San Diego

San Diego has a plethora of food options ranging from Japanese to Mexican to Italian. However, none of them are really outstanding… in the spirit of the SD vibe, it’s all just kinda good: not bad, not great, some meh.

If you’re coming here, you must try some of the Mexican spots. For the classic California burrito, our fave is the steak and shrimp from Mikes Taco Club in Ocean Beach! For a more classic sit down spot with some mezcal or tequila, checkout Cantina Mayahuel in North Park (their molé is great). If you’re staying Downtown, just pick any of the Mexican places and you can ’t go super wrong.

Aside, from Mexican, a somewhat sizable Japanese community means good sushi! Azuki next to Balboa park is worth checking out… sit at the sushi bar and order nigiri; good quality fish! There’s lot of other sushi spots throughout the city that seem decent. Plus if you want fancier, you can splurge on some omakase; SOICHI even has a Michelin star!

Lastly, there’s lots of decent Italian food. Perhaps you’re getting a beer at North Park Beer Company (more on that later): check out Siamo Napoli nearby. However, our favorite Italian so far is Cardellino: it’s an Italian chophouse with great steak and amazing pasta too (spicy rigatoni, Sunday special, or bucatini are all worth trying); good wine list and Negronis too! Cardellino has a sister restaurant Trust which is great too.

Overall, SD has lots of food options. Checkout Michelin guide or Infatuation for more recs. Many cuisines, but nothing spectactular. So far Cardellino and Azuki top our list.

San Diego is arguably the beer capital of the country with over 150 craft breweries and many more taprooms; you can find a brewery/taproom basically in any neighborhood. Despite so many options, there are two that truly shine out: North Park Beer Co and Pure Project.

North Park Beer Co and Pure Project are super similar: they both have locations in North Park and Bankers Hill (west of Balboa Park). They both have amazing IPAs (both west coast and NE hazy). Besides the classic IPAs, North Park goes big with their collabs and some great DIPAs & TIPAs, whereas Pure Project diversifies and brews stellar sours and stouts. If you’re a beer lover you must check out both these breweries! Not only that, but take advantage of their multiple taprooms and use that as an excuse to visit North Park and Balboa Park.

Other than these two, many other world-renown breweries exist: Modern Times, Stone, Alesmith, Ballast Point, etc. SD is simply heaven for a beer lover.

Attractions in SD are plentiful: beaches, museums, parks, and varying neighborhoods.

Downtown San Diego has Gaslamp district which is fun to checkout and has many restaurants and bars. Downtown also has a nice promenade along the marina, which ends up at the USS Midway. The Midway is a retired aircraft carrier that is now a museum; super cool!

Next up is Balboa Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. Balboa Park itself has the San Diego Zoo which is a must see. Pick a clear sunny day (which are most days) and visit the zoo to see gorillas, orangutans, rhinos, pandas, elephants, polar bears, and much more. South of the zoo, Balboa park hosts some beautiful buildings and museums which are nice to walk around. The best part? Surrounding the park are some of the cities best neighborhoods: North Park, University Heights, Hillcrest, and Bankers Hill (you can find some of the aforementioned breweries and restaurants in these areas).

Lastly, SD is not SD without its beaches! From as far south as the Mexican border stretching 100km north to Oceanside is an amazing coastline varying from flat stretches (Silver Strand) to cliffs (Sunset Cliffs) to Jurassic bluffs (Torey Pines). Beach actives include surfing, tide pool hunting, picnics, and tanning. You could easily spend a week just exploring the various beaches… but luckily you can’t really go wrong with any of them. Simply sit back and enjoy (especially the sunset).

San Diego is one of America’s perfect cities: always sunny, moderate temperature, good variety of food, and that classic beach life. Driving around is easy (minus a very predictable rush-hour afterwork heading back south into the city). Balboa Park is the heart of the city and is surrounded by the best neighborhoods, but SD folk flock to the beach daily to catch a picnic and sunset. If you’re coming here from the NE (or anywhere cold for that matter) in the middle of winter than you’re especially in for a real treat… it’s a weight being lifted off your soldiers. Overall: chili sunny vibe.