San Diego Travel Guide

Restaurants in San Diego, California

Restaurants
Gastronomic

George's California Modern
Spectacular coastal scenery and terrific contemporary Californian haute cuisine. The combination is likely to make any visit to this La Jolla standout 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 rooftop Ocean Terrace 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: $$$$

TheMarineRoom
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 pounding surf right outside its windows, the restaurant also deserves its reputation for culinary excellence. During the winter, the restaurant hosts special 'High Tide Breakfasts', with the waves crashing against the windows.

2000 Spindrift Drive, La Jolla
Tel: (858) 459 7222.
Website: www.marineroom.com
Price: $$$$

MilleFleurs
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. An exclusive culinary experience.

6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe
Tel: (858) 756 3085.
Website: www.millefleurs.com
Price: $$$$

Business

ElAgaveTequileria
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: $$

TheFishMarket
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 surroundings. Both levels offer remarkable views of the harbor and the Coronado Bridge. Downstairs there is a retail seafood market and a sushi bar.

750 North Harbor Drive
Tel: (619) 232 3474.
Website: www.thefishmarket.com
Price: $$

Sally'sRestaurant
Located right on the waterfront in Seaport Village, Sally's Restaurant is a friendly place with a lively atmosphere and excellent food. The main focus of the cooking is fresh seafood, and the restaurant's open 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.sallyssandiego.com
Price: $$

Trendy

BertrandatMisterA's
The 12th-floor panoramic views of the 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: $$$

LaurelRestaurant&Bar
Laurel Restaurant & Bar in Banker's Hill near Balboa Park has stunning, glamorous interiors that 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 won the acclaim of critics. Try the happy hour specials for a less-expensive sampling of the menu's best offerings.

505 Laurel Street
Tel: (619) 239 2222.
Website: www.laurelrestaurant.com
Price: $$$

Quarter Kitchen
The trendy Ivy Hotel's spacious restaurant draws rave reviews for its Kobe beef pot pie, caviar tacos and pretty, pricey dishes presented by runway-worthy servers. Tables by the sidewalk windows offer views of the entire dining room and the queues of eager clubbers awaiting entrance to the hotel's chic clubs. An expense account comes in handy.

600 F Street
Tel: (619) 814 1000.
Website: www.quarterkitchen.com
Price: $$$

Budget

CaféChloe
A charming cafe, 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: $$

ElIndio
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 and take-out stand. The vegetarian menu is highly recommended.

3695 India Street
Tel: (619) 299 0333.
Website: www.el-indio.com
Price: $

Café 222
Pumpkin and wholegrain waffles, peanut butter French toast and other bountiful breakfasts draw crowds of downtown residents and office workers to this offbeat cafe with a tiny dining room and a few sidewalk tables. The wait for a table is eased by coffee and conversation. The owner is a seasoned restaurant critic and consultant who knows her stuff and nourishes a loyal clientele.

222 Island Avenue
Tel: (619) 239 9902.
Website: www.cafe222.com
Price: $

Personal Recommendations

The 3rd Corner
Funky Ocean Beach is the unlikely setting for this chic bistro with a spectacular wine list and French-California small dishes like baked Humboldt fog goat cheese, sublime steamed mussels and perfect duck confit. Cases of imported wines divide several intimate dining areas; choose a bottle for sampling for a surprisingly low corkage fee. Local chefs are known to gather here for late-night confabs.

2265 Bacon Street
Tel: (619) 223 2700.
Website: www.the3rdcorner.com
Price: $$

HashHouseaGoGo
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 are proof of the enduring charm of this modern-day diner.

3628 Fifth Avenue
Tel: (619) 298 4646.
Website: www.hashhouseagogo.com
Price: $$

Point Loma Seafoods
This seafood cafe and retail fish market is always noisy and jammed, for good reason. The crab sandwiches on soft sourdough, ceviche still tasting of the sea, fresh albacore salad with mayonnaise, celery, and red onions and heaped plates of fried shrimp, scallops, fish, and squid with fries and slaw are enough to make a fish lover out of the most dedicated carnivore. Take your food to the enclosed patio or the outdoor tables by the waterfront for a postcard view of the marina.

2805 Emerson St
Tel: (619) 223 1109.
Website: www.plsf.com
Price: $

Nightlife

Downtown’s historic Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy neighborhood are at the epicenter of San Diego’s nightlife scene. New clubs open with amazing frequency, while older standbys constantly refresh their vibe. Rooftop bars with day beds and firepits are all the rage in Downtown, as are small jazz clubs and exclusive lounges. The beach towns all have casual local hangouts, many with outdoor seating. La Jolla, approximately half an hour north of Downtown, is well known for its classy nightlife.

The minimum legal age for drinking in California is 21 years and photo ID should be carried. Alcohol licensing stops at 0200.

Listings and information for nightlife in the city are available online at http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com and www.gaslamp.org.

Bars: Altitude Sky Lounge, 660 K Street, is a casual, fun rooftop bar overlooking Petco Park. Crowds assemble early for a bird’s eye view of baseball games and brilliant sunsets. The attitude is a bit more upscale a few blocks away at Eden, 600 F Street, the above-it-all poolside rooftop bar at the ultra-chic Ivy Hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel’s outdoor Moonstone Lounge and street-level Sweetwater Saloon, 207 Fifth Avenue, rock late into the night.

Clubs: Café Sevilla, 555 Fourth Avenue (website: www.cafesevilla.com), is a popular Gaslamp Quarter club featuring Latin, Brazilian, and Spanish rock. 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 Gypsy Kings and Grace Jones. The Bitter End, 770 Fifth Avenue (www.thebitterend.com), is famous for its unusual California martinis and its live music in The Underground nightclub, with a full stage for live music, a dancefloor and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system. Martini Ranch, 528 F Street (website: www.martiniranchsd.com), is a classic, elegant nightclub filling the gap between casual and upscale and offering a relaxed atmosphere, virtuoso bartenders and great drinks. Stingaree, 454 Sixth Avenue (website: www.stingsandiego.com), covers all the bases with six venues including a members-only VIP club and Rooftop Oasis. The movers behind the club have expanded their act into Pacific beach with Bar West, 959 Hornblend Street (www.barwestsd.com).

Comedy: Mystery Café serves up comedy with a dramatic twist. Located at the Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia Street (website: www.mysterycafe.net), the dinner theater includes a four-course meal and award-winning performance that involves audience participation. The National Comedy Theater, 3717 India Street (website: www.nationalcomedy.com), offers a hilarious, interactive improvizational comedy show that is based entirely on audience suggestions. Budding comedians test their material at the La Jolla branch of LA’s famed Comedy Club, 916 Pearl Street, where established acts are often showcased as well.

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 (website: www.croces.com), was opened by his wife, Ingrid and often stars the couple’s son, A.J. Croce. The venue hosts a wide and changing variety of musicians throughout the year. Top jazz, blues and classic rock musicians delight in the intimate supper-club setting at Anthology, 1337 India Street (website: www.anthologysd.com), at the juncture between downtown and Little Italy.

House of Blues San Diego, 1055 Fifth Avenue (website: www.hob.com), houses a multi-level music hall featuring national and local live entertainment and a full-service restaurant. Musicians have several other venues to choose from in Downtown, including On Broadway, 615 Broadway (website: www.obec.tv), and 4th&B, 345 B Street (website: www.4thandb.com). Humphrey’s, a long-time favorite venue on Shelter Island, 2241 Shelter Island Drive (website: www.humphreysconcerts.com), hosts blues, folk, jazz and rock concerts at its outdoor theater beside the bay. For more than 30 years, rock and blues bands have drawn crowds to North County’s Belly Up Tavern, 143 South Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach (website: www.bellyup.com), about 30 minutes north of Downtown.