"The smoked, dry-aged duck sells out most nights, and it is the reason to book: chef David Sim turns Vietnamese flavours into a gilded Golden Hill room where the $150 tasting and the cocktail list pull equal weight."
About Kingfisher
Kingfisher opened on Broadway in Golden Hill in 2022, a cocktail bar and eatery named for the bird and finished in gold and deep green. David Sim, a first-generation Cambodian-American who started out at In-N-Out, was named executive chef in 2023 and has since carried the kitchen onto the Michelin Guide for California.
It reads as a bar first and a serious kitchen second, which is the whole appeal. For the wider field, see the San Diego dining guide and the city's Vietnamese restaurants.
The Kitchen
Sim's cooking reworks Vietnamese herbs and technique rather than copying them. The signature is a smoked and dry-aged duck, carved tender and crisp with bright sauces and lettuce for building your own wraps; it sells out most evenings. Beyond the plates, the bar runs an inventive cocktail program that the room is built around.
For the multi-course route, see San Diego's tasting-menu tables.
The Room
The room is small, gold-lit and loud in the good way, with a long bar and a handful of tables. It suits a first date or a two-top celebration more than a quiet business dinner, and weekend seatings book out, so reserve ahead. The Tock list opens reservations for both the tasting and a la carte seats.
What to Order
Order the smoked dry-aged duck for the table, then let the kitchen lead with the $150 chef's tasting; a shorter four-course menu runs $120, with a wine pairing for $45 more. Drink from the cocktail list rather than defaulting to wine. For other refined rooms nearby, see San Diego's fine-dining picks.
Best for a First Date or an Anniversary
Kingfisher suits a first date or an anniversary: a gold-lit bar, a sell-out duck and a cocktail list worth lingering over. See more first-date tables and anniversary restaurants in San Diego.
Not for
Not for a quiet business dinner or a budget night: Kingfisher is a small, lively bar room where the duck and the tasting menu sit at the higher end, and conversation competes with a full house. A hushed table or a cheap casual bite is not what this place is built for.
Frequently Asked
Who is the chef at Kingfisher in San Diego?
David Sim is the executive chef at Kingfisher, named to the role in 2023. A first-generation Cambodian-American who began his career at In-N-Out Burger, he reworks Vietnamese herbs and technique into a modern menu, and his kitchen has carried Kingfisher onto the Michelin Guide for California. The signature smoked, dry-aged duck is his best-known dish.
Where is Kingfisher located?
Kingfisher is at 2469 Broadway in the Golden Hill neighbourhood of San Diego, near Balboa Park, in a gold-and-green room that works as a cocktail bar and restaurant at once. It opened in 2022. Weekend seatings fill quickly, and reservations for both the tasting menu and a la carte seats are taken through its Tock page.
What should I order at Kingfisher?
Order the smoked, dry-aged duck, served with bright sauces and lettuce for building your own wraps; it sells out most nights and is the dish to plan around. From there, the $150 chef's tasting lets the kitchen lead, while a four-course menu runs $120. Drink from the cocktail list, which the room is designed around, rather than defaulting to wine.
How much is dinner at Kingfisher?
Kingfisher's chef's tasting menu is $150 per person, with an optional wine pairing for $45 more, and a shorter four-course menu is $120. A la carte ordering around the duck and the bar snacks sits in the upper-mid range. It is a special-occasion price for San Diego, matched to the Michelin-recognised kitchen and the cocktail program.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Kingfisher
Via kingfishersd.com - Golden Hill
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address2469 Broadway, Golden Hill, San Diego
NeighbourhoodGolden Hill
CuisineModern Vietnamese
SignatureSmoked, dry-aged duck
PriceChef's tasting $150; four-course $120
ChefDavid Sim, executive chef since 2023
RecognitionMichelin Guide, California
Opened2022
