Best Fine Dining in North Island

"Described as a ‘left coast cookery’ and serving creative New American cuisine, this Little Italy venue has Executive Chef and partner Richard Blais at the helm and features a frequently changing menu. Within a modern and inviting space complete with exposed beams and colourful art guests can feast upon a host of delectable treats from snacks and raw dishes to plates both small and large."

"What is it: This lively upscale restaurant is the centerpiece of San Diego’s food and drink-obsessed Little Italy. Why go: The airy dining room here continues to be packed out by locals, thanks to chef Anthony Wells' continually shifting, inventive menu. We're talking delicious small plates and culinary-inspired cocktails."

"Behind the scenes content from the back of the kitchen is wayyyyyyyy underutilized IMHO. Note to restauranteurs: encourage your staff to be active on social media."

"1270 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA Elegant fine-dining chain with a seafood & steak menu, plus a cocktail lounge featuring live jazz"

"In San Diego, you can’t go far without spotting a place specializing in seafood like this spot a walk away from Hotel del Coronado. This waterfront restaurant serves regional seafood delicacies like Maryland-style crab cakes, seafood ceviche, and ahi tuna poke for lunch and dinner. Insider tip: Diners in your group who don’t eat seafood will appreciate their selection of meat and poultry dishes."

"Located upstairs from the more casual Fish Market, this refined venue offers views from Point Loma to the Coronado Bridge, along with cuisine that is nothing short of spectacular. An incredibly broad offering of seafood might include Scottish Isles salmon, South American lobster tail, Oregon dungeness crab, or Chilean sea bass that is all flown in daily. The romantic setting features crisp linens, flickering candlelight, impeccable service, and exhibition-style cooking."

"Chef/owner Carl Schroeder’s (Michael Mina and Bradley Ogden) North County restaurant has endured and thrived while remaining faithful to a hyper-seasonal cooking style inspired by local farms including the nearby Alice Waters-endorsed Chino Farm."

"This intimate and romantic, yet lively, Spanish restaurant features brick arches, dim lighting and black-lacquered ceilings. House specialties include an ever-popular and classic paella and halibut with salsa and goat cheese. The tapas bar offers more than 40 options, and the back bar is a sophisticated place where you can enjoy a pre- or post-dinner cocktail while being serenaded by local salsa, merengue and Spanish rock bands."

"San Diego is a thriving city constantly welcoming visitors from around the globe. With its endless sunshine, ocean waves, countless trails and picturesque shoreline, visitors flock to America’s finest city for relaxation, reinvigoration and rest. Some come for the laid-back atmosphere while others come for the outdoor activities."

"Someday we’ll be able to stop referring to time in pre-and post-pandemic terms, but for now, we’re just so incredibly grateful to our restaurant community for their steadfast dedication and for pressing ever forward when things seemed impossible to overcome. Even more incredible are the fearless entrepreneurs who forged ahead with new ventures despite the uncertainties of opening during an active pandemic. And so it’s with well-deserved thanks and high-fives that we proudly present our list of the most exciting new restaurant openings in San Diego:"

"Celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey of TLC's Mega Bites and Bravo's Top Chef opened Searsucker in the heart of San Diego's trendy Gaslamp Quarter. Sunday brunch is an excellent time to try this popular venue. The creative and witty New American menu features local favorites such as the Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich with mustard slaw and pickled jalapenos, and Sunday Bloody Sunday with golden egg, spicy shrimp and white cheddar grits."

"You thought wrong — the duck fat fries at Searsuckers, one of the restaurants of Top Chef alum Brian Malarkey, are fried in rendered duck fat, giving them a rich flavor."

"EncinitasSan Diegans can once again experience the cuisine of Executive Chef Claudette Zepeda, whose former restaurant in Liberty Station, El Jardín, was included on Michelin's Bib Gourmand list in 2019, at VAGA Restaurant and Bar, newly opened at Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas. Boasting expansive ocean views and a dramatic open kitchen, Chef Zepeda fuses diverse cultures with local ingredients from places like Chino Farms and Cyclops Farms in dishes such as heirloom bean soup, brisket buns, and Baja sea bass on a seasonal menu. The beverage program, led by Alexander Gregg, features rotating signature cocktails, local microbrews, and a dynamic wine list incorporating natural wines utilizing grapes from low-intervention/biodynamic vineyards.How to book: Reservations are recommended and can be made online via SevenRooms."

"The buzz:The Puffer/Malarkey Collective’s finally reopens with a dynamic new culinary director.The food: Now under the helm of acclaimed chef Tara Monsod, it has a lighter, more Southeast Asian focused menu. Sip a Chai Paloma (tequila, coconut chai, cinnamon, grapefruit) alongside savory uni shrimp toast or sweet and sour cauliflower. Then explore the sake menu while you indulge in A5 Wagyu, Shanghai crab noodles with snap peas, garlic chili butter, and cilantro, or Kare Kare Short Ribs with green beans, and eggplant.The cost: Hot and cold starters are $7-22, entrees go for $24-69, cocktails are $14-19, beer and wine by the glass are $8-25, and sake flights run $25.How to book: Make reservations for indoor dining via OpenTable."

"Make dinner a truly grand affair at San Diego's "it" restaurant, Animae. The 5.5 million dollar pan-Asian restaurant sprawls across 9,300 square feet and the ambiance is opulent and seductive. If you go on Valentine's Day, they offer a four-course menu for $95/person."

"For dinner, I’d recommend the nearby Island Prime, where you can dine with a picture-perfect view of San Diego’s skyline. READ MORE: The Best San Diego Beachfront Hotels"

"High-walled, sapphire-blue velvet booths, at tables 112 or 122, form a protective cocoon for you and your sweetie, while smooth-as-silk live jazz from the lounge drowns out the rest of the world. The Headquarters, 789 W. Harbor Drive, downtown San Diego."

"Don't be put off by the name, or that it is part of a small chain. This fine-dining restaurant at the Headquarters at Seaport in Downtown has...Read More"

"If you’re looking for a full-on, fine dining experience with elegant ambiance and sublime seafood, Eddie V’s is at your service."

"Next to Burger Lounge, near the heart of the downtown La Jolla, sits Coffee Cup, an assuming storefront with an incredible menu. Many of their dishes are a magical fusion of Asian and Mexican cuisine, utilizing unique ingredients for both their breakfast and lunch entrees. Top breakfast recommendations include: the Pesto Scramble, Soy Chorizo Scramble, Breakfast Enchiladas, and Coffee Cup French Toast."

"The Mexican Mocha is amazing as were all other entrees we tried. Highly recommend this place for breakfast in La Jolla."

"In-N-Out Burger is just a classic fast food chain out West, it originated in California in 1948. It’s famous because the chain has barely changed since then. Stepping into an In-N-Out Burger will take you back to the 40’s with its interior design, same small menu, similar prices, and high quality!"

"Hob Nob Hill is located in the Bankers Hill Neighborhood of San Diego. The restaurant sits adjacent to popular Balboa Park and the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and has been a staple of America’s Finest City since the 1940s, garnering the attention of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It has regularly received accolades from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association."

"A pure dose of dining nostalgia, this San Diego landmark has been serving up generous portions of classic American comfort food since the mid-1940s. With an expansive menu, dishes like the homemade roast beef hash and traditional eggs Benedict have kept customers coming back for more."

"This Bankers Hill eatery has been feeding San Diegans since 1944. Their popular prime rib dinners mean homemade roast beef hass at breakfast-time."

"Sipz Clairemont shares their passion through serving vegan versions of Asian dishes. They constantly promote compassion for animal welfare. The restaurant also encourages people to live a healthy lifestyle."

"Established in 1978, Mingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution that was established in 1978. Located in Balboa Park, the museum houses a variety of art forms from cultures all around the world, both past, and present. It includes nearly 20,000 artistic objects and artifacts from over 140 countries and focuses on folk art, craft, and design."

"Dedicated to art of the people (mingei) from all eras and cultures of the world, Mingei International Museum features dynamic, changing exhibitions of historical and contemporary folk art, craft and design."

"Coronado’s rich and complex history is a fascinating subject even for those that don’t consider themselves history buffs. The Historic Walking Tour sponsored by the Coronado Historical Association is a great change of pace and something your whole family will enjoy. Stroll through historic Coronado while a knowledgeable guide spills all the details behind the architecture and adventure that makes Coronado so unique."

"It is a not-for-profit organization with permanent and transitory exhibitions of local art & history and vast archives. It is a landmark Historical Association building that lies right in the center of the city. Also, there is a Museum Store that offers antique items for sale and a Museum Café in the Museum building."

"The Coronado Historical Museum’s collection includes art and ephemera from Coronado’s unique history. Check out a 22-minute video of Coronado that is shown every hour. *Small donation requested."