AVANT

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where the Garden Sets the Menu

At AVANT, located within the Rancho Bernardo Inn just north of San Diego, the kitchen doesn't start with a concept — it starts with what's growing outside. A 3,000-square-foot chef's garden on the property supplies a rotating cast of ingredients that shape every season's menu. Fall might bring persimmons, shishito peppers, pink guava, and fennel to the table; spring arrives with artichokes, strawberries, rhubarb, and beets. The result is a menu that changes not for the sake of novelty, but because the land demands it.

Forbes Travel Guide took notice, recommending AVANT for exactly this produce-forward philosophy — and for the depth of experience surrounding it.

The Food and the Bar

The à la carte menu is built around bold, ingredient-led dishes. Past offerings have included French onion seafood dip with lobster, crab, and gaufrettes; wood-fired broccoli with green chickpeas and lemon; and a 14-day dry-aged rib-eye. Nothing on the plate overstays its welcome.

At the bar, mixologist Jason Sorge brings a sense of theater to his craft cocktails — drinks like the American Theorem, made with Whistle Pig 10-year rye, 10-year Boal Madeira, Benedictine, bitters, and spiced nuts. The Ranch & Coast Readers Choice award for Best Craft Cocktail reflects what guests already know: this bar program is serious.

A Wine Program Worth Exploring

Sommelier Joe Baumgardner has built a list that earned AVANT the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence multiple years running, including 2024. A glass-enclosed cellar holds the collection, with an entire section dedicated to biodynamically farmed wines. The Vine-to-Table wine-pairing dinners offer a structured way into that world — course by course, pour by pour.

The Setting

The dining room is airy and open, with lush outdoor spaces and views of the championship golf course. For private gatherings, AVANT Table 65 seats up to 12 around a European round table, and the restaurant offers 2,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space across three venues. Whether you're at the bar for a single cocktail or seated for a full seasonal menu, the atmosphere stays relaxed without feeling casual.