eat, drink, & be merry: San Diego

eat, drink, & be merry: San Diego

As I head into my final weekend of living in San Diego, I am overwhelmed by all the spots I want to enjoy and explore before packing up and heading to Los Angeles for the next four-year adventure—OB-GYN residency! So, this iteration of eat, drink, & be merry will be more of a list of all my favorite spots, and can hopefully be useful to any future visitors or residents of San Diego!

A few notes:

1. Exclusively vegan spots are noted as such since some people might be actively seeking-out and others actively avoiding said spots (though, of course, everything is vegan-friendly).

2. My boyfriend, Kevin, saw this list and has “hundreds” of additions and wants a more “exhaustive list” including the U.S.S. Midway Museum under be merry, Polite Provisions under drink, and Alaskan Seafood Exchange under eat.

eat:

1. Awash Ethiopian Supermarket and Restaurant: North Park

-- Home to countless dinners with girlfriends, Awash is tucked behind a small minimart and offers some of the tastiest and most affordable food you can share with friends and family

 2. Civico 1845: Little Italy

-- A little on the pricier side compared to my other recs, Civico is right in the heart of a growing Little Italy and strikes a perfect balance between the ultra-hip and ever-growing neighborhood and its original old-school Italian vibe

 3. Tiger!Tiger!: North Park

-- A go-to bar and kitchen with amazing vegan and carnivorous selections. Order the curry fries and have your life changed for the better (not to be dramatic or anything)

 4. Tribute Pizza: North Park

-- A relatively new addition to the North Park strip, Tribute boasts amazing pizza and bread, a solid beer selection, and a key ingredient to coolness: occupying a repurposed post office

 5. The Original Sab-E-Lee: Linda Vista

-- A cash-only (come ready) authentic spot for Thai a bit off the beaten path, Sab-E-Lee is worth the invariable wait and stop at the ATM

 6. El Borrego: City Heights

-- Absolutely delicious food warmly prepared by a family of fabulous chefs. Try any of their delicious juices or local craft beers that they also keep handy to round off (I think) the best Mexican food you can have in San Diego

 7. Donna Jean: Banker’s Hill (Vegan)

-- A vegan establishment with as amazing brunch as dinner. A crowd-pleaser regardless of dietary restrictions in a beautiful setting just a block away from Prado (a perfect post-meal walk)

 8. Kindred: South Park (Vegan)

-- Another vegan favorite with an amazing cocktail selection, eclectic décor, and super friendly staff. I prefer here for brunch to enjoy the indoor-outdoor eating and sunshine

 9. Buona Forchetta: South Park and Liberty Station Locations

-- A family favorite, their pizza is fantastic and each of their locations has a different but equally wonderful vibe

 10. Mitch’s Seafood: Point Loma

-- I don’t even eat fish and this easily made the top ten. I love ordering their cauliflower, sourdough, and any of their great beers and my fish-eating friends and family love the other 99% of their menu. Bonus: you are on the harbor in Point Loma. Downside: seagulls are fearless

drink:

1. Noble Experiment: Downtown

-- A speakeasy in the heart of downtown, Noble Experiment is as cool, creative, and festive as bars come in San Diego. Only downside, the usual 8-12 dollar cocktail price (which I have come to appreciate after visiting friends in other major US cities) will not be found at this exclusive spot. Text ahead of time for reservations

 2. M Winehouse: Little Italy

-- A small house surrounded by modern loft apartments and some of the hippest (and priciest) bars and restaurants in down, M Winehouse is quaint, cozy, and successfully holding its own. Grab a board game and a table upstairs and feel like you’re enjoy Little Italy energy from the comfort of your own home (if only for an hour or two)

 3. Bottle Craft: Little Italy and North Park Locations

-- Such a great selection and ever-changing, Bottle Craft is a great stop to make for any beer lovers. They also have a great selection of bottle and cans to pack for beach or park picnics or to bring back home

 4. Toronado: North Park

-- Along the main drag of North Park’s 30th street, Toronado boasts a huge and impressive selection of beer including Pliny the Elder 365 days a year (that’s a big deal, I am told)

 5. Second Chance Beer Lounge: North Park

-- A newer player onto the San Diego beer scene, Second Chance is drawing in plenty of business with their amazingly tasty and cheap beer. Grab some take-out from Thai Time just down the street and head over to Second Chance’s indoor-outdoor tasting room for a local-like date night

 6. Bivouac Ciderworks: North Park

-- Do you love cider? Do you not love cider? I feel confident either way that this is worth a stop. A beautiful bar, this cider spot has brought some variety to a beer-dominated scene

 7. Amplified Ales Works Kitchen + Beer Garden: Pacific Beach

-- A bit removed from the scene of PB, Amplified Ales is uncharacteristically laid back compared to its neighboring bars and has AMAZING French fries, more-than-decent beer, and a rooftop beer garden overlooking the ocean

 8. Panama 66: Balboa Park

-- Owned by the beer and yum geniuses behind Tiger!Tiger!, Panama 66 has a similar menu and beer selection… but in the sculpture garden of the San Diego Museum of Art with (if you’re lucky) live music and merry people aging from age 3-93 dancing around

 9. Turf Supper Club: Golden Hill

-- Old school cocktails in a bar dating back to the 1950’s with a self-service grill smack in the middle and still in use by local and loyal patrons. Bonus: in addition to a tall, cold drink, you can grill a giant margarine soaked piece of garlic bread if you’re not in the mood for a hunk of meat (or mushroom). What other bar can you participate in the fun of grilling inside with strangers and the delicious taste of genuine old school?

 10. Modern Times Beer: Point Loma

-- Their main and giant brewery in San Diego is an epic space with even more epic beers

be merry:

1. JustRun Run Club: Bird Rock

-- A local run club, hosted by a local run shop in the beautiful area of Bird Rock every Sunday morning. The run is an out and back along the water and is truly meant for any and all levels. Yoga afterwards is on a grass bluff overlooking the sea and is truly free. With all that free and healthy fun, reward yourself to a decadent latte and the good vibes at Bird Rock Coffee roasters just a block away

 2. Hillcrest Farmer’s Market: Hillcrest

-- Every Sunday, Hillcrest farmer’s market draws a crowd of happy families and friends there to shop, eat, and enjoy. Local restaurant Anthem Vegan is one of many spots whose local fame and following started at this neighborhood market

3. El Prado: Balboa Park

-- Not a super original recommendation here but El Prado is a stunning part of the park. If possible, be there for sunrise or sunset to see the buildings glow pink, purple, and orange (and avoid massive crowds). I only recently incorporated El Prado into my usual running rout. I am sad to have wasted so many runs running through Mission Hills (that’s a joke because Mission Hills is a beautiful neighborhood I dream of living in but also not a joke because El Prado in the morning is a colossal pastel monument of epic beauty)

4. Park & Rec: University Heights

-- A great excuse to check out yet another great neighborhood in San Diego, my only University Heights-located recommendation is a bar designed with so much thought and care. In three separate structures, the bar has space to talk, play, and most importantly, listen to and dance along with amazing live music (look specifically for when Lady Dottie and the Diamonds are playing). The drinks are the right price and the neighborhood has about six fantastic spots to eat including local-favorite Bahn Thai, Ari-favorite Plumeria Vegetarian, and an upscale Ethiopian spot Muzita Abyssinian Bistro

5. City Farmers Nursery: City Heights

-- A dream come true. This urban nursery has beautiful animals of all sorts, plants for days, and a staff for the ages (a patron brought in a recently purchased now struggling 2-inch tall shoot of bamboo. The man at the front desk pretended to perform surgery on it and was shouting “scalpel” at his assistant before lamenting the impending loss of said tiny bamboo and promising a new bamboo if his surgery did not resuscitate the failing plant). After walking around this hidden gem of life and lovely plants, go over to their delicious café with an excellent beer selection and house-made lemonade, and maybe even some live music (though maybe Kev and I always just luck out with this…)

6. Scripps Coastal Reserve: La Jolla

-- This half-mile loop will leave you breathless. Enjoy a sunset picnic, morning meditation, or any time of the day merriment on this slice of heaven overlooking La La Jolla Shores to the south and Blacks Beach to the north. Bonus: right now it is covered in wildflowers

7. Liberty Station: Point Loma

-- This repurposed naval-training center offers a little something for everyone. Food, drinks, art, music, or just walking around the scenic spot in the sunshine. Many of the best spots to eat and drink and shop in San Diego have opened sister establishments in this ever-growing San Diego favorite

8. Miramar Breweries: Miramar

-- There are so many breweries in San Diego, but for the highest density of fantastic breweries a trip to the industrial park of Miramar is in order. Be sure to stop at AleSmith, Pure Project, and the massive Ballast Point while in the area (and with these heavy hitting 10% kind of beers, Lyft please!!) 

9. Cabrillo National Monument: Point Loma

-- The monument itself is quite pretty and overlooks the harbor and downtown San Diego (and will get you somewhat oriented to an otherwise very confusing and sprawling city). But, what you’re paying the big bucks for (10$ to be exact) is a trip down to the tide pools. Tide pools is a bit of a misnomer, but this area down the hill from the monument is unlike any landscape I have seen in San Diego with jagged cliffs and rough water slapping against gorgeous bluffs you can walk along. At the tip of Point Loma, it’s the perfect spot for before or after a beer at Modern Times, a walk around Liberty Station, or a meal at Mitch’s Seafood

10. Waterfront Park: Little Italy

-- Home to music festivals, this grassy park is situated between an old and beautiful government building and the harbor. Adults exercising, kids running around, it’s your basic park. But its location is stunning, especially when the sun is setting on the harbor. Head far south enough from here, go right just past the Midway and see the enormous Unconditional Surrender Statue and the Bobe Hope Memorial. Or you can go just a bit east from the park and land back in the heart of Little Italy and grab a slice, a scoop, or a pour of whatever you’re in the mood for

— Ari