You want to know the FIRST thing we do when picking a place to travel? Okay, maybe not the first, but easily one of the first couple of things we do… Find all the food! Thomas is truly the best at this, I don’t know where or how he gets all the hottest local spots (and all the big ones too), but he always finds them! This was no exception when it came to finding the best restaurants in San Diego!

If you missed it, we shared our favorite areas to hang out in when checking out San Diego, and now we’re back with all the hottest places to grab a bite to eat!

Where to eat in San Diego

Donut Bar

This famous little hot spot is the perfect stop if you have a busy day ahead. There are SO. MANY. DONUTS. And they are GIANT. We snagged two Monte Cristo donuts, a maple bacon, a pop tart donut (donut with a pop tart in the middle), a lemon blueberry and a Homer- which is exactly what you might think! All of them were delicious, and I am SO glad we had four people to help even out the tasting!

Juice Wave

If theres one thing San Diego has no shortage of, it’s acai bowls! We saw so many spots around San Diego, but Juice Wave was easily the best acai bowl in San Diego, and possibly the best acai bowl I’ve ever had!

Miss B’s Coconut Cafe

Stopped in here while on a recent girls trip to San Diego and it did not disappoint! I was with a big group and they got us in super quick! There wasn’t a single thing we had that wasn’t delicious. I ordered their plantain coconut shrimp and it was delicious! We also shared the coconut seafood ceviche that i’m still dreaming about.

Madison on Park

Madison on Park is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been to! They have a semi-open air concept that looks almost like a giant wine cask. It was absolutely stunning! But the amazement doesn’t stop there. The food was absolutely delectable. I went here on that same girls trip and was able to taste a few different dishes. We started with the brie and mussels with toast – both were absolutely stellar. For my entree, I ordered the Ravoli Rossini which was filled with spinach and ricotta and came topped with lobster meat… Talk about pasta heaven. I was also insanely impressed with their gnocchi! Possibly the best gnocchi I’ve ever had, making this spot a shoe-in for our list of the best restaurants in San Diego.

The Crack Shack

Crack Shack is one of those spots that easily flies under the radar, but there’s no question that it should be on our list of the best restaurants in San Diego! This open-air chicken spot is perfect anytime of day. Every single thing we’ve ever had here has been totally mouth watering.

Island Prime

If you’re looking for a steakhouse in San Diego, Island Prime should be at the top of your list! We went here for Thomas’ birthday and it absolutely blew us out of the water. A portion of the restaurant jets out over the water, providing the ultimate views of the bay! We ordered all of our steakhouse favorites – ahi tuna, tons of sides and a decadent filet. All lived up to our high steakhouse standards.

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Liberty Public Market

Liberty Public Market is actually a food hall – but it definitely deserves a spot on this list. There are so many delicious spots. We’ve eaten at Chris’ Ono Grinds, Latin Chef, Mama Made Thai, Parana Empanadas and the ice cream spot! All of which are fantastic.

Barley Mash

Brunch Brunch Brunch. If you’ve been following along for any amount of time, you know I have a serious love affair with brunch. We had actually received a rec to go here for dinner and enjoy the nightlife from a friend, but never made it. So we popped in for brunch and fell in love. If you enjoy all of the typical brunch items, but amplified this spot is for you! A few of our favorites included the super sticky cinnamon roll appropriately called the Sin-A-Bun, a veggie sweet potato hash, the breakfast burger, and lots and lots of bloody Mary’s from their extensive bloody Mary bar! Barley mash is easily one of the best restaurants in San Diego.

Pacific Beach Fish Shop

This is one of those super local spots that Thomas dug up. Tucked away outside of the city is this little fish market and shop. The main attraction (for us) was the halibut fish tacos. Sort background- Thomas’ family is from Alaska, and his mom really knows her fish, especially halibut, so we were on the hunt for halibut fish tacos. Unfortunately they were out of halibut, so we opted for the Ono fish tacos and they were amazing! Actually, all of the tacos we got were amazing. I loved how you chose your fish, then your seasonings and then if you wanted them fried or grilled! Options make me happy!

Casa de Reyes

This delicious spot in the heart of Old Town San Diego is fabulous for some Al Fresco dining! We love sitting in the open patio area munching on chips and salsa, and margaritas. Lots of margaritas. We all shared their tortillas soup and enchiladas. They were good and definitely reminded me of some of our favorite restaurants at home!

Buon Appetito

This spot in Little Italy is perfect for a nicer dinner out. We came in for our one nice dinner of the trip, by nice I mean we got dressed up, wore something other than comfy shoes, and drank lots of wine. Thomas’ mom and I shared their risotto and it was one of the best risottos I have ever had. She and I also shared the insulate tricolor, and holy YUM. The boys shared some kind of meat & pasta dish and it was fabulous. Definitely a great stop if you’re in the mood for something a little more formal- don’t forget to make a reservation!

Rust General Store

I mentioned this spot in our Places to explore in San Diego post, but this general store is just too fabulous to miss. Both Thomas’ mom, Janet and I love finding unique things, aka walls filled with tons of different spices and chocolates. So as you can imagine, we were both in heaven. The ladies in the general store were so friendly and incredibly helpful. We ended up taking home lots of their chocolates, unique salts and other goodies!

Extraordinary Desserts

If you are willing to look for it, you will find it. This immaculate spot is hidden away in somewhat of an industrial area. They have cases and cases of gorgeously decorated desserts and fun sweets to see!

The Cravory

After we filled up on Fish Tacos we needed a little something sweet. So to The Cravory we went! The Cravory had tons of artisan cookies that I could have never dreamed up, and of course, some of the traditional ones! Stop in, grab a dozen and enjoy them for a few days at home, that’s what we did!

It’s easy to see the list of the best restaurants in San Diego could go on forever! Did we miss any of your favorites?SaveSaveSaveSave