Destination
Type of Restaurant
Type of Meal
Editors Pick
Read MoreAddison
The elegant setting, cuisine and 37,000-bottle wine list at the Addison make a meal here a truly special affair. Gusts will be treated to a culinary journey highlighting seasonal, local ingredients mixed with French influences. The menu changes frequently at...
Read MoreBlind Lady Alehouse
This modern-day tavern in Normal Heights has a cult following for its craft beers and wood-fired pizzas. Guests will appreciate the attention to detail and high-quality ingredients, including farmers market produce, cured meats from Italy and pint glasses engineered to...
Read MoreBorn & Raised
Walking into this glamorous steakhouse is much like stepping into the Roaring Twenties. The Gatsby-esque interior is bedecked in massive chandeliers and mahogany booths. After choosing your ideal cut of steak, you can add delicious sides like potato gnocchi and...
Read MoreBuona Forchetta
Now with several locations across San Diego County, Buona Forchetta is an indisputable favorite pizza spot for visitors and locals alike (and for good reason). The wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta do not disappoint, and the South Park location is...
Read MoreDonna Jean
This plant-based gourmet restaurant has been on the rise recently, and while San Diego is a hub for vegan eats, Donna Jean hammers in that it is certainly not a health food restaurant. Chef Roy's cast-iron macaroni and cheese has...
Read MoreEl Pescador Fish Market
This San Diego landmark has been serving high-quality local-caught fish for decades. Diners can choose exactly how you want their desired cut of fish prepared. With a relaxed, yet refined atmosphere, this is the perfect place to stop for lunch...
Read MoreGalaxy Taco
It’s easy to overlook Galaxy Taco as you drive down Avenida de la Playa; despite its bright exterior, the little Mexican restaurant is hidden behind a building—out of sight, just the way the locals want it. As La Jolla Beach’s...
Read MoreGeorge’s at the Cove
Located in La Jolla, this three-floor restaurant with ocean views offers a casual rooftop terrace, a craft cocktail-focused gastrobar and a fine-dining restaurant on its lower level. George’s serves contemporary California cuisine in its fine-dining restaurant, and on the rooftop...
Read MoreHerb & Wood
As the head of Juniper & Ivy and Bracero (two of Indagare’s preferred San Diego restaurants), Brian Malarkey is easily the city's most notable chef. Herb & Wood, his latest foray into fine Italian-American dining, is the best of his...
Read MoreIronside Fish & Oyster Bar
Fresh, delicious seafood and inventive cocktails are only part of the draw of Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar. The quirky and imaginative interior of this renovated 1920s warehouse, with its 14-foot copper bar, silver octopus bowl of chilled Champagne and...
Read MoreJuniper & Ivy
This modern warehouse with a rustic twist is an ideal setting for acclaimed chef Richard Blais’s “refined American fare with a left coast edge.” Highlights of the frequently changing diverse menu include black mission fig toast, pork and prawn rigatoni,...
Read MoreLittle Lion Cafe
This small cafe in Ocean Beach is one of the best brunch spots in the city. Located on an unassuming street by Sunset Cliffs with an easy-to-miss sign on a tiny building, the only people you’ll find here are those...
Read MoreNoble Experiment
The name is a reference to 1920s Prohibition, but there is no shortage of spirits or hospitality at this speakeasy. Entry must be stealthily made from inside of Neighborhood, an upscale burger joint. Once the secret door has been uncovered...
Read MoreNomad Donuts
The rotating roster of donuts at this North Park bakery includes tiramisu, passionfruit malasada, raspberry lavender, Thai peanut butter lemongrass as well as standards like vanilla bean-glazed and chocolate-glazed. The global palate represented is a nod to the three owners’...
Read MoreOscar’s Mexican Seafood
It is hard to go wrong with Mexican food in San Diego, but a must-try is Oscars Mexican Seafood in Pacific Beach. This establishment has been a hole in the wall for years, but has in recent years become popular...
Read MorePolite Provisions
This neighborhood bar is an ode to the corner soda fountains of yester-year. The expansive menu includes spirited cocktails such as the Kentucky Buck (bourbon, lemon, strawberry and housemade ginger beer) and Pine Street Sour (rye whiskey, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple...
Read MoreStone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens
One of the largest breweries in the country, the World Bistro and Gardens led the way in the craft beer revolution of the 1990’s by refusing to join the ‘Macro-brew’ trend. The craft brewery feels like a German biergarten (with lots of...
Read MoreSushi Ota
This low-key sushi spot is owned by celebrated Japanese Chef Ota, who worked in some of the best restaurants in Kobe, Tokyo and Osaka before moving to San Diego in 1982 to open his own. Impressed by the quality of...
Read MoreThe Godfather
Hidden by a name that sounds cliché, this family-owned, romantic eatery is one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. Reminiscent of 1950’s Sicily, the Godfather’s dining room is dark and velvety, and the ambiance is complete with formally-dressed...
Read MoreThe Red Door
Committed to sustainability, owners Tom and Trish Watlington take farm-to-table to new heights in this cozy neighborhood restaurant and wine bar. Their own garden produces more than 6,000 pounds of veggies each year for this Mission Hills restaurant, which has...
Read MoreThe Tipsy Crow
Located in one of the oldest buildings in the city, San Diego’s longest-standing beverage dispensary is complete with a bar, library lounge and underground comedy club. Its prime location in the Gaslamp Quarter (also its unmistakable yellow-painted exterior) make the...
Photo by Victoria O'Leary, courtesy IndagareRead MoreWayfarer Bread & Pastry
You'll know you're approaching Wayfarer when you spot the long line outside and smell the delicious aromas of the bakery. Located in the quiet coastal community of Bird Rock, Wayfarer serves up some incredible pastries (don't miss the cinnamon rolls), but...
