Dining out is a favorite activity of mine. And of the Julian restaurants The Julian Grille in Julian CA is the best, in my opinion.

We take an annual trip (and sometimes more) to Julian CA to enjoy the town, the quaint shops, and of course the apples and apple pie for which Julian is famous.

We always take time to have lunch at The Julian Grille in the heart of town on Main Street. Taking a trip to Julian is a fun thing to do for a day or overnight and a beautilful drive through the mountains from Carlsbad. 

The Julian Grille is in a quaint old home and offers a number of individual dining rooms - the enclosed porch is the best, offering views of the street so you can take in Main Street while dining.

There is a miniscule bar (room for 3-4) plus plenty of outdoor dining on the cover patio under the trees in warmer weather.

Being at about 5000 feet above sea level, Julian gets cold enough for snow in the winter, which can be a great time to enjoy visiting without the hoards of tourists (and a treat for us Californians who want a taste of snow) during apple season on the weekends. 

The place gets jammed when there is a big event in town, especially the Apple Days Festival, but otherwise is not to hard to get seated in for lunch. Dinner on weekends in the summer and fall are more crowded - I suggest reservations to be sure. 

The lunch menu offers a wide range of salads (my spinach salad with grilled salmon was excellent), among other things, and dinner might consist of beef, fish, chicken, pasta and other creative offerings. They have a respectable wine list with reasonable prices for lunch and dinner. With linens and old silverware, you can't help but feel the history of this old house in the heart of one of the early California mining towns. Well worth a drive (less than 1.5 hours) from the coast. 

The Julian Grille is located at 2224 Main Street in Julian.

You can make reservations and other inquiries at (760) 765-0173.