Nine-Ten Restaurant & Bar sits in the heart of La Jolla’s village, right where the upscale dining scene meets the ocean-facing charm of the neighborhood. The kitchen focuses on California cuisine built around what local farmers bring in each day, so the menu shifts with the seasons. You’ll see items like seafood preparations that lean into what’s fresh at the San Diego docks, vegetables at their peak, and meat sourced from regional producers. ZAGAT has consistently rated the food “very good to excellent,” which reflects the attention paid to both ingredients and technique.

The dining room itself is polished without feeling stuffy—the kind of place where you can dress up for a special occasion but also feel comfortable in something casual. The real draw for traveling with a dog, though, is the outdoor patio. This is where your dog can actually sit with you while you eat, not banished to some distant corner. The patio has that La Jolla feel: bright, with decent weather most of the year, and close enough to the village shops and galleries that you might wander around afterward.

You’ll want to time your visit for either brunch or dinner, depending on what appeals to you. Brunch has a different energy than dinner service—lighter, more relaxed. The dinner crowd tends to be folks celebrating something or doing the date-night thing, which means a slightly more formal vibe but also more attentive service.

One thing to know: since it’s on the patio, you’re somewhat at the mercy of weather, though in La Jolla that’s usually not much of an issue. The real thing to plan around is making a reservation ahead of time rather than just showing up. This spot isn’t the kind of place with walk-up seating available during peak hours.