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Welcome to San Diego's Great
Restaurants!
Great meals can
be enjoyed at simple places, like Balboa Park's quaint Tea Garden.
With an ocean as its grocery store and
fresh gardens thriving in the perfect climate, San Diego is a feast
for food lovers.
It may surprise you to learn that agriculture is San Diego's fourth-largest
industry and that the area produces more avocados and mushrooms than
any other county in the country. (The avocados we can understand, but
mushrooms???) At any rate, the point here is that San Diego County is
rich in produce. Seafood – led by a great variety of freshly-caught
fish – is a given.
This guide is devoted to pointing out some of the most popular restaurants
and dining spots in the area. Mostly it's a matter of convenience, knowing
the majority of tourists will be in and around the Gaslamp
Quarter. But there are also a few other finds included
here, and not all of them are fancy. But they are all spectacular.
Our favorite restaurant – as much for the atmosphere as the food
– is Cafe Sevilla. It is primarily a tapas venue, with live
flamenco or Brazilian music flowing from the bar to the dining area,
which resembles Spanish courtyard. The place is perfect for groups.
The bar is a lively place to meet and drink and there is a dance club
downstairs.
There is another Spanish restaurant that some locals prefer to Sevilla.
Ole' Madrid also has live music and even adds dancers to the
entertainment. The food is spectacular – more full plates than
tapas – and the small upstairs dining areas are really cool. The
crowd is younger and more American and after 10 it turns into a full-on
club. Sevilla is more quaint and has a real feel for the country; after
a few glasses of its signature sangria, one could almost envision actually
being in Spain.
Steak lovers look no farther than the oddly-named Gaslamp Strip
Club. No nude dancers, just excellent grilled steaks. This place
is packed on weekends. Fortunately, there's a good bar for waiting.
La Strada is a top Italian restaurant. When the kitchen closes,
the bar heats up. For enough Italian food to satisfy the Sopranos, Little
Italy is just north of downtown. Oddly, the main road is not Tuscany
or Roma but India Street.
Cajun cooking is the main attraction at Croce's, owned and operated
by the wife of the late singer. The jazz bar in the next room is almost
always happening. The Gaslamp has dozens of other restaurants –
The Rock Bottom Brewery is a solid choice – and it's fun just
to walk around, check the menus and pick a spot that looks personally
appetizing.
To eat cheap or to take advantage of the great weather and have a picnic,
Ralph's has a gleaming new Gaslamp grocery store; it even has an
escalator to the underground parking garage.
For expense account dining, the Harbor House in Seaport Village
is a top choice. Speaking of expense accounts, the Prince of Wales
in the Hotel del Coronado has tables on a terrace that overlooks
the ocean and food to match the view.The chef is a former Navy Seal.
Across the entrance to Seaport Village is Kansas City Barbecue,
famous not for its BBQ but for being the place where Goose and Maverick"
jammed to "Great Balls of Fire" in "Top Gun."
The best breakfast in the Gaslamp, by the way, is at Hennessey's
Tavern. This comfortable Irish pub is a Southern California institution.
Old Town is the place to go for Mexican food. There are a dozen
or so choices but for the kind of meals they actually serve in Mexico,
go to the Old Town Mexican Cafe. Plus, they make their own tortillas
– the BEST! - in full view by the sidewalk window. Fred's,
across the street, is much more of a cantina atmosphere. The food is
solid though not spectacular but the margaritas beat the ones at the
Mexican Cafe. Cafe Coyote is popular and now the cantina serves
the full menu.
 Okay,
here we go. San Diego is home to one of the best hamburgers on the
planet. In fact, our worldwide burger correspondent rates it #2
in the World (for #1, you have to go two hours north to Ercoles in Manhattan
Beach). Rocky's is a small, simple sports bar on Ingram
Street in Pacific Beach. All it serves are fries and 1/2-pound and 1/3-pound
burgers, the kind that fall apart like Ryan Leaf because they are so
juicy.
A slightly upscale version of Rocky's is Bully's. Here it's
the prime rib sandwich that is the star. There are a couple of locations;
the one in Del Mar is happening during horse racing season and the one
in Mission Valley is busy with business lunches during the week. And
it's not all men. Before Chargers games, it's THE place to go. For those
keeping score at home Seau's – the bar/restaurant owned
by linebacker Junior Seau – is the big postgame party and gathering
place.
Because San Diego's weather is so spectacular, one doesn't even need
to go to a restaurant to have divine dining. For example, in beautiful
Balboa Park is a Japanese Tea Garden. It has a patio overlooking
a deep valley on one side and an outdoor pipe organ on the other. Make
it a late lunch on a Sunday and while enjoying the chicken or beef rice
bowl take in the free pipe organ performance (2 p.m.). Considering the
atmosphere, there may be no better meal in San Diego.
For restaurants and dining and Pacific Beach, in Del Mar, La Jolla
and beyond, see our guides to Pacific
Beach and North
County .
 San
Diego Photo Essay!
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