Spice Lounge

While PB's dining scene tilts hard toward post-surf burritos and boardwalk beer gardens, Spice Lounge occupies a different lane entirely: upscale Indian food served in a space intimate enough for anniversaries but casual enough that locals swing by for meatless Monday deals in flip-flops. This isn't fusion or California-ized curry — it's proper tandoori and vindaloo done with enough care that regulars have been coming back for years without the menu wearing thin.

The **butter chicken burger** shows up in reviews more than anything else — juicy, sauced with the same butter chicken base that makes the traditional dish work, substantial enough to justify the moderate price point. The straight **butter chicken** and **chicken tikka masala** are both five-star standards, which matters when you're competing with the memory of every Indian restaurant someone's ever loved. The **lamb vindaloo** and **lamb jalfrezi** prove the kitchen doesn't soften things for the beach crowd — these come properly spiced, though apparently without the tiered heat levels some spots offer. **Garlic naan** gets consistent praise, made fresh in-house along with the samosas and chai.

The room itself splits the difference between traditional and modern — Bollywood posters on the walls, a wine bar vibe without the stiffness, music that doesn't feel piped in from a corporate playlist. It's the kind of spot that works for a business lunch on Garnet as easily as it does for a group dinner before hitting the boardwalk. Outdoor seating helps during the dinner rush, though the intimate interior is where most of the action happens.

Meatless Mondays pull in the vegetarian and vegan crowd with pricing that undercuts most of the neighborhood's staples, which makes sense in a stretch of Pacific Beach that's still figuring out how to feed people who don't eat fish or carne asada. Parking is Hornblend residential-adjacent — not terrible, not guaranteed. Reservations smooth out weekend waits.