Mentioned by 10Best
10 Best Outdoor Dining Options in San Diego
"Sugar and Scribe is a quaint bakeshop located in the heart of downtown La Jolla. Voted the best bakery by San Diego Magazine and La Jolla Village News the bakery serves freshly made bread, pastries, cupcakes, cookies, and cakes. All of their pastries and bread are made in-house daily and they use all seasonal and local ingredients."
"With a brand new 2018 menu, this Irish-inspired restaurant is helmed by Food Network Champion Chef Maeve. Their menu features a little bit of everything!. Attack your sweet tooth head on with Brioche French Toast, or try a traditional egg scramble or Eggs Benedict (they have four options)."
"Often called (informally of course), “the best coffee in North County,” Lofty’s three locations in Encinitas and Solana Beach mean you might find one without the lines. Its original location near Moonlight Beach is a local cafe and coffee roasting spot with specialty coffee and artisanal food decorated in industrial chic. A locally owned and operated cafe, Lofty roasts its own coffee beans."
"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:"
"What is it: The average gaslamp restaurant has nothing on Searsucker, where dramatic interiors, New American fare and a flirty bar scene are all on offer. Why go: An airy dining room with tufted leather banquettes and massive pendants sets the stage for proper sit-down dinners of tomahawk ribeyes and whole grilled branzino. A spirited after-work and weekend crowd clusters around plush couches in the expansive lounge for cocktails and noshable bites including duck fat fries and Philly meatballs."
"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."
"This charming, modest-sized, all-day bistro is big on authentic Parisian touches and flavors. Diners are immediately greeted at the entryway with France’s two major food groups: a French/California cheese “altar” and an over-sized ice bucket filled with chilled Champagne. The bright, beach-meets-Left-Bank dining room is lined with white marble tables, a red leather banquette and traditional wicker-style bistro chairs."
"No need to cross the Atlantic when you can stop into this casual Parisian-style cafe on Orange Avenue. They’re known for a wide selection of delectable cheese and classic dishes like escargots, steak frites, quiche, and croque monsieur. The menu features suggested pairings from their approachable list of French and California wines."
"Little Frenchie was one of my favorite spots on Coronado Island. There are many brunch places around, but this one had to be the cutest in my opinion."
"I got the half pitaya and acai, and the acai dominated the pitaya so I was not really able to try ..."
"The House of Pacific Relations International Cottages showcases the traditions of 34 national groups, some of which have their own cottages (build originally for the 1935 Exposition). The goal is to promote multicultural understanding through exhibits and programming. (Location: Balboa Park)"
"Founded in 1978 by San Diego State University professor of art Martha Longenecker, Mingei International Museum collects, conserves and exhibits items of daily use, such as ceramics. With a collection of 17,500 objects from 141 countries, the museum contains folk art from the third century BC to the present day. Longenecker studied pottery-making under the tutelage of the founders of the Mingei Association of Japan, which inspired her to bring the vision of mingei to America."
"Art speaks powerfully of the similarities and distinctions of individuals and cultures at this international museum for the "art of the people" (mingei). The museum has an 18,000-piece collection representing 140 countries around the world. Constantly changing exhibits enhanced by lectures, films, demonstrations, and other events make this a dynamic place for artistic enlightenment."
"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."
"Even if you’re broke, the Timken Museum of Art is always free, and if you have a Bank of America card, the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photogenic Arts are free on certain days. If you love art, check out the Spanish village. These are historic buildings turned art galleries and stores which have a lot of their work for sale. Even just walking through this area is a fun experience."
"This beautiful museum began in what was once the 1916 Mission-style home of Ellen Browning Scripps, noted San Diego philanthropist. (The Institute of Oceanography and the breathtaking oceanside park are named for Mrs. Scripps.) Expansion to the original building was completed in the mid-1990s. The museum houses an impressive collection of post-1950s contemporary art from famed California artists as well as works by Warhol, Cornell and Stella."
"It’s a rare phenomenon for such a sunny place, but it does happen, and it doesn’t have to be a vacation ruiner. Just visit somewhere like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). MCASD houses many different types of art, including paintings, sculptures, scrolls and 3D art installations that jut out from the walls and dangle from invisible strings."
"This museum has a few different exhibits rotating throughout the year and they make plenty of appearances on instagram. These exhibits have already left, but see the ones they have now here."
"San Diego Art Institute is a not-for-profit institution in San Diego, California, that is an experimental bi-national modern art center. It is situated in the historic building House of Charm in Balboa Park, El Prado. SDAI is the only contemporary culture association in Balboa Park that supports the creation of innovative art by providing exclusive space for artistic competencies of Southern California and Northern Baja to fraternize, exhibit, and bloom."
"By Oleg Alexandrov (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Visit this vibrant, community-driven museum and get a taste of the San Diego art scene right at the source: the San Diego Art Institute. This museum's mission is to connect contemporary artists from southern California and northern Baja with audiences and to showcase art in a way that promotes cultural perspective and understanding."
"A new exhibition of works by San Diego artists opens every four to six weeks in this 10,000-square-foot gallery, dedicated to the advancement of the visual arts through outreach, education, and exhibition."