Bleu Bohème: Nine Years of Best French Restaurant, and a $20 Corkage That Disappears

Overview

Bleu Bohème on Adams Avenue has been named Best French Restaurant by San Diego Magazine every year from 2010 to 2018, and by the California Restaurant Association in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2026. Owner and executive chef Ken Irvine was the California Restaurant Association's Restaurateur of the Year in 2011.

That's an unusually long run for a neighbourhood restaurant, and the food is less ambitious than the award list suggests — deliberately. Irvine describes the aim as "accessible, affordable and comforting French cuisine," and the restaurant is "designed to create a feeling of France's past generations."

Here's the thing to know before you book, because it quietly changes the bill.

Corkage is $20 per 750ml bottle, two bottles maximum — and it's waived entirely if you buy a bottle from their list.

That's a genuinely good deal. Bring the bottle you've been saving, buy one of theirs alongside it, and the corkage vanishes. For a restaurant with over 90 wines and more than 20 available "au pichet," that's a rule designed to make you explore rather than punish you for bringing your own.

And the second thing: happy hour is exactly one hour. 5 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, bar area only. Miss six o'clock and it's gone.

The Menu

Plats à partager — the sharing plates:

• Patatas Bravas $17.95 · Brussels Sprouts $21.95 · Gnocchi à la Parisienne $23.95
• Rillettes de Saumon $19.95 · Escargots de la Vieille École $22.95
• Croquette de Crabe $24.95 · Poulpe Rôti $24.95 · Pissaladière $19.95
• La Charcuterie $28.95 · Les Fromages $28.95 · La Planche Dégustation $36.95

Soups and salads:

• Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée $19.95 · Salade Maison $19.95 · Salade de Betteraves $19.95
• Salade Roquefort $19.95 · Salade Niçoise $38.95
• Add to any salad: salmon $19.95, petite filet $21.95, duck confit $21.95, crab croquette $10.95, goat cheese croquette $4.95

Moules Frites — $38.95, a pound and a half of mussels, with six preparations at the same price: à la Moutarde, au Saffran, au Roquefort, à la Crème d'Ail, aux Champignons, or Marinière.

Plats principaux:

• Croque de Garçon $36.95 · Ravioles Maison $36.95
• Confit de Canard $42.95 · Saumon "Oscar" $42.95 · Entrecôte de Porc $42.95
• Poulet Montrachet $44.95 · Boeuf Bourguignon $45.95
• Steak Frites $49.95 — with Béarnaise, au Poivre or Chimichurri
• Coquilles St. Jacques $49.95

Bread is its own section: Bread & Cie country levain $8.50, gluten-free cheese-baked bread $9.50, house flatbread $7.50.

The menu marks vegan and gluten-free items, and notes where a gluten-free preparation is available.

Happy Hour — One Hour Only

Tuesday to Saturday, 5–6 p.m., in the bar area only. Not combinable with other discounts.

• House wine by the glass $8.95 · by the pichet $12.95
• Champagne cocktails $9.95 — five to choose from
• Les Boissons du Maison $12.95 — the basil, French, Bleu and berry martinis, plus the habanero margarita
• Beer $6.95, nine options
• Pommes Frites $7.50
• Petits Plats at $16.95 — escargot, charcuterie, pâté, salmon rillettes, pissaladière, crab croquette, gnocchi, house ravioli, patatas bravas, brussels sprouts, and mussels in garlic cream

That last list is the value. Several of those are $21.95 to $28.95 on the dinner menu.

The Wine

Over 90 wines, and more than 20 served "au pichet" — a quarter litre (8.5oz) or half litre (17oz), which is a civilised way to drink without committing to a bottle.

A few anchors:

• House wine by the glass $8.95 at happy hour
• Pichets generally run $15–$29 for a quarter and $30–$58 for a half
• Bottles start around $32 (Broadbent Vinho Verde) and run to $255 (Mayacamas Cabernet 2018)
• Champagne from $42 (JP Chenet Blanc de Blanc) to $198 (Taittinger "La Française")
• Zero-proof options including a non-alcoholic sparkling rosé at $42 and mocktails at $10

Cocktails run $14–$20, and there's absinthe — Combier Blanchette $19, Grand Absente $21.

How to Visit

• Address: 4090 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116 — Kensington
• Phone: 619 255 4167
• Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 5–8 p.m., Friday–Saturday 5–9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday
• Reservations through OpenTable or by phone
• Happy hour 5–6 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday, bar area only
• Corkage $20 per 750ml bottle, two maximum — waived with the purchase of a bottle from their list
• Takeout is available through their online platform, 5–6:30 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday only
• The menu changes seasonally

Private dining — the Stone Room:

• Up to 16 guests, six-course family-style prix fixe
• Room minimum $1,000 Tuesday–Thursday, $1,400 Friday and Saturday, plus tax and a 22% service charge
• Events start between 5 and 6 p.m.

There's a loyalty programme, Les Amis de Bleu — a point per dollar, $5 off at 50 points, and 25 points to start.

Good to Know

• Buy a bottle, bring a bottle. The corkage waiver is the best-value rule on the menu.
• Happy hour is one hour. Five to six, Tuesday to Saturday, bar only.
• The pichet is the move if you're two people who want more than a glass and less than a bottle.
• Moules frites is one price for six different preparations — order by what sauce you want, not what it costs.
• It closes early. Last seating is effectively 8 p.m. midweek. This is not a late dinner.
• Closed Sunday and Monday.

The Takeaway

Get there at five, order the $16.95 escargot and a pichet, then stay for the moules frites.

What makes Bleu Bohème worth the drive to Kensington isn't the award shelf, though it's a long one — it's that a restaurant with sixteen years of Best French Restaurant trophies is still charging $8.95 for a glass of wine at five o'clock. The ambition is in the consistency, not the price.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — and Kensington Café is fifty yards up the same street for breakfast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bleu Bohème? At 4090 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116, in Kensington.

What are Bleu Bohème's hours? Tuesday through Thursday 5–8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5–9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

When is happy hour? Tuesday through Saturday, 5–6 p.m., in the bar area only. It can't be combined with other discounts.

What is the corkage fee? $20 per 750ml bottle, maximum two bottles per reservation — and it's waived if you buy a bottle from the restaurant's wine list.

Has Bleu Bohème won awards? Many. San Diego Magazine named it Best French Restaurant every year from 2010 to 2018; the California Restaurant Association did so in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2026. Owner Ken Irvine was CRA Restaurateur of the Year in 2011.

How much is moules frites? $38.95 for a pound and a half, with six sauce preparations available at the same price.

Can you book Bleu Bohème for a private event? Yes — the Stone Room seats up to 16, with a six-course family-style menu and a room minimum of $1,000 midweek or $1,400 Friday and Saturday.

Does Bleu Bohème do takeout? Yes, but only 5–6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, through their online platform.