Best Of San Diego

I have lived in San Diego for more than 10 years now and figured it was about time to capture all my favorite things, eats and dos in one convenient to reference area in case you ever take the trip out west! This blog post will be a living document and I will update ideas as I experience them.

Let's dive in!

Favorite Lunch Restaurants:

• Oscars Mexican Seafood – Looks sketchy, but trust me, it’s so good!

• Powerhouse Pizza – Healthy, high protein pizza. Tell Anisha I sent you!

• Rubicon Deli – Amazing sandwiches

• Lupe’s Taco Shop

• Carnitas Snack Shack – Amazing carnitas tacos

• Puesto – Yummy tacos. I love the La Jolla location

Favorite Dinner Restaurants:

• Buona Forchetta (South Park location) – The absolute best Italian food!

• Chiba Sushi (by the Stadium) – Hole in the wall, cheap, super fresh sushi

• Volcano Rabbit – Modern Mexican

• Underbelly – Ramen!

• Bahn Thai – The best thai food!! I love their shrimp pad thai

• Phong Trang – Vietnamese

• Mr Moto’s Pizza – Watch out, they are huge!!

• Smoking Goat – Great burgers

• Soda and Swine – Such yummy meatballs

• Herringbone – A gorgeous restaurant in the heart of La Jolla

• Blind Burro – Such yummy plantain chips with their deluxe guac

Favorite Brunch/Breakfast Spots:

• Trust

• Morning Glory – The wait can be long, so weekdays are best here

• Trails Eatery

• Great Maple

• Lion Coffee – Amazing acai bowls

• Sidecar Doughnuts

• Bread and Cie Bakery

• Hillcrest Farmers Market – Sunday mornings 9A-2P

• Eggies

• Fig Tree Café

Sweet Treats:

• Salt and Straw

• Stella Jean

• Extraordinary Desserts

• Teuscher – If you do anything, you HAVE to visit Teuscher! This is a genuine Swiss chocolate shop with deliveries weekly from Switzerland! Tell Karin I sent you and indulge!

Favorite Breweries/Cocktail Places:

• Kairoa Brewing Company – They have a beautiful rooftop patio. Delicious food and great beer and cocktails

• Pure Project

• Duck Foot – Great for people with gluten sensitivity

• Belching Beaver – Their peanut butter stout is bomb according to Rio

• Ten Barrell – Good food and outdoor seating

Sightseeing Places to Check Out:

• Balboa Park – They offer historic walking tours and Rio and I highly recommend doing the bell tower tour at the Museum of Man

• Coronado – Visit the Hotel Del Coronado and beach, as well as Orange Avenue for cute shops and lovely views

• Gaslamp District – Downtown San Diego historic area where all the bars, restaurants and shops are

• UTC Westfield Mall – My favorite mall! So gorgeous with tons of shops and restaurants

• La Jolla – Check out the cove to see the smelly seals or head into the town for upscale shopping and restaurants

• Seaport Village – Beautiful place to walk the waterfront and enjoy harbor views

• USS Midway – Such a cool museum on an aircraft carrier! Great for kids!

• Little Italy – Beautiful cute little area with delicious Italian food

• Petco Park – If there’s a baseball game in town, definitely check out Petco Park! It’s one of the best parks in the country!

• San Diego Zoo – Totally worth it!

• Farmers Markets – They have them every day of the week in various areas, so just google the schedule and check it out! Hillcrest on Sunday is my favorite 😊

• Liberty Station - This area has a ton of space to picnic, throw the ball for pups, etc and also features an amazing indoor public market with delicious food and drinks!

• Bernardo Winery - This winery is a bit out of town, but totally worth a stop. They have delicious wine, adorable shops and yummy food, plus this spot isn't quite as far as a drive to actual wine country in Temecula.

Hikes:

• Cowles Mountain – Medium level hike, good for kids and pups if the weather is cool enough

• Pikes Peak - Accessed from the top of Cowles Mountain, it's a great way to take Cowles to the next level.

• Mission Trails Hiking Area – This park has tons of trails for all levels

• El Cajon Mountain – 12 ish mile hike! Only go on cooler days.

• Potato Chip Rock – So fun! Great photo opportunity!

• Torrey Pines – Picturesque views! Easy hike on a paved road.

• Iron Mountain - Fairly easy, well maintained path. Dog accessible on a cooler day.

Favorite Group Fitness Classes:

• Renegade Fitcamp

• Evolve Fusion Fitness

• Cyclebar

• Barry’s San Diego

• Stride Little Italy

• Yoga Box

• Belle + Barre

• Crossfit La Mesa

Out of Area Suggestions:

• Temecula – This area is about 1-1.5 hours North of San Diego and features gorgeous wineries similar to Napa (but much cheaper). Old Town Temecula is adorable and has so many good restaurants and shops!

  • Breakfast: Toast

  • Lunch/Dinner: 1909

  • Fav Wineries: Wilson Creek (get the slushie) and Peltzer

  • Favorite Meadery: Chubby Cheeks

• Safari Park: Located in Escondido, this is a San Diego Zoo sister park.