Grill House Cafe San Marcos

Reviews

• Jenn C.

  star star star star star 19 September 2026

  We came here to celebrate our anniversary, and it was delicious. We ordered the pickled vegetables as a starter, which were very tart and crispy. I have converted Husband to a Persian food lover and was so stoked to find this place. We ordered the special of the day (polo), which was a giant, tender, juicy lamb shank cooked to perfection in a yellow sauce.
  
  We also ordered another lamb dish, the name of which I cannot recall. When eating Persian I often get the Gheimeh or Ghormeh Sabzi, but decided to try something different. It was a reddish (tomato-based?) sauce, and came in a small metal pot, almost cauldron-shaped, with some kind of metal tool that was sort of like a pestle, but flat on the end. Our server demonstrated the proper way to eat this dish, which was to use the pestle to grind/strain out the sauces and separate the substance/meat/stew from the juices, and eat them separately. This was a fun experience on top of being totally delicious. We also had a fairly reasonably-priced bottle of wine with dinner.
  
  Overall, very good food and excellent dining experience.

• Nelly H.

  star star star star star 11 September 2026

  We had an absolutely fantastic meal here last night for my husbands birthday . The food was amazing and so much of it . I have to say it was probably the best kebab I've had .
  The restaurant itself was lovely and spotlessly clean .
  The waitress was so lovely and helpful too - nothing was too much trouble .
  We will definitely be back and well worth the drive up from Rancho Bernardo .
  If I could give it more than 5* I would !

• Maria B.

  star star star star star_border 5 September 2026

  Clean, very attentive and quick to serve you. Polite and food is cooked to order so fresh not precooked and warmed up. Just a little too much burn marks on veggies but it's not always easy to control the fire.
  
  Food is really good and appropriately priced.

• Courtnie W.

  star star star star star_border 29 August 2026

  I thought that the food here was really good and true to Persian flavors. The only reason why I'm knocking it one star is for the expensive prices. Service here was really friendly. I'm convinced that if more people came to this hidden gem, then the prices wouldn't be so high. It was $8 for a plate of hummus for an appetizer. I didn't like the naan bread that came to the table, it was thin like a cracker and less like bread.
  
  I got the greek salad with lamb ($12.99 with the meat added). I love that they brought the salad dressing on the side so that you could control how much goes on the salad. I also ordered the combination plate with chicken and beef ($14.99). I loved the chicken and beef kebab but didn't care much for the lamb. Tzatziki sauce was really refreshing and great for dipping the meats in.

• Danny W.

  star star star star star 28 August 2026

  Grill House is the perfect example of a hidden gem restaurant that you'd probably never set foot inside if Yelp didn't exist. Not because it's actually hidden, (it's literally right off the 78) but because the outside of it is just so unappealing. The brown roof and beige exterior look way more like a dentist's office than it does a delicious restaurant.
  
  Doesn't matter though. They literally could have a leased out a DMV and it wouldn't change the fact that their food is phenomenal. The kabob skewers absolutely melt in your mouth and the basmati rice perfectly compliments the meat. The menu isn't extremely elaborate, but I promise the meat is next level tasty. I asked for hot sauce and got some amazing stuff for the side that I was licking my lips to for hours after I was done with the meal.
  
  It was super slow when I ate here, but the service was quick, kind, and with a wonderful smile. Not only do I love the Grill House, but it's so good I think I even warmed up to the thought of getting my teeth cleaned.