San Diego

Stuff to Do

San Diego Zoo - one of the best zoos in the world
San Diego Zoo Safari Park - formerly the "Wild Animal Park", a zoo that has more room for animals to roam in
Old Town - San Diego's mission and other old buildings
Balboa Park - the park itself is very nice, as are several of the museums; the Zoo is in the northern part of Balboa Park
Sea World - protested by PETA but they've (somewhat) cleaned up their act and it can be fun for kids
Tijuana (or elsewhere in Baja) - Mexico is a short drive (or trolley ride) away
Beaches - lots of beautiful beaches including
- O.B. = Ocean Beach - classic SoCal
- Mission Beach - Great Dipper rollercoaster, Plunge pool, a bit like an East Coast beach
- P.B. = Pacific Beach - frat-tastic
  - Tourmaline Surf Park between PB & La Jolla is popular with surfers
- La Jolla - upscale
- Del Mar - nicest "beach"/sand, hard to find parking
- Coronado - somewhat fancy, but can be laid back
- Carlsbad - local favorite
Parks (Point Loma, Torrey Pines, water sports on Mission Bay, Cowles Mountain, San Miguel Mountain, El Cajon Peak, etc.)
Downtown Waterfront (USS Midway, Russian sub, Star of India ship from Master and Commander)
Legoland - up in Carlsbad, this is fun for kids of any age but especially ~4-6 years old
map of districts

*** = recommended (most others are "try sometime")

## = definitely want to try sometime

Eater San Diego - great articles about the food scene, and helpful maps like the 38 essential restaurants and hottest new restaurants
Thrillist San Diego - relatively good content, both on things to do & eat (e.g. their top 15 restaurants in town)
San Diego Magazine Readers' Poll - this at least tells you what's popular; here are the top-rated restaurants for 2023

The Desmond - California cuisine with an Italian/fusion twist, rec'd Eater & Thrillist
LAVO - Italian-American place rec'd Thrillist
Zama - Asian/Latin American fusion, rec'd Thrillist
Carnitas' Snack Shack - focuses on pork, was rec'd Eater; one location on the Embarcadero and another inside Petco Park
Lola 55 - in East Village, fancy mexican food/tacos, rec'd Eater...opening a Carlsbad location too

***Sushi Ota - 4529 Mission Bay Dr (PB) near the freeway, very difficult to get a reservation, unheard of 29 out of 30 rating on Zagat! Also rec'd by chowhounds and Eater...went here in 2010, was very nice
## Lanna Thai Cuisine - next door to Sushi Ota, rec'd Eater, good GF options
## The Fishery - seafood place in PB rec'd Eater
***Armonia Kitchen - delicious brunch!
Stella Jean's Ice Cream - branch of the popular small local chain, rec'd Eater
Oltre Mare - nice neighborhood Italian spot; can get a bit loud during dinner...the owners are from Milan and very sweet
Powerhaus Wholesome Pizza & Eats - pizzas for every diet (gluten free, paleo, etc)
The Grass Skirt and Good Time Poke - by day this is Good Time Poke, an excellent poke bar with sashimi-grade fish and really tasty stuff; by night it turns into The Grass Skirt, a bar/restaurant with a cool pan-Asian menu and tropical cocktails; the best part is probably how you get in (through a "freezer"), although we also liked the pork belly "taco", see San Diego Eater for more

***Wayfarer Bread & Pastry - in the Bird Rock neighborhood (near PB & surfer's favorite Tourmaline Surf Park), this place has amazing bread & pastries...the owner studied with Tartine in San Francisco and while I think I still prefer Tartine's bread, I will take Wayfarer's flaky croissants over Tartine's any day! Often a line on weekends, but it moves quick. On Eater's list of 38 essential SD "restaurants" (!) Closed Monday.
?Wheat and Water - pizza place in Bird Rock, looks pretty good? can also get on cauliflower crust if you're gluten-free/paleo
***Bobboi Natural Gelato - in downtown La Jolla, good gelato with natural flavors
Marisi - handmade pasta & other Italian stuff, rec'd both Eater & Thrillist
Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters - in La Jolla Shores, rec'd both Eater & Thrillist

##Market Restaurant & Bar - locavore place with tasting menu (although as of 2023 it's $79 for 3 courses, which isn't bad for this kind of place?) fancy restaurant; the bar/lounge have sushi/sashimi, rec'd Eater

***Cesarina - delicious pastas & lasagnas, including gluten free options, a really nice spot
Açaí Carioca - seems very popular with Brazilians??
Supannee House of Thai - rec'd Eater
Meet Dumpling - Chinese dumplings rec'd Eater
Northside Shack Point Loma - acai bowls including gluten-free hemp granola, might be worth checking out?
South Beach Bar & Grill - 5059 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach, overlooking the ocean, some people think they have among the best fish tacos in town (crispy fried mahi mahi with lots of sauce on a flour taco, so perhaps less "Baja authentic" but still good)
Raglan Public House - pub with burgers, New Zealand themed, pretty good food

***The Great Maple - awesome for breakfast/brunch, with lots of carby deliciousness smothered in caramel, but also other stuff. We especially liked the brisket and goat cheese popovers. On one Thrillist editor's list as the best restaurant in town.
##Al Dente - Sicilian/Neapolitan Italian rec'd Thrillist, also has GF pasta
Wormwood - French food / absinthe bar rec'd Thrillist
Patisserie Melanie - pastry shop that is so popular that it apparently sells out, rec'd Eater
***Gelati & Peccati - pizza-by-the slice (Roman style, what the Italians call "pizza al taglio") with amazing flavors (and GF options), plus some not-too-shabby gelato; note that the North Park location is really small, with the only seating basically outside on the sidewalk
North Park Creamery - delicious soft-serve ice cream (they had a nice blueberry when we went!) made with organic dairy
Grand Ole BBQ Y Asado - rec'd Eater
Super Cocina - 3627 University Ave (@ 36th St in Normal Heights, just off 15/805), 619-584-6244, M-Sat 8-8:30, home-style mexican food, meaty stews laid out on steam tables, carnitas... http://theeatenpath.com/2010/02/11/super-cocina-san-diego-ca/
City Tacos - fancy tacos rec'd Eater
Ranchos Cocina - vegetarian & vegan Mexican food rec'd Eater

(Note that locals pronounce it "CHOO-luh VIH-stah," not the Spanish pronunciation)

Market on 8th - in National City (near Chula Vista), a cool "food hall" rec'd Eater
El Cacho Fish Tacos - in Tia Juana Food Court, rec'd Eater
Aqui Es Texcoco - [nopales/serranos cactus salad, ##pancita tripe, ##barbacoa de borrego marinated lamb, salsa negra...] --> get Flautas (rolled tacos) de Barbacoa, Tacos (rib, cabeza, etc?, Orden, Cabeza, or Mixiotes? ...also has huitlacoche (corn smut/fungus) Also see:blog review, Yelp page, rec'd by Eater
Tacos El Vaquero - rec'd Eater
Mariscos German - a bit south of Chula Vista near San Ysidro, some people say these are the most authentic fish tacos in town
Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro (in Bonita, E of Chula Vista) - 4346 Bonita Rd, rec'd by Eater for "Baja Med cuisine"