Strictly Business: Downtown Lunch

When you walk into a café, restaurant or hotel lobby during the lunch hours and see more laptop and iPhone screens than you do plates of food, you know it’s business time.

Finding a prime location to conduct business meetings, company lunches, or deal-sealers with a client is now a vital part of the working world. Factors for a successful business lunch range from spacious tables, to quick service, and bearable noise-levels, in addition to the well-rounded food and drinks menu and a sophisticated atmosphere. Though our downtown streets are overflowing with a wide range of restaurants, an appropriate lunch location takes a specific distinction to house the many requirements of an ideal meeting spot.  

Discover the top business lunch restaurants in downtown San Diego.

Cucina Urbana

Cucina Urbana, born from the fusion of Bistro, California, and Italian traditions, brings many in for a business lunch in Banker’s Hill. With an interior design replicating a modern kitchen and old rustic country farmhouse, the environment is vibrantly distinct while the food remains timeless. A focus on raw and sustainable eats from Chef Joe Magnanelli and Pastry Chef Ben Rollins offers a little Italian flair on all dishes, such as Stuffed Fried Squash or Veal Piccata, all with affordable prices. Lunch is offered from 11:30am to 2pm, Tuesday through Friday, where guests can order a half-panini and cup of soup for $9 or any pizza and full-sized salad for under $20. Located on 505 Laurel Street.

Searsucker

Lovers of quick lunches, fresh salads, and light touches of seafood, take note. Searsucker addresses all of these areas in an industrial space with plenty of comfy couches, perfect for a casual lunch meeting, Gaslamp-style. Lunch served Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 2pm offers a chalk-board menu for prompt service, while you pick up your own silverware and water, choose your seat, and enjoy a fresh meal that won’t induce a food coma. Though the menu is known to change daily, some favorites include the Lettuce & Lemon Salad, Watermelon Salad or the Smoked Trout Salad. For a heartier meal, try the Cold or Hot Crust Sandwich Board selections with seafood, steak and more. A drink menu is also offered, including white wines, red wines, beers, coffees and teas, as well as iced tea, lemonade and the Brian Malarkey “aka Arnold Palmer.” Located on 611 5th Avenue.

Grant Grill

Nestled inside of the charming US Grant Hotel, the elegant Grant Grill presents fresh, local, sustainable food for all guests. Right in the heart of downtown, the Grant Grill provides a plentiful and practical menu for business afternoons, with $6 drink specials and half-price cuisine at happy hour from 4-7pm. The seasonal, California cuisine is carefully created with locally harvested ingredients, prime meats, and sustainable seafood, easily paired with award-winning wine. Chef Chris Kurth creates the perfect tastings and selections in an upscale environment loved for business meeting bites. To impress an associate, trust Grant Grill. Located on 326 Broadway, Downtown.

Currant American Brasserie (pictured above)

Just inside of the city-chic Sophia Hotel, Currant features a black and white checked floor, large hanging chandeliers and tables that exude a light-hearted yet elegant ambiance. The spacious interior is applauded as an ideal place to hold large corporate events or a smaller lunch meeting. The lunch menu at Currant calls upon fresh American cuisine to construct its premise. The menu is loaded with business meeting bites, salads, sandwiches and more. For starters, taste the Onion Soup Gratinee, an Asparagus Salad, or Tempura Green Beans with Dijon-Wasabi Dipping Sauce. To follow, stay light with the Grilled Wild Shalmon Salad, Asparagus Risotto, or the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich. You'll also find a few hearty burgers and sides of Thyme Fries, Mac & Cheese, or Grilled Asparagus. Located on 140 W. Broadway.

Café Chloe

Not all business meetings need to extend the length of a full lunch. For an effortless café stop, step into Café Chloe. The touch of Paris chic in the midst of urban East Village gives a refreshing European café spirit that is casual, relaxed, and appetizing. Lunch options include Steak Gorgonzola Mousse and Cipollini Onions, Smoked Trout and Apple Salad, and Macaroni, Pancetta and Gorgonzola Gratin. This downtown favorite also offers “small bites” like the Pomme Frites with a trio of dips, Fromage Plate with Honeycomb and house-made Compote, and an Ahi Nicoise plate with Anchoiade Dipping sauce.  For tea and coffee treats, guests can try Urban Tea, which offers an assortment of sandwiches, homemade cakes, cookies and sweets, and a pot of tea or a glass of Prosecco all for a reasonable price per person. Located at 721 Ninth Ave.

Insider Tip: Head to East Village on Wednesdays for major savings

When you’re on the prowl to dine downtown and find saving money just as appetizing as a shared plate, East Village has the solution. The newly introduced Wild Wedne$day$ gets local restaurants on board with saving guests 20% off at top spots. Participating restaurants perfect for a lunch time business bite include casual options like The Dragon’s Den, East Village Tavern &  Bowl, the FleetWood, or Knotty Barrel. Or, go upscale with El Vitral, Table 509 inside of Hotel Indigo, The Village @631 Coffee & Wine Bar, and Toast Enoteca & Cucina. Save on your total bill on Wednesdays, no coupons necessary. Just mention that you’re a  San Diego County resident and that you love East Village Wild Wednesdays. For more information, please visit the East Village website at eastvillagesandiego.com.

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