San Diego
In a sunny yellow, wooden building that used to be the Encinitas train station (transported from its original site), Pannikin is an adorable sprawl of…
Must-see restaurants in San Diego
San Diego
Pull your own bottle from the wine vault, then char your own favorite cut of steak, chicken or fish on the open grills in the retro-Vegas dining room at…
San Diego
There’s nothing urbane about this home-style Mexican joint, but it’s a local institution. Apart from the usual tacos and burritos, the carne asada fries …
San Diego
Watch the surf while enjoying ‘California coastal cuisine’, an ever-changing all-day menu of inventive dishes from the sea (crabcake sliders for lunch or…
La Jolla
A fabulous colorful warehouse-style restaurant dowsed in Californian spray-paint artist Chor Boogie designs. It serves Mexican street food in the form of…
San Diego
One of San Diego’s most authentic English ale houses, Shakespeare is the place for darts, soccer by satellite, beer on tap and pub grub, including fish…
San Diego
Come to this sports bar-slash-surf-hangout for its award-winning chicken wings. On the menu are 37 different flavors, including classic buffalo alongside…
San Diego
One part coffee shop, one part lounge and one part restaurant, this new vegan eatery serves hearty salad bowls heaped with goodness. Opt for a superfood…
San Diego
Finally, a vegan place that doesn't feel like you're slumming it. The modern decor with clean lines and bold graphics is your first clue; the menu, from…
San Diego
Candlelight flickers in this romantic 2nd-floor, white-tablecloth, high-end place catering to cognoscenti. The mole is superb (there are nine types to…
San Diego
This shrine to the Mississippi Delta serves belly-busting portions of fried chicken and waffles, dirty fries (piled with chili) and Cajun catfish. Wash it…
San Diego
The flavors of Peru tempt from this tiny, atmospheric storefront festooned with Peruvian art and iconography. Try empanadas (little pasties of…
San Diego
There's nothin’ fancy about this harborside chippie from the '60s, but when the fish is fried to a deep crackle and you eat it at a picnic table on the…
San Diego
This neighborhood shop helps keep your beach picnic local, with San Diego specialties like tortilla chips from El Nopalito, baked goods from Bread & Cie…
San Diego
Aside from crafting some of San Diego’s best artisan breads (including anise and fig, black olive, and walnut and raisin), this wide-open bakery-deli…
La Jolla
You could pay three times as much for seafood with the tourists at fancier restaurants in town; meanwhile locals will be at this fish market and…
San Diego
Downtown’s favorite breakfast place serves renowned peanut-butter-and-banana French toast; buttermilk, orange-pecan or granola pancakes; and eggs in…
San Diego
The Gaslamp's favorite brunch spot for fruity pancakes, stuffed French toast with agave cream cheese, and farm-fresh egg omelets, choose from coriander…
San Diego
Tiny, family-run Ortega’s is so popular that people often queue for a spot at the counter (there are indoor and sidewalk tables, too). Seafood, moles,…
San Diego
This little, modern, neat-as-a-pin place has a tiny but well-chosen menu of curries and tandoori chicken, and a much longer menu of craft and bottled…
San Diego
Just off Little Italy's bustling thoroughfare with its pizzerias and wine bars, this sleek urbane noodle shop loads up steaming bowls of ramen with oxtail…
La Jolla
This Belgian-influenced deli/bakery has been serving La Jolla for 25 years. Sit in the no-frills cafe in the back of the shop and enjoy home-cooked dishes…
San Diego
A proud local institution since 1927, with red leatherette seating and windows to watch the world go by. The Swing Inn serves three square meals, but…
San Diego
Fuel up before surfing on omelets, scrambles and pancakes, or afterwards on sandwiches, tacos and salads at this surfers diner on the east side of the…
San Diego
Maybe it's the lightly fried mahi and wahoo fish. Or the zippy white sauce. Or layered fresh cabbage and peppery tomato salsa. Whatever the secret, the…
San Diego
This swingin’ local chain serves chic comfort food. There’s just a simple menu, but what they do with it! Plump burgers (grass-fed beef, free-range turkey…
San Diego
Award-winning burgers (served about 20 ways) are the thing in this cheerful red-and-white wooden roadhouse in the center of Old Town, plus onion rings…
San Diego
This place makes four kinds of breakfast burritos that you eat out of a basket in view of Crystal Pier (patio seating available) alongside pancakes, eggs…
San Diego
In a tall-ceilinged space decorated like an Italian village complete with mini Ponte Vecchio, Mimmo’s deli serves salads, hot and cold sandwiches and…
San Diego
Its location may be in a drab-looking shopping center just off I-5, but it’s the real deal for croissants and brioches (baked daily) and kick-start…
San Diego
Rockin’ and raucous local brewpub chain with surf art, rock music and ‘anti-wimpy’ pizzas to go with the signature Sharkbite Red Ale. Multiple locations.
San Diego
This '50s-style diner has good burgers and milkshakes, big breakfasts and a full bar. Yes, it’s a chain, but it’s right at the end of the pier.
San Diego
Kitsch local burger joint covered in license plates and surf memorabilia, serving hearty patties and ridiculously creamy shakes.
San Diego
New American cuisine melds with farm-fresh flavors at this busy winery bistro, a favorite for weekend brunch on the airy patio.
La Jolla
Yet another only-in-La Jolla experience. When money is no object and you want high-drama cooking and views, book a sunset table at this clubby dining room…
La Jolla
The lower-floor restaurant at George’s at the Cove is the place to come to splash out on a tasting menu (from $75 per person, extra for wine pairing)…
San Diego
There’s white-tablecloth service and a lovely sidewalk terrace at this State St institution. For lunch, try pastas or panini (the one with parma ham and…
San Diego
A stylish pit stop between museums, Prado serves Cal-eclectic cooking in a gorgeous dining room, a bustling lounge and a tiled courtyard with a fountain…
San Diego
Gay-owned and straight-friendly, this restaurant-bar is always a party with a just-back-from-Margaritaville vibe, plus dozens of tequilas, alongside…
San Diego
The look is art-deco ocean liner, and the service is just as elegant, with an oyster bar and creations like chicken-fried lobster with truffled honey, and…
