Yanni's Bar & Grill

Yanni's Bar & Grill The feeling at Yanni's is elegant and sophisticated without being stuffy. Simplicity is the focus.
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Yanni's Bar & Grill has fulfilled the need for a great restaurant in the Poway and Scripps Ranch area. A loyal following of guests comes from Rancho Bernardo, Ramona and Escondido, even traveling from as far as Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, Julian and Point Loma. The feeling at Yanni's Bar & Grill is elegant and sophisticated without being stuffy. Simplicity is the focus: delicious food served in a c

omfortable, spotlessly clean environment. Proprietors Yanni & Denise Pihas are veterans in the hospitality industry, and owned a very successful restaurant in Sherman Oaks. Previously they worked for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in several locations throughout the United States.

You usually only get this one in December. 🦀Our crab cake special — the one we roll out with the holiday coursed menus, ...
08/20/2026

You usually only get this one in December. 🦀

Our crab cake special — the one we roll out with the holiday coursed menus, the one people ask us about all year long — is on this week. In August. Golden and crisp outside, sweet and tender inside, the kind of crab cake that quietly ruins other crab cakes for you.

We're pairing it with the Ceretto Langhe Arneis from Piedmont, and it's a gorgeous match. Ceretto is a legendary Barolo house, and they're also among the winemakers who rescued Arneis — a native white grape that had nearly gone extinct. Their Blangé bottling is named, as legend has it, for the spot where Napoleon's bakers once camped. Crisp and mineral, with ripe pear, green apple, apple blossom and a subtle almond note that plays beautifully against sweet crab.

No need to wait for December. This one's here now.

(There are also three new red wines on the list, because Yanni went wine shopping and Yanni has never once come back with a sensible quantity. Ask your server. The storage room needs the help.)

12015 Scripps Highlands Dr, Scripps Ranch · (858) 527-0011

Old-location heads, this is your weekend. 🦑The Calamari Steak with Mussels in a Saffron Sauce is back — the coastal, gol...
08/14/2026

Old-location heads, this is your weekend. 🦑

The Calamari Steak with Mussels in a Saffron Sauce is back — the coastal, golden, slightly nostalgic dish some of you never stopped talking about. We're pouring a Spanish Muga Rosé by the glass alongside it.

Did you used to order this one? Tell us your favorite memory of the old spot in the comments — we'd love to read them. 💙

We're about to get in trouble. 🎂It's Denise's birthday this week, and she is going to be furious that we're telling all ...
08/05/2026

We're about to get in trouble. 🎂

It's Denise's birthday this week, and she is going to be furious that we're telling all of you — she doesn't like the attention. So we're doing what any smart team does: blaming Yanni. (His idea. Obviously.)

Here's the thing about Denise: she's the heart and soul of this place — the quiet force who keeps the whole restaurant running and never wants a shred of credit. If you see her around this week, wish her a happy birthday.

It's a big week for another reason, too: San Diego, you voted us Best Greek Restaurant in the Union-Tribune Readers Poll. We didn't campaign — we just cooked for the neighborhood we love, and you showed up. Thank you, truly.

And because someone always asks: this week's special keeps the great potato debate going. Our Pihas-family moussaka skips the potatoes entirely — all eggplant, spiced meat sauce, golden béchamel. (Sorry, Yiayia.)

Two ways to make our week: drop a happy birthday for Denise in the comments 👇 — and if you've dined with us and never left a Google review, an honest one would be the loveliest gift for her birthday. Only if you've visited, only if it's genuine, nothing in return. 💛

Okay, Scripps Ranch. we need you to settle something. 🍅It's been so hot we did the unthinkable and made this week's spec...
07/30/2026

Okay, Scripps Ranch. we need you to settle something. 🍅

It's been so hot we did the unthinkable and made this week's special a salad. But not a boring one: the Niçoise, quite possibly the most controversial salad on earth. The purists in Nice, France insist it's a raw salad — tomatoes, olives, anchovies — and treat cooked potatoes, green beans, and lettuce as very nearly a crime. One former mayor even wrote a whole cookbook lamenting "the crimes committed in the name of this pure, fresh salad."

So, naturally, Denise committed a few. 😇 Her Greek-Californian version has yellowfin tuna, Kalamata olives, new potatoes, green beans, egg, a garlicky Dijon-lemon vinaigrette, and — because we're in California — avocado. Yanni's asked for it on repeat.

Here's the debate, and we mean it: potatoes in the Niçoise, or no potatoes? Drop your verdict in the comments and we'll share where the neighborhood lands next week.

(P.S. — we recently hosted a gorgeous engagement party on the garden patio. More on that soon. 💍)

Some specials come and go. This one comes back because you won't let it leave. 🐑Lamb Osso Bucco is back — and honestly, ...
07/23/2026

Some specials come and go. This one comes back because you won't let it leave. 🐑

Lamb Osso Bucco is back — and honestly, we can't keep it off the menu for long without risking a full-blown riot. Slow-braised until the lamb surrenders right off the bone, rich and deep, the kind of dish that makes a whole table go quiet.

We're pairing it with the Bryn Mawr Pinot Noir 2022 from Oregon's Willamette Valley — black cherry, baking spice, and an earthy finish that wraps around braised lamb like they were made for each other.

Come get it before the next uprising. 📞 (858) 527-0011 · 12015 Scripps Highlands Dr, San Diego

We need to talk about this week's special, because it caused a scene in the kitchen. 🐙Lemon Garlic Risotto with Octopus ...
07/16/2026

We need to talk about this week's special, because it caused a scene in the kitchen. 🐙

Lemon Garlic Risotto with Octopus — octopus sautéed in garlic over creamy, lemony risotto — had our own staff ambushing the photographer for a bite before the photo was even finished. That's the kind of dish this is.

Two ways to pair it: bright, with The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand passionfruit and citrus that dances with the garlic), or rich, with ZD Chardonnay (buttery Carneros oak — founded, fun fact, by two ex–rocket scientists). Bright or rich, you can't lose.

Come get it in the AC or out on the patio. 📞 (858) 527-0011 · 12015 Scripps Highlands Dr, San Diego

📅 Heads up, neighbors: Yanni's is closed Saturday, July 4th and Sunday, July 5th. 🇺🇸Our crew works hard and they've earn...
06/30/2026

📅 Heads up, neighbors: Yanni's is closed Saturday, July 4th and Sunday, July 5th. 🇺🇸

Our crew works hard and they've earned a weekend with the people they love — we hope you get the same. What a year for it, too: America's 250th birthday.

Before the weekend, come in for our secret-menu special: the Linguine alle Vongole from our old location, back for one week, best with a bottle of Arneis or Vermentino. Back to normal hours Monday.
📞 (858) 527-0011 · 12015 Scripps Highlands Dr, San Diego

Address

12015 Scripps Highland Drive
San Diego, CA
92131

Opening Hours

Monday 11:30am - 8pm
Tuesday 11:30am - 8pm
Wednesday 11:30am - 8pm
Thursday 11:30am - 8pm
Friday 11:30am - 9pm
Saturday 11:30am - 9pm
Sunday 11:30am - 8pm

Telephone

+18585270011

Website

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