THE LOT La Jolla

Related:	hillcrest landmark
Address:	7611 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Phone:	+1 858-777-0069
Site:	thelotent.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–12AM 7AM–1AM Closed 12–1AM

Location

Photos 1

Reviews 5

P Martens

I am going to write a review about "the Lot" everywhere I can because that seems to be the only advertising they do and I would like them to stay in business. Where to start? Back in 2004, being tired of the traditional theater experience, we built our own in-house audio-theater system. Then, when Cinepolis first opened in Del Mar we started going back to the movies again after an 8 year hiatus because IMO the bigger screen experience is always better than any home system. So, my wife and I live "on the other side of the hill" of "the Lot" in PB. Now, on an occasion or two I have heard people mention something called "the Lot," but I had no clue what that meant until last weekend. My wife and I were returning from breakfast at "the Cottage" and notice the sign on the side of the building "the Lot" where my wife stated, "that must be that new movie theater that is like Cinepolis." SOooo...I got online, saw what "the Lot" is about and purchased decent seats for the hottest newly opened movie "Deadpool" for a holiday Monday 6:45pm showing which is both great and scary because that would not happen at Cinepolis. If I want decent seats at the Cinepolis Del Mar for a show like Deadpool I would have to purchase them days to a week in advance so IMHO "the Lot" needs to step-up its marketing campaign. Fast forward to last night - a SATURDAY NIGHT (only 5 days after our first visit)! where earlier in the day I went to see if tickets existed for the newly released move "The Witch" and the scary part was I had my pick of same-day seats in the theater. However, this time we made reservations to eat at "the Lots" upscale restaurant before the show. Not that we are blue-hair, but we did choose to see an earlier show again (6:45pm) so we made dinner reservations for 5:45pm. Once again, we arrived to this very nice venue that is very chic with more staff than patrons which means you cant help, but get great service. The ambiance with the lighting, fire pits, decor, well-heated outdoor dining is all over-the-top. My wife had the soup and salad and I had the BBQ chicken flat bread with bacon and all the dishes were fresh and fantastic including the wine. When my wife and I first sat down and we were so impressed with everything I asked her if she had any idea how long "the Lot" has been open and she said, "I dont think that long - maybe a month?" Que up the waiter, Q: "How long has "the Lot" been open? A: Oh...about six months now." Hence, if we live only 15 minutes away on the other side of the hill and have no clue what "the Lot" is, when it opened or where it was located until last weekend then there is a definite failure in marketing. You can have the greatest product in the world, but if you dont know how to sell it the product will fail. Currently, parking at "the Lot" is a breeze between the easy access underground parking, street parking and available valet - parking is not an issue! Other than a failure in marketing, the only item that needs some adjusting is pricing. This is an upscale place and I can not tell you by what percent the items are at a premium, but I think with expert help in this area as well you might find a better balance that will be more palatable to a larger audience. Since I see that the owners are occasionally reading this I have some suggestions. Ooops...I ran out of characters so to-be-continued in another post. Double Oops...after posting I see I can not post twice for the same venue so to-be-continued on Yelp and Trip Adviser where hopefully I ca finish my thoughts! :-)

Pradeep Mohanannair

Let me start by saying why I took One Star off, the Food service, Horrible. Just watch the movie and enjoy, dont worry to order food there. The food we ordered got delayed more than 75 Minutes and I have to get out and talk to someone and remind them, they lost my order and have to re-order, so our order came in 95 minutes later we ordered, thank fully we went to Star Wars, it ran longer :) I still gave 4 start because of the Manger and his concern on how things went bad for us. Apart from the food order glitch, we enjoyed everything else. San Diego is ramping up on Luxury theaters. After Cinepolis, this culture is growing up on us. The atmosphere is elite class, nothing less than 5 star look. My wife and Kid enjoyed the atmosphere too. Screen was amazing CLARITY and sound was CLEAR. The reclining seats was very comfy. Food: We Received only the Coffee Late and Creme Brulee never came. Service was OK. Very delayed and super slow. The amenities, building, infrastructure including restroom were excellent. Free parking with validation, few street parking options and valet parking too. The Lot has LOT to offer. We did online booking with reserved seating makes life easier. We look forward to a return visit soon and sincerely hope the service got better.

Mitzi Howard

This is a lovely new venue with extensive heated outdoor seating, dining and a full bar. Positives: comfy seats that recline, table service, very clean restrooms (seems to be a full time attendant in the Ladies room), adequate underground parking, entire staff very friendly & helpful. Negatives: pricy--even senior tickets before noon were $18 each, but I think that is the going rate for the "luxury movie experience"; food and drinks prices are high; waiters can be distracting as they come & go during the movie. Worst thing is the popcorn--I tasted several types on 2 occasions and they all tasted burnt and dry. They offered butter-flavoring oil, but at this price point, I would expect real butter. If they improve their popcorn game this would be 5 stars! Most of the seats are quite good--I would avoid the first 2 rows as they are very close to the screen. Bottom line: pricy, but worth it for the convenience. This venue will likely find enough affluent locals & tourists to support it.

Emily Willett

Our family of 6 patroned THE LOT on a $10 Wednesday. The theater itself was lovely - great recliner chairs, tables, good visuals and audio. The concessions were reasonably priced as far as theater food goes. However, I got the feeling from the employees that they really didnt like families attending - even though we were there to see a childrens film. The lady selling tickets was not knowledgeable on the age limit for a childs ticket. I had a baby with me and when he became noisy, I took him out to walk the hall and lobby. The staff tried their best to avoid me and not make eye contact. It wasnt until a lovely housekeeping lady came out to mop that I was asked if I needed anything, like a chair, while I tended to my baby. I was very disappointed that the staff just seemed aloof and too snooty to check in with me. My kids and the rest of the family greatly enjoyed their movie experience. I would highly suggest adding a nursing chair to the womens bathroom.

Adam Stadtmiller

So close to a 5 for me, but had to go with a 4.5. Food was really good. Had the fish tacos. You get three large tacos with avocado and the works. Ice cream brownie was epic. Movie sound was too loud, but seats, sound quality and picture were great. It was really worth the price and they have $10 Tuesdays so if you want a bargain, go then. I will go back for sure. I actually go there for pancakes in the morning and they have some of the best in town. The coffee bar also makes high quality coffee drinks. Oh and I agree with the other person, the pop corn game needs to be improved. Flavors were great but it was cold. I would also add an all you can drink soda. I got a medium for 5.50 and wanted more, but could not bring myself to spend $11 on Coke.