customers, you’ll feel right at home.