Mentioned by San Diego Explorer
Best Restaurants in San Diego by Neighborhood - The Ultimate Foodie Guide
"Buona Forchetta is all about pizza—Neapolitan-style, specifically—with blistered crusts, San Marzano tomato sauce, and five-star olive oil (Italian-born owner Matteo Cattaneo hails from a line of olive oil producers, and ships in his family's liquid gold by the barrel). Pies are simple, allowing high-quality ingredients like fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, and the much-beloved spicy salami to shine. Grab a seat on their oft-packed patio, illuminated by string lights and filled with leafy trees, and soak in the warm California night while you wait."
"One of San Diego’s most beloved Neapolitan-style pizzas can be found at Buona Forchetta, which now has multiple locations throughout San Diego County in addition to its original location in South Park."
"Enjoy a rustic Italian fine dining experience under their tree-lit outdoor patio or a quiet table inside their light and airy dining room which features an exhibition kitchen. Their executive chef has developed a menu inspired by recipes from all over Italy with an emphasis on local California farms and producers. One of our favorites that will keep us returning time and time again is the Saffron Risotto Balls, deliciously cheese stuffed and oh so flavorful."
"This restaurant is not local to San Diego but is California based. They boast some of the best views of the bay and downtown San Diego as well as the Coronado Bridge. Using traditional cooking techniques, they serve up authentic Italian cuisine and have an extensive wine list."
"When the craving for comfort food strikes, there’s almost nothing better than a trip to Whisknladel. This decade-old stalwart elevates classics like buttermilk fried chicken with gourmet mac and cheese and a side of pancetta braised green beans, and a menu that sources almost entirely from local farms. Charred bone marrow gets cozy with lemon and capers, while local market fish takes a swim in lemon butter sauce and the pork chop basks in a peach vinaigrette."
"At Whisknladle, you know you’re getting three things: Decadent comfort eats, local ingredients, and a plate of food your body will thank you for. Chef Ryan Johnston believes in a simple culinary philosophy: Food does not need to be overpowered, overmixed, or over-presented. Food, in its optimal form, is a culmination of the ingredients inside."
"This farm-to-table restaurant features happy hour specials daily from 3:00 – 6:00 pm. Come from work, the beach or one of many San Diego adventures and unwind with specially priced happy hour menu that includes appetizers, salads, wines, beers, and cocktails. The restaurant features open-air windows and a small outdoor patio."
"Open since 1998, Pomodoro Ristorante Italiano adds a bit of contemporary flair to classic Italian specialties. The menu offers a wide range of appetizers, salads, meat and seafood entrees, pasta dishes, and house specialties including homemade gnocchi and sea scallops in a white wine garlic sauce. Plenty of thought has been put into the extensive wine list and many special bottles are prominently displayed in a large wine rack on the wall."
"Owned by the same team as Bencotto, Monello has a similar aesthetic, but feels a few degrees more casual. The extensive menu features several pizzas, seafood, delicious fried things, and a lot more. If you’re craving a bowl of pasta, you’ll be well served at either location, but Monello gets bonus points for its pizza oven, being one of only a few Italian restaurants with a dedicated brunch menu, and for offering a free small plate with a drink purchase during aperitivo (4 to 7pm, daily)."
"Aperitivo is the main event at Little Italy’s Monello, the slightly more casual sister restaurant to Bencotto, which is just next door. Spring for the housemade vermouth cocktails with accompanying small plates and don’t skip the pasta in a wheel of cheese special."
"Buca di Beppo® is an authentic Italian restaurant that offers flavorful Italian dining. Dine with family and friends while enjoying the Italian traditions of food, friendship and hospitality. In the spirit of Italian culture, our dishes are served family style and are meant to be shared."
"The Miramar tasting room is now open for limited service Thursday - Sundays. The Gift Shop is open daily for pickup of their packaged beer, crowlers, growlers and kegs. They offer free delivery of order over $75 available through San Diego County."
"Earning the distinction of San Diego’s first Latino-owned brewery, Border X sticks directly to its roots by producing beers inspired by Latin American flavors, ingredients, and traditions. You’ll find hibiscus and agave in the Blood Saison and vanilla bean and whole cinnamon sticks in the Horchata Golden Stout, mimicking the creamy, traditional rice-based Mexican drink. And of course, there’s Abuelita’s Chocolate Stout, a cinnamon and chocolate flecked masterpiece."
"San Diego’s border location makes this an ideal city to sample Mexican-inspired beers and foods. What better place to taste than Border X Brewing, the premier Mexican-style brewery in town?. Tart-flavored Blood Saison with hints of real hibiscus and agave is a local favorite."
"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."
"Money can't buy happiness but it can buy you and your someone special a palate-pleasing pan-Asian feast of Korean fried chicken, 45-day dry-aged rib eye, Ora king salmon with pomegranate ponzu, or a variety of delicious crudos at "Top Chef" contestant Brian Malarkey’s latest entry in the San Diego fine dining scene. The space, a $5.5 million project, is awash in sumptuous shades of gold, chartreuse, and coral from the elegant chandeliers to the custom carpeting. Both can be admired while sipping something from the quality Japanese whisky collection."
"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."
"A stunning theater, the California Center for the Arts is absolutely beautiful, with a sound system that will amaze you. The California Center for the Arts has many events to consider, from theater to a plethora of concerts. There is also, a multimedia art gallery, where you will have the opportunity to roam around this lovely building and enjoy various international art exhibits, from paintings to sculptures and everything between!"
"Located on a 12-acre campus near the city Hall, the California Centre for the arts was opened in 1994. The Centre was inspired by Spanish colonial heritage and designed by Charles Moore. The Centre has a seating capacity of 1500 guests and houses a concert hall, a museum exhibiting contemporary art, a beautifully designed theatre with capacity of 400 people, a few art studios, some dance studios, as well as a conference centre."
"Performers and musicians from all over the world come to the center each year. From September through June, the Center of the Arts hosts a free concert every first Wednesday of the month. The concerts are a great way to expose kids to different genres of music."
"The San Diego Asian Pacific Historic District, San Diego’s historic Chinatown, is an eight-block district adjacent to and in part overlapping with the Gaslamp Quarter Historic District. The San Diego Chinatown is bounded by Market Street on the north, 2nd Ave. on the west, 6th ave. on the east and J st. on the south. 22 structures are considered historically contributing."