By Kevin Wilkerson, San Diego Blogger
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 urants 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.
One of my favorite restaurants in the Gaslamp – 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. After a few glasses of its signature sangria, one could almost envision actually being in Spain. That being said, the best sangria in San Diego is just a few blocks up Fifth Ave., at a place called Vin Syrah; there, they add not just brandy to it but also rum – ymmm!
Steak lovers have several excellent choices. Cowboy Star is generally regarded as one of the city’s best steakhouses, if not the best. Greystone, Butcher’s Cut and Huntress are also outstanding.
Il Sogno by the Gaslamp sign is a top Italian restaurant. It has live classical and jazz music every night of the week to add atmosphere to the fine meal.
The Gaslamp has dozens of other restaurants and it’s fun just to walk around, check the menus and pick a spot that looks personally appetizing.
For expense account dining, Malibu Farm in Seaport Village (example, $26 & up for three tacos) is a top choice. Speaking of expense accounts, Serea in the Hotel del Coronado has tables on a terrace that overlooks the ocean and food to match the view.
Speaking of views, about a 10-minute walk north of Seaport Village is Portside Pier, which is comprised of three restaurants (Brigantine, great for fish tacos, the quintessential Southern California food item; Ketch for nice burgers and such, plus they brew their own beer; and Migels) that are all perched directly in the water of San Diego Bay.
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.”
Old Town is the top 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 – the girlled chicken in the tacos is really good – though not overally spectacular as a whole but the margaritas beat the ones at the Mexican Cafe. Cafe Coyote is popular the cantina serves the full menu; it’s cartintas are marinated for 24 hours and there’s a roving mariachi band, which is cool (they play for tips at tables).
Given the fact that I’ve already mentioned Il Sogno, some of the best Italian food in San Diego is in Little Italy. People often ask me for specific recommendations and I always say “pick the one with the shortest line.” That is because they are all fantastic. The servers speak with an accent so think you have to speak Italian to understand them but notable ones are Born & Raised, Civico and Farmer’s Table. A personal favorite is Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant, which is like walking into an Italian village. Pro’s tip: resist the temptation to get filled up on the oh-so-good bread and olive oil. For pizza, Filippi’s is awsome; it’s one of Little Italy’s original restaurants. The to-go sandwiches at Mona Lisa are great.
Fun singles and couples should go to Coco Maya, a hip restaurant and bar with a patio overlooking all the Little Italy action.
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 the Padres in August because they are so juicy.
The burgers at Rocky’s are better than the more famous Hodad’s in Ocean Beach, although the latter is certainly worth the trip for its quirky decor. The difference in Hodad’s and Rocky’s is the quality of the meat, plain and simple. For food, but a far less funky atmosphere, you’re actually better off going a block down the street by the huge pier to South Beach for its tacos.
The burgers are also good at barleymash and Bootlegger in the Gaslamp Quarter, The Pub in Bay Park (a cool little spot that has thick wings that is more like fried chicken) and the awesome Waterfront Tavern in Little Italy, tho I nearly always wind up ordering the chicken chipotle sandwich because it is so good (pro’s tip: get the onion rings instead of the fries).
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. A couple other Balboa Park restaurants of note are Prado and Artifact at Mingei, which is Michelin 5-star rated, an amazing accomplishment for a place being in a public park.