San Diego Food + Drinks Worth Seeking

Beach San Diego

Ocean Beach Pier is a short walk from laid back favorites like Hodad's and South Beach Bar & Grille.

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San Diego is a sprawling city that can be tricky to navigate as long as you’re willing to stray from tourist zones like the Gaslamp Quarter. No longer thank to these 14 San Diego restaurants worth seeking from Chula Vista to Rancho Sante Fe.

Establishments appear in alphabetical order, not by preference.

Izakaya Masa (928 Fort Stockton Drive, Mission Hills, 619.542.1354)

A double-decker strip mall in Mission Hills houses an izakaya named for the chef-owner, complete with decorative fans, paper lanterns, SoftBank Hawks baseball and sumo memorabilia. They have a large selection of sushi, a wealth of Japanese small plates, three variations on tonkotsu ramen, and options from the earth and sea that grace an effective grill.

MUST ORDER: Homemade Shrimp Gyoza, Grilled Beef Tongue

Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey (155 Mata Way, San Marcos, 800.918.6816)

Beer San Diego

Beer San Diego

Sister breweries The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing share a San Marcos industrial park home, overseen by legendary brewmaster Tomme Arthur, who’s best known for barrel-aged and sour beers, but also produces a variety of sessionable ales. The original home of Stone Brewing Co. now stacked barrels to the ceiling, including an aging room emblazoned with the motto “In Illa Brettanomyces, Nos Fides,” which translates as In These Wild Yeasts We Trust. Barstools consist of kegs topped with hop sacks. The L-shaped bar faces a blackboard menu and 24 taps, which correspond either to a cross or colorful flip flop. The dual brewery also provides a Vintage Bottle List loaded with rare beers at reasonable prices, but only if you pour on-site.

MUST ORDER: Angel’s Share, Mongo IPA, High Tide IPA

Pizzeria Bruno (4207 Park Boulevard, San Diego, 619.260.1311) [CLOSED]

Pizza San Diego

Detroit-loving pizzaiolo Peter Lutz takes Neapolitan style pizza so seriously that he sourced the oven from Naples-based artisan Stefano Ferrara and even gave his dome a name, Bruno, which feasts on fiery oak wood. He presides behind an open kitchen and molds every dough ball, resulting in a pillowy, blistered crust. He features a number of different toppings, but a basic Margherita is a good first test, which includes San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil plucked to order from a drawer so it doesn’t wilt, and olive oil poured from a pitcher right before serving. Pizzeria Bruno also has a respectable craft beer roster.

MUST ORDER: Margherita Pizza

Sitar (9450 Scranton Road, Sorrento Valley, 858.535.1941)

Indian Food San Diego

Sitar, a Sorrento Valley restaurant from friends Balvir Gahunian and Kuldip Singh, features a large Indian menu, and on Saturday nights, a high value buffet takes center stage in an otherwise empty food court. The row of chaffing dishes might tout well-spiced chicken and vegetable preparations. Regardless, expect puffy tandoor-blistered naan; tossed-to-order papdi chaat, a salad with an array of flavors and textures; and a comforting sweet for dessert.

MUST ORDER: Saturday Buffet, Chicken Vindaloo, Chicken Tandoori, Malai Kofta, Papdi Chaat

Stone World Bistro & Gardens (1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido, 760.471.4999)

Beer San Diego

Stone Brewing Co. may have had humble origins in San Marcos, but thanks to brash front man Greg Koch and brewing partner Steve Wagner, the venture’s becoming increasingly big and bold. The headquarters is now a 50,000 square foot facility alongside Escondido’s Citracado Parkway. The space features a glass-fronted brewhouse, an indoor-outdoor bar and bistro crafted from wood, wrought-iron and stone, complete with gargoyle imagery, market-driven food and lush gardens. Beertenders pour a wide variety of house beers, plus selections from other notable breweries. Beer flights are readily available, as are lazy afternoons.

MUST ORDER: Seasonal Stone Beers, Brewery Tour

Wa Dining Okan (3860 Convoy Street, Kearny Mesa, 858.279.0941)

Japanese Food San Diego

In the back corner of Kearny Mesa’s Sunrise Towne Centre, this izakaya houses a rectangular wood bar ringed with tables and shelves of sake bottles. Lunch is an especially good time to visit, featuring comprehensive lunches that come with bowls of seaweed-laced rice, vegetable-laden miso soup, and vegetable-focused side dishes both pickled and cooked. The experience is all rather comforting. After all, okan translates to English as “mother.”

MUST ORDER: Crispy Chicken, Salmon Teriyaki

Zumbar Coffee (10920 Roselle Street, Sorrento Valley, 858.622.0000)

Coffee San Diego

Sorrento Valley scientists and Coaster train commuters benefit from Steve Rayle’s coffee company, which first started buzzing in 2003. The world traveler began with a cart outside the Intuit office and now roasts in a strip mall cafe that contains wood banquettes and metal tables. A cast iron Probat coffee roaster, La Marzocco espresso machines and French presses yield single origin coffees and signature blends like El Mundo. The Hummingbird espresso draws inspiration from Africa, Latin America and Sumatra. They’ve even got a fridge for bombers of cold brew, plus chai that features housemade concentrate.

MUST ORDER: Hummingbird Espresso, Chai

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

Blog Comments

THE TORTAS AT EL GALLITO………..HO MY GOD !!!!!!!!

THE BEST………….EVER…….EVER……..

FREEWAY 5 AND. L. ST. IN FRONT OF TOYS R US STORE…….

Good list. While San Diego isn’t exactly the San Gabriel Valley when it comes to Chinese, I recently tried Spicy City and would not be embarrassed to recommend it to my San Diego friends seeking “authentic” spots. It’s reminiscent of the underrated Yunkun Garden/Yunnan Garden.

Jim,

Thanks for sharing an alternative to Dumpling Inn, the only other Chinese restaurant I’ve tried in San Diego, which wasn’t very special.

Stone has one of the best brewery/restaurant set ups in all of California. Good choice.

Zumbar is definitely my favorite, and I know I’m not alone.

I have been to Zumbar Coffee and Bird Rock Coffee many times, and while both are excellent, I have to say that Zumbar should have been number one on this list. Their espresso is unmatched, and the staff is as knowledgeable/humble as they come. The roast is spot on.

Jeremiah,

Glad to hear you agree with some of my picks. Stone has some detractors since their approach (and beers) can be so brash, but they’ve definitely carved out the nicest setting of any San Diego brewery, and it’s cool how ambitious their food and guest beer programs are.

In terms of coffee choices, Bird Rock only outranks Zumbar in the guide because they come first in the alphabet. I enjoyed both stops.

Any other places that aren’t in the guide that you really enjoy? Thanks!

I’ve been in Aqui es Texcoco and LOVE the food! I’m personally, not as adventurous to eat lamb brains but their vegetarian options are amazing as well as their care for traditional authentic Mexican food. Love them!

Patricia,

Glad to hear you also enjoy Aqui es Texcoco. You might like the lamb brains. They’re minced with epazote, onion and serrano chilies and loaded into griddled corn tortillas. Really, this brain’s about as approachable as it will get, and delicious.

Excellent selection of San Diego spots. Thanks.

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