2 San Diego dining spots make it onto list of top hotel restaurants in the U.S.

Two San Diego County dining venues have made it onto a first-ever list of the top 100 hotel restaurants in the United States, which debuted this week.

Addison by William Bradley, which is Southern California’s only Michelin three-star restaurant, and the Pony Room in Rancho Santa Fe are among 13 California hotel restaurants recognized by OpenTable and Kayak. The two booking platforms collaborated on the new Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America list, which was based entirely on millions of diner reviews.

The top 100, which is not a ranking, is meant to elevate the profile of hotel restaurants that have become dining destinations in their own right. No longer is the hotel restaurant just about the breakfast buffet or the three-meal-a-day eatery designed to largely accommodate the hotel guests.

“Hotel restaurants have become formidable players over the years as hoteliers have recognized the power of serving their guests memorable and locally inspired dining experiences,” said Scott Hudson, vice president of Global Sales & Services at OpenTable. “The hotel restaurants we have on OpenTable are not just attractive to the 60% of diners that use us while on the road — but many are equally as popular among locals too.”

Addison by William Bradley is located within the grounds of the Fairmont Grand Del Mar resort in Carmel Valley, although it’s not situated within the hotel. And the Pony Room is a part of the Rancho Valencia resort in Rancho Santa Fe.

OpenTable describes Addison as a restaurant that “showcases the beauty and allure of California gastronomy,” with Bradley offering “his distinct culinary perspective through an experience that celebrates regional ingredients and influences.”

The reservation platform links to a description of the Pony Room as “a favorite among locals and resort guests,” which is also “home to one of Southern California’s most impressive wine and hand-crafted, seasonally inspired signature cocktail lists.”

Bradley, who opened Addison in 2006, said he thinks there are distinct advantages to being located within a resort, among them the foot traffic that comes through the property.

“It gives the hotel guests a great opportunity to dine outside of the hotel but on the same grounds, and we get wonderful guests from the hotel who dine here every evening,” Bradley said. “At the end of the day, anything that can be a positive impact on a restaurant I champion that. It’s great notoriety for us and our industry.”

The methodology used for compiling the list relied on more than 10 million reviews from verified OpenTable diners between June 1, 2024, and May 31 of this year. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were winnowed down using various data points, such as diner ratings and the percentage of five-star reviews. The qualifying restaurants were then sorted by the ability to use kayak.com to book the hotels where the restaurants are located.

In separate surveys unrelated to the top 100 list, OpenTable and Kayak found that nearly half of Americans say they have specifically booked a trip to visit a restaurant. And Kayak’s own data shows a 51% year-over-year increase in the use of the platform’s restaurant hotel filter.