Vagabond Restaurant

The place looks so beautiful from inside and the food smells great and fresh. We are planning to go back here this weekend and I bet eating here will be a regular thing from now on. more

It may take a few minutes to get acclimated to Vagabond's small dining area. The tables are crowded just past the point of being cozy and the acoustics of the room create a noisy cafeteria-like echo. But the decor ? a culturally eclectic mix of souvenirs ? makes it feel at the same time foreign and homey and the staff are generally affable and unaffected by the spatial chaos. The menu is likewise based on the traveler's palate, containing self-proclaimed ?humble? dishes meant to represent home cooked meals from around the world. Unlike many ?international? restaurants which have predominantly European fare, Vagabond truly represents a wide geographical variety. Some stand-out dishes include the Indonesian Narai (a chicken and calamari appetizer), the Moroccan Lamb Shank, and a traditional but well-executed Paella Valenciana. Their menu also changes seasonally, so it's worth revisiting every few months. This probably isn't the best place to have a romantic date, but if you're feeling adventurous, Vagabond promises an exciting and engrossing meal. more

Great menu, great service, great looking restaurant, but way too cramped quarters. If you enjoying eating dinner with complete strangers you might not mind this place, but if you are on a romantic date, or want to have any sort of juicy conversation there is no privacy here. I've been to this place twice, once on a first date, and we literally had to move the table so I could squeeze in between two other tables where we were sandwiched in between complete strangers who could hear our entire conversation. The second time I went it was a similar scenario, it was me and my friend and a nearly empty restaurant, and they sat us right next to another table...I mean literally 4 inches away when they could have just as easily put us in a corner where there would be more privacy. We weren't the only uncomfortable ones, we overheard the two tables next to us complain about the cramped seating arrangements amongst themselves. This is just an example of a restaurant that is all about getting as many people in and out as quickly as possible...well they got us out fast, and I will never go back. Such a shame, because it could be a really great place. more

All I can say is this place rocks! Forget about gaslamp, LJ, and all those pretentious high $$$ restaurants that leaves you with an empty wallet and at best mediocre service and food. I was surprised with the wine list and while calif. napa cabs were underrepresented, the french region was surprising amazing. As for the food, I can't find any fault other than save some room for the entree. The service was exceptional. Cross our fingers and let's hope Vagabond thirves and continues to do well in South Park. more

beyond my solitude there is another solitude\r my aloneness is a place without a connection to earth and the arts\r and my silence a confusion of voices\r beyond this burdened self lives my freer self\r too young and outraged to be my freer self\r how shall i become my freer self\r unless all men and women become free\r how shall my leaves fly singing upon the wind\r unless my roots shall wither in the dark ?\r how shall the painter in me soar against the sun\r unless i leave the paintings i built with my own hands\r \r i hear there is a place where i can find peace..\r \r let me know where and when\r i can meet you at cafe india more

I've been to Vagabond twice in the last month, once for lunch the other for dinner. The place is awesome. My husband is a real wine lover, and he judged the recommended selection by the owner to be one of the better picks he's had in many years. I love their seafood and their noodle dish, wish is should be pointed out can be made to suit vegetarian eating habits. They are currently doing lamb dishes, and the two gentlemen in our party RAVED about the meal.\r \r We took our 4 and 7 year old (we did go a bit early...) They put us at a good table, and they munched on the delicious pomme frittes (french fries) through out the meal. \r \r Great service and very attentive. South Park is lucky to have such an establishment. Pros: Great ambience! Varied menu. GREAT wine list. more

Went last night for the first time. The menu is really limiting because my boyfriend is a vegetarian and I don't eat seafood. But other than that, the food that we got was good. Not the best food I've ever had in my life, but it was good. The lemon dessert was my favorite thing and the blue cheese salad was great. I would recommend it for people who like cozy adult restaurants with a wine list. I do agree that the wine list is somewhat limited, but it's a small place, so I didn't expect a huge list or anything. We went at 6:30pm for dinner and our food came out very fast and the service was great, but I could see it getting very busy and maybe slowing down later in the evening. Make sure to make a reservation also. Pros: candlelight atmosphere Cons: the tables are very close together more

This place is Campy and loud. I went because of all the rave reviews. In all honesty, the service was good. No complaints, but the food and wine was average. You could get the same quality of product at a corporate restaurant like the Cheese Cake Factory. Every one raves about the Calamari...these are frozen and taste like rubber. No amount of sauce could hide that fact. Try this place only if you want to give your money to a small buisness man...if not, just go to TGI fridays. Pros: Owned by a local Cons: bad food...uninspired wine list more

This place is my new favorite! Make a reservation, because the word is out. This gem can get crowded. It has a cozy international feel and look. \r The Calamari in a spicy Thai sauce is amazing! It's not breaded either. The salad with shrimp and scallops is also a must. The Peruvian dish (forget the name) is full of flavor. The service is usually good. Most times we've been served by friendly, attractive Brazilian girls, except for one time where \r we had a cold, unhelpful French guy. I recommend this one to all of my friends. more

We loved the ambiance at Vagabond the first time and were sure we'd love it the second, but it was an imperfect experience at best. The food was well prepared and each dish sampled met with our enthusiastic approval, save for something called a ""caesar salad""--quite un-caesar in presentation and content. Who has ever had a caesar with chopped bacon and tomatoes? But the arrogance of our waiter took the pleasure out of the evening, especially when he slammed down our bill without offering dessert or coffee or even saying, ""Thank you...""--common protocol for acceptable service. The manager apologized: ""We usually have to move people out fast,"" he said. Unacceptable, dear Vagabond. Perhaps being a ""hot spot"" for dining has gone to its head. Pros: ambiance, food preparation Cons: an arrogant waiter more

We've eaten at Vagabond a couple of times, as it is in our neighborhood. We find the food to be pretty good, as it was well prepared and authentic, just had some ingrediant combinations that we thought were a little odd. The bar area is nice, and the cocktails were delicious, including some more exotic ones that they suggested. We did find the table quarters a little cramped and the overall noise level daunting when the restaurant was in full swing, as there's nothing to baffle the sound. This restaurant would be good for someone in the neighborhood or in surrounding neighborhoods who wants to try something a little different. One other note -- an acquaintance of mine mentioned that she dropped by one day shortly after they opened one day for dinner (and there wasn't anyone dining at the time), and with a bit of attitude turned her away because they said they don't take walk-in diners. Seems really cheeky to me considering they are a small neighborhood restaurant. more

Vagabond is located off of 30th ave. in SouthPark. It is an excellent eatery with a local owner that provides food from all around the world. The food and atmosphere have a kind of rustic feel and you could feel as if you aren't dining in San Diego at all when eating there. Pros: Good Prices Cons: Loud Environment more