I recently discovered the Royale has reopened! Royale used to be called Royale with Cheese and was located inside of the Parks & Rec bar in University Heights. We went back in 2016 for Burger Week! It was hard for us to visit Royale more often back then since they were inside a 21+ bar and we usually had underage T with us. They closed for awhile to remodel and eventually moved to get their own location. Jake and I were excited to discover they are back!
Royale is in a new spot over in the Ocean Beach/Point Loma area. It’s kind of on the verge of both neighborhoods.
There’s plenty of seating in here which I liked since the last location had little to no seating. I like having a place to park my butt. This is towards the front.
Where there is a really cool mural on the wall.
Walk towards the inside a little and you’ll find the bar. There’s more seating in the back.
Also a cool juke box.
This painting is above the jukebox. Jake didn’t get the reference at first. It’s not as fun when I have to explain things!
The menu is pretty simple here. I heard they have brunch now though so OBVIOUSLY I have to come back for a revisit for brunch.
I was waffling a little on what I wanted to get but luckily I ended up deciding on the Fried Chicken Sandwich [$11]. I was a little worried about the jicama cilantro slaw on top since I’m not a big fan of slaw in general, but it was perfect on top of this sandwich.
When the sandwich was brought out, our waiter/the co-owner commented that this was probably one of the biggest fried chicken sandwiches he’s seen. Just the luck of the draw, I guess. This thing was MASSIVE.
I only managed to eat about half of it. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked – juicy, crispy, flavorful, wonderful, a chicken sandwich made of dreams and wishes. The jicama slaw was also delightful – it paired so nicely with the chicken giving it a balance of flavor to combat the richness of the fried chicken. YUM.
Jake ordered the classic Royale with Cheese [$11] and since it was his and not mine he got evil pickles on it. I had a pickle-less bite that I enjoyed though – juicy juicy, meaty meaty! And that lovely melted cheese – swoon!
Jake and I also shared a basket of Tater Tots [$5]. You can add fries or tots to your meal for $3, but I didn’t want to eat a ton of tots and figured a basket to share was a better deal for us. The tater tots were fresh and crispy – just the way I like them.
All in all we had a lovely visit to Royale. The service was awesome, the location is good (though I wish they had a parking lot – we just parked on the street nearby), and the food is excellent. Give them a shot if you’re looking for a simple and tasty meal.
Royale
4204 Voltaire Street
San Diego, CA 92107
Kirbie and I enjoyed our sandwiches here. Her chicken sandwich was not as massive as yours and had a different filling. But yeah, that chicken was really tender and juicy. I loved my Royale with Cheese, pickles and all. Bert ate my leftovers. 0000 Man, the selection in the jukebox for your visit (I have pretty much all of those records, yes, records, not cd’s, ha ha). One of my favorites is “Staring at the Sea” by the Cure, which is a compilation of their singles and “The Queen is Dead” by the Smiths. During my visit there was hardly anything in it that I liked. 🙁 I’m going again soon then I’ll do my post, heh heh.
I want to go for breakfast after you sent me those photos – the sandwiches look so good! Haha, I briefly had records for awhile but no longer have a record player or records. That’s awesome though, you’re so “retro”, CC! 😉
So, does “retro” mean “old”? Just kidding. The times are now catching up to me, ha ha!
omg it’s open! both buns look tasty! i craved tots with magical seasoning… do they taste that way still?
Hi Lynn – Yes, happy to see they finally got their own spot in town! I don’t remember magical seasoning from before… but the tots are damn tasty, I can tell you that much!