Best restaurants in San Diego

Obviously you’ll find the food trucks for which the city is famed, but if you want to venture beyond those for a proper meal after a long days exploring the area, we’ve put together a guide to some of the best restaurants in San Diego. Ranked as one of the top ‘foodie’ destinations in the US, there’s some real gems waiting to be discovered.

Rare Society

4130 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92103

Rare Society is an upscale restaurant offering a specialty of steak and seafood. The meat is grilled over open flames and service is quick, professional and friendly.

Kick things off perfectly with oysters on the half shell, or a king salmon crudo pepped up with dill aioli. A seafood tower is a masterpiece of sparklingly fresh Dungeness crab, shrimp and oh-so much more.

Steak ranges from delicate filet mignon through to Australian wagyu and huge 40-day dry-aged strip steak. Pair with truffle cream spinach and bearnaise sauce for the perfect bistro meal.

Jeune et Jolie

2659 State Street Carlsbad, CA, 92008

Sample authentic dishes at this French-inspired restaurant. Stop by for lunch and enjoy fine dining among a 1930s-style chic inspired backdrop. Menu specialties include ricotta dumplings with chestnut, black trumpet mushroom, celery and orange. Fish lovers should go for the sea bass, spinach, saffron, vanilla and warm spices.

Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations can also be made online. As the restaurant can get quite busy due to its popularity, its best to book in advance to avoid any disappointment.

Campfire

2725 State Street, Carlsbad, CA, 92008

The call of the wild draws you through the doors of Campfire and into the light-strewn outside spaces where you’ll dine on wooden tables and sleeper benches. Inside, the cool vibes continue with plenty of natural materials, light and foliage while you enjoy your food and drinks. The menu here is fresh, locally sourced and seasonal.

Campfire was created around the idea of eating around a campfire. So, imagine food you could prepare on your travels, with a twist and a bit more oomph. Birria tacos come loaded with steak, confit pork belly tacos are addictive, and you’ll be fighting over the last of the pepper popper wontons.

Photo by James Tran

Juniper & Ivy

2228 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Serving refined American cuisine which makes the most of local and seasonal ingredients, this chef-driven restaurant crafts dishes with passion and flair. Chef Anthony Wells has created a contemporary take on Californian cuisine and Juniper & Ivy is consistently ranked and reviewed as one of the best restaurants in San Diego.

Situated on the edge of Little Italy, expect dishes which change daily depending on the produce brought in each morning by local famers and fisherman. The menu is imaginative, and the setting and décor are contemporary and chic. The likes of rockfish tostada with pea chimichurri or chicken roulade with black kumquat tzatziki show the breadth of imagination on display here.

VAGA

2100 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Wanderlust is a good word to describe the vibe at VAGA. This San Diego restaurant has built its reputation on bringing the changing culture of the local area to customer’s tables through food and drink.

There’s nowhere bad to sit in this restaurant which offers sweeping ocean views and Latin-themed decor. Chef Claudette Zepeda describes the restaurant which sits on a coastal slope in Encinitas as a love letter to her hometown. Enjoy a locally sourced seasonal menu highlighting dishes such as carrot and coconut bisque, whole branzino dusted in ancho powder and an explosively delicious malted chocolate bombe dessert.

Trust

3752 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92103

Owner and chef Brad Wise has made a name for himself as one of the region’s best chefs and restauranteurs, meaning Trust is well worth a visit. After pretty much falling into cooking by chance, Brad works with five concepts that showcase the bold and smoky flavors he has become renowned for.

The food is cooked over an open flame, and, as its name suggests, is good, honest food, lovingly prepared. Serving ‘new American’ fare, Trust calls itself a neighborhood restaurant and works alongside local food producers. Hokkaido scallops are lifted to another plane by burnt coriander oil, while pasta lovers will adore the marriage of flavor and technique in braised oxtail raviolini.  

Mister A’s

2550 Fifth Ave 12th floor, San Diego, CA 92103

Serving top-notch seafood, desserts and drinks, Mister A’s is a fine-dining restaurant with first-class service. Often referred to as the ‘penthouse’ of San Diego restaurants, it has been a popular choice among both tourists and locals alike for over 50 years.

Just a few minutes from downtown San Diego with unmatched 180-degree views of the area, you’ll find a modern menu with both American and French inspired dishes. The restaurant has undergone a complete transformation and now the iconic space features an elevated lounge on the rooftop patio. Both the food and setting make it one of the best restaurants in San Diego.

Shawarma Guys

3012 Grape Street, San Diego, CA 92102

Shawarma Guys has been named one of the best places to eat in San Diego. The Shawarma Guys work out of their famous food truck and have been crowned the number one restaurant in the country by Yelp. Serving meat, vegetarian and vegan shawarma, salads, pittas and wraps, Shawarma Guys is great place to sample popular Middle Eastern fayre on the go.

Work your way through our list of the best places to eat in San Diego, and see if it really is the ‘food heaven of America.’ With plenty of restaurants to choose from, we’re sure you’ll have a great time wherever you go.

Get to know more about San Diego

As well as being a top choice for foodies, there’s so much else to see and do in this buzzing city. Check our San Diego travel guides for more inspiration:

• Best hotels in San Diego
• Best things to do in San Diego
• San Diego’s neighborhoods