The San Diego food guide
A ranked, curated guide, checked by our team. Weekend picks, the restaurants worth the trip, street food, cafes and the hidden gems. Never paid placements pretending to be reviews.
Open the food mapTop 5
Every shelf our desk runs, chosen and ordered by hand. Rank is editorial. A sponsor can buy a label, never a place on the list.
No Top 5 published this week yet
A Top 5 goes out only when five places have been picked, written up and checked, so a shelf with nothing ready stays empty rather than short. These are the shelves the desk runs. Each one links to that part of the guide, which is stocked whether or not this week's five are done.
Suggest a placeBreakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Picked from each place's own hours and the dishes it names. Never paid.
Open early: breakfast, brunch and the first coffee.
Mission Valley
Breakfast · Pancake
Mission Valley
Great Maple
Breakfast · Restaurant
University Heights
Hash House A Go Go
Breakfast · Restaurant
Hillcrest
Kono's Cafe
Breakfast · Cafe
Pacific Beach
Sugar and Scribe
Bakery · Dessert
La Jolla
Open through the afternoon, for a proper sit-down lunch.
La Jolla
Fine Dining
La Jolla
Addison
Fine Dining
Carmel Valley
Ambrogio15
Pizza · Italian
Pacific Beach
Animae
Asian · Restaurant
Downtown
Aqui es Texcoco
Mexican · Tacos
Chula Vista
Open through the evening, from fine dining to the late kitchens.
La Jolla
Fine Dining
La Jolla
Addison
Fine Dining
Carmel Valley
Ambrogio15
Pizza · Italian
Pacific Beach
Animae
Asian · Restaurant
Downtown
Aqui es Texcoco
Mexican · Tacos
Chula Vista
Pick a craving
Tap one: the team's list first, then every place that serves it.
Find by dish
Team lists first, then every place that serves the dish.
Start here
No ranking for San Diego yet: the team has not rated its places. So, one place from each kind of food the guide holds most of.
By area
Tap an area to see every place in it.
This week
Added to the guide in the last 7 days.
Browse
Tap a shelf to see every place on it.
Curated
Roasters and brew bars for people who care about the bean.
Curated
Long chats, laptops and a second round of coffee.
Curated
Wood-fired, Neapolitan, fresh pasta.
Curated
Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese kitchens.
Curated
Noodles, manchurian and momos.
Curated
Tandoor, kulcha and dal makhani.
Curated
Bowls, salads and lighter plates.
Curated
Barbeque at the table, charcoal and buffets.
Curated
When the meal is the occasion.
Curated
Waffles, cheesecake and chocolate.
Curated
Something cold, any month.
Run a spot San Diego should be eating at?
Tell us about it, our foodie team goes, eats, and if it's good, the whole city hears.
Suggest a spot