Downtown San Diego at dusk. | Kevin Carter/Getty Images Unofficial, highly opinionated information about America’s Finest City The weather in perpetually sunny San Diego sometimes overshadows the food, but the spotlight on the local restaurant scene is growing brighter by the day. There is a refreshing diversity of cuisines now available and the city’s chefs are capitalizing on their unparalleled access to a treasure trove of seasonal produce and seafood. Pair that with an industry-leading craft beer and cocktail scene and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. This guide is a primer to all things San Diego dining, from details on the area’s iconic dishes to a breakdown of crucial neighborhoods to know. Welcome to the Land of Laid-Back Dining San Diego’s near-constant temperate climate means year-round outdoor dining, with flip-flops and board shorts representing the uniform of choice. Though the city’s general sensibilities lean casual, that doesn’t mean its restaurants don’t cook with serious intention. From kitchens that are steadfastly dedicated to the farm-to-table philosophy to those faithfully translating traditional Asian flavors — Japanese cuisine is particularly strong here — San Diego is much more than sandy beaches and sunshine. And many local attractions are highlighted by worthy food: Take in a Padres game to sample some of the best ballpark eats in the country or day trip to Mexico to explore its culinary wonders. And finally, the food scene at large is taking notice of San Diego: the 2025 Michelin Guide California includes the one Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie, Soichi Sushi, and Valle as well as the three Michelin-starred Addison. For a quick San Diego snapshot, savor local seafood at the Fishery followed by tacos at Tacos El Gordo, chase it with a pint of beer at Blind Lady Ale House or a margarita at Cantina Mayahuel, and cap things off with seasonal pie and fire roasted vegetables at Tribute Pizza and a final nightcap at Roma Norte. Where to Start on Eater San Diego's Top Maps Eater has spent lots of time rounding up the best of the best in San Diego to make hunting for food streamlined and easy with special maps in categories that make the most sense to San Diegans. Even still, it’s a lot of information to sift through, so for those who are particularly hungry or short on time, Eater editors have collected the best of the best here, along with listing several food categories that shouldn’t be skipped in San Diego. Hot Restaurants: The San Diego heatmap is designed to make finding a new restaurant a little simpler. Updated monthly, the buzzy list includes Starlite, a dramatically resurrected San Diego institution that lives up to its celestial name. There’s also Leu Leu, a lush passion project from Top Chef’s Claudette Zepeda that crosses foodways from the Levant region, Peru, Japan, and Baja California. Rounding out the list is Wildflour Delicatessen, an all-day destination tucked into historic Liberty Station. Essential Restaurants: This guide is composed of 38 essential restaurants that help define San Diego and its cuisine. Updated quarterly, the list pulls together dining destinations like Wolf in the Woods, an effortlessly charming wine bar and bistro with a must-try sweet corn and piñon soup, and modern Vietnamese stunner Kingfisher, whose outdoor grilled skewer Nướng Nights are not to be missed. It also highlights local favorites, like Meet Dumpling, a hidden-in-plain-sight Chinese standout with exemplary handmade dishes, and Atelier Manna, Eater’s 2023 Restaurant of the Year, where nourishing dishes and non-alcoholic tonics are crafted by some of San Diego’s top talent. Hot Bars: San Diego’s cocktail scene is progressive and diverse, ranging from hidden speakeasies to tropical tiki bar haunts. There are exceptional neighborhood hangouts serving affordable cocktails and comforting eats, like Happy Medium and Swan Bar, and top-tier hotel bars like Ponyboy. The cocktail heatmap is updated quarterly, but if you’re looking for a dive bar, we’ve got you covered too. Kimberly Motos The lobby bar at the Lafayette. Tacos: Tacos are king in San Diego, with every local pledging allegiance to their favorite shop and style. The South Bay’s TJ Oyster Bar is a great spot for sampling Baja-style fish tacos with a zig-zag of lime crema sauce, while Aqui es Texcoco specializes in richly flavored lamb barbacoa, slow-cooked in an underground pit oven. Burgers: It’s nearly requisite in San Diego that every dining establishment — from casual pubs to upscale restaurants — should have a good burger on hand. Luckily, many of them are worth building a night out around: Locals swear by the classic burgers at Rocky’s, around since 1977, as well as the wagyu beef, onion confit, Kewpie mayo sliders at Rosemarie’s Burgers. Coffee: San Diego is all about beverage excellence, be that beer, cocktails, or coffee, with new roasters and third-wave cafes opening regularly. Steady State Roasting is an industry favorite for locally roasted beans and pour overs, while Mnemonic Coffee near Balboa Park makes some of the most unique caffeinated creations in town. Kimberly Motos Kare kare at Animae. Filipino food: Home to the second-largest Filipino-American population in the nation, San Diego County offers an extensive selection, from casual cafeterias and full traditional Filipino restaurants to trays of fried lumpia and pancit. Progressive takes on classic dishes like tuna kinilaw can be found at Animae citrus-marinated in calamansi with coconut, while White Rice Bodega reworks garlic rice bowls with pork or mushroom and tofu sisig with peppers and onions. Ramen: Japanese food is one of San Diego’s strong suits and the city’s ramen options are particularly notable. Though all styles are represented, classic tonkotsu reigns supreme; several shops even make their own noodles. Santouka, located within Mitsuwa Marketplace (which is worth a visit to browse the market goods, too), and Menya Ultra Ramen are local favorites, while Ramen Nagi at Westfield UTC also attracts consistent crowds. Outdoor Dining: The enviable weather means that patio dining is a year-round pastime — there’s no shortage of rooftop bars, beer gardens, or charming sidewalk cafes. Dine on sustainable seafood and a substantial selection of seasonal vegetables with an ocean view at Serea Coastal Cuisine, or take in views of the city skyline and descending planes from the rooftop deck at Mister A’s. San Diego Food Neighborhoods to Know San Diego has a range of key neighborhoods offering various dining styles and cuisines, from buzzy restaurants to cozy gems to low-key mom-and-pop shops. Get to know each locale’s culinary personality by spending a day or evening dining your way through its restaurants; this list highlights a few of the standout spots in each area. Little Italy With roots in San Diego’s original Italian community, this waterfront neighborhood has become the epicenter of buzzy restaurants in recent years. Its walkable streets offer everything from casual cafes to celebrity chef showcases. Get a taste of the old country at Mona Lisa Italian Foods or Assenti’s Pasta, both of which have been fixtures in the area for decades, supplying handmade pasta, fresh sausages, and stacked sandwiches. Though it still holds a fair number of Italian restaurants, the area has become the home to some of San Diego’s highest-profile restaurants including Herb and Wood, Juniper and Ivy, Kettner Exchange, and Born and Raised. Kearny Mesa Haley Hill Photography The bar at Realm of the 52 Remedies Anchored by Convoy Street, this compelling neighborhood is the de facto hub for Asian food in San Diego. A diverse crowd frequents its unpretentious restaurants featuring a wide array of regional cuisines, as well as boba tea and dessert shops. Yakitori Hino is a popular industry hangout for grilled skewers, with its best chef recently branching out to open Yakitori Tsuta, San Diego’s first omakase yakitori restaurant. Down the street, Menya Ultra Ramen is the gold standard, known for its bowls of well-balanced broth and springy noodles. Eater San Diego’s 2017 Restaurant of the Year, Menya is still drawing crowds to Kearny Mesa, where its Japanese ramen master oversees the daily production of small batches of noodles. Finish off an evening in the neighborhood at Realm of the 52 Remedies, a hidden-entrance speakeasy that could double as a sexy set from Crazy Rich Asians, with its glittering bar and lotus-shaped booths. Aside from the cinematic experience, the cocktail lounge features drinks made with Japanese whisky and sour plum, and Chinese bai jiu infused with matcha, along with a bar food menu that’s worth making a full meal out of. Barrio Logan Art and food are the main attractions of this vibrant neighborhood close to downtown. Tour the fascinating murals of Chicano Park and browse the area’s boutiques and galleries while checking out one of its well-established Mexican restaurants. Fish Guts sources local rockfish for a variety of classic and more creative fish tacos while woman-led Mujeres Brew House offers locally brewed beer flights on a large, colorful patio. Feeding the community since 1933, Las Cuatro Milpas is revered for its homemade tortillas and comforting bowls of rice and beans. Hayes Burger is already among the city’s essential burger joints, beloved for chuck beef patties—mustard-fried by request—served in a brioche bun. La Jolla Haley Hill Photography Wayfarer Bread Pastry Often referred to as the “Jewel by the Sea,” the coastal community of La Jolla is known for its picturesque beaches and stately homes. Its main thoroughfare, Prospect Street, alternates with boutiques and ocean-view restaurants ranging from casual to high-end. Visit George’s at the Cove, a multi-level dining complex, which includes a rooftop terrace cafe and a cocktail bar lounge, or head to La Jolla Shores for Sandpiper’s fresh oysters and wood-grilled meats. In fact, no visit to La Jolla is complete without some serious seafood scavenging: El Pescador is exceedingly popular with locals for its market, where cases are stocked with fresh catches from the waters of Baja and San Diego, and customers can find a straightforward menu of salads, sandwiches, and grilled fish plates. Technically located in the adjacent neighborhood of Bird Rock, Wayfarer Bread and Pastry is a destination bakery and cafe that frequently sells out of its exemplary baked goods, from croissants and English muffins to loaves made with heirloom grains. North County Shutterstock Encinitas sign North County comprises a number of communities situated north of San Diego proper, including Carlsbad and Vista. Known for world-famous surf spots and pricey homes, this area may be in the suburbs, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on good food. Market Restaurant + Bar is an upscale, farm-to-table temple presided over by chef Carl Schroeder — a Culinary Institute of America and Michael Mina restaurant alum — while chef Davin Waite is renowned for his unconventional but reverential take on sushi at Oceanside’s Wrench and Rodent. (Waite also creates plant-based versions of Wrench’s dishes at The Plot.) In Carlsbad, chef Eric Bost leads the Michelin-starred, French-inflected Jeune et Jolie as well as the more casual Campfire and vibey new all-day cafe Wildland. Head inland to visit Prager Brothers Artisan Breads for house-milled multigrain sourdough loaves, buttery croissants, and local fruit galettes along with pizza and ready-made sandwiches. Reservations to Make in Advance Even on peak nights, you’ll usually be able to find somewhere to eat at the last minute, since dining out in San Diego is a generally relaxed endeavor. But there are still some places where you’ll want to book as far in advance as possible. With space at a premium, sushi bars tend to fill up quickly, so at top spots like Soichi Sushi and Sushi Tadokoro, where sitting in front of a sushi master is the only way to go, be sure to reserve a seat ahead of time. Reservations are also a must at high-profile chef showcases like Animae, home to James Beard Award finalist Tara Monsod; the jaw-dropping immersive experience of Middle Eastern Leila; and the otherworldly outer space tiki mashup that is Mothership. Follow the News Eater San Diego is updated weekdays with breaking news stories (restaurant openings, closings, etc.), maps, features, and more. Here are a few ways to stay in the loop: Keep an eye on the Eater San Diego homepage. New stories will always appear near the top and flow down toward the bottom of the page as they get older, while important recent stories will stay pinned right at the top. Also, check out Eater LA and Eater SF and our big sister, Eater.com, for national and international food news. Subscribe to our newsletter, which goes out twice weekly and includes links to top stories. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter or Instagram for updates on new stories and more throughout the day. Interested in upcoming restaurant openings? Check out the Coming Attractions tag. Get in Touch Have questions not answered here? Want to send in a tip or a complaint or just say hello? Here are some ways to get in touch with the Eater San Diego staff: Email us at sandiego@eater.com Send us a tip, which can be anonymous if you choose, at our tipline. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ...read more read less