We have selected 15 restaurants, which we have divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
The restaurants below have been classified into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over US$80)
$$$ (US$60 to US$80)
$$ (US$40 to US$60)
$ (up to US$40)
The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal for one person and half a bottle of house wine or cheapest
equivalent.
Gourmet George’s at the Cove Spectacular coastal scenery and terrific contemporary Californian haute cuisine. The combination is likely to make any visit to
George’s at the Cove in La Jolla a memorable experience. The elegant fine dining restaurant is located on the main floor, and the menu is seasonal with a strong emphasis on fresh ingredients and a creative approach to regional cuisine. Upstairs, the
Pacific View Bar and rooftop
Ocean Terrace Bistro offer a more casual menu and breathtaking views of La Jolla Cove.
1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla
Tel: (858) 454 4244.
Website:
www.georgesatthecove.com Price: $$$$
The Marine Room Right on the beach at La Jolla Shores,
The Marine Room blends an incredible location with expertly prepared French, Mediterranean and Californian cuisine. Famous for the dramatic displays of the pounding surf right outside its windows, the restaurant also deserves its reputation as a great place to experience culinary excellence. During the winter, the restaurant hosts special ’High Tide Breakfasts’, with the waves pounding right against the windows.
2000 Spindrift Drive, La Jolla
Tel: (858) 459 7222.
Website:
www.marineroom.com Price: $$$$
Mille Fleurs Ensconced in the highly exclusive enclave of Rancho Santa Fe,
Mille Fleurs is one of the San Diego region’s very best French restaurants, boasting haute cuisine, elegant décor, top-notch service and an intimate hacienda setting. On offer is an exclusive culinary experience - the food served at Mille Fleurs is classically continental, but with a contemporary style and innovative touch.
6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe
Tel: (858) 756 3085.
Website:
www.millefleurs.com Price: $$$$
Star of the Sea With its wonderful location on San Diego Bay, literally over the water,
Star of the Sea is a San Diego landmark that has few problems attracting visitors. This elegant, artfully decorated dining room and bar has a nice ambience and an impressive seasonal menu with seafood as the specialty - ranging from fresh oysters and Dover sole to Alaskan halibut and Copper River salmon. A fantastic Lobster Degustation set menu is also available.
1360 North Harbor Drive (on San Diego Bay at Ash Street)
Tel: (619) 232 7408.
Website:
www.starofthesea.com Price: $$$
Business El Agave Tequileria There are many good Mexican restaurants in San Diego, and among the very best is
El Agave Tequileria in Old Town. This Mexican nouvelle cuisine restaurant serves a wide range of authentic dishes from various Mexican regions while also giving many of them a modern twist. In addition to the top-notch food on offer, El Agave has an impressive tequila selection; more than 100 brands are served by the shot.
2304 San Diego Avenue, Old Town
Tel: (619) 220 0692.
Website:
www.elagave.com Price: $$
The Fish Market The Fish Market and its upstairs, the more upscale
Top of the Market, are a fish lover’s paradise. The casual, busy and bustling downstairs offers an enormous selection of totally fresh seafood, while the Top of the Market is more formal and serves fish and seafood dishes in more elegant presentations. Both levels offer remarkable views of the harbor and the Coronado Bridge. Downstairs there is a retail seafood market.
750 North Harbor Drive
Tel: (619) 232 3474.
Website:
www.thefishmarket.com Price: $$
Sally’s Restaurant Located right on the waterfront in Seaport Village,
Sally’s Restaurant is a friendly place with lively atmosphere and excellent food. The main focus of the cooking is fresh seafood, and the restaurant’s exhibition kitchen allows guests to see the chef in action working his magic with the ingredients. Sally’s is famous for its generous portions and for serving the best crab cakes in town.
1 Market Place
Tel: (619) 358 6740.
Website:
www.dinehyatt.com Price: $$
Trendy Bertrand at Mister A’s The 12th-floor panoramic views of Downtown, San Diego Bay, Balboa Park, Coronado, Point Loma (the entire city) are unbeatable, and the cuisine (a contemporary combination of French and Californian influences) and wine list are top notch. Casual elegance characterizes both clientele and ambience at
Bertrand at Mister A’s, where guests can enjoy patio dining at eye level with the planes heading for the nearby airport.
2550 Fifth Avenue
Tel: (619) 239 1377.
Website:
www.bertrandatmisteras.com Price: $$$
Laurel Restaurant & Bar Laurel Restaurant &
Bar in Banker’s Hill near Balboa Park is a landmark San Diego dining destination that reopened in July 2005 under new ownership. The restaurant’s stunning new glamorous interiors perfectly match the chef’s creative interpretations of traditional French and Mediterranean cuisine with Asian accents. The menu is a fascinating list of innovative
and flavorsome dishes, and the extensive wine list has already won the acclaim of critics.
505 Laurel Street
Tel: (619) 239 2222.
Website:
www.sdurbankitchen.com Price: $$$
Budget Café Chloe A charming café, wine bar and bistro in one, the elegant, European style
Café Chloe in Downtown’s up-and-coming East Village is a chic and friendly place with award-winning French-inspired dishes on offer. The food is fabulous, from the steak frites to the chicken and wild mushroom
vol au vent, and the prices are very reasonable.
721 Ninth Avenue
Tel: (619) 232 3242.
Website:
www.cafechloe.com Price: $$
El Indio A San Diego culinary institution since the 1940s,
El Indio in Little Italy/Middletown not far from the airport is probably San Diego’s most famous Mexican restaurant. It is rumoured that three US presidents have ordered food from El Indio to be sent to Washington DC! Abundant portions of fresh, high-quality sonora-style Mexican food await visitors to this popular restaurant. The vegetarian menu is highly recommended.
3695 India Street
Tel: (619) 299 0333.
Website:
www.el-indio.com Price: $
Greek Islands Café Very relaxed and casual, as well as thoroughly authentic,
Greek Islands Café on the waterfront in Seaport Village is a charming place with a personality of its own. Proper Greek home-cooked food is on offer - Greek lasagne,
baklava, stuffed grape leaves and
gyro sandwiches. The views of the harbor are great, and the whole experience is a little bit like being transported to a local eatery on some Greek island in the Mediterranean.
879 West Harbor Drive
Tel: (619) 239 5216.
Website:
www.greekislandscafe.com Price: $
Personal Recommendations Corvette Diner A true San Diego landmark and one of the best 1950s style diners in the US,
Corvette Diner is a fun place to visit. The music is great, and the waitresses in their poodle skirts and bouffant hairdos know how to create a good party atmosphere. And then there’s the food: a huge menu and massive portions. There are some vegetarian dishes, but the focus is on traditional American diner fare like burgers, chicken sandwiches and meat loaf. The dessert menu is absolutely enormous!
3946 Fifth Avenue
Tel: (619) 542 1476.
Website:
www.cohnrestaurants.com Price: $
Hash House a Go Go Hash House a Go Go in Hillcrest lives up to its mission statement of keeping the fun in food and maintaining a level of excitement and entertainment during the dining experience. Huge portions of innovative and utterly delicious versions of classic American dishes and a friendly, bustling atmosphere ensure that visitors take enjoyment both from the food and the ambience. Long queues on weekends is proof of the enduring charm of this modern-day diner.
3628 Fifth Avenue
Tel: (619) 298 4646.
Website:
www.hashhouseagogo.com Price: $$
Region Opened in 2003 in Hillcrest,
Region is a restaurant with the overriding philosophy of making sure that guests can enjoy food in its original, pure and delicious simplicity. The chef has a very close relationship with local farmers, and the menu is written each morning pending his foray to the farms. This is simple yet sophisticated food, as it is prepared with the aim of bringing out the natural flavors and textures of the fresh ingredients. Reasonably priced.
3671 Fifth Avenue
Tel: (619) 299 6499.
Price: $$
Nightlife:Traditionally, San Diego’s marinas have been considered the best places to find great nightlife in the city. The development of Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter and the quiet growth of the city’s historic Little Italy neighborhood have changed that. Gaslamp is popular among locals and visitors as San Diego’s jazz quarter, although it is also considered one of the best places to find live American rock. Shelter Island is one of San Diego’s oldest waterfront dining and lounge areas. Located just west of the center of town, it is situated on the Point Loma peninsula and is a favorite haunt for locals and boaters. Similarly, Harbor Island, two minutes northwest of Downtown San Diego, has a selection of bars and dining establishments. La Jolla, approximately half an hour north of Downtown, is an upper-class area that is well known for its nightlife accompanied by breathtaking ocean views.
The minimum legal age for drinking in California is 21 years and photo ID should be carried. Alcohol licensing stops at 0200. The average price of a drink while out and about in San Diego is between US$3.50 and US$6, depending on the venue.
Listings and information for nightlife in the city is available online (website:
www.sandiegoartandsol.com;
http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com and
www.gaslamp.org).
Bars: Top of the Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, 1 Market Place, with a 360-degree view from 40 floors above the seafront of the San Diego Bay and the environs, is a mandatory stop for visitors.
Top O’ the Cove, 1216 Prospect Street, in San Diego’s beautiful La Jolla district, is primarily known for exquisite dining and outstanding seaside views but its outside patio is also a popular setting for a glass of wine or beer. Meanwhile, Downtown, the
Trattoria Mare E Monti, 644 Fifth Avenue, has an intimate, full-service bar featuring a wide selection of wines, including some of the best from California.
Casinos: Gambling is illegal in California, except in casinos located on Native Indian reservations on the outskirts of major city areas - for example, on the eastern edge of San Diego. The popularity of casinos in Southern California has provided new and stiff competition with Las Vegas, Nevada and Mexican coastal towns, such as Tijuana and Ensenada, which have been major draws for gambling fans in the past.
Casinos are a fairly recent arrival to Southern California and have become a trendy alternative to betting across the border. The
Sycuan Resort and Casino, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon, run by the Sycuan Indian Tribe in El Cajon, has a bingo room, cards, off-track betting and six different restaurants. El Cajon is a 30-minute drive east on I-8. The
Barona Valley Resort and Casino, 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road, offers an award-winning casino experience, a 400-room luxury hotel and one of the best golf courses in California. The legal gambling age is 21 years and a passport or suitable ID would be required for those lucky enough to look younger than this age limit.
Clubs: Café Sevilla, 555 Fourth Avenue, is a popular nightclub in the Gaslamp Quarter. The club features Latin and European music on Friday and Saturday, Brazilian music on Sunday and a range of salsa and Spanish rock on alternate days. Regarded by many as the place with the best ambience in the Gaslamp Quarter, Café Sevilla has been visited by many notable musicians, such as the Gipsy Kings and Grace Jones. Tapas dishes are served every day. The
Bitter End, 770 Fifth Avenue, is as much reputed for its unusual concoction of California martinis as it is for its live music. It is home to the ’Black martini’ and
The Underground nightclub, with a full stage for live music, a dancefloor and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system, as well as dancing every night of the week. The Bitter End is one of the only drinking establishments in San Diego that has a dress code, enforced in the upstairs lounge.
Martini Ranch, 528 F Street, is a classic, elegant night club filling the gap between casual and upscale and offering a relaxed atmosphere, virtuoso bartenders and great drinks. Located in the historic Gaslamp Quarter, it stays open every night of the week until 0200.
Comedy: Mystery Café serves up comedy with a dramatic twist. Located at the
Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia Street, the dinner theater includes a four-course meal and award-winning performance that involves audience participation. The
National Comedy Theater, 3717 India Street, offers a hilarious, interactive improvizational comedy show that is based entirely on audience suggestions.
Live Music: Undoubtedly one of the city’s most famous dining and lounge establishments, famed for its live jazz, blues and folk, is named after the American blues artist Jim Croce.
Croce’s, 802 Fifth Avenue, corner of F Avenue, was opened by his wife, Ingrid, 16 years ago. The venue hosts a wide and changing variety of musicians throughout the year. In May 2005,
House of Blues San Diego opened at 1055 Fifth Avenue in the downtown area. This impressive venue houses a multi-level music hall featuring national and local live entertainment and an excellent, full-service restaurant. Shelter Island used to be a favorite locale for entertainment and dinner.
Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, Shelter Island, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, hosts blues, folk and jazz performances both in its lounge and in its live concert venue outside.
Neimans, 300 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad (website:
www.neimans.com), features live music almost every night of the week, ranging from rock to salsa. Its turn-of-the-century Victorian architecture offers a unique and intimate setting. The venue is also well known for its fine dining.
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