We’re vacationing in San Diego next week, and while I think we’ve got the essential attractions covered (Gaslamp, Wild Animal Park, Sea World, maybe the zoo), I was wondering if anyone could recommend a couple of good restaurants, either of the “special night out” variety or just a fun time. Healthy food is a huge plus too.
Also any other must-sees while we’re there. I’m considering Legoland, but I don’t know if it will really appeal to adults.
Edit: I looked at Legoland’s website and am no longer considering it. That looks very kiddie. I do wish I could have gone when I was 10 though.
I would be hard pressed to recommend a specific restaurant but if you’ve already planned on hitting the Gaslamp district you will not want for choices and it is not hard to eat healthy in San Diego anywhere you go.
Elsewhere, when out and about, how do you feel about cheap mexican food? We have the best; tons of choices anywhere you go and pretty hard to go wrong. (Just stay away from the Taco Bells and Del Tacos and steer toward the ones that appear to be just hole in the wall places and you’ll do fine.
So no kids in tow? Then, yeah, hard to recommend Legoland, sadly. But with kids I always have a blast there. If you’re at all a serious lego afficionado then I’d say you have to go anyways.
You are aware that the Wild Animal Park is well away from downtown SD? Figure :45 minutes or more with traffic to get there one way. Not to dissuade you, I like WAP a lot. But the justly famous SD Zoo is right downtown in Balboa Park (which should be on your sightseeing list anyways; great grounds to stroll or picnic, museums, etc.).
Like aquariums? The Birch aquarium in La Jolla near UCSD is recently remodeled and a worthy visit. And that gets you close to some great views from the Torrey Pines / La Jolla bluffs or maybe a drive into downtown La Jolla for more ocean views and a bit of the ritz for shopping and upscale restaurants.
We’re coming from Ventura County, so I’m well aware of the dangers of Taco Hell and other California institutions. We just don’t come down past the Valley very often.
I just was in SD for a 3 day vacation last month for the SO’s birthday. For her birthday dinner, we went to Jake’s Del Mar (http://www.jakesdelmar.com) which was fantastic. The food and service were great, and it being right on the sand was even better. Especially for a Neufie gal who hasn’t seen the glory of our Pacific Ocean.
Another great place is Pacifica Del Mar (http://www.pacificadelmar.com), which is just 2 streets up from Jake’s. This one is located in a pretty upscale shopping area, with lots of great restaurants.
A really awesome Mexican place is La Playa Taco shop, on Mission, pretty close to Sea World. Close by in Kono’s, which is a very local breakfaast place. Beat the hell out of the breakfast at the hotel we were staying at (Bahia Resort - avoid like the plague).
Just go anywhere that has local wine or beer. I suppose that was quite the novelty for me, coming from Utah. As far as specifics go, I quite enjoyed Xavier’s in the Gaslamp district - a little kitschy, but excellent sandwiches and beer selection. This would be a “just a fun time” type place.
The Fish Market (http://www.thefishmarket.com) is pretty good, off of Harbor Drive near the Seaport Village (and the USS Midway right next door), is pretty good, from the two times I was there.
Legoland sucks for adults. Do not go there without kids.
Sea World sucks compared to the Zoo or the Wild Animal Park.
The Wild Animal Park is well worth the drive.
If I were going to two of the three, I’d go to the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park for sure.
Sushi Ota in PB is locally famous for having really good sushi if you’re into that, and it is the food IS really good, but IMO it is too cramped, badly laid out and annoyingly loud, which makes it pretty authentically Japanese but not really my cup of tea.
Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ on Convoy is excellent. If you’re looking to eat asian food at all I highly recommend you stop by that area as it is jam packed full of decent asian food places, mostly of the hole-in-the-wall fun variety, not so much “special night out”.
Umenoya Japanese on Miramar is also fantastic. Right next to a seedy strip club and it is the epitome of “hole in the wall family run restaurant” (read: slow as fuck service, the husband is in back cooking while the wife is taking orders), but if you like real Japanese food, go here. This is where my friends who are Japanese exchange students go when they don’t cook for themselves.
Croce’s
802 5th Ave
San Diego CA 92101
Tel: (619) 233-4355
A jazz club/ restaurant. Get the pork chops. THEY ARE FANTASTIC!!
The second is a steak house in Little Italy. It’s about a 3 blocks from a Holiday inn. Sorry I’m not giving you a better information. But it’s also very good.
There’s 2 other places I have to try and find one is a deli and the other is a sushi place.
Truth. Just walk up and down the streets; most of the restaurants post their menus and most attractive hostesses right up front to draw you in. My wife and I would just follow our noses until it smelled right.
Like aquariums? The Birch aquarium in La Jolla near UCSD is recently remodeled and a worthy visit. And that gets you close to some great views from the Torrey Pines / La Jolla bluffs or maybe a drive into downtown La Jolla for more ocean views and a bit of the ritz for shopping and upscale restaurants.
Birch aquarium is nice but it is a SHORT visit. You can do the whole thing in an hour if you go slowly.
To add to what CCZ said here, Ota’s a place that Japanese natives go to and say, “Wow, this is better than what we get at home.” The salmon and hamachi are its best, but check to see what’s seasonal; we once had pacific lobster sashimi that had been caught right off the coast and it was to DIE for, one of the three best things I’ve ever eaten anywhere, anytime.
